Muddiest Point for Week 5 and Reading Notes for Week 6

Week 5 Muddiest Point:
I have no muddiest point for this week.




Week 6 Reading Notes:
Local Area Networks: 
Local Area Networks (LANs) are relatively small networks of computers that are physically close to one another. They can be composed of a simple home computer setup with one or two computers and several peripheral devices such as printers, scanners, or hard disks, or they can range to large scale institution wide networks.  The impetus for the development of LANs, according to the wikipedia article, comes from the advent of DOS and Personal Computing, so that asingle place or institution would have a great number of computers, and thus have a great need to share the computing resources on site, rather than have each computer work in isolation.

Computer Network:
Computer networks range in size and scope, from a single wireless home computer network connected to various peripherals, to the global computer network known as the Internet. Networks can be private or public, they can be accessed by physically connecting to a network, or by virtually logging in over a distance, and they can be wired or wireless. Networks can consist of multiple other networks (as is the Internet)

ARPANET, the progenitor computer network, was a miltary/government founded network that would ultimately beget the infrastructure for the Internet.

Computers need specialized hardware to interface with and connect to networks, and in turn, networks need specialized hardware and software to operate and connect computers and other hardware.

Common Types of Computer Networks: 
The short video again explained the different types of computer networks, including PANs, (W)LANs, WANs, CANs, MANs,

Management of RFID in Libraries
From subcontaneous chips placed in our hosuepets, to chips in our passports, the use of Radio Frequency Identifiers (RFID) is becoming widespread in our culture. Why not in our library books? The article takes it as a given that RFID will eventually trend towards the library, especially towards the circulation desk, where its applications are obvious.
Though the article cautions us against the easy pitfalls of RFID, that it is foolproof, or more secure than current security measures. RFID is not perfect, and it is still a mostly young, if not adolescent technology, that can be subverted in even crude and simple ways. That placing an RFID chip on any other non-book circulating material will take a bit of creativity, or perhaps not at all.
The article is very convincing of RFIDs great use in the library world, especially implemented in circulation, and especially from a user convenience perspective.
I think the problem of privacy that the article raises is a paper-tiger. Right now to check out a book, the circulation desks still needs to take track of your Library Card and books you have checked out, and still keeps those recorded. When you use a library computer your library card is recorded. The only new part that RFID adds to the loop would be if the library started recording every time you entered and exited the building, regardless of whether you used a computer, or checked a book out. I think most patrons would not mind this, as it is a non-invasive measure, not requiring them to check-in or check-out, and it is a relatively harmless statistic to be measuring.