ZD Net: The Problem with Kindle App Ebooks
Discusses the issues that Kindle has had in digitising books for their ebook market. Page numbers have become irrelevant due to the ability to resize text and the general nature of the digital space, the reproduction of diagrams in some books have been shoddy, and the aesthetic quality of the ebook leaves something to be desired.
The author finds it surprising that for the amount of time ebooks have become mainstream, publishers still haven't figured out how to present their product properly. But presentation aside, the idea of ebooks is a good one, and is evidently the way to the future. Ebooks don't take up any physical space, so one could have an infinite amount of books at their fingertips (but this addresses the amount of information we could have in the future that we may not actually need.)
Ebooks are also better for the environment, as there is less shipping, thus less fuel consumption. Perhaps publishers should may more attention to ebooks, because they seem to be the way of the future.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
The Social Networking Map
A humorous depiction of the social networking 'world' based on the equally amusing XKCD original. Click through for the original post and full-size image.
Personal Branding Online
Emerging Ed Tech: 5 Easy Steps For Students To Establish Their Personal Brand Using Social Networking
A lot of people in web design, coding, etcetera are more likely to set up their resume online to promote themselves, as this is where a majority of their potential clients lie. For example, web developer Dave Berzack has made an amusing music video parody to advertise his services.
"Today’s students hear frequent warnings about being careful with what they post on social networking sites, in consideration of the long term damage such postings can cause. But whether through Facebook, LinkedIn, or any of the social networking sites and forums out there, students would also do well to consider how to turn these types of online environments to their professional advantage."This article brings to attention the increasing importance of establishing an online identity, and doing it safely. I think it's good that an article like this is being marketed to students, because it is ensuring a generation of net-savvy people, changing the way we see ourselves, and how we let other people see us. The article focuses on how students might brand themselves professionally, to future potential employers. The fact that this is even an issue at all shows how much of a shift to the digital world that we've made, that setting up an online profile is a legitimate way to make connections and work our way through the world. It's like the digital realm and reality have combined, so that we can no longer see where one starts and the other begins.
A lot of people in web design, coding, etcetera are more likely to set up their resume online to promote themselves, as this is where a majority of their potential clients lie. For example, web developer Dave Berzack has made an amusing music video parody to advertise his services.
A lot of jobs only advertise online, to make sure that only people who are competent on the computer apply for the job, so perhaps branding oneself on the internet will be the way of the future.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Hold onto your Crackberries
The New York Times: Your Brain on Computers
The above article discusses the effect that being 'plugged in' to various digital devices may affect parenting skills. It's interesting because it's usually teenagers or young adults that are criticised for overuse of phones or online social networking services, and this article brings to light the other demographics that are being affected by technology. It just goes to show that use of technology permeates today's society in the Western world, and affects all the spheres.
The article discusses the importance of physical and verbal interaction between parent and child in order to establish a good relationship.
The above article discusses the effect that being 'plugged in' to various digital devices may affect parenting skills. It's interesting because it's usually teenagers or young adults that are criticised for overuse of phones or online social networking services, and this article brings to light the other demographics that are being affected by technology. It just goes to show that use of technology permeates today's society in the Western world, and affects all the spheres.
The article discusses the importance of physical and verbal interaction between parent and child in order to establish a good relationship.
"“It sort of comes back to quality time, and distracted time is not high-quality time, whether parents are checking the newspaper or their BlackBerry,” said Frederick J. Zimmerman, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Public Health..."It seems to suggest that because of our constant need to be connected to the rest of the world is impeding greatly on our personal lives, which is really nothing new, but I think the fact that this is now affecting the delicate relationship between parent and child makes it a little more terrifying.
Google Goggles
Searching has advanced significantly over the years. First we were restricted by text, then we were able to search by sounds and now we have Google Goggles. It is an application available on android phones that allows you to do a Google search by taking a picture with your camera phone. I know searching by image isn't exactly new; I recall using an image search engine that worked off an algorithm based on colour which I thought was really cool.
But Google Goggles does so much more than that: it can identify text in an image, as well as paintings and landmarks. It sounds like an incredibly sophisticated and useful way to search, however, the comment section of the video brings up some interesting concerns about the social effect that Google Goggles might have.
This comment was made by ekstacy11 and is one of the top rated comments for the video on YouTube. I feel that this is a valid concern, and admittedly not one I thought of immediately. With more ways to search we are granted more freedom, but what should always be kept in mind is how people will use/abuse this freedom. Obviously putting parts of yourself is always a risk, but now with this new search technique being available to the general public, finding this information will be a lot easier. Judging from the YouTube comment, it seems that while Google Goggles has some really cool advantages, it has the tendency to bring out the creepy side of human nature.
this could get really out of hand. what if people start taking pictures of other people in order to trace them... they could easily get their facebook name just from a pic.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Social Effect of Mobile Phones
Click through for the full image
The poster that is linked above documents the changes that have occurred to the mobile phone over the past ten years. The change has been drastic, and covers all aspects of the phone, from price to function to usage. These days a phone is much more than just a phone; it's an MP3 player, an organiser, a gaming device.
