http://www.citeulike.org/user/jpm73
Here it is
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Reading Assignment #6
Reading Assignment #6
Local Area Network: Pretty simple article to understand and helped my understanding of how this all works.
--Xerox was involved in the mid 70’s but I am surprised that they aren’t mentioned more in terms of computer development over the years. Almost of us know them for is copiers kinda sad when you think about it.
--I was interested to see that Microsoft isn’t more prominent in this field. With all of the things that they do you’d think they would be, and to find out that their foray into the L-A-N arena wasn’t that successful.
--I remember when I was in Seminary and all the apartments and dorms were wired with Ethernet cables. That was a big deal that we were all wired and could work on projects and research together. Yes we also played a lot of on-line games as well.
Computer Network: Much like the previous article.
--Our library uses a wireless network. Can’t count the number of times we have had to help students log in because of a lap-top issue that they had.
--Had no idea that there were that many different types of area networks. Global Area Network was the one that caught my attention. Sounds like it could be difficult to keep operating with all the things that could go wrong.
--For some reason I am not too surprised that the Government was involved in the Internet’s creation.
--I now understand how my router works thanks to this article. Hey I am an average computer user I plug in the equipment and I want it to work as it should…no more, no less.
You-Tube video: Summarized everything I had read very nicely, and I liked the fact that the Gentleman presenting the video didn’t make me feel like he was talking down to me.
RFID Article: I have had no experience with RFIDs but reading about them was interesting.
--Why is it when I hear about something like this and the FDA I always get a little nervous?
--RFIDs sound like they would make shelf reading a whole lot easier to do.
--A concern of mine in getting something like this set up is the trial and error that would probably go in the early stages of this. I mean the barcodes that are used I remember when we first went to them at a library I worked at and to say it was a learning experience is an understatement. However I can’t imagine ever going back to a stamp and library due-date slip.
--As I read this I realized that the cost for a system like this must be unreal.
--I am sure though that if more libraries adopt this system that the vendors will find a way to make this system more “user-friendly” for DVDs & CDs & magazine articles.
Muddy Question: Why did the author feel the need to tell us how it is possible to beat an RFID tag? That isn't exactly a good idea.
Blogs where I have posted:
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4181925387762663697&postID=2484512840620987532&page=1
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1129785935180596689&postID=7650461811986294684&page=1
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4527425204800506090&postID=9024962617698144764&page=1
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1475137707322366107&postID=8624094078636163671&page=1
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1491308052360981630&postID=107352555931312506&page=1
Local Area Network: Pretty simple article to understand and helped my understanding of how this all works.
--Xerox was involved in the mid 70’s but I am surprised that they aren’t mentioned more in terms of computer development over the years. Almost of us know them for is copiers kinda sad when you think about it.
--I was interested to see that Microsoft isn’t more prominent in this field. With all of the things that they do you’d think they would be, and to find out that their foray into the L-A-N arena wasn’t that successful.
--I remember when I was in Seminary and all the apartments and dorms were wired with Ethernet cables. That was a big deal that we were all wired and could work on projects and research together. Yes we also played a lot of on-line games as well.
Computer Network: Much like the previous article.
--Our library uses a wireless network. Can’t count the number of times we have had to help students log in because of a lap-top issue that they had.
--Had no idea that there were that many different types of area networks. Global Area Network was the one that caught my attention. Sounds like it could be difficult to keep operating with all the things that could go wrong.
--For some reason I am not too surprised that the Government was involved in the Internet’s creation.
--I now understand how my router works thanks to this article. Hey I am an average computer user I plug in the equipment and I want it to work as it should…no more, no less.
You-Tube video: Summarized everything I had read very nicely, and I liked the fact that the Gentleman presenting the video didn’t make me feel like he was talking down to me.
RFID Article: I have had no experience with RFIDs but reading about them was interesting.
--Why is it when I hear about something like this and the FDA I always get a little nervous?
--RFIDs sound like they would make shelf reading a whole lot easier to do.
--A concern of mine in getting something like this set up is the trial and error that would probably go in the early stages of this. I mean the barcodes that are used I remember when we first went to them at a library I worked at and to say it was a learning experience is an understatement. However I can’t imagine ever going back to a stamp and library due-date slip.
--As I read this I realized that the cost for a system like this must be unreal.
--I am sure though that if more libraries adopt this system that the vendors will find a way to make this system more “user-friendly” for DVDs & CDs & magazine articles.
Muddy Question: Why did the author feel the need to tell us how it is possible to beat an RFID tag? That isn't exactly a good idea.
