Today is not a snow day. But, if it were, I'd be in my pajamas with a cup of hot cocoa (with mini marshmallows) and a Disney movie. I can appreciate the creativity behind the Disney conglomerate--who doesn't love Hercules?! No, seriously, who? I want names. Reading this article, however, I'm realizing that maybe Disney isn't as creative as I thought. Maybe the company just had really good timing and was able to snatch up (other peoples') ideas before the law decided what's what. Maybe the company's transformation of works in the public domain (for example, taking a Greek myth and turning it into a classic) means that the new work is suddenly original again. Or, maybe, Disney isn't the happiest place on earth (for the princess within me, I hope this isn't true). Disney shouldn't get exclusive rights to build on fairytales and fables. After all, many creators passed on before their literary works could come alive. But no one is saying that only Disney can be inspired by The Little Mermaid. It's a teetering path between protecting creativity and encouraging the public good (and yes, a childhood favorite on a snowy day is always in interest of the public good).
Copyright refers to the legal ownership of one's work, be it a poem or a music video (and everything in between). In the digital world, where stealing someone's photo is as easy as "Command + Shift + 4" (aka screenshot), copyright protects a creator's artistic product. It's so easy to drag a Google Image into a project, blog, etc. that copyright has to work double-time in The Internet Age.
But just because something's easy to do doesn't make it correct: copyright infringement is a (very serious) violation of federal law. Plagiarism, stealing someone else's intellectual property and calling it your own, is not the same as copyright, although the two notions have similarities. To avoid plagiarism, you credit the person's work (attribution). To avoid copyright infringement, you must follow copyright guidelines. So, linking out to the original material is NOT adequate. You either need to have the creator's explicit permission or have grounds for fair use. If you want to use an image, the easiest way to steer clear of infringement is to use one from the public domain. Making changes to someone's work doesn't release you from copyright laws--unless your changed work is considered "transformative" and bears no resemblance to the original. For our class work, which includes blogging, creating book trailers, and other digital media, we have to be vigilant when it comes to using someone else's work. Adding a photo to a blog post is great, but only if the photo falls under fair use. Resources for copyright free images and music include: http://www.morguefile.com/ https://www.flickr.com/commons/ http://creativecommons.org/legalmusicforvideos We've all been there. It's late, you're anxious, and there's a pint of Ben and Jerry's Half-Baked in the freezing just CALLING your name. Or, there was a pint. (Disclaimer: maybe this is just me?)
I define anxiety as a constant and penetrating nervousness toward the uncertain. It can be debilitating, yes, but I think it's a part of growing up and dealing with "real world" issues. (As an aside--I hate the expression "real world." Is what I'm doing now somehow fake?) I'm a naturally anxious person, but I don't necessarily see that as a personality flaw. The more I think about anxiety, but more specifically my unique brand of anxiety, the more I can come to terms with it. Tests give me anxiety because they seem so defining to my Future. Books cause anxiety because I become so attached to characters and I just want them to live happy lives. TV shows (I'm looking at YOU, Criminal Minds) and movies make me anxious because scary events are, by their very nature, anxiety-producing. There is wisdom to step-based programs. You recognize the problem (hello, anxiety), you enumerate the consequences, and then you find solutions. When I'm anxious, or just Stressed Out, I like being able to get to the source of the matter. To ameliorate any anxious-tendencies (I have an awful habit of gnawing at my nails when I'm worried), I like to take time for myself. I'll drink some warm tea, do some yoga, or read a book--things that are a natural antidote to my anxiety. I know what cyber means. I, more or less, know what punk means. Put the words together, however, and I get lost. After some digging, I've found that cyberpunk is a subtype of science fiction set in futuristic locales. The societies are post-industrial, dystopian, and technologically-centric. According to Lawrence Person, a cyberpunk author, this genre's protagonists "were marginalized, alienated loners who lived on the edge of society." Imagine Holden Caulfield, but way in the future. I don't recognize any cyberpunk titles, but the genre does seem to have a staunch following. Cyberpunk appears in various media, including books, movies, video games, anime, and the like. Examples include Neuromancer and The Blade Runner.
