The entry on data compression led me to consider a few things. My old PC had considerable difficulty compressing data. It always ran low on virtual minimum memory and I had to delete older files just to clear up space. I planned to purchase an external hard drive originally though I decided I was just better off purchasing a new computer. The loss free storage for data sounds really interesting, though I am unsure when that technology first came into practice.
The Data Compression Basics website did a much better job of explaining the theory behind data compression and how it works. That said, I found their descriptions of coding confusing. Much of this is because I do not have a computer science background and I did not do any computer programming. I am unfamiliar with many of the coding terms used on this website. If I experienced more computer programming I might be familiar with those terms and methods but I am unsure what they mean. If I find out how they work I will post a response to this expressing my understanding.
First Monday is a peer reviewed Internet journal. The site has links to all of its past issues. I checked out one article from the September 2009 issue that focused on blogs as a medium for news and politics. The article mentioned the importance of blogs for both major US political parties in the 2008 presidential election. I agree that the political blogs bring more people to follow politics and that they further polarize the political system in the US. Another article discusses the role Google plays in how people obtain information and the impact it holds for libraries. This journal seemed very interesting and I enjoyed the articles I read. I plan to keep checking this site periodically to see how it keeps addressing topics that emerge in the information technology realm.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Zotero Muddiest Point
To complete the next major assignment, I downloaded Zotero onto Firefox. However, when I click on the link to it within Firefox, it tells me the Zotero user data DB version is newer than SQL file. I updated Firefox and I still get this message. Should I uninstall Zotero and reinstall an earlier version of it, or should I try re-updating Firefox and see if it works that way?
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Muddiest point Week 4
I checked out the Dublin Core website and found it fairly informative. I liked how it provided links to different software downloads that one could use for different computer programming projects. This left me wondering if the Dublin Core is the only widespread metadata service provider out there and if so, why have they not created a common worldwide metadata model for people to use. Why is this the case?
Friday, September 18, 2009
Week 4 Readings
I found it interesting how the database information related back to the software we learned about last week. It seems like software serves as the building blocks for the database. I now have a better idea of what network encryption does for a computer and how it can protect publicly used computers in a library setting. They seem to lock down and protect computers. This makes me wonder how some viruses and spyware can get through this and corrupt PCs since the science behind the computers seems very complex. That said the database seems like a good way to store and organize a set of computers in an information science setting.
This is the first time I heard the term metadata. The definition "data about data" gave me a better understanding of it; basically, it serves as the building blocks for data. I also had no idea that there were different standards for data based on what it contains and the quality it has. The fact that there are different categories for it shows how important metadata is for computer networks. The universalization of DCMI requirements ensures that all databases run on a uniform network and they can get their job done. I also liked how metadata is not limited to digital technologies; people used it for collections since they began. Physical card catalogs are an example of this. While the technology changes over time the ideas of people using data in these tadabases remained. The developments metadata make over the next decade seem interesting.
Eric Miller's involvement with OCLC gave him validation for his over view of the Dublin Core Data Model. He describes the nature of the database and explains why it serves the needs of those who use it. The coding and symantic elements of it are designed to be universally understood. Through this unity of consistent terms and understanding one can use it to better understand what to do with the database regardless of where one is. Personally I am not too familiar with the OCLC database and I hope to learn more about it as the course progresses. It seems that a formal data model is required to make a database useful for the patrons who use it. Miller also mentioned that his work with the database is not complete. I plan to keep posted on that website to see if Miller updates it and I look forward to finding out more with how to use a database like that.
This is the first time I heard the term metadata. The definition "data about data" gave me a better understanding of it; basically, it serves as the building blocks for data. I also had no idea that there were different standards for data based on what it contains and the quality it has. The fact that there are different categories for it shows how important metadata is for computer networks. The universalization of DCMI requirements ensures that all databases run on a uniform network and they can get their job done. I also liked how metadata is not limited to digital technologies; people used it for collections since they began. Physical card catalogs are an example of this. While the technology changes over time the ideas of people using data in these tadabases remained. The developments metadata make over the next decade seem interesting.
