Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Week 5 Muddiest Points
Do you know when we can expect to being receiving grades for our blogs and assignments? Thanks.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
Week 4 Readings
YouTube and Libraries: Utilizing YouTube in libraries is a great idea, in my opinion. As those of you may or not know, libraries face serious competition due to the fact that there are new Internet tools like Google. Information that was once only available in libraries is now available at the touch of your fingertips in the comfort of your own home. Thus, in order to compete, libraries are now having to come up with new ways to serve customers. I agree with the article that YouTube would be a great way for libraries to serve customers, and it would also be a good promotion tool for libraries. Libraries need to step up and come up with new ideas if they are going to survive in the Information Age.
Imaging Pittsburgh: The “Imaging Pittsburgh” project was also really great. I was particularly amazed at all of the images of the Digital Library. Since I am not originally from Pittsburgh and have only lived here 6 months, I enjoyed getting an inside look of the city. I thought that this project was beautiful, and that it's an incredible gift to the city of pittsburgh.
Data Compression: The Data Compression wiki was interesting. I didn't even know what data compression was until I read this. There is more to encoding data than I ever realized. Also, the part about "machine learning" was particualrly interesting, as it can predict the posterior possibilities of a sequence. I hope to learn more about the concept of data compression as the class goes on.
Imaging Pittsburgh: The “Imaging Pittsburgh” project was also really great. I was particularly amazed at all of the images of the Digital Library. Since I am not originally from Pittsburgh and have only lived here 6 months, I enjoyed getting an inside look of the city. I thought that this project was beautiful, and that it's an incredible gift to the city of pittsburgh.
Data Compression: The Data Compression wiki was interesting. I didn't even know what data compression was until I read this. There is more to encoding data than I ever realized. Also, the part about "machine learning" was particualrly interesting, as it can predict the posterior possibilities of a sequence. I hope to learn more about the concept of data compression as the class goes on.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Saturday, September 18, 2010
My comments
I wrote this on Ryan's blog:
Douglas Appich said...
I respectfully disagree with you about Windows. I applaud any company that addresses customer concerns the way Windows did in that letter. There are too many companies that simply don't care about their customers and do not make an honest effort to address compaints. Comcast is one example of this kind of company. I can't tell you how many times I've had to call Comcast and complain because my cable or internet wasn't functioning properly. Most of the time, I get a customer service rep. that is rude and doesn't know what they're talking about. Not once have I ever gotten an apology letter or anything of that nature. So I applaud Bill Veghe for at least making an
Douglas Appich said...
Week 3 Notes
Mac OS X:
It was interesting to learn about the Mac OS X, the lastest operating system for Macintosh. Some of the features look really cool. You can choose from eighteen different languages as the system's default language. Also, Mac OX X uses Dashboard, which is a group of applications that can be summoned and called away in a single second.
Reading this article was kind of a surreal experience for me. When I was in Kindergarten in 1988, I remember playing on one of the Macintosh's in my school's computer lab and thinking it was the coolest thing ever, and the Mac's back then didn't even have HALF of the features that Mac OS X has. It's simply amazing how far technology has come along in the past 20 years.
Linux:
My father LOVES Linux, and I never understood why because I really didn't know what Linux was. So this article was a good overview for me.
One thing I learned that Linux is not actually a system itself, but it's a term for a FAMILY of operating systems. I also learned that Linux has been in existence since 1969. This was surprising to me because I thought that Linux was releatively new. Linux software is also one of the first and most prominent examples of "free and open source software", where a wide variety of people can modify and design it at the same time. It's kind of like the way Wikipedia operates.
Windows:
Interesting info. about Windows. I have had Windows for a long time, so it was interesting to read about Windows XP and Windows Vista. What was the most interesting part of the article, however, was Bill Veghte's (Senior VP of Microsoft) approach to customer service. From this letter, it seems like Veghte really cares about customer satisfaction and wants people who buys his products to be happy. This is clear by how, at the beginning of the letter, Veghe immediately addresses customer concerns about receiving support for Windows XP. Microsoft's dedication to serve their customers is also evident with the "telemetry system" that is a feature for Windows Vista. This system gathers information about how users are specifically using Windows Vista. This allows the Windows development teams to prioritize their work on Vista applications to better serve the customers. Overall, I was really impressed by how Windows treats their customers. I only wish Comcast treated their customers like that!
