Reading #2
“Can Wikipedia ever make the Grade?”
By: Broke Read
Chronicle of Higher Education
Experts are still trying to figure out whether Wikipedia is a valid source of information and some are even trying to test their theories. Because credentials are not checked and anyone can edit Wikipedia pages, a professor decided that he would write a few fabrications on different searches to see if they would be found or not. Some were obvious and some believable, but the Wikipedia editors caught the false statements and changed them within hours.
Wikipedia leaders have said that they will focus on developing strategies that improve the quality and not quantity of the entries on the website. While assigning a grade to Wikipedia is almost impossible, researchers have tried to test the validity of information given. In a study done on scientific topics, the Encyclopedia Britannica was found to contain 3 errors; Wikipedia 4. Wikipedia founders say that having a variety of scholars, professors, teenagers, students, etc. post information on the site is better than only expert opinions.
Those same scholars who have tried to help the validity of Wikipedia seem turned off at recent situations. Experts in certain fields have posted true and factual information on Wikipedia, only to have it taken off later by the site administrators. This has caused a lot of animosity between scholars and Wikipedia users and now most are skeptical of the site.
I am torn between the experts and Wikipedia founders. While I do find it useful and utilize Wikipedia for some “research”, I limit my use of Wikipedia to only search facts or statistics on less serious topics. As far as research goes, I steer clear of citing Wikipedia as a source. While the information might be correct, it could very well not be and using Wikipedia for research has not proven to be credible enough for my use.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
Reading #1
Reading #1
“Web hoaxes, Counterfeit sites and other spurious information”
Paul S. Piper
This article explores how different types of information on the web can be misconstrued, incorrect, malicious, absurd, and accidental. Because the internet is free to everyone who has access, the chances that one will search and receive misinformation is greater than ever. Counterfeit sites are ones who information tries to pass as authentic. Some of these can be dangerous as the article gives one example of a hoax website on Martin Luther King Jr. which portrays disturbing or hateful messages. Spoofs can be innocent pranks meant to be funny. A news report from an Associated Press stated that deer had been dressed with orange vests to be disguised as humans. The Wall Street Journal, Fox News, and ESPN.com all reported on this story only to find out this news group did not exist at all. While no one was hurt, innocent pranks can lead to other more serious incidents. Disinformation is deliberately posting false information to influence those who read it. Some of the more serious internet hoaxes occurred after September 11th, with the creation of fake charity sites. These sites solicited money from grieving victims as a scam. To avoid scams and hoaxes like these on the internet, it is recommended that one researches the organization and explores the official charity website, stay away from solicitations you don’t recognize, and recognize that charitable organizations do not send out mass emails.
After reading this article, it is amazing to see what people can do to the internet and how unreliable the information is. I think that it is awful that fake organizations solicit donations from grieving victims and websites claim that the Holocaust never existed. But this article makes you realize that this information or “misinformation” is out there and recommends ways that you can avoid it and ignore the information that you read. You can’t trust everything you read and this article explains why. Gossip will always be interesting to people and cannot be avoided. However, everyone has the power to choose what they believe.
“Web hoaxes, Counterfeit sites and other spurious information”
Paul S. Piper
This article explores how different types of information on the web can be misconstrued, incorrect, malicious, absurd, and accidental. Because the internet is free to everyone who has access, the chances that one will search and receive misinformation is greater than ever. Counterfeit sites are ones who information tries to pass as authentic. Some of these can be dangerous as the article gives one example of a hoax website on Martin Luther King Jr. which portrays disturbing or hateful messages. Spoofs can be innocent pranks meant to be funny. A news report from an Associated Press stated that deer had been dressed with orange vests to be disguised as humans. The Wall Street Journal, Fox News, and ESPN.com all reported on this story only to find out this news group did not exist at all. While no one was hurt, innocent pranks can lead to other more serious incidents. Disinformation is deliberately posting false information to influence those who read it. Some of the more serious internet hoaxes occurred after September 11th, with the creation of fake charity sites. These sites solicited money from grieving victims as a scam. To avoid scams and hoaxes like these on the internet, it is recommended that one researches the organization and explores the official charity website, stay away from solicitations you don’t recognize, and recognize that charitable organizations do not send out mass emails.
After reading this article, it is amazing to see what people can do to the internet and how unreliable the information is. I think that it is awful that fake organizations solicit donations from grieving victims and websites claim that the Holocaust never existed. But this article makes you realize that this information or “misinformation” is out there and recommends ways that you can avoid it and ignore the information that you read. You can’t trust everything you read and this article explains why. Gossip will always be interesting to people and cannot be avoided. However, everyone has the power to choose what they believe.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
News Report #2
News Report #2
“New in ’09: You won’t go in to see the doctor”
Elizabeth Cohen CNNHealth
1/15/09
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/01/15/ep.trends.in.ehealth/index.html?eref=rss_tech
Online doctor visits? That is the future prediction to take off in 2009. Recently, a busy actor found himself feeling under the weather and called on his doctor. Within the hour, the doctor was chatting live to the actor on the internet, diagnosed him and sent him a prescription. Typically, the average person will schedule an appointment months in advance, sit in a waiting room for at least 1 hour, wait to see the doctor for at least 15 minutes and are done within the next 20 minutes. All this can be a thing of the past with new advances in this new idea. Everything is done differently because of the internet yet everyday thousands of people visit into a doctor’s office for a simple cold or sore throat. Meredith Ressi, the vice president of research for Manhattan Research, says that we should expect to see many doctors close their private practices and open “telehealth” practices where they can deliver their services over the internet. For a small fee, chatting with doctors live or asking a doctor simple questions could be some of the services offered.
