10 TheRecord SEPTEMBER 27, 2004

Innovative Symposia Marconi Conference Discusses Peer-to-Peer Video as a Mass Medium By Sally Sherwood

hirty-five years ago a zeal- and the online exchange of audio reaches a critical mass attractive to ous group of UCLA gradu- files.Video P2P file-sharing enables commercial entrants, especially if ate students and their pro- Internet users to send and receive these entrants are engaged in com- Tfessor connected a couple film and video programs. For exam- plementary activities. For example, of old computers with a cable, gen- ple, a household that once might RCA’s desire to sell radios prompt- erating a simple exchange of data have videotaped a favorite TV show ed its entry into the radio business between the two machines that and made a VHS dub for a family with NBC. Apple created iTunes in evolved into the Internet. That member now can download—with order to sell the iPod. humble harbinger of today’s net- sufficient bandwidth and storage Further evaluating the broad worked community has passed capacity—that same show from the economic potential of video P2P, from infancy into early middle age, Internet and distribute perfect equity analyst Mark Stahlman main- and as with any maturing entity, it copies to multiple users while tained that the behavior of technol- has had its share of run-ins with the simultaneously receiving similar ogy stocks testifies to unprecedent- authorities and accolades from its files from others. The U.S. lags ed uncertainty “in the technology advocates. behind many European and Asian world, with an expectation that On Sept. 10, experts from acade- countries in offering such services large things are about to happen mia, business and technology gath- to a mass population for a number about which we know surprisingly ered in Davis Auditorium in of reasons,including a lack of wide- little.” Telecommunications compa- Schapiro Hall to offer their per- spread broadband availability, limit- nies are currently transforming Panelists discuss the current P2P climate. spectives on the most recent chal- ed PC storage capacity and a per- themselves from narrowband voice lenges and issues emerging from ceived threat to the entertainment to broadband data companies, cre- the online community.Called “Peer- industry, which has actively stifled ating infrastructures that will have ware should revolutionize the dis- attempt to thwart the growth of to-Peer Video as a Mass Medium,” the technology. an “enormous impact” on cable, tribution of video on P2P net- video file-sharing through govern- the full-day symposium was co- Eli Noam, professor of finance media and related service indus- works. ment regulation, service restric- sponsored by Columbia Institute and economics and CITI’s director, tries. The resulting opportunities Network giants have little to fear tions and legal attacks, a growing for Tele-Information (CITI) at noted that as video file-sharing may be worth “trillions” of dollars. from independent camcorder oper- public is gravitating to video P2P. , the Fu grows in popularity,the technology Kevin Werbach, assistant profes- ators who are sending video to oth- The technology is available, and as Foundation School for Engineering has stimulated ongoing dialogue sor of legal studies at the Wharton ers from major news and sporting Shelly Palmer, chairman of the and Applied Science, the Marconi over issues of piracy, fair use, intel- School of Business, said the condi- events, according to Michael Advanced Media Committee of the Foundation at , lectual property rights and market- tions are in place for the rapid Einhorn, a consultant to Digonex National Academy of Television Arts and the European Institute on the place realities. development of video P2P,which is Technology.These companies have and Sciences, said, “you can’t put Media.The conference featured five While detractors consider P2P the “single largest category of traf- the ability to place events in con- the toothpaste back into the tube.” panels offering insights into the file-sharing a market disruptor, fic on the global Internet.” He esti- text and deliver commentary that is For information about upcom- economic, legal, technological, capable of “undermining legitimate mated that by 2008, half a billion unmatched by amateurs engaged in ing CITI symposia and research commercial and social issues sur- prices, property and investments,” networked video encoding devices home-video distribution.The actual papers presented at this confer- rounding the video peer-to-peer Noam contended that community- will be sold, allowing individuals to threat is to content distributors,not ence, visit www.citi.columbia.edu. (P2P) phenomenon. initiated technology can actually encode, create and transfer their content owners. Until now, most public debate enable commercial markets if the own video online. Advances in As copyright owners try to man- has focused on the music industry size of the early-user community speed, storage, pricing and soft- age content and access providers

Historical Perspective Harnessing Novel Technology to Make Thomas Merton on Mark Columbia a Smaller Place By Rosemary Keane Van Doren’s Teaching