It was interesting to learn about the Mac OS X, the lastest operating system for Macintosh. Some of the features look really cool. You can choose from eighteen different languages as the system's default language. Also, Mac OX X uses Dashboard, which is a group of applications that can be summoned and called away in a single second.
Reading this article was kind of a surreal experience for me. When I was in Kindergarten in 1988, I remember playing on one of the Macintosh's in my school's computer lab and thinking it was the coolest thing ever, and the Mac's back then didn't even have HALF of the features that Mac OS X has. It's simply amazing how far technology has come along in the past 20 years.
Linux:
My father LOVES Linux, and I never understood why because I really didn't know what Linux was. So this article was a good overview for me.
One thing I learned that Linux is not actually a system itself, but it's a term for a FAMILY of operating systems. I also learned that Linux has been in existence since 1969. This was surprising to me because I thought that Linux was releatively new. Linux software is also one of the first and most prominent examples of "free and open source software", where a wide variety of people can modify and design it at the same time. It's kind of like the way Wikipedia operates.
Windows:
Interesting info. about Windows. I have had Windows for a long time, so it was interesting to read about Windows XP and Windows Vista. What was the most interesting part of the article, however, was Bill Veghte's (Senior VP of Microsoft) approach to customer service. From this letter, it seems like Veghte really cares about customer satisfaction and wants people who buys his products to be happy. This is clear by how, at the beginning of the letter, Veghe immediately addresses customer concerns about receiving support for Windows XP. Microsoft's dedication to serve their customers is also evident with the "telemetry system" that is a feature for Windows Vista. This system gathers information about how users are specifically using Windows Vista. This allows the Windows development teams to prioritize their work on Vista applications to better serve the customers. Overall, I was really impressed by how Windows treats their customers. I only wish Comcast treated their customers like that!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Reading Notes- Week 2
1) Computer Hardware
This was a nice overview for me. I was already familiar with most of the hardware that was mentioned here, but it is always nice to have a review.
2) Moore's Law
Now THIS was new to me! I had never heard of Moore's Law ever nor had I ever heard of Gordon E. Moore, so reading this was a lot of fun. I find it pretty amazing that in 1965, long before computers were seen in every household, Mr. Moore was able to make a prediction of this magnitude that continues to hold true today. From what I know about American history, computers were mostly only available to the government in the 1960's So the fact that Moore was able to predict in 1965 that the amount of transistors would double every year tells me that he had a good idea that computers would eventually become available for commercial use in the future. Interesting stuff!
3) Computer History Museum
Again, interesting stuff! Computers have had a long and fascinating history. "The History of the Internet" was also interesting. Imagine my surprise to find out that Al Gore didn't actually invent the Internet! LOL
This was a nice overview for me. I was already familiar with most of the hardware that was mentioned here, but it is always nice to have a review.
2) Moore's Law
Now THIS was new to me! I had never heard of Moore's Law ever nor had I ever heard of Gordon E. Moore, so reading this was a lot of fun. I find it pretty amazing that in 1965, long before computers were seen in every household, Mr. Moore was able to make a prediction of this magnitude that continues to hold true today. From what I know about American history, computers were mostly only available to the government in the 1960's So the fact that Moore was able to predict in 1965 that the amount of transistors would double every year tells me that he had a good idea that computers would eventually become available for commercial use in the future. Interesting stuff!
3) Computer History Museum
Again, interesting stuff! Computers have had a long and fascinating history. "The History of the Internet" was also interesting. Imagine my surprise to find out that Al Gore didn't actually invent the Internet! LOL
Friday, September 10, 2010
Reading Notes for Week 1
My Thoughts on: OCLC Report: Information Format Trends: Content, Not Containers
Let me first start off by saying that, when it comes to all of this new age technology and terminology that is mentioned in this article, I would consider myself at about an intermediate level in terms of my understanding of it. By that statement, I mean that I am familiar with a lot of terminology/technology that is mentioned in the article, but I don't use it a lot. For example, I know what blogging is, but I don't like to do it unless I have to. I know what a smartphone is, but I don't have one. I know what Wikis are, but I don't use Wikipedia for anything other than looking up information. I think you get my point.
