It's all about going out to play on the internet/World Wide Web. Even when users don't have a technical background they may have heard some spicy three letter words batted about. LAN-MAN-WAN. No, it's not a new song from the Woo-Tang-Clan. LAN stands for Local area network. An example of a Philadelphia LAN is Comcast, Verizon, and Sprint. These for Fee services provide a gateway connection from the customer's modem or DSL to hardware and software that form the connection to the internet.
MAN stands for Metropolitan Area network and provides city wide internet service to a large area. Philadelphia has "hot spots" where anyone with a wireless interface can connect to the Internet from their mobile devices. This service connection is free or Open Access. The final three letter word (WAN) stands for Wide Area network is used to connect to satellite networks internationally.
Without WAN the WWW(or Web) would not be truly gobel.
I have a LAN at home. It consists of my desk top computer unit, a DSL modem (service provided by a For Profit ISP-Internet Service Provider), a wireless router and a lap top computer with internal wireless technology. This network is considered a "closed system" because not outside computers have access rights to my Internet connection. Discovering Computers, describes a LAN in more detail(Cashman et, al. 2008, Chp. 9, pg.471).
All of the above Networks operate on a Client/Server configuration. Clients subscribe to a provider who then grants access to transmission and database servers.
YouTube on RFID:
This little video made me think a lot about the way companies like FedEX, UPS and other common carriers track purchased online and have shipped to our homes. We can go online and with a few clicks of the mouse tell if that package has been received at points along the way. The video showed the strips that look like common tape with circuits on the back that can slapped on almost anything. Want to track a box of Kix from the warehouse to the customer's checkout line, read the information on the RFID just like reading from a barscanner. The video voiced privacy issues, that I feel can be used or abused at will. What is the difference between these RFID tags and the computer chips now being shot into the family pet? How long before someone lobbies for the right to place such tracking items on law abiding citizen? Just how much control is too much control? How long before web cameras invade every street corner and satilite devices are programmed to pick up information from computer chips implanted into infants in hospital nurseries? Does give one a lot to think on, and a bit to be concerned over.
Suzanna, Thank you so much for your help to unde...
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Suzanna,
Thank you so much for your help to understand how assignments are
organized.
One problem with my blog is that there were two of them and I think...
16 years ago
3 comments:
Tee,
I have to say your "chip" comments also gave me pause.
Hopefully they will stay on library materials, and not be placed on humans!
I also work in a library and the reference folk had no idea how to do this last assignment. It took WAY too long for me. But live and learn. Hopefully next time I will remember to look for shortcuts and won't have to redo all my work.
I had to laugh at the beginning of your post when you made mention to those words not being a wu tang clan song. I liked your post because I know what a MAN stood for, but not what it was. I also find your comments for RFID to be scary because it worries me, but hopefully they will only be using for computers because I know i would not want to be place with some sort of chip
The idea of using chips on humans (as in pets) has been discussed--a very scary idea indeed. While some parents may think that this is an ideal way to keep track of their child--the very idea scares me. I think in instances of books, cds, and other library materials is fine--great for keeping track of what goes in and goes out. hate to think of them being used as a big brother type of situation.
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