Well, here is the final ‘thing’. It’s somewhat difficult to go back and review each ‘thing’ without being redundant, as I’ve been leaving fairly lengthy posts about each individual task/lesson along the way.
I have enjoyed going through the tools. My responses and feelings towards the project as a whole, is quite positive. It’s a very good idea to expose the members of the library staff to these new and popular concepts and cutting edge technology. Without this type of structured program and support system, folks may not feel/have felt confident enough to ‘dig in’ to some or all of these tools.
In some ways, reexamining these online devices, resources, etc. have reaffirmed my ambivalence towards them. It’s difficult for me, at this point, to really believe that they will be an active part of the ‘library experience’ for either end users or librarians any time soon. But I found along the way that ‘things’ like Flickr, podcasting, the image generators, Lazybase and SlideShare (along with the goodies offered by BigHugeLabs) are all really great, useful resources for us to employ for various tasks around the library, on our site and blog, etc. I had prior experience with quite a few of these tools, but looking at these sites and applications with an eye towards how they can apply most effectively to our environment put a bit of a new perspective on them … which is good. And I definitely appreciate YouTube, though I STILL prefer both the moving image archive at archive.org and the iTV collection of WLIW for getting useful video clips to students or folks looking for historical information.
It was a pleasure to help the folks who needed questions answered here and there. Obviously, even after the project has been formally completed anyone can feel free to ask additional questions if they need assistance or tips about any of the ‘things’ … or about anything else that they find in that wild, weird and sometimes wonderful virtual world.
One thing that may improve this program would be to trim it down a bit further. There are a few resources that seem redundant, and a few that are somewhat … well, maybe frivolous is the word I’m looking for? I also believe that the single IM’ing sites that are discussed and suggested should be replaced by a consolidator like Trillian to help users preserve system resources and avoid the many taskbars, nags, etc. that each of the individual chat programs add to their software packages. And while it’s good for those who are following the ‘things’ to be exposed to multiple sites and resources in each area, it may be useful for those who are implementing the program to actually editorialize at times. What does the administrator feel is the best of the tools? Perhaps offer a few examples of library-specific practical applications for any of the ‘things’ that may give those who are going through the program an idea of the power and potential effect that a specific resource can have locally. I often find that folks who are not technologically inclined by nature can have a difficult time figuring out how cutting edge technology can apply ‘at home’. Otherwise, it’s a useful ‘course’. And hey … speaking of ‘course’ … maybe if there are eighteen things there can be a golf analogy used somewhere, LOL?
To sum it up in a single sentence, I’ll borrow a line from Stewart Brand, the founder of The Whole Earth Catalog, who said; “Once a new technology rolls over you, if you're not part of the steamroller, you're part of the road.” Now, while I would never think of us librarians as steamrollers. Let’s go, instead with technological cab drivers … navigating folks through the information superhighway. Guess I should go … my meter’s running.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Thing #17 - I, the Rockin' Librarian ...
... hereby do solemnly swear to maintain my Blog, to use the tolls I have doth learned during this here "18 Things" thing to fight evil, spread good and accurate information around, to blather about my opinions regarding technology (regardless of whether or not anyone bothers to read them), and yes ... to actually USE some of these cool tools more frequently!! Um ... is that it? Do I need to pinky-swear? Um. OK ... that's it ...
NEXT!
NEXT!
Friday, July 24, 2009
Thing 16 - Second Life?? I have enough trouble keeping track of my FIRST Life!!
I think Second Life is pretty cool.
I have a close friend (singer/songwriter Rob Koenig) who has been having an amazing time on Second Life. This very nice, talented fellow has a wonderful wife (an Assistant Director of a Nassau County Library actually!), a fine son, and a few pets. A good job, etc. And he has also recorded a few albums. But like most original musicians, he finds it hard to get gigs playing his songs ... in THIS world, anyway!!!
