It's a fake?!

The Internet is filled with numerous images ranging from unbelievably beautiful to quite bizarre. However, with the technology available to us today, you may or may not be surprised to find that many of those images have been tampered with. It is getting harder to tell which images are real and which aren't, with sophisticated design software like Adobe Photoshop being made available to the general public. I have posted an example of an altered picture above. It is a picture of a pair of jackalope, a species of rabbit with antlers which have long been rumored to exist. The manipulation is obvious; antlers have been added to the heads of two rabbits to convince others that the creature actually does exist. This particular image was found on a postcard. No one knows when it was created. I chose this image to share because the jackalope is an interesting (though fake) creature, and the image is very convincing. It is a harmless picture because it is a fairly common knowledge that the jackalope does not exist.

Copyright

Many large corporations have been cracking down on copyright violations, most notably record companies. There have been several cases, recently, where record companies have sued file-sharers for thousands and even millions of dollars. It is apparent that file-sharing does violate the copyright law; however, there is a huge disparity between the amounts of money individuals are being sued for and the number of songs downloaded. Why are the record companies getting so much for so little? I agree with those who believe the decline in album sales has something to do with it. Record companies aren’t making as much as they used to, so they are trying to make up for it by taking file-sharers to court and suing for huge sums. If they are suing for the amount lost from potential sales, it doesn’t add up, especially when individual songs can be purchased for less than a dollar on the internet. Oftentimes those songs aren’t even from the same album or artist. I’m not saying that file-sharing shouldn’t be punished, but the punishment should be altered to better fit the crime.

Diagram of TU's LAN

Computer Survival Skills

Joe Hatch came to talk to us about computer survival skills, and he gave us some valuable information. He talked about the different causes of slow computer performance and provided us with solutions, such as using CCleaner and defragging (Windows users only). He talked a little about the threats of viruses and identity theft. (Remember, any personal information should be sent over the TUSecure network, and even then you should double check who you are sending it to.) There was also some information about Mac support given, but it wasn't any help to me since I use a PC. Overall, I learned quite a bit from Mr. Hatch.

Hey, I'm Aubrey

My name is Aubrey, and this is my first semester at Trinity University. My hometown is Texas City, TX, also known as Toxic City. Back home, I live with my mom and two sisters. I have a brother, but he spends most of his time with his friends. At the moment, I am trying to decide between becoming a psychology major or going the health professions route. It is turning out to be tougher than I expected. My non-academic interests are music and reading. They are great stress relievers. I love finding a new song to listen to, and who doesn't enjoy a good book?


I am looking forward to broadening my knowledge of Word and Excel. I've used them a few times, but the work only required basic knowledge of the programs. I generally don't use computers for anything other than surfing the internet, so I know I'll gain a lot of new information.

My fact for the scavenger hunt is that I can wiggle my ears, just a little.


email