First VLOG: Citizens and Police Accountability

Women in Computing

I feel that the current ratio of men to women in Computer Science has many plausible explanations, but is probably largely due to unacceptable barriers or deterrents for women in the field. I see the world from my small corner of Provo, UT where most women I know choose professions based on the likelihood of becoming mothers -- which is why nursing is so popular since it requires such small upkeep. I personally feel that Computer Science, though far more time consuming than nursing, is a practical profession for any "stay at home mom" who might only have the option to work from home. If the job pays well, and doesn't conflict with the future lifestyle of women than why don't the women come? As most, I can only speculate, but I would argue that there are certainly strong gender roles and perhaps sociological issues which deter the average women from the field -- in my experience most Computer Scientists lack the same social skill set common in other degrees.

Copyright

With the onset of simple ways to perfectly copy and distribute media, copyright laws have become an increasingly heated issue in politics. Record companies seek remunerations for copyright infringement claiming that such online file-sharing practices have hurt their bottom line. Quoting Orson Scott Card I see the situation as such, "Rapacious companies that have become bloated on windfall profits and ruthless exploitation of other people's talents are now terrified that the gravy train will go away." Though the answer isn't clear to me, I would like to see copyright laws offer protection to creators and authors of content while still allowing creativity, and word-of-mouth style sharing legal -- two seemingly contradictory ideas. We live in a world where every inventor, writer, composer, or creator relies on the inventions and ideas of predecessors along with the ability to easily share their creation with the world. In a perfect world, patents and copyrights would protect creators and protect earnings without creating barriers to creativity and cumulative progress.