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.