Guy. Gal. Song. The Best!

More to Learn

My friends have been begging me to do SOMETHING, ANYTHING to my MySpace page for more than a year now. I only created the account at a friend's urging and use it every once in a great while to get in touch with old friends. Searches were all I knew how to operate on the site. But, now, jaws will drop in wonder as I wield a world of Weblogs before their very blurry eyes (too much time on the computers, kids!).

OK, so I'm not quite there. But, in a short period of time, I am way further along than I ever imagined I'd be at blogging. When I started, I was pretty sure I was not going to know much within Library 2.0, considering I wasn't even sure what the whole 2.0 reference was (I'm very grateful for the Web 2.0 task, as you might have guessed).

Going back to my first post, the more I learned with each new task, the more I realized how little I knew. I would have to say that out of the nine weeks' schedule, I was unfamiliar with six weeks' worth of tasks. I plan on going on to learn more because I think that without a guide like Library 2.0, it will be difficult to get an overview of what's out there. How on earth do people find the time to keep up with what's on the Web? I know, I know. Through wikis and del.icio.us and Flickr mash-ups and podcasts and blogs and...

Thanks for sharing this, Louisa! I can't wait to pass on what I've learned to family and friends!

E-Books & Audio Books

I've never borrowed E-books or audio books, although I'm pretty familiar with the concepts. E-books just don't appeal to me. I would only resort to reading a full book from a screen if I was in dire need of the book (and fast), there were no hard-copies of the book available at the Library and I was too poor to go buy a handheld version. I like the portability of real books. But - before you say "laptop" - I more importantly just like old-fashioned books. Now, I do listen to books on CD, but I still prefer reading over listening. Books on CD and audio books are just convenient for traveling and multi-tasking, when you can't read a book either way - by hand or on-screen.

Podcasts

I'm sure there are many podcasts out in the WWW that I would appreciate, but the problem is finding them. I had such a hard time searching for what I wanted in all three podcast directories that were suggested for the task. I left one, hoping for better results in the next, but was disappointed each time. I've GOT to be doing something wrong. Did anybody else feel the same way? Maybe I'm just searching for topics and people that are too old?

Despite this, I did happen upon Steve Young's Hall of Fame acceptance speech, which I've been wanting to hear since he was inducted in 2005, so I was pleased with that. And, I added a feed to my Bloglines account for the San Fransisco Gate's Chronicle Podcasts about the 49ers. Now that I'll be regularly informed, I can help coach my team to another (long-lost) Super Bowl.

YouTube

This is a Web 2.0 element I actually used before starting the 23 Things! My younger brother and sister introduced me to YouTube and we have spent tons of time checking out cool clips together. That's the thing... you could spend all day in nostalgia land or silly mode looking up old TV shows or hilarious footage. The fact that the site is so easy to search contributes to the addiction-factor. Just pop whatever you're looking for into the box, and bam! There's your clip. If you're looking for a a funny comedian or a specific music video, narrow your search by going to categories or channels.

I like looking for clips from my current, favorite TV show, "The Office." The first clip I added to my blog is probably one of my all-time favorite television scenes. If every office had a Jim, work would instantly earn 1,000 fun points. Probably more. Fellow Library employees, let's laugh together!

I picked the next clip because I love cookies. And libraries. Good things belong together. That's all the monster's trying to say (I'm awful fond of him, too). Oh, and the scene takes me back to my childhood, cross-legged in front of the TV. I almost feel like I'm there again when I watch this.

Cookie Monster Needs to Visit Austintown and Poland Branches!

Great Stress Relief: Go to a Jim!

Web 2.0 Award Winner

I'm completely out of touch with instant-messaging these days, but boy, if I was still IMing I'd be WAY in touch. With a lot of people. That's because I'd be using meebo. This chat tool allows you to Web talk any day from anywhere. Not on your own computer? Not a problem. You can gab using ANY chat service with which you have an account (AIM [what I used to use], Google Talk, ICQ, Jabber, MSN, Yahoo!). And, no downloads or installs! Now, that's cool. Oh, and add Meebo Me to your blog and you'll be able to talk to visitors! Now, as for using this in a library setting, the site has librarians listed in in its example of users. I'm sure it comes in handy for reference questions, especially since it keeps chat logs that librarians can refer back to while researching for answers or pull information from for similar, future queries.

Zoho, Zoho, It's Off to Work I Go!

I was first introduced to Web-based applications while exploring Flickr earlier on in this learning journey. All of the writing applications caught my eye immediately, but since my interest in them had nothing to do with photos, I didn't blog about them. NOW'S MY CHANCE!

