I was interested in Facebook because it was such a big part of my son's and daughter's social network while they were in high school (and college, to some degree), but I found out today that they have both discontinued their membership. Now that I have no reason to "police" their Facebook pages, I'm finally signing up-good timing, huh? At any rate, it was interesting looking around the site as a mode of social networking. Like most of the Things we've been exploring, I can see where a LOT of time could be spent putting together profiles, finding 'friends', and sharing thoughts and ideas (useful or not). I still am not really sure how to find information about people who aren't our 'friends', although I know people who do it all the time when they're checking out someone they may want to meet. Hmmm, I'll have to find out how they do it.
The last time I began to register (and never completed), I was deluged with emails from people I didn't know, as well as some I did know. It will be interesting to see what happens this time. Stay tuned as I check my profile later this week...
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
Podcasts: Thing 17
This is an interesting way to share audio recordings. I found a song I liked while exploring Gcast's GarageBand called "She Dreams in Blue", by Josh Woodward;
http://www.garageband.com/song?|pe1|S8LTM0LdsaSlZFa3ZWs and an interesting interview about dreaming from Australian National Radio's 'All in the Mind':
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/feeds/mind.xml
Note: This one is long but interesting.
As a matter of fact, I thought the Educational Podcast site had the most interesting stuff to browse, and was the best organized for browsing of all the podcast sites. Without specifically looking for anything in particular, the other sites were limited in having suggestions for me beyond the top five most popular, etc. (I admit, I didn't search these extensively, but ....)
Since I don't have an MP3, and don't routinely listen to music on the computer, I don't think this would be particularly useful, but it does open up a new dimension of sharing the medium of sound in different ways.
http://www.garageband.com/song?|pe1|S8LTM0LdsaSlZFa3ZWs and an interesting interview about dreaming from Australian National Radio's 'All in the Mind':
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/feeds/mind.xml
Note: This one is long but interesting.
As a matter of fact, I thought the Educational Podcast site had the most interesting stuff to browse, and was the best organized for browsing of all the podcast sites. Without specifically looking for anything in particular, the other sites were limited in having suggestions for me beyond the top five most popular, etc. (I admit, I didn't search these extensively, but ....)
Since I don't have an MP3, and don't routinely listen to music on the computer, I don't think this would be particularly useful, but it does open up a new dimension of sharing the medium of sound in different ways.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
You Tube: Thing 16
I'm not really sure how much this one could be used constructively, but it's very fun! Here is a little St. Patty's Day humor: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yc8pNevZitk Enjoy.
I loved seeing the one about books, but was really disappointed to not be able to view Conan the Librarian. The blond in the library, and the library musical were pretty creative, too. Some people must have a lot of time on their hands, or a burning Spirit of Creativity that overrules any sense of responsibility!
I loved seeing the one about books, but was really disappointed to not be able to view Conan the Librarian. The blond in the library, and the library musical were pretty creative, too. Some people must have a lot of time on their hands, or a burning Spirit of Creativity that overrules any sense of responsibility!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Thing 15:Rollyo
Being a closet meteorologist, I tried a weather search engine using NOAA and The Weather Channel, then searched for the weather in Denver this week. (I will be going to a conference there Thursday). Here's the link: http://http//www.rollyo.com/search.html?q=Denver+weather&sid=516079 The results were a bit different than if I just used one or the other website. However, to my way of thinking, setting up a search engine for search engines is a bit redundant. I probably am confusing search engines with websites with data bases, etc., but I think I prefer "dialing direct".
Actually, I am leaving the above statements intact, but amending my position on the relative usefulness of this. After talking to a coworker about how this could be used, and attending a conference on Chinese Herbal Medicine, I thought of a perfect example of how this could be useful. To research a particular herb or herbal preparation for safety, efficacy, etc., two reputable sources were given: the National Library of Health, and PubMed at the NIH. These could be integrated with Rollyo, and one search could use both sources. So much easier than doing the search twice, and a good source of information to share with others! As a matter of fact, I sent the Rollyo search engine to an interested fellow classmate. Here's the link to the herbal search engine: http://rollyo.com/index.html
Actually, I am leaving the above statements intact, but amending my position on the relative usefulness of this. After talking to a coworker about how this could be used, and attending a conference on Chinese Herbal Medicine, I thought of a perfect example of how this could be useful. To research a particular herb or herbal preparation for safety, efficacy, etc., two reputable sources were given: the National Library of Health, and PubMed at the NIH. These could be integrated with Rollyo, and one search could use both sources. So much easier than doing the search twice, and a good source of information to share with others! As a matter of fact, I sent the Rollyo search engine to an interested fellow classmate. Here's the link to the herbal search engine: http://rollyo.com/index.html
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Thing 14: Online productivity
Online productivity.....is this an oxymoron? Seriously, though, it reminds me of how all the new kitchen gadgets, etc., were supposedly designed to make our lives easier, and how instead it gave us time to further complicate them!
