Tag Your It!

When I think of Murray State University there are certain words that pop into my head- Navy, gold, racers, college, and many others. Until class discussion yesterday, I never realized how differently people viewed certain objects or topics. When searching for something online or in a database, everyone will type in different words for their search depending on how they think of the subject. If you do not find search results, you automatically type the search a different way to see if you get more results.

While doing the activity in class, I noticed that everyone looked at the racer photo differently. It also made me realize that I shouldn’t be discouraged if I don’t find results on my first search because the person that tagged it might have thought differently. What words would you use to tag this photo?  

Dewey vs. Library of Congress

Elementary school seems like so long ago. But I still remember our librarian explaining to us the Dewey Decimal System which we would be using to find library books. Now that I am in college, it is time to convert to the Library of Congress Classification System, unless I am planning on reading a Junie B. Jones book (which I would greatly enjoy).

There are some major differences between these two systems, and each one has pros and cons. The Library of Congress Classification is definitely much more extensive, and has twenty six different categories with subheadings under each. In contrast, the Dewey Decimal system has ten categories with a much broader range of options. The Library of Congress Classification has much more material to be classified, but it can also be confusing and misleading. For instance, under the language and literature sections you may find various journals written over literature, and then mixed in with it you may find a fictional book. It can also be misleading because of the way subjects are classified. They use the alphabet as a numbering tool, but only a few of the letters actually match the heading they are paired with. This can be confusing because they are user intuitive. The Library of Congress Classification can be a bit confusing when you first start using it. Get a look at it for yourself! http://education-portal.com/articles/Dewey_Decimal_System_vs_Library_of_Congress_Whats_the_Difference.html

Why Are Bugs Attracted to Light?

Last time I was at the dentist, sometime between counting the ceiling tiles and eyeing the instruments that would soon be in my mouth, I looked up at all of the black spots in the fluorescent lights. This instance, and many more, leads me to wonder why are bugs attracted to light?

After researching the topic, I found that all organisms have phototaxis, which is their movement to or away from light. Most bugs you find in light fixtures etc, are positively phototactic. Other creatures such as cockroaches are actually opposite and have a negative phototactic. People also have these similar traits (some like being alone in the dark while others like being in the “limelight”).  There are many different reasons bugs are attracted to light, some like it for the actual brightness and some like it for the heat. Bees orient themselves with the sun, nocturnal insects use the moon to navigate, and bugs such as fireflies are lucky because they have a traveling lightbulb. I am so relieved to finally understand why so many insects are attracted to lights. It still BUGS me though, when they fly inside when I leave the door open on a nice summer night. To learn more in depth details about different species attracted to the light visit http://sciencebits.wordpress.com/2008/09/19/why-are-bugs-attracted-to-light/

Valuing Information

-The Patriots won 1^st game of the season.

-Marshall County schools will be closed today.

-CSI Marathon on Fox at 5 p.m.

All of these sentences are random information that may or may not pertain to you. Whether it be of value to you is for you to decide. Value of information can be described as how important it is to you, or how important it is to everyone else. The value of information will be different for a variety of reasons. The source you received the information from, how you interpret the information or how relevant it is to you, and how credible it is will all contribute to the value of the information. In the article we read for class, we discussed what “valuing information” means, and also discussed how quickly information spreads with new emerging technology. Some people even refer to something as “traveling at the speed of information” because it moves so quickly. Information can have personal value, scientific value, economic value, or community value. Subjective information which involves personal value, usually involves emotions or opinionated information. On the other hand, objective information is completely opposite. Scientific method is definitely objective, and they believe it should have no bias. With the speed of information being so fast, community values will decline and community memory will be lost.

We are so reliant on one type of technology. If the internet ever shuts down or is disabled, most American’s won’t even have hard copies of pictures, videos, or documents that were saved on their computers. Is technology moving too fast for the country to keep up? Too much information can be a bad thing. For other opinions on valuing economic information visit this website! http://mike2.openmethodology.org/wiki/Economic_Value_of_Information

Which Resource Should I Use?

As we saw in our article from last week, information spreads fast! But which source will get you the hard facts the fastest? For example, after 9/11, who do you think recieved and had information posted on the exact same day it happened? Who are you going to go to when you want to know what the heck is going on? This is where we can categorize our different sources.

If you want to know a general idea of what happened and some main facts about the event, you will be able to go to the TV, internet, or radio and they should already have the information posted. Don't get me wrong, the information may be skewed or exaggerated, but atleast you will have an idea of what happened. On the day after an event, newspapers will be added to the above list. They are very quick, considering they have to write an article over the event, and have it printed for the next day. After a few weeks, magazines will be a source you can use to find the information. After this long, most the information posted will be more accurate because someone will analyze it and know more of the facts by this time. After months journals will contain information. These will also be analyzed, and they may have a bias depending on who published them. Lastly, years after the event, books and movies will be made either for entertainment purposes or for factual information. There are many ways to obtain information, and you choose which sources you get it from depending on how fast you want the information. Here's a popular site people in Marshall County go to for their daily news. http://www.wpsdlocal6.com/ 

Why Do Ladybugs Have Spots?

