Unit 6: Computer Networks and Wireless Networks

Management of RFID in Libraries

I had an "ah ha!" light bulb moment while reading this article, as I realized how it is that my library books are all checked out as a group when I place them on what I now understand to be an RFID reader. Suddenly, it makes sense! This article was enlightening. I really had little to no knowledge about RFID before reading this article. Basically RFID is identification that is much more sophisticated than a typical bar code. Because of the technology embedded into RFID tags, libraries can adopt a more automated sorting of returned materials. However, the author points out that because materials are sorted quickly and efficiently, it's more costly to reshelve them. One of the pros of RFID is that it makes finding lost materials so much easier. But I believe one of the cons of RFID could be privacy issues that can arise.

Computer Networks: Wikipedia & YouTube
I found the supplemental YouTube video to be so helpful. It's much easier to grasp the article after watching/listening to the video. From what I understand, my roommates and I have a Home Area Network with our three computers and my printer. Also, it seems logical that a computer network is an overlay network. There are so many intricate layers. The Wikipedia article also states that "the Internet was initially built as an over on the telephone network". I'm assuming this is because to originally connect to the Internet from home we needed a telephone connection to dial up. Overall I feel I have a better understanding of the different types of networks that exist now.