Meeting 2007-10-17
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Information
- Date: Wednesday, October 17, 2007
- Time: 8:30PM
- Place: Squires 236
Attendance
Plan on coming:
Goodies
Game
News
First patent lawsuit filed against linux
"IP Innovation?" Sounds like a patent troll to me. Matt 13:35, 12 October 2007 (JST)
KDE 3.5.8 Released
Alsa v1.0.15 released
iTunes Plus offered to indie artists; tracks now equally priced at 99₵
Ars Technica article <-- READ THESE! Matt 13:57, 17 October 2007 (JST)
Thomas' Appeal: $222,000 is unconstitutionally excessive
While I agree with the logic, I seriously doubt that this will get the excessive fine lowered. Maybe if this reached the US Supreme Court, perhaps, but I don't think lower courts have the power of judicial review. Matt 15:04, 17 October 2007 (JST)
YouTube's filtering system finally on-line
From the Google blog Shorter unofficial blog post
I predict that YouTube's popularity is inversely proportional to the effectiveness of this filter, assuming that the big media companies aren't forward-thinking enough and choose the ad-supported option. Matt 15:04, 17 October 2007 (JST)
OSI approves MS license submissions
Dispite my irrational hatred of Microsoft, these licenses seem relatively benign. Of course they are still pointless, as we have more than enough free licenses as it is. Matt 07:39, 18 October 2007 (JST)
Mapping party
Let's mention this one more time.
Amping the advertising
Flyers and cards
Table cards sometime this week?
Cards are posted on my filebox. Two designs, I would suggest printing double sided cards with one design on each side. http://filebox.vt.edu/~asnel/FreeCulture/ TableCards.png and TableCardsManifesto.png Yashton 04:24, 10 October 2007 (JST)
A-frame
Did Conley, Ashton, and Sarah do this?
Halloween public domain movie night
Halloween public domain movie night
We need to worry about the following:
Advertising images for the poster windows in Squires
Who is going to usher
What is going to go on our table
What we are going to hand out
What we are going to say before the movie
How about something short and sweet like:
Hi. The movies you will see tonight are sponsored by the Free Culture club of Virginia Tech. All of these movies are freely available to you because they are in the Public Domain. If you enjoy freely available entertainment, media, and software or would like more information, come out to one of our meetings or contact us at freeculture@vt.edu. And without further adieu enjoy the show. --Spuddy 07:18, 18 October 2007 (JST)
Possibly making a short film to do the previous
Getting the DVDs
Re-encoding was sucessful and there doesn't appear to be any major quality loss. Now I just have to actually get off my ass and author the thing. Hopefully Duff is farther along than I am. Matt 06:14, 17 October 2007 (JST)
Future movie nights
We would like to schedule some future events. Does anyone have dates that would be good? Would someone like movie night responsibility for the upcoming semester?
Free the Collegiate Times
What's the status?
Fighting the tablet PC requirement
Let's see what Fardan did.
I wrote up two emails: One for the VTLUUG and one for the SEC. I'm not very familiar with Macs in general, so I couldn't really think of anything to write to VTMUG. Perhaps Ashton can contribute something?
Anyway, I kept the VTLUUG email pretty short, as I'm sure they're already aware of the Tablet PC issue. On the other hand, I think the SEC email could definitely be more concise. I tried to keep it fairly general so as to appeal to as many types of engineers as possible (not just CS/CPE/EE). Feel free to tweak it if anyone thinks it can be improved.
In my opinion we will absolutely need support from the SEC if we can even hope of overturning this requirement. It's probably a good idea to focus the most on them since they are the most inclusive group and most likely hold the most members. Matt 07:24, 17 October 2007 (JST)
For the VTLUUG
Dear [VTLUUG Head],
We at the Free Culture club at Tech would like to ask the VTLUUG to support us in getting rid of the Tablet PC requirement for incoming freshmen engineering students.
As you may already know, the Engineering Department has had this requirement for quite some time. Unfortunately, Tablet PCs aren't exactly friendly with Linux, Mac OS, or pretty much any UNIX-like system.
