Melding concepts drawn from library and information studies scholar and theorist Elfreda Chatman and philosopher Jurgen Habermas, Burnett and Jaeger present a multi-level theory of 'information worlds' to investigate the ways in which information creates the social worlds of people.
Michael Dertouzos has been an insightful commentator and an active participant in the creation of the Information Age.Now, in What Will Be, he offers a thought-provoking and entertaining vision of the world of the next decade -- and of the next century. Dertouzos examines the impact that the following new technologies and challenges will have on our lives as the Information Revolution progresses: all the music, film and text ever produced will be available on-demand in our own homes your "bodynet" will let you make phone calls, check email and pay bills as you walk down the street advances in telecommunication will radically alter the role of face-to-face contact in our lives global disparities in infrastructure will widen the gap between rich and poor surgical mini-robots and online care will change the practice of medicine as we know it. Detailed, accessible and visionary, What Will Be is essential for Information Age revolutionaries and technological neophytes alike.
Facts and figures for the curious reader. Covers more than 30 fascinating "general knowledge" topics, including shapes, tides, the solar system, and the periodic table.
Did you know that snails can sleep for three years without eating? Or that the average four-year-old asks over 400 questions a day? The Useless Information Society was formed by some of Britain's best-loved journalists, who meet regularly to swap new nuggets of trivia. This is the third collection of their incredible, fascinating, and utterly trivial findings. Each page is packed with off-the-wall, mind boggling facts guaranteed to amuse and delight in equal measure.
Information Technology (IT) is conquering the world. It affects our jobs, our lives as private citizens, and society. Its impact is greater than other technologies, such as railways, personal cars, and the telephone. However, while most can understand the potential and constraints of these technologies, IT is often experienced as a “black box,” producing its effects without giving a clue as to how they are achieved. The aim of How Information Technology Is Conquering the World is to open this box and to offer a basic knowledge of the technology and how it works. We will then understand why IT can put toll both operators, metro train engineers, and stockbrokers out of a job, but at the same time have limited impact on bus drivers, nurses, and teachers. How Information Technology Is Conquering the World focuses on the interface between the technologies and the real world in order to explore not only where these technologies have their advantages but also where their limitations become apparent. The difficulty of introducing a new technology is emphasized with the practical goal of enabling readers to use technology to full advantage. This book is useful for those involved in, affected by, or interested in the technology; for students taking an introductory course in computing; and for managers and others who are interested in seeing how this rapidly evolving technology will affect their lives, jobs, and businesses now and in the future.
This book explores the interconnected ways in which the control of knowledge has become central to the exercise of political, economic, and social power. Building on the work of International Political Economy scholar Susan Strange, this multidisciplinary volume features experts from political science, anthropology, law, criminology, women’s and gender studies, and Science and Technology Studies, who consider how the control of knowledge is shaping our everyday lives. From “weaponised copyright” as a censorship tool, to the battle over control of the internet’s “guts,” to the effects of state surveillance at the Mexico–U.S. border, this book offers a coherent way to understand the nature of power in the twenty-first century.
The authors present a multi-level theory of "Information Worlds" to investigate the ways in which information creates the social worlds of people. Building upon the foundational works of Library and Information Studies (LIS) scholar and theorist Elfreda Chatman and philosopher Jurgen Habermas, as well as from theory and research from a wide range of other fields, the theory of information worlds can serve as a theoretical driver both in LIS studies and across other disciplines that study information issues, enriching and expanding our understanding of the multi-layered role of information in society. Testing their theory through application to a variety of real-world issues, Burnett and Jaeger tackle the topics of libraries and information provision, the value assigned to information by differing social groups, information access and exchange, international information policies, the role of information in democracy, and technological change. Information Worlds provides a framework for empirical investigations into the fascinating and very real social dimensions of information.
Presents a broad examination of the nature of virtual worlds and the potential they provide in managing and expressing information practices through that medium, grounding information professionals and students of new media in the fundamental elements of virtual worlds and online gaming. The book details the practical issues in finding and using information in virtual environments and presents a general theory of librarianship as it relates to virtual gaming worlds. It is encompassed by a set of best practice methods that libraries can effectively execute in their own environments, meeting the needs of this new generation of library user, and explores ways in which information literacy can be approached in virtual worlds. Final chapters examine how conventional information evaluation skills work falls short in virtual worlds online. Maps out areas of good practice and technique for information professionals and librarians serving in virtual communities Provides a clear foundation with appropriate theory for understanding information in virtual worlds Treats virtual worlds as ‘real environments’ and observes the behaviour of actors within them