Week 6 readings

Local Area Network (wiki)
I am always surprised at how “old” some of the technology I am familiar with. The article says that the “octopus” network from Lawrence Radiation Laboratory, which could be considered a primitive LAN was created in 1970.

Computer Network (wiki)
I followed this article to the wiki on IP addresses, because I wasn’t exactly sure what they are. Beside finding out about their function, I learned that until 1995, IP addresses were defined by 32-bit numbers. Due to the explosion of the Internet’s popularity, a new addressing system was needed with 128-bit numbers. They ran out of numbers and had to make more! Impressive.

Common Types of Computer Networks
I’m glad to know that you can pronounce Metropolitan Area Networks as “MANs.” Or should that be “MEN”?

Management of RFID in libraries
At first I was skeptical about the necessity of RFID. In terms of security, it does not seem very different from what electronic sensors/barcodes do now. There seems to be plenty of room for error. When the author talked about how swiping patron IDs and scanning books is “mind-numbingly dull,” I took offense because I have always enjoyed interacting with patrons and seeing what they are reading. On the other hand, when the author wrote about RFID potential for stack-reading, I was very excited. I can remember spending hours going through stacks, moving each book just enough so I could scan the bar code, counting the seconds until my shift ended. In that situation, I would be all for RFID.

On the other (other) hand, I would hate to see this or any other technology replace the human interaction found at the circulation desk. I think it is a vital part of the library experience that technology will never be able to duplicate or replace.

More articles like this, Please!

Week 5 Muddiest Point

Why are the primary colors of digital imagery (red, blue, green) not the usual primary colors (red, blue, yellow). Since green is a combination, why isn't yellow considered a primary color? Does it have something to do with what colors our eyes are most sensitive to?

Week 5 Comments

On Suzy Deucher's blog:
http://suzydeucher2600.blogspot.com/2009/09/reading-notes-week-5.html

On Lance Duncan's blog:
http://lid25lis2600.blogspot.com/2009/09/reading-notes-5.html

Week 5 Readings

Data Compression (Wiki)
Data compression seems like slippery work. The article gives the example of compressing the number 25.888888 to 25.9 or 26. The difference seems small, but there are many situations where a small discrepancy between numbers equates to a huge difference, like currency conversion or NASA calculations. Also, this may be a future muddiest point, but I am a bit confused: Since digital pieces of information contain countless bits, one can argue that a few missing bits does not do any harm. But are all bits created equal? Or are there some bits of information that are absolutely vital? How does the compression tell the difference?

Data compression basics
The most intriguing point this article raises, or what I noticed the most, is how much data compression relies on substitution. Colors can become a collection of numbers, as can letters and entire words. As the author points out, our own language uses substation quite a lot. Acronyms are compressed substitution of longer phrases. Words themselves are compressed concepts agreed upon by speakers of the same language to mean the same thing.

Imaging Pittsburgh: Creating a shared gateway to digital image collections of the Pittsburgh region
It is always interesting to see new developments in technology aiding elements of the past to become more accessible. The photographs the article mentions will be a tremendous source of knowledge and entertainment to the public. The writer says “One of the most exciting challenges that still remains is developing creative ways to help users explore the collections.” I predict that the curators of this collection will benefit greatly from other technological advances like photo tagging to achieve this goal.

YouTube and libraries: It could be a beautiful relationship
I think instructional videos about library resources is a very good idea. First, however, patrons (or potential patrons) would have to know that such videos existed. I, for one, did not know that my hometown library, Cincinnati Public, had videos on Youtube. I did a search and they have a video tour, advertisements for several programs summer reading programs.

Week 4 Muddiest Point

How do databases decrease redundancy as opposed to files/folders? Do they stop users from entering the same data twice? If that were the case, double entries could still occur due to user error (ex. misspelling a person's name). Are there more tools databases use to avoid redundancy?

Week 4 Comments

Comments on Sarah's blog:
http://2600infototechnology.blogspot.com/2009/09/readings-4.html

Comments on cac160's blog:
cac160: http://cac160.blogspot.com/2009/09/week-4-reading-notes.html

Week 4 Readings

Database (Wiki)
I did not realize how many types of databases there are. This is probably because I come across only a few types of databases in my daily life. Rather, I am only aware of a few types of databases. The best examples would be the user-end databases like word processors and downloaded files. However, I am glad that databases like operational databases that run computers and in-memory databases that emergency systems use are there as well, even if I did not know that they are classified as databases.