If enough people raise this issue with the Engineering Department, then they might listen to what we have to say. So, we are asking the VTLUUG to support us. Please let us know your thoughts on this. Thanks!
Sincerely,
[Whoever is sending this]
For the SEC:
Dear [SEC Head],
The Free Culture club at VT, speaking on behalf of many engineering students, is concerned about the Engineering Department's Tablet PC requirement for incoming freshmen.
As engineering students, we take pride in our ability to tinker with and improve upon technology we use on an everyday basis. This includes our computers, and the software we run on them. In order for curious students to tinker with technology, it is essential for that technology to be built upon open standards.
Unfortunately, Tablet PCs are not built on open standards, and will only work with Microsoft's closed, proprietary software. As evidenced several times in their history (such as the current OOXML fiasco), Microsoft isn't exactly too willing to change their practices.
Many of us like to run open systems that encourage users to modify and improve upon, such as GNU/Linux or BSD. However, such systems cannot run on Tablet PCs because Tablet PCs' specifications are poorly documented, and are not built on open standards.
We feel it's a bad idea to require engineering students to purchase proprietary, closed technology pushed by a company with a long history of anti-competitive behavior. It definitely makes a negative impact on a school with such a reputable engineering program.
There are a couple of purported benefits that Tablet PCs have over regular Notebook PCs. The Engineering Department has a list of them here:
http://www.eng.vt.edu/academics/comp_tablet_info.php
However, there are several problems with these supposed benefits:
* Formulas and equations/diagramming - A Tablet PC will allow you to draw equations the way you do it naturally -- by hand. I mean, it's not like you could do that with paper and pencil. It's just not stylish. How can we pass our engineering classes if we don't keep up with the latest trends?
* Collaboration - Use your Tablet PC as a shared whitespace to trade ideas with friends...but only if they have their own Tablet PC running Microsoft (R) Windows (TM) Tablet PC Edition. Sharing proprietary-format files, they'll need the latest version of an entire suite of Microsoft (R) Office (TM) applications.
Vendor lock-in? Antitrust? Nah. If we want to share ideas, collaborate, and be open, then obviously, proprietary, secretive, and closed technology is the most effective way to do it.
* Typing - So regular Notebook PCs don't include keyboards anymore? I must have missed the memo.
* Handwriting recognition - Because handwriting recognition algorithms are clearly sophisticated enough to read your handwriting with reasonable accuracy. Oftentimes, even humans have trouble reading handwriting that's not their own. It's also important to mention that Tablet PCs can't just recognize any arbitrary handwriting. Furthermore, To take advantage of handwriting recognition features, the user must change their handwriting style to one readable by the software.
Granted, machine recognition of handwriting is an active area of research. As soon as better algorithms are developed, we can just implement them into our Tablet PCs ourselves, right? Ah, but since Microsoft keeps their technology under such tight wraps, the only option we have is to wait for them to implement it themselves. Discouraging students from improving their software? Clearly the mark of a good engineering school.
Of course, we can trust Microsoft to improve their handwriting software as fast as they can. They know they'll lose our business if they don't keep up. I mean, it's not like engineering students are required to buy these things if they plan on passing their classes or anything like that.
* Writing on slides without printing them out before class - OK, this one might actually be useful. But this is the only one.
We feel that the ability to take apart, tinker with, and build upon open technology _greatly_ outweighs the ability to write on slides without printing them. We would like the SEC to support us in getting VT's Engineering Department to get rid of the Tablet PC requirement. Please let us know about your thoughts on this. Thanks!
Sincerely,
[Whoever is sending this]
Fardan 13:57, 15 October 2007 (JST)Fardan
Below is another draft of Fardan's letter to the SEC. I tried to keep his ideas and the intention of his words. I did, however, spice up the word usage and try to keep it from sounding like we just hate Microsoft. That would just make us sound like a broken record.
Here is my proposed draft.
For the SEC:
Dear [SEC Head],
The Free Culture club at VT, which represents a variety of engineering disciplines, is concerned about the Engineering Department's Tablet PC requirement for incoming freshmen.
