Friday, November 27, 2009
Muddiest Point Lecture 11
I have the same muddiest point as Kristine. You said indexing was a fixed process. Can you go back and change the information? How?
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
11th readings
1st reading
I could not find this reading without having to pay for it.
2nd reading
I found this article interesting. I am all for free ways in which libraries can increase their serve to patrons. It would be a way in which libraries can help each other and build on their knowledge. Wikis seem to be a simple way to organize information. As a librarian, organization is a key job description. Also, patrons can easily access the information on a wiki.
3rd reading
Social tagging is a great idea. I am glad Stanford and the University of Pennsylvania have incorporated it into the library. Social tagging is like free cataloging. It helps to organize the information for the common person to find. There are huge cooperation that depend on social tagging like Flickr. I believe more libraries need to jump on the bandwagon. It is a great tool which can be Incorporated with minimum costs.
4th reading
This video with Jimmy Wales was extremely interesting. I did not know that the English sites of wikipedia only make up about 1/3 of the organization. I would have thought it to be bigger than that. In addition, I liked his response to reporters on academics hating wikipedia. His use of his Harvard email was brilliant. After all, I have found the wikipedia sites used for this class extremely helpful.
I could not find this reading without having to pay for it.
2nd reading
I found this article interesting. I am all for free ways in which libraries can increase their serve to patrons. It would be a way in which libraries can help each other and build on their knowledge. Wikis seem to be a simple way to organize information. As a librarian, organization is a key job description. Also, patrons can easily access the information on a wiki.
3rd reading
Social tagging is a great idea. I am glad Stanford and the University of Pennsylvania have incorporated it into the library. Social tagging is like free cataloging. It helps to organize the information for the common person to find. There are huge cooperation that depend on social tagging like Flickr. I believe more libraries need to jump on the bandwagon. It is a great tool which can be Incorporated with minimum costs.
4th reading
This video with Jimmy Wales was extremely interesting. I did not know that the English sites of wikipedia only make up about 1/3 of the organization. I would have thought it to be bigger than that. In addition, I liked his response to reporters on academics hating wikipedia. His use of his Harvard email was brilliant. After all, I have found the wikipedia sites used for this class extremely helpful.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
10th readings
1st reading
This article basically explained how people find websites on the web. It is a crawling process looking for information. Google institutes this algorithm for their search site. I found this article a little bit repetitive from other readings. However, no matter how easy the article makes the process sound. There are billions of websites on the web. The process of crawling is probably more complicated than presented.
2nd reading
OAI is a collaboration database of different people. This is a great example of people being able to connect through the technology. There will of course be some problems because of metadata language barriers, but we are stepping in the right direction. The important thing is collaboration is encourage through open communication that spans across boundaries.
3rd reading
The thing I found most interesting from this article was the pie graph dividing web sites by their content. Topic databases was the biggest group. Libraries only are 2% of the total. This illustrates that libraries have not been the main holders of information for a while. It is more useful to search topic databases for your answer than the library. The topic database cover a wider range of areas. Libraries need to do something to increase their importance. What, I do not know.
This article basically explained how people find websites on the web. It is a crawling process looking for information. Google institutes this algorithm for their search site. I found this article a little bit repetitive from other readings. However, no matter how easy the article makes the process sound. There are billions of websites on the web. The process of crawling is probably more complicated than presented.
2nd reading
OAI is a collaboration database of different people. This is a great example of people being able to connect through the technology. There will of course be some problems because of metadata language barriers, but we are stepping in the right direction. The important thing is collaboration is encourage through open communication that spans across boundaries.
3rd reading
The thing I found most interesting from this article was the pie graph dividing web sites by their content. Topic databases was the biggest group. Libraries only are 2% of the total. This illustrates that libraries have not been the main holders of information for a while. It is more useful to search topic databases for your answer than the library. The topic database cover a wider range of areas. Libraries need to do something to increase their importance. What, I do not know.
Muddiest Point Lecture 9
Digital libraries seem to cover a lot of different websites: University of Pittsburgh online database and second life. Is there terminology to distinguish between the different online libraries?
