Earcleaning Exercise

At night, sitting in the atrium of the Life Science complex every sound is amplified, reverberating off the lofty ceiling and long corridors. As opposed to the noise that usually results from echoed rooms, the lack of people sitting in the atrium creates a hushed atmosphere. The smallest of movements--the turning of a page, creak of a chair, the scuff of a foot--are heard from across the room. Everyone tries to make their movements make as little noise as possible to not disrupt the pressing silence. Conversations that are more than a whisper are heard clearly, passerby interrupting the hushed silence of the building. Drumming fingers on a chair sound far too loud. The hydraulics in the doors create an airy sound as they work so that the doors neatly shut in a "snap." The scuff of feet is the most dominant sound in the atrium, few people able to pass through without notice. In the hushed silence, the hum of the refrigerators in the cafe and the lights hanging from the ceiling create a white noise that can be heard only when a person focuses on the sound. A messenger bag rubs against a nylon coat as a person cuts through the building. Conversations in Indian fade in and out, some loud and laughing, others hushed and hurried. The strange silence that hangs in the air between the noisy interruptions seems almost loud in its own way.

Good Copy Bad Copy

The film "Good Copy Bad Copy" brings to light important controversy in the music and film business. Piracy and the use of samples in other music is a much debated topic in today's culture.

The new generation has grown used to obtaining whatever music and video they want for free. Piracy of music and video can never be stopped, but all efforts should be made to make it more and more difficult to download illegal media. Personally, I have never downloaded music off of Limewire or watched a movie offline. I'm part of the small group of people that still buys cds (which is actually a shopping addiction of mine). Yes, the price of cds are outrageous at times, but I believe that if you truly love an artist or film, you should purchase it. You would never steal something like clothing from a store, but with the use of the internet people steal billions of songs just because they know they have a very small chance of getting caught. However, what is to say that if the chance of getting caught is low enough, what would stop a teenager from stealing a watch they thought was overpriced?

When music is used in ways such as Girl Talk uses it, the original artists of the songs should be given credit for their music. Compensation for each individual sound clip would be far too expensive. A fan of rock music, I personally do not find the music of Girl Talk and other similar artists as original. Yes, it creates an interesting combination of music, but smashing sounds together does not constitute musical talent.