Week 5 comments

http://lostscribe459.blogspot.com/2010/09/week-4-reading-notes.html?showComment=1285111213259#c3674941758992592305

http://megrentschler.blogspot.com/2010/09/week-5-reading-notes-10410.html?showComment=1285889888396#c8647755381716609991

Week 5 notes

1) Database. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Database
This article is a great overview of the inner workings of databases.  I use them frequently for class research, but I have only a basic grasp of how they operate and are built.  Some of this article went too far into depth (mostly in the sections that seemed like alphabet soup), but the types of databases are well explained.  I never thought about how many types there are; they seems pretty similar on the surface.  A database brings to mind what I access through PittCAT, but in reality there are so many more kinds.  I never thought of the Internet as a database, but it is classified as a hypermedia database.  This makes sense because search engines help organize the information.  I also found the replication and security sections interesting.  I could guess that the more replication there is, the greater the risk is for breaking security/confidentiality.

2) Anne J. Gilliland. Introduction to Metadata, pathways to Digital Information: 1: Setting the Stage
http://www.getty.edu/research/conducting_research/standards/intrometadata/setting.html
Metadata boggles my mind in the same way metacognition (thinking about thinking) does.  It’s hard to comprehend such minute, specific things.  The “big picture” in this article spelled out metadata pretty clearly: “the sum total of what one can say about any information object at any level of aggregation.”  The “content, context, structure” model breaks it down clearly as well.

The paragraph “But there is more to metadata than description and resource discovery. ...” got me thinking.  I like the idea of incorporating activities/uses with information.  This could be especially helpful in libraries and museums for programming.  This emphasizes the importance of the information.

Also, user-created metadata is interesting.  Users can organize and tag information in ways that they find useful, so it makes their experience better.  But this can also make the tangle of information even more complex.

3) Eric J. Miller. An Overview of the Dublin Core Data Model
http://dublincore.org/1999/06/06-overview/
I had never heard of the Dublin Core Data Model before reading this article, but once I read a description of what it is, it made sense.  Why not have a standard model for metadata?  With the overload of information, this could make organizing and retrieving much easier.  Yes, some resources will need more metadata, but this seems like it would work for the majority of resources.

Week 4 Muddiest Point

My muddiest point for this week concerns FastTrack:

What should we do if we have a conflict with another class?  I have two scheduled for Friday night.

Since this one will be videotaped, could we watch it online and go to the other class?  We could at least come sign in so you know we are present ...

Just not sure what the best way to handle it would be!

Assignment 2: Empire State of Mind

These are ten photos of a recent trip to New York City.  The screen display images are 1024 x 768, and the thumbnails are 150 x 113.  I used Pixlr, which I loved, to size my images.  I have used Photoshop at work for many years but never bought it because it's so expensive.  Now I know there is a free alternative.

URL to my Flickr set:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kdhuth/sets/72157624895814799/with/5018962360/

Week 4 comments

http://megrentschler.blogspot.com/2010/09/week-4-reading-notes.html?showComment=1285252379194#c4905257138363870579

http://lostscribe459.blogspot.com/2010/09/week-4-readings-corrected.html?showComment=1285278518689#c1322868634894586842

Week 4 notes

1)    Data Compression. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_compression
I don’t know anything about encoding, but this article explained it well, especially in relation to any communication: The sender and the receiver have to understand the encoding.  Because information is increasing at an explosive pace, compression is vital.  Otherwise, we wouldn’t have the resources to handle the information.  The example of lossless vs. lossy was effective for understanding as well, showing that lossless maintains more accuracy, but lossy has a smaller file.

2)    Data compression basics (long documents, but covers all basics and beyond): http://dvd-hq.info/data_compression_1.php
This article seemed to repeat a lot from the Wikipedia article, with a similiar example of lossless vs. lossy, using letters instead of numbers.  It then went into different “families =” of coding, debating the pros and cons of each.  The text was a bit confusing because of the technical terms, but the charts at the bottom illustrated the difference in families for images.  After reading this article, I think that it would be a lot harder if not impossible to share information without compression, because as technology increases, so has the file size.  I’m not sure which family is “best”; I think it depends on the type of file you want to transfer.

3)    Edward A. Galloway, “Imaging Pittsburgh: Creating a shared gateway to digital image collections of the Pittsburgh region” First Monday 9:5 2004 http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue9_5/galloway/index.html
I visited the Historic Pittsburgh website after reading this article, and it has obviously grown substantially since the paper was written.  The paper focused mainly on photographs, but the website now includes maps, videos, texts, census records and more.  I found the portion of the paper on Dublin Core relevant because the week 5 readings were confusing to me, and this gave it a real-life application.  (Sidenote: I didn’t realize the week topics had been switched, so I read Week 5 readings before this week’s.)  But seeing the discourse of deciding what type of scheme to use was interesting, especially because they chose eight categories.  I think it shows that metadata schemes need to be uniquely tailored to the resource.