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Assignment 5
http://upitt04-staff.kwc.kohalibrary.com/cgi-bin/koha/virtualshelves.pl?viewshelf=46
I do not know why the links is not working. If you go to the list options for the public. My list is LIS2600 Subject War. If you have any problems please tell me.
I do not know why the links is not working. If you go to the list options for the public. My list is LIS2600 Subject War. If you have any problems please tell me.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Muddiest Point Lecture 8
I did not understand part of assignment 6. How do we download our website into the pitt address?
9th readings
1st reading
The first website seemed to me to be in a foreign language. I understood the idea behind XML but failed to grasp the way XML interacts with the computer. I felt this article did not give enough examples. XML is its own language. I understand it serves the purpose of helping us interact with computers and documents. I guess I would almost call it the computer's language.
2nd reading
The second website provided links to XML programs designed for specific purposes. XML is a standard tool which can than be used for many things. I found the second section on the website to be extremely helpful. It defined XML as a "standardized generalized markup language." This helped clarify my thoughts from the first website.
3rd reading
Wow, this article had a lot of XML code. This article was about comparing HTML and XML. People have been portraying XML as a simple tool that will replace XML. All I can say is all that code did not make XML simple to me. It made it look even more confusing. I did, however, understand the basic concept that HTML and XML interact differently with computers and users. Those differences are the part of the article that confused me.
4th reading
This website reminded me of last week readings. It provides a place in which a person can interact and create code through XML. I find these sites extremely useful because we can experiment without worrying about harming the site. It allows students to interact like we are XML coders. Again, I am an absolute horrible XML coder, but everyone has to start somewhere.
The first website seemed to me to be in a foreign language. I understood the idea behind XML but failed to grasp the way XML interacts with the computer. I felt this article did not give enough examples. XML is its own language. I understand it serves the purpose of helping us interact with computers and documents. I guess I would almost call it the computer's language.
2nd reading
The second website provided links to XML programs designed for specific purposes. XML is a standard tool which can than be used for many things. I found the second section on the website to be extremely helpful. It defined XML as a "standardized generalized markup language." This helped clarify my thoughts from the first website.
3rd reading
Wow, this article had a lot of XML code. This article was about comparing HTML and XML. People have been portraying XML as a simple tool that will replace XML. All I can say is all that code did not make XML simple to me. It made it look even more confusing. I did, however, understand the basic concept that HTML and XML interact differently with computers and users. Those differences are the part of the article that confused me.
4th reading
This website reminded me of last week readings. It provides a place in which a person can interact and create code through XML. I find these sites extremely useful because we can experiment without worrying about harming the site. It allows students to interact like we are XML coders. Again, I am an absolute horrible XML coder, but everyone has to start somewhere.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
8th readings
1st and 2nd reading
I found these two sites extremely similar. The first site allowed me to interact with the html language. The second site had a cheat sheet to help people with the basics of html. I saved these two sites into my favorites. Technology is a huge weakness of mine. I am extremely grateful to these sites for laying out the information in a readable fashion.
3rd reading
This site I found less helpful than the html sites. However, I did enjoy the tutorial videos. It did allow me to play around with the html coding of the tree and the owl. I could not interact with the coding efficiently. I did not have enough experience. I kept making the tree and owl disappear. Still, the site was fun to play with.
4th reading
This article talks about librarians creating websites for the library. Each library has different ideas on how to establish the website. This is important because there is no set way of doing it. In addition, librarians found out there is a lot more work in creating and maintaining a website than they first thought. As a librarian, I will face this challenge of keeping the library updated with new technology. As this article demonstrated, I will run into more problems than I originally planned.
I found these two sites extremely similar. The first site allowed me to interact with the html language. The second site had a cheat sheet to help people with the basics of html. I saved these two sites into my favorites. Technology is a huge weakness of mine. I am extremely grateful to these sites for laying out the information in a readable fashion.
3rd reading
This site I found less helpful than the html sites. However, I did enjoy the tutorial videos. It did allow me to play around with the html coding of the tree and the owl. I could not interact with the coding efficiently. I did not have enough experience. I kept making the tree and owl disappear. Still, the site was fun to play with.
