Saturday, September 25, 2010

Week 4 Comments

http://att16.blogspot.com/2010/09/week-4-multimedia-representation-and.html?showComment=1285460671224#c4080556783336280792

http://jrm170.blogspot.com/2010/09/927-reading-notes.html?showComment=1285461514703#c7360709874135369810

Week 4

Data Compression
Thank goodness for Wikipedia. The example of 25.888888888 perfectly illustrated the difference between lossless and lossy compression.

Data Compression Basics
I understood the first section on lossless data fairly well, then I got lost with the algorithms. Is compression always initiated by a human or does it happen automatically with some programs?

Imaging Pittsburgh: Creating a shared gateway to digital image collections of the Pittsburgh region
The Historic Pittsburgh website is really easy to use and comes up with wonderful results. I even found photos that can be used by the historical society where I work. When I went to the individual websites (Heinz History Center, Carnegie Museum of Art, and Archives Service Center) and searched the same term, it came up with different results. I thought the purpose of the project was to create an all-emcompassing database for the three institutions?

YouTube and libraries: It could be a beautiful relationship
I watched the videos with a friend and he couldn't stop laughing, especially at the Williams College Mystery Tour. If libraries want to use YouTube for publicity, they should be wary of making themselves look foolish or else be prepared for parodies; although parodies can draw attention to the original so maybe it's not an issue after all.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Week 4 Muddiest Point

Is there a difference in hardware among operating systems? I know the OS controls software and hardware, but I don't know if there are interchangeable components.

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Week 3 Comments

http://saralis2600.blogspot.com/2010/09/week-3-blog.html?showComment=1284850209856#c3122121219318659089

http://millard2600.blogspot.com/2010/09/unit-3-reading-notes.html?showComment=1284851372187#c8398994674481472345

Week 3

Introduction to Linux: A Hands on Guide
The author kept reinforcing the fact that Linux can be adapted to suit any user's needs. It made me want to experiment with the system.


What is Mac OS X?
I'm going to be honest and admit that much of this reading went over my head. I felt like I needed to be in front of a Mac in a computer lab to understand this overview.  Also, I can't keep track of all the acronyms used--is there a convenient glossary somewhere?


Max OS X on Wikipedia
This was a concise overview of the evolution of Mac OS X. I'm not a Mac user; do people constantly update their computers when the new versions are released?


An Update on the Windows Roadmap
I went from Windows XP to Windows 7 when my laptop finally died, so I don't have any experience with Vista. The letter mentions a 'telemetry system' that gathers user data to help with developments. Isn't this an invasion of privacy even if it is anonymous?

Friday, September 17, 2010

Week 3 Muddiest Point

Can someone explain the difference between 'digitize' and 'digitalize'?