Introduction to Metadata, pathways to Digital Information: 1: Setting the Stage
I thought this article was a good argument for studying information science. The article suggests that the way information is labeled is just as important as the information itself. Furthermore, in the modern academic word, to be “informed” means knowing how to find information as well as understand it.
Key quotes:
*“Although metadata is arguably a much less familiar term among creators and consumers of networked digital content who are not information professionals per se, these same individuals are increasingly adept at creating, exploiting, and assessing user-contributed metadata such as Web page title tags, folksonomies, and social bookmarks.”
*“Metadata is crucial in personal information management and for ensuring effective information retrieval and accountability in record keeping—something that is becoming increasingly important with the rise of electronic commerce and the use of digital content and tools by governments.”

An Overview of the Dublin Core Data Model
I thought the following concept was interesting:
“It is very important that both the writer and the reader of a statement understand the same meaning for the terms used, such as 'Creator', 'approvedBy', 'Copyright', etc. or confusion will result. In a medium of global scale such as the World Wide Web it is not sufficient to rely on shared cultural understanding of concepts such as "creatorship"; it pays to be as precise as possible.”
This adds a new level of complexity to the idea of language. Programmers need to make sure that their commands can be understood by computers and other users.

Week 3 Muddiest Point

When discussing web application software, it was said that it provides ubiquity to clients, meaning that it does not matter which Operating System the client uses. Is this the case for all web software, or are their cases where one O.S. can run something and another cannot (say Windows vs. Mac)?

Week 3 Comments

Comment on Sarah Cantor's blog:
http://lis2600infotechnology.blogspot.com/2009/09/week-3-readings.html

Comment on Brandon Locke's blog:
http://brandonlocke.blogspot.com/2009/09/readings-week-three.html

Comment on Tim Notari's blog:
http://preservingtim.blogspot.com/2009/09/assignment-1-reading-notes-for-week-1.html
*This is from last week's reading, but I commented anyway since I did not comment on any blog last week. I realize that this is past the deadline for comments and does not count towards participation.

Week 3 readings

Linux (Introduction to Linux: A Hands on Guide)
The first time I heard about Linux or GNU was from the British comedian/scholar/professional nerd, Stephen Fry. He made a video in celebration of GNU’s 25th birthday (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfAO0AXMyQU). He was extolling how GNU allows people to work together to customize and improve their operating system – and all for free! He makes some wonderful points in the video, many of which the guide makes. I too like the idea of a community of many minds continuously working on the GNU/Linux system. Logically, this means that it can only get better!

Mac OS X (Kernelthread & Wikipedia)
The most appealing (or enviable) part of Mac OS X to me is the iLife suite. I always wanted to play around with GarageBand. I have iTunes and a photo application on my Dell, but nothing like GarageBand. I would like to have a Dashboard with wWdgets, but I would add so many that it would be terribly distracting and cluttered. But terribly entertaining as well! I read “The Saga of a PowerBook 17” section about the writer’s trials with his first Apple. It’s nice to be reminded that computer drama plague other people and not just me. Techno-Schadenfreude.

Windows (An Update on the Windows Roadmap)
I had enough friends go through weeks of panic and frustration when they make the switch on their laptops that I never switched to Vista. I have used it on university computers and had no feeling one way or the other. What I have a strong negative reaction to is Word 2007. So much of it is counterintuitive. I know the reason I do not like it is because I am unfamiliar with it, but that frustration is enough to make me stay with what I know. Nothing in the Roadmap or “Windows Vista Why Not” section convinced me that I should make the switch to Vista. When it comes to technology, familiarity is key to me. I need time to become comfortable with any given system or program. This is tragically ironic since technology itself is all about rapid change and improvement.

Assignment 2: Fickr

Here is the URL to my flickr assignment. I took photos of my favorite things around my apartment. Enjoy.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/42384587@N03/

Week 2 Muddiest Point

This may be a silly question, but it may help me and hopefully some other people who aren't as up on scanning and digital photography as others...

