This reading starts out by telling the importance of libraries throughout history. It gives the story of Leonardo da Vinci’s paintings being kept and preserved by libraries across the world for over two hundred years. The purpose of libraries is changing with today’s society, mainly because of the wide use of the internet. People don’t need to go all the way to the library to find information when they can simply type it into Google and find everything they need. The site refers to books as a technology of information, and, “every technology has a limited lifespan.” It also tells us that the importance of librarians will grow as technology gets more complicated. Random people are not going to know how to work these incredibly advanced machines to find what they are looking for, and librarians are going to have to be there to help them. The article ends with encouraging libraries to “reinvent” themselves and move with society. They need to change services they offer to the public and keep up with the technology around them.
A new library just opened in my hometown last summer and when I compare that one to the old one, it is like night and day. I think there might have been two or three computers in the old library, but the new one has a few computer labs as well as individual computers scattered thoughout. I think this is a sign of libraries changing their services and keeping up with technology in my community. The first thing people use nowadays to find information is computers, and I think it is important for libraries to embrace this. I am glad libraries across the country are following these trends of technology and I look forward to what more is to come from libraries in the future.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
News Report #3
"Should Motorists Ever Talk on the Phone?"
By Stephanie Chen
Monday February 16, 2009
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/02/16/cellphones.driving.safety/index.html?eref=rss_tech
This article is about the effects of talking on cell phones while driving. Countless studies have been done recently relating to this problem that causes many accidents on the road, and the majority of them return the same results. According to professor David Strayer, talking on the phone while driving is, “just as bad as driving drunk.” One thing I found interesting about these studies is talking on a headset or other device where you can put both hands on the wheel doesn’t effect your attention to the road. Even though you may look like you’re focused on driving, you still do not have full attention on what you are doing.
This article brings forth many truths about driving while talking on the phone. In today’s society, nearly everyone has a cell phone and nearly all cell phone owners use it while driving their car. The article noted that four out of five people talk on their cell phones on the road. I think this is a major problem that is being overlooked in today’s world. There have been so many car accidents relating to cell phone use, and all of them can easily be avoided. I am from Washington, DC and up there they have a law against cell phone use while driving. You can be pulled over and given a ticket for it, and although it does get annoyiing when someone calls me while I’m driving and I can’t answer it, I know it is the right thing to do. I believe more cities should adopt such laws and make these unnecessary accidents decline for good.
By Stephanie Chen
Monday February 16, 2009
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/02/16/cellphones.driving.safety/index.html?eref=rss_tech
This article is about the effects of talking on cell phones while driving. Countless studies have been done recently relating to this problem that causes many accidents on the road, and the majority of them return the same results. According to professor David Strayer, talking on the phone while driving is, “just as bad as driving drunk.” One thing I found interesting about these studies is talking on a headset or other device where you can put both hands on the wheel doesn’t effect your attention to the road. Even though you may look like you’re focused on driving, you still do not have full attention on what you are doing.
This article brings forth many truths about driving while talking on the phone. In today’s society, nearly everyone has a cell phone and nearly all cell phone owners use it while driving their car. The article noted that four out of five people talk on their cell phones on the road. I think this is a major problem that is being overlooked in today’s world. There have been so many car accidents relating to cell phone use, and all of them can easily be avoided. I am from Washington, DC and up there they have a law against cell phone use while driving. You can be pulled over and given a ticket for it, and although it does get annoyiing when someone calls me while I’m driving and I can’t answer it, I know it is the right thing to do. I believe more cities should adopt such laws and make these unnecessary accidents decline for good.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
News Report #2
"Facebook turns 5 -- but can it survive?"
By Simon Hooper
Wednesay February 4, 2009
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/02/04/facebook.anniversary/index.html?eref=rss_tech
This article from CNN marks the five year anniversary of the social networking site Facebook, created by Mark Zuckerberg in 2004. This site has revolutionized the way people interact with each other, and it has given millions of people of all ages a platform to voice their opinions on the internet. Although the article notes that Zuckerberg is worth over a billion dollars for creating Facebook, that number could be decreasing. With the economy in a recession at the moment, the market for online advertising (Facebook’s number one revenue source) has taken a major hit. Many businesses are cutting back advertising costs, causing sites like Facebook to become much less profitable then they once were. Still, Facebook continues to be a monumental online site for this generation and its popularity will keep it around for a while into the future.