4th reading
This article talks about librarians creating websites for the library. Each library has different ideas on how to establish the website. This is important because there is no set way of doing it. In addition, librarians found out there is a lot more work in creating and maintaining a website than they first thought. As a librarian, I will face this challenge of keeping the library updated with new technology. As this article demonstrated, I will run into more problems than I originally planned.
Friday, October 9, 2009
7th Readings
1st reading
I did not know there was a nonprofit organization, the Internet Society, which "oversees the formation of the policies and protocols that define how we use and interact with the Internet." That is a lot of control in one group. However, I can see the necessity of the group in keeping something as complex as the Internet working smoothly. I am curious on who are the core members in that group. I can see certain business members if they had seats making policies in the best interest of their company instead of the public. I do realize that the importance of the Internet Society. I am going to look up more information about the organization. They have a lot of power which I hope someone is keeping in check.
2nd reading
I understood this article on a theoretical base. For libraries to integrate with the new technology, they need to remove the old system by dismantling it. Librarians do realize that the world is changing. This is not a new fact. Pace illustrates librarians still in shock mode with the changes. Librarians are being presented with different systems all the time to adapt to the change. The problem is the lack of conformity. The best systems are the ones that are universally applied to all libraries like xml. In reality, this is a hard principle to follow. Each library has a different budget and diverse patrons. They find the system that best works for them. A place serving mostly older retired patrons is less likely to need a ton of computers. On the other hand, a library in high school would benefit with a lot of computers. I agree there should be a universal product applied. However, this will not happen until one system can work for multiple libraries in different environments.
3rd reading
The video was extremely informative. Sergey and Larry argued that running a successful multi-billion dollar company requires organization. Simple things can go a long way. By enclosing the projector, Google used the technology to organize meetings through a screen. They can now send emails by the people that attended the meeting. In addition, I loved how they let their employees explore different possibilities. Sergey and Larry did not know how successful the different projects would be. However, you do not remain on the top unless you can be innovating. Also, I really enjoyed the map of the world. I did not know so many people are using google at once around the world. It was awesome. It demonstrated how people from all over the world are connected. Also, I found it interesting that Australia did not have many hits compared to the United States or Europe. In the end, this was an excellent video with a lot of great points.
I did not know there was a nonprofit organization, the Internet Society, which "oversees the formation of the policies and protocols that define how we use and interact with the Internet." That is a lot of control in one group. However, I can see the necessity of the group in keeping something as complex as the Internet working smoothly. I am curious on who are the core members in that group. I can see certain business members if they had seats making policies in the best interest of their company instead of the public. I do realize that the importance of the Internet Society. I am going to look up more information about the organization. They have a lot of power which I hope someone is keeping in check.
2nd reading
I understood this article on a theoretical base. For libraries to integrate with the new technology, they need to remove the old system by dismantling it. Librarians do realize that the world is changing. This is not a new fact. Pace illustrates librarians still in shock mode with the changes. Librarians are being presented with different systems all the time to adapt to the change. The problem is the lack of conformity. The best systems are the ones that are universally applied to all libraries like xml. In reality, this is a hard principle to follow. Each library has a different budget and diverse patrons. They find the system that best works for them. A place serving mostly older retired patrons is less likely to need a ton of computers. On the other hand, a library in high school would benefit with a lot of computers. I agree there should be a universal product applied. However, this will not happen until one system can work for multiple libraries in different environments.
3rd reading
The video was extremely informative. Sergey and Larry argued that running a successful multi-billion dollar company requires organization. Simple things can go a long way. By enclosing the projector, Google used the technology to organize meetings through a screen. They can now send emails by the people that attended the meeting. In addition, I loved how they let their employees explore different possibilities. Sergey and Larry did not know how successful the different projects would be. However, you do not remain on the top unless you can be innovating. Also, I really enjoyed the map of the world. I did not know so many people are using google at once around the world. It was awesome. It demonstrated how people from all over the world are connected. Also, I found it interesting that Australia did not have many hits compared to the United States or Europe. In the end, this was an excellent video with a lot of great points.
