Sequences:
Simplest and most familiar way to organize information. Straight sequence of pages -> -> ->. Sometimes can branch out into other sequences, but still a very linear model.
Hierarchies:
Best way to organize complex bodies of information. Usually begins with a home pages, and then goes on to subtopics. Heirarchies are very common, so the structure is usually very easy to understand. Simplest form is a star, where the home page is in the middle and then branches out to individual pages around it. A more complex hierarchy is more like a tree, where the single home page branches out into subpages, and then into more subpages. This form of organization is best for more complex websites.
Webs:
Web organization is a very free-flowing form of organization. Webpages are linked based on relevance to its ideas rather than logical organization. This allows for more free thought and flow through ideas. Although this is an advantage, this is actually a very impractical way to organize a website because users can’t understand it.
Hypertext
Involves two primary componenets: The items or chunks of information which are to be linked, and the links between those chunks. Hypertext chunks can be connected hierarchically, non-hierarchically, or both. This structure is very flexible, but it can also cause confusion and be too complex. It is easy for the user to get lost. Due to this, hypertext is rarely a good organizational structure for websites.
Relational Database Model:
Datebases allow you to repurpose the same content in multiple forms and formats for different audiences. This allows for better customization of content based on the needs of the user. However, databases must follow rigid rules. Also, it is not easy to included every single part of a webpage into a database. Due to all of this, the database model is good for parts of websites(groups of information within a larger site), but not good as the main organizational structure of a website.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
EPIC Book Summary
Weinberger:
David Weinberger’s book Everything is Miscellaneous discusses the organization of information in the technological world. The internet has caused an explosion of available information, but has also made the organization of it significantly different from the physical world. Weinberger’s main point is summarized with his three orders of order, which are:
•First order of order: Organization of physical objects in the physical world.
•Second order of order: Still works with physical objects, but instead uses metadata to do so. One example he uses is the Bettmann Archive, a collection of photos which have corresponding note cards that refer to the physical place in the vault that photo is located.
•Third order of order: Organization away from the physical, such as in the digital world. Once information is freed from its physical constraints it can be divided into a million different ways based on the needs of the person searching for it. Once example of this is tagging of photos online, because users can type in their preferences and get what they need according to their tags.
These three orders of order basically sum up the book in its entirety. He talks at the beginning about the historic struggles of organization, from Aristotle and Plato to current times. Throughout the book he gives tons of different examples of his same points, but by the end you have a pretty good understanding of how the digital age has changed organization forever.
Jenkins:
Jenkin’s book Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide talks about how media and its multiple platforms are changing in the digital age. It talks about how media has changed the relationship between producers of content and consumers of content and this new relationship will not be fixed with a ‘black box,’ which refers to the theory that all media will converge into one magical box.
Jenkins goes from describing how the Matrix has created whole new worlds for consumers, created by consumers. Fans of the Matrix have gone deep into online forums to discuss the inner workings of the Matrix. Fans have even created online worlds based on the Matrix that they can interact in.
Another example is Harry Potter. What started as a book series has become a multi-media sensation, but this is not just created by the owners of the series. Fans have gone online to create fan fiction and other media based around the world of Harry Potter. This has created problems however, because the owners of the franchise and the fans have been in a battle of rights and copyrights. The “Potter Wars” that Jenkins describes makes an important point about convergence culture – who owns what? Jenkins says that the owners and fans need to strike a balance between ownership and fan-created content, and strides and being taken towards this.
These two examples show one of Jenkins main points – transmedia storytelling. This refers to the “art of world-making” where multiple media platforms are used to create a world around a story. For example, the Matrix online is an example of transmedia storytelling. Harry Potter fan fiction is another.
Jenkins’ Convergence Culture overall is a discussion of how media is changing. This in turn changes the relationship between the consumers of media and the creators, and how these roles are becoming interchangeable. The issue now is what this means for the big media companies and the fans of popular culture, and how profits, ownership, and rights will change.
