Thursday
Thought of the Day
Ah, if only the SPAM bots who are visiting my site would follow me. I would go from 54 followers to 5400 followers in no time. :-/
Tuesday
Musings of a Blogger
I hope everyone is having a great day. While I have a few minutes, I thought I would posit a few random thoughts.
Over 100 Views in a Day
The good news is that my blog received 101 views yesterday; it is the first time I have ever had 100 or more visits in a day. The bad news--well, most of those visits were from SPAM bots. In fact, at least 80-90 of the visitors were probably not human. Oh well, at least I had a moment to enjoy the number before the reality set in (that my visitors were not "real people").
Oh, How I Wish Academic Journals Were Open Source
If I ever strike it rich, I will likely donate to several causes, including funding scholarships for my undergraduate institution (Roanoke College), sending money to the SENS Foundation (research on aging and age related diseases), and creating a trust that buys academic journals and provides them free of charge for public viewing.
In the late 1800s and into the 1900s (if I recall, perhaps someone with a better knowledge of American history will help me out on this one), philanthropists donated millions of dollars to help fund the building of new libraries. One of their chief goals (and the most altruistic one) was to provide everyone (well, almost everyone), whatever their station in life, with access to knowledge. The philanthropists believed that people needed ready access to information/knowledge if they were to be able to carry out their duties as citizens.
In the same way, I think it is vital that the public have ready access to the information stored in peer reviewed journals. They may sometimes need to review this information if they are going to make a well-reasoned decision on an issue which is dear to them or which impacts their lives. Granted, many people may never even make use of this information; however, some individuals will utilize it, especially when they believe that none of the advocates for a certain issue are being straightforward with them. People might also want to review information in a journal when they procure unbiased information from news sources and they are unsure which Internet blogs or sites to trust.
How about a fictional real world example: I want to determine whether the local natural gas company's fracking plans will provide a net benefit to my community. I listen to both sides discuss the issue at the local town council meeting. The gas company uses an article in a peer reviewed journal to support its case that fracking is safe and environmentally friendly; I want to back-check the company's claims, so I look-up the article on-line, and learn that it would cost me $65.00 to purchase it--ouch. I check with my local library, but it doesn't carry a subscription to that article and doesn't have the resources to procure a copy for me. I ask the gas company, but I get nowhere....Hmm, wouldn't life be better (and wouldn't it be easier for me to fulfill my role as a good citizen) if the journal was open source.
Clip Art courtesy of Microsoft Office.
Over 100 Views in a Day
The good news is that my blog received 101 views yesterday; it is the first time I have ever had 100 or more visits in a day. The bad news--well, most of those visits were from SPAM bots. In fact, at least 80-90 of the visitors were probably not human. Oh well, at least I had a moment to enjoy the number before the reality set in (that my visitors were not "real people").
Oh, How I Wish Academic Journals Were Open Source
If I ever strike it rich, I will likely donate to several causes, including funding scholarships for my undergraduate institution (Roanoke College), sending money to the SENS Foundation (research on aging and age related diseases), and creating a trust that buys academic journals and provides them free of charge for public viewing.
In the late 1800s and into the 1900s (if I recall, perhaps someone with a better knowledge of American history will help me out on this one), philanthropists donated millions of dollars to help fund the building of new libraries. One of their chief goals (and the most altruistic one) was to provide everyone (well, almost everyone), whatever their station in life, with access to knowledge. The philanthropists believed that people needed ready access to information/knowledge if they were to be able to carry out their duties as citizens.In the same way, I think it is vital that the public have ready access to the information stored in peer reviewed journals. They may sometimes need to review this information if they are going to make a well-reasoned decision on an issue which is dear to them or which impacts their lives. Granted, many people may never even make use of this information; however, some individuals will utilize it, especially when they believe that none of the advocates for a certain issue are being straightforward with them. People might also want to review information in a journal when they procure unbiased information from news sources and they are unsure which Internet blogs or sites to trust.
How about a fictional real world example: I want to determine whether the local natural gas company's fracking plans will provide a net benefit to my community. I listen to both sides discuss the issue at the local town council meeting. The gas company uses an article in a peer reviewed journal to support its case that fracking is safe and environmentally friendly; I want to back-check the company's claims, so I look-up the article on-line, and learn that it would cost me $65.00 to purchase it--ouch. I check with my local library, but it doesn't carry a subscription to that article and doesn't have the resources to procure a copy for me. I ask the gas company, but I get nowhere....Hmm, wouldn't life be better (and wouldn't it be easier for me to fulfill my role as a good citizen) if the journal was open source.Clip Art courtesy of Microsoft Office.
Sunday
Part 2 of It Is Kind of Odd How Technology Both Enslaves Us and Sets Us Free
Happy Easter All. I've finally managed to get around to writing the second part to my technology piece...
While technology enhances or enlarges our freedom(s), it can also diminish our autonomy.
