Understanding New Media: Chapters 50 & 51

Chapter 50 considers smart tag technology and dataspace. Smart tags or barcodes contain information that are extensions of the label of a product. They are made to be easily recognizable by computers to send to a database. Barcodes are definitely essential for sales industries. Now checking out at stores are significantly faster and more efficient. Now even cell phones have the ability to read bar codes through the use of the built on camera. Dataspace is the sum of all information. It is so expansive that it is considered to be a "new frontier". Furthermore it "represents an expansion of cyberspace"- all that is accessible on the web is available and present in the dataspace.

Chapter 51 deals with other enabling technologies not dealt with in UM.  Three notable technologies are Wikipedia, WiFi and Fiber Optics. Wikipedia, although not the most reliable source, has become a cornerstone in online researching. This website features an extensive archive of people, places, and terms with descriptions and information given by the public. WiFi today can be considered the optimal source of Internet connection. It can connect phones, tablets, and computers to the Internet at fast speed and across a wide range. Fiber Optics function by encoding information in a light beam. It improves the the transporting of information and alleviates traffic jams.