Incubus - Morning View free essay sample

California-based Incubus fifth album, Morning View, is one of the best, most refreshing displays of musical and lyrical ability. Radio gems such as Wish You Were Here and Nice To Know You lead the album, and the songs, mostly unreleased, only get better as you go down the playlist. Each has a different sound, so it would not do them justice to label them as simply an alternative rock band. Moreover, this album ranges from hard, drum-pounding, voice-blaring rock, to sentimental, guitar-centered ballads. Brandon Boyd, the front man, has a soothing, melodic voice that fits perfectly. In a word, he is captivating. My favorite track is definitely Are You In? Its feel-happy lyrics are like nothing on the music scene. Other favorites include Echo, a modern-day love song, and the cleverly written Just a Phase complete with a striking intro. Honestly, this is the first CD where Ive enjoyed every song. We will write a custom essay sample on Incubus Morning View or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Incubus proved themselves true pioneers in the music world with this release. Yes, this review comes a long time after the albums original release in 2001. But Ive enjoyed it so much that I feel if I say nothing, I would be depriving possible audiences of great pleasure. Incubus has, thus far, been overlooked as the groundbreaking lyricists, musicians and performers they are. They are not a new trend either; they have been around for more than 12 years. So, if you are an aficionado of innovative or just good music, I highly recommend Morning View. With a song for everyone, its a real crowd-pleaser. It is soulful, it is loud, it is depressing, it is happy, and it is excellent. With all this said, my one question would have to be Are you in?

Research Paper Proposal

Research Paper Proposal Research Paper Proposal Research Paper Proposal Regardless of your career, in the future you will need be able to identify and formulate problems precisely, clearly solve them and distinctly present their findings (for example, in the analytical notes that you will be force to write for your boss) . You can learn basic writing rules by faithfully writing research paper in college. So, by definition, research paper writing is a kind of training with the elements of an independent scientific study. It is aimed at building skills to seek and to understand information that goes beyond the list of obvious facts as well as competently and clearly expounding the findings. Research paper writers usually choose research paper topics they are familiar with.   This approach has its own pros and cons. The benefits are obvious: the task is to produce final research paper easily - a great thing for the senior student, as a rule. However, here you can be surrounded by some traps. First, there is no guarantee that you will be able to write all research paper under the direction of the same adviser. This means that each "piece" of research paper will be written in accordance to the understanding and the requirements of the involved person, and these "pieces" can be totally incompatible. Secondly, you can simply be tired with the chosen research paper topic, or it will lose practical significance (for example, your potential employers would like to see another study perform by you). By choosing to write on different research paper topics, you could suddenly find yourself fascinated by something different that will play a critical role in your acad emic or professional career. That is why, as already mentioned above, it is not worth to resist if the scientific adviser gives you research topic or proposes a specific task that is not easy. Research Paper Help Prior to research paper writing, visit college libraries, and make the full list of books that may be useful for your college research paper topic. In order to reach the best literature on research paper "British foreign policy in the second half of XIX century," you should pay attention to: General section "British History". The section "History of Great Britain second half of XIX century". The section "History of international relations: the second half of XIX century." .com A good research paper proposal cannot be written in a rush.   Unfortunately, most of the students lack time to devote to research paper writing.   We offer you a solution - order custom research paper writing at our site and we will deliver custom written essay prior to deadline!  Our blog with writing tips is free and easy to use!