1) As several posters have mentioned--see comments under "(Part 1 of) Its Kind of Odd How Technology Both Enslaves..."--we seem to be wedded to some of our gadgets. How many times have our friends, family, co-workers, or even ourselves said that we can't live without our television, smartphone, computer, tablet, etc. Heck, even if we haven't said, it is still probably true for many of us. However, just because we can't "live without" a piece of technology does not necessarily imply that our autonomy has been limited. A company may "not be able to function" without a certain employee, but we don't necessarily think that the company is a slave to the worker.
The added worry for many of us (who want to be as autonomous as possible) is not just that we can't live without technology; it is that we adjust our lives to fit our technology instead of vice verse. Instead of using a piece of technology as a tool, which is wholly devoted to serving us, we instead change our habits, views, etc. to fit that technology. As an example, we change our methods of emailing, writing, etc. to conform to whatever new technologies (ie. a new version of Word) that come along. If a new IT system demands that we learn a new series of processes, we do it.
In other words, instead of forcing technology to fit within our proscribed routines; we change our routines to fit the technology.
2) We have lost control over our basic information. I'm sure that my name, address, dob, favorite foods, etc. are floating out on the Web somewhere. More importantly, I didn't put (some of) them on the Web, nor did I request that it be done. Nevertheless, it is out there somewhere on the Web for everyone to see. More importantly, I am not alone; most of us are probably in the same boat. Whether we care about it or not (I personally am not overly worried about it), we have lost control of our information. We do not necessarily determine what people see and when they see it. The growth of the Internet and social media have set us free in many ways; however, it does come with a cost--some loss of privacy and personal control of information.
3) We have always had to worry about "big brother" to some extent. Even before the invention of cameras, I'm sure that people had to "watch their backs" to make sure that no one was spying on them. With the invention of cameras, video cameras, recording devices, etc., it became easier for governments/people/companies, etc. to keep an eye on people (either in public or in private). The advent of things like Google Maps has made that task much easier. Granted, this might not be a bad thing in some cases; I'm sure that city managers the world over love having the ability to look down on homes from on high to see if they can spot any city-code violations. Nonetheless, the more advanced this type of technology becomes, the greater its potential for invading our privacy and otherwise denying us the freedom to dictate who sees/hears our private moments.
Clip Art Courtesy of Microsoft Office.
While technology enhances or enlarges our freedom(s), it can also diminish our autonomy.
1) As several posters have mentioned--see comments under "(Part 1 of) Its Kind of Odd How Technology Both Enslaves..."--we seem to be wedded to some of our gadgets. How many times have our friends, family, co-workers, or even ourselves said that we can't live without our television, smartphone, computer, tablet, etc. Heck, even if we haven't said, it is still probably true for many of us. However, just because we can't "live without" a piece of technology does not necessarily imply that our autonomy has been limited. A company may "not be able to function" without a certain employee, but we don't necessarily think that the company is a slave to the worker.The added worry for many of us (who want to be as autonomous as possible) is not just that we can't live without technology; it is that we adjust our lives to fit our technology instead of vice verse. Instead of using a piece of technology as a tool, which is wholly devoted to serving us, we instead change our habits, views, etc. to fit that technology. As an example, we change our methods of emailing, writing, etc. to conform to whatever new technologies (ie. a new version of Word) that come along. If a new IT system demands that we learn a new series of processes, we do it.
In other words, instead of forcing technology to fit within our proscribed routines; we change our routines to fit the technology.
2) We have lost control over our basic information. I'm sure that my name, address, dob, favorite foods, etc. are floating out on the Web somewhere. More importantly, I didn't put (some of) them on the Web, nor did I request that it be done. Nevertheless, it is out there somewhere on the Web for everyone to see. More importantly, I am not alone; most of us are probably in the same boat. Whether we care about it or not (I personally am not overly worried about it), we have lost control of our information. We do not necessarily determine what people see and when they see it. The growth of the Internet and social media have set us free in many ways; however, it does come with a cost--some loss of privacy and personal control of information.3) We have always had to worry about "big brother" to some extent. Even before the invention of cameras, I'm sure that people had to "watch their backs" to make sure that no one was spying on them. With the invention of cameras, video cameras, recording devices, etc., it became easier for governments/people/companies, etc. to keep an eye on people (either in public or in private). The advent of things like Google Maps has made that task much easier. Granted, this might not be a bad thing in some cases; I'm sure that city managers the world over love having the ability to look down on homes from on high to see if they can spot any city-code violations. Nonetheless, the more advanced this type of technology becomes, the greater its potential for invading our privacy and otherwise denying us the freedom to dictate who sees/hears our private moments.
Clip Art Courtesy of Microsoft Office.
Wednesday
Sorry If I Haven't Visited Your Website in a Few Days
To All of my followers...I apologize if I haven't visited your website in a few days. I have been a little busy of late. :-(
Also, I will try to sit down and write Part 2 of my technology post(s) in the next couple of days.
Anthony
PS. I think I'll change the background again. The desert scene is getting a little blasé.
Also, I will try to sit down and write Part 2 of my technology post(s) in the next couple of days.
Anthony
PS. I think I'll change the background again. The desert scene is getting a little blasé.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)