Personally, I think this is a crazy yet innovative and excellent idea. For me, I would love to be able to get a prescription for a sinus infection quickly and over the internet. Making an appointment around my busy schedule, waiting and picking up the prescription is very time consuming and that could be solved with this new “eHealth” idea. Again, internet is more amazing every day. This does have some caveats, however. Patients could be misdiagnosed or pretending in order to get medications which could be very dangerous for some people’s health. It is fascinating to see where this innovation could be by the end of the year. There are always pros and cons in technology but whatever the outcome, I am sure people will benefit from this new service.
“New in ’09: You won’t go in to see the doctor”
Elizabeth Cohen CNNHealth
1/15/09
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/01/15/ep.trends.in.ehealth/index.html?eref=rss_tech
Online doctor visits? That is the future prediction to take off in 2009. Recently, a busy actor found himself feeling under the weather and called on his doctor. Within the hour, the doctor was chatting live to the actor on the internet, diagnosed him and sent him a prescription. Typically, the average person will schedule an appointment months in advance, sit in a waiting room for at least 1 hour, wait to see the doctor for at least 15 minutes and are done within the next 20 minutes. All this can be a thing of the past with new advances in this new idea. Everything is done differently because of the internet yet everyday thousands of people visit into a doctor’s office for a simple cold or sore throat. Meredith Ressi, the vice president of research for Manhattan Research, says that we should expect to see many doctors close their private practices and open “telehealth” practices where they can deliver their services over the internet. For a small fee, chatting with doctors live or asking a doctor simple questions could be some of the services offered.
Personally, I think this is a crazy yet innovative and excellent idea. For me, I would love to be able to get a prescription for a sinus infection quickly and over the internet. Making an appointment around my busy schedule, waiting and picking up the prescription is very time consuming and that could be solved with this new “eHealth” idea. Again, internet is more amazing every day. This does have some caveats, however. Patients could be misdiagnosed or pretending in order to get medications which could be very dangerous for some people’s health. It is fascinating to see where this innovation could be by the end of the year. There are always pros and cons in technology but whatever the outcome, I am sure people will benefit from this new service.
News Report #1
News Report #1
“Obama poised to be first ‘wired’ president”
Brandon Griggs, CNN
1/15/09
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/01/15/obama.internet.president/index.html?eref=rss_tech
Obama has not only made history by being the first Africa American President, but he will also be the most technologically savvy president that Americans have seen today. Obama will use more interactive means of communication that previous Presidents know little about. During his campaign, Obama used social-networking websites to actively speak to Americans about his visions and missions as the future President. Founder of the techPresident blog, Andrew Rasiej, says “The rebooting of our democracy has begun” and it has. Obama has a Facebook page with 3.3million friends, a MySpace page with 1 million friends and an online database of over 13 million Obama supporters. He used these mediums during his campaign to announce events, raise money and acquire volunteers. Using 21st century technology, Obama will be the first of his kind and has been named fittingly Obama 2.0
It’s hard to believe that when George Bush took over only 8 years ago, Facebook and MySpace didn’t exist. Now they are here and part of our every day life. The fact that our President-elect is willing to use those means of communication with the every day “Joe” is inspiring to me and I am sure to others as well. Obama seems to be a “cool” guy being one of the youngest Presidents in history and now using technology that would allow anyone to give him ideas. A blog has been started where people can post ideas and those ideas that are worthy are given to the President himself! It is amazing to see where we have come in just 10 years and to think of how life would be different without the internet.
“Obama poised to be first ‘wired’ president”
Brandon Griggs, CNN
1/15/09
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/01/15/obama.internet.president/index.html?eref=rss_tech
Obama has not only made history by being the first Africa American President, but he will also be the most technologically savvy president that Americans have seen today. Obama will use more interactive means of communication that previous Presidents know little about. During his campaign, Obama used social-networking websites to actively speak to Americans about his visions and missions as the future President. Founder of the techPresident blog, Andrew Rasiej, says “The rebooting of our democracy has begun” and it has. Obama has a Facebook page with 3.3million friends, a MySpace page with 1 million friends and an online database of over 13 million Obama supporters. He used these mediums during his campaign to announce events, raise money and acquire volunteers. Using 21st century technology, Obama will be the first of his kind and has been named fittingly Obama 2.0
It’s hard to believe that when George Bush took over only 8 years ago, Facebook and MySpace didn’t exist. Now they are here and part of our every day life. The fact that our President-elect is willing to use those means of communication with the every day “Joe” is inspiring to me and I am sure to others as well. Obama seems to be a “cool” guy being one of the youngest Presidents in history and now using technology that would allow anyone to give him ideas. A blog has been started where people can post ideas and those ideas that are worthy are given to the President himself! It is amazing to see where we have come in just 10 years and to think of how life would be different without the internet.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
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