But nonetheless, I did learn some new terminology from this article that I had never seen before but that directly applies to my life. One example was "Snam". Until reading this article, I had no idea that "Snam" was unwanted advertisements solicited through e-mail. However, I have been getting "snams" all the time in my inbox lately, so I'm glad I finally have a name to go with the annoying e-mails I've been getting.
Another term I becamse acquainted with for the first time when I read this article was the term "Moblog". With cell phone technology constantly expanding, it makes sense that new terminology is developing to address this new trend, so I'm happy to be learning some of these new terms.
All in all, this was a fun article that re-introduced me to some terms I was already familiar with and introduced me to some new terms I had never seen before. Good stuff!
My Thoughts on Information Literacy and Information Technology Literacy: New Components in the Curriculum for a Digital Culture by Clifford Lynch
I thought the recurring themes of "information literacy" and "information technology literacy" were interesting. In the work force, I have known many people that simply refused to become literate with information technology. In many fields, this is career suicide. Technology is now embedded to so many careers that people need to become literate with the new trends or face losing their jobs. I am glad that Lynch's article explains to people specific ways to go about being literate with technology because, in this day and age, it's more relevant than ever.
My Thoughts on Lied Library
I really felt like Lied Library simply reinforced a lot of the themes that Lynch's article focused on. It basically talked about how important it is for employees of the IT field to have an understanding of their craft. This may seem like common sense but, as I stated in my response to Lynch's article, I think a lot of people work in fields that they don't have a clear understanding of. Therefore, it is important for us, as prospective employees in the IT field, to have a clear understanding of what our job description will be before we start to work full time. The last thing any of us wants is to start our first day of work only to find out that we have no clue what we are doing.
Let me first start off by saying that, when it comes to all of this new age technology and terminology that is mentioned in this article, I would consider myself at about an intermediate level in terms of my understanding of it. By that statement, I mean that I am familiar with a lot of terminology/technology that is mentioned in the article, but I don't use it a lot. For example, I know what blogging is, but I don't like to do it unless I have to. I know what a smartphone is, but I don't have one. I know what Wikis are, but I don't use Wikipedia for anything other than looking up information. I think you get my point.
But nonetheless, I did learn some new terminology from this article that I had never seen before but that directly applies to my life. One example was "Snam". Until reading this article, I had no idea that "Snam" was unwanted advertisements solicited through e-mail. However, I have been getting "snams" all the time in my inbox lately, so I'm glad I finally have a name to go with the annoying e-mails I've been getting.
Another term I becamse acquainted with for the first time when I read this article was the term "Moblog". With cell phone technology constantly expanding, it makes sense that new terminology is developing to address this new trend, so I'm happy to be learning some of these new terms.
All in all, this was a fun article that re-introduced me to some terms I was already familiar with and introduced me to some new terms I had never seen before. Good stuff!
My Thoughts on Information Literacy and Information Technology Literacy: New Components in the Curriculum for a Digital Culture by Clifford Lynch
I thought the recurring themes of "information literacy" and "information technology literacy" were interesting. In the work force, I have known many people that simply refused to become literate with information technology. In many fields, this is career suicide. Technology is now embedded to so many careers that people need to become literate with the new trends or face losing their jobs. I am glad that Lynch's article explains to people specific ways to go about being literate with technology because, in this day and age, it's more relevant than ever.
My Thoughts on Lied Library
I really felt like Lied Library simply reinforced a lot of the themes that Lynch's article focused on. It basically talked about how important it is for employees of the IT field to have an understanding of their craft. This may seem like common sense but, as I stated in my response to Lynch's article, I think a lot of people work in fields that they don't have a clear understanding of. Therefore, it is important for us, as prospective employees in the IT field, to have a clear understanding of what our job description will be before we start to work full time. The last thing any of us wants is to start our first day of work only to find out that we have no clue what we are doing.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
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