http://www.citeulike.org/user/rian75
Site for Personal Bibliographic Management Systems assignment.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
comments for week 6
comments on jacqui’s blog: https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2005895256228614061&postID=6091368716197769890
comments on joy’s blog: https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6994306389856188940&postID=6293405365153831077&page=1
comments on joy’s blog: https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6994306389856188940&postID=6293405365153831077&page=1
muddiest point week 6
Why does everything have to be abbreviated? Perhaps it’s easier for people writing the articles, but for lowly people like myself, not knowing what the letters stand for drives me crazy. Even when I figure out what they mean, I still have to look back while reading to remember what they stood for. It would just be easier if they were spelled out for awhile until I was able to remember them all. I guess it is similar to text messaging language. Although most of them are easy enough to figure out with a little common sense.
thoughts on week 6
The first article I read was the wiki on Local Area Networks. I understood that I use LAN’s at home and at work. I wondered when a LAN would switch to a WAN and if a MAN was the same as a WAN.
The second article I read was the wiki on Computer Networks. Luckily, my earlier questions were answered, so know I knew that a LAN switched to a WAN after it became a CAN and a MAN. Who knew. I also learned that a MAN was slightly smaller than a WAN, so to answer my second question, no they are not the same.
I wonder if RFID is going to be similar to the VHS/DVD saga. When VHS movies came out, everybody owned them. Then DVD’s came out and VHS movies started to become sparse. Now you cannot buy a new movie on VHS. If a library is using a barcode system and the RFID system begins to take effect in a small amount of libraries, then adds more and more, will eventually all libraries be forced to buy into RFID, or will it be like the VCR/DVD players where something would be built to accommodate both the barcodes and the RFID until barcode systems become altogether nonexistent?
The second article I read was the wiki on Computer Networks. Luckily, my earlier questions were answered, so know I knew that a LAN switched to a WAN after it became a CAN and a MAN. Who knew. I also learned that a MAN was slightly smaller than a WAN, so to answer my second question, no they are not the same.
I wonder if RFID is going to be similar to the VHS/DVD saga. When VHS movies came out, everybody owned them. Then DVD’s came out and VHS movies started to become sparse. Now you cannot buy a new movie on VHS. If a library is using a barcode system and the RFID system begins to take effect in a small amount of libraries, then adds more and more, will eventually all libraries be forced to buy into RFID, or will it be like the VCR/DVD players where something would be built to accommodate both the barcodes and the RFID until barcode systems become altogether nonexistent?
Friday, September 19, 2008
comments for week 5
comments on Rachel's blog: https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4331968769876525173&postID=5636836837541999600&page=1
comments on Valerie's blog: https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5522596475792783454&postID=2531244609399026640&page=1
comments on Valerie's blog: https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5522596475792783454&postID=2531244609399026640&page=1
comments week 4
comments on Jacqui's blog: http://quiquan.blogspot.com/2008/09/week-4-muddiest-point.html?showComment=1221864480000#c1125260775984266505
commnets on Jake's blog: 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
commnets on Jake's blog: 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
muddiest point week 5
Grammatical errors. Did anyone else see them all? Using weather instead of whether...not putting a "s" at the end of a word that was pluralized... they were everywhere! If we have to be responsible for spelling/grammatical errors, so should the authors of the articles we read!
muddiest point week 4
I have go to say, and I would bet my paycheck that someone else's had to be this too, but this week's (and every week prior to this) muddiest point is....the muddiest point.
I was unaware that muddiest points were required until they started to get graded. When I read about them in the syllabus, it said the student would have the chance to raise a muddiest point. To me, that meant if there was not one, there was no need to raise one. Perhaps in the future the word required should appear somewhere as well.
I was unaware that muddiest points were required until they started to get graded. When I read about them in the syllabus, it said the student would have the chance to raise a muddiest point. To me, that meant if there was not one, there was no need to raise one. Perhaps in the future the word required should appear somewhere as well.
thoughts on week 5
This was the best article I have read so far! First, it was short enough to keep my attention the whole time. Second, I understand statistical redundancy!! It was a plethora of emotions knowing that I could deduce what was being talked about in this article & it made sense! Obviuosly if you are taking data and compressing it, some changes need to occur. I even understood the difference between lossless and lossy! Why can't it all be this easy???