As engineering students, we take pride in our ability to tinker with and to improve upon the technology we use. This includes our computers and the software we run on them. Our curriculum is even designed to teach us to be innovative problem solvers. The College’s requirement goes directly against the nature of engineering students and the skills that it seeks to develop. Curious future engineers would benefit from the knowledge and experience provided by technology that is built upon open standards.
Unfortunately, Tablet PCs are not based on open standards. They are inflexible in this area, only working with Microsoft's closed, proprietary software. Microsoft’s attempts to be more “open”, as evidenced recently by OOXML, shows they are not willing to change their practices.
In contrast, many of our members prefer to run open systems that encourage users to modify and improve upon them, such as GNU/Linux or Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD). However, as afore mentioned, such systems cannot run on Tablet PCs. Additionally, Tablet PCs' specifications are poorly documented, which makes it difficult to even attempt using other operating systems.
Based on the evidence, we feel it is counterintuitive to require engineering students to purchase proprietary, closed technology pushed by a company with a long history of anti-competitive behavior. We believe it tarnishes the image of a school known for producing creative, competitive, problem solvers.
The Engineering Department, in its defense, has released a list of the benefits it sees in Tablet PCs. http://www.eng.vt.edu/academics/comp_tablet_info.php
However, the following are a list of the problems we find in their reasoning:
Writing on slides: Writing on slides without printing them out before class is a good and valid reason to recommend a Tablet PC. However, it assumes that the majority of students find this an effective form of note taking. Requiring every student to purchase a Tablet PC simply for this reason would be equivalent to telling students all notes must be written in cursive with a blue, ink pen. Additionally, it works directly against the popular belief in different learning styles to force this particular. Although it is beneficial, it should not be required on this reason alone.
Diagramming/Handwriting recognition: Handwriting recognition has indeed shown improvement in recent years. At the least, handwriting recognition still requires a willingness to go back and correct errors in the text. There are still those of us who do not have neat writing and may have no success with recognition. Although, error checking is time consuming and inconvenient, it is not impossible to overcome.
Machine recognition of handwriting is an active area of research and it would be a great benefit to students if we could implement them ourselves as better algorithms are developed. Unfortunately, as previously mentioned, lack of documentation and openness prevents us. We are currently forced to wait for Microsoft’s development instead of improving student’s development skills and experience. Again, this is not what the image of our College should be.
Formulas and equations: This benefit has a similar argument to that of “writing on slides.” A Tablet PC allows us to draw equations the way we naturally do -- by hand. Unfortunately, it is not as natural as writing with a pen or pencil. The tablet senses a single point as opposed to the rounder tip of a pencil or pen. Which means that as a person’s grip shifts while writing, it changes the angle of the pen producing virtual ink slightly off from where the pen actually touches the screen. This is made more difficult for those people who want to use different colored pens. A student moves the pen to press the button for a different color only to end up with something completely different, because no one naturally adjusts the angle of a pen to tap on something new.
Collaboration: Collaboration is made extremely easy through a Tablet PC but only if collaborating with others who are running Microsoft (R) Windows (TM) (XP, Vista, or Tablet PC) and OneNote 2007. In comparison to more open collaboration tool, such as wiki, this reason also falls short.
Typing: Regular Notebook PCs still include keyboards. The writing capability, if desired, can easily be added through a comparatively inexpensive USB graphics tablets. Additionally, transitioning from one to the other is not instantaneous; it takes time to adjust. Then, if it becomes locked up, as computers sometimes do, a student is stuck waiting unable to take any notes at all.
The benefits listed by the College of Engineering are somewhat valid, but overall do not seem to justify requiring every incoming freshman to purchase one. All of the above could be accomplished better or equally through other means.
We feel that the ability to dissect, experiment, and build upon open technology greatly outweighs the reasons presented. We would appreciate the SEC’s support in asking Virginia Tech’s Engineering Department to lift the Tablet PC requirement. We welcome your thoughts and hope to hear from you soon.
