Vandon's LIB 103 Blog

News Report #5

2009-04-16T06:06:00.000-07:00

"All in the Facebook family: older generations join social networks"
By John D. Sutter
CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/04/13/social.network.older/index.html
April 13, 2009

My article was about older generations and their rapidly growing use of Facebook. It said that the number of users fifty five and older has grown 550 percent over the last six months. Since the number of users younger than twenty five has only grown twenty percent in that time period, it has really caught people’s attention. The main reason that people this age join Facebook is to keep in touch with family, especially those family members that live far away. But after joining, they have found people that they would not have normally been able to keep in touch with, such as old classmates. Many parents have joined to keep an eye on what their children are up to. This biggest problem that this older generation has with Facebook is letting all their personal information become public, but many of them are not letting that stop them from keeping in touch with family and friends.

I found this article really interesting because I have noticed a lot more of my friend’s parents getting a Facebook. I think this is very helpful for people who want to keep in touch with family members that live far away and you don’t get to see very often. I think it will be a continuing trend to see the older generations connecting to these social networks. I also think the younger generation will begin getting involved because I know some children as young as nine that have a Facebook. Parents should definitely monitor what these younger children are doing on Facebook and learn how to set their privacy level.

News Report #4

2009-04-02T07:26:00.000-07:00

No problems so far as April Fools' computer worm awakens
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/04/01/tech.viruses/index.htm
lBy John D. Sutter
CNN
4/1/2009

The article I choose was about a computer worm that was launched as an April fool’s joke. Millions were expected to be infected but there have not been any problems reported so far, but experts are not confident that everyone is safe yet. Experts also say that the author could take control of a lot of information and his motives are probably to find financial information. A team of expert analysis is working to dismantle the worm but they say its complexity is unprecedented. A mater computer is used to communicate with other infected machines, which are generating 50,000 URL’s daily. These websites they generate are shutting down many active domain names and causing a lot of problems. Experts say with such a powerful worm, an attack is bound to happen sooner or later.

I found this article to be very interesting because I had not heard of this worm before reading this. I think it is imperative that experts work their hardest to find a way to stop this from spreading. It’s also very important that the author be found so he doesn’t cause any more damage. It is very scary to think someone has the power to destroy the information we use daily. There is also a way to determine if your computer is safe and everyone should take these precautions. I think whoever the author is has a very odd sense of humor because most people are not going to be laughing when there computers are being controlled.

Reading Report #5

2009-03-24T07:07:00.000-07:00

This article is about college students and how they can be overwhelmed by the amount of information that is available to them. Colleges are helping students gain better “information literacy” by holding sessions where a librarian guides them through the school’s databases. Students tend to lean towards the internet to find their information, which may not be the most reliable source. Librarians are trying to help students to be able to sort through this information to find what is relevant and trustworthy. Standardized test are being created to evaluate students information literacy skills and college graduates must be able to pass this.
I found this article interesting because it is a growing concern in colleges and universities today. It is good to know that libraries and professors are starting to recognize this problem and taking steps to solve it. I think it is very important that students know what information is out there and also what information is reliable. When starting to do research, it is easy to get overwhelmed and hard to know where to start. The library sessions are very helpful but I think it would be more important for students to take a whole library class for their basic studies requirements because at some point throughout everyone’s college career, they will be required to do research. As far as the standardized test for evaluating information literacy, I think it is unnecessary. It would be more effective to require students to make a certain grade in a library class, than to require a standardized test.

Reading Report #4

2009-03-02T09:27:00.000-08:00

This article is about students forgetting what valuable resources the library has and how libraries and librarians are frustrated that students are not using these resources. Students want a lot of results as quickly as possible, so they are constantly using Google instead of the libraries journals, which have much more relevant information. Libraries are now looking for a way that students can quickly and efficiently look through their journals by having a Google-like search. Not only are they looking for an easier way to search through these databases, they are also trying to provide more full-text articles. Professors can also help this problem by requiring students to uses sources other than Google in their research projects. Librarians should try to persuade professors to do this by showing them how useful their databases are if the professors are unfamiliar with them.
I think this article was very interesting because I do believe this is a growing problem in colleges and universities today. The idea of making databases available easier and more available for people to use is a great idea. I think students can be overwhelmed by the libraries many databases so they just use Google because it is so familiar to them. But by doing this, they are missing out on a lot of quality information that could really enhance their research projects. Students would be much more willing to use a Google-like search that had full-text articles. Colleges could require students to take a basic library class which would help their research skills because before I took this library class, I was unaware of all the information available to students.

Reading Report #3

2009-02-18T23:04:00.001-08:00

In this article I learned that libraries have been the center of information for a long time. When books were first made, they were all hand-written and much too expense to own so libraries were essential for gaining knowledge from these books. Books have become much more easily available now and information can be obtained very easily. There are many new trends that are being used to create libraries for the next generation. A few of them include the constant changing of communication systems, which allows us to access information more efficiently every time a new device is created. There will always be new technology that will replace old technology and it will continue to follow this trend until a master device is created, but nobody knows what that might be. Also as information expands, searching through all this information will become very complicated.

I agreed with this articles ideas about new technologies and communication devices. It seems reasonable that new technology will continue to replace old technology, but I do not think there will ever be a master device. Also, the part about not having a need for a keyboard seems far-fetched, I think it will be a little longer than 2050 for computers to start acting human-like. When he discussed the movement towards global system, I think it would be ideal if the whole world used the same systems but I don’t see it happening anytime in the near future. He could be correct about a lot of his ideas in the future, but it’s hard to comprehend how these trends could all happen anytime soon.

