readings for 10/7

1)microsoft awarded patent for P2P DRM- http://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/09/23/0036258/Microsoft-Awarded-Patent-For-Peer-To-Peer-DRM?from=rss

Microsoft seems to have found a use for P2P Digital Rights management systems. the patent covers a DRM that covers the P2P networks and uses encrypted public and private keys as a licensing mechanism. If microsoft can actually find a good use for this dying source of data protection, then Good for them. Apple has stopped using the DRM licensing system on iTunes.

2)here comes typhoid mary! - http://www.wired.com/thisdayintech/2009/09/dayintech_0923typhoidmary/

I found this piece actually interesting from the medical standpoint, because of the fact that she was throughout this time technically a healthy disease carrier. As she spread the disease among the populous without detection it spread quickly, and as it would seem, it was comparable to a meme. You see meme's spread every day, and depending on how good they are depicts how far they go. Like the recent turning of Kanye West into a meme the night after his distasteful act at the music video awards, he was all over the internet interrupting many different people, from Xzibit to Hitler, to many other memorable memes. The only problem with this is that the doctors, or oppression mary and the meme's share is public eye. The death of a great meme, the Rick Roll happened last year, during the thanksgiving day parade. I know i felt a great deal of hurt as the rick roll was shamelessly ployed for more attention, and i felt it was only destroying the great joke/meme it was.