Tutorial Task Week 7

1. What is creative commons and how could this licensing framework be relevant to your own experience at university?


‘Creative Commons is a worldwide project that encourages copyright owners to allow others to share, reuse and remix their material, legally. We offer a range of free licences that creators can use to manage their copyright in the online environment, each providing its own specific protections and freedoms. We have built upon the “all rights reserved” of traditional copyright to create a voluntary “some rights reserved” system’. (Creative Commons website)

Creative Commons have licenced free courses run by Peer 2 Peer University (P2PU). P2PU is offering free university grade courses online. This is relevant to Australian and international universities because the licencing framework used by Creative Commons enables people to access educational packages and courses online easily. It could be the future of secondary education.

2. Find 3 examples of works created by creative commons and embed them in your blog.


Example 1: African Sleeping Sickness Test

'Murdoch University scientists led by Zablon Njiru and Andrew Thompson have developed a simple blood test for African sleeping sickness (human African trypanosomiasis or 'HAT') which they’ve published in PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases under a Creative Commons Attribution licence, making their findings accessible to the world'.
http://wiki.creativecommons.org/African_Sleeping_Sickness_Test


Example 2: Architecture for Humanity

Architecture for Humanity operates under the motto ‘Design like you give a damn,' it is a non-profit design services organization that aims to build a sustainable future through professional design, seeking architectural solutions to humanitarian crises. Co-founder Cameron Sinclair established the Open Architecture Network in 2007 which was developed in conjunction with Creative Commons and Sun Microsystems. Sinclair believes that Creative Commons licenses could act as a platform that designers could work from 'At the moment, the industry is in a very gray area and nobody knows what belongs to who, who’s really the designer, who’s liable. CC licensing could clear that up.’
http://wiki.creativecommons.org/Architecture_for_Humanity


Example 3: Cory Doctorow

Cory Doctorow is a writer, blogger, and futurist that has embraced the ideals of Creative Commons from the beginning.
Doctorow has been producing Creative Commons licensed works since 2003 with the publication of the first Creative Commons licensed novel 'Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom'. His reasoning for using Creative Commons Licenses was that by making his work available for free it has increased the number of sales that he gets.
http://wiki.creativecommons.org/Case_Studies/Cory_Doctorow

3. Find an academic article which discusses creative commons using a database or online journal. Provide a link to and a summary of the article.

Creative Commons Is Rewriting Rules of Copyright

By Ariana Eunjung Cha

Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 15, 2005; Page E01


This article discusses the emergence of Creative Commons Licenses into the mainstream. It refers to the use of particular licenses to distribute music and movies and the growing interest in Creative Commons Licenses as artists, authors and traditional media companies begin to race to capitalise on technologies such as file sharing and digital copying.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35297-2005Mar14.html



4. Have a look at Portable Apps (a pc based application) – provide a brief description of what it is and how you think this is useful.


Portable Apps Suite and Platform is a free download that enables you to carry your personal computer programs, bookmarks, settings, email and more on your portable device (USB, iPod etc). It is useful because it doesnt leave files or folders on your device and enables you to  access your software and personal data just as you would on your own PC. And when you unplug the device, none of your personal data is left behind.