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 What is your favorite media gadget or which outdated format do you miss the most?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.

Searching #78: Videos

1. Search for a particular video using both Truveo and Blinkx. Look for any similarities or differences in the results, and write about them in your blog.

Well, this training has just paid for itself! I used Truveo to search for samples of one of the videos we hoped to make at our branch: How to Buy a Print Card.

What I found was a video called "Printing at Freeman: Buying the Print Card."
With just a little editing to change the branch name, this video will be perfect to post on our branch web page. It was posted as of January 15, 2010, so I can only assume that is why I have not heard about it before.

I'm glad I used Truveo for this first. Blinkx did not give me this result at all, even when I searched for it by exact name.

2. Go to HCPL’s YouTube channel and take a look around. Discuss in your blog ideas for how your own branch video could add to the mix of searchable video content on the Internet.
If I hadn't found the Freeman video with the Truveo search, I would have found it by looking at HCPL's YouTube channel. It shows the video above, as well as three other related items involving printing from the computer; dealing with the print release station; and adding value to a print card.

It is strange for me that the seven Barbara Bush videos do not show up on the HCPL YouTube channel under the link for "All." You have to clink on the "Uploads" link to see older HCPL list. You can see the Barbara Bush playlist by searching another way.

The Freeman self-help videos are posted too low on the Freeman site, and won't be readily noticed by customers. If the unnecessary "Locations" box on the upper left of the Freeman branch page was deleted, links to the videos could be posted there that would be more helpful to customers.

Searching #77: Images

1. Using AllFreeClipArt, how many clicks did it take to get to a color Santa that doesn’t look like a troll?
I have to admit that I clicked dozens of times all over that site, and never did find a Santa I would want to use. I found the site very difficult to navigate, and quite deceptive because not everything you were led to was "free."

2. Read “10 Places to Find Free Images Online”. Blog about 2 of the sites listed.
FreeMediaGoo.com had high quality photos plus some digitally created images that could be used for free. I liked this digital image that I found there:

However, this site would not be very good for general use. The number of free images is very limited.

Fotogenika.net sounded good from the description, but it was just a link to a bunch of links, and finding your way to "free" photos was challenging.

The FreeDigitalPhotos.net gave me a nasty surprise. It seems that you get a bonus with some of the "free" photos. My virus software went into high gear, and started deleting all sorts of bad stuff. I will never go to that site again!!!

3. Try logging in to the clip art program for HCPL use. Each branch has their own login and password you can get from your branch librarian. Find an illustration that could be used for a program at your branch and add it to your blog. Be sure to credit that piece.

----------------------@jupiterimages

This is an image from the library-licensed clip art that I used in an iHCPL Wellness module post last year. There are very many good images available through this source, including regular drawings, cartoons and photos. After my experience with the viruses possible with "free" photos from the web, I think I would stick to a source like this in the future.

SEARCHING #76: SOUND EFFECTS

1) Use FindSounds to search for and post at least three animal sound effects in your blog.

Did you know that hummingbirds make sounds? Until I lived in Texas and had a feeder outside my kitchen window, I never knew that they "talked" in addition to the humming sound that their wings make.
http://www.kwic.com/~pagodavista/humming.wav

That sound comes from this site, which makes great use of animal sounds, and can also lead you to many more:
http://www.kwic.com/~pagodavista/schoolhouse/species.htm

Then there is the wonderful sound of a cat purring that I have missed ever since my cat died at age 20 several years ago: http://kessels.com/CatSounds/purr2.wav

Cats make LOTS of sounds, and you can find many of them here:
http://kessels.com/CatSounds/

Loons have fantastic, haunting calls that bring back memories of summer vacations at lakes in Wisconsin and Minnesota:
http://www.wildernessbay.com/loon/loonwail.wav

The sound is used as the background for this website:
http://www.wildernessbay.com/

2) Using the Simply the Best Sounds site, search for sounds in the public domain. Post links to three of them in your blog.

Falling Bomb with explosion:
http://simplythebest.net/sounds/WAV/sound_effects_WAV/sound_effect_WAV_files/bomb.wav

Olympic fanfare:
http://simplythebest.net/sounds/WAV/sound_effects_WAV/sound_effect_WAV_files/fanfare.wav

One of my grandfathers was a railroad engineer, so this file of a train leaving the station brings back fond memories:
http://simplythebest.net/sounds/WAV/sound_effects_WAV/sound_effect_WAV_files/train.wav

Searching #75: Google and Beyond

1) Type in at least three queries in Blindsearch, hit search, and then vote for the column which you believe best matches what you were seeking. The columns are randomized with each search. How did your favorite search engine rate in the three tries? Do you think this will affect how you search in the future?



Query 1: Sandstorms in Beijing (a topic I was hearing about on the Science Channel as I was working on this post). Google was the winner, being most specific and current, but all looked pretty good.



Query 2: Harris County Texas History (a display we are working on at the library got me thinking about this). Google was a clear winner here. The other search engines got sidetracked in issues of crime, cemeteries, and even gardening!



Query 3: Nancy Agafitei (Hmmm... It's interesting what is out there!) Yahoo did the best job finding sites with real info, not just mentions. It included my Harris County blog as #1, the branch page, a review I wrote for Amazon, the branch E-vents calendar, and my son's website.



Google is the engine I use most often, so Blindsearch supported that. However, I might use Yahoo if I am searching for people.




2) What search engine was #1 on Hitwise the week that you searched? How did it compare to its closest competitor? Do the usage statistics match your own personal choice of a favorite?



For the week ending 1/2/2010, Hitwise had no surprises. The big three took the top spots, with Google pretty much ruling the roost when comparing volume of searches:
1. google 72.25%
2. yahoo 14.83%
3. bing 8.91%

Other search engines that made the top 10 by number of visits were (in numerical order):



4. Google Image Search

5. Ask.com

6. AOL

7. Yahoo Image Search

8. Dogpile

9. Sphere

10. Yahoo Video Search



So once again, Hitwise supported my choice of Google for searching.



Interesting side note: The list of the top 20 websites for the week included all three of the top search engines and their variants (images, videos, e-mail, etc.), plus eBay, MySpace, YouTube, Facebook, Wikipedia, MSN and Amazon. Notably absent was Twitter. Perhaps it has outlived its usefulness as it has grown so big??




3) Marketing of search engines requires that they continually add new features that they hope will appeal to you. Explore the features of one of the major search engines (Google, Yahoo!, or Bing). What new things did you discover that you would find useful?



Since Google is my choice, I checked it first. I most often use Google to search the web. I also use it a lot to search for images. Sometimes I have used Google Maps. This year I opened a gmail account for my own e-mail. But clicking on the "More" button open some additional possibilities that I would like to try out:

Blogs -- Let's you search in blogs.

Books -- Gives you access to what a recent SirsiDynix webinar called "Google's Hidden Libraries." This is truly amazing. According to information on the site, today you can search the full-text of over 7 million books.



Among other things, it includes the full-text of a large magazine archive, complete with cover art and all graphics. And you can do a search across all issues of all titles. A child doing a report on Texas Indians could type in the work "Karankawa" and get three pages of hits, many from Texas Monthly.

Clicking on books under the category of "Literature" gives one the choice of 4,710 titles that can be viewed, at least partially. Of these, 1,115 are full-text public domain titles that can be read online. I added a classic Hawthorne title I needed for a book club to "My Library", and could have read it online.