Issues with Technology

I watched an interview on Charlie Rose about the new version of the I-Phone. The guest who discussed this topic with Charlie was Walter Mossberg, a technology writer for The Wall Street Journal. Mossberg ended up discussing new developments in smart phone technology beyond Apple's product, including Android phones using Google software. Listening to the discussion and watching a display of the communication capabilities of the I-Phone, I was once again reminded of how out of touch I am with digital technologies. I have learned much in the technology course, but I realize there is a lot more ground to cover before I would label myself competent in the use of the software and programs used by librarians. Sometimes I do become discouraged when I ponder this situation, but it is more salubrious not to think about it. I know that I have time to learn about the technology while I am here in Pittsburgh, yet my time is not unlimited. After twelve classes, the master's program is finished and I will have to take care of myself.

The World Wide Web and Privacy

Listening to All Things Considered last Monday, I heard a news feature about a bill being written in the House of Representatives that would regulate how information collected by Websites about their users can be utilized. This information is currently used by Websites to direct advertising at visitors. Many Web users do not realize that Websites collect data for this purpose. One of the issues that this bill would attempt to resolve is whether or not a Website would have to inform visitors that personal information is being gathered. This is a change in law that has many online businesses nervous, for they fear that Web users will avoid their sites if this disclosure has to be presented to visitors. Moreover, if the bill would require that users have a choice to opt out of data collection, the Websites stand to loose important data for their advertising revenue. It is therefore not surprising that there is opposition by the Web advertising industry and sites that depend on advertising revenue to these ideas.

This issue of Internet privacy and the use of personal data by Websites has been ignored on a national level for many years. With the vast amount of information being generated by the ever expanding use of the Web, it is becoming imperative to create a set of rules concerning how companies and Websites can utilize this information. I do not see a valid reason for them to justify not having to operate with at least partial transparency. Most Web users are probably aware that the sites they visit collect data about their activities. It is the price of being able to access a Website without paying a monetary fee. It seems very unreasonable to expect Web users to suddenly abandon sites if data collection diclosures become required by law. It would only be an affirmation of what is already happening.




This is the URL of the news feature mentioned in this blog:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127987513

Musings of a Frustrated Intellectual

I came into the LIS program with a notion that it was more a vocational training program than an academic discipline. My experiences over the last six weeks have not swayed me from thinking differently. While we read books and journal articles and write papers on a multitude of subjects, the focus of the LIS program is getting students ready to function in library and information environments. The purpose of all the studying, researching, and discussing is to prepare for the performing of tasks and making of decisions in an information environment. This is not the same as teaching students to understand a text or speak a language. Nor does library and information science have an equivalent level of background knowledge that scientific disciplines require. While I have come to recognize the importance of understanding the issues impacting the information profession, I have a hard time believing that these qualify as purely academic concerns. For me, the word "academic" has connotations of abstractions and ideas transcending the banality of life. The library and information profession only seems to be about these sort of banalities.

The Challenges of Starting a New Program

This is my first term in the LIS program. Before I came to the school, I had worked in a couple of libraries. What I have found out over the past six weeks, however, is that working in a library does not mean one is exposed to the jargon or issues of the library and information profession. Just figuring out what a text is trying to state or what a professor is talking about has required the expenditure of much time and energy this summer. Moreover, trying to follow a lecture that is thoroughly confusing is one of the most frustrating experiences a student at any level can go through. I have walked out of many classes quite flustered because of this. One of the benefits of persevering in spite of the confusion is that a breakthrough in comprehension usually occurs at some point. This is starting to happen with the Organizing and Retrieving course, which initially appeared to be more like a philosophy course than one about cataloging. This technology class is also taking on more relevance as I learn about the reality of the profession. One thing that I realize is that there is a lot to catch up on regarding technology and computers.