Lessig:
Lessig’s book, Remix goes over a number of topics regarding copyright law. He says that the current copyright law is outdated because of the digital age. The digital age has allowed for the amateur to take professionally produced works and use them for other purposes, including remixing. The issue however, is whether these remixed works should be under the same copyright laws as the original. Is it a completely new work of art when someone uses beats in a different way? The big media companies are battling with this issue, trying to protect their profits and ‘property.’
The book begins with a discussion of the Read-Only Culture vs. Read-Write Culture. The RO culture is media provided to us by a professional source, such as the music industry or movie industry. The RW culture however, is more of a mutual relationship between the producer of content and the consumer of content. This leads up to the “Remix.” Lessig states that this new form of ‘creating’ is the new form of writing. However, copyright law conflicts with this new form of literacy.
Lessig also mentions commercial economies versus sharing economies. The commercial economy is what is usually thought of when you think of economy. It’s basically the exchange of goods for money. The sharing economy does not involve money however. Both sides contribute to a common goal, for example Wikipedia is user-generated content for the good of everyone.
Finally Lessig states the different types of hybrids. These are community spaces, collaboration spaces, and communities. He also states how copyright law should be reformed in five steps: Deregulating, Clear Title, Simplify, Decriminalizing the Copy, Decriminalizing File Sharing.
Relevance to Final Project:
I think Weinberger will be the most useful for my final project, because he talks about the new way information is organized. These books will also be useful because it has made me aware of the current media culture so I can reflect this in my final organization of the website, and it will influence my wireframe because I know users expect certain things out of websites. I will also think more about the types of content on the website, and how best to make it available to users of the website.
David Weinberger’s book Everything is Miscellaneous discusses the organization of information in the technological world. The internet has caused an explosion of available information, but has also made the organization of it significantly different from the physical world. Weinberger’s main point is summarized with his three orders of order, which are:
•First order of order: Organization of physical objects in the physical world.
•Second order of order: Still works with physical objects, but instead uses metadata to do so. One example he uses is the Bettmann Archive, a collection of photos which have corresponding note cards that refer to the physical place in the vault that photo is located.
•Third order of order: Organization away from the physical, such as in the digital world. Once information is freed from its physical constraints it can be divided into a million different ways based on the needs of the person searching for it. Once example of this is tagging of photos online, because users can type in their preferences and get what they need according to their tags.
These three orders of order basically sum up the book in its entirety. He talks at the beginning about the historic struggles of organization, from Aristotle and Plato to current times. Throughout the book he gives tons of different examples of his same points, but by the end you have a pretty good understanding of how the digital age has changed organization forever.
Jenkins:
Jenkin’s book Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide talks about how media and its multiple platforms are changing in the digital age. It talks about how media has changed the relationship between producers of content and consumers of content and this new relationship will not be fixed with a ‘black box,’ which refers to the theory that all media will converge into one magical box.
Jenkins goes from describing how the Matrix has created whole new worlds for consumers, created by consumers. Fans of the Matrix have gone deep into online forums to discuss the inner workings of the Matrix. Fans have even created online worlds based on the Matrix that they can interact in.
Another example is Harry Potter. What started as a book series has become a multi-media sensation, but this is not just created by the owners of the series. Fans have gone online to create fan fiction and other media based around the world of Harry Potter. This has created problems however, because the owners of the franchise and the fans have been in a battle of rights and copyrights. The “Potter Wars” that Jenkins describes makes an important point about convergence culture – who owns what? Jenkins says that the owners and fans need to strike a balance between ownership and fan-created content, and strides and being taken towards this.
These two examples show one of Jenkins main points – transmedia storytelling. This refers to the “art of world-making” where multiple media platforms are used to create a world around a story. For example, the Matrix online is an example of transmedia storytelling. Harry Potter fan fiction is another.