Eric Miller's involvement with OCLC gave him validation for his over view of the Dublin Core Data Model. He describes the nature of the database and explains why it serves the needs of those who use it. The coding and symantic elements of it are designed to be universally understood. Through this unity of consistent terms and understanding one can use it to better understand what to do with the database regardless of where one is. Personally I am not too familiar with the OCLC database and I hope to learn more about it as the course progresses. It seems that a formal data model is required to make a database useful for the patrons who use it. Miller also mentioned that his work with the database is not complete. I plan to keep posted on that website to see if Miller updates it and I look forward to finding out more with how to use a database like that.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Another Week, Another Muddiest Point
The muddiest point I have this week regards open source software. I checked out the open source urls discussed in class and I found that many of them contain useful information one could use. The biggest problem I had, though, was the lack of conformity those sites had in terms of navigation and searching for items. Is there any way to enhance the searches so that they are more direct? Also, which of those websites is most recommended for one to use?
Friday, September 11, 2009
Muddiest point
The muddiest point I have for this week relates to the hand-on point as well as some general questions about operating systems. The Google Desktop hand-on point sounds interesting but I feel reluctant to download it. I am uncertain that it will work well on a Mac OS. In the past I encountered some bad experiences downloading programs like that for Windows XP and I see a similar outcome with using it on my computer. It probably is not a big deal, I just have my doubts about it, that's all.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Week 3 Readings
I thought Garrels' guide to Linux was very informative. I've only ever seen one Linux computer in my life though it seemed to work just fine for being an older model from around the year 2000. I don't know anything about the C programming language but from the description given it seems like it works much like a Mac operating system. I currently use Mac OS X and I am satisfied with it so far. If given a chance I would try out a Linux based system as it seems pretty straightforward although I do not know what kinds of software run on it. The description says I would like to know what kinds of software it runs, what it has for a word processor, photo editing, etc. Perhaps that makes for a potential muddy point.
Amit Singh's Mac OSX page gives more of a narrative regarding how his experience with the Mac OSX and how it converted him into a primary Mac user. He wrote that he tried a number of different operating systems before he went to Apple and that the Mac OS X became his favorite OS. The reasons he gave for enjoying it are similar to the reasons why I enjoy it. It does not have the crashing, virus risks, or headaches that Windows causes and even though it does not run a lot of computer games, the software it uses for photo, music, and video editing are easier to use than on Windows. On a more local note Carnegie Mellon University developed the XNU hardware used for the Kernel. The technical terms looked very complex and while I do not have the experience to program on Mac OS X, I remain willing to use it as my primary computer of choice.
Of course, most libraries use the Windows operating system for browsing. I think much of that has to do with the cost of the OS plus more people being familiar with it. Bill Veghte, the Senior Vice President of Microsoft, published a letter discussing how people preferred the Windows XP OS to Windows Vista and what the future holds for Windows 7. He noted that the hardware on Vista is significantly better than on XP. Having used both systems, I did not see much of a difference between the two and in many ways Vista was more cumbersome to use than XP. For instance, Microsoft Word 2007 replaced many of the written commands on the toolbar with visual depictions of what they did. While Word 2008 for the Mac works a lot like Word 2003, I have found the visual commands confusing and often found myself wishing they just kept the written options while using Word on Windows Vista. Veghte also mentioned that Windows will support XP until 2014. Hopefully by then Microsoft creates an OS without the headaches or security risks that Vista has.
That's all i have to say for now! I'll be back to discuss the next set of issues and readings, or at least to post a muddy point.