Blogs where I have posted:
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4181925387762663697&postID=2484512840620987532&page=1
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1129785935180596689&postID=7650461811986294684&page=1
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4527425204800506090&postID=9024962617698144764&page=1
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1475137707322366107&postID=8624094078636163671&page=1
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1491308052360981630&postID=107352555931312506&page=1
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Reading Assignment #5
Reading Assignment #5
Data Compression: Wikipedia. A good primer for explaining what data compression is and how it works.
--This article helped me so how much I take my computer really for granted. That I expect it to automatically do whatever I want it to do when I want it done. Like play my videos without really thinking about it.
--Reading the examples of lossless & lossy made sense. For some reason I chuckled when it said that 26 was a smaller file size than 25. [9]8. Sometimes my literal sense of thinking plays havoc with what I am reading.
--I have never understood what is meant by “Internet telephony.” Why is it called that?
--To read about something that started in the late 1940’s/early 1950’s was really refreshing after reading about the 1960’s so often.
Data Compression Articles: By the time I had finished reading these articles I thought, “Everything I ever wanted to know about data compression, but I was afraid to ask has now been answered.” Have to say though I don’t consider it a waste of my time. I like the fact that the author injected little shots of humor throughout and that if it became too complex they would cite an example for understanding what they were talking about.
--I love reading what the abbreviations stand for and how they apply to what we are doing.
--For some reason reading the LCS lines seeing how they progressed and what values would come next interested me a lot. It became almost like a game to try and figure out what would come next and how the next value was reached. Would I want to do it all the time? Heck no! I can only imagine that they will get harder so I’ll quit while I’m ahead.
--Reading about RGB also interested me as well, because I remember my ambulance driving training and being taught about different colors meaning different things within the color spectrum.
--I also liked learning about the on-line streaming process since I like listening to ESPN radio on-line and watching Sportscenter on-line and understanding how it works.
--Looking at the image block section was interesting because it still is hard for me to believe that such a small thing can make a big difference.
Imaging Pittsburgh: I love history so this article was a real treat for me
--It sounds like such a simple idea but reading everything that went into it was very eye opening. That it involved a grant for one thing to make it happen and that it took the photographic collections of three institutions to help out as well.
--Looking at the 1955 photo was kind of strange because where I went to college about 20 years ago part of the city looked like that in 1988.
--One would think that working on a project like this there would be a consensus just about every-time. In an ideal world maybe but we don’t live in an ideal world now do we? Reading about the challenges made me see just how much work had to go into this. Not only did they have to deal with issues like selecting the pictures but also technical issues such as Metadata & the Web-Site. It was nice to see that the article did not mention anyone throwing up their hands and saying that they were going to quit. Although I am sure there were moments people wanted to.
--This article was done in 2004 I wonder what kind of progress has been made since then?
You-Tube: I admit I am a huge You-Tube visitor so this article held my interest from beginning to end.
--The ease of using You-Tube makes me wonder sometimes why more schools don’t use it more often. My guess is that they probably explored it at some point but have found logistical issues too bothersome.
--It says in order to upload an artist or TV show or basically anything from the entertainment spectrum that you need permission. I am willing to bet that some of the videos are done without permission. That the “copyright police” could have a field day with you-tube if they wanted to, and that makes me wonder if there will ever be the day that certain areas of you-tube will become pay-per-view.
Muddy Question: While I enjoy reading and learning about the abbreviations in the 2nd article I found at times it was difficult to keep all of the abreveations straight in mind. There were times I had to go back and re-read something to undestand what I just read. Did anyone else have this issue and how did you deal with it?
Blogs where I have posted:
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4181925387762663697&postID=2509969814099689784&page=1
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1475137707322366107&postID=7852200519071717247&page=1
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5671000685629389967&postID=3390927621638259886&page=1
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4527425204800506090&postID=5390955881482592986&page=1
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1129785935180596689&postID=3512837352940137481&page=1
Data Compression: Wikipedia. A good primer for explaining what data compression is and how it works.
--This article helped me so how much I take my computer really for granted. That I expect it to automatically do whatever I want it to do when I want it done. Like play my videos without really thinking about it.
--Reading the examples of lossless & lossy made sense. For some reason I chuckled when it said that 26 was a smaller file size than 25. [9]8. Sometimes my literal sense of thinking plays havoc with what I am reading.
--I have never understood what is meant by “Internet telephony.” Why is it called that?
--To read about something that started in the late 1940’s/early 1950’s was really refreshing after reading about the 1960’s so often.
Data Compression Articles: By the time I had finished reading these articles I thought, “Everything I ever wanted to know about data compression, but I was afraid to ask has now been answered.” Have to say though I don’t consider it a waste of my time. I like the fact that the author injected little shots of humor throughout and that if it became too complex they would cite an example for understanding what they were talking about.
--I love reading what the abbreviations stand for and how they apply to what we are doing.