Jenkins’ Convergence Culture overall is a discussion of how media is changing. This in turn changes the relationship between the consumers of media and the creators, and how these roles are becoming interchangeable. The issue now is what this means for the big media companies and the fans of popular culture, and how profits, ownership, and rights will change.
Lessig:
Lessig’s book, Remix goes over a number of topics regarding copyright law. He says that the current copyright law is outdated because of the digital age. The digital age has allowed for the amateur to take professionally produced works and use them for other purposes, including remixing. The issue however, is whether these remixed works should be under the same copyright laws as the original. Is it a completely new work of art when someone uses beats in a different way? The big media companies are battling with this issue, trying to protect their profits and ‘property.’
The book begins with a discussion of the Read-Only Culture vs. Read-Write Culture. The RO culture is media provided to us by a professional source, such as the music industry or movie industry. The RW culture however, is more of a mutual relationship between the producer of content and the consumer of content. This leads up to the “Remix.” Lessig states that this new form of ‘creating’ is the new form of writing. However, copyright law conflicts with this new form of literacy.
Lessig also mentions commercial economies versus sharing economies. The commercial economy is what is usually thought of when you think of economy. It’s basically the exchange of goods for money. The sharing economy does not involve money however. Both sides contribute to a common goal, for example Wikipedia is user-generated content for the good of everyone.
Finally Lessig states the different types of hybrids. These are community spaces, collaboration spaces, and communities. He also states how copyright law should be reformed in five steps: Deregulating, Clear Title, Simplify, Decriminalizing the Copy, Decriminalizing File Sharing.
Relevance to Final Project:
I think Weinberger will be the most useful for my final project, because he talks about the new way information is organized. These books will also be useful because it has made me aware of the current media culture so I can reflect this in my final organization of the website, and it will influence my wireframe because I know users expect certain things out of websites. I will also think more about the types of content on the website, and how best to make it available to users of the website.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Introduction - Jenkins
Summary:
In the introduction, Jenkins creates a brief summary of his book along with a short discussion on what a 'convergence culture' actually is. He mentions the New Orleans Media Experience, for example, as the place where people from 'all medias' came together to see what convergence actually means, and what changes were occurring in news and entertainment. An interesting point I thought he made was about the 'black box fallacy' which was the thought that convergence was the transfer of many entertainment consuls into one. Jenkins states that this is a fallacy because what is converging is the media types themselves rather than the 'delivery technologies,' and I think this summed up the introduction chapter quite nicely.
Quotes:
"As Cheskin Research explained in a 2002 report, "The old idea of convergence was that all devices would converge into one central device that did everything for you (a la the universal remote). What we are seeing now is the hardware diverging while the content converges." (Jenkins, 15)
"Convergence, as we can see, is both a top-down corporate-driven process and a bottom-up consumer-driven process." (Jenkins, 18)
"Media producers will find their way through their current problems only by renegotiating their relationship with their consumers." (Jenkins, 24)
Connection:
When Jenkins brought up his need for a single-function cell phone, I thought about my own. Not only does mine make calls, but it also text-messages, plays games, plays music, takes pictures, accesses my email...heck it even has a navigation system and can stream TV. So if I think about it, there are multiple forms of media convergence just on my cell phone. But also, isn't my cell phone now just a "universal remote black box" that Jenkins said was a fallacy? Yes, media itself is converging but I'm not so sure at this point if the 'delivery technologies' aren't also converging.
Connection to Weinberger:
I am having difficulty in making connections to Weinberger. The only one I can think of is the media convergence has become a "bottom-up" process, similar to Weinberger's concept of the miscellaneous. Jenkins says that media is re-organizing itself, and in a way this has to do with the new miscellaneous organization. Aand, that's all I've got.
In the introduction, Jenkins creates a brief summary of his book along with a short discussion on what a 'convergence culture' actually is. He mentions the New Orleans Media Experience, for example, as the place where people from 'all medias' came together to see what convergence actually means, and what changes were occurring in news and entertainment. An interesting point I thought he made was about the 'black box fallacy' which was the thought that convergence was the transfer of many entertainment consuls into one. Jenkins states that this is a fallacy because what is converging is the media types themselves rather than the 'delivery technologies,' and I think this summed up the introduction chapter quite nicely.
