well, that was interesting. i used podcast.net and checked out a couple gardening ones, then looked for some library ones, only after downloading quicktime via itunes (i hate downloading onto computers that are not my own). found this guy who calls himself the rock and roll librarian. he recently went to the comicon in new york. don't know how that one compares to the one in san diego (which is awesome) but it was neat to find someone willing to display his geekiness onto a podcast. i guess that's why he's the rock and roll librarian.
added the feed to my bloglines account. haven't been to that site since i opened it, so it all looked really foreign. not one of the things i'll be using regularly, obviously.
didn't search long long enough to find any that would be useful to kcls. think i'm running out of steam on this whole learning 2.0 since this is now my last blog entry and there's much to do at work. so much to do. so, so, so much to do.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Thursday, May 10, 2007
the 26th thing sans 27th
i really enjoyed this whole project. i think i might even be sad once we're done. MIGHT. i feel like i've seen so much now. when i used to think of the web, i generally thought of it as a place to go for information. places like myspace, and the idea of "communities" very rarely popped into my mind, which is weird, considering i used to be a member so many years ago. how could i have been so blind?
i admit, i prob won't use a lot of the things we've explored, but it's great that they're out there. mad props once again to the folks who found it necessary to create word processing/spreadsheets so we could bypass microsoft if need be!
my most loathed 2.0 experience was reading the articles abt icebergs and such. snooze. sorry, i suppose they were informative, but what fun is that? which brings me to another point--the fun. not that it wasn't, because i certainly can find fun in researching gardening in the pacific northwest, and cataloging my books, but maybe it was a bit much to expect us to be able to do these lessons at work. one thing our cluster did was have a "cram jam" where we gathered at a group of computers in the library so we could get help if we needed it. we spent two hours just working on learning 2.0. that was fun, albeit, independent fun since we didn't interact all that much...too much reading and exploring to get through.
good incentive to get us to do all this. i'm sure lots of people have mp3 players. not me, though, so thanks. i'd certainly do it all again. i'm sorry that i can't suggest anything for the 27th thing. there was so much i didn't know before this, so much that you guys presented, way too much that is out there, that i really have no idea what i could add. really. if you're thinking of adding a 28th thing, you should just consider removing the icebergs part (sorry) and keeping it to 27 things. that was plenty.
i admit, i prob won't use a lot of the things we've explored, but it's great that they're out there. mad props once again to the folks who found it necessary to create word processing/spreadsheets so we could bypass microsoft if need be!
my most loathed 2.0 experience was reading the articles abt icebergs and such. snooze. sorry, i suppose they were informative, but what fun is that? which brings me to another point--the fun. not that it wasn't, because i certainly can find fun in researching gardening in the pacific northwest, and cataloging my books, but maybe it was a bit much to expect us to be able to do these lessons at work. one thing our cluster did was have a "cram jam" where we gathered at a group of computers in the library so we could get help if we needed it. we spent two hours just working on learning 2.0. that was fun, albeit, independent fun since we didn't interact all that much...too much reading and exploring to get through.
good incentive to get us to do all this. i'm sure lots of people have mp3 players. not me, though, so thanks. i'd certainly do it all again. i'm sorry that i can't suggest anything for the 27th thing. there was so much i didn't know before this, so much that you guys presented, way too much that is out there, that i really have no idea what i could add. really. if you're thinking of adding a 28th thing, you should just consider removing the icebergs part (sorry) and keeping it to 27 things. that was plenty.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
youtube is a fun thing to play with when you have time. i embedded the intro credits to the cowboy bebop carton which has fantastic music. so catchy. luckily i had someone next to me who knew how to do this so it just took a second. otherwise i would have gotten really frustrated and upset and would have written a horrible blog dedicated to the lack of directions provided on youtube. then i prob would have been embarrassed because i'm sure it explains how to do it somewhere. i just wasn't looking hard enough.
as far as usefulness to kcls, i don't know...it'll give you something to do during downtime at the desk? or maybe using it to post the backroom antics? just kidding. i wouldn't do that. posting storytimes certainly is a good idea though. i bet the kids would really provide a lot of entertainment for those searching the world of youtube.
adventure in disappointment
i chose one of the runner up websites at networthiq.com, which really has no useful purpose to kcls. i was simply interested in finding out my approximate worth. i could have done the same thing without signing up, but i just wanted to explore it...and now that i have, i must say that it sure would be nice to be a millionaire. not that i was expecting to be anywhere near that mark, but when you actually see yourself be reduced to mere numbers, it's a very humbling and humiliating experience.
in any case, the website offers more than a way to disappoint yourself. there is a way to generate a "badge" that displays your current net worth, and a chart (which seems ridiculous unless you have a lot of money and want to flaunt it), a page for tips (on how to increase your net worth), and a way to search other people in that community (i guess so you can try to hookup and find yourself a sugar daddy/momma.)
so there you have it.
in any case, the website offers more than a way to disappoint yourself. there is a way to generate a "badge" that displays your current net worth, and a chart (which seems ridiculous unless you have a lot of money and want to flaunt it), a page for tips (on how to increase your net worth), and a way to search other people in that community (i guess so you can try to hookup and find yourself a sugar daddy/momma.)