I started using Facebook when I first got to college, about four years ago. The site was much different then than it is now; it was much simpler and not nearly as many people used it. Back then, it was limited only to college students and there were no “statuses” or things like that. When I think about how much Facebook has changed and improved over the past five years, I see no reason why they can’t come up with new and interesting features to enhance the site and make it last another five years. I will admit I don’t use Facebook nearly as much now as I used to, but I still think it is a great tool to keep in touch with friends back home that I haven’t seen in a while. I don’t think I will ever go away from Facebook or delete my account like some of my friends have. I see it now as a tremendous stage for young people to interact with their peers or even people older, in a way that did not exist five years ago.
By Simon Hooper
Wednesay February 4, 2009
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/02/04/facebook.anniversary/index.html?eref=rss_tech
This article from CNN marks the five year anniversary of the social networking site Facebook, created by Mark Zuckerberg in 2004. This site has revolutionized the way people interact with each other, and it has given millions of people of all ages a platform to voice their opinions on the internet. Although the article notes that Zuckerberg is worth over a billion dollars for creating Facebook, that number could be decreasing. With the economy in a recession at the moment, the market for online advertising (Facebook’s number one revenue source) has taken a major hit. Many businesses are cutting back advertising costs, causing sites like Facebook to become much less profitable then they once were. Still, Facebook continues to be a monumental online site for this generation and its popularity will keep it around for a while into the future.
I started using Facebook when I first got to college, about four years ago. The site was much different then than it is now; it was much simpler and not nearly as many people used it. Back then, it was limited only to college students and there were no “statuses” or things like that. When I think about how much Facebook has changed and improved over the past five years, I see no reason why they can’t come up with new and interesting features to enhance the site and make it last another five years. I will admit I don’t use Facebook nearly as much now as I used to, but I still think it is a great tool to keep in touch with friends back home that I haven’t seen in a while. I don’t think I will ever go away from Facebook or delete my account like some of my friends have. I see it now as a tremendous stage for young people to interact with their peers or even people older, in a way that did not exist five years ago.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Reading Report #2
This article discusses the very prominent and popular online encyclopedia called Wikipedia that anyone can edit and enhance (or worsen). This has stirred up a lot of controversy and discussion over whether this should be allowed. Many professors believe only experts should contribute to the site to ensure authenticity of the information presented on Wikipedia. The article gives an example of Mr. Halavais, a teacher who purposely put misinformation into Wikipedia just to see if anyone would take it down. To his disbelief, the made up facts were taken down within a few hours, as the online encyclopedia apparently has a program that allows expert editors to read the most recently added information and can change it right away. This article then adds to the perception that Wikipedia has a tendency to give misinformation by telling the story of Mr. Seigenthaler. He was a journalist who had his own page on the site that gave some serious misinformation about him for over four months. The article admits that situations like that are very rare on the online encyclopedia and that it will never be entirely perfect.
I use Wikipedia on a regular basis and I like to think it is a relatively reliable source for information. I usually do not use it as a primary source for research paper s or anything like that, but I will use it whenever I need to find out random trivia facts about a certain person or place. After reading this article, I am much more aware of the problems that could arise from a site like this. I will definitely be a lot more careful when I use Wikipedia. One thing I did not know about Wikipedia was the program that allows their editors to change recently added information. I think this is a great idea to try to ensure authenticity. Still, it may be a good idea to find another source about the same topic somewhere else on the web that can verify the information found on Wikipedia. But for the most part, I will continue to trust Wikipedia as a reliable source of information because it is easy to use and I can find just about anything I think of on the site.
I use Wikipedia on a regular basis and I like to think it is a relatively reliable source for information. I usually do not use it as a primary source for research paper s or anything like that, but I will use it whenever I need to find out random trivia facts about a certain person or place. After reading this article, I am much more aware of the problems that could arise from a site like this. I will definitely be a lot more careful when I use Wikipedia. One thing I did not know about Wikipedia was the program that allows their editors to change recently added information. I think this is a great idea to try to ensure authenticity. Still, it may be a good idea to find another source about the same topic somewhere else on the web that can verify the information found on Wikipedia. But for the most part, I will continue to trust Wikipedia as a reliable source of information because it is easy to use and I can find just about anything I think of on the site.
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