Week #5 Readings -More for Less

Data Compression on Wikipedia:
Data compression saves on storage space. If one has ever used Win-Zip, the concept of more for less will be somewhat familiar. Compressed code or the bits and bytes of machine language take more time to transmit and more space to store depending on the size of the file(Wikipedia).
The other side of the coin is decompression, where file data is expanded back to it's original size. Think in terms of shrink to send and expand upon reception.

Compression Basics:
Compression Types,
Lossless:
Just as there are different types of operating systems for a computer, there are different types of compression software. In the online article, Compression Basics, two types are discussed. The Wikipedia example of Lossless compression stated that compression was accomplished by means of a mathmatical formula called a "algorithm" (remember your algebra?). The formula works by removing "redundant" or re-occurring bits. To paraphrase the Wiki example, Lossless compression would look like: A-to the second power, B-cubed, etc.
Here is my version:
(Original) left over dinner-(compression) lft ovr dnr =>(decompression) left over dinner
Transmission of the first part of the statement would take less time and space than the statment on the last side of the equasion.
Lossy compression involves the remove of qualities such as picture clairity, sound fidelitly, or other features not ususally apparent to the human eye(Wikipedia). Using this compression type an original photo may lose some of it's contrast, or brightness, etc.
Lossy:
There are two basic lossy compression schemes:

• In lossy transform codecs, samples of picture or sound are taken, chopped into small segments, transformed into a new basis space, and quantized. The resulting quantized values are then entropy coded.
  
  
• In lossy predictive codecs, previous and/or subsequent decoded data is used to predict the current sound sample or image frame. The error between the predicted data and the real data, together with any extra information needed to reproduce the prediction, is then quantized and coded.

(Retrieved online from: http://www.maximumcompression.com/lossless_vs_lossy.php)

FirstMonday Article:

Project increased cultural diversity of current collections.
Experienced the differences between results oriented and work-product-output results.
Expects to experience increased demand for service.
Fostered greater appreciation for digital conversion of old photos as a preservation method.


Youtube and Libraries:

good features,
Streaming Video format independence.
No technical Knowledge required for use.
Login and password account creation secure
Easy access from any internet enabled video device (MP3, iPod, Cell Phone, etc.)
Use a presentation or instruction video tool.
Wide range of Viewership.

Benefits to Libraries?

Virtual tours, catalogue linking to library servers, promote social events and communications, staff and user training sessions. Community outreach tool to children and teens.