--For some reason reading the LCS lines seeing how they progressed and what values would come next interested me a lot. It became almost like a game to try and figure out what would come next and how the next value was reached. Would I want to do it all the time? Heck no! I can only imagine that they will get harder so I’ll quit while I’m ahead.
--Reading about RGB also interested me as well, because I remember my ambulance driving training and being taught about different colors meaning different things within the color spectrum.
--I also liked learning about the on-line streaming process since I like listening to ESPN radio on-line and watching Sportscenter on-line and understanding how it works.
--Looking at the image block section was interesting because it still is hard for me to believe that such a small thing can make a big difference.
Imaging Pittsburgh: I love history so this article was a real treat for me
--It sounds like such a simple idea but reading everything that went into it was very eye opening. That it involved a grant for one thing to make it happen and that it took the photographic collections of three institutions to help out as well.
--Looking at the 1955 photo was kind of strange because where I went to college about 20 years ago part of the city looked like that in 1988.
--One would think that working on a project like this there would be a consensus just about every-time. In an ideal world maybe but we don’t live in an ideal world now do we? Reading about the challenges made me see just how much work had to go into this. Not only did they have to deal with issues like selecting the pictures but also technical issues such as Metadata & the Web-Site. It was nice to see that the article did not mention anyone throwing up their hands and saying that they were going to quit. Although I am sure there were moments people wanted to.
--This article was done in 2004 I wonder what kind of progress has been made since then?
You-Tube: I admit I am a huge You-Tube visitor so this article held my interest from beginning to end.
--The ease of using You-Tube makes me wonder sometimes why more schools don’t use it more often. My guess is that they probably explored it at some point but have found logistical issues too bothersome.
--It says in order to upload an artist or TV show or basically anything from the entertainment spectrum that you need permission. I am willing to bet that some of the videos are done without permission. That the “copyright police” could have a field day with you-tube if they wanted to, and that makes me wonder if there will ever be the day that certain areas of you-tube will become pay-per-view.
Muddy Question: While I enjoy reading and learning about the abbreviations in the 2nd article I found at times it was difficult to keep all of the abreveations straight in mind. There were times I had to go back and re-read something to undestand what I just read. Did anyone else have this issue and how did you deal with it?
Blogs where I have posted:
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4181925387762663697&postID=2509969814099689784&page=1
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1475137707322366107&postID=7852200519071717247&page=1
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5671000685629389967&postID=3390927621638259886&page=1
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4527425204800506090&postID=5390955881482592986&page=1
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1129785935180596689&postID=3512837352940137481&page=1
Thursday, September 11, 2008
My Flickr Pictures
These are some of the pictures that I took when I was at the Pro-Football Hall Of Fame this past Summer.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30042576@N08/sets/72157607235334810/
Flickr Blogs where i have posted:
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4181925387762663697&postID=6105264136580073479
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4657309357315020681&postID=1250745253598266327
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Reading Assignment #4
Reading Assignment #4
Database Article (Wikipedia): A good overview and introduction to databases.
--Interesting to see that throughout the decades each person who develops a new system generally is dissatisfied with the previous decade’s advances. The feeling of, “They did it good but I can do it better” is really rampant sometimes. Never realized at times how competitive this field really is until I started studying the readings more closely. (It makes Microsoft’s foothold in the market impressive from a certain point of view.)
--I remember when COBOL was the dominant language. Back in 1984 when I started high-school my computer teacher was teaching us some of the basics of it because that was what everyone was using at that time.
--I see where the Relational Model is being used in our library, because the minute I saw “SQL” I realized that is what we use for our Rapid ILL system.
--With Object-Oriented databases seeking to bring the database world and the application programming world closer together it seems as though that is where the next major break-through lies.
--The article talks about the legislation in the United Kingdom protecting unauthorized disclosures of personal information on databases, but what about the United States? What legislation is in place for our protection?
Introduction to Metadata: The article is written in a way that when Gilliland gets too technical she provides a good example to help simplify things for the average reader.
--Never realized how much we in the Library Sciences are dependent upon the services that Metadata provides. Especially those in the Archiving end of the Library Sciences.
--Reading through Table 1 and seeing technical terms being applied to things that I use all the time and take for granted helps me gain a greater understanding for how complex and specialized this field really is.
--Library metadata has been in use since the 1960’s makes me wonder how things have really changed since then. We used to have room-sized computers and now we have Blackberries, I wonder about the changes since then. It was also interesting to read that the development of Library metadata has been first and foremost about providing access to content. Much like we do in the real world.
--Gilliland writes, “It is possible to conceive of it being used in an almost infinite number of new ways to meet the needs of non-traditional users, for multi-versioning, and for data mining.” I wonder what new ways we could be looking at for non-traditional users.