Assignment 4
I did a video on how to use google maps for public transportation in Pittsburgh.
http://www.screencast.com/users/sldst6/folders/Jing/media/a1c7a100-8424-4a89-b1a4-411684241f57
I did my five image captures on using google maps in general.
http://www.screencast.com/users/sldst6/folders/Jing/media/3e672a2b-608b-48ca-a1c8-4f6c67d083b6
http://www.screencast.com/users/sldst6/folders/Jing/media/a757492f-37f2-4ad0-8137-70305c93a43a
http://www.screencast.com/users/sldst6/folders/Jing/media/e20f7d51-8252-4bea-98b6-470460690047
http://www.screencast.com/users/sldst6/folders/Jing/media/583698e7-c7f1-430d-a213-78473f2a79e7
http://www.screencast.com/users/sldst6/folders/Jing/media/4ce2b0a8-435d-43dc-bbcd-e04c8db72806
http://www.screencast.com/users/sldst6/folders/Jing/media/a1c7a100-8424-4a89-b1a4-411684241f57
I did my five image captures on using google maps in general.
http://www.screencast.com/users/sldst6/folders/Jing/media/3e672a2b-608b-48ca-a1c8-4f6c67d083b6
http://www.screencast.com/users/sldst6/folders/Jing/media/a757492f-37f2-4ad0-8137-70305c93a43a
http://www.screencast.com/users/sldst6/folders/Jing/media/e20f7d51-8252-4bea-98b6-470460690047
http://www.screencast.com/users/sldst6/folders/Jing/media/583698e7-c7f1-430d-a213-78473f2a79e7
http://www.screencast.com/users/sldst6/folders/Jing/media/4ce2b0a8-435d-43dc-bbcd-e04c8db72806
Monday, October 5, 2009
Assignment 3
http://www.citeulike.org/user/sld65
I did dewey decimal system (ddc), library database (ld), and law libraries (ll). I then placed all the articles I found in citeulike in an additional tag of citeulike.
I did dewey decimal system (ddc), library database (ld), and law libraries (ll). I then placed all the articles I found in citeulike in an additional tag of citeulike.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Muddiest Point Lecture 5
The main colors are red, blue, and green. Why is green included instead of yellow, a primary color?
6th Readings
1st reading
The concept of the local area network was very easy to understand. I use it everyday at home. The part I found most interesting was the history of networking. In the end, all the networks are interconnected creating a global communication infrastructure.
2nd reading
This article expanded on the previous article. I really liked the descriptions for the different types of networks. Each network serve a different group of consumers. However, all the networks interact through the internet.
3rd reading
The YouTube video was very informative. The terrestrial microwave information makes me consider how far we have come today. Things no longer have to be within line of sight to transmit. The amount of area that a network can cover grows every year.
4th reading
This article has an important implication for libraries. I do see RFID possible replacing bar codes in the future. Currently, however, there are too many security risks with the system. Also, libraries would have to spend a lot of money transferring bar codes over to RFID. As we all know, libraries are currently do not have a lot of cash due to the economic situation. That is the main reason I do not believe RFID will be instituted into the main stream of libraries.
The concept of the local area network was very easy to understand. I use it everyday at home. The part I found most interesting was the history of networking. In the end, all the networks are interconnected creating a global communication infrastructure.
2nd reading
This article expanded on the previous article. I really liked the descriptions for the different types of networks. Each network serve a different group of consumers. However, all the networks interact through the internet.
3rd reading
The YouTube video was very informative. The terrestrial microwave information makes me consider how far we have come today. Things no longer have to be within line of sight to transmit. The amount of area that a network can cover grows every year.
4th reading
This article has an important implication for libraries. I do see RFID possible replacing bar codes in the future. Currently, however, there are too many security risks with the system. Also, libraries would have to spend a lot of money transferring bar codes over to RFID. As we all know, libraries are currently do not have a lot of cash due to the economic situation. That is the main reason I do not believe RFID will be instituted into the main stream of libraries.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Muddiest Point Lecture 4
I did not understand the difference between the four popular data models: relational, object-oriented, object-relational, and multidimensional.
