(posting 5)
One of the problems I have with prospective web related jobs is that I am always unsure of what level potential employers expect in terms of knowledge. I have become over the course of this semester pretty adept with a range of technology, but not to the point where I feel I could be called an expert. Yet more and more often I realize that my skill level may be more than adequate for the job in question. Part of the problem is that it is never obvious which side of the dividing line a potential employ is in terms of technology. Being raised with computers, I take a number of skills for granted and do not see them as special or complex in anyway. Recently however it has come to my attention that I have been underselling my competency with technology to many potential employers. The one nice thing about this class has been that technology seems so much closer to what I consider to be my ability level. Rather than shy away from jobs that advertise a need for technological prowess, I take a second look as realize that in many cases positions I had written off as being about my ability are actually well below what I am capable of.

(post 4)
For me it has always been hard to think about the future of the web. Part of my trouble is that the web already feel so much like the future, that thinking about it’s future feels redundant. In some way I feel that they way in which we as a culture have sought to mark the development of the web by way of number designation to be disrespectful. Many people point to web 2.0 as the version that promoted social interaction and collaboration. But those are values that have been part of the web long before it was deemed web 2.0. That being said, I really think that a semantic web would actually be a step in a new direction. The one question I have about the semantic web is, while the search maybe able to identify relevant information, a great deal of information will still exist in restricted databases. So while search may be more accurate will they not still be limited to the same content they currently are? Also such a great deal of search failures are due to the user and not the technology. I am unsure that the semantic web could overcome the rate of user error. For my part, if you accept that there is a web 2.0 you can point to the fact that people in web 2.0 have a different relationship to not only the technology but the world around them. Online social networking not only changed peoples behavior online, it altered their behavior in the real world. I am not sure that the sematic web will change our behavior in any significant way. It will just make our current relationship with technology more productive. But perhaps that is the way technology changes us. The advent of the car altered our culture and how we interact with our geography. Since that time, cars have simply become faster and more efficient. But it would be ignorant to assume that nothing ground breaking occurred in automobiles in the last 50 years just because it did not match the initial cultural alteration. Perhaps then the sematic web is a refinement of an existing cultural alteration. Maybe web 3.0 is not the invention of the car but rather the technological equivalent of the construction of the freeway system.

(posting 1)
I am actually far more interested in the ways in which libraries can become involved in mobile technology than any other tech trend. It is one thing to have an online presence as a library, it is something entirely different to exist literally in the pocket of your patrons. I am a bit of a luddite, but ended up getting a smartphone a year ago by accident. Since that time, I have found that having applications like Overdrive on my phone makes me much more likely to interact with my local library digitally. Having a worldcat application also makes life extremely easy. Having that presence on a mobile device is a total game changer. Phones have gotten to the point where a great deal of what I need to do with a computer can be done with my phone. True, many of my academic pursuits require a fully functioning laptop at the very least, but most of my digital life has nothing to do with academics. I am not saying that libraries should abandon their mission to service the educational needs of a community. I just think that libraries can become more involved in the non-academic lives of their patrons through mobile technology. Already applications like having a call number texted to my phone, have made my life radically easier. Being able to locate books on worldcat makes me more likely to actually go to a library. Many would argue that being a future librarian it is easier for me to pick up these new trends and that most people are better suited to traditional service methods. Yes I believe that some patrons will always prefer our traditional service options. But libraries cannot become the place that hides from tech trends just because those trends may sometimes become fads. The reality of things now is that it may become harder and harder to tell the deference between fads and trends

(posting 2)
Let me first say that I understand the reasons for which copyright laws were created and I even agree with the sentiment. I don’t believe that artist should die broke while companies make millions off of their intellectual property. My problem is that I do not believe that our conception of intellectual property is up to date with where we stand artistically or culturally. Come to think of it, I am not really sure that copyright as it exists now is doing anything more than propping up the old ways of distribution, which economically favors the companies over the artists. All too often digital transmission of intellectual property and peer to peer sharing is cast as “piracy”. On some level, it may in fact be piracy. But those same technologies that have are seen as criminal, have also done an enormous amount of good for any number of artists. Napster, torrents, and Youtube may let me download or listen to music for free, but it is also an opportunity for artists to get their art out in the public conversation. These technologies have allowed for artists from around the world to obtain a global audience. Before the internet, it is doubtful that many fringe genres would have ever built an audience large enough to justify a global recording contract. The internet has made that possible. I understand the frustration many artists who found success via the traditional way must feel. The fact of the matter is that the world is changing fast and paying homage to laws 3 decades out of place is simply not culturally productive. There has to be a way to protect the artist and accept that in the new era, digital sharing is a reality that cannot be litigated away. I really think libraries need to be on the forefront of pushing for radical alteration in terms of fair use laws. It is after all obvious that most of the major companies are trying to write libraries out of the game completely. Libraries were created to preserve of our national cultural heritage. We need a radical new dedication to preservation and dissemination.

(Posting 3)
The lack of broadband penetration always appears to take many people aback. Whenever I see or hear and article that discusses how many people lack true broadband access the author always takes a tone of surprise that people do not have access. I live Champaign, IL, by all accounts a very tech minded town that has some of the most powerful computers in country. Yet if you go even a few miles outside of town, broadband is difficult to come by. Many institutions and pundits act as though only the most remote area’s lack broadband, but my experience is that you do not have to go very far out into the country before broadband becomes a rarity. Granted this is not always the case, but it is much larger problem than most people really want to admit. Also in many areas in which broadband is available, it is often more expensive than it would be in an urban area. So while an area may have the ability to access broadband internet connections, they may not have the economic means to do so. When I have traveled to communities well off the beaten path in places like Montana and Alaska I have heard just how frustrating it is for people who could truly benefit from broadband but are not seen as being cost effective when it comes to laying cable. More than one person has commented to me that the lack of technological penetration in rural areas is making life unsustainable for the people growing our food and harvesting our raw materials.

saw this blog article and immediately thought about this class. The article relates how the original website for the Movie ”space jam” (circa 1996) is still up and is a dazzling look into the past of web design. It helped me put my own efforts into perspective.

the original article
http://www.disinfo.com/2011/03/the-space-jam-website-a-slice-of-internet-history/

the website in question
http://www2.warnerbros.com/spacejam/movie/jam.htm

Hi, i’m John and this is my last semester here at dominican. I generally have to commute up to River Forest from Champaign where I live. Really excited that this class is going to save me some gas money.I am currently looking for a library position in the chicago-land.

my family got dial-up aol around ’95 but i remember fooling around with it for a couple years before that at various LAN parties at other peoples homes. I think like many people I remember how many personal websites looked like ransom notes from super villains. To be honest i kinda miss that fanfic geocities aesthetic. While email, chatrooms, and Instant Messaging certainly stand out, i really think the one aspect of the internet that facinated/blew my mind was the gaming. Going from 4 person LAN Doom Matches to various Muds or Ultima Online with hundreds/thousands of people you never met was like walking out your backdoor and finding an entirely new civilization. I’ll be honest probably 90% of my early internet experience was gaming. Most chatting was done in game, and the vast majority of sites I visited were for the purposes of searching for mods and talking with fellow gamers. I distinctly remember internet gaming as being the source of my insomnia since we only had 1 phone line and for the first 2-3ish years i could only use the internet for more than 15 minutes after 9:30 at night. I also remember (and am constantly reminded) that I was at that cusp of early adopters and even people i went to high school with who were only a couple of years older at times have an awkward relationship with the internet.