https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=986394955087168146&postID=774875608663656529&page=1
I also commented on a blackboard discussion: https://courseweb.pitt.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_9047_1%26url%3D
Monday, September 29, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Muddiest Point #5
In today's class, Unicode was mentioned as a newer way to represent characters. I have heard that it has become fairly popular. But isn't there an ISO standard as well? In fact, I just looked it up -- ISO 10646? It seems to me that this ISO standard is its own version of Unicode. Am I understanding this correctly, or is it something else entirely?
Reading Notes #6
Local are network and Computer Network (Wikipedia)
These are decent overviews. It seems that to really understand most of the things described, though, you have to follow the links to the full articles on each subject. The descriptions given in these two articles just did not quite make them understandable without supplemental information. Then again, they are just overviews.
Common types of computer networks (YouTube)
Same thing here. A basic overview, but it seems to understand it you need a little more information. I suppose seeing a person talking instead of reading technical terms does help to make the subject seem a little less dry.
Management of RFID in Libraries
This seems to be a pretty important subject to be aware of in Library Science and related fields, especially since libraries themselves are likely to use RFID technology some day. It was nice to read an article that is honest about the situation, pointing out that even if the technology is determined by those in the library to be an invasion of privacy, they might have to accept it if everyone else does. This article did a good job of looking at the advantages and the disadvantages, and did not seem especially biased.
One thing that was missing, though (and I only noticed this because I have learned about RFID technology before), was any mention of whether they speaking of passive or active RFID tags, which I believe can make a big difference (look up "RFID" on Wikipedia for the meaning of this -- I do not have the knowledge or ambition to explain it here). I suppose we could just be expected to assume these are passive tags.
Anyway, this is not that big of a big deal. It is a pretty good article.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Muddiest Point #4
I keep hearing about Dublin Core. It seems to be something in our field that a lot of people find very useful. It does not sound that different from any other metadata schema I have seen. Also, it seems like there is not much to it, because it takes a long time to agree on standardizations. So what is the big deal with Dublin Core? Why use that instead of any other option?
Reading Notes #5
Data Compression (Wikipedia)
This is not a bad summary of the different types of compression out there. It is a great place to start to explore different options, if for some reason you are looking into the types of compression you can use, with all the links to more specific articles. People seem to either love or hate Wikipedia, which is silly. It has its uses, and I think for this kind of “starting point” it is great.
Data compression basics
This seems like a good article. It covers a lot of the things that a user might need to understand about compression to get the most of it. I already had some knowledge of this sort of thing, and this has filled in a lot of gaps for me. I find that knowing how this stuff works can help you get the most out of things like MP3s and JPEGs, and tons of other file types. One thing that I have not heard about for quite some time that was mentioned here is WavPack compression, which I looked into a long time ago but never really used. I like the idea of being able to use a very compressed, lossy file on my mp3 player, while keeping that plus the data needed to have the original quality on my hard drive.
Side note: I have been meaning to try a program called Rockbox, which replaces the software on your mp3 player with some open source software that supports a lot more file formats than most mp3 players normally do (including WavPack). It does some other stuff too. This supposedly works on a large number of popular mp3 players. Just thought I would mention it, in case anyone is interested in this sort of thing. Has anyone out there tried this, or anything like it?
Imaging Pittsburgh
This is an interesting look at the various challenges involved, and possible solutions, in a project like this, with several groups interacting. I doubt it is easy to coordinate this kind of project. I imagine a lot of us will be working on similar types of projects at some point, so it is useful to see an example of it.
YouTube and Libraries
I think YouTube (along with all the other video hosts out there) is very useful for some things. Still, I am not a big fan of training videos for programs that do not have a lot of motion involved (like library database systems). I think it is easier to read instructions or look at still images explained by text. I can, however, see YouTube as a useful way for libraries to show off things they have, especially if they are in a really nice building (get people to go there by showing them what a nice place it is). I think for learning, though, we need something more interactive, like a Flash presentation.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Flickr page
My Flickr page, with 10 photos in both thumbnail and screen display size is at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30315308@N04/
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Muddiest Point #3
There were a few things that we covered toward the end of class that I did not fully understand. One of these is Integrated Library Systems. What exactly does this title refer to? Is it basically just the library pages that are on most university websites, that connect you to databases, their own catalog, and other resources?
