Link to my comments:
Comment 1
Comment 2
Comment 3
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
Week 6 Muddiest Point
I wondered about PNG format-- some programs can't seem to handle PNG images. Is this due to it being a newer format and we just need to update to account for it, or is the format more complex than, say, a GIF? I'm still not sure I understand why it's the "best of all worlds."
Unit 6 Reading Notes
The LAN Wikipedia entry was pretty brief and only dedicated a paragraph or
so to any one topic, so I don't have a whole lot to say about it. I didn't
know Ethernet was created in the 70s. Really, the main thing discussed
here is the history of the LAN as it relates to the PC, and the many
competing types of cables and network cards. It sounds confusing and it
probably meant that it was hard to choose what to use when there are 40
types of cables.
Computer network entry: I actually thought the small section about LAN
here was better than the separate entry for LAN. It's short, but clearer
and more straightforward, in my opinion. It goes on to summarize various
types of computer networks and related devices. I was familiar with most
of the basic hardware components, though not so much with bridges.
YouTube video on computer networks: This video was very short and it was also pretty vague. He basically just went over the most common types of networks. I didn't find this very useful at all, to be honest. It barely even gave a description of the networks.
RFID Journal Article: I do wish they had covered more of the privacy issues, but this was more about the functions of it in general. I don't know what I think about self check-out yet. On one hand, I like it, but on the other-- well, I've used self check-out in grocery stores and I have annoying problems popping up maybe 1/4 of the time. An item gets stuck or won't scan or something. So obviously a library would have to have someone monitoring the stations. I agree with Karen Coyle's point that patrons may feel the "burden" is being shifted onto them.
I think I'd like to see both options available. I know that many patrons come to the library and end up chatting with the circ staff. It makes the library a friendlier place. Then again, there are some libraries that are so busy no one would have time to talk, the staff is overworked (and it may lead to repetitive stress injuries as mentioned in the journal article), and people become impatient. Anyway, I think having both options as much as possible is the way to go, at least for now.
so to any one topic, so I don't have a whole lot to say about it. I didn't
know Ethernet was created in the 70s. Really, the main thing discussed
here is the history of the LAN as it relates to the PC, and the many
competing types of cables and network cards. It sounds confusing and it
probably meant that it was hard to choose what to use when there are 40
types of cables.
Computer network entry: I actually thought the small section about LAN
here was better than the separate entry for LAN. It's short, but clearer
and more straightforward, in my opinion. It goes on to summarize various
types of computer networks and related devices. I was familiar with most
of the basic hardware components, though not so much with bridges.
YouTube video on computer networks: This video was very short and it was also pretty vague. He basically just went over the most common types of networks. I didn't find this very useful at all, to be honest. It barely even gave a description of the networks.
RFID Journal Article: I do wish they had covered more of the privacy issues, but this was more about the functions of it in general. I don't know what I think about self check-out yet. On one hand, I like it, but on the other-- well, I've used self check-out in grocery stores and I have annoying problems popping up maybe 1/4 of the time. An item gets stuck or won't scan or something. So obviously a library would have to have someone monitoring the stations. I agree with Karen Coyle's point that patrons may feel the "burden" is being shifted onto them.
I think I'd like to see both options available. I know that many patrons come to the library and end up chatting with the circ staff. It makes the library a friendlier place. Then again, there are some libraries that are so busy no one would have time to talk, the staff is overworked (and it may lead to repetitive stress injuries as mentioned in the journal article), and people become impatient. Anyway, I think having both options as much as possible is the way to go, at least for now.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Friday, September 19, 2008
Week 4 Muddiest Point
My question is if all databases ultimately do the same thing, what differentiates databases using the same model from each other except the language used to interact with them?
Unit 5 Reading Notes
The data compression article on Wikipedia discussed the different methods of data compression as well as the different types. I didn't know the difference between lossless vs. lossy, or even that both types existed. It gave a pretty decent overview of the theory behind data compression, though I was not familiar with several of the terms used in that section (like Lempel-Ziv). It definitely illustrated the difficulties we run into when trying to store or transport massive amounts of data. Zip files can only do so much.
The second article on data compression was thorough and used very clear examples that were easy to follow. They showed that not every method of data compression will be efficient for every kind of file and may in fact make the size larger in some cases. I know that audio compression depends on the type of audio file-- for example, I know my audio books can be
compressed more than a music file because the loss of quality is not as noticable when the file is just a person's voice speaking. The side by side photos at different levels of compression were a very clear example of the differences in image quality at different levels.
Imaging Pittsburgh is a very neat project, and I'm glad there are people taking the time to archive so many images. The site described the problems that came up, and that was interesting to follow. Everyone involved seems to have slightly different expectations based on their own specific background (an academic archivist vs. a museum or historical society).
Where one person saw a work of art, another saw an academic resource, and their methods of selection also differed due to their backgrounds. They also discuss the difficulty in creating metadata for thousands of images. They chose to use eight of the fifteen Dublin Core elements.