Quiz 1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Quiz 1 - Assignment Example He is also looking ahead and is avoiding the unwanted incase the Democrats retain control of the senate in November and the Republicans decide to compromise immigration. The foreign policy problems have caused atrophy in the foreign policy. This has affected the approval rating of Mr. Obama; this has been a concern for most of the Democrats in the final season of the campaign. The policies have made the president be perceived weak an issue likely to hurt his party’s electoral chances.(Hook, and Nelson, 2014) The senate has prepared a 100 day agenda plan should they take the senate; they are very likely to win. The key agenda is to authorize the long-delayed Keystone XL oil pipeline so as to boost the energy production. Other agendas are: approving fast track trade authority, repealing Obamacare’s unpopular tax on medical devices and effecting back new Environmental protection Agency regulations. There is a rift amongst Republicans; there are those thinking the GOP can rely on Obama’s lack of popularity in winning the senate and those thinking that the party would do better to push the positive agenda. (Riley, 2014) The republicans are intending to attract women voters at all cost. Rep. Cory Gardner announced his support for the over-the-counter women’s oral contraceptives. The policy is one of the party’s attempts to draw more female voters contrary to the past. The party was also the leading oppose of the Obamacare, something that a large number of women opposed, this gives them the support from the

Aboriginal studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Aboriginal studies - Essay Example Anon (no date) racismnoway.com [online search portal] Accessed online May 06, 2008 at: http://searchportal.information.com/index.mas?epl=00860032VFAXVE0DWlgVVRBeVwMAFQVbC1YKW1kADFAISllXWBZYWg1PWBwdVw5dRAZADBJDDkRbWAVTEQA_XFEFDgMIUQ An online search portal for issues and resources connected to racism. The site is appropriate for supervised use for older or advanced students. It is heavily text-based, so is less appropriate for indigenous students than non-indigenous students. Board of Studies NSW (2007) Affirmations of Identity: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Visual Artists Resource Kit - Teacher’s Handbook. Retrieved May 06, 2008, from: http://ab‑ed.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/go/aboriginal‑art/affirmations‑of‑identity#gallery Contents cover eight new units of workdesigned to cover the NSW Visual Arts Years 7‑10 Syllabus (2003). â€Å"These units provide opportunities for students to study a range of artworks made by Indigenous artists using traditional and contemporary practices, and to investigate how ideas and interests are represented in artmaking and in critical and historical interpretations art.† The units are appropriate for both indigenous and non-indigenous learners. The role of art in the traditional culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is highlighted. This resource can also be used for cross-subject units such as geography and visual art. Board of Studies NSW (2007) Affirmations of Identity: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Visual Artists Resource Kit - References and further reading on contemporary Indigenous art in Australia. Retrieved May 06, 2008, from: http://ab‑ed.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/go/aboriginal‑art/affirmations‑of‑identity#gallery The bibliography contains information on a wide variety of resources for teachers of year 6-12 visual art and aboriginal studies. Resources are listed by format and include: syllabuses and support documents, government reports, educational

Discuss The Importance Of Copyright Media Essay

Discuss The Importance Of Copyright Media Essay The highly digitalised era that we live in has had a profound effect on the way we all access music, were over exposed to it, many of the traditional boundaries have been eroded and attitudes to consuming music are constantly being changed . Music today is a mere commodity and obtaining any aesthetic value such as we saw a generation ago with the LP or CD is extremely hard. Indeed, it is extremely hard to fix music to a source in its current MP3 format and the speed of access of technology is serving to create a hypermodernity nature  [1]   The dramatic rise in music piracy via the internet networks correlates directly with the decline in of traditional formats and in general the downturn in music sales. The intangible nature of the format and the decline in fair use  [2]  threatens to undermine the frameworks of copyright which is essentially the currency in which artists operate and can make a living, as Greenfield and Osborne note, copyright is the vehicle that drives the music industry  [3]   With large record companies such as EMI constantly postings losses  [4]  coupled with their reliance in exploiting their publishing subsidiaries copyright of back catalogues, is the music business now unsustainable? Have we moved into the era of the independent label and start-ups like sliceofthepie.com, indeed is the very structure of the record company under threat and can a copyright actually work in a digitalised world? Speaking with key up starters within the industry and analysing up to date documents and policy I which to establish the relevance of copyright In the current climate, and more importantly whose interests does it serve the musician or the company? Has copyright become outdated in the digitalised world or is new legalisation able reclaim rights that have been eroded by the huge expanse in the digitalised MP3 format. The UK background In 1709 the statute of Anne, whose full working title was conceived as An Act for the Encouragement of Learning, by vesting the Copies of Printed Books in the Authors or purchasers of such Copies, during the Times therein   [5]  sought in an elementary manner to provide a basis of rights protection to the producer of a literary piece and of equal importance set the very foundations of modern intellectual property law. This framework protected the authors work for up to 14 years and after the expiration of the term, it became part of the public domain of work and operated primarily on a publisher-to-publisher basis. A key point of discussion in the legal framework of copyright as a product stems from the story of the French composers in a Parisian cafe.  [6]  Not only does it capture the notion of modernity but it also generated much discussion. Essentially the message outlined in this instance remains the same today. How can a composer keep his work his own and protect from o ther would be entrepreneurs especially if they witness an opportunity for profit overseas. In some part the Berne convention deals with this, essentially, it requires signatories to act multilaterally in recognition of copyrighted works; therefore, a UK song would be protected in a country who has signed up. So this really expanded the initial ideas and provided a western union which currently has the signatories of 164 countries  [7]   Domestic UK law 1911 the law was extended to include early forms of music and sound recordings, indeed, in chronological analysis of copyright, its apparent that the legal system keeps a close reign on new forms of emerging media, alternatively speaking; copyright is heavily connected with the market for information and new innovation  [8]  This suggests that the law may have been connected with technological advancements but there has been countless examples of a transient phase in which the law has been slow to react. Individuals and publishers look to capitalise on the interim period between legislation and use it to their advantage for example i Finally then we arrive with the 1988 copyright designs and patterns act of the United Kingdom which with its amendments are the current statutes in operation. The 1988 framework sought to develop a number of key factors; chiefly it provides value to the industry in the sense that musical work is theoretically bound for 70 years and sound recordings and broadcasts 50 years. So in effect, this added a limit to exploitative life of a piece of creative work falling subsequently into the public domain whilst balancing the public and private domain. In relation to the explosion in the digital market, especially the internet, the law did not provide adequate protection for authors, artist, and the creative sector as a whole. The European Unions copyright directive of 2001 in particular article 6  [9]  led to a formal amendment in the domestic law The idea of fair use in first generated here, in essence means that certain use of a copyrighted material in certain circumstances does not constitute as infringement  [10]  and as outlined in PIP law that sufficient acknowledgement is required when using a copyrighted item.  [11]  So for example if an individual was researching or providing a critique of a particular act and required a copy of their material to formulate thought ,then under the concept of fair use one would be able to copy for personal home use. Such a concept does to an extent relies on the good will of the individual not to make duplicate copies and profit from them, especially as since 1988 the pace that one can access and distribute a piece a music has advanced tenfold, I continue with looking to see if fair use can be more encompassing, in the digital world late on but firstly I feel its important to establish the value chain of the entrepreneur in the digitalised world. Adding Value Firstly, the overwhelming problem when applying IP to the digitalised world of music is what exactly is the value in copyright and how can you accurately measure it. Large consultancy companies such as intangible businesses  [12]  seek to unravel the value IP. A key consideration  during the process of copyright valuation is to understand the notion of what drives the value of the copyright. For instance, a living musician generally supports their back catalogue of recordings through personal appearances and new releases, buoying their copyright valuation. After their death or after the musician stops recording their copyright  value  may diminish more rapidly than expected, as the support is no longer there.  [13]  Today the control of works in tyied up in a ever decreasing number of companies. 80% of the world market in sound recording is controlled by five record companies  [14]  who also all have extensive publishing arms and who part of large multinational companies. For example, Time Warner also owns AOL  [15]  So The traditional model in value attribution and copyright is demonstrated in figure 1 (see appendix). An artist creates a composition and then can strike a deal with a music publisher who effectively purchases a stake and in turn offers various channels of promotion in return or can give 100% rights to the Performing Rights Society (PRS) and go it alone. As Roger Wallis discusses music, publishers in the past were concerned with printing and distributing sheet music and sought to persuade artists and record companies to perform and record the songs that they represented.  [16]  As sheet music production deteriorated so the economic value that a composer could possibly receive from a collection agency fell too, essentially any particular format is dictated by its social importance at any given time. Therefore, for a popular artist to produce sheet music today is likely to produce only limited revenue, many publishers only seek to produce in order to broadcast the technical value of their work and provide authenticity and technique to the artists current catalogue. In reference to the traditional value chain of IP the use of mechanical rights needs clarifying. If a track is used on a physical product released by the record company then potential returns can be up to 8.5% of the wholesale price of the product, this distribution process is overseen in the UK by MCPS now a part of PRS. Although this initially appears a high rate of return, I would argue that these high figures of return are unattainable for the vast majority of artists and that the whole distribution royalty system is symbolic of a top-heavy pyramid. In 2005 2,700 composers and songwriters earned  £328m, this is an average of  £121,481 per person.  [17]  Clearly, a select few artists are obtaining most of the money. This is very much an area where we have all witnessed a huge loss in potential earnings for the artist at the bottom of the pyramid, because of digitalisation has taken hold copyright value in relation to the tangible product. Been lost and although one can still expect earnings from royalties there very much now limited Although such amounts from use of an artist property appear drastically diminished with the emergence of new technologies, new collecting societies for the distribution of revenues have emerged an example being iTunes. Any artist regardless of whether they are signed to a publishing deal can expect to receive royalties if their music is downloaded and as ill discuss later I believe The traditional model of value attribution is becoming more fragmented and hard there is a series of new value chains emerging which are replacing the traditional model. The situation today Im dealing with small band as the entrepenuer My first case study focuses on Johnny Tams, guitarist, songwriter and producer with Gold Teeth The band have enjoyed a successful period of late. Their debut single has featured on national radio networks such as Radio 1 and digital networks such as XFM, NME Radio and BBC Radio 6 and subsequently they have been on two nationwide tours. The band have a management deal and as a part of this a percentage of revenue generated from royalties goes to them also worth noting is the band have no record or publishing deal. What I am aiming to establish is whether in the digitalised world copyright has any incentive in the creation of music. Firstly the bands management company, monster music management, do not seek to exploit the bands rights instead they are focused on taking a cut from live performance and online music sales; indeed they actively promote the free download of their songs using websites such as MySpace. Since an incalculable amount of people can get access to the songs the ban ds reputation could rapidly expand, indeed as the internet is global the band could tap into emergent markets a decade a go that would have been unknown to them. For a young band member like Johnny the internet is an additional market without the constraints of copyright and a way of opting out of the highly exploitative nature of a publishing deal. It provides a new model, a type of counter culture and is an ever increasing trend even amongst established acts. Radiohead for example pioneered this new terrain. The release of 2004s In Rainbows marked the beginning of an internet only pay what you like model. Having fulfilled a 6 album contract with EMI which started in 1994,  [18]  Radiohead no doubt felt the constraints of an old system were affecting their creativity. In the following quote, Thom Yorke, the lead singer of Radiohead points to not only the tired rights model but to an industry on the verge of disaster ; I like the people at our record company, but the time is at hand when you have to ask why anyone needs one. And, yes, it probably would give us some perverse pleasure to say Fuck you to this decaying business model  [19]   With the pay what you want release of In Rainbows, Radiohead received and were in full control of direct rights. They used publishers Warner Chappell as a consultancy to create a new distribution and rights model and begin to reorder the traditional value chain. In a press statement the CEO of Warnel/Chappell says; These new ways are iconoclastic in nature; they acknowledge the realities of a digital society and they challenge existing commercial assumptions. It is in this spirit that band and publisher are working together.  [20]   For Radiohead it was perhaps the combination of their leftist persona and of a large number of other situational factors that contributed to the emergence of this particular model. They were well aware of the current situation and that their work is widely circulated using P2P networks. Radiohead cleverly packaged the product by adding an additional experience, in this case a countdown website and a Speight of cryptic emails. In doing this they were able to draw upon the fact that human beings will actually pay for something if they deem it of value, as data gathered by gig wise suggests Radiohead actually recouped on average  £4 per download.  [21]  It is also testament to the inginuentive trailblazing nature of the model that the band was able to generate revenue from a particular moment in the constant changing process that is digitalisation. In suggesting this its easy to imagine a small band with out the financial clout really struggling to adopt such an approach. At the time of release all of the appropriate measures were taken to ensure that traditional collection methods with PRS were in place although the band has their own studio, these proved key to covering distribution cost which the band had funded themselves. The band also generated a significant income from an extensive world tour which since their last tour in 2004 has significantly higher ticket prices. Many theorists have suggested that creating such a model leads to a large amount of positive externalities  [22]  in which revenue can be potentially generated from the free distribution of music. For example the short term sacrifice in costs associated with making an album and releasing it for free may giveaway to unprecedented media exposure and Tours which venture into new territories. In the digital world many bands rely on these externalities to suvuve. In recent years major global labels have caught on to the potential revenue in externalalitie such as image rights and many larger acts are viewed as a brand image. This is defensive measure in securing revenue in an age when value once associated with copyright protection of works is no longer present. Its now commonplace for record companies to adopt an exploitative approach as a defensive measure in the climate of perceived threat of lost revenue. This happens in both in terms of minor and major artists and has been dubbed the 360 deal  [23]  Its increasingly commonplace for a small aspiring young band to be offered this type of deal. Labels play upon a young artists naivety by offering them a large sum of cash up front. In return labels demand a cut of their future earnings as a brand, everything from merchandise to tour revenue. A similar process but with more at stake happens with major recording artists.  [24]  Subsequently there has been a call for independent legal advice body as a necessary intermediately channel before the signing of contracts. Although well established superstar acts such as Radiohead have successfully pioneered a way of generating revenue, cutting out the middle men and protecting their rights, Johnnys band Gold Teeth may find it considerably more of a challenge in protecting their intellectual property by moving in such channels. Firstly, and most obviously, they simply dont have the mass audience or level of resource that established bands have. Secondly, copyright today, is viewed by many as actually putting an unnecessary constraint on young artists. Photographic orality  [25]  an idea developed by Toynbee suggests that putting young artists under the constraints of copyright is actually counterproductive in generating creativity. Artists at the early stage borrow and draw upon other musical influences to establish their particular sound. This well may be true; indeed Gold Teeth as soon as their first and most popular  [26]  single was recorded and distributed were formally advised by a major label to change a 12 second rhyme section as it sounded too similar to a band they manage the right for. They werent purposefully adopting a bands sound more subsconsiously adopting an influence. The problem of unknowingly sampling without adopting due consent may become more prevalent especially if we couple the rigidality of current copyright with the financial situation major labels are in. Gold Teeth are entrepreneurs of their times, digital in every sense the band have never released anything physical, and they view the internet as a new field of opportunity. Their music is readily available to download for free on MySpace or via ITunes, where an individual track costs 79p. Gold Teeth havent received any revenue from Apple instead relying on live gigs and PRS for rights based revenue  [27]  . Although it prides itself as a digital medium no money has actually filtered back to the smaller artists who make it work. Sceptism arises with Apple and ITunes as the chief rights holder for music on the internet. Unlike publishing companies Apple has no legacy in music. Its chief goal is in the development of hardware and is clearly driven by the profits associated with this, Acquiring the permission to sell music online is only present to enhance the ITunes experience. Apple also has the ability to manipulate an artists work without infringing copyright for example Apple puts emphasis on the download of single songs therefore destroying the feel of an album. It also uses the AAC format to stop the copying and sharing of its files. This file is unique to ITunes and requires an apple product to play it, although this protects against copying it also privatizes the digital economy If digital transactions are inevitably to become the standard way of operating in music then a new procedure in balancing the rights of the consumer and the artist have to be put in place. Also a level of regulation is required to protect New distribution models for a digitalised world At the beginning of the last decade Lawrence Lessig developed the creative commons model. It seeks to weaken copyright for the creative good of the artist, offering alternative ways of licensing. As part of the copy left licensing movement it builds upon the ideas of fair use, first brought into the legal jurisdiction of the UK in the EU directive of 2001. Essentially it allows artists to protect their work in the digital world, with which the required level of copyright protection that they see fit. Some artists may be aware of the inefficiencies of the current laws and do not want an All Rights Reserved printed on their works. Some might want a Some Rights Reserved or even a No Rights Reserved  [28]  Drawing upon this the model has four choices in licensing their music these are, Attribution, No Derivative Works, Non Commercial and Share Alike. A well informed music entrepreneur, in this case Gold Teeth are aware that potentially file distribution and mass circulation of ones m usic is not only inevitable has the potential to actually gain more financial success in the long run. If they chose the No Derivative license they would centrally register their work with creative commons, any sharing or distribution of their work wouldnt count as infringement as long is it remained true to the original sound. These labels offer clear and consise boundaries in which consumers and bands can operate. The model also offers founders copyright, this relates to the statute of Anne and offers 14 years of rights protection. Upon expiration, another single term of 14 years can be obtained therefore the model that work entering the public domain in a reduced time period gives rise to creative expression and adaptation. Adoption of such ideas would allow artists to be more expressive, sample and operate efficiently because of a more flexible attitude to protecting their property. Finally, given the economics of the digital world and the Attitudes to file sharing small bands should actively adopt digitalisation simply because distribution methods are much more efficient. Radiohe ad have successfully proved that promoting musical works over the internet is a positive updated method. If more bands follow the growing suit the major inefficiency of the respective deadweight loss through a copyright monopoly would be abolished at least in this end-consumer market and thus the dilemma be ameliorated a lot.  [29]   Within the past few years, there has been a huge surge in online music start-up companies. Where as the creative commons approach provides an alternative way in licensing ones music, Sliceofpie.com brings the whole processes of AR, Marketing and Financing a band onto one centralised domain whilst providing a high level of transparency to proceedings via a social networking platform. It allows a user to invest in a band by buying shares, the band upload tracks to increase popularity and eventually release an album, which is available for investors. Investors can adopt the role of an entrepreneur by watching their investment grow, The band and investors are therefore entered into a mutual partnership with an investors cut taken from any future externalities. This benefits the artist as it eliminates the exploitation of rights by the publisher, much like the model Radiohead pioneered but also provides finance for the band. The bands the Alps from Greenwich received  £21,000 to record their debut album from fans on slice the pie and were the first band to release an album using the process. The Alps own their own record label Elusive Music, are self-managed and oversee most of their business internally.  [30]  Speaking with lead singer and songwriter Daniel Hepinstall , its clear that protection of his IP is paramount. In this day and age what can one do? We decided to go all out and step out the box of the old music model and try something new. I have been in bands before where labels and publishers have hounded us for a piece of our rights. This models different, the fans choose, its more fair. The ability of a fan base to pave an artists career is not necessarily the ideal solution, but instead a mere step in the right direction. Music fans notoriously switch allegiances and loose interest, just ask any reader of trendsetter NME. Secondly, the main problem is that any alternative approach in protecting rights for the artist has to directly compete in an environment dominated by a dying model. As unsustainable as they are, the large fees put upfront and the PR avenues on offer from record labels are still impossible to match by sites such as slicethepie. Many of the acts from slicethepie achieve success but its relatively moderate in comparison to traditional methods, although more acts are give the chance to express their music to a digital audience with protected rights . Its important not to over criticise the potential in sites such as slicethepie as they are very much in their infancy. As I mentioned earlier, the industry, technology and legislation function together, If much needed copyright reform eventually occurs, then a new method would be able to capitalise. What is important to remember is that investors with slicethepie are believers in the music, they actively seek success for the bands. With the resulting rise in digitalisation, this notion has all too easily been eroded. Digital Rights Act, a missed opportunity? Downloading today and the systemic disregard for copyright law has reached widespread level. A recent Panorama investigation  [31]  suggests that 61% of 14-21 year olds download music on a regular basis and as a result,  £200 million a year in revenue is lost.  [32]  These figures directly correlate with the financial position we see many of the major labels in today, as a result there has been a huge move to tighten up copyright law even further.. Indeed, in a recent UN report suggests that on a multilateral the problem requires urgent attention, the following quote highlights this. Naturally, the control of illegal entrepreneurs with factories producing pirate CDs and recorded cassettes must be a major priority in all countries  [33]   Increasing the law past the 1988 and 2001 statutes is something that many industry bodies have been lobbying the government to do. Change in legislation is the only way to recoup lost revenue, Laura Marling: Illegal downloaders shouldnt be criminalised

Graduation Speech: We are Prepared for the Challenges that Await Us :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

Today completes the chapter of our lives that we have been comfortable with for the past 13 years. High school may be over, but we still have a long exciting way to go in life. From our four-year experience we will take with us the memories, good and bad, and relationships we have made with each other and the County High School staff. From these experiences we have learned and grown and will continue to do so. Growing up and moving on will be a huge part of our lives in the next few months. The decisions we will make come in-part from the choices we have already made. The past four years have been fun and easy for some and a struggle for others. When I reflect on my high school experience, I think of watching football games, playing softball, homecoming weeks, school trips, parties and time with my friends. Others have spent their time in drama, band, community service, part-time jobs and all sorts of other activities. We have all watched Mr. LHS grow along with us until it became a big part of the high school year. I enjoyed laughing with and at the guys as they showed off their talents. This year’s homecoming football game was one of the most exciting ones we have had, with four quarters and three overtimes when we beat Jackson 48 to 42 for a homecoming victory. No matter what types of experiences we have had, I think they are important to remember and grow from. Through these fun and challenging times each one of us has built strong relationships. Whether it was with friends or a teacher, we have developed connections and memories that will be with us forever, even if we lose contact with those individuals. Some students have discovered they have a passion for writing through a creative writing class or want to have a career in business from taking Mr. Ide’s inspirational marketing classes. Others have participated in CLIP or summer school to catch up and make it possible for them to be here today. I went to Heights Elementary and have spent the last 12 years with the same group of people. Attending school with the people I’ve known since elementary and middle school, and making homecoming posters with them for four years in a row, has given me a chance to get to know the people around me better than I ever thought I would.

