News & Blog

How does free help me? Useful things like GPS Software

Once upon a time the only way to find an address was to look at a paper map. Remember your first day at UCF? How hard it was to find the right building? Did you get lost? That used to be true going pretty much any place new.

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How does free help me? Funny things like throwing shade on Florida

Florida is called the sunshine state for more than just the weather. It has one of the broadest public record laws in the nation, with origins dating back to 1909. On the bright side, this wide interpretation of public records provides transparency in state public agencies.

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How does free help me? Cool things from NASA

Yesterday we talked a little bit about the Open Access movement to share research. Today we are going to focus on the benefits of having research freely available. Let’s look at a government agency right in our own backyard — NASA. You may not realize this, but NASA research and technology has contributed to the development of everything from LED lighting to temper foam mattresses. Unlike Area 51, NASA likes to share what it knows, and collaborates with industry partners in all kinds of ways. Here are some examples: 

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How does free help me? Informative things like Wikipedia

We use it for everything – historical information, explaining movie endings, and biographies of our favorite celebrities. Wikipedia began in 2001, which is roughly the same time as a movement called Open Access, which we are celebrating this week. 

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