5th Reading
1st reading
Wikipedia, again, provides a great explanation for a very confusing subject. My view is that data compression is a trade off like everything else in the world. You could compress everything, but then it would take forever to decompress. You could not compress anything, but then your could not save as much. It was a great preface for the next article..
2nd reading
This article expanded on the Wikipedia's article. It explained the difficulties of compressing a document without making the data larger. It has only been through human invention that computers have come so far so quickly. The information is stored through a code. However, a huge problem is the possibility of losing data. I would hate to have to rewrite a paper. It has happened before, and I never want it to happen again.
3rd reading
Metadata, again, seemed to be a huge problem. It is hard to create metadata that the entire world would use to search for photographs. It took coordinated effort from the participating libraries to create the system. Computers were essential in establishing this system. University of Pittsburgh establishes a website with thousands of photos with a computer. WE have been able to do thousands of things because of computers. Our lives are now interconnected through computers and the World Wide Web.
4th reading
I love YouTube. It provides me with endless pleasure. However, this article failed to understand the structure of a library. Every library is different. It has unique databases and an individual way to access it. A YouTube video explaining how to access the databases would be useless for the majority of viewers. It would actually hurt most viewers. They would assume that the instructions given would work for their library. This is not the case. I believe instituting this idea would actually cause more damage than good.
Wikipedia, again, provides a great explanation for a very confusing subject. My view is that data compression is a trade off like everything else in the world. You could compress everything, but then it would take forever to decompress. You could not compress anything, but then your could not save as much. It was a great preface for the next article..
2nd reading
This article expanded on the Wikipedia's article. It explained the difficulties of compressing a document without making the data larger. It has only been through human invention that computers have come so far so quickly. The information is stored through a code. However, a huge problem is the possibility of losing data. I would hate to have to rewrite a paper. It has happened before, and I never want it to happen again.
3rd reading
Metadata, again, seemed to be a huge problem. It is hard to create metadata that the entire world would use to search for photographs. It took coordinated effort from the participating libraries to create the system. Computers were essential in establishing this system. University of Pittsburgh establishes a website with thousands of photos with a computer. WE have been able to do thousands of things because of computers. Our lives are now interconnected through computers and the World Wide Web.
4th reading
I love YouTube. It provides me with endless pleasure. However, this article failed to understand the structure of a library. Every library is different. It has unique databases and an individual way to access it. A YouTube video explaining how to access the databases would be useless for the majority of viewers. It would actually hurt most viewers. They would assume that the instructions given would work for their library. This is not the case. I believe instituting this idea would actually cause more damage than good.
Friday, September 18, 2009
4th reading
1st reading
I believe this article shows the diversity of libraries. Unlike a hospital which every doctor carries a stethoscope, librarians do not hold the same equipment. A library chooses a database upon ones needs. The article illustrated the amount of databases available to a library. Libraries do not have one set way of doing things. They do things more by trial and error. The benefits of different systems are the database can uniquely fit the needs of a library. The downsides, however, is one librarian could not enter another library and know everything about the other's system.
2nd reading
Metadata is a very simple concept to understand, but hard to knowingly apply in real life. People use metadata all the time without realizing. It is harder to do something once you are thinking about it. Librarians, also, are trying to apply metadata on a world wide scale. It is easy to use metadata when only people close to you have to understand it. It is much harder when you have to consider billions of people. I believe this article is an excellent example. It defined metadata without any problems, but it had a hard time explaining how to knowingly apply it.
3rd reading
What does the American Library Association think about Dublin Core? It is an extremely interesting idea. However, it would take a lot of time and effort to implement. I have never heard of this database before. I wonder how much influence it has on American libraries.
In addition, I did not understand the computer coding in this article.
I believe this article shows the diversity of libraries. Unlike a hospital which every doctor carries a stethoscope, librarians do not hold the same equipment. A library chooses a database upon ones needs. The article illustrated the amount of databases available to a library. Libraries do not have one set way of doing things. They do things more by trial and error. The benefits of different systems are the database can uniquely fit the needs of a library. The downsides, however, is one librarian could not enter another library and know everything about the other's system.