Sincerely,
[Whoever is sending this]
--Spuddy 08:44, 18 October 2007 (JST)
Power of 16
The Power of 16” will be held Tuesday, October 23, from 6:00-8:00 PM
We need 8 people if we are going to do this.
Show and tell
I got my first Nigerian scam today. Matt 06:31, 17 October 2007 (JST)
Open floor
Honor Code
The "Honor code" that students are forced to agree to (in ECE 2504 & possibly other classes) contains language like "consider your work propeitary..." This makes me licens products of my own creation in a closed licens thats not even fully disclosed on the paper. There is obviously room for improvement. If a student wants to be able to CC licens their work, then they should be able. s3raph1rn 23:30, 16 October 2007 (JST)s3raph1rn
I've actually felt the same way, but I've never come up with a solid solution that many professors would agree to. In high school I got in trouble for teaching the lower level calc class the chain rule, when they were still doing the limit definition of derivatives. :)We can discuss potential solutions to this. --Conley 03:22, 17 October 2007 (JST)
People actually read those policies? I lost all incentive to do so once they told me it was all online. PS: Sadly this isn't a new idea. Ever heard of TurnItIn.com? If VT uses that site I'll be pissed. The only thing I really remember about submitted work that's even slightly related is when I was told in Java class that all submitted work was retained indefinitely (which is of course ridiculous unless the department has an immense amount of free storage space). PPS: Why the hell do calculus classes insist on teaching the limit theory before the derivative shortcuts? Some students may want to learn why things work, but the majority of people don't give a rat's ass about why something works or how it works as long as it works, period. Listen to five minutes of a typical tech support call for proof. Matt 06:05, 17 October 2007 (JST)
Richard Stallman is awesome (slightly dated, not yet covered)
We should discuss Richard Stallman's life philosophies in greater depth. We can start with the katana that was given to Richard Stallman in honor of xkcd, and his awesome reply "I am not sure what to do with it, other then keep it near my bed."
Other interesting Stallman points:
In a talk given at Lehigh University, Free Software Foundation founder Richard Stallman explained his beliefs on the negatives of proprietary software and the importance of free software. Stallman spoke about the goal of creating an alternative to the computing landscape run by corporations and their software, which is full of hidden features and prohibitive rules. However, he did show support for the free market, saying that free software is better for such an economy than the limiting aspects of proprietary software. Choosing software or an operating system for convenience, reliability, and ease of use is "a fundamental mistake because they don't allow us to see what is important," according to Stallman. Proprietary software leaves the computing community divided "because we can't make copies to help our neighbors and helpless because we can't see the source code," he added. Stallman went on to express his disapproval of combining free software with proprietary, because this confuses the issue and sends a message "that it's OK to use proprietary software." He named Utoto, Blag, and gNewSense as popular systems that are free of proprietary software. Cell phones also came under attack, for their ability to be used as "a tracking device, even when it is turned off." In summing up a broader philosophy, Stallman suggested, "Don't buy a house, a car, or have children. The problem is they're expensive and you have to spend all your time making money to pay for them." -- summary at [1], discussed at [2]. Heil, free culture!
-- James, 15-10-2007
Cell phones can be tracking devices even when off? Oh shit! Although I must say my commitophobic nature gladly makes me adopt his satirical last statement literally. :) As for the convenience, our society of instant gratification and simplicity demands such convenience, even though many know full well that such practices can be bad in the long run. Just look at how well the fast food industry is doing. Matt 06:28, 17 October 2007 (JST)
More wiki problems
Is DST utterly broken on this thing? I set the offset to the detected UTC-4 (which from my calculations is correct), but all of my timestamps are an hour later. The displayed "local time" in the preferences is correct though. Matt 06:37, 17 October 2007 (JST)
I think I know why the messages in the boxes run off the page. That format is for lines of computer code, and wrapping could ruin the code's formatting. Look at how Wikipedia uses them for their articles on computer code. Although I still can't say why exactly the box still doesn't expand with the text. Anyway I found out that it's possible to indent by inserting a colon in front of the paragraph instead of a space,
- like this. Matt 07:58, 18 October 2007 (JST)