Here's my (very rough--I'm not an artist!) interpretation of a cyberpunk town, with futuristic jets: I'll be honest. I had every intention of reading for just thirty minutes. I even set a timer to let me know when my time was up. However, I just could not stop myself once I picked up my book, Dark Places by Gillian Flynn. Also, I have a reading habit in which I never (well, almost never) stop reading mid-chapter. Typically, I read about a page every minute or minute and a half, so I guess I go at a moderate pace. My friends are always reading on their Kindles or Nooks or iPads, but I personally like the simplicity of "old-school" reading with a physical book to flip through. Since reading is a time for me to be in my own world, I like taking away the distraction that technology brings with it. If I listen to music, then I'll put Pandora on a soothing station and put my phone on "Do Not Disturb." I love to read by the fire in the library, usually sitting criss-cross applesauce on a pillow. I've tried reading supine or on my belly, but then I'm fidgeting and can't hold the book at a comfortable angle. I always read the book straight through because otherwise I feel removed from the storyline. Sometimes, if I'm really anxious to find out what happens to a character (particularly with scary novels!), I'll ask a friend who has read the book. Otherwise, though, I like the ending to be a surprise. I'll usually read a book's back cover to get the gist of a book's premise, but I know there are some people who forbid themselves from doing so. In the past year, I've let myself give up on maybe one book, because if I'm not enjoying it, it doesn't serve its purpose.
The Best Books for Young Adults Award, until 2010, was given annually to fiction and nonfiction books meant for readers between the ages of 12 and 18. The award has since be renamed to Best Fiction for Young Adults. Committee members, 15 in all, are chosen by the VP/President-Elect of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) for intervals of one year or two years. I've read a few titles off of the 2010 list (such as Hate List and Catching Fire), but I've only even heard of a couple on the current list of YA Fiction bests. The list is eclectic, which makes sense considering that what I used to read during middle school is not what I reach for now. I'm very interested in Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys, whose debut novel Between Shades of Gray really moved me (I cried…a lot).
I rely on WikiHow often; it is my go-to site for how to properly wash laundry and wrap presents. However, there are some things that cannot be enumerated in a "How To" list. This article is a prime example of when a list of items to be checked off fails to describe an activity as broad as reading. I found the article pretentious, overreaching, and even a little insincere. The writer is more interested in playing the part of a well-read scholar than in becoming a life-long lover of books. I don't consider myself well-read because there are certainly more books in publication than I will ever read. Moreover, there are inevitably more books in the universe than I am interested in reading. I agree that readers should challenge themselves and diversify their bookshelves, but The Aeneid is definitely not for everyone. Reading doesn't have to be linear or a bore. After all, reading should act as a reprieve from dull or upsetting days, not just one more thing to get done. I like the advice of listening to an audio book, and I'm interested if experiencing a book in a different medium makes it more or less enjoyable. The author doesn't mention libraries in detail, but one of the best ways I find books is to browse a section I like and randomly select a title. I was surprised that some of the books listed are ones I've read and loved, such as Jhumpa Lahiri's Interpreter of Maladies. I think of myself as a fairly lowbrow reader as most of my favorites were under the "popular fiction or nonfiction" category. I already make goals for myself (my New Year's Resolution is to read 52 books) and use Goodreads constantly, but I've never written a book review before because I know a really negative or positive review completely sways my experience of a book. I do like that writing a review would force me to think about the broader meaning of the book.
A good book is a book that challenges me to become a more introspective thinker. It is a book that engages me emotionally to the point where I don't want to close it. It can be a classic, but it doesn't have to be. I'd be lying if I said I didn't notice Oprah's seal of approval or the little blurbs on the inside jacket. Reading is my "me time," so I'm more interested if a book will let me escape, if only for an afternoon. Award recognitions have significance, just not end-all, be-all significance. |
AuthorI'm Maya, an Emma Willard senior and chocolate enthusiast. This is my book blog! Archives
April 2015
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