so there you have it.
the many faces of google
i never ceased to be amazed by this company. i wish i had bought their stock--not that i ever had the chance, or will any time soon considering what shares are going for. in any case, they certainly have some great minds working for them. really creative, although, some of the labs do have kind a "useless" feel to them. take for instance the music trends. i kind of expected it to link me to where i could hear the music. but i guess that's not what it's there for, i mean, it is just "trends" so it's pretty much just a list of songs, nothing more. maybe that's why i feel so gypped. why would i care what the rest of the world is listening to? and if that really is what they're listening to, then i don't think i'm missing much.
the accessible search didn't work at all. not really, anyway. i expected the text to be super huge on the screen, but the difference hardly seems significant. maybe that's why it's in the lab--they're not done playing with it yet. i can see how it might come in handy, though.
i only did one quick search on google scholar, and liked how it worked, but it could be frustrating how it links you to some journals where you have to pay for the article or else belong to an institution where they have a subscription so you can have access to it. i guess that's why if you were doing a more scholarly search, you would use the university's database. as a student it wouldn't be a problem anyway since you'd probably get free access to those journals anyway.
still. some interesting tools that they're coming up with.
the accessible search didn't work at all. not really, anyway. i expected the text to be super huge on the screen, but the difference hardly seems significant. maybe that's why it's in the lab--they're not done playing with it yet. i can see how it might come in handy, though.
i only did one quick search on google scholar, and liked how it worked, but it could be frustrating how it links you to some journals where you have to pay for the article or else belong to an institution where they have a subscription so you can have access to it. i guess that's why if you were doing a more scholarly search, you would use the university's database. as a student it wouldn't be a problem anyway since you'd probably get free access to those journals anyway.
still. some interesting tools that they're coming up with.
who needs microsoft word?
okay, how awesome is that? i suppose word has its uses since its pretty standard for everyone these days, but damn, those free online word processing tools are hella handy for someone who doesn't have the funds to buy one of bill gates' products. i am totally impressed. it was a great idea to offer these online. spreadsheets even!!! i'm going to explore these tools more when i get the chance, just because i'm curious to see if it would be possible to really get by without having microsoft word. maybe i can save some money on my next computer. probably, not, but hey, i can dream, can't i?
Monday, May 7, 2007
biblioteca 2.0
so we were asked to read just three of those articles, but i have to say that i must be an idiot because i couldn't really grasp what i was reading. maybe it has to do with the fact that i'm trying to get this done at the same time as i'm answering the phone and backing up the person on the circ desk. i think it's going on two weeks that i've been reading these articles, and i just can't seem to make it stick.
the icebergs guy was the one that i understood the most, prob bec i didn't agree with him. he made it seem like we were stuck in the dark ages, but maybe he deals with different libraries that don't get the funding that would allow them the types of privileges that kcls gets. believe me, i know what that's like, coming from long beach, ca where they were cutting open hours, where you have to pay to check out cd's and dvd's, where you have a 20 item limit. not good.
anyhoo, i thought he was full of it when he said that having a library collection will soon be part of a bygone era. i for one, am one of the types who appreciates the physical contact with a good book. and then the idea that we should eliminate the barriers that patrons encounter when they do their research--how many times have i helped a patron who just likes to have someone to talk to and is content to have me "do the work for them?"
in dr. schultz's article, she pretty much says similar things i.e. the where the future of libraries will go, but she was a little more easy to take. maybe because she says that each successive progression will not be eliminated (as what iceberg's guy seemed to say), but rather, "absorbed." incorporated, if you will.
then in the article about more powerful ways to communicate, that really seems to bring together what we've been learning about these past few weeks i.e. innovation, technology, etc. libraries of course want to keep pace with the rest of the world in order for them to service their patrons better. it's an absolute must. hopefully i'll be able to keep up, too.
the icebergs guy was the one that i understood the most, prob bec i didn't agree with him. he made it seem like we were stuck in the dark ages, but maybe he deals with different libraries that don't get the funding that would allow them the types of privileges that kcls gets. believe me, i know what that's like, coming from long beach, ca where they were cutting open hours, where you have to pay to check out cd's and dvd's, where you have a 20 item limit. not good.
anyhoo, i thought he was full of it when he said that having a library collection will soon be part of a bygone era. i for one, am one of the types who appreciates the physical contact with a good book. and then the idea that we should eliminate the barriers that patrons encounter when they do their research--how many times have i helped a patron who just likes to have someone to talk to and is content to have me "do the work for them?"
in dr. schultz's article, she pretty much says similar things i.e. the where the future of libraries will go, but she was a little more easy to take. maybe because she says that each successive progression will not be eliminated (as what iceberg's guy seemed to say), but rather, "absorbed." incorporated, if you will.
then in the article about more powerful ways to communicate, that really seems to bring together what we've been learning about these past few weeks i.e. innovation, technology, etc. libraries of course want to keep pace with the rest of the world in order for them to service their patrons better. it's an absolute must. hopefully i'll be able to keep up, too.
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