Digital Fortress Chapter 10

â€Å"Ensei Tankado is dead?† Susan felt a wave of nausea. â€Å"You killed him? I thought you said-â€Å" â€Å"We didn't touch him,† Strathmore assured her. â€Å"He died of a heart attack. COMINT phoned early this morning. Their computer flagged Tankado's name in a Seville police log through Interpol.† â€Å"Heart attack?† Susan looked doubtful. â€Å"He was thirty years old.† â€Å"Thirty-two,† Strathmore corrected. â€Å"He had a congenital heart defect.† â€Å"I'd never heard that.† â€Å"Turned up in his NSA physical. Not something he bragged about.† Susan was having trouble accepting the serendipity of the timing. â€Å"A defective heart could kill him-just like that?† It seemed too convenient. Strathmore shrugged. â€Å"Weak heart†¦ combine it with the heat of Spain. Throw in the stress of blackmailing the NSA†¦.† Susan was silent a moment. Even considering the conditions, she felt a pang of loss at the passing of such a brilliant fellow cryptographer. Strathmore's gravelly voice interrupted her thoughts. â€Å"The only silver lining on this whole fiasco is that Tankado was traveling alone. Chances are good his partner doesn't know yet he's dead. The Spanish authorities said they'd contain the information for as long as possible. We only got the call because COMINT was on the ball.† Strathmore eyed Susan closely. â€Å"I've got to find the partner before he finds out Tankado's dead. That's why I called you in. I need your help.† Susan was confused. It seemed to her that Ensei Tankado's timely demise had solved their entire problem. â€Å"Commander,† she argued, â€Å"if the authorities are saying he died of a heart attack, we're off the hook; his partner will know the NSA is not responsible.† â€Å"Not responsible?† Strathmore's eyes widened in disbelief. â€Å"Somebody blackmails the NSA and turns up dead a few days later-and we're not responsible? I'd bet big money Tankado's mystery friend won't see it that way. Whatever happened, we look guilty as hell. It could easily have been poison, a rigged autopsy, any number of things.† Strathmore paused. â€Å"What was your first reaction when I told you Tankado was dead?† She frowned. â€Å"I thought the NSA had killed him.† â€Å"Exactly. If the NSA can put five Rhyolite satellites in geosynchronous orbit over the Mideast, I think it's safe to assume we have the resources to pay off a few Spanish policemen.† The commander had made his point. Susan exhaled. Ensei Tankado is dead. The NSA will be blamed. â€Å"Can we find his partner in time?† â€Å"I think so. We've got a good lead. Tankado made numerous public announcements that he was working with a partner. I think he hoped it would discourage software firms from doing him any harm or trying to steal his key. He threatened that if there was any foul play, his partner would publish the key, and all firms would suddenly find themselves in competition with free software.† â€Å"Clever.† Susan nodded. Strathmore went on. â€Å"A few times, in public, Tankado referred to his partner by name. He called him North Dakota.† â€Å"North Dakota? Obviously an alias of some sort.† â€Å"Yes, but as a precaution I ran an Internet inquiry using North Dakota as a search string. I didn't think I'd find anything, but I turned up an E-mail account.† Strathmore paused. â€Å"Of course I assumed it wasn't the North Dakota we were looking for, but I searched the account just to be sure. Imagine my shock when I found the account was full of E-mail from Ensei Tankado.† Strathmore raised his eyebrows. â€Å"And the messages were full of references to Digital Fortress and Tankado's plans to blackmail the NSA.† Susan gave Strathmore a skeptical look. She was amazed the commander was letting himself be played with so easily. â€Å"Commander,† she argued, â€Å"Tankado knows full well the NSA can snoop E-mail from the Internet; he would never use E-mail to send secret information. It's a trap. Ensei Tankado gave you North Dakota. He knew you'd run a search. Whatever information he's sending, he wanted you to find-it's a false trail.† â€Å"Good instinct,† Strathmore fired back, â€Å"except for a couple of things. I couldn't find anything under North Dakota, so I tweaked the search string. The account I found was under a variation-NDAKOTA.† Susan shook her head. â€Å"Running permutations is standard procedure. Tankado knew you'd try variations until you hit something. NDAKOTA's far too easy an alteration.† â€Å"Perhaps,† Strathmore said, scribbling words on apiece of paper and handing it to Susan. â€Å"But look at this.† Susan read the paper. She suddenly understood the Commander's thinking. On the paper was North Dakota's E-mail address. [email protected] It was the letters ARA in the address that had caught Susan's eye. ARA stood for American Remailers Anonymous, a well-known anonymous server. Anonymous servers were popular among Internet users who wanted to keep their identities secret. For a fee, these companies protected an E-mailer's privacy by acting as a middleman for electronic mail. It was like having a numbered post office box-a user could send and receive mail without ever revealing his true address or name. The company received E-mail addressed to aliases and then forwarded it to the client's real account. The remailing company was bound by contract never to reveal the identity or location of its real users. â€Å"It's not proof,† Strathmore said. â€Å"But it's pretty suspicious.† Susan nodded, suddenly more convinced. â€Å"So you're saying Tankado didn't care if anybody searched for North Dakota because his identity and location are protected by ARA.† â€Å"Exactly.† Susan schemed for a moment. â€Å"ARA services mainly U.S. accounts. You think North Dakota might be over here somewhere?