Quotes:
"As Cheskin Research explained in a 2002 report, "The old idea of convergence was that all devices would converge into one central device that did everything for you (a la the universal remote). What we are seeing now is the hardware diverging while the content converges." (Jenkins, 15)
"Convergence, as we can see, is both a top-down corporate-driven process and a bottom-up consumer-driven process." (Jenkins, 18)
"Media producers will find their way through their current problems only by renegotiating their relationship with their consumers." (Jenkins, 24)
Connection:
When Jenkins brought up his need for a single-function cell phone, I thought about my own. Not only does mine make calls, but it also text-messages, plays games, plays music, takes pictures, accesses my email...heck it even has a navigation system and can stream TV. So if I think about it, there are multiple forms of media convergence just on my cell phone. But also, isn't my cell phone now just a "universal remote black box" that Jenkins said was a fallacy? Yes, media itself is converging but I'm not so sure at this point if the 'delivery technologies' aren't also converging.
Connection to Weinberger:
I am having difficulty in making connections to Weinberger. The only one I can think of is the media convergence has become a "bottom-up" process, similar to Weinberger's concept of the miscellaneous. Jenkins says that media is re-organizing itself, and in a way this has to do with the new miscellaneous organization. Aand, that's all I've got.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Weinberger - What Was The Point?
Oh Weinberger, why did you write an entire book on something that could be summed up in one chapter? Don't get me wrong, I liked your point(s), but I think that repeating it over and over for 260 pages was rather excessive. I know that you wanted to show that you have extensively researched the subject, but honestly I didn't care that you had traveled to Staples Prototype Lab, underground layers where they categorize old stuff, and Brookline News and Gift. I understood your point at your first example.
The word 'atom' was mentioned incessantly throughout the book. Our physical world is orgainzed by atoms and therefore this limits us in how we organize. Your BFF the Encyclopedia Britannica shows this. We can only include so much information in it, and are therefore limited. This is because as you say, Weinberger, what is left out is just was important as what is put in. Luckily the Holy Godsend Wikipedia saves us all with the mystical hyperlink, connecting the miscellaneous in profound ways. I remember the point you made about how the average word count of the Britannica was 650 words per article while Wikipedia had only about 363 words per article. Does this mean that the Encyclopedia Britannica is better than Wikipedia? Not necessarily. I'll give you this Weinberger: I very much liked the point you made about how Wikipedia entries can be based on interest and passion rather than fact alone. If someone is interested in say, North Dakota, and wrote 10,000 words on it on Wikipedia, visitors to the site may see that at least one person is very interested in this state. This shows that the new 'miscellaneous' world is based on different values, which is admittedly interesting.
The new world of the miscellaneous is connected by the internet, more specifically hyperlinks, tagging, and personal interest. We are no longer limited by the physical world for organization (ahem, the ATOM) and therefore have begun to organize in a more organic way - a more, miscellaneous way. Strangely, this way of organization becomes more organized and exact than previous methods.
This is important because now that Weinberger has enlightened me on the wonders of the miscellaneous, I can have better clarity for how information is being organized on the web. I know that Wikipedia is more than just a faulty information source that professors hate, and I can now properly explain why.
The word 'atom' was mentioned incessantly throughout the book. Our physical world is orgainzed by atoms and therefore this limits us in how we organize. Your BFF the Encyclopedia Britannica shows this. We can only include so much information in it, and are therefore limited. This is because as you say, Weinberger, what is left out is just was important as what is put in. Luckily the Holy Godsend Wikipedia saves us all with the mystical hyperlink, connecting the miscellaneous in profound ways. I remember the point you made about how the average word count of the Britannica was 650 words per article while Wikipedia had only about 363 words per article. Does this mean that the Encyclopedia Britannica is better than Wikipedia? Not necessarily. I'll give you this Weinberger: I very much liked the point you made about how Wikipedia entries can be based on interest and passion rather than fact alone. If someone is interested in say, North Dakota, and wrote 10,000 words on it on Wikipedia, visitors to the site may see that at least one person is very interested in this state. This shows that the new 'miscellaneous' world is based on different values, which is admittedly interesting.
