JE28 Sources?

            My issue about SOPA and PIPA should be concerned by every Internet users. I did some research about this issue and I think I understand how it works and how it can affect people around the world. The issue itself might be a little hard to understand by the readers because it requires a lot of background information and this issue can create problems in many different ways. However, it is easier to directly state the facts of the effect it might have so that people would understand its significance and they could be affected.

Since this issues is related to Internet, it is actually better to do research on the Internet. Many people who love their freedom on the Internet protested by making videos and writing journals. Sources like Wikipedia is useful because it is one of the possible victims of the issue thus it would try to provide as much as information as possible so that people can understand its potential danger. Also, news websites like CNNTech can be a useful source because they are written by professional people in a point of view of how can the issue affect people. Some videos on YouTube that are made my professional people can also be good sources. 

JE27 Personal, But Not Selfish

            My issue is about opposing Stopping Online Piracy Act and Protect IP Act. It is a new privacy that is going to be passed in USA. However it would affect everyone else in the world because the Internet does not really have a borderline. The intentions of the Acts were to protect intellectual properties and to stop infringing websites. However, it would create some latent impacts such as depriving the freedom of speech. Also, many websites could potentially be shut down. For example, Wikipedia, the website of knowledge, would have to ensure that the links below doesn't lead the users to an infringing website. Many of the useful sources may be deleted and we might not be able to search what we were looking for. Also, the browsers would also have to modify their search engine so it wouldn’t lead us to illegally launched websites. Furthermore, many videos on Youtube would be deleted. Even a child singing a song could become illegal.

            These Acts could create lots of problems. It takes away our freedom on the Internet. It expropriated our rights of sharing knowledge. It personally affected me. And I think it also has a huge effect on everyone else who is engaged in technological uses. In our English class, our teacher shared the files with us through Dropbox. However, Dropbox could be shut down after the laws are passed because it could be used to share illegal files such as music and movies. It is important to oppose the Acts because it 

JE26 The Worst

            The worst part about my winter break was that I had to take classes at Taipei. Despite the fact that I had to do lots of works for both school and cram school, it takes me a long time from my house to the cram school. I had to leave home around one thirty right after lunch. And then I had to listen to the lecture for 2 hours. Around 5, after people leave school or work, they just burst into the MRT train and the buses. It was hard to find a seat on the bus. After I got home, it would be already six thirty. Basically, I had no free time from Monday to Friday to do anything I really want. I was a glad at first that I would not waste my winter break doing nothing. And I actually did learn a lot from those classes. However, my winter break was not a break at all. I was too tired. It could have been better if I went to countdown to forget everything and start a new year. However, I was too tired to go to the countdown so I only stayed at home and watched TV instead. 

JE25 Christmas Holiday

            I love Christmas. I think I have Christmas spirit and I would love to celebrate it with my family and friends. However, my family does not have any Christmas spirit. The way I celebrate it is to listen to lots of Christmas songs, hang out with my friends, and maybe join the activities in the shopping mall. I have few Christmas albums by some modern artists. I would also watch the shows on TV to see how people celebrate Christmas to get the Christmas spirit in my head. I probably would also buy a gift for myself since my parents don't really care about Christmas gift.

            What I have to do during my holiday is to study because I have few finals after I come back. I have AP Chemistry, Pre-calculus, AP Statistics, American Literature, Precollege Essay Writing, Science Fair, and lots things to prepare.  Also I have to take some classes at Taipei. After being shouted at on Friday, I have to take things seriously. I really hope I can concentrate and finish all the works instead of wasting a lot of time. I would also have to do the community service because I only have about 40 hours. Still I planned to at least give myself few days to relax and have fun. I would probably go watch a movie, shop with my friends, and meet my relatives. I hope I enjoy my holiday.

JE24 What's Your Problem

            During the summer, I went to Page One (a bookstore in 101) with my friends. I was going to buy the same book with one of them. We walked in and saw a discount section. Every book in that section only sells for about 99 NT dollars. My friend luckily found the book that we were going to buy. But I could not find another copy in it. I asked the people who worked there if I can get the same book at the same price in the discount section. But they said I could not. I asked for an explanation but they only said some unreasonable reason and tried to keep me off. Finally, I picked the book up reluctantly from the other shelf without any discount. It was unfair that my friend bought the book in about one-third of the original price. And it was pretty weird that only one copy of the book was in the discount section. How come my friend was so lucky to get a cheap book while I had to get it in the original price? And the salesperson could not even give me a reasonable reason! If I walked in the front and checked the section out firstly, I would be the one who got the discounted book.

JE23 Address an Issue

            An important issue in my community (school) is that people could not really concentrate with their computers opened, including myself. Sometimes we need Internet to look up for some information. However, when you the game icon on your desktop, you might really want to click on it. Or when you see your skype icon has a red notification on it, you will want to open it and see who is talking to you. When you open a tab on your Internet explorer, you will never forget to leave a space for Facebook. These are inevitable actions resulted in the prosperity of Internet and technology.

            I think a way to solve this problem is that a student can make a schedule of what he or she is going to do at night. You can set little breaks between every hour and give yourself some relaxing time so it would not be so intense. Or you can give yourself thirty minutes a day to do those you want to do. Also, I think one important factors is being motivated. If a student has a goal and is clear of what he/she is going to be, it is easier to concentrate on schoolwork.