I have had quite a history with ladybugs. Apparently they are very popular around my house because every time spring comes around they cover my windows. So while I am doing my spring cleaning, I have always wondered why ladybug's have spots.

After research, I found that some lady bugs actually don't have spots at all. Some aren't even red! There is no actual scientific reason of why some have black spots. Those who do have them, the purpose is merely for the fact that they use it as a way to scare off predators. Also, ladybugs are somewhat poisonous and have a really bad taste. So when a bird or other predator eats a ladybug, they correlate the bad taste with the black spots on a red background. If you want to learn about other creatures with this same trait, and other facts about ladybugs check out this website. http://www.ladybug-life-cycle.com/ladybug-spots.html

MSU Information Landscape

As a freshmen at Murray State University, the library is a place that I visit very often for studying and researching. Understanding the information landscape at MSU is vital to my survival in the next four years. Until the discussion in class, I never knew how much the school had to offer!

First of all, the library has a great website that will help you find major databases for research, quicklinks for popular searches, and pretty much anything else you would like to know about the libraries at MSU. It gives you access to Racer Track which gives employment opportunities, and also Racer Communication Center to help improve speeches and presentations for free! It would be a shame for a student not to utilize all of these resources as they are easily accessible. We are so lucky to have the information landscape we do, and I'm sure all MSU students benefit from the resources. Here is an article that further explains the importance of information landscape. http://www.fcc.gov/info-needs-communities

Information as a Resource

Our country could be in danger of an attack in information obesity! Who ever thought that you could have too much information? The article "Information as a Resource" gives insight on separating information from the good, the bad, and the useless. Information is very interesting how it circulates. It can be stored, transported and shared. Because of the numerous ways information is transported, you have to learn how to weed out the useless or false information that may have been passed on through a "carrier" such as the internet. Since information isn't something you can actually see, all people will interpret it differently. The article also states that human communication moves through something referred to as the noosphere. The noosphere stores information you have received over a lifetime, and it may lose or gain details of the specific information. For more information on how you can put your noosphere to use visit this website! http://noosphere.cc/

Why are Manhole Covers Round?

This question may seem very random, unnecessary, or you may think there is no real reason why manholes covers are round instead of trapezoidal, triangular, or shaped like a rhombus. But I found that the reason for a round manhole is very justifiable.

While doing research, I found that although it may not seem like it, creating a manhole cover a little bit of engineering to come up with the right measurements. One benefit of having a round cover for a manhole is it won’t and can’t fall into the hole. For example, look at a square. If you turn the square cover with a corner pointed down it could easily fall down into the hole. Same goes for ovals, triangles, and other similar shapes. Also, when cars are driving down the road, a square or other pointed shape is more likely to lift up and hit the cars tire when it is ran over. A circular cover stays in place. Circular manhole covers are also easier to roll and navigate along the street. The other advantage of having a circle cover is you do not have to line up the edges to make it fit. This may even save a few seconds which increases job productivity. As you can see, even a very trivial question such as this has answers. You just have to know how to navigate around the internet and get straight to your answer. http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/220/why-are-manhole-covers-round

Consider the Source

During discussion in class over information landscape, I became very aware of how vital the layout of a webpage is to its business and popularity. You may not notice, but some layouts are pleasing to the eye, such as headings at the top of the website and the main article on the top left corner. One of my favorite websites to find information would be ESPN. I am a sports fanatic, and anytime I miss a game ESPN always has me updated within seconds.

For instance, I wanted to know win the first Patriots game is and who they are playing. (Patriots are by far my favorite team…I get it from my dad) ESPN is very navigable because I was able to pick the tab “NFL” and then click 2011 schedule which brought up all of the games in regular season. I was also very satisfied when I found my answer because they play on Monday the 12^th , which is one of the nights I don’t have class or meetings. As for the other 99 websites I am not sure how reliable, relevant, or authoritative they are but I know ESPN has very reliable information. Also they are very good about giving the facts without bias, because who wants to make a die-hard Patriots fan upset or a fan of any other sports team?   http://espn.go.com/

Is GoOoOgle making us stupid?

You know..Google may be the most popular search engine across the country. But I don't use Google. If anything is making me stupid..it's Yahoo! You want to talk about distraction..Yahoo has ads and articles on the very first page before you even type anything in the search bar. I am quite concerned though, about our society as a whole, with our dependence on Google, other search engines, and new technology. The article from class was very interesting, and changed my mind-set on how I perceive new technology and advancements. 

I have always assumed that technology makes our country smarter and more advanced, but after reading the article “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” I have a different perspective. According to Nicholas Carr, the Net shapes our process of thought and withers away our capacity for concentration and contemplation. In other words, the internet is making us even more lazy by spoon feeding us the exact information we ask for when we type a phrase in the search engine. This is allowing our brain to relax, so when it comes time that we have to find the answer on our own in a book or encyclopedia, we will be expecting the answer to come right to us. I am not against using Google, but I do believe that our society today heavily relies on the internet more often than not. To find other information on the way technology affects our minds check out this website! http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-565207/Modern-technology-changing-way-brains-work-says-neuroscientist.html