news report # 5

Singel, Ryan. "Google poised to become your phone company." Cnn.com. Wired, 13 Nov. 2009. Web. 14 Nov. 2009. .

Summary

Google purchased Gizmo5, this is an online phone company similiar to skype. Google spent 30 million on the acquisition. When you put Gizmo's online calling system, with Google's ability to route calls, and Google Voices' ability to call your house, mobile and laptop together, you have the potential to become a phone company. This could possibly replace the way wireless phone companies work. Gizmo offered a similiar service for 6 dollars a month but was quickly taken off the market by Google. Google could recoup the 30 million spent on Gizmo5 if people started using computer based clients to access Google voice. This would save customers a few dollars a month in turn reimbursing Google. There are certain restrictions dealing with 911 wiretap requirements and Google hopes to bypass this and incurring common carrier obligations.

Response

This is something I thought about when I went to Germany to study abroad for a summer session. To communicate I used Skype on my computer to talk to family and friends. I saw offers from Skype for a Skype phone. As I understood it, it worked just like a phone only using internet based locations. I guess it was only a matter of time before something newer and cheaper than the way we do cell phones now would come. It will be interesting to see how they charge for this service. With every new technology there is always a new way to bill for it. Similiar to how online books and iTunes is working out.

news reponse # 4

Liedke, Michael. "Clicker.com aims to become Internet's TV guide." Goole.com. Google Inc., 12 Nov. 2009. Web. 12 Nov. 2009. .

Summary

Clicker.com is trying to capture the old school TV guide audience by showing brief summaries and links to videos. This will compete with a few other websites just like it, and also google video, microsoft, and yahoo. This is being run by the former CEO of Ask.com. He was so good at his job he helped oversee the design of new search formats that were so good they were copied by Google. Some videos that are linked to Netflix or Amazon you have to pay for and others that link to Youtube or Google Video are free. Clicker.com will rely on advertising for funding and possibly collect portions of the proceeds from the sites putting the videos up.

This seems like a good idea but it might be difficult to compete with Youtube and Google as they are free. The only way this will win out is if they have full length episodes and good quality. People have become used to getting things like this for free. With Netflix and Amazon charging for their videos that will probabaly be a turn off for most web surfers. They do have a CEO who is competent in competing with the major dot com corporations (Google, Yahoo). It really depends on the content of the videos available on clicker.com. If they have full TV episodes with high quality I think they will be succesful. If it is just brief videos with a lot of low quality content like Youtube it will probably fail.

Reading Response # 4

"The Infodiet: How Libraries Can Offer an Appetizing Alternative to Google" by Steven Bell. Chronicle of Higher Education (2/20/2004

Summary

This article wants two sides of the "infobesity" argument to compromise. The "googlizers" want databases and journal articles to be easier to research and find. They simply want the database/catalog experience to be more like Google. This is understandable as in today's world we are used to having information at our fingertips. The Librarian/Scholar side of the argument is research is not supposed to be easy, you are supposed to take time and effort to locate the perfect information to make a good research paper. So to compromise, databases need to use better technology to make the interface faster, and easy enough so you don't have to be a road scholar to use it. Also this does not mean the databases should be dumbed-down, simply made less complex.

Response

I understand where the Scholars and Librarians are coming from, but before this class I definitely did not know how to use the library databases, or the search catalogue in detail. I did what most college kids do and googled it. I agree with the fact that research should not be easy and quick, but like the author suggested, why don't databases resemble Google in the way they operate. Shouldn't that be the number one priority when designing a database search engine? It is just like silent letters in a word. Why do they exist? I do agree that Librarians need to collaborate with school faculty and come up with a system to produce better quality research papers from students.

