Data Compression:
Data compression is a very useful and necessary way to deal with data and limited the amount of hard drive space that it taken up any given file. Data compression is needed because with modern networks tremendous amount of information from computer to computer all the time. Since there is only finite bandwidth that any particular computer use at any one time and computer users want to download huge files like videos these files have to be compressed to travel across the computer networks in a relatively short amount of time. There are two types of data compression that are available to computers to compress their data, loseless and lossy compression. Loseless compression is the a particular type of compression that are in Blu-Ray discs as they are advertised it is useally viewed as the best but some files cannot be compressed with this format. Lossy compression on the other hand it more common, always works however accept that a certain amount of data will be lost.
One of the most common type of data that is compressed is videos were the data is constructed in a way that the compression needs of a particular computer is determine by a program and a video data stream is compress based upon the abilities of the computer. Usually when it comes to videos on the web there are different options for different compression streams. A example would be there would be a video stream for computer that have cable connection and there might be a option for computers that have a slower connection. By choosing the practical streams the site will send you a particular resolution size of the video that will be able to be played. After reading the first two articles on data compression it is nice to learn about the specific types of data compress. When I normarlly would here about data compression I would have no idea how this occurred. Now I have some understand of what comes along with data compression. Most the information in the second article was extremely confusion to me who does not have a deep understanding of computer. However it was nice, particularly with the Wikipedia article, learning about the types of data compression.
First Monday:
After reading the article about Imaging Pittsburgh it is important to see just how effort it takes to take on the types of projects like Imaging Pittsburgh. The goal was to store these photographs in a way that it would be accessible by the web for people who were interest in photographs of the past. Coming along with massive projects that involve many types of intuitions it becomes difficult for the institutions to work on the same page. Since this project involves a tremendous amount of photographs it becomes necessary to decide what photographs will be the ones digitized. Even with modern data compression, photos can be compressed only so much and there is only so much data that can be stored. When the photographs are chosen that will be digitized there has to be work on the meta data that will describe what is stored in these photographs for the computer and the end user. It is nice to see a practical example of a project that combines digitization, the application of meta data, and data compression.
YouTube:
I am not a big Youtube user I get my video online video from other sources. It is interesting to see just how YouTube can be used in the library setting. YouTube does offer, along with other video sites to reach a tremendous amount of people with very little effort. With the advent of modern web cams and portable camcorders it is relatively cheap and easy to create and share videos with friends and strangers with sites like YouTube. It is also useful to see that some libraries and librarians are using current technologies to better serve their patrons.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Muddiest Point Week 4
When it comes to operating systems they are Open Source Operating Systems like Linux. I was wondering if there are any open source database managers or a community that is committed to coming up with better database managment software then exists with Acess or the corporate Oracle Database Managers?
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Reading Notes on Reading for Unit 4:
Database:
The database is extremely important when it comes to libraries since it is what it uses to store its digital information. Libraries need a way to translate it analog content, particularly catalog, into digital content making it more accessible to patrons. There are different types of architecture to databases particularly one type that is row oriented or another architecture that is column oriented. Of particular interest to librarians are database management systems, the software that organizes and stores the days. Librarians should consult with their people who are in control of their IT to decide which system is best for them.
Introduction to Metadata:
A concept that has become more important over the years is Metadata which is information about information. Metadata is of greater importance because the library has more information then ever available to its patrons in a digital format. In order for this digital information to be accessed in an efficient way there has to be information about the data that makes it easier to search. The most common use of metadata in libraries are found in MARC record, these are cataloging records that are able to be read but computers which are used with their digital card catalogs. The others type of Metadata deal with value, content, and format.
Overview of the
A huge problem with Metadata is the fact that Metadata formats are no the same across the world. Metadata is even formatted differently across disciplines. This is where the Dublin Core Data model comes into play, its intention to come up with a consensus about metadata. Since there is not one true way to describe information across different cultures the Dublin Core Data Model tries to identify common features that would help in its goal.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Assignment 2: Digitization
Here is the URL of my Flickr account: http://www.flickr.com/photos/42523762@N03/
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Unit Three Reading Notes
Linux:
The story of Linux started along with the early years of the computer and computing. One of big problems in the early days was not only that a computer would fill up a whole room but also that there were so many diffent operating systems for the computers. The modern Linux system, as we know it, resulted from Unix. This was the first attempt to create an operating system that all computers would run. As computers became powerful enough, over the decades, that they could run full blown Unix people started to wonder if there could be a free academic version of Unix. This is the idea that brought about Linux, this attempt to come up will a free version of Unix. In the beginning years Linux was mainly for programmers, there was a need to be a computer expert to operate the system. Eventually there was a desire to have a version of Linux for users that are not as experience with computers. The main advantage of Linux is that is free and open source, anyone is able to view the code that Linux is based on and attempt to impove the system.
Mac OS:
The Mac Os platfrom is one of the other main operating systems that computers use to run their software. Mac OS X is the latest version of the operating sytem for Macintosh systems. The Mac OS X platform is also based upon Unix like the Linux platform. OS X like Linux is also based upon a free and open source core. Machintosh's OS is based upon on Darwin another operating sytem. To add to this so as to make it proprietary and closed source Apple added on a numer of components to complete the Fraphical User Interface.