2nd reading
Metadata is a very simple concept to understand, but hard to knowingly apply in real life. People use metadata all the time without realizing. It is harder to do something once you are thinking about it. Librarians, also, are trying to apply metadata on a world wide scale. It is easy to use metadata when only people close to you have to understand it. It is much harder when you have to consider billions of people. I believe this article is an excellent example. It defined metadata without any problems, but it had a hard time explaining how to knowingly apply it.
3rd reading
What does the American Library Association think about Dublin Core? It is an extremely interesting idea. However, it would take a lot of time and effort to implement. I have never heard of this database before. I wonder how much influence it has on American libraries.
In addition, I did not understand the computer coding in this article.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Muddiest Point Lecture 2
I did not understand the definition of the fire wire. I do not own a Mac. What is the purpose of the fire wire? Why does a Mac's computer have it but a Window's computer does not?
3rd Reading
1st reading,
I interpret this article as meaning Linux is a universal code which underlines technology allowing programs to run. Without Linux, the programs would not be adaptable to the computer. This is just another aspect of technology which has grown exponentially in the last thirty years. IT also demonstrates how every single piece of technology is being adapted for a global use. Linux can be used anywhere in anything it seemed.
2nd reading,
I found the Wikipedia site more useful than the Mac OSX Internals. The computer code in the Mac OSX Internals confused me. Wikipedia provided the brief overview I needed. Mac OSX Internal demonstrated to me that the Mac's computer is a very complicated machine. These articles made me think of a few questions. Which is more efficient a Mac's computer or a Window's computer? Is Mac or Windows friendlier for the users? Does it cost more to buy a Mac or Window? Depending on the answers to these questions, I might be willing to switch from a Window's computer to a Mac.
3rd reading,
This article reminded me of Moore's Law. Technology is improving every day. Windows continues to improve their programs. They want to be able to fulfill the demands of all users. This is an extremely hard task. People use their computers for multiple purposes. There are thousands of demands for different things on the computer. Windows is trying to keep up. One of the biggest demands I could see from this article came from gamers. They want their games to run more smoothly on the computer. Vista seems to be addressing this problem. Also, Window continues to offer support for their systems. If a person has a problem they can just call the help desk. This is extremely important for people like me. I continuously break my computer.
I interpret this article as meaning Linux is a universal code which underlines technology allowing programs to run. Without Linux, the programs would not be adaptable to the computer. This is just another aspect of technology which has grown exponentially in the last thirty years. IT also demonstrates how every single piece of technology is being adapted for a global use. Linux can be used anywhere in anything it seemed.
2nd reading,
I found the Wikipedia site more useful than the Mac OSX Internals. The computer code in the Mac OSX Internals confused me. Wikipedia provided the brief overview I needed. Mac OSX Internal demonstrated to me that the Mac's computer is a very complicated machine. These articles made me think of a few questions. Which is more efficient a Mac's computer or a Window's computer? Is Mac or Windows friendlier for the users? Does it cost more to buy a Mac or Window? Depending on the answers to these questions, I might be willing to switch from a Window's computer to a Mac.
3rd reading,
This article reminded me of Moore's Law. Technology is improving every day. Windows continues to improve their programs. They want to be able to fulfill the demands of all users. This is an extremely hard task. People use their computers for multiple purposes. There are thousands of demands for different things on the computer. Windows is trying to keep up. One of the biggest demands I could see from this article came from gamers. They want their games to run more smoothly on the computer. Vista seems to be addressing this problem. Also, Window continues to offer support for their systems. If a person has a problem they can just call the help desk. This is extremely important for people like me. I continuously break my computer.
Friday, September 4, 2009
2nd Reading
1st) Personal Computer Hardware
This reading illustrated that I do not know a lot about computers. I only recognized the very basic items like the CD-ROM Drive. I also noticed that everything had an acronym. I did find this site extremely useful because everything had another link explaining the item in more detail. It is amazing that there are so many gadgets in a computer despite the small size of the item. The part I found the most interesting was the different types of storage available on the computer. This article provided a great overview of a computer.