Adobe, Apple and Technology

This week I watched a feature on Nightly Business Report about Adobe, which is soon releasing a new version of Creative Suite. The aspect of this report that intrigued me is the tussle between Adobe and Apple over the Flash program. Flash, created by Adobe used to run animation and video on Websites, cannot be run on Apple products. Apple representatives claim that Flash slows down mobile device. The result is that areas of Websites are blank when viewed on the I-Pad and I-Phone. Adobe, as would be expected, claims that Apple is wrong about Flash. It basically comes down to business considerations, for Apple is a competitor of Adobe.



This example reminds me that users of technology are at the mercy of the companies that create it. Those who own an I-Phone cannot view Website features using Flash. The people who bought certain e-books on Amazon one day found those books were missing on their Kindles. Amazon was having a dispute with a publisher and stopped providing access to that company's e-books. These are perhaps extreme examples of how access to technology or digital products can be withdrawn when companies decide to engage in business conflicts. They are illustrations, however, of how much consumers depend on the goodwill of businesses. The belief that technology companies will make decisions that benefit consumers may be a little misplaced.

The Week

After a month of heavy course work, I experienced the first signs of mental fatigue this week. I passed a significant part of last weekend writing an essay that I had already done a lot of reading and research for, and it took four long nights to complete the paper. I also had a technology project that I had to redo a couple of times to comply with the assignment requirements. When both of those assignments were done by the middle of the week, I felt completely drained. It was necessary for me to relax and focus on my life for a couple of days. Since the start of the summer term, I have allowed myself to focus only briefly on matters beyond school, but the time has come to commence concentrating on what I want to get out of my time in grad school and in the city. There are only six or seven tough weeks left before the summer break, so I do not have to maintain this effort for much longer. I am sure that I will be greatful for the break.

Jing

I was very intringued by this Jing assignment. When I started working with this program and realized what it could do, I immediately began to look forward to seeing what results I could produce. I have never used this kind of media creation program before. Experimenting with capturing the images was briefly a novelty, and I greatly enjoyed testing the audio capabilities of my computer. Eventually the time came to cease experimenting and complete the work. The final results reveal why I will never earn a living with my voice. Overall, I am satisfied with how it turned out. More importantly, it opened my eyes to the ease of creating digital media objects that programs like Jing provide. Enjoy the presentation.

Social Media, the Internet, and the Traditional Media

As I type this, I am listening to a conference recorded in May called "Future of Media". The conference brought together the founder of Tivo, the CEO of the William Morris talent agency, the CEO of Showtime, the founder of Twitter, and the CEO of Cablevision Systems. Some of the general themes of the discussion is the impact of World Wide Web on the distribution of television programs and the use of social media to promote the shows.

What television means today is frequently debated by the panel. The fact that any program broadcast on television can be placed rapidly online is blurring the distinction between television and the Internet. Many programs are being placed simultaneously online and in television signals. How to generate income from digital content is one of the major issues media companies are grappling with. The question of the control of content once it goes digital is strongly connected to this. Concerns about piracy are certainly on the mind of many of the speakers. Moreover, advertising is still the primary source of revenue for most broadcasters, so getting viewers to watch ads, whether in a Tivo recording or an Internet broadcast, is of great importance. Generating viewer numbers and surveying the audience of a particular program undoubtedly becomes more complicated in the digital environment. The William Morris CEO brought up how the changing nature of broadcasting is affecting compensation for actors. As the avenues for distributing television, as well as motion pictures, extend to multiple digital formats, the revenue from those formats becomes an important contractual point of negotiation.

Social media are becoming an increasing important aspect in the promotion of television programs. The Showtime CEO mentioned the Facebook pages created for the channel's sh0ws and some of their more prominent characters. Fans are also using Facebook to make visitors to their pages aware of favorite programs .Twitter is another Web site utilized by Showtime to keep fans informed about what is happening with shows. Many actors and celebrities are using Twitter as a communication tool for engaging with fans and create publicity for recent projects. A couple of the speakers in the panel, however, emphasized that the potential of social media as a way to promote entertainment programs has yet to be extensively utilized.