Windows:
The Windows platform is the most common Graphical User Interface that is found in computers around the world. Since it by far the most preverlent operating system this means that it has to be constanly improving. The latest incarnation of the Windows operating system is Windows Vista. This version of windowns was realesed serveral year after the release of the previous incarnation Windows XP. As Pall Thorrutt suggest Vista has advantages for those buying Windows based PCs for the home and office. This incarnation conained many advantage like advanced security and lower cost of ownership to support the latest generation of hardware. There wee also improvments in audio and video experiences.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Unit 2 Reading Notes
Computer Hardware: The page on Wikipedia that discusses the computer that is a nice entry for people that are unfimilar with how a computer looks like inside and how the different components of a computer works together for the overall funtioning of the computer.
Moore’s Law is a way to explain the pace that computers will improve over the years. This law can be a guide to go by as to determine how often computer technology needs to be replaced.
Computer History Museum: The computer history museum offers and understanding of how computers affected society. Specific exhibits describe things like selling the computer revolution, the timeline of the history of the Internet, the timeline of the computer revolution, and many other issues dealing with computers. Viewing the pages on the different exhibits in the computer history museum shows just how important the understand of the history of the computer is to the general.
Muddiest Point: When it comes to the discussion of the bus, the forum that parts of the computer use to communicate with each other, is this bus built in the structure of the motherboard or it the cables, like SATA, that the bus is referring to.
Unit 1: Thoughts on Readings
OCLC Report Information Trends:
The winds of change are coming and if libraries and similar institutions want to prosper they will have to change also. There has been a shift over the past decade, quickly speeding up over the past few years of the way content is received. Generally an individual would get the information they needed from books, journals, newspaper, and other physical media.
That dynamic has shifted fairly recently, getting away from these sorts of physical media to formats that are more and more digital. The amount of emails sent throughout the world everyday has continued to increase at a staggering rate. There has also be a boom in the market for smart phones, devices that are much more then a regular cell phone, that allows people to get the internet and digital information delivered to them anywhere.
Specifically when it comes to libraries there has been a shift away from physical publishing of books to that of digital publishing of electronic books. There is also a new market for micro information with such things as digital music downloads, ring tones, downloads to wireless devices etc.; a market that will surely grow over the coming years. The key will be how will libraries respond to these trends so they can continue to prosper.
Information Literacy and Information Technology Literacy:
Information Technology literacy is the understanding of the technological structures and applications that enable information to be delivered. This can entail an understanding of the way that the web works. Information technology literacy also deals with an understanding of the economic and public policy issues that deal with these forms of technology.
Information literacy deals more with the content and the way it is communicated. Information literacy involves the necessary skills to use technology for gathering information. Specific examples involve finding information and analyzing the information. Information literacy also involves an understating the multitude of forms information can take.
Lied Library:
The fever pace at which technology continues to improve, ever increasingly coming close to giving exactly what the user want poses problems to institutions that want to keep up with this change. The case study of Lied library at the campus of UNLV illustrates nicely the unique challenges that occur. Because of the pace that computers continue to get better and better, computers becomes obsolute in a fairly quick span of time. Instutions which wish to keep up this technological change will have to repace computers and other technological infrustructure. This is a problem, because changing these forms of infrustructure can be quite costly and these sorts of institutions will be hard press to come up with the money needed. Not only does computer hardware become better over time so does computure software, which must be replaced regularly at a cost also. Probably the biggest challange is responding to the needs of users, who will constantly demand new ways to find the information they need. These questions including the problem of space challange the staff of these instutuins and will for many years to come.
The winds of change are coming and if libraries and similar institutions want to prosper they will have to change also. There has been a shift over the past decade, quickly speeding up over the past few years of the way content is received. Generally an individual would get the information they needed from books, journals, newspaper, and other physical media.
That dynamic has shifted fairly recently, getting away from these sorts of physical media to formats that are more and more digital. The amount of emails sent throughout the world everyday has continued to increase at a staggering rate. There has also be a boom in the market for smart phones, devices that are much more then a regular cell phone, that allows people to get the internet and digital information delivered to them anywhere.
Specifically when it comes to libraries there has been a shift away from physical publishing of books to that of digital publishing of electronic books. There is also a new market for micro information with such things as digital music downloads, ring tones, downloads to wireless devices etc.; a market that will surely grow over the coming years. The key will be how will libraries respond to these trends so they can continue to prosper.
Information Literacy and Information Technology Literacy:
Information Technology literacy is the understanding of the technological structures and applications that enable information to be delivered. This can entail an understanding of the way that the web works. Information technology literacy also deals with an understanding of the economic and public policy issues that deal with these forms of technology.
Information literacy deals more with the content and the way it is communicated. Information literacy involves the necessary skills to use technology for gathering information. Specific examples involve finding information and analyzing the information. Information literacy also involves an understating the multitude of forms information can take.
Lied Library:
The fever pace at which technology continues to improve, ever increasingly coming close to giving exactly what the user want poses problems to institutions that want to keep up with this change. The case study of Lied library at the campus of UNLV illustrates nicely the unique challenges that occur. Because of the pace that computers continue to get better and better, computers becomes obsolute in a fairly quick span of time. Instutions which wish to keep up this technological change will have to repace computers and other technological infrustructure. This is a problem, because changing these forms of infrustructure can be quite costly and these sorts of institutions will be hard press to come up with the money needed. Not only does computer hardware become better over time so does computure software, which must be replaced regularly at a cost also. Probably the biggest challange is responding to the needs of users, who will constantly demand new ways to find the information they need. These questions including the problem of space challange the staff of these instutuins and will for many years to come.
Muddiest Point:
This week I do not have a muddiest point since there was introductory information this week.
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