Data compressing kind of makes me think of math. You can write a number out in standard form, which is a shortened version of expanded form. You can even use expotential notation if available. Data comperssion reminds me of that. To shrink the number down to the exact amount would be lossless (not losing anything). To round up or down, just taking a bit off here or there, would be lossy (losing a small amount). The article from DVD-HQ helped me to understand that even better. I guess I didn't realize I was as visual a learner as I must be.
The most interesting aspect of the DRL article is reading about something that when written, the future is unknown, but being here, knowing the idea worked. They knew they would have support through 2004, but I have since used the DRL to obtain pictures for assignments for my classes at Pitt. It is cool to see the plans for something that you already know the outcome of.
I think using YouTube is a great idea to help teach in the classroom/library. I have thought of it many times. Many districts, however, block it because of the inappropriate nature of some of the videos. I have used TeacherTube before, which is similar to YouTube (in fact you can find the same videos) but it keps its content safer. (There is an option for flaggin inappropriate material) and it's a great example of data compressing!
Data compressing kind of makes me think of math. You can write a number out in standard form, which is a shortened version of expanded form. You can even use expotential notation if available. Data comperssion reminds me of that. To shrink the number down to the exact amount would be lossless (not losing anything). To round up or down, just taking a bit off here or there, would be lossy (losing a small amount). The article from DVD-HQ helped me to understand that even better. I guess I didn't realize I was as visual a learner as I must be.
The most interesting aspect of the DRL article is reading about something that when written, the future is unknown, but being here, knowing the idea worked. They knew they would have support through 2004, but I have since used the DRL to obtain pictures for assignments for my classes at Pitt. It is cool to see the plans for something that you already know the outcome of.
I think using YouTube is a great idea to help teach in the classroom/library. I have thought of it many times. Many districts, however, block it because of the inappropriate nature of some of the videos. I have used TeacherTube before, which is similar to YouTube (in fact you can find the same videos) but it keps its content safer. (There is an option for flaggin inappropriate material) and it's a great example of data compressing!
thoughts on week 4
It almost had me. I thought for sure I was going to finally understand an article I had to read. But that warm fuzzy feeling only lasted so long. Databases are apparently far more complex than I thought, but now I do realize that if I were meant to know and understand the different models of it all, I would be one of the tech guys and not a teacher/librarian. I know I use databases at work, but I guess I never took the time to think over what type they were, or even that they could lock me out. I'm going to have to give my tech guys a high five tomorrow for understanding all of this.
I lasted a little longer with the metadata article. I found this article to leave me with mixed feelings. First, I tend to lose track of everything I am reading when things are listed in sentences, especially sentences of such length. I did, however, find the tables handy. I tend to understand topics much better if I am given the name, definition and an example.
The first thought that I had while reading this article was if it was not complete in 1999, is it close to being complete in 2008? I had also started to really lose interest in reading at this point, but had noted that the graphs/trees were definitely more helpful than all the letters that I didn't understand.
I lasted a little longer with the metadata article. I found this article to leave me with mixed feelings. First, I tend to lose track of everything I am reading when things are listed in sentences, especially sentences of such length. I did, however, find the tables handy. I tend to understand topics much better if I am given the name, definition and an example.
The first thought that I had while reading this article was if it was not complete in 1999, is it close to being complete in 2008? I had also started to really lose interest in reading at this point, but had noted that the graphs/trees were definitely more helpful than all the letters that I didn't understand.
Friday, September 12, 2008
thoughts on week 3
Mac OS X vs. Linux vs. Windows XP vs...
I am going to combine all three readings into one post this week due to the fact that I felt the same after reading each. First let me start by saying that I am a Windows user at home, and a Google Apps user at work. So the whole Linux and Mac OS X ideas had me feeling mildly clueless. As a not-really-into-caring-what-is-running-my-computer kind of person, I have always chosen Windows because I had heard of it. That is basically the main reason. If someone would have come up to me and wanted to teach me about Linux or Mac OS X, I wouldn’t have wanted to listen because I knew I would go with Windows either way.
You have to wonder if other people think the same way I do (gosh—I hope so!). Is it terribly imperative to know all the information about every product out there before buying one? Probably…to a degree. I think it would have been helpful to have had information on other operating systems. It is good to look at the pros and cons of each. That was one thing I like about the Linux article. It not only pointed out what users would like about the product, but it also pointed out some quirks to the system. Other than having a few people argue over the true job of an IT person, the blog didn’t give me that, nor did the Mac OS X document.
