Tuesday: Opinion on the World

Does everyone remember the "Hope" posters from Barack Obama's presidential campaign last year?  I know that I remember the poster and have even tried to recreate the look in Adobe Illustrator.  Overall I think that it was a great poster design and something that I enjoy recreating for my personal use.  Well, it turns out that the artist, Shepard Fairey, found the photographic inspiration online and used it without consent from the copyright holder.  Fairey is now being sued by the Associated Press.  So, how do I feel about this?  Well, personally I don't feel that Mr. Fairey should have used the image without securing an agreement with the copyright holder.  I think that while he designed a great poster, he did so by possibly violating the law (which he normally does in his display of his artwork) or at the very least, stretching the bounds of "Fair Use."  I feel that as an artist, Mr. Fairey should have respected the photographers own piece and not used it without consent.  

Click here for the original article.

I think that this article about a new process in prosthetics is incredibly interesting.  We are very fortunate to live in a society and in a time where someone who has lost a limb may continue to function with a prosthetic limb that functions similarly to the original limb.  It's amazing that someone, such as the lady in the feature, who has lost her limb in a car accident can now be given the chance to once again use her limb.  This is an amazing feet that we have accomplished and I for one am looking forward to what advances may come in the near future.