using e-print

Response to Grade 10 Journal Entry Question #5: Reading in Cyberspace ?!?

Google has introduced a new service called Google Book Search. It's basically an online library of sorts, where you can find digital copies of various titles offered by the service.

Publishers are definitely going to need to get themselves updated with recent technology. Books aren't just limited to print sources anymore. Most publishing houses would definitely find this new method of finding books more convienent to their consumers and will highly consider putting their works on the Internet. This being said, Google is pioneering such a project and will be the centre of attention for many publishers wishing to put their material online. They must build their digital library together through the works of the publishers and the sources of Google, and will work more closely together as this project evolves.

Google offers a variety of user utilities as e-mail, chat, photo storage and much more. Its large-scale competitors, such as Yahoo! and Microsoft, also provide similar services. With the introduction of Google Book Search, perhaps they too will attempt to follow suite to improve and surpass the capabilities of Google's respective digital library. They can do it in many ways, such as accquiring the rights to certain publishers' works. Maybe even mini-features can improve their chances of success, such as offering them as word-searchable PDF files. Many people would find this quite efficient towards their researches - I know I personally would, since I'd find it easier to just copy a quote straight from the source than take the time to type out five lines. Hopefully the competition doesn't get too brutal, or that their services become too similar.

Google Book Search would give more access to print source information to many people who do not have the access to a library (although the scenario happens seldomly) or would find it easier to have a one-stop source for information. It's especially important to keep in mind that the Internet is an open source, meaning anyone can come and copy or edit material. An Internet hacker could break into Google Book Search's server and corrupt their files by photoshopping images, for example. The Internet cannot always be 100% relied on (a great example is the almighty Wikipedia) and I'm sure many people would prefer to stick to print sources, knowing that the information given is taken straight from a reliable source.

Libraries should not feel threatened by services such as Google Book Search. I personally don't think that books will soon become an ancient piece of history. Not everyone has an iPod that can read text, or will be able to read on-the-go the same way as holding a book in our hands turning pages. Even now, many people don't use computers - whether by choice or because of a lack thereof. The world is not 100% digitalized, so libraries should not fear any of the upcoming digital sourcing.

Overall, I feel that online book sources are a good asset to research. They provide an easy way to access basic information. But keeping in mind that many sources on the Internet are not reliable anyways, I'm a little skeptical about how this system will work. I'll just stick to the shelves and Dewey Decimal for now.

military combat in your hands

Response to Grade 10 Journal Entry Question #3: When War Meets Video Games

Every single day, we read the newspaper and watch the TV to see people dying and fighting all over the world. We all stand by and watch the list of casualties increase by the week, and some even say it's a shame. Our society is in the midst of wars being fought all over the world.

Video games bring adventure and fantasy to those who would otherwise be living out their plain and regular lifestyles. Some people find playing video games give them an escape from reality, and others just an opportunity to live in a world of fiction and fantasy. But in the case of war video games, reality touches base with adventure and a simulation of what could really be happening on the other side of the planet, is created.

Modern pop culture is influenced by recent events and trends that appear as time goes by. With all the talk about the war on terrorism and the violence in the Middle East, there has to be some sort of interest developped in the topic. War video games draw upon that interest, which is why they are so popular in this day and age. Our current events, media and news are flooded by daily combat. So why not bring it home to your television screen instead of outside your bedroom window, right?

War games have a very thin line between reality and fantasy. War is something that affects us in the real world and its inhabitants. Is it really all that fun to shoot people down, knowing that the same thing happens in real life by the day? I guess to some people it is, considering how popular the genre has become. But we should not let games deter our opinions on aspects of our real lives. In the same way that we believe that mystical creatures don't secretly crawl beneath the Earth, we should also keep in-game wars within their respective borders. Fighting real battles and real wars goes beyond the simulation, and gamers should keep that thought well in their minds. Playing war games are fun, so long as they are limited to the television screen.

Overall, war video games should not affect our sensitivity to the topic's regularity in our current events. I personally think that if people were to play games for a different perspective on war, they are totally free to do so. Many people learn and want to experience things differently, and if video games are the vehicle, so be it.