But in "SL", as the folks who reside there like to call it, he has been performing at Arlo Guthrie's club ... invited there by Arlo's avatar. Really. Honest. Can you say "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Is it great for him? Absolutely. Am I happy that he's found this new outlet, where he is picking up fans, being written up in "SL" magazines, etc.? Yes. But it boggles my mind.
I am registered in SL by the way. You can call me Liston Avedon in this life and I might ... just MIGHT ... answer as myself ... or as my alter ego. The trouble is that despite my technical abilities, this whole SL thing just makes me go "HUH??". So much so that my alter ego, y'know Liston, has NOTHING goin' for him. No job, no money ... I guess he has no personality. He is a full grown SL adult with nothin' happenin' for himself. Kind of an orphan of technology, I guess.
The funniest part of all this? My friend Rob will tell you that he knows next to nothing about computers. Now, I've installed software for him. He's kinda ... well ... right, really. But somehow he, like millions of other people, have been able to figure this out. And he's having a blast.
Did I mention that he is also a member of the Green Lantern Corps? That is just sooooooo cool.
I have a close friend (singer/songwriter Rob Koenig) who has been having an amazing time on Second Life. This very nice, talented fellow has a wonderful wife (an Assistant Director of a Nassau County Library actually!), a fine son, and a few pets. A good job, etc. And he has also recorded a few albums. But like most original musicians, he finds it hard to get gigs playing his songs ... in THIS world, anyway!!!
But in "SL", as the folks who reside there like to call it, he has been performing at Arlo Guthrie's club ... invited there by Arlo's avatar. Really. Honest. Can you say "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Is it great for him? Absolutely. Am I happy that he's found this new outlet, where he is picking up fans, being written up in "SL" magazines, etc.? Yes. But it boggles my mind.
I am registered in SL by the way. You can call me Liston Avedon in this life and I might ... just MIGHT ... answer as myself ... or as my alter ego. The trouble is that despite my technical abilities, this whole SL thing just makes me go "HUH??". So much so that my alter ego, y'know Liston, has NOTHING goin' for him. No job, no money ... I guess he has no personality. He is a full grown SL adult with nothin' happenin' for himself. Kind of an orphan of technology, I guess.
The funniest part of all this? My friend Rob will tell you that he knows next to nothing about computers. Now, I've installed software for him. He's kinda ... well ... right, really. But somehow he, like millions of other people, have been able to figure this out. And he's having a blast.
Did I mention that he is also a member of the Green Lantern Corps? That is just sooooooo cool.
Thing 15 is ... Facebook
Alrighty, so I've had a Facebook account for a while.
It's interesting, but I'm not lovin' it like some of my friends are. The coolest thing about it is watching friends and acquaintances who are completely unrelated to one another communicating together .... commenting about music, about their interests, about current events, etc. "Worlds colliding" as it were. Very cool.
But MAN can this stuff suck people's brains!! And I've watched it just eat people's time like nothing else.
I have also been seeing folks actually being emotionally effected by comments placed on Facebook. Isn't this supposed to be relaxing? A form of entertainment? If tripping about in these new social networks just causes added stress for folks, than why bother?
Anyway, I'm out there, so if you do a search ... you'll find me. Buit I'm not very exciting, be forewarned!
It's interesting, but I'm not lovin' it like some of my friends are. The coolest thing about it is watching friends and acquaintances who are completely unrelated to one another communicating together .... commenting about music, about their interests, about current events, etc. "Worlds colliding" as it were. Very cool.
But MAN can this stuff suck people's brains!! And I've watched it just eat people's time like nothing else.
I have also been seeing folks actually being emotionally effected by comments placed on Facebook. Isn't this supposed to be relaxing? A form of entertainment? If tripping about in these new social networks just causes added stress for folks, than why bother?
Anyway, I'm out there, so if you do a search ... you'll find me. Buit I'm not very exciting, be forewarned!
The 14th Thing: Podcasts! Yaaaay!
Well, podcasts are fun. They really are. They can be entertaining and informative ... and they're relatively easy to do. Are there a lot of crummy ones out there? You betcha! But there are a lot of great ones, too.
