Electronic Frontier Foundation

To at least an extent, the Electronic Frontier Foundation is correct; traditional copyright laws are outdated. That being said, I don't believe I agree with anything else that is said by John Parry Barlow, at least based upon this article. Whether my disagreement is logical or idealistic, I'm not sure. I don't believe artists should just throw in the towel and start putting up all of their work on the internet as he suggests. And while David Nimmer's solution doesn't seem too much better, it at least seems to still offer an opportunity for writers/musicians to make a living off of their art. 

There seems to be a lack of optimism towards the future of book chains and artists, but I don't know if that's valid or not. I think we're still far off from everyone walking around with amazon kindles, or the like.

"Big World: Clear Channel"

Section 4-4 in the textbook is about the monopolization of music by clear channel communications. The section says that clear channel reaches 70% of America, and holds a tight grip on what artist gets played, and how often they're played. It goes on to say that this has begun to effect not only mainstream artists, but also local bands and bars that hosts performances. 

The "podcasting phenomenon" allows local artists and DJs a piece of the media on which they can still put out their own music without feeling as though they've sold out, or that they aren't in control of their own careers. Music from independent artists can now reach a nationwide audience, without the expense of following clear channel's rules.  And just as a testament to this phenomenon, there are now independent record labels and artists everywhere.

Podcasts

For my website I'm going to create an educational podcast. The reoccurring theme will be literature, so I'll have plenty of material to work with. Since the site is dedicated to becoming a book snob it will have humor in it, but not to the point of becoming slap-stick, or anything like that.  The following ideas could constitute five separate podcasts:

1) An introduction to "Becoming a Book Snob" with a shortlist of novels that any self-respecting aficionado of literature should be familiar with.

2) A guide to literary allusions commonly found in pop culture: because everyone should be able to tritely regurgitate Greek mythology in making metaphors so as to appear clever, despite how lacking or inappropriate that metaphor may be.

3) An episode dedicated to surveying important literary movements, in case you ever need to know the difference between the romantics and the transcendentalists.

4) A guide to the greatest writers from countries that aren't America. Just try telling someone that the best writer ever was Mark Twain. Now tell them that it was Proust, Chekhov, or Voltaire. See the difference in reaction? The former makes you a light reader, the latter choices make you a smug intellectual.

5) An in depth look at the characters from greatest novel ever written: Les Misérables. Without containing spoilers, of course.