Dublin Core Article: Provides a good overview of the on-going project.
-- I wonder what progress they have made since this article was written 9 years ago and much of the last couple of paragraphs discussed work that still needed to be done. We can only assume tht they have made some progress by now.
--Thought the term “resource” was interesting from the perspective of it is not only including data and things of a computer nature, but also books and people as well.
--When Miller began to write and discuss computer coding I was somewhat surprised that in-order to understand it I had to use things that I learned in my logic course almost 20 years ago. The graphic at the end of the article really brought that point home for me. (I should write my logic professor a thank you note someday).
--Dewey Decimal is still being used in some places. I don’t think I could handle having to use it again.
Muddy Question: The Wikipedia article discusses the “A-C-I-D rules” They sound very stringent and straight-forward. However right after the explanation it says that many databases relax these rules for better performance.
My question is: When is it appropriate to relax these rules? How is it decided which rules are relaxed? And if they are relaxed every so often then why call them rules at all? Why not call them guidelines?
Blogs where I have posted:
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4619180577856147392&postID=6564099702343520457&page=1
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4181925387762663697&postID=4607901818617335487&page=1
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5671000685629389967&postID=889897992883147029&page=1
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4527425204800506090&postID=4985219821099945805&page=1
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1003426038996200615&postID=1300285221863047449&page=1
Database Article (Wikipedia): A good overview and introduction to databases.
--Interesting to see that throughout the decades each person who develops a new system generally is dissatisfied with the previous decade’s advances. The feeling of, “They did it good but I can do it better” is really rampant sometimes. Never realized at times how competitive this field really is until I started studying the readings more closely. (It makes Microsoft’s foothold in the market impressive from a certain point of view.)
--I remember when COBOL was the dominant language. Back in 1984 when I started high-school my computer teacher was teaching us some of the basics of it because that was what everyone was using at that time.
--I see where the Relational Model is being used in our library, because the minute I saw “SQL” I realized that is what we use for our Rapid ILL system.
--With Object-Oriented databases seeking to bring the database world and the application programming world closer together it seems as though that is where the next major break-through lies.
--The article talks about the legislation in the United Kingdom protecting unauthorized disclosures of personal information on databases, but what about the United States? What legislation is in place for our protection?
Introduction to Metadata: The article is written in a way that when Gilliland gets too technical she provides a good example to help simplify things for the average reader.
--Never realized how much we in the Library Sciences are dependent upon the services that Metadata provides. Especially those in the Archiving end of the Library Sciences.
--Reading through Table 1 and seeing technical terms being applied to things that I use all the time and take for granted helps me gain a greater understanding for how complex and specialized this field really is.
--Library metadata has been in use since the 1960’s makes me wonder how things have really changed since then. We used to have room-sized computers and now we have Blackberries, I wonder about the changes since then. It was also interesting to read that the development of Library metadata has been first and foremost about providing access to content. Much like we do in the real world.
--Gilliland writes, “It is possible to conceive of it being used in an almost infinite number of new ways to meet the needs of non-traditional users, for multi-versioning, and for data mining.” I wonder what new ways we could be looking at for non-traditional users.
Dublin Core Article: Provides a good overview of the on-going project.
-- I wonder what progress they have made since this article was written 9 years ago and much of the last couple of paragraphs discussed work that still needed to be done. We can only assume tht they have made some progress by now.
--Thought the term “resource” was interesting from the perspective of it is not only including data and things of a computer nature, but also books and people as well.
--When Miller began to write and discuss computer coding I was somewhat surprised that in-order to understand it I had to use things that I learned in my logic course almost 20 years ago. The graphic at the end of the article really brought that point home for me. (I should write my logic professor a thank you note someday).
--Dewey Decimal is still being used in some places. I don’t think I could handle having to use it again.
Muddy Question: The Wikipedia article discusses the “A-C-I-D rules” They sound very stringent and straight-forward. However right after the explanation it says that many databases relax these rules for better performance.
My question is: When is it appropriate to relax these rules? How is it decided which rules are relaxed? And if they are relaxed every so often then why call them rules at all? Why not call them guidelines?
Blogs where I have posted:
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4619180577856147392&postID=6564099702343520457&page=1
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4181925387762663697&postID=4607901818617335487&page=1
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5671000685629389967&postID=889897992883147029&page=1
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4527425204800506090&postID=4985219821099945805&page=1
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1003426038996200615&postID=1300285221863047449&page=1
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Reading Assignment #3
Reading Assignment #3
Linux System: As I read through the Intro there were a few things that occurred to me.
--Linux is in much more wide-spread use than I realized. I had no idea that Amazon was using it, or that a lot of movies were using for their CGI shots, the U.S. postal service and the German Army just to name a few.
