Fashion

I was thinking about the class we recently had about fashion and how they don't copyrights. For years I had been saying that fashion is cyclical because anywhere in history, you can see the inspiration for the fashions of today. Those shirts that girls wear with the empire waist were inspired from the fashions of regency England, and other times in history. I agree that there shouldn't be any copyright for fashion. It is an art form for people to express themselves, but ultimately, it is a utility. Everything is borrowing from each other anyway. Inspiration comes from everywhere. Like they said in the video, it comes from history, other designers, movies, even nature. How would you be able to claim an article of clothing you made when it was based off of nature? Would Mother nature come out and claim money for the use of "her" designs? I like this sharing and this concept should be used in other situations. Possibly music?

Webcam and Web videos

It is interesting to see that we are more and more exposed to the public due to the advanced technology. The Web videos and cameras have caused a tremendous effect on the way people interact as well as creating innovations on the internet community. People are now able to talk on video chat, without even having to type out their conversations to talk online. Now days interviews are even held online when the interviewer and the interviewee are in different areas of the world. I was watching a TED clip with Chris Anderson and he covered the basic changes and the innovation the web video has brought to us. For example, people were learning new things such as dance through web video. Dancers who were web taught were recruited to dance at the Oscars.

He talks about the video driven evolution of skills how strangers post videos of their talent online in which they would not be able to express by words. Videos carry an enormous amount of message compared to texts and images. This is also how some people became celebrities as well, like Justin Bieber who was found by Usher online. Chris Anderson argues that video images are more powerful and conveying than text. I agree with him in which I would rather watch a 30minute clip than reading part of a thick textbook. It makes it a lot easier to understand for learners like myself, especially when something being explained is very complex.

Technology has changed our lives and circumstances enormously. Technology like the web video creates new innovations and lead to outstanding discoveries of how talented someone may be for example. Because we are at a time where we are able to view web videos in many of our portable phones or ipods, it interaction between individuals has been taken to another level.

Fashion's Free Culture

It's not that i found it surprising that there are no copyright laws on clothing, it's just that i never thought about it before. It is a very interesting topic because I wonder why. Why was the issue never a big deal? Why wouldn't it automatically be copyright laws on clothing that people make? i figure if a garment is a person's original design, then it should be copyrighted. I guess that is the main reason why designers are fighting.
I feel like it would be one annoying person who calls them self a designer and try to claim a plain white t shirt with a little emblem on it. If clothing is going to have copyright laws on it, I feel that the clothing need to be worth it. The design needs to be very unique and distinctive. It should be signature to the designer. Any article of clothing that is basic should not be covered in the law.
Putting copyright laws on clothing will change the fashion industry in a noticeable way. When people find that someone has already made a pair of pants that they had in mind, they will not be able to make them, and making them will say that they are a knockoff because they were not the first pair made. In this case, everything will be considered a knockoff. A pair of pants made with one cuff at the bottom and a tie around the waste will be considered the knockoff of the pair that was already made with a smaller cuff and maybe a wider belt. This takes the fun out of fashion.
It is fun to be able to get a similar pair of Gucci pants. Not to get the pair that is supposed to be the actual Gucci pant, but the pair that resembles them a little and have the same flare. We will no longer be able to get the look for less. This is a sad thought.
Copyrighting laws placed on clothing will only make it more difficult for the fashion industry to grow and be as creative as possible. The fashion world is all about being fast paced and being able to tweak the designs of others to create a better version. Where will fashion be in ten years. Can't wait to find out.

The Good Ole Days

My friend's phone died last night, so she used twitter to contact me and we eventually met up. Years ago she wouldn't have had the technology to do that. She has a Blackberry, which means that she can tell when people read her text messages and vice versa. Technology tells too much When we met up we started talking about how much things have changed since we were little kids. Nowadays when somebody's phone dies, people panic. It's sort of like that exercise we did in the beginning of the year when we turned our phones off and felt disconnected from the world. If my phone were to die, I would feel uneasy because I couldn't contact people and I'm sure people would wonder what happened to me.

It's crazy to think I used to not own a cell phone, or an email address, or an AIM, Skype, Twitter, Facebook, the list goes on. I wonder how I ever made it without it but we all been through it. I feel like the overuse of technology can be detrimental on what goes on in real life. Technology is seeming to consume us rather than us consuming it. It has become a part of life. Not only do we use it to kill our downtime but we must use it to check email, sign up for classes, print out assignment, and so many other things just for school. Us using this blog as part of the class is the perfect example.

This class made me realize how much I depend on technology and makes me not want to indulge in social media as much anymore, but I'm held hostage by the Network effect. Only reason I'm still here is because I want to be included. As I get older, I'm sure I will revert to the good ole days, where technology doesn't run my life. Only time will tell, i guess.

Downtime

As stated in the article by Matt Richtel, "Digital devices deprive brain of needed downtime."

With constant technological advances, people are becoming so consumed in their digital devices and gadgets, that they are over working the brain too often. It's healthy to allow yourself some off time just to take a pause from technology. Maybe exercising, going out to dinner, or even just a nap are good ways to give your brain a much needed rest.

Everyday, when I get a little downtime, I turn my phone off for a little while and just sit and relax, using no technology.

Social Capital and Relationships

Many people have boundaries that they like to respect when it comes to dating . With that said, is it good or bad for people to have a relationship someone that is bonding, bridging, and linking? For example, two people who are dating, classmates, and working together, having similar positions on the job.

My personal opinion is that it's ok because it can only be beneficial when two people living similar lifestyles are together because they can then help one another get through certain things, like Barack and Michele Obama or Jay-Z and Beyonce. These couples work in the same businesses and are great help and support for each other career wise. Understanding what your partner is going through can help to have an emotionally stable relationship. As long as both people are still well rounded in different areas.

Facebook Forever

So I've been getting quite bored with facebook lately and don't really see the point in it anymore. I think it served its purpose while I had, which has been since my senior year in high school. It's not even a distraction anymore, more like something I just want to get rid of. I'm already connected with all of my close friends and family and I don't really use it for networking purposes.

When I tired to deactivate my account, it told me that at any time if I want to come back all I have to do is enter my email/password information. So it seems as though even if I deactivate my account, it won't be completely gone like I want it to be. I think this is facebook's way of keeping us forever to tempt us to sign on even once our account is deactivated. When I canceled my myspace account, it never let me log back on with the same email and password, I would have to create a new everything.

Once on facebook, forever on facebook I assume.