2009-02-17T06:09:00.001-08:00

“Should Motorist Ever Talk on the Phone?”
By Stephanie Chin
2/16/09
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/02/16/cellphones.driving.safety/index.html?eref=rss_tech

This article is about how recent studies have shown that talking on a hands free device can be just as dangerous s using a cell phone. It still causes a distraction and delays reaction time. Studies show that it is more hazardous that talking to a front seat passenger because the passenger can look for potential hazards on the road. A survey done by nationwide insurance stated that 80 percent of drivers admitted they use their cell phones with driving and 45 percent have hit or nearly hit by driving them. Experts say that although legislation will help, education will make people aware of how dangerous using cell phones while driving can be. Many states are moving towards prohibiting cell phone use whiling operating a vehicle. Since there is no federal law against using them, some states already have restrictions for teenagers using them.

I think this article is important because people need to realize that there is a correlation between the number of cell phone users and the amount of motor vehicle accidents. People also need to just put there cell phones and any other distractions out of reach while driving. With all the new features phones now offer, such as text messaging, e-mail, and internet, it is very easy to get distracted while driving. Although it will be hard to enforce laws prohibiting cell phone use, I think it is necessary. There should also be educational programs for teenagers before they begin to drive about the hazards of being distracted while driving.

News Report #2

2009-02-05T06:14:00.000-08:00

Facebook turns 5-but can it survive?
2/4/2009
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/02/04/facebook.anniversary/index.html?eref=rss_tech

This article was about the very popular website that keeps many people in touch with their friends and family, Facebook, having its 5th birthday today. It was started by a student and is now used worldwide and worth billions of dollars. There are now 150 million users and it is still growing. The created of the website was 19 when he first started it and he now is the youngest billionaire. This site has become so popular that people are saying that it contributed to helping Obama win the election by having contact with the younger population. Facebook has become so popular because people feel that it is a safe place to express themselves. Facebook might not see the success it has had in the next couple years because online advertising is expected to decline with the economy in the shape it is.

I believe that Facebook will continue to be a very profitable site. People of all ages are continuing to join this network and I do not see growth to slow down in the number of people staying on facebook. As far as profits from advertising, I think will we not see a huge decline in sales. Because there such a huge amount of users, businesses will find it hard to not want to keep advertising on facebook. Especially now that it is not just college students joining the facebook network, but parents, high schools and even middle school students are starting to make an account. With an increase in age differences, businesses will definitely try their hardest to keep advertising with facebook.

Reading Report #2

2009-02-02T23:46:00.000-08:00

This article is about a professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo, who began studying Wikipedia to see how valid and reliable information was. He did this because he knew anyone can edit or create a new Wikipedia page without showing any proof of expertise. He posted incorrect information to see how long it would stay on the site. He kept a blog and stated how efficient the editors were about eliminating his false information. Although this demonstrates that Wikipedia can be a valid source of information, many educators disagree and will not let students use it as a source of information. The founders of Wikipedia believe it is important for all kinds of academic participation in the site not just experts in the field. They are considering making a site called Citizendium, where experts in the fields can make articles and write about their new research.

I believe Wikipedia is a great source of information and I plan on using it when researching. I believe that people need to be aware that any one can edit Wikipedia. Although, the article discuses that faulty information is removed fairly quickly, it is not removed instantly, so you have to be cautious about that. But for looking up everyday information that is not school-related, I think it is a good source of information. I don’t necessarily think it should be your first choice for a intensive research paper because most articles only have basic information and new ideas and research are usually deleted by the editors.

Reading Report #1

2009-01-26T23:56:00.000-08:00

This article was about the dangers of misinformation on the web. It warned us how easy it was to post misleading information on the internet and how we can all be gullible when we do not evaluate the web site. Many counterfeit sites today look official, so it can be very tricky when trying to decipher what is accurate. Reading about health misinformation is probably the biggest concern today, especially teens and elderly. Many spoof sites have been made and most the time they are obviously not true, but sometimes people forget to question the validity of the site. Most of these fictitious sites are made just to be humorous but it can be confusing when people are not expecting it. Hacked sites have been altered from its original form by an outsider. Fortunately, these can be fixed in a few days and not cause permanent damage. There are sites that track web hoaxes that should clear up any confusion about websites.
I found this article very helpful and informative because I think there are many people that are unaware that these type of websites exist. It shows many reasons why information should be regulated on the internet, but that could be impossible. I think the eight tips for recognizing misinformation should be made well known to everyone because information can be dangerous if people don’t know it is just a prank or a minority opinion. Overall I think everyone should pay more attention to the validity of the internet and not to fall into the trap of believing everything you read.

News Report #1

2009-01-20T07:10:00.000-08:00

“3D is coming to a living room near you”
January 15th 2009
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/01/15/3d.tv/index.html?eref=rss_tech

This article is about bringing three dimensional television into homes in the United States. TV manufactures are looking for new ways to keep sales up with the declining economy because HD and Plasma TV’s markets are expected to decline in the next year. At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this year, the top four selling TV manufactures showed off their new 3D TV’s. A big concern of these new TV’s are if consumers will be willing to upgrade just because of the new 3D feature. Since the new 3D TV’s cost are comparable to the HD TV’s, manufactures are hoping people will be willing to upgrade to TV’s with this cutting edge feature. Movies and sporting events are considering making all events in 3D. Yet, there are some downfalls to this new technology; to get the best 3D experience, you have to wear special glasses and without them the screen just looks blurry. Also, live broadcast cannot be shown in 3D and filming in 3D is much more costly and difficult.
I think this article is very interesting because I think 3D technology in our homes would be really fun. 3d would really enhance the experience of watching TV and all ages would enjoy it. Although it sounds awesome, this article informed me of some of the drawbacks of 3D. I also think that in this economy, people that just bought an expensive HD television would be reluctant to upgrade just for the 3D feature.

My First Post

2009-01-13T08:55:00.001-08:00

Almost done with class today!