2nd) Moore's Law
I am shocked that Moore's law continues to be the standard for improvements in technology. I understand that not all technology like the RAM and hard drive has doubled every two years, but a significant amount of equipment has improved by that much. It is the competitive nature of human beings that allows us to continue to strive to improve. It is never good enough. Part of the reason that the number of transistor have doubled every two years is because the size and cost of the item have decreased. The improvements in the field have been amazing. In a month, the new laptop or cell phone you just bought is out of date. It is almost impossible to keep up.
I agree with Mr. Moore that this growth will eventually slow down. This does not mean humans will ever stop trying to improve technology. I believe we will continue to invest in finding ways to make things work faster and longer. Humans have nowhere near reached their potential.
3rd) Computer History Museum
This site had a lot of cool links. The link for the history of the internet explained the process of technology only being shared with a select few growing into an international phenomenon. Every single family I know owns at least one computer. In around forty years, the computer and internet has progressed from only performing basic functions to a multiple purpose piece of technology. The link for the Silicon Engine illustrated the development through pictures. I cannot wait to see the continuing changes that will happen in the near future.
This reading illustrated that I do not know a lot about computers. I only recognized the very basic items like the CD-ROM Drive. I also noticed that everything had an acronym. I did find this site extremely useful because everything had another link explaining the item in more detail. It is amazing that there are so many gadgets in a computer despite the small size of the item. The part I found the most interesting was the different types of storage available on the computer. This article provided a great overview of a computer.
2nd) Moore's Law
I am shocked that Moore's law continues to be the standard for improvements in technology. I understand that not all technology like the RAM and hard drive has doubled every two years, but a significant amount of equipment has improved by that much. It is the competitive nature of human beings that allows us to continue to strive to improve. It is never good enough. Part of the reason that the number of transistor have doubled every two years is because the size and cost of the item have decreased. The improvements in the field have been amazing. In a month, the new laptop or cell phone you just bought is out of date. It is almost impossible to keep up.
I agree with Mr. Moore that this growth will eventually slow down. This does not mean humans will ever stop trying to improve technology. I believe we will continue to invest in finding ways to make things work faster and longer. Humans have nowhere near reached their potential.
3rd) Computer History Museum
This site had a lot of cool links. The link for the history of the internet explained the process of technology only being shared with a select few growing into an international phenomenon. Every single family I know owns at least one computer. In around forty years, the computer and internet has progressed from only performing basic functions to a multiple purpose piece of technology. The link for the Silicon Engine illustrated the development through pictures. I cannot wait to see the continuing changes that will happen in the near future.
Muddiest Point Lecture 1
I am confused on where we are supposed to post our responses to my classmates' blogs. Do we post it to their blogs or our own? Do we post it in general discussion on blackboard?
1st Reading
1st) OCLC report: Information Format Trends: Content, Not Containers
This reading illustrated the change in consumers' demands. Before the great technology boom, people had access to limited content at their local libraries. Now, people want the answers to their questions immediately. Businesses responded to that demand by creating online databases. This article explained businesses plans on taking the content and downsizing it. Businesses charge less for smaller pieces of contents. More people, however, are accessing those smaller pieces of information. Businesses are making more money. Everything comes down to money.
Another important point of this article was "social publishing." Everywhere people are sharing their knowledge through blogs and websites. The article mainly focuses on blogs. It is amazing to know the amount of knowledge and information people are sharing through the internet. The internet has made the world a global community. People are now connected to the world almost twenty four seven through laptops and cell phones.
I really agreed with the end point of this article. Libraries need to find a way to compete with businesses by offering content and answers immediately through items like cell phones. People can do almost anything with a computer and access to the internet. We need to show them that libraries can help them find the quick accurate answers to their questions. By insuring accurate answers, we can compete with businesses that do not guarantee correct information. Since anyone can post on the web, not all information is accurate. Libraries should be known as a reliable accurate source.