† Strathmore shrugged. â€Å"Could be. With an American partner, Tankado could keep the two pass-keys separated geographically. Might be a smart move.† Susan considered it. She doubted Tankado would have shared his pass-key with anyone except a very close friend, and as she recalled, Ensei Tankado didn't have many friends in the States. â€Å"North Dakota,† she mused, her cryptological mind mulling over the possible meanings of the alias. â€Å"What does his E-mail to Tankado sound like?† â€Å"No idea. COMINT only caught Tankado's outbound. At this point all we have on North Dakota is an anonymous address.† Susan thought a minute. â€Å"Any chance it's a decoy?† Strathmore raised an eyebrow. â€Å"How so?† â€Å"Tankado could be sending bogus E-mail to a dead account in hopes we'd snoop it. We'd think he's protected, and he'd never have to risk sharing his pass-key. He could be working alone.† Strathmore chuckled, impressed. â€Å"Tricky idea, except for one thing. He's not using any of his usual home or business Internet accounts. He's been dropping by Doshisha University and logging on to their mainframe. Apparently he's got an account there that he's managed to keep secret. It's a very well-hidden account, and I found it only by chance.† Strathmore paused. â€Å"So†¦ if Tankado wanted us to snoop his mail, why would he use a secret account?† Susan contemplated the question. â€Å"Maybe he used a secret account so you wouldn't suspect a ploy? Maybe Tankado hid the account just deep enough that you'd stumble on to it and think you got lucky. It gives his E-mail credibility.† Strathmore chuckled. â€Å"You should have been a field agent. The idea's a good one. Unfortunately, every letter Tankado sends gets a response. Tankado writes, his partner responds.† Susan frowned. â€Å"Fair enough. So, you're saying North Dakota's for real.† â€Å"Afraid so. And we've got to find him. And quietly. If he catches wind that we're onto him, it's all over.† Susan now knew exactly why Strathmore had called her in. â€Å"Let me guess,† she said. â€Å"You want me to snoop ARA's secure database and find North Dakota's real identity?† Strathmore gave her a tight smile. â€Å"Ms. Fletcher, you read my mind.† When it came to discreet Internet searches, Susan Fletcher was the woman for the job. A year ago, a senior White House official had been receiving E-mail threats from someone with an anonymous E-mail address. The NSA had been asked to locate the individual. Although the NSA had the clout to demand the remailing company reveal the user's identity, it opted for a more subtle method-a â€Å"tracer.† Susan had created, in effect, a directional beacon disguised as a piece of E-mail. She could send it to the user's phony address, and the remailing company, performing the duty for which it had been contracted, would forward it to the user's real address. Once there, the program would record its Internet location and send word back to the NSA. Then the program would disintegrate without a trace. From that day on, as far as the NSA was concerned, anonymous remailers were nothing more than a minor annoyance. â€Å"Can you find him?† Strathmore asked. â€Å"Sure. Why did you wait so long to call me?† â€Å"Actually†-he frowned-â€Å"I hadn't planned on calling you at all. I didn't want anyone else in the loop. I tried to send a copy of your tracer myself, but you wrote the damn thing in one of those new hybrid languages; I couldn't get it to work. It kept returning nonsensical data. I finally had to bite the bullet and bring you in.† Susan chuckled. Strathmore was a brilliant cryptographic programmer, but his repertoire was limited primarily to algorithmic work; the nuts and bolts of less lofty â€Å"secular† programming often escaped him. What was more, Susan had written her tracer in a new, crossbreed programming language called LIMBO; it was understandable that Strathmore had encountered problems. â€Å"I'll take care of it.† She smiled, turning to leave. â€Å"I'll be at my terminal.† â€Å"Any idea on a time frame?† Susan paused. â€Å"Well†¦ it depends on how efficiently ARA forwards their mail. If he's here in the States and uses something like AOL or CompuServe, I'll snoop his credit card and get a billing address within the hour. If he's with a university or corporation, it'll take a little longer.† She smiled uneasily. â€Å"After that, the rest is up to you.† Susan knew that â€Å"the rest† would be an NSA strike team, cutting power to the guy's house and crashing through his windows with stun guns. The team would probably think it was on a drug bust. Strathmore would undoubtedly stride through the rubble himself and locate the sixty-four-character pass-key. Then he would destroy it. Digital Fortress would languish forever on the Internet, locked for all eternity. â€Å"Send the tracer carefully,† Strathmore urged. â€Å"If North Dakota sees we're onto him, he'll panic, and I'll never get a team there before he disappears with the key.† â€Å"Hit and run,† she assured. â€Å"The moment this thing finds his account, it'll dissolve. He'll never know we were there.† The commander nodded tiredly. â€Å"Thanks.† Susan gave him a soft smile. She was always amazed how even in the face of disaster Strathmore could muster a quiet calm. She was convinced it was this ability that had defined his career and lifted him to the upper echelons of power. As Susan headed for the door, she took a long look down at TRANSLTR. The existence of an unbreakable algorithm was a concept she was still struggling to grasp. She prayed they'd find North Dakota in time. â€Å"Make it quick,† Strathmore called, â€Å"and you'll be in the Smoky Mountains by nightfall.† Susan froze in her tracks. She knew she had never mentioned her trip to Strathmore. She wheeled. Is the NSA tapping my phone? Strathmore smiled guiltily. â€Å"David told me about your trip this morning. He said you'd be pretty ticked about postponing it.† Susan was lost. â€Å"You talked to David this morning?† â€Å"Of course.† Strathmore seemed puzzled by Susan's reaction. â€Å"I had to brief him.† â€Å"Brief him?† she demanded. â€Å"For what?† â€Å"For his trip. I sent David to Spain.†