The new world of the miscellaneous is connected by the internet, more specifically hyperlinks, tagging, and personal interest. We are no longer limited by the physical world for organization (ahem, the ATOM) and therefore have begun to organize in a more organic way - a more, miscellaneous way. Strangely, this way of organization becomes more organized and exact than previous methods.
This is important because now that Weinberger has enlightened me on the wonders of the miscellaneous, I can have better clarity for how information is being organized on the web. I know that Wikipedia is more than just a faulty information source that professors hate, and I can now properly explain why.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Responses
I couldn't post one of my responses, so here's a record of them:
Hey Roderick,
I agree with your analysis of both the chapters. For chapter 8, I thought it was interesting that you focused on information instead of the lack thereof. I felt like Weinberger spent a lot of time talking about how important info was that wasn't included, but you made good points about how you need to understand how the information that is there works.
As for chapter 9, I liked how you focused on research as for why it is important to have an understanding of this topic. I never thought of that. I think it's interesting how you tied in tagging with research, and the implications of that in your work.
Hey Elyse,
I really liked the ties you made with real life and the chapters. The ties you made with the white space we learned about last semester and implicit/explicit information. I would have never thought of that connection! But it's true, in information as with design, the 'white space' is just as important as the rest of the speace.
I have not used StumbleUpon, but after our introduction of it in class, I am definitely going to try it. And it definitely would not be worth my time if it weren't for the 'messiness' of the internet that Weinberger describes.
Hey Roderick,
I agree with your analysis of both the chapters. For chapter 8, I thought it was interesting that you focused on information instead of the lack thereof. I felt like Weinberger spent a lot of time talking about how important info was that wasn't included, but you made good points about how you need to understand how the information that is there works.
As for chapter 9, I liked how you focused on research as for why it is important to have an understanding of this topic. I never thought of that. I think it's interesting how you tied in tagging with research, and the implications of that in your work.
Hey Elyse,
I really liked the ties you made with real life and the chapters. The ties you made with the white space we learned about last semester and implicit/explicit information. I would have never thought of that connection! But it's true, in information as with design, the 'white space' is just as important as the rest of the speace.
I have not used StumbleUpon, but after our introduction of it in class, I am definitely going to try it. And it definitely would not be worth my time if it weren't for the 'messiness' of the internet that Weinberger describes.
Blog Post 3
Ch. 8
Chapter 8 is about meaning, and what is explicit and implicit information. Weinberger talks about how confusing metadata can be, and why what is not included in a description is just as important as what is included. A good example of this is his Friendster, and his justifications for what information he adds. Finally the chapter discusses the digital, such as how Google maps revolutionized the meaning of maps – they became based on user needs rather than a map for everyone.
This matters to me as a DTC major because it is important for me to not only consider the information that I put in my work, but also the information I am leaving out. Both add to the meaning of the final product.
Ch. 9
Chapter 9’s main point is organization. On the web today, organization is so different from the physical. I find it interesting how we subconsciously organize on the internet, through things like tagging. Through the web, organization is drastically changing to messiness – which ironically can become more organized than the physical.
This is important as a DTC major because the primary way I will be organizing my work will be digital. Unless I am (maybe) a photographer or something, most of my work will be organized onto a computer. However even as say, a photographer, sites like Flickr will utilize this new form of ‘organized messiness’ through tagging. I have to be aware of digital organization in order to keep my work relevant.