2nd) Information Literacy and Information Technology Literacy: New Components in the Curriculum for a Digital Culture
This article explains the education system on technology needs to be updated. IT is no longer sufficient to only teach students to type. Students need to understand the information available to them in databases. They need to understand how databases work. To function in society, you need more than a basic understanding of computers. I agree with this author, but he fails to explain how schools would pay for this program. It is expensive to change a class curriculum. To teach students to type, you only need computers with basic word processor. To teach students databases, the school needs access to the source. To teach students about the world wide web, you need access to the internet. These items cost money. Only college libraries already have the databases available for students. It would not cost universities much more to introduce an in-depth class on the resource. To become more comfortable with the technology, however, it is better to be introduced at a younger age to the databases rather than university. I agree that school should work to include this into their curriculum. It might not happen overnight, but it is something to work for.
3rd) Lied Library @ four years: technology never stands still
This article explains the difficulties of starting and maintaining a technology library. I really liked this article because it gave specific details of dilemmas one library faced. IN addition, the author wrote on the Lied Library's solutions to divers problems with the hopes of of helping other libraries in similar situations. One of the biggest problems, the author mentioned was the lack of computers available to the students and community patrons. The library could not put in anymore PC because of limited space. They partially solved this problem by allowing people to check out laptops.
St. Francis University, my college, started a program in 2000 that issued a laptop to every undergraduate student. This insured there was never a computer shortage. This could be a possible solution for other university especially due to the continually decrease in cost for a laptop. Each library has to look at the cost of each action compared to the outcome. Giving a laptop to each students may not be cost efficient, but it never hurts to look into a possibility.
This reading illustrated the change in consumers' demands. Before the great technology boom, people had access to limited content at their local libraries. Now, people want the answers to their questions immediately. Businesses responded to that demand by creating online databases. This article explained businesses plans on taking the content and downsizing it. Businesses charge less for smaller pieces of contents. More people, however, are accessing those smaller pieces of information. Businesses are making more money. Everything comes down to money.
Another important point of this article was "social publishing." Everywhere people are sharing their knowledge through blogs and websites. The article mainly focuses on blogs. It is amazing to know the amount of knowledge and information people are sharing through the internet. The internet has made the world a global community. People are now connected to the world almost twenty four seven through laptops and cell phones.
I really agreed with the end point of this article. Libraries need to find a way to compete with businesses by offering content and answers immediately through items like cell phones. People can do almost anything with a computer and access to the internet. We need to show them that libraries can help them find the quick accurate answers to their questions. By insuring accurate answers, we can compete with businesses that do not guarantee correct information. Since anyone can post on the web, not all information is accurate. Libraries should be known as a reliable accurate source.
2nd) Information Literacy and Information Technology Literacy: New Components in the Curriculum for a Digital Culture
This article explains the education system on technology needs to be updated. IT is no longer sufficient to only teach students to type. Students need to understand the information available to them in databases. They need to understand how databases work. To function in society, you need more than a basic understanding of computers. I agree with this author, but he fails to explain how schools would pay for this program. It is expensive to change a class curriculum. To teach students to type, you only need computers with basic word processor. To teach students databases, the school needs access to the source. To teach students about the world wide web, you need access to the internet. These items cost money. Only college libraries already have the databases available for students. It would not cost universities much more to introduce an in-depth class on the resource. To become more comfortable with the technology, however, it is better to be introduced at a younger age to the databases rather than university. I agree that school should work to include this into their curriculum. It might not happen overnight, but it is something to work for.
3rd) Lied Library @ four years: technology never stands still
This article explains the difficulties of starting and maintaining a technology library. I really liked this article because it gave specific details of dilemmas one library faced. IN addition, the author wrote on the Lied Library's solutions to divers problems with the hopes of of helping other libraries in similar situations. One of the biggest problems, the author mentioned was the lack of computers available to the students and community patrons. The library could not put in anymore PC because of limited space. They partially solved this problem by allowing people to check out laptops.
St. Francis University, my college, started a program in 2000 that issued a laptop to every undergraduate student. This insured there was never a computer shortage. This could be a possible solution for other university especially due to the continually decrease in cost for a laptop. Each library has to look at the cost of each action compared to the outcome. Giving a laptop to each students may not be cost efficient, but it never hurts to look into a possibility.
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