I wholeheartedly believe that. ButatothertimesIreallyhavetohopethatstatementistrueandthatpeopleagree.
Hmm. Ridiculous.
3.18.2008
I should've played Powerball.
I really should've played Powerball. I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing right now. Or would I? Is it really that stupid and naive to believe you're due for the jackpot?
I'm starting to consider exploring some different avenues in my life. Try to make things work in a different way, from a different angle. Maybe pursue more creative outlets. WHY? I don't want to do anything else. Perhaps there are areas where I'm genuinely talented but my personality won't allow me to acknowledge them. Or, maybe, I'm not that genuinely talented and don't want to be exposed to a public, ice-water bath wake up call. I could be admired. I could be panned.
Parachute jump and see where you end up. The winds may take you somewhere new and exciting.
I'm starting to consider exploring some different avenues in my life. Try to make things work in a different way, from a different angle. Maybe pursue more creative outlets. WHY? I don't want to do anything else. Perhaps there are areas where I'm genuinely talented but my personality won't allow me to acknowledge them. Or, maybe, I'm not that genuinely talented and don't want to be exposed to a public, ice-water bath wake up call. I could be admired. I could be panned.
Parachute jump and see where you end up. The winds may take you somewhere new and exciting.
12.08.2007
12.01.2007
Semantic Skynet = Alabama Tourism?
For my first foray into the early stages of the Semantic Web I checked out hakia.com(beta), the web's first meaning-based search engine. A link had been provided on my online class homepage and I figured that I could check it out and complete another blog entry. Both very meaningful exercises.
I wasn't sure what exactly to search for, though. There are instructions above the search box that say to enter a question, sentence, phrase, or keywords. How about a keyWORD? I tried to think of a keyword which has multiple meanings (to see how the search engine would respond). I chose the word, "mobile", as in mobile/able to move, mobile phone, and Mobile, Alabama. Now you're probably figuring out why I wrote "Semantic Skynet = Alabama Tourism?" as the title of this blog post. Every result on the first page had to do with Mobile, Alabama. Mobile weather. Mobile real estate. Mobile attractions, nightlife, shopping, restaurants, photographs, etc. It would have been cool if I had really wanted all this info about Mobile, Alabama and had only typed "mobile" into the search box. There were, at least, some ads for wireless phones and service.
I also perused a review of Hakia at Read/WriteWeb and he/they actually asked questions. I didn't. Maybe I should have. Many times, I simply want a definition of some unfamiliar word and whichever search engine I use normally brings up a definition from an online dictionary within the first few results.
So, I was pretty surprised after that first search (and overwhelmed by the deluge of info about Mobile, Alabama). I'll definitely go back and enter more semantic search-appropriate queries. Like say, the great existential questions of life: Hakia, why am I here?
I wasn't sure what exactly to search for, though. There are instructions above the search box that say to enter a question, sentence, phrase, or keywords. How about a keyWORD? I tried to think of a keyword which has multiple meanings (to see how the search engine would respond). I chose the word, "mobile", as in mobile/able to move, mobile phone, and Mobile, Alabama. Now you're probably figuring out why I wrote "Semantic Skynet = Alabama Tourism?" as the title of this blog post. Every result on the first page had to do with Mobile, Alabama. Mobile weather. Mobile real estate. Mobile attractions, nightlife, shopping, restaurants, photographs, etc. It would have been cool if I had really wanted all this info about Mobile, Alabama and had only typed "mobile" into the search box. There were, at least, some ads for wireless phones and service.
I also perused a review of Hakia at Read/WriteWeb and he/they actually asked questions. I didn't. Maybe I should have. Many times, I simply want a definition of some unfamiliar word and whichever search engine I use normally brings up a definition from an online dictionary within the first few results.
So, I was pretty surprised after that first search (and overwhelmed by the deluge of info about Mobile, Alabama). I'll definitely go back and enter more semantic search-appropriate queries. Like say, the great existential questions of life: Hakia, why am I here?
11.22.2007
Semantic Skynet
Web 3.0. Semantic Web. AI. What's next? Skynet? No Terminators! No nuclear holocaust! We must fight the computers!
Let's be real. We are the harbingers of our own doom.
TO BE FINISHED LATER..... Happy Black Friday. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Let's be real. We are the harbingers of our own doom.
TO BE FINISHED LATER..... Happy Black Friday. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
I Thee Web: 3.0
Technology never sleeps. Its evolution continues daily, hourly. It must be sculpted, refined, retooled, perfected. When I first heard of the concept of Web 2.0 I was kind of curious about what it all meant. Then I realized that Web 2.0 was already here and that we were already basking in its glory. New communication tools, user -generated content, web-based software applications, increased interactivity, etc. had changed much of the Web landscape. I was just living my life. Wherever Web 1.0 went, so, too, must Web 2.0 go and be replaced (or annexed) by Web 3.0.
So what the heck is Web 3.0?
It's probably not too early to think about what's next after Web 3.0. Bring on Web 4.0.
