I had known that there is a layering to the information contained in the WWW, I hadn’t realized that there was such a huge disparity in what is available freely and what is stored in the deep web, that require a password or other permissions in order become accessible, and is therefore shrouded. Incredible!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Unit 8 Reading notes
W3schools HTML Tutorial
The step by step tutorial is great, at least I think I understand the basic functions and I don’t feel as intimidated as before. The ‘try it yourself’ really made a difference for me; this will take some more practice for me though!
HTML Cheatsheet
This really puts things in a nutshell and it assumes some pre-knowledge of the process, a good supplement for the W3schools tutorial.
W3 School Cascading Style Sheet tutorial:
I think I’ll have to be more confident about the HTML tutorial before I try to modify, again, the ‘try it yourself’ really helped.
Beyond HTML
The ability to utilize web-authoring skills to create an environment that caters to the needs of website users is an important consideration in this study. The importance of standards and a certain level of conformity is required if users are to comfortably navigate within the realm of the web offerings of a site in order to find the content that they require.
Selecting a Content Management system depends on many factors with prime considerations being placed on cost and system usability. Proprietary and Open Source systems are both viable options as well as creating home-grown ones. In this case the latter was the preferred choice because there was sufficient in-house skill and more importantly, the need for controlling the eventual end product.
The development of an indigenous Content Management system is a lengthy and time-consuming project that relies on the skills and efforts of many. However, the satisfaction of developing a system that is specially customized to suit the needs of the users probably makes it all worthwhile and represents the ‘beyond’ of the learning process.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Reading Notes for Unit 7
How stuff works:
The history of the internet and its subsequent blanket of global communications with cables and wires emphasize the impact it has had on the world. The fact that connectivity moves from a few to billions in a short space of time can be a very humbling prospect for an individual user. LANs can migrate into CANs, MANs and WAN’s and these expand exponentially to eventually include the WWW. It is interesting to note just how this connectivity works and the level of dependence it has generated within the global populace. The article is easily understandable and it is evident that the writer kept the technicality to a necessary level so as not to scare off readers. I found the sections on DNS and URLs to be very enlightening and the coverage of ‘caching’ and ‘client /server’ relationships very informative.
Dismantling ILS :
Converting to an automated library system is costly, time consuming and sometimes nerve wracking even in a small library with less than ten thousand items. It took months before we could operate confidently and comfortably in the knowledge that we could handle minor glitches as they arose. This article jarred me out of my relative complacency with the information that unless I am able to change with system alterations I will be left behind and my interaction with outside resources compromised.
It is unreasonable to expect that the same system will serve the needs of disparate institutions and library systems will evolve to become more marketable and competitive. Interoperability and scalability are two elements that are important in ILS and so far these have not been adequately addressed hence the proliferation of options open to libraries. Though competition is a good and healthy thing in that the strongest, and hopefully the best, emerges victorious, in this instance it may create isolation for those libraries that are unable to adapt or acquire at the same rate as others. If legacy systems are being dismantled to make way for improved models there are probably implications for hardware requirements as well, and that is a costly time consuming process.
Sergey Brin and Larry Page on Google
This talk is a fascinating exposé on the extent to which Google impacts the world. The use of fiber optics and satellites to transfer data and the traffic it generates is mind boggling. A great sales pitch for the Google foundation and its philanthropic endeavors as well as some interesting insights into how Google functions- complete with employee laundry humor!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Muddiest point for FT Weekend
Can I increase my computer's buffer capacity for streaming? When viewing panopto I get cut off quite often, it's frustrating, time consuming and affects the continuity of the lecture.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Reading Notes for Unit 6 : Computer Networks, Wireless Networks
Local Area Network:
The development of networks/networking has impacted the field of computing and the use of computer accessories by allowing systems to share these resources - printers, scanners and storage space as well as software. This is, of course, a very cost effective occurrence. The advancements from twisted pair wire connection to coaxial and fiber optic cables have certainly reduced the frustration level for those of us who were weaned on the earlier products. I have only recently experienced the advantages of fiber optics and DSL and it is vastly different to what I usually have to work with. The article also clarified some points related to classification of networks and the determination of its topology type. I had erroneously thought that the physical arrangement determined the nomenclature however; I see that it depends on the logical relationships between the units that rule the respective network.
Computer network :
The fact that networks are labeled according to its size, function and purpose is not new to me however, the fact that my system at home has its own classification (PAN) was. It is interesting to note that scalability moves from the one unit utility to the intranet and then onto the mighty internet with all sorts of permutations included within.
Common types of computer networks (youtube):
Basically a repetition of the computer network article but interesting still, the one entitled ‘How a computer works’ was informative in that the simulations of what takes place to move data or information from one place to the other were really appropriate. The robotics helped in explaining the process in a very literal way.
RFID in Libraries:
The possibilities of RFID in libraries is clearly enumerated, some areas will be heavily impacted whilst others will remain virtually unaffected. Security concerns aside, it sounds great and will take away some of the monotonous and time consuming tasks that librarians have to perform. ‘Check out’ and ‘inventory’ are the two prime targets here and very few will argue with the possibilities in those areas. Of course there is also the cost effectiveness of its inclusion to consider as well as its viability for low traffic libraries; still, it is a possibility worth exploring. The less time spent on routine tasks means more that can be channeled into the non-routine ones.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Friday, October 1, 2010
Assignment 3 _ URLs
This is the URL to the video:
http://screencast.com/t/NjY5Zjk3ZTM
urls to annotated images:
1.http://www.flickr.com/photos/53981515@N02/5043751811/
2. http://www.flickr.com/photos/53981515@N02/5044392938/
3. http://www.flickr.com/photos/53981515@N02/5043781377/
4. http://www.flickr.com/photos/53981515@N02/5045309207/
5. http://www.flickr.com/photos/53981515@N02/5045372037/
http://screencast.com/t/NjY5Zjk3ZTM
urls to annotated images:
1.http://www.flickr.com/photos/53981515@N02/5043751811/
2. http://www.flickr.com/photos/53981515@N02/5044392938/
3. http://www.flickr.com/photos/53981515@N02/5043781377/
4. http://www.flickr.com/photos/53981515@N02/5045309207/
5. http://www.flickr.com/photos/53981515@N02/5045372037/
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