Comments for week 9

1- https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5586031599791302355&postID=5941816636844715535&page=1

2- https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1057727177405306622&postID=5389078526747347216&page=1

3- https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=8599774071021712765&postID=1402288256790470716&page=1

Muddiest Point Eight

How do you make glitter text?

Readings IX

The Martin Bryan article “Introducing the Extensible Markup Language (XML)”gave a basic overview of what XML is, and why it is an important thing to know about. It was convenient that this article stated the significance right of the bat, instead of waiting until the very end like some of the other articles that we have read, so that overall, the technical terminology was easier to compute.
Uche Ogbuji’s articles offered a much more technical description of XML. It allowed for those who were not that familiar with the subject to become familiar, as well as for those who were more advanced, to learn more. Some of the links on that page were completely over my head, but from what I understood, between buzz words, this series of links complimented Bryan well.
I am, in general, a big fan of tutorials. I liked the two tutorials because they allowed for an application of the information from the previous two links. They are a good way of seeing if you actually absorbed any of the material from the articles.
Once again, these are handy resources to know about. I doubt, other than in this class, that I am going to be using/talking about any hardcore XML anytime soon, but if I did, I would at least now have something to say about it.

Koha Assignment

http://pitt4.opacwc.liblime.com/cgi-bin/koha/opac-shelves.pl?viewshelf=31

I did banned books btw.

Comments for week 8

1-Comment on discussion board - https://courseweb.pitt.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_9047_1%26url%3D

2- https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=8599774071021712765&postID=2929781701921652970&page=1

Reading VIII

HTML & Cheat Sheet & CSS
I was kinda glad that we were forced to read something about html. It is something that I one attempted to figure out, but did not put much time and effort in it. I think that it is beneficial to know about this tutorial because it gives all of the basic codes that one would need to make a basic page. I have noticed that on other html pages they tell you what to type without telling you why the code is like that. I am a big fan of explanation, so I even appreciated the really obvious explanations in the tutorial. The cheat sheet is an even more concise user friendly list. I actually think that a time will come where I use this list. The CSS tutorial was pretty nice as well. I can not stand it when tutorials or other instructions about computers just use millions of buzz words and don’t actually explain anything that a non-computer scientists can understand. This tutorial, as one student in out 2000 class so eloquently put it, explains it for the lay. Most importantly, now no one in this class has any excuse for why they do not have a fabulous myspace page.

Html article
This was one of those articles that is so filled with buzz words that I believe half of the meaning is lost to anyone who does not sleep with their computer. From what I understood, this article described some of the difficulties with html and the problems library’s have with it. The learning gap regarding library’s and current computer technology is a problem, but maybe not as big of a problem as sometimes described. I mean think about it, libraries have existed for thousands of years, and computers have not.

Muddiest Point Seven

I do not really understand why libraries are using the IM feature on their websites. Two hours a week, it is my job to be the person that replies to the library IM’s where I work. I recieve maybe 2 a week at that. From my experience, the questions that come in are either something that is clearly written on the front page of the website, or something that is way to complex to explain in an IM conversation. I just do not understand the point of using the IM feature when the majority of questions are so easily located on the website. It kind of is promoting laziness on the part of the library patron. But then again, maybe I am just ranting.

Assignment Four

This is my Jing Thing. Enjoy.
1- http://www.screencast.com/t/H2Ijow3Tbf

2- http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3163/2915944157_00f61e8c43_o.png

3- http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3158/2916789194_222270592a_o.png

4- http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3166/2915944337_4ea22487ee_o.png

5- http://www.flickr.com/photos/30510631@N06/2915944413/sizes/o/

6- http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3076/2916789396_d18024ac6a_o.png

Comments for week 7

1- https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=8599774071021712765&postID=6457972071214450481&page=1

2- https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4619180577856147392&postID=905575293792874856&page=1

Reading VII

Internet Infrastructure Works-
I thought that this article did a good job in describing how the internet worked, and how everyone was connected though the internet. I have noticed that when I have attempted to read articles similar to this in the past, I was not able to understand it completely due to the incredible amount of buzz words use. I thought that this article offered very accessible concise statements about the internet infrastructure. The only part that was a little bit confusing was when the author discussed binary. Binary is really not that hard to read once you figure it out. It takes me a while, but I can for the most part do it. I don't know what it is about binary, but when ever anyone talks about how to read it or use it, I have not idea what they are talking about. I think the more random examples they use trying to clarify what they have said, the worse it is.

Dismantling Integrated Library Systems-
I was thinking about what the author suggested "Some of the best ideas in online library services have come not from vendors but from librarians themselves." This makes complete sense. I was curious to know if libraries are ever polled about their thoughts on library services, and if these polls are taken seriously at all. I know that CMU is redoing some of their system because it simply does not function easily. All of the information is there, it just is not user friendly.

Google Video
I thought the map that was shown showing all of the people using Google was really interesting. It made me think of John Willinsky’s book when he talked about how important it is to extend scholarly communication to third world locations. I also liked the idea of 20/80 concept. Even though it would be more efficient to do the 20/80 I prefer the 80/20.

Muddiest Point Six

I would have really liked to have seen an example of the next assignment. I am not really sure what it should look like.