Right after this, the last slide of the presentation referred to Institutional and Digital Repositories. Again, I am not sure if I understand what this means. I looked at the websites listed on the slide, and from what I can gather these are systems meant to store information and make it accessible. But lots of systems do this. What makes it an Institutional and Digital Repository?
Reading Notes #4
Database (Wikipedia)
I had a class as an undergrad in Computer Science on databases, where I had to write code that would work with an Oracle database. It was complicated stuff, and I have forgotten a lot of how it works. This was a good refresher. It covers all of the major terminology and concepts necessary for a very general understanding, with links to more information on more specific aspects of databases. On the other hand, I do not think I would have understood a lot of it if I had never had experience with databases, so perhaps the article could be improved by adding information or altering the language so that the uninitiated can understand it.
Introduction to Metadata
This article was a bit hard to follow. It seemed to me that they sometimes meant literal "information about information" when using the term "metadata," but other times confused it with simple data about specific objects, not information. I imagine that this is my misunderstanding though, as the author seemed to know what she was talking about. This illustrates, to me at least, how complicated keeping track of information, especially on a large scale, can be. If I could not even follow the meaning of the article's subject, the stuff must be difficult to keep track of, at least for people like me.
An Overview of the Dublin Core Data Model
And here is a specific example of how complicated this stuff can get. There is a lot of information here, using many standards and creating others, necessary to create something that can be used in a large variety of applications. A lot of effort has obviously gone into this project. Coming up with a system that many people in many places and many fields can use to keep track of information is not a simple task. And all that work does not include the vast effort that already has gone into creating things like XML. I hope that as I learn I will be able to understand more of the process that has gone on to create the DCDM and other ideas like it.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Muddiest Point #2
We spoke at the end of the lecture about digitization. I have heard of problems with digitizing documents, particularly older ones. My understanding is that the scanner, if that is what is used, can damage the document. Is this from the light? Or is it just how the document must be handled in order to scan it? When is this a concern?
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Reading Notes #3
Introduction to Linux
I have minimal experience with Linux. I have experimented with it, but never really used it for anything practical. I like it, but have never had the time and ambition to really switch myself over. This guide gives a nice overview, if biased towards Linux (as a guide for Linux will obviously be). I do think that the idea of open source is a good one, and I use several open source programs myself: GIMP, OpenOffice (I have been too cheap to keep up with the latest versions of M$ Office), Blender, and Firefox, to name just a few that you may have heard of / used. I think that Linux has great potential, and that this potential has done nothing but continued to rise since it was created, but it is not quite ready for everyone, if only because so many people are already used to other OS's.
Mac OS X
These articles together give a very complete overview of the workings of Mac OS X. I have no experience with Mac OS X, aside from using it a few times in computer labs or in the homes of friends who own a Mac. From what I have seen, though, I like this OS far better than Apple's old operating systems (which, again, I have minimal experience with). It is an entirely different experience, at least for a person unaccustomed to it – fairly intuitive, very sleek, maybe even a little fun to use. These two articles both, however, focus mostly on the technical aspects, and though that is important (to me at least – I was a Computer Science major), I would have liked to have read more about the experience itself – how it feels to use the OS. Still, the articles filled in a lot of the gaps in my knowledge about Mac OS X.
An Update on the Windows Roadmap
This is certainly the most biased of any of the writings that we read. Of course, the letter is from the Senior V.P. of Microsoft, and he is not exactly going to put down their operating system. What seems to show through his writing, though, is a problem that he cannot directly acknowledge: people are not switching to Windows Vista as quickly as Microsoft hoped they would. Bill Veghte seems to be trying to convince people that it really is alright to switch to Vista now. I believe Microsoft has been trying to convince people of this since Vista came out. Of course, advocates of Linux and Mac OS X, and any other operating system, tend to do this all the time. This is perhaps more noticeable, though, because Microsoft does not usually have to put as much effort into persuasion as they so right now. I am very curious about how things will turn out in the future – what operating system(s) will most people be using a decade from now? I am hoping that someone combines the best of all of them (and no matter how much you hate Windows-users/Apple-lovers/Linux-nerds, they ALL have their advantages) some day.
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