I wanted to share this passage that I saw on the internet. Do not be put off by the beginning; just keep reading and you'll see what it's getting at.

A friend passed along this article to this morning. It regards a recent Oregon court ruling that an independent blogger must pay a large financial firm for defamatory remarks published in a series of blog posts. She was not given the same protective rights as traditional journalists in the state, and thus liable for publishing defamatory content. I encourage you to read the article for more details.

This semester, I have been reading about an increasing number of court cases that pit laws directly against advancing technology. The precedents set now are going to shape society in the years to come. What do you think? Are bloggers equal to journalists? 

This is my current Hive logo/mantra:

I love stress/squeeze things - as you can see in the photo of them on my desk (below). We stacked them, and then Dana made a Wrestling Championship Belt (made of tape) around the brain. You'll have to ask her about her inspiration on that?

Also, there is a donkey checking out the action (with tape person along for the ride), but the donkey is not part of the logo/mantra, at least not at the moment. Although, the donkey was born out of the same magical material as his brethren.

OK, back to Heart Brain Helmet:

In the Hive:
1. You gotta have heart and passion for what you do - it's what drives us.

2. We have a lot of talented and smart people that exercise their brains everyday here. Maybe we are even World Champions of brain activity??? (hmmm, maybe that is where Dana was going with that)??

3. We wear protective helmets - because, well, safety first! Not to mention this helmet has a logo of a whale on it. So safety by land and by sea!

"The bottom line is this: If you understand the Net Generation, you will understand the future. If you're a baby boomer or GenXer: This is your field guide," so says Don Tapscott in his 2009 publication, Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing Your World. This book is one of three textbooks for my Media Arts & Studies 555 course, The Internet and Social Change. Tapscott recognizes how my generation--the Net Generation--is a unique and powerful social shift that is manifesting itself in nearly all aspects of life. The book is divided into chapters that analyze and compare the Net Generation and the Baby Boomers in terms of their cognitive processes, educational structures, the work force, the marketplace, the family unit, and more. The more I read it, the more I find myself agreeing with Tapscott. His argument is based on what he names "Eight Generation Net Norms".

If you haven't already heard about Stitcher, it's pretty cool! This is a service that's free and can stream to a mobile device or a desktop computer. It takes what you like to listen to and suggests similar shows -- sort of like Pandora Radio's "Music Genome Project." There are lots of well-known podcasts like This American Life,  and The Onion's (fake) newscasts, and Stuff You Should Know, as well as more obscure, but related, shows. 

There are podcasts in a variety of languages, on a variety of topics, so there's bound to be something that suits you. Happy listening!

Yet another example of the incredible power of gaming and crowdsourcing. In this case, it could lead to the end of AIDS.

http://gizmodo.com/5841782/gamers-crack-code-that-could-lead-to-new-aid…

There are still a few weeks left in the summer before classes start – so for those of you who are still looking for that great summer book, check out A&S English professor Bobbie Ann Mason’s latest work, The Girl in the Blue Beret. The novel’s hero, a World War II crash survivor, sets out to find the people who risked their lives to help him.

Click here to visit our Facebook page and see what the New York Times reviewers had to say about this great read!

            Most of my posts and thoughts focus on relationships and, more broadly, social connections. I often treat social connections as these simplistic things that govern thought, emotion, and behavior. But social connections have many different flavors. Your relationship to your parents gives you something different than what you get from your best friend, your professors, or your local Starbucks barista. Each relationship partner also gets something different from you. In a keynote address by the eminent cultural psychology, Michael Harris Bond challenged me to think differently about how people relate to each other.

            Michael shoots out of any crowd in Asia. At a lean 6’5”, he towers over most people here. He has a bald, shiny head that emits a ray of light if the spotlight catches it at the correct angle. Just before he started speaking, he donned a white floppy hat (a la Gilligan’s Island). Maybe it’s his trademark.

Have you ever known someone who loved himself? I’m not talking about the usual positive self-feelings people have. I’m talking about the guy who has a literal addiction to fame, constantly self-promotes, feels entitled to special treatment, and needs to have everyone gawk at how good looking he is. We all know people like this. They’re what we psychologists call narcissists. Narcissism is on the rise in the United States. American have never loved themselves more than they do now. But is this boost in narcissism isolated to Americans? Today, I learned that narcissism isn’t limited to Americans.