10/25 Reading Notes

How Internet Infrastructure Works

The discussion of how computers are connected simultaneously to the Internet was basic information, although some of the terminology, such as Point of Presence (POP), Network Access Points (NAP), and the functions of backbones were subjects with which I was not completely familiar.  I was not aware that the first high-speed backbone, known as NSFNET, was created in 1987.  I thought that the section about the IP addresses was a good addition to the material discussed in class about IP addresses.  I also found the section that discussed how DNSs work to be particularly informative, since I was only familiar with some of the functions of DNSs before reading this article.  

Dismantling Integrated Library Systems

It appears that one of the reasons that libraries are not as socially recognized as they once were is because of the lack of technological development within the library systems described in this article.  Even though libraries are capable of providing access to an amalgam of scholarly information to patrons, the technology that is used within the library systems is not as efficient as other sources of scholarly information to many people.  As a result of the amount of scholarly information that has accumulated over the last decade, libraries have had to find new ways to provide information to patrons, while maintaining a budget for the cost of materials and technology.  If libraries are to provide one of the best options for information retrieval in the future, they must find new ways to improve their integration systems.

Sergey Brin and Larry Page on Google

I was aware of the influence of Google upon the world, although actually seeing what Google is capable of accomplishing was interesting.  Even though this video is almost seven years old, it discussed some important information about the capabilities of Google, such as The Google Foundation, the development of Orkut, and the Google Toolbar.  The development of other variations of Google, such as Google Chrome, Google Desktop and Google Maps have also provided a myriad of services to Internet users that have made searching the Internet easier.  Even though the video was basically a promotion of Google, it was still informative and rather interesting, in my opinion.