- Iceman out
Amit Singh's Mac OSX page gives more of a narrative regarding how his experience with the Mac OSX and how it converted him into a primary Mac user. He wrote that he tried a number of different operating systems before he went to Apple and that the Mac OS X became his favorite OS. The reasons he gave for enjoying it are similar to the reasons why I enjoy it. It does not have the crashing, virus risks, or headaches that Windows causes and even though it does not run a lot of computer games, the software it uses for photo, music, and video editing are easier to use than on Windows. On a more local note Carnegie Mellon University developed the XNU hardware used for the Kernel. The technical terms looked very complex and while I do not have the experience to program on Mac OS X, I remain willing to use it as my primary computer of choice.
Of course, most libraries use the Windows operating system for browsing. I think much of that has to do with the cost of the OS plus more people being familiar with it. Bill Veghte, the Senior Vice President of Microsoft, published a letter discussing how people preferred the Windows XP OS to Windows Vista and what the future holds for Windows 7. He noted that the hardware on Vista is significantly better than on XP. Having used both systems, I did not see much of a difference between the two and in many ways Vista was more cumbersome to use than XP. For instance, Microsoft Word 2007 replaced many of the written commands on the toolbar with visual depictions of what they did. While Word 2008 for the Mac works a lot like Word 2003, I have found the visual commands confusing and often found myself wishing they just kept the written options while using Word on Windows Vista. Veghte also mentioned that Windows will support XP until 2014. Hopefully by then Microsoft creates an OS without the headaches or security risks that Vista has.
That's all i have to say for now! I'll be back to discuss the next set of issues and readings, or at least to post a muddy point.
- Iceman out
Flickr assignment
Here is my flickr page along with the photos for this weeks assignment. I'll post on this week's readings and a muddiest point soon!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/42302833@N04/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/42302833@N04/
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Week 2 Readings
The Wikipedia entry on computer hardware states that computer hardware serves as the physical component of a computer. It is installed on an operating system such as Windows, Linux, or Macintosh, and they contain a motherboard which contains the software necessary to execute all the processes of the computer, a power supply unit that regulates power usage plus fans to prevent the system from overheating, a graphics card driven video display unit that affects the resolution and quality of images the computer displays, media devices such as a CD-ROM drive that reads CD-ROMs and a DVD-ROM drive for reading and playing digital versatile disks. Some older computers feature floppy disk drives, a technology rendered outdated by CD-ROM drives and USB flash drives. Some computers even feature tape drives for editing digital video.
Moore's law is an observation that shows how rapidly computer technology increases over time. According to this chart, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Transistor_Count_and_Moore%27s_Law_-_2008.svg, the number of transistors required for computers to function at a high level is almost two billion more than what it was thirty years ago. As it is, the size, density, and speed of computer components are increasing at an exponential level today. This truly shows how far computer technology traveled over the past thirty-some years.
http://www.computerhistory.org/ features the development of computative technologies over time. It includes written descriptions on how computers evolved over time as well as images of various hardware elements with computers. Early on computers took up an entire room and they did the same functions as a standard pocket calculator today. The site also contains descriptions and accounts of the people who influenced the history of computers as well as a timeline of how computers progressed. By checking this website one gets an idea of how rapidly the technology with computers increased over the past forty-some years with computers.
In chapters four through seven of Digital Copyright Litman writes that most people do not understand copyright laws and often people violate them with computers, whether it is with downloading music or the manuscript to a book. The copyright law is very complicated and people do not care about intellectual property; as a result, they will often download things that they should otherwise pay for, thus undermining copyright law. While some are embracing the technology, such as with iTunes, other feel that the easy access to downloadable copyrighted material is copyright infringement and should be treated as such.
Moore's law is an observation that shows how rapidly computer technology increases over time. According to this chart, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Transistor_Count_and_Moore%27s_Law_-_2008.svg, the number of transistors required for computers to function at a high level is almost two billion more than what it was thirty years ago. As it is, the size, density, and speed of computer components are increasing at an exponential level today. This truly shows how far computer technology traveled over the past thirty-some years.
http://www.computerhistory.org/ features the development of computative technologies over time. It includes written descriptions on how computers evolved over time as well as images of various hardware elements with computers. Early on computers took up an entire room and they did the same functions as a standard pocket calculator today. The site also contains descriptions and accounts of the people who influenced the history of computers as well as a timeline of how computers progressed. By checking this website one gets an idea of how rapidly the technology with computers increased over the past forty-some years with computers.