The YouTube article discusses the possible uses of YouTube in a library setting. They suggest using it to host/store instructional videos, a tour of the library, or tutorials (like how to use a database), among other things. YouTube is easy to use, both for the person uploading the video
and the person watching it. Thinking about how many patrons request basic internet and computer classes, I thought how useful it could be to have a few simple tutorials embedded in a section of the library's website. I think YouTube is a great, free resource for libraries that should
definitely be taken advantage of.
The second article on data compression was thorough and used very clear examples that were easy to follow. They showed that not every method of data compression will be efficient for every kind of file and may in fact make the size larger in some cases. I know that audio compression depends on the type of audio file-- for example, I know my audio books can be
compressed more than a music file because the loss of quality is not as noticable when the file is just a person's voice speaking. The side by side photos at different levels of compression were a very clear example of the differences in image quality at different levels.
Imaging Pittsburgh is a very neat project, and I'm glad there are people taking the time to archive so many images. The site described the problems that came up, and that was interesting to follow. Everyone involved seems to have slightly different expectations based on their own specific background (an academic archivist vs. a museum or historical society).
Where one person saw a work of art, another saw an academic resource, and their methods of selection also differed due to their backgrounds. They also discuss the difficulty in creating metadata for thousands of images. They chose to use eight of the fifteen Dublin Core elements.
The YouTube article discusses the possible uses of YouTube in a library setting. They suggest using it to host/store instructional videos, a tour of the library, or tutorials (like how to use a database), among other things. YouTube is easy to use, both for the person uploading the video
and the person watching it. Thinking about how many patrons request basic internet and computer classes, I thought how useful it could be to have a few simple tutorials embedded in a section of the library's website. I think YouTube is a great, free resource for libraries that should
definitely be taken advantage of.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Assignment #2: Flickr
Here is the link to my Flickr account: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30525270@N03/
Direct link to the 10 screen display photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30525270@N03/sets/72157607312557893/
Direct link to the 10 thumbnails: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30525270@N03/sets/72157607312794049/
Direct link to the 10 screen display photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30525270@N03/sets/72157607312557893/
Direct link to the 10 thumbnails: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30525270@N03/sets/72157607312794049/
Friday, September 12, 2008
Week 3 Muddiest Point
My muddiest point has to do with ILS/Integrated Library System. I have been hearing the term a lot, but I am still unclear as to what exactly it means. Also, what is the scale? Meaning, does integrated mean it must be many libraries, or could it involve just one or two?
Blog Comments - Week 3
Links to my comments:
Dustin's blog
My second comment was answering a question in the courseweb technical discussion board. My answer is in the thread "dublincore article problem" and is the second comment posted by me. I hope the direct link works: link to my answer
Dustin's blog
My second comment was answering a question in the courseweb technical discussion board. My answer is in the thread "dublincore article problem" and is the second comment posted by me. I hope the direct link works: link to my answer
Unit 4 Reading Notes
I get that metadata is data about data, but the different types of it get mixed up, as do the attributes. I felt the chart describing the different types and attributes was hard to follow and unclear. Metadata management does seem fairly complex. I was surprised to see that a metadata little-known fact is "metadata does not have to be digital." I would have thought that was a given, as data doesn't have to be digital either. Though I suspect that many people don't know what metadata is in the first place, so would therefore not be aware of these little-known facts.
(Mainly, I think most people don't think about metadata much, whatever they call or don't call it-- myself included.) But regardless, metadata is definitely necessary. If we didn't have some way to describe and discuss data, we'd have some trouble managing the enormous amount of information we are faced with. Finding what you need quickly and conveniently is so important.
Databases... The history of databases was somewhat interesting. The article summarizes the different models of databases. I was interested in the information on the security of databases, but I admit I don't understand encryption as well as I'd like to. The article did give me a better understanding of locking. I didn't know there was a difference between shared locks and exclusive locks. There are more database management systems that I knew about before this, though. I wonder what the major differences are, since there are so many.
I had trouble accessing the Dublin Core article, but eventually thought to see if I could access a Google cache of the page, which was successful. It's still annoying that the site has been down all day, but anyway! (For anyone reading this who still can't get it to work, click here) The basic concept here is that there are resources that need to be described-- and there are ways to uniquely identify them. Clarity and meaning are important, and it is crucial that everyone is on the same page when it comes to the meaning of important terms-- the article gives the example of the word "copyright." I agree that with information being passed around on a global scale, precision is definitely important, and we cannot assume that a word means the same thing to everyone.
(Mainly, I think most people don't think about metadata much, whatever they call or don't call it-- myself included.) But regardless, metadata is definitely necessary. If we didn't have some way to describe and discuss data, we'd have some trouble managing the enormous amount of information we are faced with. Finding what you need quickly and conveniently is so important.
Databases... The history of databases was somewhat interesting. The article summarizes the different models of databases. I was interested in the information on the security of databases, but I admit I don't understand encryption as well as I'd like to. The article did give me a better understanding of locking. I didn't know there was a difference between shared locks and exclusive locks. There are more database management systems that I knew about before this, though. I wonder what the major differences are, since there are so many.