There was also a great deal of talk of learning how to use the software. This is a gimme no matter how you look at it. Obviously when you are going to be working on something different, you need to know how to use it! As I said earlier, at work we just changed over from Windows to Google Apps. Am I an expert on Google? Heck no! But the more I used it, the more familiar I become with it. It also helps that I have to teach the kids to use it as well, so I am using it several times a day doing the same applications.
Just because the Linux article gave me a perspective on both sides of the fence, that wouldn’t mean that I would buy into it. Any of the three would be fine with me…providing I was able to do what I have to do with my computer. It just so happens that Windows is what I was familiar with. But after working with Google Apps for three weeks, I am becoming more familiar with it as well. So I guess I have to go back to my original thought and second guess it. Perhaps if I had to choose another software, it would be more beneficial to look at all the prospects, the gods and the bads, and maybe make a more informed decision instead of a comfortable one.
I am going to combine all three readings into one post this week due to the fact that I felt the same after reading each. First let me start by saying that I am a Windows user at home, and a Google Apps user at work. So the whole Linux and Mac OS X ideas had me feeling mildly clueless. As a not-really-into-caring-what-is-running-my-computer kind of person, I have always chosen Windows because I had heard of it. That is basically the main reason. If someone would have come up to me and wanted to teach me about Linux or Mac OS X, I wouldn’t have wanted to listen because I knew I would go with Windows either way.
You have to wonder if other people think the same way I do (gosh—I hope so!). Is it terribly imperative to know all the information about every product out there before buying one? Probably…to a degree. I think it would have been helpful to have had information on other operating systems. It is good to look at the pros and cons of each. That was one thing I like about the Linux article. It not only pointed out what users would like about the product, but it also pointed out some quirks to the system. Other than having a few people argue over the true job of an IT person, the blog didn’t give me that, nor did the Mac OS X document.
There was also a great deal of talk of learning how to use the software. This is a gimme no matter how you look at it. Obviously when you are going to be working on something different, you need to know how to use it! As I said earlier, at work we just changed over from Windows to Google Apps. Am I an expert on Google? Heck no! But the more I used it, the more familiar I become with it. It also helps that I have to teach the kids to use it as well, so I am using it several times a day doing the same applications.
Just because the Linux article gave me a perspective on both sides of the fence, that wouldn’t mean that I would buy into it. Any of the three would be fine with me…providing I was able to do what I have to do with my computer. It just so happens that Windows is what I was familiar with. But after working with Google Apps for three weeks, I am becoming more familiar with it as well. So I guess I have to go back to my original thought and second guess it. Perhaps if I had to choose another software, it would be more beneficial to look at all the prospects, the gods and the bads, and maybe make a more informed decision instead of a comfortable one.
Monday, September 8, 2008
comments for week 2
comments on Jacqui's blog: http://quiquan.blogspot.com/2008/09/week-2-muddiest-point.html?showComment=1220906760000#c8956305930500232154
comments on Lori's blog:
http://lhmorrow.blogspot.com/2008/09/computer-museum.html
comments on Lori's blog:
http://lhmorrow.blogspot.com/2008/09/computer-museum.html
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Thoughts on week 2
At first I got nervous reading the wiki about computer hardware. I didn't know what any of the terms meant. I had heard of them before, but as far as defining them, I was clueless. I felt much better when it got to the part about other peripherals, especially the input section on gaming devices. I finally knew what was being discussed. In fact, there wasn't another word after that section that I didn't already know. what an informative wiki!
I can see how there is some confusion with Moore's Law. Presumably, the more you add to something, the limited amount of space is left. He did have a point that at some point they could make larger chips but, again, at some point the chip would have to be too large. At that point, I think Moore's Law could expire.
Now, the video summed up everything it took like an hour to read in like 2 1/2 minutes and I think I understood it better because the words weren't terribly dull and real life examples were given.
The website gave more visual examples of the growing capabilities of chips that put Moore's Law into yet another perspective (The Silicone Engine). I also liked the timeline of computer history from 1939-1994.
I can see how there is some confusion with Moore's Law. Presumably, the more you add to something, the limited amount of space is left. He did have a point that at some point they could make larger chips but, again, at some point the chip would have to be too large. At that point, I think Moore's Law could expire.
Now, the video summed up everything it took like an hour to read in like 2 1/2 minutes and I think I understood it better because the words weren't terribly dull and real life examples were given.
The website gave more visual examples of the growing capabilities of chips that put Moore's Law into yet another perspective (The Silicone Engine). I also liked the timeline of computer history from 1939-1994.
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