Chapter 8 is about meaning, and what is explicit and implicit information. Weinberger talks about how confusing metadata can be, and why what is not included in a description is just as important as what is included. A good example of this is his Friendster, and his justifications for what information he adds. Finally the chapter discusses the digital, such as how Google maps revolutionized the meaning of maps – they became based on user needs rather than a map for everyone.
This matters to me as a DTC major because it is important for me to not only consider the information that I put in my work, but also the information I am leaving out. Both add to the meaning of the final product.
Ch. 9
Chapter 9’s main point is organization. On the web today, organization is so different from the physical. I find it interesting how we subconsciously organize on the internet, through things like tagging. Through the web, organization is drastically changing to messiness – which ironically can become more organized than the physical.
This is important as a DTC major because the primary way I will be organizing my work will be digital. Unless I am (maybe) a photographer or something, most of my work will be organized onto a computer. However even as say, a photographer, sites like Flickr will utilize this new form of ‘organized messiness’ through tagging. I have to be aware of digital organization in order to keep my work relevant.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Chapter 5:
This chapter has two main topics: tagging and knowledge. Weinberger talks about the revolutionary concept of tagging particularly through del.ici.ous which tags web pages for sharing. Tagging shows the vastly different way of organization in the third order of order. The author uses the example of trees, branches, and leaves once again, but this time he says that digitally, an item can have many places, or leaves. Thus, the concept of tagging. Wikipedia is one of the greatest example of tagging, due to any user being able to add an html link into a page. This can move the user from place to place in a manner completely different from alphabetical order.
The next section of chapter 5 discusses the concept of knowledge. Previously, there have been four concepts of knowledge: That there is just one reality, knowledge is not ambiguous, no one person can comprehend knowledge, and experts achieve their position through working their way up through social institutions. The new knowledge has four very different concepts: filter on the way out, not in, or the changes blogging has done to publishing; put a leave on as many branches as possible, or tag as many items as possible so they show up on different search terms; everything is metadata and everything can be a label, or how labels can exceed the information itself, so to better find something label it extensively; and finally, give up control, or letting users divide information themselves. These four concepts are greatly different from the original concepts of knowledge and exemplify the miscellaneous.
Quotes:
“Likewise, in classification systems, an overstuffed miscellaneous category can be a sign that the system isn’t using all the relevant information” p. 87.
“These physical limitations on how we have organized information have not only limited our vision, they have also given the people who control the organization of information more power than those who create the information” p. 89
“Classifications make strange bedfellows” p. 90.
“Together these links constitute a web of knowledge, communally constructed, ever shifting, and frequently extraordinarily useful” p. 100.
Examples:
Even though one of the main examples of this chapter was Wikipedia, I still thought about this concept the most, particularly about how many professors hate Wikipedia and think it’s an awful source of information. The concepts of the miscellaneous seem to contradict this way of thinking immensely.
I also thought about how Twitter has exemplified the concept of ‘flagging’ and creating tags. This book was originally published in 2007, so maybe it was before Twitter became known.
Chapter 6:
This chapter seems to focus on how the miscellaneous is organized and categorized. It begins with a discussion of bar codes, which revolutionized grocery stores in the 1970s. They allowed for more efficiency and easy identification of the ‘miscellaneous’ items on the world. The bar code has now moved to a new technology – the RFID tag. These tags become the third order of order because they can hold so much more information than a bar code can.
The next section focuses on three main concepts. The 2-pronged strategy for going miscellaneous: include and postpone, and essentialism. The first concept is based in science because while everything is included, some information is postponed simply because there isn’t an agreement or consensus on it. Essentialism is the idea that everything is defined by clear and knowable traits that make it into what it is.
The chapter continues with books, particularly with a book ISBN. This is connected in many places from libraries to Amazon. The ISBN is a universal code that can be used in a variety of places. Finally, the chapter ends with a look at the potential future, with Microsoft’s AURA project. This project focuses on people being able to take a picture of a bar code and then get information from it via the internet that goes far beyond what the bar code’s information initially has.