I had trouble accessing the Dublin Core article, but eventually thought to see if I could access a Google cache of the page, which was successful. It's still annoying that the site has been down all day, but anyway! (For anyone reading this who still can't get it to work, click here) The basic concept here is that there are resources that need to be described-- and there are ways to uniquely identify them. Clarity and meaning are important, and it is crucial that everyone is on the same page when it comes to the meaning of important terms-- the article gives the example of the word "copyright." I agree that with information being passed around on a global scale, precision is definitely important, and we cannot assume that a word means the same thing to everyone.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Muddiest Point from 9/2 Lecture
I guess my muddiest point deals with parallel processing. What's the difference in performance between a single core processor of 3ghz and a dual core processor of 1.5ghz? Obviously they're different in how they're made, but what is the specific practical difference when running applications?
Answering someone's Muddiest Point: link
Answering someone's Muddiest Point: link
Week 3 Readings
Random thoughts... I'm glad that there are continuing efforts to make Linux more user-friendly. Having experienced it first hand, I was amused that the history section touched on the superiority complex that some of the more vocal Linux users suffer from (though obviously that attitude is not at all limited to just UNIX people)-- though the site did censor the definition of RTFM, so I hope no one reading that tries to use it in "polite" conversation! Anyway, it was interesting to learn more since I've never used it, though I considered Ubuntu recently.
The history of Mac OS X was also interesting. I've used Macs, but have never owned one so far, so I don't really know a lot about the actual OS. I don't really have much to say about the more technical parts of the reading, as they (largely) went over my head. The prevailing attitude is that Mac OS X, among other things, makes the extra cost of the hardware worth it. I leaned that way too when shopping for a laptop earlier this year. But I ended up not getting a Mac-- instead, I was able to afford a decent laptop and upgrade my husband's desktop for less than I would have spent on a Macbook. I'm interested in eventually owning a Mac for many of the reasons described in the kernelthread reading, but the cost is a big factor for me right now.
The reading about Windows was the most familiar to me simply because it's what I've used. I was disappointed that XP stopped being readily available-- I've had some pretty irritating issues with Vista, and I haven't been very impressed. (I liked XP just fine, though.) I will admit that hearing people rave about their Macs can make me a little jealous. I bet they never have to use programs to turn off horrid "features"-- like Vista anti-lag, for example, which I need to force Vista to stop looking for new wireless access points every minute. It's not noticable when browsing sites, but made online gaming impossible. It caused a five to ten second lag every single minute. So frustrating!
I am skeptical about Windows 7, though-- but maybe I shouldn't be. It seems like every other Windows release is ridiculously buggy. Well, mainly I'm thinking of Vista and Me. So maybe Windows 7 will be the more stable release.
All 3 operating systems have their pros and cons-- and all 3 have reasons people gravitate toward or away from them. UNIX is still considered a "tech person" thing and, even with more user-friendly versions out, I'm not sure it will become popular on a wider scale for a while. Mac OS X is generally easy to use and stable, but the cost of the hardware does limit who can use it. Vista has its problems, but is widely available and on inexpensive hardware, which makes it the default for many people.
The history of Mac OS X was also interesting. I've used Macs, but have never owned one so far, so I don't really know a lot about the actual OS. I don't really have much to say about the more technical parts of the reading, as they (largely) went over my head. The prevailing attitude is that Mac OS X, among other things, makes the extra cost of the hardware worth it. I leaned that way too when shopping for a laptop earlier this year. But I ended up not getting a Mac-- instead, I was able to afford a decent laptop and upgrade my husband's desktop for less than I would have spent on a Macbook. I'm interested in eventually owning a Mac for many of the reasons described in the kernelthread reading, but the cost is a big factor for me right now.
The reading about Windows was the most familiar to me simply because it's what I've used. I was disappointed that XP stopped being readily available-- I've had some pretty irritating issues with Vista, and I haven't been very impressed. (I liked XP just fine, though.) I will admit that hearing people rave about their Macs can make me a little jealous. I bet they never have to use programs to turn off horrid "features"-- like Vista anti-lag, for example, which I need to force Vista to stop looking for new wireless access points every minute. It's not noticable when browsing sites, but made online gaming impossible. It caused a five to ten second lag every single minute. So frustrating!
I am skeptical about Windows 7, though-- but maybe I shouldn't be. It seems like every other Windows release is ridiculously buggy. Well, mainly I'm thinking of Vista and Me. So maybe Windows 7 will be the more stable release.
All 3 operating systems have their pros and cons-- and all 3 have reasons people gravitate toward or away from them. UNIX is still considered a "tech person" thing and, even with more user-friendly versions out, I'm not sure it will become popular on a wider scale for a while. Mac OS X is generally easy to use and stable, but the cost of the hardware does limit who can use it. Vista has its problems, but is widely available and on inexpensive hardware, which makes it the default for many people.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)