Thursday, January 29, 2009
{The Blue Banner}
Page 9
Torrent download policy
enforced across WNC schools
Nick Robinson - Staff Photographer
Freshman Shaun Barrick uses Vuze, a popular torrent download program.
UNCA, ASU, WNC students
punished for Internet piracy
By Nick Robinson
: Staff Writer
i NHROBINS@UNCA.EDU
; Ben Kirasey was initially confused
i when his Internet access was cut off in
his UNC Asheville dorm. He was even
I rnore startled to discover that someone
had pirated music using his Internet
connection.
“I didn’t realize it had stopped work-
; 'ng at first. Then my suitemate told me
that he got an e-mail saying that one of
us had violated copyright law,” Kim-
sey said. “I was only 50 percent certain
it was my fault because both me and
rny roommate downloaded music. My
' roommate was mad at first because he
thought it was him it had happened to.
Neither of us do it anymore.”
While school Internet policy forbids
the use of Internet access for the illegal
downloading of music, many students
do it anyway. Others choose to wait un
til they return home on breaks to down
load music, movies and other content,
'''hich they then bring back to campus
and enjoy.
' “I went kind of Torrent-crazy over
Thanksgiving break,” admitted fresh-
ruan Miranda Payseur.
BitTorrent is a software program that
facilitates downloads of large files, such
as music, movies or other documents,
without any one download location
needed.
University Librarian and Copyright
Infringement Officer Jim Kulhman sent
out a campus-wide e-mail in September
to all students with the heaeding, “Im
portant Information about Download
ing on campus.” This e-mail reminded
students of both the Digital Millennium
Copyright Act and of UNCA policy No.
80, both of which explicitly forbid ille
gal downloading.
The e-mail said that over the past 18
months, Kulhman had only received a
handful of complaints of illegal down
loads on campus from the music indus
try. However, the e-mail stated that in
the previous two weeks, they had re
ceived 30 such complaints.
Other Western North Carolina uni
versities have similar policies in place.
“1 pirated a [lot] back in college,” said
Matthew Barrett, a graduate of Western
Carolina University. “[The universities]
don’t care that much unless they get a
call from the Internet service provider,”
Barrett said.
WCU’s policy is relatively hands-off,
according to Barrett.
See torrents Page 101
‘Gadgets Aren’t Just
for Geeks’kicks off
TGIF series at Reuter
By Sulkiro Song
Staff Photographer
SULICIRO.SONG@UNCA.EDU
Those intimidated by modem devices
that most people use in their everyday
lives can attend an introduction to useful
gadgets taught by Mike Honeycutt, tech
nology support specialist at the NC Cen
ter for Creative Retirement. Honeycutt
will teach this week’s program. Gadgets
Aren’t Just For Geeks, as part of NC-
CCR’s TGIF Lunch & Learn series this
Friday at the Reuter Center.
“Gadgets are something that you don’t
need in your life, but if you have them,
they make your lives easier,” Honeycutt
said.
Honeycutt, who calls himself “the
computer guy,” will feature devices like
smart phones, robot vacuum cleaners,
digital cameras, FM transmitters and
mp3 players, to name a few. He will dem
onstrate the features of different gadgets
and answer questions from the audience.
“This is definitely not a sales talk,” he
said. “I will tell the pros and cons as I see
them, my opinions of why this is a good
thing, or why this is not for everyone.”
The smart phone, one of Honeycutt’s
favorite gadgets will be used to assist
Honeycutt in interfacing with a video
projector to be used in the presentation of
other gadgets.
“It simply has my life in there,” he
said. “It has all of my nieces’ and neph
ews’ birthdays - this is dumb - it has the
presidential successions. I must have 150
notes in there on just everything from my
insurance infomiation for my car to the
last time 1 rented a condo from somebody
that 1 really liked.”
Honeycutt’s smart phone, different
from a regular cell phone, has Microsoft
Word, voice record, digital camera and
video camera included.
“It would be much more traumatic for
me to lose that smart phone than it would
be to lose the computer on my desk be
cause my MR, lives there. I love my smart
phone,” he said.
Not all smart phones are iPhones by
Apple, and not all mp3 players are Apple
iPods, Honeycutt said. He will show peo
ple other options available in the market
that may be cheaper or more appropriate
for different individuals.
“There are other options available for
you that are cheaper, or perhaps have a
few more features that you might be in
terested in,” Honeycutt said.
For people and college students on
a tight budget, he will share his knowl
edge of other brands. Honeycutt will also
talk about “the joys of eBay,” where he
bought one of his smart phones.
Cullum Nonnan, 75, retired and a
member of the Reuter Center, identifies
himself as “primitive” when it comes
to new gadgets. He plans on attending
this Friday’s program so that he can feel
“more tech-savvy.”
“I won’t feel ostracized since most of
the people who will attend do not know
much about today’s technologies,” Nor
man said.
One of the more popular gadgets
among the NCCCR members may be the
robot vacuum cleaner because of the age
of the people who have memberships to
NCCCR, Honeycutt said. Most of the
people with memberships are above the
age of 66.
“I’m interested in learning about gad
gets,” Norman said. “It would help me
become more knowledgeable about all
these new technologies. 1 don’t even have
a computer or a cell phone.”
The robot vacuum cleaner can vacuum
a house without a person guiding the de
vice. Robot vacuum cleaners, depending
on their features and setting, can detect
dust and debris, clean even if the owner
may be away and navigate well on their
own around the house.
Honeycutt said his mother, 83, has a
robot vacuum cleaner (Roomba).
“She just loves it,” Honeycutt said.
“It allows her to be independent as she
grows older. That (product) is probably
going to be a hit.”
College students may be more inter
ested in the FM transmitter, according to
Honeycutt. Students can purchase the FM
See gadgets Page 10 |