Two main issues I found particularly interesting from the Ippolito video were the way schools handle  information and learning, and the Creative Commons license for source files.
The way schools share information and learning is of utmost importance to me in a personal way because I just plain dont have the financial means to go to a prestigious university like MIT, UT Austin, or Stanford.  Luckily, Im able to pay  for an education at UIC, but how does someone who cant even afford that get an education?

Of course the public library is a great resource, and the internet as well. However, there is no structure to the way you learn, there are sometimes incomplete examples, or consepts that you cant quite grasp and the answer isnt easily found. That is where a structured learning environment like a lecture is dramatically better for learning more advanced topics or subjects like Computer Science and programming.

As mentioned in the video UT Austin makes it ridiculously hard for anyone to legaly share information with the outside world. This makes their lectures and knowledge restricted and only available to a privileged few. This continues the cycle of ignorance around the world.
However, Stanford and MIT are two top tier institutions that make courses available online for free. You wont get a degree from them, but the knowledge and coursework is there, for free. So if you have the dedication, interest, and willingness to learn, you can learn online for fee. That to me is AMAZING. To think that Universities are looking at benefiting the world as a whole by sharing their knowledge is just almost unbelievable for me.

In  this way, anyone around the world can learn on their own and maybe even create something from nothing. Sure, no degree will be had, but an applied know-how based on the shared knowledge of the world would be great. How about teaching kids in underdeveloped countries with just an internet connection and one dedicated professor? Wow. I cant almost believe I live in such a world where that is possible. I guess my pessimism shows through.

The other topic spoken about in the video that intrigued me, was the Creative Commons license for source files. I like the CC as a whole, but the thought of sharing source files was something I didnt really expect people to do. Again, I guess my faith in humanity is pessimistic at best, and I expect nearly everyone to be selfish and greedy. However, I am glad that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

I think its great to be able to share your original source files with the world. It allows people to build upon your projects and maybe take it to a new place you hadnt thought of while still retaining some rights. One of the best examples I can think of is Firefox. It is one of the top web browsers that is supported entirely by volunteers, and it works! Source code is available, bugs are reported, patches/fixes are made, plug-ins are submitted and rated; its a worldwide collaboration effort to benefit humanity. Its a way to free ourselves from corporations that would charge us to breathe if they could.

The faith that people will always be creative, adapt, and benefit humanity is something that I am continually amazed at and thankful for. It is a thought that I will also apply in my life and hopefully benefit some of the people I come in contact with in my life.