[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/rockwell.jpg” caption=”Professor Geoffrey Rockwell talk about dealing with this explosion of information in this month’s Science in the City lecture.”]Digital immigrant or digital native. Any idea what you are? If you're reading this story but would much prefer to print it out and peruse it as a document you can hold in your hands, you're likely a digital immigrant.

While digital immigrants may or may not be comfortable with all of the high tech toys and digital tools that have emerged in the last few decades, they simply were not born into the digital world – they have 'immigrated' to this 'new country' of computers, the Web and email.

Digital natives, however, speak a different language – they have always known the Internet, video games, cell phones and instant messaging. But whether you're a digital immigrant or a native, you're likely inundated on a daily basis with all of the information that's published on the Web. How do we cope?

Geoffrey Rockwell, associate professor of humanities computing and acting chair of the department of communication studies and multimedia, will talk about dealing with this explosion of information in Tuesday's (March 14) Science in the City lecture, Too much to read: using computers to cope with information overload.

Rockwell's lecture will offer a sense of the scope and complexity of the information overload dilemma, including the problem of spam and the breakdown of the network of trust, as well as emerging techniques for large-scale document management and analysis. The audience will also learn how researchers are attempting to tackle the problem and hear suggestions about how you can think through and find solutions to use your computer to manage the burden of having too much to read.

The lecture will be held in the Hamilton Spectator Auditorium, 44 Frid Street in Hamilton. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the lecture begins at 7 p.m. This lecture is free and all are welcome. To reserve your seat, call 905-525-9140, extension 24934 or e-mail sciencecity@mcmaster.ca