--It seems as though Linux is much more inclined to cater to businesses and Government programs as opposed to the home-PC market. I say that because when one did read the manual they were difficult to follow and finding documentation was difficult as well, and it says right there in the article that it is not user-friendly and confusing for beginners. Most beginners are people who are setting up their home-PCs, They used to tell people to, “RTFM: Read the Manual.” (I don’t think I really want to guess what the “F” stands for).
--I personally like the idea of having a free software operating system and how basically all Linux systems are the same, however there is one thing that troubles me even more than the cons concerning the troubles beginners could have. Linux is free and I hate to say it but sometimes…you get what you pay for.
--Even Linux has to concede something to Microsoft. Otherwise why would they be willing to have some compatible programming with Microsoft?
Mac-OS X: I found a lot of what I read in both articles (Kernel-thread & Wikipedia) to be way too technical and at times very confusing.
--The use of Kernels has found its way into the Mac-OS. (Didn’t see any mention of them in the Windows information, but more on Windows a bit later).
--One thing that really confused me was all of the different operating systems that were being discussed. Having to read & re-read just to figure out which ones were still being used, which ones could be adapted to one another and which one was getting ready to be used next.
--It seems as though the Mac-OS is more designed for a student/professional. I say that because the numbers of games for the Mac are pretty limited, and yet I see a lot of applications that a student/professional would be more inclined to use than say an avid game-player.
--The conclusion in the Kernel-thread helped a lot with giving me some bottom line information about Mac-OS.
--I became a little paranoid about ever owning a Mac-OS computer after reading through the Hacking tools section. Just so many different ways that it can be hacked into. I saw on CNN that this was a chief complaint against the I-Phone for a long time in that it could be hacked into through the Internet Explorer. Whether that is still the case, I don’t know.
Windows: After reading this piece I felt like saying (almost hypnotically), “Windows Vista GOOD!” I felt like I was reading a sales pitch and I was expecting something much more technical.
--Even Microsoft has come out to play with the others. There is a Microsoft Services for UNIX & Quick-time & I-Tunes were all developed by apple. However though Microsoft stands alone in terms of use and being more widely known by the average computer user (of which I am one).
--The fact that are willing to continue support for Windows XP (even after the intended release of Windows 7 in 2010) until the year 2014 tells me that maybe some people are not happy with Windows Vista and are clinging to Windows XP as long as they can.
--I am a Vista user and with the exception of some of the transitions from different windows I really can’t say that I would keep it if I had the chance to switch back to XP. After reading what I would have to go through to back to XP on my new computer, the downgrade licenses and so forth, I think I’ll just stay with Vista.
--The Internet Explorer 7 they have with Vista is a Godzilla sized pain in the neck. I have to right click on IE7 and run it as administrator to get it to work properly. Otherwise it locks up a lot more or new tabs keep opening up on me.
--A huge red flag for me was the “telemetry system” that allows them to gather anonymous information about how real customers are using the program. I am sorry I don’t like people or organizations being able to gather information on me without my permission. Anonymous or not…I like having some sense of what I have on my computer is mine and what I do with my computer is my business.
Muddy Question: Why were we assigned to read two articles that were so technical, and then assigned to read one that sounded like (at times) a sales-pitch for Windows Vista? I am not complaining about the Linux or Mac-OS articles or even the information on Vista, but it was just very strange to go from three very technically oriented articles then suddenly to one that was about an Operating System that had very little technical information at all. It took a minute to "regear my brain"
Blogs where I have posted:
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=271112965323219834&postID=2616120692262767054&page=1
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1129785935180596689&postID=4268674843996478222&page=1
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7821109072135779287&postID=5756541473977954588&page=1
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4527425204800506090&postID=8427445099349409461&page=1
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5671000685629389967&postID=8343433152457723658&page=1
Linux System: As I read through the Intro there were a few things that occurred to me.
--Linux is in much more wide-spread use than I realized. I had no idea that Amazon was using it, or that a lot of movies were using for their CGI shots, the U.S. postal service and the German Army just to name a few.
--It seems as though Linux is much more inclined to cater to businesses and Government programs as opposed to the home-PC market. I say that because when one did read the manual they were difficult to follow and finding documentation was difficult as well, and it says right there in the article that it is not user-friendly and confusing for beginners. Most beginners are people who are setting up their home-PCs, They used to tell people to, “RTFM: Read the Manual.” (I don’t think I really want to guess what the “F” stands for).
--I personally like the idea of having a free software operating system and how basically all Linux systems are the same, however there is one thing that troubles me even more than the cons concerning the troubles beginners could have. Linux is free and I hate to say it but sometimes…you get what you pay for.