I've been at them for a few years now, and even had/have a running series called "4F" (short for "Free Format For Free") that has been available through a site called Podarama.com, as well as through iTunes, etc. since shortly before I began producing it. I also currently use that same title (and the same non-format!) for the radio shows that I do now and again with Winnie on WCWP-FM.
The legalities regarding the posting of copyrighted music on podcasts are ... to say the least ... HORRENDOUSLY MESSY!! But there are ways to do it, and as of last week (mid-July), things have changed dramatically for the better for amateur and semi-pro broadcasters. Remember, posting a monologue or conversation is fine, but once you add music, you need to read the rules and regulations of the site you plan to post to. The show I've posted the link to works for a number of very unusual reasons, which I could go into if inquiring minds want to know.
In the planning stages are: a restaurant review podcast and ... most directly related to this project ... a podcast touting some of the unique Media Department services offered here at the PWPL, as well as a few "How To" podcasts that may help folks to better understand what to do and NOT do with media items.
You can find two episodes of my show in streaming form or available for download on bomb-mp3.com: Episode 3 (Cartoon Rock) and Episode 5.
If you'd like to hear more of my shows, or want to check out some other fantastic podcasts, feel free to visit Podarama.com. Sign-up is free and easy, and there is MUCH fun stuff there to enjoy.
I've been at them for a few years now, and even had/have a running series called "4F" (short for "Free Format For Free") that has been available through a site called Podarama.com, as well as through iTunes, etc. since shortly before I began producing it. I also currently use that same title (and the same non-format!) for the radio shows that I do now and again with Winnie on WCWP-FM.
The legalities regarding the posting of copyrighted music on podcasts are ... to say the least ... HORRENDOUSLY MESSY!! But there are ways to do it, and as of last week (mid-July), things have changed dramatically for the better for amateur and semi-pro broadcasters. Remember, posting a monologue or conversation is fine, but once you add music, you need to read the rules and regulations of the site you plan to post to. The show I've posted the link to works for a number of very unusual reasons, which I could go into if inquiring minds want to know.
In the planning stages are: a restaurant review podcast and ... most directly related to this project ... a podcast touting some of the unique Media Department services offered here at the PWPL, as well as a few "How To" podcasts that may help folks to better understand what to do and NOT do with media items.
You can find two episodes of my show in streaming form or available for download on bomb-mp3.com: Episode 3 (Cartoon Rock) and Episode 5.
If you'd like to hear more of my shows, or want to check out some other fantastic podcasts, feel free to visit Podarama.com. Sign-up is free and easy, and there is MUCH fun stuff there to enjoy.
Thing 13: Ireland and the 'Reel Musicians' of O'Flaherty's Pub / Ireland Tour
OK, so YouTube is definitely a trip.
I'm actually looking forward to doing a program at the library in September about 'viral videos' ... a phenomenon that surely would not exist were it not for this bizarre, entertaining, and sometimes educational website/consolidator.
I will say that loading up large clips can sometimes overtax your modem and/or your router. On more than one occasion we have had to reset the electronics in order to get a clip up without a hitch. But it's still fairly straightforward.
I haven't added any of my own productions to the site yet, though a few are on the way soon, but here are links to some YouTube posts of videos shot by Winnie and I in Ireland in May of 2006.
The first one is a few minutes fo footage of folks laying down some wonderful traditional Irish music at a pub called O'Flaherty's in the peninsula of Dingle. Great stuff!
The second offers some shots from all over the mid-Western coast of the Emerald Isle. Enjoy!
I'm actually looking forward to doing a program at the library in September about 'viral videos' ... a phenomenon that surely would not exist were it not for this bizarre, entertaining, and sometimes educational website/consolidator.
I will say that loading up large clips can sometimes overtax your modem and/or your router. On more than one occasion we have had to reset the electronics in order to get a clip up without a hitch. But it's still fairly straightforward.
I haven't added any of my own productions to the site yet, though a few are on the way soon, but here are links to some YouTube posts of videos shot by Winnie and I in Ireland in May of 2006.