Editor’s note:Ashbel Green, CC’50, found your- e had heard from M.A.’52, has edited an anthology self saying ex- many members of of excerpts from memoirs by cellent things the Columbia com- Columbians about their college that you did munity that it was W experience. Titled My Columbia, it not know you hard to find out what was going on will be published by Columbia knew,and that around campus,” said Lisa Hogarty, University Press in late fall, and you had not, vice president of the University The Record will print periodic in fact,known Student Services. “There clearly excerpts from the book. Here, Thomas Merton before. He was a need for a central,easy-to-use Thomas Merton, CC’38, M.A.’39, had “educed” calendar representing all the var- describes taking Mark Van Doren’s them from ied activities taking place on and English literature class. you by his around campus.” question. His So in response to that need, a he first semester I was at classes were new Web-based Events Calendar Columbia, just after my literally was launched this summer, accessi- twentieth birthday, in the “education”— ble from the University homepage. winter of 1935, Mark [Van they brought The new calendar makes it easy for T Doren] was giving part of the Mark Van Doren things out of anyone to find out what activities “English sequence” in one of those you, they are taking place through a simple rooms in Hamilton Hall with win- made your mind produce its own search function and attractively dows looking out between the big explicit ideas. Do not think that designed look and feel. sense of what’s going on around executive director. columns on to the wired-in track Mark was simply priming his stu- “This new Events Calendar will campus,” said Bernie Kluger, a “The Sundial tool is extremely on South Field. There were twelve dents with thoughts of his own, serve to highlight the amazing University administrator and flexible and powerful,” said or fifteen people with more or less and then making the thought stick array of activities of our faculty,stu- Columbia Business School student. Jonathan Markow, assistant vice unbrushed hair, most of them with to their minds by getting them to dents, alumni and staff,” said “Now I don’t feel like I’m missing president, AIS. “As we continue to glasses, lounging around. One of give it back to him as their own.Far Hogarty. Student Services, in com- something exciting.” develop it, we’ll be able to offer them was my friend Robert Gibney. from it. What he did have was the bination with Administrative Infor- The University Events Calendar Columbia groups a number of addi- It was a class in English litera- gift of communicating to them mation Services (AIS) manages the was rolled out over the summer tional features and enhancements, ture, and it had no special bias of something of his own vital interest calendar. among a group of pilot users who such as event registration and e- any kind. It was simply about what in things, something of his man- The new University Events cal- helped refine it. These users, who commerce, which will be terrific it was supposed to be about: the ner of approach: but the results endar lists the activities and special included the School of the Arts, ways to generate interest in English literature of the eighteenth were sometimes quite unexpect- events taking place at the Morn- SIPA, and oth- University events.”One of the ben- century. And in it literature was ed—and by that I mean good in a ingside, Lamont-Doherty and Med- ers, all received training in using efits of the Sundial system is the treated, not as history,not as sociol- way that he had not anticipated, ical Center campuses, as well as the software,called Sundial,to post efficiency of having Columbia ogy, not as economics, not as a casting lights that he had not him- some off-campus events sponsored events. As the calendar becomes groups use the same technology. series of case-histories in psycho- self foreseen. by a University school. Users of the more widely adopted by various Not only can Sundial power the analysis but, mirabile dictu, simply calendar can search for events by campus groups, it is expected to main University Events Calendar, as literature. This is excerpted from My date, location and event type. grow in the number of events post- but it is being used on a depart- Mark would come into the room Columbia: Writers, Poets, Scholars, “It’s a very flexible tool. I can ed each day. mental basis to develop internal and, without any fuss, would start Scientists and Statesmen Reminisce click on the calendar from the The engine behind the new calendars. talking about whatever was to be About Their University Days, edited homepage, enter a date range, and online calendar is a novel software Anyone interested in learning talked about. Most of the time he by Ashbel Green, forthcoming then browse several categories— program developed by a team from more about the University Events asked questions. His questions from Columbia University Press. such as athletics, lectures or Columbia College Information Calendar should send an email to were very good, and if you tried to Copyright © 1948 Harcourt Inc. exhibits—and then quickly get a Technology, led by John Grogan, [email protected]. answer them intelligently, you All rights reserved.