--Even Linux has to concede something to Microsoft. Otherwise why would they be willing to have some compatible programming with Microsoft?
Mac-OS X: I found a lot of what I read in both articles (Kernel-thread & Wikipedia) to be way too technical and at times very confusing.
--The use of Kernels has found its way into the Mac-OS. (Didn’t see any mention of them in the Windows information, but more on Windows a bit later).
--One thing that really confused me was all of the different operating systems that were being discussed. Having to read & re-read just to figure out which ones were still being used, which ones could be adapted to one another and which one was getting ready to be used next.
--It seems as though the Mac-OS is more designed for a student/professional. I say that because the numbers of games for the Mac are pretty limited, and yet I see a lot of applications that a student/professional would be more inclined to use than say an avid game-player.
--The conclusion in the Kernel-thread helped a lot with giving me some bottom line information about Mac-OS.
--I became a little paranoid about ever owning a Mac-OS computer after reading through the Hacking tools section. Just so many different ways that it can be hacked into. I saw on CNN that this was a chief complaint against the I-Phone for a long time in that it could be hacked into through the Internet Explorer. Whether that is still the case, I don’t know.
Windows: After reading this piece I felt like saying (almost hypnotically), “Windows Vista GOOD!” I felt like I was reading a sales pitch and I was expecting something much more technical.
--Even Microsoft has come out to play with the others. There is a Microsoft Services for UNIX & Quick-time & I-Tunes were all developed by apple. However though Microsoft stands alone in terms of use and being more widely known by the average computer user (of which I am one).
--The fact that are willing to continue support for Windows XP (even after the intended release of Windows 7 in 2010) until the year 2014 tells me that maybe some people are not happy with Windows Vista and are clinging to Windows XP as long as they can.
--I am a Vista user and with the exception of some of the transitions from different windows I really can’t say that I would keep it if I had the chance to switch back to XP. After reading what I would have to go through to back to XP on my new computer, the downgrade licenses and so forth, I think I’ll just stay with Vista.
--The Internet Explorer 7 they have with Vista is a Godzilla sized pain in the neck. I have to right click on IE7 and run it as administrator to get it to work properly. Otherwise it locks up a lot more or new tabs keep opening up on me.
--A huge red flag for me was the “telemetry system” that allows them to gather anonymous information about how real customers are using the program. I am sorry I don’t like people or organizations being able to gather information on me without my permission. Anonymous or not…I like having some sense of what I have on my computer is mine and what I do with my computer is my business.
Muddy Question: Why were we assigned to read two articles that were so technical, and then assigned to read one that sounded like (at times) a sales-pitch for Windows Vista? I am not complaining about the Linux or Mac-OS articles or even the information on Vista, but it was just very strange to go from three very technically oriented articles then suddenly to one that was about an Operating System that had very little technical information at all. It took a minute to "regear my brain"
Blogs where I have posted:
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=271112965323219834&postID=2616120692262767054&page=1
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1129785935180596689&postID=4268674843996478222&page=1
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7821109072135779287&postID=5756541473977954588&page=1
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4527425204800506090&postID=8427445099349409461&page=1
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5671000685629389967&postID=8343433152457723658&page=1
Sunday, August 31, 2008
The Second Reading Assignment
Reading Assignment #1
OCLC Report: As I read thought this report my first reaction was, “Well soon the only place where we are going to be able to see any print material is on-display in a museum.” Looking back though I don’t think those of us who like to read printed material, like journals and books, have anything to worry about anytime soon. (More on that a bit later on)
--I agree that most of the major trends in content aren’t technological but rather they are social. Smartphones or I-Phones are serious indicator of that. We can now text/I-M one another, send pictures of one another through e-mail, send video of one another, be in a chat room, play music on our phones and surf the web with our phones. Ten years ago these are things that we used to be able to do only on our computers. Now we can do these things anytime and anywhere without even thinking about it not only with our phones but with palm-pilots and blackberries. It’s about staying connected to one another and how we can do it easier.
--Marshall McLuhan was right in 1964 when he said, “The message is the medium.” So was Mark Fiderman when he said, “With this early warning we can set out to characterize & identify the new medium before it becomes obvious to everyone.” We can analyze the content of a container all we want, but if we don’t look at how the container itself is shaping our lives or how it could impact us as library professionals then we are missing an opportunity to see how a new container be used. Not only by us as library professionals but in changing people’s perceptions of a library. Showing that a library is a place of ideas and information, and not just a place where the books are kept.
--The section on Social Publishing caught my attention, because it mentioned that it could be a way for libraries to reach out to communities. I have seen this first hand. Carrier Library at James Madison University where I used to work at has a page on Facebook.