The first one is a few minutes fo footage of folks laying down some wonderful traditional Irish music at a pub called O'Flaherty's in the peninsula of Dingle. Great stuff!
The second offers some shots from all over the mid-Western coast of the Emerald Isle. Enjoy!
It's the 'Library Thing' Thing! That's Thing #12, That Is!
Well, this is a pretty cool idea. The GUI, however, is definitely not my favorite. I admit that I haven't gone into advanced search, but the primary search and add capabilities are pretty limited. Why not provide a list of responses to a search with check-boxes added, so that I can instantly add 20, 30 or 50 books to my library?
I'm a Beatles historian, with at least 3 or 4 dozen Beatles-related books in my collection. But unless I scan each book by barcode (which IS a cool way to do it, actually, unless they are in storage), I have to do my search for 'Beatles', scan through the responses when there are multiple releases of a book, and then add them one at a time. AND i seem to need to relaunch my search each time.
Truthfully, for a small investment of about $40 per module or $120 for the full suite (and often for free if you represent a not-for-profit organization) you can pick up a software package from a company called Collectorz.com that will allow you to catalog and classify your books, CDs, LPs, videotapes, DVDs, etc. VERY easily. I use it for the Long Island Music Hall of Fame. It's intuitive and allows for VERY quick adds ... based on search responses, by barcode or ISBN entry, etc. Your catalog can also be easily displayed online by adding their generated catalog pages to your website. They have litereally hundreds of options with regards to what you want displayed, and how you want it shown. It even has a lirbary card module, so that when we/I lend stuff from the collection I can keep track of who has it. I've done a chunk of my personal collection and all of the LIMHoF collection with this software, and it's really quite amazing.
'Library Thing' COULD be this good with some serious code work. I understand that it's free, but if you're going to go through all of this work to enter a collection, why do it with limitations? And yes, it's nice that it's accessible to all, but it's still living on their site. If the capability is there, isn't it better to have full control over how your catalog is displayed?
They're off to a good start, though.
I'm a Beatles historian, with at least 3 or 4 dozen Beatles-related books in my collection. But unless I scan each book by barcode (which IS a cool way to do it, actually, unless they are in storage), I have to do my search for 'Beatles', scan through the responses when there are multiple releases of a book, and then add them one at a time. AND i seem to need to relaunch my search each time.
Truthfully, for a small investment of about $40 per module or $120 for the full suite (and often for free if you represent a not-for-profit organization) you can pick up a software package from a company called Collectorz.com that will allow you to catalog and classify your books, CDs, LPs, videotapes, DVDs, etc. VERY easily. I use it for the Long Island Music Hall of Fame. It's intuitive and allows for VERY quick adds ... based on search responses, by barcode or ISBN entry, etc. Your catalog can also be easily displayed online by adding their generated catalog pages to your website. They have litereally hundreds of options with regards to what you want displayed, and how you want it shown. It even has a lirbary card module, so that when we/I lend stuff from the collection I can keep track of who has it. I've done a chunk of my personal collection and all of the LIMHoF collection with this software, and it's really quite amazing.
'Library Thing' COULD be this good with some serious code work. I understand that it's free, but if you're going to go through all of this work to enter a collection, why do it with limitations? And yes, it's nice that it's accessible to all, but it's still living on their site. If the capability is there, isn't it better to have full control over how your catalog is displayed?
They're off to a good start, though.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Thing #11 - ReddIt, Digg & Mixx ...
... remind me, as a whole, of the title of a Nick Lowe album from 1978. The title: "Pure Pop for Now People".
The Reddit, Digg and Mixx sites seem to basically be a 'Ready Ref' page of pop culture headlines. Perhaps it's just me, and I'm sure it is (LOL), but this reminds me of a scene in a movie (Woody Allen?) I remember seeing many years ago that involved a party where people were handed cards with phrases on them meant to serve as conversation starters. I'm sure there is some useful and real 'information' on these sites, but how do I find it? (The search box on Digg brought up some weird results when I typed in 'Mets', actually.)