What are the main differences between scanning and digital photography? During the lecture, both were referred to as a "picture" or "snapshot" of something. I understand that a scan is usually a copy of an existing picture or document, whereas a digital picture can be much more (scenery, portraits, etc). Are there more differences? Does one contain more information? Can one be more easily manipulated than the other?

Week 2 Reading

Computer Hardware Wiki
Going through all the hardware in a computer made me laugh because within this year, I have replaced my laptop’s hard-drive, power supply, and battery and reloaded its operating system. I pretty much have a “new” computer, considering all the essential parts that have been replaced. It was a sad sad sad laugh.

Moore’s Law Wiki
*The idea of exponential improvement of technology was sounding so optimistic until I got to the “Future Trends” section and this Quote by Moore: “It can't continue forever. The nature of exponentials is that you push them out and eventually disaster happens.” I wonder what type of disaster he foresaw and how close he would say we are until we reach it.
*As a librarian, former bookseller, and current book buyer, I related the concept of Moore’s Law to books, particularly textbook. Printers are always coming out with new editions of a title, promising more concise information, better illustrations, and the ultimate learning experience – for the next twelve months. More often than not, this is not caused by any advancement in any given field, but is simply a means of making students buy new textbooks at ridiculous prices. Not that I am bitter or anything.

Computer History Museum
I took a look at the museum’s timeline and found a few interesting entries.
*First off, I was surprised that the first entry was from 1939. It was Hwelett-Packard’s first product, the HP 200A Audio Oscillator, a model of which Walt Disney used for sound effects in Fantasia.
*In 1946, the ENIAC could perform 5,000 operations per second, which sounds impressive to me. If this is a primitive computer, I can’t image how many operations today’s computers can complete per second.
*Direct keyboard input was not developed until 1956.
*The first ATM appeared in 1970. I imagine that some people were very apprehensive about letting a machine handle their money. Now, we are more likely to be apprehensive about human error and would rather let computers do the work.
*Speak & Spell FTW! It was introduced in 1978. Over thirty years and synthetic speech is still quite a ways off from natural speech.
*Microsoft word (1983) is older than I am. I did not know that.
*“Cyberspace” is a term coined in William Gibson’s Neuromancer in 1984. It’s good to see that literature can affect technology.
*DOOM!!! My dad (and later, I) played Doom after its 1993. The creepy sound effects scared me so much I had to play it with the sound off.

Week 1 Muddiest Point

One thing that has always puzzled about technology is when is it considered a threat to a certain field and when it is considered beneficial? The answers seem to be different when talking about Library Science and libraries. Library Science has optimistic opinion about technology (hence the information technology and digital libraries specializations, as well as this class). However, if you were to go into a public library and talk to certain staff or patrons about some of the advances in information technology and proposed changes to the field of library work, you may find yourself with a lifetime ban. I will be interested to see how this dilemma is handled in class when we discuss topics that may present major changes to the field that we just begun to enter.

Week 1 Reading

2004 Information Format Trends: Content, Not Containers
*This article uses the terms “disruptive changes” and “disruptive technology” when referring to some advancements in information technology. What makes these things “disruptive”? This relates to my muddiest point question of when something can be considered helpful or harmful to the Library Science field.
*I did not know what a “wiki” meant outside the context of “Wikipedia.” I thought wikis only existed in Wikipedia in a “which came first, the chicken or the egg?” relationship.
*Even a 5 year gap between the publication date of this material and the time I am reading is enough to make it seem slightly outdated. Countless new features have been added to some of the technology it talks about and entirely new pieces of technology have come out. All this brings home the article’s point that it takes great vigilance to stay current and relevant.

Information Literacy and Information Technology Literacy: New Components in the Curriculum for a Digital Culture
*A question I would have for Lynch is where the public should receive the training to become literate in information technology? Would it be offered in schools or should part of a library’s responsibility be training its patrons as well as its staff to use the library’s resources as best they can?

Lied Library @ four years: technology never stands still
*The library I worked at as an undergrad still uses Millennium. Oh dear.
*It seems to me that many technological advances are implemented to save library money (free space, increased patronage, etc.) But as the article points out, constantly updating the technology has its own costs. But libraries cannot “afford” to let their technology go stale either.

Assignment 1: Blog

This is a test entry of Jordan Moore's blog for the LIS 2600 class.