In chapters four through seven of Digital Copyright Litman writes that most people do not understand copyright laws and often people violate them with computers, whether it is with downloading music or the manuscript to a book. The copyright law is very complicated and people do not care about intellectual property; as a result, they will often download things that they should otherwise pay for, thus undermining copyright law. While some are embracing the technology, such as with iTunes, other feel that the easy access to downloadable copyrighted material is copyright infringement and should be treated as such.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Reflections on Week 1's Readings
Upon reading Clifford Lynch's Information Literacy and Information Technology Literacy: New Components in the Curriculum for a Digital Culture, I saw the important need for education regarding the new forms of technology and how to use it. Both Information literacy and information technology literacy work hand in hand to enhance the experience of those who use them. People must posess a level of information technology literacy for a variety of tasks, whether it is for their career or just personal use.
The article Information Format Trends: Content, Not Containers explores this issue further by explaining how information is being disseminated through different means now than it was in the past. Basically, people are not concerned with what contains the information. The big thing that concerns them is how easily they can access it. Consequently more people use sources such as blogs, streaming video, and other forms of multimedia in the same manner that they utilize traditional sources like books, magazines, newspapers, and academic journals. Over the next few years one could see libraries utilizing these new information sources.
There is also considerable concern with people using wiki engines over traditional academic means of research. People do not care that strongly about the origin of sources anymore; they are much more concerned with how easily they can access and use those sources. In Brian Lamb's article Wide Open Spaces: Wikis, Ready or Not, he writes that more people are using wikis as a collaboration tool, that they post things on the wiki, others edit them, and they reach conclusions about the matters at hand. In a controlled setting like that the wiki can actually prove to be a useful means of developing and executing a task. It is when people use information posted on wikis as factual, academic research that problems arise. Lamb conclues that wikis are just one piece of the information network and that while their rise in popularity might be a concern, there are enough other information sources for people to use that their influence could diminish.
Jason Vaughan wrote that enough changed in how people obtain information in the past four years that people must be aware of what all the different options are. The ALA also recognizes evolving trends in technology such as the use of blogs for commentary on news and events. More people use ebooks and podcasts for sources of information now than they did before. As time progresses, new information sources develop and reach different audiences. If one pays attention to the new sources of information and technology developing in the world one can find the information source that works best for them.
The article Information Format Trends: Content, Not Containers explores this issue further by explaining how information is being disseminated through different means now than it was in the past. Basically, people are not concerned with what contains the information. The big thing that concerns them is how easily they can access it. Consequently more people use sources such as blogs, streaming video, and other forms of multimedia in the same manner that they utilize traditional sources like books, magazines, newspapers, and academic journals. Over the next few years one could see libraries utilizing these new information sources.
There is also considerable concern with people using wiki engines over traditional academic means of research. People do not care that strongly about the origin of sources anymore; they are much more concerned with how easily they can access and use those sources. In Brian Lamb's article Wide Open Spaces: Wikis, Ready or Not, he writes that more people are using wikis as a collaboration tool, that they post things on the wiki, others edit them, and they reach conclusions about the matters at hand. In a controlled setting like that the wiki can actually prove to be a useful means of developing and executing a task. It is when people use information posted on wikis as factual, academic research that problems arise. Lamb conclues that wikis are just one piece of the information network and that while their rise in popularity might be a concern, there are enough other information sources for people to use that their influence could diminish.
Jason Vaughan wrote that enough changed in how people obtain information in the past four years that people must be aware of what all the different options are. The ALA also recognizes evolving trends in technology such as the use of blogs for commentary on news and events. More people use ebooks and podcasts for sources of information now than they did before. As time progresses, new information sources develop and reach different audiences. If one pays attention to the new sources of information and technology developing in the world one can find the information source that works best for them.
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