Quotes
“And that’s a problem, because as the world becomes more miscellaneous, if we can’t pin something down, we can’t coalesce information around it” p 117.
“People keep pretending they can make things deeply hierarchical, categorizable, and sequential when they can’t” p. 125.
Examples
This chapter did not really inspire me to think of examples that weren’t already mentioned. I used to work in a grocery store as a checker, so it did make me think of how much easier my job is because of the invention of bar codes. I thought of RFID tags in clothing, particularly the ones with the ink in them to prevent stealing.
This chapter has two main topics: tagging and knowledge. Weinberger talks about the revolutionary concept of tagging particularly through del.ici.ous which tags web pages for sharing. Tagging shows the vastly different way of organization in the third order of order. The author uses the example of trees, branches, and leaves once again, but this time he says that digitally, an item can have many places, or leaves. Thus, the concept of tagging. Wikipedia is one of the greatest example of tagging, due to any user being able to add an html link into a page. This can move the user from place to place in a manner completely different from alphabetical order.
The next section of chapter 5 discusses the concept of knowledge. Previously, there have been four concepts of knowledge: That there is just one reality, knowledge is not ambiguous, no one person can comprehend knowledge, and experts achieve their position through working their way up through social institutions. The new knowledge has four very different concepts: filter on the way out, not in, or the changes blogging has done to publishing; put a leave on as many branches as possible, or tag as many items as possible so they show up on different search terms; everything is metadata and everything can be a label, or how labels can exceed the information itself, so to better find something label it extensively; and finally, give up control, or letting users divide information themselves. These four concepts are greatly different from the original concepts of knowledge and exemplify the miscellaneous.
Quotes:
“Likewise, in classification systems, an overstuffed miscellaneous category can be a sign that the system isn’t using all the relevant information” p. 87.
“These physical limitations on how we have organized information have not only limited our vision, they have also given the people who control the organization of information more power than those who create the information” p. 89
“Classifications make strange bedfellows” p. 90.
“Together these links constitute a web of knowledge, communally constructed, ever shifting, and frequently extraordinarily useful” p. 100.
Examples:
Even though one of the main examples of this chapter was Wikipedia, I still thought about this concept the most, particularly about how many professors hate Wikipedia and think it’s an awful source of information. The concepts of the miscellaneous seem to contradict this way of thinking immensely.
I also thought about how Twitter has exemplified the concept of ‘flagging’ and creating tags. This book was originally published in 2007, so maybe it was before Twitter became known.
Chapter 6:
This chapter seems to focus on how the miscellaneous is organized and categorized. It begins with a discussion of bar codes, which revolutionized grocery stores in the 1970s. They allowed for more efficiency and easy identification of the ‘miscellaneous’ items on the world. The bar code has now moved to a new technology – the RFID tag. These tags become the third order of order because they can hold so much more information than a bar code can.
The next section focuses on three main concepts. The 2-pronged strategy for going miscellaneous: include and postpone, and essentialism. The first concept is based in science because while everything is included, some information is postponed simply because there isn’t an agreement or consensus on it. Essentialism is the idea that everything is defined by clear and knowable traits that make it into what it is.
The chapter continues with books, particularly with a book ISBN. This is connected in many places from libraries to Amazon. The ISBN is a universal code that can be used in a variety of places. Finally, the chapter ends with a look at the potential future, with Microsoft’s AURA project. This project focuses on people being able to take a picture of a bar code and then get information from it via the internet that goes far beyond what the bar code’s information initially has.
Quotes
“And that’s a problem, because as the world becomes more miscellaneous, if we can’t pin something down, we can’t coalesce information around it” p 117.
“People keep pretending they can make things deeply hierarchical, categorizable, and sequential when they can’t” p. 125.
Examples
This chapter did not really inspire me to think of examples that weren’t already mentioned. I used to work in a grocery store as a checker, so it did make me think of how much easier my job is because of the invention of bar codes. I thought of RFID tags in clothing, particularly the ones with the ink in them to prevent stealing.
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