I love the idea of being able to write, write, write, right where you're at and then save it and pick it up later at any computer without any disks, CDs, flash-drives, etc. I have a lot of questions that I'll have to explore, though: can you convert a web-based application file into other programs, such as Word? If so, are there glitches? I'm imagining there will be some, considering I couldn't get Zoho Writer to do some things I know Word can. I believe there is a Microsoft web-based application (yep, I just double-checked: Windows Live Writer), so using that in lieu of Zoho might take care of potential conversion problems.

My previous post is a test document I published from Zoho. Some of the spacing got messed up, so the design I was going for is a bit lost. I know the Writer program isn't meant for designs, but I wanted to see if it would work anyway.

Frank Sinatra in Words

Frank SinatraTOPS

DREAMYdeadtough                talker

SMOOTHE

DAPPER                                                                                                TIMELESS

                                                silly                                  TENDER

DEDICATED

                DARING                             SLICK   TUNES                           TALENTED

PBWiki

I inserted a link to my blog on PBWiki, but when I did it the way we were instructed to in Learning 2.0 and on the Favorite Blogs page, the brackets were still showing in the unedited version. So, I just typed in the link without the brackets and it still showed up as a link on the page. Weird. I think I need to play around a little more to understand PBWiki world.

I Always Wondered What Wiki Meant

Wiki is one of those words that I've always wanted to look up, but never did. Anyway, I'm glad to know it's Hawaiian for quick. I for sure thought it was more computer jargon for IT folks to throw around in their own little world; For example, "I'm having a problem with this AS/400 program. I checked the CPU and that doesn't seem to be the glitch, so it could be the RAM. If it's not that, then it's got to be the wiki." My dad, a systems analyst, starts spitting out stuff with acronyms and he may as well be speaking Chinese. He'd likely translate the above as nonsense. I'm not sure if it makes sense. Except for the last word, which I now know doesn't fit.

Anyway, before the wiki walk-through, I did not know there were other wikis out there besides Wikipedia. I feel kind of stupid for thinking that others would not take advantage of the opportunity to create a Web page for which HTML knowledge is not necessary. I'm not crazy about Wikipedia. You never know who's writing what on the page. For instance, I can post a bunch of nonsense definitions for computer jargon, and people would be in big trouble.

But, I do see the value of using wikis in other arenas where hard-core facts aren't as important. I love the idea of building a community wiki with reviews of local restaurants, attractions, shows, etc. Also, I've often wished that our Library catalog included book reviews, as I'm always clicking over to Amazon for more book information. I think the St. Joseph County Public Library system has the right idea for including more details about books in its online catalog; allowing patrons to write reviews, rather than summaries, doesn't promise the public exact synopses, but does give patrons a general flavor for the book. The Prince William Public Library online catalog provides book summaries (it looks like they come off of the jacket), Library Journal reviews and excerpts, but it would be time-consuming and costly for a library itself to insert such information into its catalog and, likely, costly to obtain a program that provides it. Patron reviews through a wiki seem to be the way to go.

I also think wikis would be a great tool for librarians who want to frequently update reading lists on our Library Web site.

To a Temporary Place in Time

Every place in time is temporary. And yet, the great places in time are never forgotten and always relived. Think Beatles tribute bands. Think Elvis impersonators. Think '50s sock hops. Think family holiday traditions. Think something as recent as the re-emergence of Transformers among children whose parents grew up in the '80s. And yet, people who love oldies music or robots in disguise likely welcome MP3 players and the opportunity to see a movie packed with special effects unavailable in the '80s. I think this is the point of the Five Perspectives of Library 2.0. As stated in the fifth perspective, "a futures perspective asks us to reconnect this dialogue to the grand sweep of time from the treasured past to the adventure of the future—and to put people and meaning at the center of our concerns." It's combining what people love about libraries of the past with the technologies they can't live without today, in a way that produces desktop personalities - whether in person or via the Web - that are timelessly pleasant and inviting. Shall I dare to say, user-friendly?

Library Lovers Unite (With Technorati?)!

I think the thing that surprised me most about Technorati is how so many of the popular blogs had to do with gadgets and gizmos. I wonder if the name of the site correlates with that? I'm sure the word "Technorati" draws a lot of techies.

I was also surprised that "library" is one of the site's top searches. Sure, a lot of people I know love libraries, but I can't imagine that library lovers everywhere sit around plugging the word "library" into Technorati's search box. I'm thinking it has something to do with the Library 2.0 craze. Maybe I'm wrong. I hope so. Library lovers unite!