For a customized Start Page, I chose Google as the path of least resistance. They do things so well, and the Classic format presented most appealed to me-especially with the quick and easy way to customize it to my interests when opening the page. I did remove some of the gadgets (Google email, cartoons, entertainment news) in an effort to make it less busy..... and then turned right around and added a few back that I just couldn't resist! (Moon phases, cool places to see, art.)
Regarding calendars, lists and "backpack": I don't spend enough of my day on the computer (nor do I want to) for these to be as helpful as the actual lists and calendars I either have on my kitchen desk area or carry with me in my purse. These are much more readily accessible, and don't require internet access. I will say the cross-referencing and organizational tools online are pretty nifty, but for now I'll stick with the scraps of paper that often get left in my pockets and washed, or the calendar on my wall that must be obeyed the way the desk schedule at work must be obeyed!
For a customized Start Page, I chose Google as the path of least resistance. They do things so well, and the Classic format presented most appealed to me-especially with the quick and easy way to customize it to my interests when opening the page. I did remove some of the gadgets (Google email, cartoons, entertainment news) in an effort to make it less busy..... and then turned right around and added a few back that I just couldn't resist! (Moon phases, cool places to see, art.)
Regarding calendars, lists and "backpack": I don't spend enough of my day on the computer (nor do I want to) for these to be as helpful as the actual lists and calendars I either have on my kitchen desk area or carry with me in my purse. These are much more readily accessible, and don't require internet access. I will say the cross-referencing and organizational tools online are pretty nifty, but for now I'll stick with the scraps of paper that often get left in my pockets and washed, or the calendar on my wall that must be obeyed the way the desk schedule at work must be obeyed!
Friday, March 6, 2009
Thing 13: Library Thing
Well, by golly, here's another whole new world for book lovers! I can now see more than ever how my son can spend so much time on the computer. It's a good thing I can't stand to sit in front of the screen (nor do I have the time)-otherwise, I, too, could become an addict!
I was interested to see that someone else chose one of my more obscure entries for a favorite book (Hannah Coulter). I couldn't help but want to see what else he liked, and given time, would like to "chat" with him about his taste in reading and what else he would recommend. This is like seeing what someone is checking out at the library, and getting into a discussion with them about what they like and dislike, and what else they've found like it-too much fun! Although the face-to-face is fun and easy, the scope of readers on Library Thing is much more broad: You not only have a larger number of bibliophiles, you know they also like to share, or they wouldn't be in Library Thing.
I doubt I would use it to organize my home library, as I would rather recheck, reread and rearrange my physical collection, but putting tags on them for cross-referencing would be helpful.....
Having the ACLD libraries listed in Local would be great, both for Library Thing users, and as one more way to get the info out there regarding what our local library system has to offer.
By the way, here are a few of my favorite things...I mean books: http://www.librarything.com/catalog/alireakes
I was interested to see that someone else chose one of my more obscure entries for a favorite book (Hannah Coulter). I couldn't help but want to see what else he liked, and given time, would like to "chat" with him about his taste in reading and what else he would recommend. This is like seeing what someone is checking out at the library, and getting into a discussion with them about what they like and dislike, and what else they've found like it-too much fun! Although the face-to-face is fun and easy, the scope of readers on Library Thing is much more broad: You not only have a larger number of bibliophiles, you know they also like to share, or they wouldn't be in Library Thing.
I doubt I would use it to organize my home library, as I would rather recheck, reread and rearrange my physical collection, but putting tags on them for cross-referencing would be helpful.....
Having the ACLD libraries listed in Local would be great, both for Library Thing users, and as one more way to get the info out there regarding what our local library system has to offer.
By the way, here are a few of my favorite things...I mean books: http://www.librarything.com/catalog/alireakes
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