Reading Report # 3

The Future of Libraries

Summary

Libraries have been more than a place for books for the world. Libraries have been a place to store ideas and drawings of people like Leonardo Da Vinci. They are also a place most people have atleast some fond memories of. Technology is playing a major part in why Libraries are going through and will continue to go through a drastic change. As society becomes more and more global everyday new standards will come about and information will be even more accessible. As all technology has a beginning it also has an finite lifespan. One day all the technology we know today we bill dead and gone as new technology is invented each and every day. As life becomes more about experiences instead of products the Libraries of the world will change to provide different and better ways for us to experience information and technology.

Response

As libraries do become more and more technology based it will be interesting to see if all these claims come true like " literacy will be dead by 2050". As keyboards may give way to a verbal society I don't believe litreacy will ever be dead especially not by 2050. Also I don't believe TV's or cell phones will ever make a complete exit. They will for sure continue to improve but never a complete exit. It is difficult to imagine how many other ways information can be spread. With TV, print, phones, and the main one internet, what else can be done.

News Report # 3

Coursey, David. "Apple and Google Breaking up over iPhone Maps?" Www.pcworld.com. PC World Communications, Inc., 1 Oct. 2009. Web. 1 Oct. 2009. .

Summary

It seems Apple and Google have decided to part ways. Apple purchased an online mapping company named Placebase. This said to have occurred in July has people believing the iphone will soon be Google map free. Apple is dedicated to its secrecy so how the acquisition came about is still no certain. Some think Placebase was not even purchased by Apple, Apple just simply hired their employees when the company failed. This leads us to believe Apple is serious about mapping as there were many iphone apps they could have added to make Google maps better.

Response

Apple should make sure they get there there mapping application running smoothly and make sure it does all the things Google maps does and more. I know I do not even own and iphone but I am loyal to Google maps simply because it is the simplest and most reliable. I am sure iphone owners would be upset as an iphone doubles as an in-car navigation device. As a business major this makes sense for Apple especially if Apple did not purchase Placebase but simply hired their employees after the company failed. Doing the mapping application themselves instead of allowing Google the monopoly I am sure will bring proceeds back to the company.

News Report # 2

Chao, Loretta. "Schools Defy Beijing, Remove Web Filter." Online.wjs.com. New York Times, 17 Sept. 2009. Web. 21 Sept. 2009. .

Summary

Schools in many Chinese School Districts are having trouble with a censorship software called Green Dam. On the computers that it was properly installed on there has been complications with McAfee anti-virus. Many of the computers even shut down immediatly when the computer was run with the Green Dam censorship software. How "mandatory" this software has become is unclear as many schools have simply not installed it and others have begun uninstalling it. The Chinese Government is implementing this to block pornographic material and other inapropriate material for students. This program was created by two Chinese companies and was supposedly mandated by the Chinese Ministry of Industry to be shipped with all computers sold in China beginning in July. After the announcement went public consumers and major industry officials rebeled. They claimed it took freedom of choice. Then asked authorities to reconsider.

Response

I could see this happening in the school systems in our own country's school system. This is the dilemna that all authorities are having with censoring all the available information that comes along with the internet and any other way of spreading information. Schools should monitor their students internet activity in a slightly less extreme way. You could just keep track of what sites the students have been to and then search for any unacceptable websites. Then they could punish the student accordingly. Also requiring a certain software to be issued with all computers sold in China is unfair to the computer companies and the consumers. It will be interesting to see how Chinsese authorities enforce this act.

Reading Response # 2

"Can Wikipedia Ever Make the Grade" Brock Read Chronicle of Higher Education; 10/27/2006, Vol. 53 Issue 10, pA31-A36, 6p, 3 color

Summary

This article gives two perspectives on the online encyclopedia Wikipedia.com. On one hand wikipedia is great and allows the world a stage to share, and compare information. On the other hand people can post false information either maliciously or not. In some cases this false information was caught and changed quickly by the wikipedia staff. In other cases like Mr. Seigenthaler who was accused on Wikipedia of being involved in the Kennedy assasination it took him complaining about the article for it to get changed. In the four months that it was posted online many people took it as factual and it was even published in books. These books have since been "debunked" but the damage was already done. So even though wikipedia created a place for scholars to rub elbows with the general public, if not monitered correctly could cause harm. Wikipedia has taken steps and vowed to focus more on the quality of the information as opposed to how many topics they can have posted.

