Happy Birthday Mouse!
December 9th, 2008The computer mouse is 40 years old today. Since its unveiling by creator Douglas Engelbart on 9th December 1968 the mouse has become an integral part of our everyday lives.
The mouse in principal has changed relatively little over the four decades since its inception although its current streamlined shape is undoubtedly more comfortable than the wooden prototype which inspired it.
Progress Report
December 2nd, 2008I had a meeting on Friday with both of my supervisors which has helped clarify where I am going with my research.
I thought my questionnaires would be straight forward to develop but it is much more complicated than I first thought. It appears that I need to simplify the language I am using and on reflection I realise that I have been making the assumption that everyone is as familiar with my research as I am. Obviously this is not the case and I will have to have an objective look at my approach.
Suggestions were also made that might help me get more accurate information out of the questions being asked. I need to include more options for those participating because people are less likely to take the trouble to write their responses down but are more likely to tick the appropriate boxes. Who would have thought designing a simple questionnaire could be such a complex process?
We also discussed my methodologies. I am using semi-structured interviews in part and had intended to interview web managers. I have sensibly been advised to extend the range of these interviews to include students and staff as well as management to get a broader perspective.
This was a particularly beneficial meeting, if you wish to check my questionnaire progress click here:
http://rebeccamcclelland.com/questionnaire.html
University Piracy Measures
November 19th, 2008The issue of online piracy, particularly in relation to music downloads, has been a persistent one for Universities. Student participation can be problematic as illustrated by the bizarre case brought against American student Jesse Jordan in 2002.
Jordan, an information technology student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, New York, built a search engine for the RPI network which made it easier for students to access material. However, some of the students using Jesse’s search engine had been downloading music files, over 100 copyright infringements were cited and in 2003 the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) demanded damages of $15 million.
The latest extraordinary episode in the RIAA/piracy saga has just emerged, in an article in Wired online published yesterday by David Kravets. Apparently the Tennesse public University system has just signed a $9.5 million legislation to implement University piracy measures.
While this bill may placate the RIAA it comes at a cost to the students and staff of the Universities
The big question is should Universities be held responsible for this type of activity, and if so how might they protect themselves?
Predicting the next 5,000 days of the web
November 3rd, 2008It is difficult to believe that the web has become such an integral part of our society within the relatively short space of 5,000 days. Since its inception in 1991 we have become increasingly dependant on it and still the technology is snowballing at a colossal rate.
If like me you are interested in where we might be going from here I recommend you tune in to Kevin Kelly predicting the next 5,000 days of the web on Ted Talks.
Kelly offers an interesting reflection on the web to date and an even more interesting view on the Semantic Web which has been the much talked about development for the near future.