I dunno ... is it anti-social to genuinely not care what everyone else thinks are the most popular things to read about online? There's just not enough time in the day, really.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Thing 10 : "Tag ... You're It!"
On my other blogs I always try to creatively tag my posts well, usually looking for ways to get the 'musos' to come visit. So, the tagging part of this 'Thing' was sort of old news.
With ragards to sharing bookmarks, I think that's been going on since 'MyFoxmarks'. That program was really designed for folks to make their own bookmarks portable, but there were a few of us who would use the system comunally. We all knew that our primary interest was music, and it was a great way to compile lists of music related links without constantly e-mailing them to one another. Delicious. com seems a much more straightforward way to accomplish this.
Anyway, I'm signed up for Delicious.com, and I have a few bookmarks up. Perhaps i'll import my Foxmarks next!
With ragards to sharing bookmarks, I think that's been going on since 'MyFoxmarks'. That program was really designed for folks to make their own bookmarks portable, but there were a few of us who would use the system comunally. We all knew that our primary interest was music, and it was a great way to compile lists of music related links without constantly e-mailing them to one another. Delicious. com seems a much more straightforward way to accomplish this.
Anyway, I'm signed up for Delicious.com, and I have a few bookmarks up. Perhaps i'll import my Foxmarks next!
Thing Number Nine ... Wiki Wiki Wiki (a.ka. The Hawaiian Thing)
Well, the library wikis were pretty neat, I will say! My favorite of the ones listed is the 'Library Success' page. Some interesting ideas there, and I like the fact that not all of the suggestions discussed on the wiki are techno-centric. I especially enjoyed the concept of the 'Work Like A Patron Day'. Clever.
Wikis are fun. One of my L.I. Music Hall of Fame-related 'things to do' is to tweak the wikipedia entries that relate to Long Island artists. Interestingly, they are usually (for the most part) quite accurate.
One fun bit of weirdness that I did find, however... and this relates directly to the library ... was in the entry for 'Paul Stanley', the lead singer of the group KISS. It stated in Mr. Stanley's wiki entry that his father had become independently wealthy many years ago, after having invented ... wait for it ... the first 'urinal deodorizer block'. Hmm?
Well, having known the very friendly Mr. Eisen, Paul's father and a regular patron of the Port library, for a number of years, I knew that this information was patently (no pun intended) UNTRUE. And so, I removed the, uh ... unusual ... and inaccurate info about Mr. Eisen.
Wikis are usually a great source of information, but as with any resource, the important thing is to check their citations! Here is a link to a very interesting article that points out why we (and them there journalist-type folks) need to be careful with the authoritativeness of our sources.
Perhaps journalists should learn to always keep the phone number of their local library reference department handy, LOL!!!
Wikis are fun. One of my L.I. Music Hall of Fame-related 'things to do' is to tweak the wikipedia entries that relate to Long Island artists. Interestingly, they are usually (for the most part) quite accurate.
One fun bit of weirdness that I did find, however... and this relates directly to the library ... was in the entry for 'Paul Stanley', the lead singer of the group KISS. It stated in Mr. Stanley's wiki entry that his father had become independently wealthy many years ago, after having invented ... wait for it ... the first 'urinal deodorizer block'. Hmm?
Well, having known the very friendly Mr. Eisen, Paul's father and a regular patron of the Port library, for a number of years, I knew that this information was patently (no pun intended) UNTRUE. And so, I removed the, uh ... unusual ... and inaccurate info about Mr. Eisen.
Wikis are usually a great source of information, but as with any resource, the important thing is to check their citations! Here is a link to a very interesting article that points out why we (and them there journalist-type folks) need to be careful with the authoritativeness of our sources.
Perhaps journalists should learn to always keep the phone number of their local library reference department handy, LOL!!!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Thing #8 - Some fun stuff here! :-)
I'm cheating ... doing the post before I 'finish' the Thing. But there are some great and creative tools here. So ... I'll re-edit this post when I've completed the pieces I'll be posting.
Thing #7 - Using IM's ... and (GRR!!) texting ...
