LibraryTechtonics

Why librarians should read the December issue of Wired

Posted on December 1, 2005 under Uncategorized

So I was flipping through Wired when I got it in the mail at the end of November, realizing that there were a whole lot of nifty articles everyone should read. Not all of these are online right now, but for the ones that are, I included links. The page number of the article is also listed.

Start-ping: What’s the most overhyped tech trend right now? (pg 46)
Why? Neat to know opinions of all-in-one devices, blogging, and keeping tech hype promises.

Start-Cheap Talk: Taking Aim at Skype (pg 46)
Why? Interested in voice over IP (VoIP)? Heard a lot of Skype hype, and looking into the next gen of online messaging? This little diddy is an interesting 2 minute read. Then visit the Gizmo site to see what they mean about competition.

Start-the best: The 10 Best Dystopias (pg 50)
Why? This just *screams* library display, perhaps especially in the YA department.

Start-jargon watch (pg 54)
Why? “Mountweasel n. Fake words or names invented by a reference-book [sic] publisher to detect plagiarism of its electronic databases. …” Have you heard of this?

Start-nuh-uh!: War of the Words (pg 60)
Why?“The topics Wikipedians never get tired of fighting over.” Mmmm, Wikipedia. Get some.

Play-screen: The CG Chronicles of Narnia (pg 76)
Why? A nice snippet on the computer graphics for the fabulous movie of the book.

Play-print: Where everyone gets a book deal (pg 90)
Why? I actually had a reference question about self publishing. It’s handy info to have.

The 2005 Geek Gift Guide (pg 127)
Why? Your more technically-inclined patrons will really be digging this stuff for the holidays. Your not-so-technically inclined patrons might want to get more information about them, and you’ll look really good knowing the stuff in advance.

Reinventing 911 (pg 208)
Why? It’s like meatspace social networking on steroids with a cause. Public information to help the masses. That’s kinda what we do, right? Yes, this is a bit more extreme, but it’s somewhere that libraries could take a role, if we could find it. Besides, the mapping stuff their doing is *wicked* cool.

Don’t Call It Spyware (pg 224)
Why? Remember Gator, the stupid spyware program that would mysteriously install itself on your computer with some other little download you installed, then promptly make using your computer impossible? They’ve repackaged themselves, but the program pretty much remains the same. It’s an interesting article on the state of the spyware wars, and something to think about when it comes to advising patrons on authoritativeness online, including downloads from companies.

Who’s Afraid of Google? Who Isn’t? (pg 233)
Why? Yes, the focus of this little article is on profitable business sectors, but I was somewhat worried to see libraries not mentioned. Is it a good thing, because we shouldnt’ be worried? Is it a bad thing, because we’re not being thought of? Is it just that Wired isn’t the type of mag to be concerned with libraries? Did the “Print” section of the article cover the library concerns (I don’t really think so)? I haven’t decided, but it’s worth thinking about.

Thinking Outside the Box Office (pg 256)
Why? Nice discussion of digital copyright and piracy in a “practical” application (as opposed to reading about DRM and such as an intellectual argument).