--I mentioned that as I read this I thought that this report was basically sounding the death knell for print materials, but after reflecting for a bit I was wrong. For three reasons: 1) In 2004 Inter Library Loan requests were at 51,000 they are projected to be at 57,000 by 2009. An example of technology and libraries working together. 2) Why would someone want to go through the process of “tiered access” for a sample of a book or article when they can have an entire book or article for free? 3) When was the last time someone you heard of someone having an issue like downloading viruses, spyware or other computer issues that one can face from time to time when they had an actual book or magazine in their hands? Now don’t get me wrong I am in-favor of new mediums and ways of getting information out to the public, but I just don’t think the print industry is on its last legs.
Clifford Lynch Article: When I read this article I thought, “Was he telling me any of this?” When I was done I felt more informed and that my time wasn’t wasted.
--His setting up the difference between Information Literacy and Information Technology Literacy was something that helped me follow his train of thought and how he showed that both aspects were different and yet relied on one another. Much like technology & libraries are two sides of the same coin and they rely upon one another.
--He makes the case that students graduating from an educational system where they only have basics skills (concerning computers & technology) are cheated. I agree with him, however it raises a question for me, and that question is who is going to teach the children the more intermediate skills that Lynch is looking towards? Most of the people who can teach these skills effectively are probably teaching in colleges, working in the Government or working for a computer company making a far more sizable income than in the school system.
--His point about students learning how to type 40 years ago and how we moved onto Word Processors in the 1980’s brings up showing how things have changed and how fast they change in our world today. For example in 1993 when I was in college I learned how to work a Mac, and at the time I thought it was the greatest thing I ever used it blew the PC I had at the time out of the water. Today only 15 years later my cell-phone could put that Mac to shame in every way possible.
--Much like we have been told we need to change people’s perceptions about libraries I find that I need to change my perceptions about computers. There is more to computers than the desktop/laptop that I use all the time, and that computers impact us in other ways as well.
Lied Library Article: This article made me smile and brought back some good memories because when I was working at Carrier Library at James Madison University we too upgraded our computing systems in the summer of 2004, and we went through many of the things that LIED Library went through.
--Luckily when we did our computer switchover our summer session wasn’t that busy so the transition was relatively smooth. (Well as smooth as one can expect).
--We replaced our monitors with flat screens and disposed of our old ones in the same manner that they did at Lied Library.
--Lied Library began their E-Reserves program in 2002. I was involved in leading the E-Reserves program at JMU as a pilot project during the summer of 2004 into seeing if it could be a viable option in the future. I revisited JMU last year and discovered that E-Reserves are now the norm for reserve articles. They had maybe 3 paper articles at most in a semester.
--I had to smile when I read that they upgraded to the Millennium Operating system, because we did that as well. I wonder if they had a smooth transition like we did?
--While the technological aspects of Lied Library are impressive there are some serious negatives as well. The cost to run a place like that has got be huge, and I don’t just mean the monetary costs (which have got to just be huge to say the least). I am thinking in terms of cost to the staff. They are serving so many different patrons; they have to know a lot more about computers than the average librarian, not much in terms of office space, and Vaughn noted himself that there aren’t too many times when the library is shut-down for any serious length of time which means that there has to be someone there. One would think that the staff at times must just feel wiped out at the end of the day.
--I was interested in seeing that they have an attached café with the library. I wonder how they deal with food and drink messes especially around the equipment?
Muddy Question: I’ll be the first to admit that the Lied Library is, from a technological point of view, very impressive there is no denying that they have a well-earned reputation.
My question is this: How much can be seen as too much? Is there such a thing as too much technology in a library? To a point where the books, the archives, the print journals and other areas are overshadowed by the technology aspects of the library. Is that ever a possibility? Will we ever cross a line, and when we do will we realize it only after it is too late to do anything about it?
Blogs I have posted to:
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=271112965323219834&postID=1386571618696058234
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1129785935180596689&postID=9208681496334963649
OCLC Report: As I read thought this report my first reaction was, “Well soon the only place where we are going to be able to see any print material is on-display in a museum.” Looking back though I don’t think those of us who like to read printed material, like journals and books, have anything to worry about anytime soon. (More on that a bit later on)
--I agree that most of the major trends in content aren’t technological but rather they are social. Smartphones or I-Phones are serious indicator of that. We can now text/I-M one another, send pictures of one another through e-mail, send video of one another, be in a chat room, play music on our phones and surf the web with our phones. Ten years ago these are things that we used to be able to do only on our computers. Now we can do these things anytime and anywhere without even thinking about it not only with our phones but with palm-pilots and blackberries. It’s about staying connected to one another and how we can do it easier.