The poster provides an interesting comparison between the first MP3/phone device released in 2000 and the now almost ubiquitous iPhone 3Gs, released in 2009. Not only has the price been lowered, but the applications available on the latter phone as well as its uses far surpasses that of its ancestor the Samsung Uproar.
Nowadays, smartphones like the iPhone dominate the market, to a point where most people feel that they can't live without their mobile phones. The statistics provided on the poster reflects how much today's society feels the need to be connected and constantly communicating with each other. Widespread ownership of mobile phones has decreased the use of landlines in America, and increased the number of car accidents because of text messaging. The social affect of mobile phones has become so serious that use of mobile phones are restricted by law in most countries.
The poster provides an interesting comparison between the first MP3/phone device released in 2000 and the now almost ubiquitous iPhone 3Gs, released in 2009. Not only has the price been lowered, but the applications available on the latter phone as well as its uses far surpasses that of its ancestor the Samsung Uproar.
Nowadays, smartphones like the iPhone dominate the market, to a point where most people feel that they can't live without their mobile phones. The statistics provided on the poster reflects how much today's society feels the need to be connected and constantly communicating with each other. Widespread ownership of mobile phones has decreased the use of landlines in America, and increased the number of car accidents because of text messaging. The social affect of mobile phones has become so serious that use of mobile phones are restricted by law in most countries.
Social Documents and Online Communities
TechCrunch: EtherPad shows Google Docs How it's Done
The introduction of Web 2.0 was a definite game-changer for our relationships with other people, how we interact with each other and how we do things. The internet has been praised for its ability to bring people closer together, forming communities that are dislocated geographically, but are brought together in a virtual space. While the internet is now very multimedia-orientated, a lot of communication is still done via text: on twitter and facebook and email and instant messaging. I remember reading in the First Monday article, The Social Life of Documents, by John Seely Brown and Paul Duguid, about how important it is for communities to have access to the same documents in order to feel like part of a group, no matter how far the people of the community is spread.
The virtual space of the internet is good at bringing people together, and making access to the same documents easier, forming new types of communities online. But a big part of Web 2.0 is the ability for everyone to publish and share information, and even write documents together. Previously this could be done through email, but email is a delayed system and does not have the immediacy of physically being in a room and being able to talk in real-time. This is why I find sites like EtherPad interesting. It allows a certain amount of people to write and edit the same document in real-time, in a similar style to a chat room. The article linked above outlines the features and advantages of using EtherPad.
EtherPad played a large role in the creation of documents for an online community that call themselves 'Nerdfighters'; they used it to write songs, compile lists and gather information. EtherPad has since been bought out by Google, when Google Wave (a similar service available to those with Google accounts) was big, and subsequently shut down EtherPad's servers. However, as the article states, there are now EtherPad clones on the web, so people can still create documents in the same way without having to sign up for anything.
The above is a screencap of an EtherPad document. As you can see, each author is represented by a different colour so that the parts that were written and edited by different people can be identified. A slightly more serious and ~active demonstration of the power of this type of service is here at PiratePad (an EtherPad clone), where the users were asked to list all the community's inside jokes. In alphabetical order. So, you can see how that works.
These types of services change the way in which documents are written, and how people interact with each other, which is a big part of social informatics. Right? Right.
The introduction of Web 2.0 was a definite game-changer for our relationships with other people, how we interact with each other and how we do things. The internet has been praised for its ability to bring people closer together, forming communities that are dislocated geographically, but are brought together in a virtual space. While the internet is now very multimedia-orientated, a lot of communication is still done via text: on twitter and facebook and email and instant messaging. I remember reading in the First Monday article, The Social Life of Documents, by John Seely Brown and Paul Duguid, about how important it is for communities to have access to the same documents in order to feel like part of a group, no matter how far the people of the community is spread.
The virtual space of the internet is good at bringing people together, and making access to the same documents easier, forming new types of communities online. But a big part of Web 2.0 is the ability for everyone to publish and share information, and even write documents together. Previously this could be done through email, but email is a delayed system and does not have the immediacy of physically being in a room and being able to talk in real-time. This is why I find sites like EtherPad interesting. It allows a certain amount of people to write and edit the same document in real-time, in a similar style to a chat room. The article linked above outlines the features and advantages of using EtherPad.
EtherPad played a large role in the creation of documents for an online community that call themselves 'Nerdfighters'; they used it to write songs, compile lists and gather information. EtherPad has since been bought out by Google, when Google Wave (a similar service available to those with Google accounts) was big, and subsequently shut down EtherPad's servers. However, as the article states, there are now EtherPad clones on the web, so people can still create documents in the same way without having to sign up for anything.
The above is a screencap of an EtherPad document. As you can see, each author is represented by a different colour so that the parts that were written and edited by different people can be identified. A slightly more serious and ~active demonstration of the power of this type of service is here at PiratePad (an EtherPad clone), where the users were asked to list all the community's inside jokes. In alphabetical order. So, you can see how that works.These types of services change the way in which documents are written, and how people interact with each other, which is a big part of social informatics. Right? Right.
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