Reading Assignment #3

This is an interesting article in several ways. As an avid arte lover, I was really interested in the beginning section that explained how library archives were involved in the recovery of DaVinci’s precious works. Many people view libraries as large room filled with books and nothing more, which in fact is incorrect. Different libraries were involved in the recovery or DaVinci’s work as well as protecting it and restoring it. This plays a major role for history in that without the preservation of his works, art would be different from what it is today. The article also had interesting views on the future. The section that captured my attention was the one on technology, and how the “status quo” is continually changing. I can apply this logic to my own life. I remember when I was little and my parents had a spin-dial phone. I thought that we were something advanced when we got our first button phone, and look how much things have changed from that point. Now we have Blackberries, IPhones, and other various cell phones that not only can be used to make calls but tackle email, play music, and even provide GPS systems. The article is right on when it says that technology is forever changing and will always be replaced by something “new and improved”. Libraries are experiencing technology changes as well in several ways. They have advanced from the standard library card catalogue to faster, more efficient computer systems. They have online journals and article archives. Soon, many hope to have digitized copies of books. Technology is forever changing; the question is whether or not it will ever reach an ultimate point where no more advancements can be made.

News Report #3

The computer powerhouse company Intel is planning an extremely expensive expansion plan. It is estimated to cost seven billion dollars over the next few years. The company plans to construct advanced factories throughout the United States. The plan is to produce faster and smaller chips that are “greener” for the world. President Obama has condoned this plan as a good one, claiming the company is investing in the betterment of America. The expansion plan will provide about seven thousand jobs for people that are highly skilled computer technicians, compiling more than forty five thousand jobs that Intel provides in the United States. According to the president of the Intel company, Paul Otellini, the chips will be used mainly in desktop and mobile mainstream systems. The chips will be named “Westmere” and they will increase the computer’s performance and simplify the system manufacturing compared to the current systems that are being used today. They will also be produced efficiently, adding to the world’s movement towards “green” production. Although I think that major companies like Intel produce new computer software frequently to keep consumers buying the “latest and fastest” technology, this seems like an interesting project. Not only will the company provide an ample amount of job openings, which is crucial in the current recession that the United States is experiencing, but the company is trying to produce the product efficiently. When other major companies that look towards Intel see that the company is going “green” they are likely to follow. It will also be interesting to see how much improvement the chip actually does for the everyday computer user.

Intel Plans To Invest $7 Billion In US Facilities-http://www.efytimes.com/efytimes/32264/news.htm

News Report #2

Facebook had its fifth birthday recently. The creator, Mark Zuckerberg is now known as the youngest billionaire on the planet thanks to the online service. He created the program when he was only nineteen years old as a way to reconnect with old friends and acquaintances. Within twenty four hours and its creation, over a thousand of his fellow Harvard classmates had joined. Now, after Facebook’s recent fifth birthday, the online service now accommodates more than one hundred and fifty million users throughout the world. The online service offers a safe place for people to reconnect with friends throughout the world, the ability to join groups for different causes, as well as massive storage space for each user for the uploading of photos. Although Facebook faces rivals such as Myspace, the company is making the service beneficial for a wider population. It is said that the recent election of President Barack Obama owes some credit to Facebook. Facebook was used as a means to reach out to a younger generation that may not have previously voted or was not properly informed on their voting choices. I personally am a Facebook user and have been able to reconnect with several friends. Many people, not just the younger generation are joining the Facebook community. I know that many high school as well as college professors use Facebook as another way to stay connected with students. Overall Facebook meets many challenges for the future due to the recession like economy and other competitors but Zuckerberg plans on improving the system even more to meet the people’s demands.

Reading Report #2

I found this article to be very interesting. Wikipedia is an vast online encyclopedia that is created by anyone on the web that desires to add their input. There is a ton of controversy surrounding Wikipedia, especially among scholars and professors. However, Wikipedia is working on improving the information system and bettering the facts that are added to the site. This was proved by a professor named Alexander M.C. Halavais. He decided to insert thirteen random and false facts throughout the system to see how long it would take for the falsifications to be deleted or noticed at all. Some of the falsifications were blatantly obvious and others were not. It took Wikipedia professionals only three hours to root out the falsifications as well as send him an email about posting information that was not valid. This was an impressive feat for the professor. However, other scholars have not been so easily impressed. Michael Gorman is one of these skeptics. He does not agree with the fact that people other than scholars are able to contribute information to the system. Scholars like Larry Sanger agree with Gorman and have developed a similar site that consists of information that is only posted by academic scholars. Many still argue that Wikipedia is unique in the fact that anybody can contribute to the system, making the information system immense. The Wikipedia crew however, is trying to focus their attention less on the vastness of the program and more on the quality of content in order to win the approval of skeptical scholars and professors.