4)    Paula L. Webb, YouTube and libraries: It could be a beautiful relationship C&RL News, June 2007 Vol. 68, No. 6
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/publications/crlnews/2007/jun/youtube.cfm
I found this article especially relevant to my situation: I am in a high school library completing my practicum, and the kids are always trying to get on YouTube.  But the district’s policy prohibits them from visiting it.  So I was glad to read about some positive uses for YouTube.  I know there is a lot of terrible stuff on there, but I think libraries can make use of the site.  People are already on there, and if they subscribe to the library, they can easily find out what’s going on.  I wish the article had mentioned TeacherTube, which is a school-friendly version of YouTube.  That might alleviate some of the fears that come with YouTube, which has few restrictions.  But YouTube would be good for reaching a wider audience of the general, adult population.

Week 3 Muddiest Point

My muddiest point is more seeking opinions.  Open source software seems amazing, and it's free, and sometimes it's almost just like the commercial version.  For example, I starting playing around with Pixlr for Assignment 2, and it seems very similar to Adobe Photoshop. So why would people pay several hundred dollars for something they can pretty much get for free?  I used Photoshop for years at my old job as a designer, but never purchased a copy for my home PC because it's so pricey.  I guess my question is:  What would it take for open source software to become more popular and take a large chuck of business from traditional software companies?  Feel free to post a comment.

Week 3 comments

http://adamdblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/week-3-reading-notes.html?showComment=1284591552090#c6238933481487037572

http://amybeeslisblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/week-three-readings.html?showComment=1284591770223#c3169319758001443057

Week 3 notes

Week 3

1) Machtelt Garrels. “Introduction to Linux: A Hands on Guide”
http://tldp.org/LDP/intro-linux/html/
(only need to read section 1, but you are welcome to read the whole document)
Before reading this, I had only heard of Linux.  I knew it was an alternative operating system, but I didn’t know it was used on many smartphones and even watches.  After reading about it, I think it’s good that users have a choice for an operating system beyong MacOS and Windows.  The article pointed out that Linux has become easier for beginners to use, and the screen shots from the links seem startlingly similar to Windows.  Linuz may be making a comeback because it’s based in Open Source technology, and that has been becoming increasingly popular.  Because Linux is FREE, it may gain even more popularity.

2) http://www.kernelthread.com/mac/osx/  
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_OS_X
I was hesitant of Apple computers for a long time because I wasn’t familiar with OS, but after I began using Macs, I realized they weren’t difficult -- I just needed to learn how.  We use Macs in my office, and my family recently purchased one.  So I was glad to read these articles and clarify something I use daily.   Reading about all of the features, they all sound great.  It would be interesting to see a chart that compares each feature to similar ones in Windows and Linux.  Otherwise, it’s hard to judge which is better by just reading about them, unless you’ve used all the systems.  I didn’t know there were so many versions of Mac OS X (they are are 10.6, or “snow leopard).

3) Paul Thurott “An Update on the Windows Roadmap”     
   http://community.winsupersite.com/blogs/paul/archive/2008/06/27/an-update-on-the-windows-roadmap.aspx

Windows got a bad reputation in the past few years because of bugs and kinks in its system, so it was enlightening to read this e-mail.  It was heavy on PR, but it acknowledged what the company is facing.  There were high expectations for the latest version, and I think it placated some users.  I liked reading about the resume time, which went from 30 seconds to 2.  This is a huge difference, especially for people who are impatient when booting.

Week 2 muddiest point

I thought learning about how a CD works is interesting.  We use them all the time without thinking about the mechanics.  I was wondering about damage and how it affects CDs.  I know scratches do, but what about heat?  Is there any way to extract info from a part of a CD is only a portion is damaged?

Kristen

Week 1 and 2 comments

I didn't realize until I watched the Panopto for this week that we had to post the comments for other people on our own blogs as well.  I couldn't remember who all I commented on for weeks 1 and 2, except for these ones:

http://nrampsblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/reading-notes-week-1.html?showComment=1283535207076#c8771520314989494754

http://lis2600fall2010priyashenoy.blogspot.com/2010/09/lis-2600-wk-1.html?showComment=1283535510250#c8182641674238483141

I will post them here as well from now on.
Kristen

Week 2 notes

1) Computer Hardware: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_hardware


This break down of parts of a computer was helpful, especially because of the diagram.  Clifford Lynch's article from last week, in which he described the levels of technology literacy, made me realize that while I consider myself technologically proficient, it mostly ends at using a computer.  I don't really know how it works.  This article at least gives me an idea.  Now I could at least point out the parts of a computer and explain their basic functions.