TO BE FINISHED LATER....
So what the heck is Web 3.0?
It's probably not too early to think about what's next after Web 3.0. Bring on Web 4.0.
TO BE FINISHED LATER....
11.06.2007
Blahg Blahg Blahg
I'm not gonna call myself a pack rat but yeah, sometimes I hold onto things that maybe I no longer need to hold onto. I'm sure many out there know that all it takes is gettin' burned just once because you misplaced (or, gasp, "accidentally" threw out) a receipt or a bill or didn't write down some confirmation number. You're supposed to write down details, as many as you can. When you called, the name of the CSR you spoke with (or their operator number), an authorization code/number, where the crime took place, etc. It's actually pretty annoying but in the end the burden of proof is on you. Look out for number one! Create that paper trail!
So, let's tie this into an article written circa 1994 about the early days of online library catalogs. The dilemma faced by many libraries was what to do with the old and clunky card catalog. For some, it wasn't much of a dilemma at all. "Chuck it!" "Trash it!" "Burn it!" It even became a cause for celebration. It was Extreme Makeover: Library Edition. It was pure card catalog carnage. Had I been in that situation almost 20 years ago I probably would've been fighting to keep the physical card catalog. I'm comfortable with all the computer technology we have now but I sure as heck don't trust it. There are too many things that can go wrong and Murphy's Law never goes out of style. Imagine the reputation computers may have had then. That probably would've been my big thing. Gonna get burned with no fallback. The reliability of the technology may have been an issue but imagine the amount of time and effort that went into creating and maintaining those cards. I'm sure many people who spent many hours on the catalog hated to see their work trashed. And having to celebrate it! These people had personally customized numerous cards, adding valuable information to assist library users in their search for particular resources. This information helped link related materials within the collection. Related materials could often be separated and difficult to find due to different spellings of an author's name or to being a different edition. This is the type of knowledge that should be passed on and included in the electronic online catalog. And maybe some of it was. But what happens if the electronics fail or become corrupted and you've already trashed the physical card catalog? I'm keeping receipts and statements from 5+ years ago in a shoe box in my closet because I'm freaked out that if or when something goes wrong (as it inevitably will) the electronic record that's supposed to be there isn't going to be. I know that I have to have a paper copy for practically everything.
In my LIS 5023 class this past summer we talked about how all of our electronic documents are supposed to cut our usage of paper when, in fact, it really isn't. Our paper usage is probably the same or even increasing. Our access to materials has increased exponentially and we're bound to see more that we like. For example, I have hundreds of pages of class-related articles laying on my floor. I don't read them first. I just click 'PRINT'. And then I read them. And after that, who knows? I probably won't throw the articles out because, in my mind, I think they may come in handy sometime in the future. I know that my professors have placed a value on these and picked them as part of my education. So... Yes, I'm saying that our professors have too much access to educational resources and are swamping us! Thankfully, they provide links.
So, let's tie this into an article written circa 1994 about the early days of online library catalogs. The dilemma faced by many libraries was what to do with the old and clunky card catalog. For some, it wasn't much of a dilemma at all. "Chuck it!" "Trash it!" "Burn it!" It even became a cause for celebration. It was Extreme Makeover: Library Edition. It was pure card catalog carnage. Had I been in that situation almost 20 years ago I probably would've been fighting to keep the physical card catalog. I'm comfortable with all the computer technology we have now but I sure as heck don't trust it. There are too many things that can go wrong and Murphy's Law never goes out of style. Imagine the reputation computers may have had then. That probably would've been my big thing. Gonna get burned with no fallback. The reliability of the technology may have been an issue but imagine the amount of time and effort that went into creating and maintaining those cards. I'm sure many people who spent many hours on the catalog hated to see their work trashed. And having to celebrate it! These people had personally customized numerous cards, adding valuable information to assist library users in their search for particular resources. This information helped link related materials within the collection. Related materials could often be separated and difficult to find due to different spellings of an author's name or to being a different edition. This is the type of knowledge that should be passed on and included in the electronic online catalog. And maybe some of it was. But what happens if the electronics fail or become corrupted and you've already trashed the physical card catalog? I'm keeping receipts and statements from 5+ years ago in a shoe box in my closet because I'm freaked out that if or when something goes wrong (as it inevitably will) the electronic record that's supposed to be there isn't going to be. I know that I have to have a paper copy for practically everything.
In my LIS 5023 class this past summer we talked about how all of our electronic documents are supposed to cut our usage of paper when, in fact, it really isn't. Our paper usage is probably the same or even increasing. Our access to materials has increased exponentially and we're bound to see more that we like. For example, I have hundreds of pages of class-related articles laying on my floor. I don't read them first. I just click 'PRINT'. And then I read them. And after that, who knows? I probably won't throw the articles out because, in my mind, I think they may come in handy sometime in the future. I know that my professors have placed a value on these and picked them as part of my education. So... Yes, I'm saying that our professors have too much access to educational resources and are swamping us! Thankfully, they provide links.
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