The Future of Media #81: Get Out Your Crystal Ball

Which of the developments listed above do you think will have the most influence? Is there a new technology you have been following that you think will have more effect? Discuss it in your post.

I have not followed new developments in technology, so I am a poor predictor of what will have influence in the future. I agree that newspapers as we know it are disappearing. Movie theaters are disappearing. Television networks are disappearing. Some kind of Internet-based combination of it all will probably take their place, but what will determine the winner is what can make money for someone. Commercials and print ads and lobby popcorn won't pay the bills any more.


Predictions about the future are a big part of the SirsiDynix Institute's webcast by Helene Blowers of the Columbus Metropolitan Library called "From Libraries to Lifebraries." She mentions three trends that will have major impact on traditional libraries: 1) the rise of the e-book; 2) the increase in mobile communications (60% of the world's population have cellphone subscriptions; smart phones exceed laptops and PCs as wi-fi connection devices); and 3) the disappearing of print (especially newspapers). I recommend that all HCPL staff watch this webcast as a motivator for embracing change. The most important slide for me was the "Extinction Timeline," predicting when various aspects of modern life will become insignificant in people's lives. Newspapers are on the timeline with a date of about 2049, but LIBRARIES are on the timeline with a date of about 2019!
Are you an early adopter of every gadget?

I consider myself more of a "middle" adopter of new technology. I want to make sure something will "catch-on" before I jump in. I also want competitors to move into the market and bring the price down. I would probably be faster to get new things, except for the high price tag. For example, my bulky TV works too well to just junk in favor of a sleek new high-definition flat panel TV.

Do you have fond memories of technologies from the past? What is your favorite media gadget or which outdated format do you miss the most? Describe it in your post.

Following the developments of technology has been a wild ride. I have been around long enough to have witnessed first-hand most of the evolution of computers. My first direct contact was loading punched cards coded in the Fortran language into a mainframe computer that filled a large room. My first remote access was via paper punched tape on a teletype machine. Our first home computer was an Apple II. That is probably my favorite memory, learning to use that machine with my kindergartener son. This was followed by a range of IBM desktops (with the Intel 8088, 80286, 80486) and then a series of Dell Laptops. I love my laptop, and can't imagine being without it.

My current most favorite media gadget, though, has to be my iPhone. It is mobile and brings so many "gadgets" together through its apps: e-mail, e-book reader, camera, GPS maps, calendar, Internet, game machine, alarm clock, etc. If that is what the future will look like, bring it on!

The Future of Media #80: Movies

1) Use one of the film sites above to find a free full-length film (you’ll probably have the best luck with Hulu, The Auteurs, or IMDB). Watch a little of it. Would you watch an entire film on your computer or do you still prefer watching DVDs on your TV?

I selected "Ghostbusters", an old classic on Hulu, and had no trouble watching it. I chose it because my son often quotes from it. Since I didn't remember many of the parts I was curious to see it again. I also had forgotten that it starts out in the New York Public Library with the old card catalog.

I didn't mind watching the movie on my computer. In the past, I have often watched DVDs on my computer. A difference is that with "streaming" you often get glitches even with a fast connection. In some locations, like the Barbara Bush Library, it would currently be impossible to watch something that needs to be "streamed." Another difference is that Hulu's version stops periodically and makes you watch a commercial.

This whole post is quite thought-provoking. In the past, we kids had to walk across town to the old movie theater to see a film. The advent of videotapes and video players let us watch them at home. Blockbuster outlets became huge, and crowds hung out there very weekend. Their only real competitor was the public library, where you could actually get videotapes for FREE, although not the latest and greatest. Now the movie theaters are closed, and Blockbuster stores are headed the same way. Surely the video/DVD section of the public library is not far behind. Maybe we should stop putting money into it?

Even many of the library staff subscribe to Netflix, and the mail contains many disks each week going back and forth. Others, like my son, are more sophisticated, and have Netflix tied into their big flat screen HDTV. He can pull up a seemingless endless array of new and old films to watch whenever he wants.

BTW, related to post #79: Ghostbusters must be one of the classic early examples of product placement. Egon eats a big box of CheezIts early in the show, and then a bag of StayPuft marshmallows is unpacked from a grocery bag. [I never noticed this on first watch, but it would have provided a BIG HINT about the movie's eventual villain.] When Sigourney Weaver opens her fridge, it is loaded with Coke and Perrier and Kraft dressing. I wonder how much money the movie earned from this kind of arrangement even before it hit the theaters!

2) Find a trailer for an upcoming film. Would you use these sites to keep up on current film information?

I discussed "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak with two book clubs, and both were very intrigued by the fact that the book was going to be made into a movie. None of us could imagine how a film could do justice to that very poetic and creative book. So I searched for some trailers of the forthcoming movie.

On the Apple site, I found podcasts for the book, but no movie trailer. I didn't find a trailer on the IMDB site either. A general Google search led to several YouTube clips. One seemed like the official trailer. Others were homemade -- one by a bunch of teens, and another by a family of young kids.

IMDB has proven very useful for movie reference in the past (e.g. casts, dates, awards, etc.). The addition of trailers should make it even more useful.

3) Write a blog post about the experience. Would you consider using any of the fee-based services to get the movies you want at home? If so, which one would work better for you and why?

I seldom use anything that is fee-based. I might be tempted to subscribe to NetFlix via the mail. It's interesting that most of these TV and movie services allow you to watch alone in your home. The social experience of going to the theater is lost. Now that I think about it, though, the theater experience makes me think of gum on the seats and floors sticky with spilled drinks or slippery from greasy popcorn. Hard to miss that...

The Future of Media #79: Television

Exercises:
1) Visit Hulu, tv.com, or one of the other TV sites. Search or browse the site to see if your favorite show is listed. Are you able to watch full episodes online? What coverage is available?

Visiting Hulu was dangerous. There are so many ways to waste time, and now I have another great one! I searched for "Grey's Anatomy", a show I really like but often miss because I work the night that it is on. I watched two whole episodes while I was supposed to be doing this iHCPL exercise. It seems like the last five episodes shown on TV are online here through hulu. Another 136 episodes have clips of several minutes shown.

My problem is: I like to do other work (like using Quicken for my personal finances) on my laptop while watching TV. If I have to watch TV on my laptop, that defeats the purpose. I think it would be a better plan to learn to use the DVR on my TV. That way I can record what I miss while at work, watch it later on TV, and still do other work on my laptop.

However, knowing how to find lots of these shows is useful for reference purposes at the library.

2) Have you ever watched a TV show on your cell phone? If so, did you like it? If not, are you interested? Why or why not?
I never before watched a TV show on my iPhone. I tried to watch one through hulu.com, but can't do it because the phone does not have Flash installed. To get access through ATT would cost me another $10 per month, and that is just too much for how often I use it.
Because of this exercise, I loaded the free app for tv.com on my phone. Then I was able to watch some longer clips of "Grey's Anatomy", but I did not see any full episodes there.
It was "OK" to watch on my phone, but not great. Somehow seeing the show on a 2" by 3" screen with phone speakers doesn't quite measure up to seeing it on a 50"+ screen with SurroundSound like my son owns. Kind of spoils you for anything else.

3) Are there any streaming programs or user "channels" that you watch? Have you ever posted videos to a site on a regular basis?
My husband watches a lot of streaming TV from Romania on the Internet. It does require a fast connection. Before cable, it was impossible to watch. The image was always breaking up.
I looked at some of the live photo cams, but did not see anything I would be interested in following with that level of interest.
I have made several videos for work and personal use, and posted them to YouTube.