Actually, even as I typed that cheesy last line that was supposed to end this post, I thought about this time when a friend of mine and I discovered that we both shared a fascination for libraries and books and being in and around them. We were thrilled to know another like-mind. In fact, that's always the way it is when I meet another bookworm. It's like this special, fabulous society. Well, at least I feel that way. Maybe I'm just kind of dorky. BUT, if I'm not (but I am) AND if every library lover wants to connect with other people who dig books, well, it would make perfect sense that "library" is a top search on Technorati. The end.

del.icio.us

Right now, I bounce from computer to computer, like a little PC gypsy. So, del.icio.us is definitely handy for me. A few years back, when I was I was writing a lot of research papers and news articles, I would have to write down any sites I had bookmarked at home or at work and re-copy them into my favorite places on the other computer. This always bugged me. Problem solved!

I'm sure I'll use del.icio.us for many purposes. But, the first one that popped to my mind is the obvious... food! I think my family and I are going to have a blast sharing recipes with this tool. Mangiamo!

Publicity, Let's Rollyo!

By creating the Book Listings Search on Rollyo, I will be directed straight to the sites that give accurate titles and authors, as well as cover images and book descriptions. Now, without having to wade through regular Google searches, editing publicity will be much more efficient.

Dew It Yourshelf

LibraryThing is a dream come true for folks like me ... chronic book hoarders who have know idea how to properly organize their shelves. Alphabetizing works, but I like to have some sort of categorical organization. When I start that and there seems to be overlap, I throw the book into one of the several categories I'm thinking of, only to have trouble finding it later (is the collection of Abe Lincoln speeches in political science or history? I don't even think I have a collection of Lincoln speeches, but you get the picture). Now, with the aid of LibraryThing, I can type in the ISBNs, organize the way Dewey would and have my books straight in no time! Woo hoo! There's going to be one wild cataloging party at my place soon!

http://www.librarything.com/catalog/DewItYourshelf

Dyl or No Dyl?

So Glad for Task 9

Topix turns up much more relevant news information about the Library than Feedster does. I deleted my Feedster subscription for the Library news search and replaced it with a Library news feed from Topix. Just as Library 2.0 points out, if you're looking for news feeds and don't want the other stuff to get in the way, Topix is the way to go.

RSS is A-OK

I never noticed that little RSS symbol on Web pages... until now! They practically yell out to me from nearly every page.

It's funny, because I took a short break from Library 2.0 to check my e-mail and a couple of my friends who have a blog about their new baby sent me a message telling me it's updated. So, I was clicking from page to page, photo to photo, when I realized the little orange RSS box on one of their pages. Of course, my friends were the first added to my Blogline! Knowing about this is going to make it so much easier for me to stay in touch with out-of-state friends and family who blog. One click and they're all there.

Also, I created a Feedster search for Web news about our Library, which is going to make finding any national stories about PLYMC way easier next time around. Last time, I was Googling left and right.

The Techno Slide

No, it's not another way to show off your sleek moves on the bridal dance floor. It's what I've come to experience since graduating college.

Thanks to having a systems analyst for a father and a formal education that began in the mid-80s, I was introduced to computers at a young age. Home Internet, e-mail and instant-messaging started popping up during my high-school years and were staples throughout my college career. For coursework, we were required to communicate and learn with such tools, and we used them for keeping in touch with far-away friends and family, too. Then, there was Napster. The music downloading craze began.

This came along right when I first began distancing myself from computers; I was tired of relying on them so much. Dormmates would IM each other instead of walking a few feet across the hall to talk face to face. E-mail messages were misconstrued because tone could not be relayed. And, I spent hour upon hour in front of it for school, internships and work. I used it when I needed it and preferred socializing with real-life humans for entertainment. While I did learn the basics of music downloading, that was probably the last Internet technology with which I tried to become familiar. Thus, the Techno Slide (please see my definition below).

Techno Slide [těk'nō slīd] - n. A digression from the ever-expanding world of technology, whether by choice, circumstance or a combination of both, that results in no or little knowledge of the latest technological tools.

I'm thankful for Library 2.0 because it's an educational opportunity that has helped pull me out from the Techno Slide. What a move! Doo doo doodoo doo doo, doodoo doo doo doodoo doo doo. You've got to feel it. It's so TECHNIC! Shooby dooby dooby...

Flickr

I am sure I have devoted way more time than I have to finish Library 2.0 by playing around with Flickr-related mashups. I've even checked out many nonFlickr mashups (one of my favorites is Writer by Flickr guru fd). I would really like to make a photo mosaic once I have a large pool of my own pics. There are many mosaic mashups: Montager, Mosaic Maker, mosaickr and zumyn. I'll probably use mosaickr because I'd like to make the mosaic's master photo one of my own; mosaickr has this capability and seems easy to use. INTERESTING FIND WHILE USING MONTAGER: While creating a mosaic with images tagged Frank Sinatra, one of the photos that came up was a mugshot of ol' blue eyes dated Nov. 27, 1938! OK, so that's not a complete surprise to me. BUT, upon clicking the photo, I found that a supposed mugshot of Bill Gates is attached to the top of the image. The date is Dec. 13, 1977. That does surprise me. The person who uploaded it says it's the real thing...

