blog four

A very obvious connection between these two readings is the concept of progress.  As we all know, technology is constantly changing, constantly evolving.  The things that we once believed to be new and innovative are now technologies of the past. 

In my own life, I remember how cool it was that people could use real songs as ringtones for their cell phone.  I was blown away when I girl had me listen to Marvin Gaye croon “Sexual Healing,” right out of her flip phone.

 

Fast forward to today, phones cannot only play music, similarly to an mp3 player or iPod, but can also recognize songs and give an artist, song title, album information, etc.  I am certain that smart phones today have far more capabilities than that, but these are just a few things at the top of my head.

What got me initially thinking about the constant evolution in technology was O’Reilly’s What is Web 2.0 was the chart that compared programs of web 1.0 and web 2.0.  The author provided a list of examples that included web 1.0’s Britannica Online, personal websites, and mp3.com to Wikipedia, blogs, and Napster. 

Napster? 

The article was written in 2005, but it just goes to show that even from the time it was written, technologies and programs have changed drastically…do people even use Napster anymore?!

This article, along with the follow up, titled Web Squared: Web 2.0 Five Years On helped me with my understanding of Weinberger’s work in his book.

Not only does Weinberger discuss Internet innovations, but also the way that he discusses organization is entirely relevant to the previous articles.  With the presence of new programs, sites, etc. on the Internet, users are able to organize and store information in different and various ways.  

In chapter 5, Weinberger discusses the ways in which the Internet allows for the new ways of organizing, using a different approach than previously; a different approach than within Web 2.0.  This can be thought of as a bottom-up organizational approach rather than a top-down one.

The Internet has changed as has usability.  The more that Internet, via new technologies, continues to rapidly evolve, the more users will change their approach in organizing information and their overall use of the Internet.

blog three

In Tuesday’s blog, I wrote about one thing that I organize in my life.  For an example, I discussed the way in which I organized my closet, which is by color.  

This organization has allowed me to find things within their color category, based on the fact that I know what items I have, and what color they are. 

The example of closet organization is a good one, particularly in referring to Weinberger’s words on slicing things, and how you choose to slice something.  Clothes in a closet could be organized in several different ways.  A person could organize their closet by item type (i.e. skirts, blouses, etc.), or they could even organize by brand name.

I believe that I choose to organize by color due to the fact that I am a visual person.  This rings true in both my academic and personal life.  I have been drawn to color and visual aesthetics since I took my first art class.  I love the ways in which colors can complement one another, and how they all look when presented together.  My organization definitely stems from my appreciation for aesthetic appeal and varieties of color.

blog two

Though I am one of the few who have not received my own copy of the book in the mail, I thought it would be good to comment on what we discussed in class in terms of the readings.

Clearly, one of the most important things from the chapter we discussed in class was Weinberg's idea of the three orders.  The author touched on these orders, and explained them using various examples.  I have to admit that I was a little confused when I first read the chapter online, but gained more of an understanding when we were asked to order books.

The books we were given could be placed in various orders; alphabetical, subject matter, and so forth.  It makes one recognize just how many orders we have for the various things in our life.

To understand the idea of ordering things further, we came up with examples for Weinberger’s original ideas.  The first order can describe the physical location of objects, such as clothes hanging in a closet.  The second is the separation between the object itself and the thing organizing the object.  An example of this could be a “tag” to take place of or represent something.  The third order states that there is no need for physical objected related to one identifier. 

Though I cannot identify myself as a truly organized person, there are definitely aspects of my life that I need to have some sort of organization or order.  For me, color-coding my closet is a must.  I try to group my hanging clothes into colors, and attempt to transition between the colors (i.e. black - grey - white).  For some reason, I get a sense of happiness when I open up my closet door and see the colors perfectly separated and hanging so beautifully.  This order also allows me to keep my clothes organized so I know where things are.

blog one

The Internet is constantly changing and evolving.  This has been proven true as the apps, programs, and the websites we visit become increasingly more familiar with our common interests and “likes.”  The idea of Web 2.0 explained to us how the internet has changed as a whole in regards to the fact that as it was once based on the sites themselves, it is now based upon the users and the things they choose to do while searching, browsing, etc.  We have also been introduced to the idea of “Web Squared,” a concept that is described as “everything and everyone in the world casts an ‘information shadow,’ an aura of data which, when captured and processed intelligently, offers extraordinary opportunity and mind- bending implications. Web Squared is our way of exploring this phenomenon and giving it a name.”

Though I found information to be both useful and interesting in the entirety of this article, perhaps the most intriguing part to me was when the idea of photo recognition was explained.  This concept was described with an example of an app that can recognize certain monuments when the user holds up their phone’s camera lens to a certain structure.  The screen on the phone shows you the image you see through the lens (described as a window), and is accompanied by facts and information regarding that particular monument.  The author of this article describes it as “augmented reality” in the fact that it “superimposes distances to points of interest, using the compass to keep track of where you are looking.”  You can in turn use the same app, along with your phone, to find other nearby monuments, points of interest, and so forth.

I have not decided on my ultimate career goals yet, but apps like the one described in the article shows incredible innovation, and gives great insight into the direction the web is going.  One app that I found to be particularly interesting is an Apple app called “Course Notes.”  Course Notes is not the most innovative app out there, but it is interesting to those of us who are still enrolled in school, and is appealing to most, if not all, students.  Course Notes allows you to not only take notes, but to share them simultaneously with friends, and seek out notes for days you are missing.  The app allows for a synced calendar with a To Do list, and it also allows the user to print notes, and connect to friends in class via Facebook.  A lexicon can be kept for certain terms, and assignments can be tracked.  Here’s a link that better explains the Course Notes application.