9/27 Reading Notes

Data Compression

Upon reading this article, lossless compression seems to be ultimately a better method of data compression due to the accuracy of the compression.  Even though lossy data may require less space for files, according to this article, lossy data can still lose a significant amount of data after so many compressions.  In many instances, lossy compression may be beneficial, so to save space for files, or if maintaining the quality of specific files is not as important as maintaining the quality of other files.  The end of the article efficiently described the difference between data compression and data differencing, and this section may lead one to question whether data compression or data differencing is more efficient in maintaining data.

Data compression basics

These articles effectively expound upon the information provided in the Wikipedia article.  The articles provide more detailed descriptions of what data compression is, and also provide better examples as to how lossless and lossy data are different.  After reading both sections discussing lossless and lossy compression, lossless compression still seems to be the better method of maintaining data, because of the accuracy and lack of data degradation.  The section concerning video compression was just as informative as the first two sections, although without actual videos to accompany the text.  Even though descriptive videos would've been helpful, the video compression section effectively described some basic information about Internet video streams, graphics resolutions in animation, and video motion.

First Monday Website

This website is a good introduction to peer-reviewed online journals based primarily on the community of scholarly digital information.  The website is easily navigable, and also provides links to a few other online peer-reviewed journals that can be useful sources of scholarly information for academia and the general public.  Regarding the website's article on bubbles and gullibility, in a way, it does not seem surprising that many companies and individuals have reacted irrationally to the burgeoning markets over the last decade as a result of the vast developments in information technology.  The increase in technological developments over the last decade led many companies and individuals to assume that the markets associated with information technology would provide revenue over the course of many years, although their exaggerations of the burgeoning markets were a great impediment. 

YouTube and libraries: it could be a beautiful relationship

The ideas expressed in this article should most definitely be considered by many if not most libraries around the world.  A website such as YouTube provides easy access to many videos that could be viewed by students and the general public that could be very useful in improving the public image of libraries.  Even though a website such as YouTube could seem to be the Internet's video uploading version of Wikipedia, YouTube could definitely be put to better use if libraries would become more involved with the website.  Other academic institutions may become interested in uploading educational videos on the website if enough libraries were to contribute to the general educational improvements of YouTube.