23things plus 5 – # 5 Semantic Web

July 18, 2008 at 3:35 am | In Web2.0 | Leave a Comment
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Lucky last 23 thing for the year…. the Semantic Web. Standards, code, tags oh no… I am WSWIG kinda person and talk of codes and standards tend make me go green.

I believe it would enhance the the internet or web experience if computers/search engines could understand what was in the web pages that it harvests but could they really give meaning? It is so subjective. Can a machine really “understand” the way we humans think? Can codes, standards and tags infer meaning? Look what happened to HAL in Space Odyssey 2001. He went mad.

In the readwriteweb can content creators be relied onto to code their content so it could be understood by machines? Will it ever be a seamless, simple process?

My experience of blogging is that it took me a while to bother with tagging. I am a compulsive tagger now but I wasn’t at all interested in the extra work thinking about what tags to use as it took time and effort and I just wanted to publish.

According to Wikipedia the skeptics wonder if the vision of a semantic web is possible outside specialist communities (2008, Wikipedia). I can see that there would be a role for librarians/information managers in the semantic web as we work with metadata (or some of us do). I will keep an eye on the discussions around semantic web but I think it is definitely some way off yet.

I get the Primaries now…

March 25, 2008 at 11:13 pm | In Democrats, Dr Who, Primaries, Social networking, West Wing, library, television | 2 Comments
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http://www.pubdef.net/uploaded_images/The-West-Wing-cast-708368.jpg

As a Librarian I should have curiosity about about politics but I have always been quite apathetic. I tend to be left leaning as many are in education. In my youth I used to say I was an anarchist (well it was cool to when you were a punk) but I have since realised that some rules are necessary. I am a librarian for goodness sake.

But I do think we all should stand up and be proud that we live in a country where we can vote and can get involved in the democratic process. We are very fortunate.

In my short life I have discovered that human nature being what it is you can’t always rely on people to be altruistic. But I like to think the best of people and although I don’t always agree with the decisions made by our politicians I think they are a necessary evil. Bit like marketing.

Why am I talking about politics on this fine autumn day? I am going to publicly announce that I have discovered West Wing.

I know I am late to the fold. Yes – I have finally moved beyond my penchant for science fiction and comedy to the grown up world of the White House. It is intelligent and engaging television. I am addicted! I have added it to my growing list of obsessions… Facebook, Dr Who…etc.

After watching Series 6 I now understand what is going on with the primaries in the US and how hard it must be for the Democrats without a clear front runner for the nomination. The characters are complex – their drives, personal lives etc…. captivating.

It has made me consider that librarians actually have a terrific opportunity to get involved in national agendas and have their say. One of ALIA’s roles is advocacy. It is worth having a look at the issues that ALIA is taking an active role in.

However, there are other ways to stand up and be counted for example library blogs. Check out Libraries Interact they have put together a list of Aussie Library Blogs. It is a way you can add your voice to the dialogue around libraries, librarians and the work that we do. But the best way is to just get and there and get involved in the community around you.

Peace

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