Village in Abruzzi Mountains

Village in Abruzzi Mountains
Originally uploaded by beefybiker1

Mia famiglia viene da questa provincia di Italia. My great-great grandparents came from two towns in Abruzzi. I tried searching for a picture of those towns on flickr and couldn't find any, BUT this photo captures what I always imagined they'd look like. Accidente!

Access

When I had filled out my learning contract, I knew I'd encounter a challenge with Lifelong Learning Habit 5, "Create Your Own Learning Toolbox," during Library 2.0. Completing the 23 tasks has been hard to do without Internet access at home. But, it's not impossible. I came up with some solutions, like making it a point to stay after work some nights and going to my parents', who have been kind enough to let me use their computer for really long periods of time. Thanks, Mom and Dad!

Time for a Laugh

OK, so those last two posts were way too serious. I think I just get into serious mode when I'm posting about Library 2.0 exercises. After writing those, I needed a break from brow-scrunching. So, I told myself a joke that my brother shared years ago:

What did the hot dog say when it crossed the finish line?

I'm a wiener!!!

Blog Set-Up

I'm surprised that I had a nice-looking blog in no time. I have a blog spot now, but always thought it would take more time than I'd like to make it pretty. This site makes blog set-up nice and easy; I'm a big fan of step-by-step instructions, as well as templates, though I'm excited about jazzing the background up a little. Still, posting is by far my favorite part at this point.

7 1/2 Lifelong Learning Habits

Of the 7 1/2 Lifelong Learning Habits, I find Habit 1, "Begin with the end in mind," to be the easiest for me because I seem to have the "big-picture" mentality. I don't know if the idea of living according to the result is something I was born with or if it's a value I learned from my parents or a combination of both. I do know that even at a young age I remember thinking, "If I do that, this will be the result." I also remember sitting down as a child to hear my grandpa's stories about war and life and music, knowing that along with being interesting, they were helpful. I could learn from his mistakes. The big picture. What a vantage!

You'd think I'd have Habit 3, "View problems as challenges," down if Habit 1 is the easiest for me. After all, if I've got the big picture in mind, I should know problems aren't going to be around forever. Well, I didn't perfect Habit 1; I just said it's the easiest. Sometimes I allow problems to skew the view I started out with: "I can't see the end now!" When that happens, I don't always see problems as learning opportunities until later and I am stopped dead in my tracks. Paralyzed. This is especially so when I am rigidly stuck to a plan to get me from point A to point B. Plans change and I must remember this from the outset.

Bucky

I really wanted my first post to be this powerfully true quote I heard awhile back. The quote, its creator and where it was said or written. Nothing more. Oh, it would have been beautiful! Its sentiment even ties into this whole self-learning idea that Library 2.0 is about. But, that's not what you're getting today. Sort of.

Let me explain. I learned a lot throughout college. (I know, I know... "that's the point," you say.) But my greatest lesson was that I learned more about learning than I learned about the subjects I studied. After that hit me, I came across a quote that summed up my revelation wonderfully and decided that it would go under my senior photo in the college yearbook. So, I think I Googled some Internet quote Web sites to find the quote's attributer (cringing librarians, please remember: I was young and ignorant). Then, I submitted it for publication:

"The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know."
-R. Buckminster Fuller

But, don't quote him on that! Today, I'm not sure if Fuller should be credited for that exact sentence, if he should be given credit for a line that conveys the same notion or if the quote belongs to someone else altogether. My doubt came after a more recent Google search where hits produced various similar, but slightly different quotes by Fuller (cringing librarians, please remember: according to the above quote, I am now older and even more ignorant. Though, you may be pleased to know that my purpose in this last Internet search was to find a site that listed the quote, creator and source so I could get my hands on the last and check the quote's accuracy myself).

In my quest for the quote, the idea behind it proved itself. For instance, as I was trying to learn more about the quote, I learned its wording is possibly wrong. I learned that I need some nonGoogle help to pin down the right quote, attribution and source (any takers?). I learned I knew nothing about Fuller, but am now intrigued and would like to read his works. (The man was an inventor, engineer, poet and philosopher, to name a few. What a fascinating combination! Fun fact: Those very scientific molecules with the not-so-scientific name, buckyballs, are called such because they resemble the geodesic dome building that Fuller made famous. Buckyballs. That word just makes me laugh. It did in science class and it still does now).

Cheers, Bucky! And, thank God for learning!