Response

In the techological world we are living in, Wikipedia has become a household name. People love the simplicity of just hopping online and typing in their favorite celebrity (Britney Spears), or any random topic they need info on and it just poping up. Information at your fingertips is great and if not for Wikipedia another online encylopedia of this nature would have been created. Thats is why I believe scholard need to embrace this site as it is not going anywhere. In the article it said many scholars have taken on the mentality that "if you can't beat em' join em'". If there are problems with accuracy on the site then scholars and the creaters of Wikipedia need to work together to correct the problem. This is a much better option than just shunning the website altogether.

Reading Report # 1

This article "Web Hoaxes, Counterfeit sites, and other Spurious Information on the Internet" was written to educate Internet users about false information found that resembles truthful information. Disinformation, parody, spoof, malicious, fictitious, and comedy are all forms of false information. This Information is allowed on the Internet because of freedom of speech. Although if someone where to use a site for reference when seeking medical advice, someone could get hurt. That is why use should always be somewhat skeptical before banking on the information to be true. Spoof and parody sites are easier to spot because of the humor involved. Sites like MartinLutherKing.org are a horse of a different color because at first look it seems like a legitimate Martin Luther King website with pictures and quotes but as you read into the site a little deeper connections with white supremacy groups surface. Many different aspects of our life is affected by these websites. From websites claiming male pregnancy is possible to false information about business mergers and acquisitions. There are many groups devoted to exposing these false websites but web literacy is very important. There is nothing worse then writing a research paper with false information on it. A good way to spot false websites is to check the URL. Like if a .com is expected and it says .org. Look for other obvious signs like humorous or satirical language. Check suspicious domain names, and be conscious of any suspicious links. Also the advanced search option can keep you from stumbling upon any disinformation by accident.

News Report #1

McMillan, Robert. "Privacy Missing From Google Books Settlement." Pcworld.com. PC World Communications inc., 28 Aug. 2009. Web. 31 Aug. 2009.

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/171089/privacy_missing_from_google_books_settlement.html

Summary

Google is attempting to digitize the world’s books in a project called Google Books Library Project. Library activists and others wonder if Google digitizes all the books how will they control what the user is reading. This is one of the questions left unanswered for librarians and privacy experts are dealing with as Google tries to settle a lawsuit by copyright holders and publishers. This is a touchy subject with many librarians, even ones who routinely delete borrower information. The American Library Association has tried hard to keep the privacy for their patrons even in the face of the Patriot Act. Many are calling for Google to take formal steps to insure the privacy of authors and publishers instead of just making statements. Google has kept the privacy for other programs they have, like blurring faces on Google Street view, and keeping records for Google Health users separate from other instances of Google. This is difficult for others to stomach because the details are really the important factor in the case. Last year Google did come to a settlement agreement in a lawsuit brought on by publishers and authors who claimed Google Books violated their copyrights. The Southern District Court of New York will decide if they want to accept this agreement or not by September 4^th.

Response

This entire argument reminds of the music industry and how they are going through the same copyright issues that author and publishers are going through right now. This Google Books Project is just one of the privacy concerns the internet has brought on the world. It is difficult to say exactly what is fair to authors and publishers monetarily. In my opinion information should be free but that’s not exactly fair to people who spend their time and money on writing and publishing books. So that is the dilemma the Southern District Court is faced with. The information that could be located on the internet would expand greatly if the average person were allowed free access to all the books in Google Books. I don’t think we will ever completely do away with hard copy books just because they might be available on the internet, but I believe the amount of books will decrease, just because they will become unnecessary.