Readings For Week Five

1. Data Compression Wikipedia Entry- This article is about the specifics of data compression, a method in which information is encoded in order to take up a smaller amount of space. The person receiving the compressed data must have a means of un-encoding the data so it can be read. There are two different types of data compression, Lossless and lossy. Lossless compresses the data so information is not lost, whereas lossy compresses information less subjectively and information is "rounded off" so that some quality is lost. Lossless compression is used when a degradation in quality cannot be afforded, such as with graphs or charts. Lossless tends to be used for audio and visual files. The article was informative and explained compression in terms that the average user could understand.

2. Data Compression Basics: This article is a basic run through of data compression and how the particular method it uses to encode information. I thought that the first example it gave of Run-Line Encoding was useful but also raised the question of what it can be used for if more often than not, it doesn't decrease the space but makes it bigger. I have noticed when I compress information on my computer that it often doesn't make much difference size wise but instead is useful for when you have a lot of items that you want someone to be able to download as a single file. It is easy to upload a zipped file of all of the items, rather than upload each one separately.
I thought Entropy coding would be more exciting because of it's name but sadly, no.

3. Imaging Pittsburgh: This article is a discussion of the University of Pittsburgh's efforts to digitize their catalog of photographs taken in Pittsburgh in the mid 19th and 20th centuries. The purpose of this project was so the public could have access to the photos. The pictures featured in the article are from that collection and they are very interesting to look at. These photographs are representative of Pittsburgh's history and of the way the neighborhoods looked back then. It is interesting to compare them to now and see the changes that have happened. The challenges faced by the three institutions involved in the project included having a good method of communication between them and creating metadata that would work with their extensive collection.

4. Youtube & Libraries- This article discusses the benefits Youtube could have for libraries. It presents the idea that libraries could record their services, like events or readings and put them on the web for people to watch in the hopes of encouraging people to become more interested in libraries and what they do. The videos could be also be used to answer questions or to help people find things within the library like the check out or reference desk. I have to admit the idea of a virtual library tour does make me laugh a little. I just picture this tiny librarian fairy like something from Harry Potter directing you to the Circulation desk in a really cheerful voice.