rupp's blog

4/7/09 - Tarkington Residence Hall

Attendees: Rawson, Riddle, Rupp, Schmidt

Goal: Create Gantt chart and prepare the proposal memo.

Topics:

  - Break project into individual goals

  - Assign goals to individuals and compile this into a Gantt chart

  - Write proposal memo

Decisions:

  - Gantt chart completed. All members satisfied with the division of labor.

  - Proposal memo completed.

  - Individual parts have been assigned.

  - Meet 4/10/09 to work on storyboard

I met with my group today to edit our white paper. I personally added a section discussing the financial implications of compliance with the RIAA. I also helped with general editing. The Powerpoint presentation was also completed in our meeting.

I found another source that has information regarding the legal issues of file sharing. The verdict in the case of the RIAA vs. Jammy Thomas, one of the first wins for the RIAA, has been overturned by the district court in Minnesota. Judge Michael Davis overturned the verdict based on the fact that making files available is not equivalent to actual distribution of copyrighted material. [1]

1. Koman, R. (2008, September 25). RIAA loses $222k verdict against Jammy Thomas. ZDNet. Retrieved from http://government.zdnet.com/?p=4040/

I have begun writing part of the background information for the white paper project. The portion I am writing is focused primarily on the way the RIAA detects filesharers and the problems associated with it. I plan to find a couple sources of RIAA court cases that were lost to illustrate the various problems with their accusations. Furthermore, I am investigating and writing about the legal rights and responsibilities of ISPs with regards to their users sharing copyrighted material. I will continue this work over break and hope to have this portion done by next Monday.

I gathered several sources this week to use in our paper. One of them details the method the RIAA uses to catch pirates. This technique involves using an automated program. [1] I found a good quote from Gigi Sohn, the president of Public Knowledge, that can be used in conjunction with this article: "we don't think that any automated process will be able to determine whether a consumer's fair use rights are being violated." [2] Another article I found discusses the case in which a Harvard professor is battling the RIAA regarding the constitutionality of its attack on individuals.

Our group chose my idea to focus on the RIAA's recent policy shift  from suing individuals to requesting help from internet service providers. I proofread the memo that Josh wrote and contributed to the edits that were made on Sunday. The next step is to begin researching sources and collecting facts that we can use for our paper.

The RIAA recently announced that it is stopping the tirade of lawsuits against illegal music downloaders. Instead, they plan to continue monitoring P2P programs. Upon detection of illegal file sharing, they will contact the internet service provider (ISP). The ISP will be asked to forward a message warning the user that, if the file sharing does not stop, their internet service will be limited. Repeat offenses will result in service being completely cut off. Many major ISP's are already in talks with the RIAA about this policy shift.

Last summer, I worked as an intern at MED Institute, Inc. in West Lafayette, IN. They serve as the research division for COOK Group. My official title was Product Discovery Intern, and I worked on the chemistry team. There were two projects on which I worked:. The first project was to design a polymer coating for the Bakri balloon that could hold a drug. The Bakri balloon is a balloon catheter that is used to stop post-partum hemmorhaging. The second project was to develop a way to stabilize another drug that oxidizes easily in atmospheric conditions and attach this drug to a stent graft.

To utilize my laboratory experience and biomedical engineering training as a research engineer studying neuroprostheses

A position as a research engineer for Medtronic, Inc., allowing me to develop my knowledge of biomedical engineering and neurophysiology

An opportunity to establish good research habits and further my neural engineering education in a research-oriented engineering organization

Research engineer with emphasis in biomedical engineering and neurophysiology

I. Introduction

    A. Mention the job title and company name

    B. Discuss interest in the company

    C. Discuss why I would fit in their environment

        1. Talk about technical knowledge

        2. Mention values of the company as determined from

            their website

II. Education