The FCC has ruled that Internet Service Providers (ISPs), such as Comcast and Verizon, are permitted to charge internet companies (Netflix and Youtube, for example) a fee to enable high-speeds for their users. The FCC has determined it is legal for an ISP to determine the amount of bandwidth given to websites. The implication to this ruling is that these websites will be forced to pay additional fees to ISPs in order for their websites to have continued or improved streaming speeds. Unfortunately for consumers of the Internet (i.e. everyone on earth), the costs websites pay for improved bandwidth will be passed on to them. The FCC's ruling gives mega-corporations the ability to censor, control and influence the Internet. The open Internet as we know it is dead. Net neutrality is dead. Wyatt, Edward. "In Policy Shift, F.C.C. Will Allow a Web Fast Lane." The New York Times. The New York Times, 23 Apr. 2014. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.

This is an NPR Fresh Air interview with an author regarding the current status of the internet in the United States. She makes some good observations, likening our highway and interstate systems that would not be in place if the government had not been a part of the project to the government's need to be more involved in ensuring and improving the infrastructure of high speed internet services in the US. The difficulty is that mega-corporations, such as Comcast, that provide internet and cable have little financial incentive to invest in improved internet. These mega-corporations operate in direct opposition with some sites on the internet, including Youtube and Netflix. Internet service providers/cable TV companies like Comcast make the connection to these internet sites slow as way to make sure subscribers will not cancel cable to watch online content instead. "Author: When It Comes To High-Speed Internet, U.S. 'Falling Way Behind'" NPR. NPR, n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2014.

I selected a name I found interesting in the reading, Ben Benjamin. His website "superbad" launched in 1997 takes participants down a spiral of bazar, unrelated, flashing, digital art loops. Like the article "A History of Internet Art" mentioned, "beware that, seen out of their native HTML, out of their networked, social habitats, they are the net.art equivalents of animals in zoos." So I went to see what one of the mentioned artists work was all about. As the article mentions Ben Benjamin's work was featured in the Whitney Museum Biennial in 2000. Wikipedia also informed me he won a Webby award in 1999. "Superbad." Superbad. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2014.

I began my search by seeing what type Media Arts collection the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art has. It appears SFMOMA has embraced Media arts and has procured and archived a site called "learning to love you more." The site was in operation from 2002-2009. The site issued "assignments" for participants to post on the site. Some of the subjects people were asked to post include, "take a picture of your parents kissing, "photograph a scar and write about it," and "interview someone who has experienced war." There are a total of 70 assignment subjects with a lot of submissions for each topic. "Learning To Love You More." Learning To Love You More. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2014.

cnn.com Current site * Lots of bells and whistles. * Starts with a large take-over ad/video * 10+ video links on page * Shows a list of trends * You can scroll down the page revealing more content * Many brief story teasers of 1 to 2 sentences. * 10+ads and sponsors * Uses the word "Home" for initial page 2001 site * No ads * Only one photo, small size * Entire page fits on one screen * Far fewer links * All hyperlinks are underlined * No sound * Uses the word "Main Page" for initial page Same on each site * Area for search * Large lead story