XML reading comments

I am totally unsure how to use XML, and these readings haven't really helped me all that much. I think I'm too hands-on for this. The tutorial did help a little bit, but otherwise, I'm really floundering. I don't get the jargon, and I think maybe too much of the how-to is lost for me in the technical mumbo-jumbo. Nervous!

Muddiest Point

I am really, really frustrated with HTML & XML. Is this something I could even conceivably learn just by reading about it? I don't think so. This means, however, that I'm going to have to buckle down and actually use both and that really kind of frustrates and daunts me.

Comments

This week I posted on:

Kerri's blog

and

Micquel's blog

Koha Assignment

Here's my Koha collection. It exclusively features books about Buffy. Yay!!

Unit 8 Readings

The first three readings seem like they'll be quite helpful in the event that I have to make a website. I'd never heard of CSS, so that was a surprising and informative reading. I bookmarked the first reading--it's bound to be pretty useful sometimes to have an HTML cheatsheet handy.

The article from Library Hi Tech doesn't seem all too insightful or remarkable. Isn't this kind of change pretty commonplace for libraries anymore (in particular, libraries as troubled as those in the Georgia State University Library)? Seems to me most librarians and libraries are overhauling everything they can as fast as they can...

Muddiest point

All this talk of website building has me pretty nervous. Once I think I had an AOL homepage dedicated to horses or something, but that has thus far been the extent of my web savviness. That said, web design is theoretically getting fairly simple and easy (at least, that's my understanding of it). Does this put billions of web designers out of work? Are fancy websites going to be built by any Joe Six-Pack* anymore??




*Um, I can't resist.

Comments

I commented on:

Valerie's blog

and

Theresa's blog

Assignment 4

My screenshots

My Jing video

Unit 7 reading

The Howstuffworks article on Internet Infrastructure hurt my brain. I prefer to think that there are little gnomes inside my computer connecting me to websites and URLs. I prefer to think this way because then I don't have to think about things like this sentence: "An OC-3 line is capable of transmitting 155 Mbps while an OC-48 can transmit 2,488 Mbps (2.488 Gbps)." I think I have a grasp on the internet (I mean, I know how to snatch 5 Swatches on Ebay for under $10 and even how to use emoticons!!!?) but this technical stuff blows my little mind. Yuck. Admittedly, I DO love that the internet exists without a specific owner, and that regulations on it are kind of minimal and amorphous.

I get incredibly nervous when I read articles like "Dismantling Integrated Library Systems." Yes--I think technology is fantastic, more so when applied successfully and seamlessly to libraries, but I worry that librarians are forgetting about the point of libraries and getting too mired in technology. Patrons want service, and they want it fast. This is true. A faster, better, newer ILS might be the way to go here--I can't dispute that--but if this is coming at the expense of paper collections development and paper subscriptions (undoubtedly what many patrons want--particularly for public patrons in academic libraries, as well as elderly patrons), then I'm simply not interested. This is all just business talk to me--one vendor gives me this, the other vendor gives me that. Blah blah blah.

The Google video is pretty neat. I'm a fan of Google--their incredibly innovative and accessible projects have fascinated me for years, and will probably continue to do so. The fact that their employees seem relatively happy is another plus. Keep it up, Google.

p.s. Google, it's too bad for you that Yahoo snatched up flickr...! Must be the bane of your existence...

Muddiest Point

Aren't we going to run out of IP addresses eventually? Like, do we really have enough out there? There are so many computers, networks and people and simply not enough numbers. Is this going to be like when we had to start dialing an area code just to call local numbers?

Comments

This week I commented on:

Corrine's blog

and

John's blog