2) Moore’s Law: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moore's_law
    also the video http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=what-is-moores-law


Basically, Moore's law states that the number of transistors that can be put on a circuit doubles every few years.  This is expected to continue for the next decade or so.  This seemed perfectly reasonable to me, given the technology inventions I can think of over the past ten years.  (Remember how big cell phones used to be?)  But the video introduced me to how mind-boggling this is.  The woman in the video compared Moore's law in computers to the auto industry.  By now, we should be driving cars that go a million miles an hour, get 1,000 miles to the gallon, that cost about a quarter.  Wow!  That was a wake-up call that made me evaluate what I had read about Moore's law.


It's interesting to note that when Moore wrote about this theory in 1965, he predicted the trend would continue "for at least ten years."  More than 40 years later, it's still true.  And now we are predicting at least another ten years.  It makes me wonder if the span of Moore's law will continue to be expanded.  It also makes me realize that it's hard to predict technological trends (something I thought about while reading this week's digitization articles, too).


I didn't realize that Moore's law has many aspects beyond transistors.  It also applies to power consumption  (it doubles every 18 months), pixels per dollar (the value of a digital camera), etc.


Also, the article raised the question: Had the theory proven itself true as a self-fulfilling prophecy?  Perhaps the industry sees Moore's law as a goal to achieve.  It's hard to say.

3) Computer History Museum. http://www.computerhistory.org/  


I had never heard of this museum, but now I want to take a field trip there!  (Even though it's in California.  Which makes sense, that it would be in Silicon Valley.)  Looking at the schedule, it is closed frequently for construction.  I think the website has a lot to offer, though, and it could be used as a virtual field trip for students.  You can even search the museum's entire catalog (72,756 records)!


I especially liked the Timeline feature, where you can click on years to see the developments.  You can also filter events by company, people, networking, graphics, etc.  I also like the "This Day in History" feature.  Today's is the first discovered computer bug (1945): It was an actual moth caught in the hardware.  So now I know where the term comes from!

Week 1 muddiest point

My muddiest point this week is actually about the muddiest point.  You said in class that you instituted the muddiest point because not many people tend to ask questions in class.  Is posting muddiest point each week required for participation? Or if there is nothing we are particularly confused about that week, should we just not post one?  Or would you like us to just choose one topic for the muddiest point that we think could be elaborated on?

Week 1 notes

1) OCLC report: Information Format Trends: Content, Not Containers (2004). http://www.oclc.org/reports/2004format.htm

The most interesting concept brought up in this article is that people are coming “format agnostic”; that is, they don’t care what medium their information in delivered in.  I would argue, though, that they aren’t completely agnostic. Yes, there are many formats to choose from, but people have a preference.  Some like to read information, while others like to listen to it.  Fortunately, they often have the choice.  The news industry has been adapting to this “format agnostic” model in the past 10 years or so; most newspapers offer online content such as videos and podcasts in addition to their print additions.  It allows consumers to choose their preferred format.

The implications of self publishing are enormous as well, as we discussed in depth in LIS 2000 (Understanding Information).  Anyone can be an author, whether it’s online through a website or blog or in print with a “zine.”  Having no gatekeeper such as an editor or publisher is powerful, because although it’s easier for people to get ideas to the masses, it also makes it easier for a lot of bad or wrong information to go out.

I thought the information about phone use was particularly interesting.  I read an article recently that predicted that GPS devices and digital cameras will soon fall into obscurity because new smartphones have these capabilities built in in qualities that are just as good as the separate counterparts.


2) Clifford Lynch, “Information Literacy and Information Technology Literacy: New Components in the Curriculum for a Digital Culture” http://www.cni.org/staff/cliffpubs/info_and_IT_literacy.pdf

The two levels of information technology literacy were clear-cut.  Most people learn how to use technology. But the most successful people learn how that technology works.  The comparison to learning to type was effective.  Now, if typing is the only skill you have, you won’t get far.  Learning how computer systems work make it easier to adapt as technology advances.

3) Vaughan, J. (2005). Lied Library @ four years: technology never stands still. Library Hi Tech, 23(1), 34-49. Athttp://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/ViewContentServlet;jsessionid=C5A0E976F56F442F9919082BF1F79360?Filename=Published/EmeraldFullTextArticle/Articles/2380230105.html

This article offered many common technology  problems among libraries and some solutions.  When the UNLV library first opened, the librarians didn’t have to worry about disrupting users’ needs because it was closed.  In 2003, when they replaced all the computers, they had to think about how to do it with the least possible interruption.  This was important because, as they article said, the computers have a high level of usage; sometimes they are all being used, and there is a waiting time.

I thought designating certain computers, such as the laptops, for student use only was fair.  Students pay a high price for tuition, so they should be able to use the school’s facilities with relative ease.  The library did have some security problems, though, and I could see how letting students check out laptops would make them an easy target for theft.

The library’s space problem is a common one across the country; this makes digitization an appealing choice.  Libraries might be wiser to spend more on computers and digital files than on print materials.  It’s more space-effective.

Kristen Huth