--Marshall McLuhan was right in 1964 when he said, “The message is the medium.” So was Mark Fiderman when he said, “With this early warning we can set out to characterize & identify the new medium before it becomes obvious to everyone.” We can analyze the content of a container all we want, but if we don’t look at how the container itself is shaping our lives or how it could impact us as library professionals then we are missing an opportunity to see how a new container be used. Not only by us as library professionals but in changing people’s perceptions of a library. Showing that a library is a place of ideas and information, and not just a place where the books are kept.
--The section on Social Publishing caught my attention, because it mentioned that it could be a way for libraries to reach out to communities. I have seen this first hand. Carrier Library at James Madison University where I used to work at has a page on Facebook.
--I mentioned that as I read this I thought that this report was basically sounding the death knell for print materials, but after reflecting for a bit I was wrong. For three reasons: 1) In 2004 Inter Library Loan requests were at 51,000 they are projected to be at 57,000 by 2009. An example of technology and libraries working together. 2) Why would someone want to go through the process of “tiered access” for a sample of a book or article when they can have an entire book or article for free? 3) When was the last time someone you heard of someone having an issue like downloading viruses, spyware or other computer issues that one can face from time to time when they had an actual book or magazine in their hands? Now don’t get me wrong I am in-favor of new mediums and ways of getting information out to the public, but I just don’t think the print industry is on its last legs.
Clifford Lynch Article: When I read this article I thought, “Was he telling me any of this?” When I was done I felt more informed and that my time wasn’t wasted.
--His setting up the difference between Information Literacy and Information Technology Literacy was something that helped me follow his train of thought and how he showed that both aspects were different and yet relied on one another. Much like technology & libraries are two sides of the same coin and they rely upon one another.
--He makes the case that students graduating from an educational system where they only have basics skills (concerning computers & technology) are cheated. I agree with him, however it raises a question for me, and that question is who is going to teach the children the more intermediate skills that Lynch is looking towards? Most of the people who can teach these skills effectively are probably teaching in colleges, working in the Government or working for a computer company making a far more sizable income than in the school system.
--His point about students learning how to type 40 years ago and how we moved onto Word Processors in the 1980’s brings up showing how things have changed and how fast they change in our world today. For example in 1993 when I was in college I learned how to work a Mac, and at the time I thought it was the greatest thing I ever used it blew the PC I had at the time out of the water. Today only 15 years later my cell-phone could put that Mac to shame in every way possible.
--Much like we have been told we need to change people’s perceptions about libraries I find that I need to change my perceptions about computers. There is more to computers than the desktop/laptop that I use all the time, and that computers impact us in other ways as well.
Lied Library Article: This article made me smile and brought back some good memories because when I was working at Carrier Library at James Madison University we too upgraded our computing systems in the summer of 2004, and we went through many of the things that LIED Library went through.
--Luckily when we did our computer switchover our summer session wasn’t that busy so the transition was relatively smooth. (Well as smooth as one can expect).
--We replaced our monitors with flat screens and disposed of our old ones in the same manner that they did at Lied Library.
--Lied Library began their E-Reserves program in 2002. I was involved in leading the E-Reserves program at JMU as a pilot project during the summer of 2004 into seeing if it could be a viable option in the future. I revisited JMU last year and discovered that E-Reserves are now the norm for reserve articles. They had maybe 3 paper articles at most in a semester.
--I had to smile when I read that they upgraded to the Millennium Operating system, because we did that as well. I wonder if they had a smooth transition like we did?
--While the technological aspects of Lied Library are impressive there are some serious negatives as well. The cost to run a place like that has got be huge, and I don’t just mean the monetary costs (which have got to just be huge to say the least). I am thinking in terms of cost to the staff. They are serving so many different patrons; they have to know a lot more about computers than the average librarian, not much in terms of office space, and Vaughn noted himself that there aren’t too many times when the library is shut-down for any serious length of time which means that there has to be someone there. One would think that the staff at times must just feel wiped out at the end of the day.
--I was interested in seeing that they have an attached café with the library. I wonder how they deal with food and drink messes especially around the equipment?
Muddy Question: I’ll be the first to admit that the Lied Library is, from a technological point of view, very impressive there is no denying that they have a well-earned reputation.
My question is this: How much can be seen as too much? Is there such a thing as too much technology in a library? To a point where the books, the archives, the print journals and other areas are overshadowed by the technology aspects of the library. Is that ever a possibility? Will we ever cross a line, and when we do will we realize it only after it is too late to do anything about it?
Blogs I have posted to:
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7114620464717775258&postID=8006325409564131110
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3224525137548604663&postID=6073455576871728850&page=1https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=271112965323219834&postID=1386571618696058234
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1129785935180596689&postID=9208681496334963649
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1693482552938456993&postID=5202360343339771744
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