Well, Thing #7 on the "18 Things" list has to do with IM'ing, text messaging, etc.
Some of the things in this section ... particularly text messaging ... have an air of "Oh, DON'T get me started!!" wrapped around them for me. In my humble opinion, text messaging, by its nature, can potentially be a useful tool. It has been, however, and it continues to be, used and abused in the most absurd and ridiculous ways. Of all technological advancements that have been made in computing, I find it to be the most preposterous thing to have proliferated modern "culture". And I use that term loosely. The people who I see at restaurants, in movie theatres, in concert halls, in classrooms (by both students AND teachers!) and on the road who seem to be the most proficient at using this service don't bring the term "cultured" to my mind ... other words, maybe ... but NOT "cultured".
E-mailing and IM'ing are, of course, quite useful both socially and practically. But with both techologies you needed, until recently anyway, to be near a computer to use them. The current trend of Blueberries or Raspberries, and EyePhones, etc. leaving people constantly chained by unseen electronic links back to their little digital world - a world where they can be rude, obnoxious and underwhelmed by the simpletons who populate the 'real world' - had not come into existence by the time e-mailing had become a household term. And text messaging is not simply an 'extension' of these early tools. In most instances it is used as a Frankenstein-like, mutated, overgrowth of them.
Some studies have indicated that as few as .2% ... that's not 2%, it's .2% ... of all text SESSIONS ... not messages, but SESSIONS (which indicate multiple 'expressions' typed over a short period of time) are exchanges of practical information between users. A recent study by the AAA discovered that an alarming 46% of teens admitted to being distracted behind the wheel due to texting. THAT is frightening.
And yes ... I'm sure the percentage of extraneous (read: non-informative) telephone calls made every day are even higher. I make them ... we all make them. But there is a social aspect to a telephone call. Much of it having to do with appreciating and understanding the nuances and qualities of a person's voice, both of which allow for better understanding during communication. In many ways it is the most personal form of communication next to a face-to-face conversation. And, of course, up until a few years ago you couldn't make non-informative phones calls to another person while I was trying to enjoy a movie that I paid $12.50 to go see!!! Arrrrgh. Making matters worse, I recently sat in front of two girls in their twenties who had gone to see Bruce Springsteen with their boyfriends who were texting EACH OTHER during the show. And their idiot boyfriends almost came to fisticuffs with the guy behind them who had finally had enough and and asked them to stop (not very politely ... but could you blame him?) about half way through the show because their phone screens were more than a mild distraction.
And don't tell me that texting is improving kids' writing skills. I'm sorry, but "IMHO I LMAO @" that idea.
OK ... rant over. Young people can let their friends know where to meet them at the mall or the movie theatre, parents can contact their kids without making that embarrasing phone calls to friends' houses that every kid dreads when growing up, travelers can alert their families when planes will be delayed and yes ... libraries can notify users about upcoming events or when an interloan has arrived. These are important and useful ways to employ the new technology.
ONE IMPORTANT AND POTENTIALLY USEFUL POINT
AOL Instant Messenger is a pervasive RAM hog, and a nasty program. If you frequently IM, and if you use multiple services, might I recommend Cerulean Studios free Trillian program. It is an excellent IM consolidator, which takes up very little space. When installing it you should just be careful not to check "YES" when it asks you if it can place the toolbar in your browser or change your home page. It should only ask once, and then it will leave you alone. It's a nice little trouble-free program.
Some of the things in this section ... particularly text messaging ... have an air of "Oh, DON'T get me started!!" wrapped around them for me. In my humble opinion, text messaging, by its nature, can potentially be a useful tool. It has been, however, and it continues to be, used and abused in the most absurd and ridiculous ways. Of all technological advancements that have been made in computing, I find it to be the most preposterous thing to have proliferated modern "culture". And I use that term loosely. The people who I see at restaurants, in movie theatres, in concert halls, in classrooms (by both students AND teachers!) and on the road who seem to be the most proficient at using this service don't bring the term "cultured" to my mind ... other words, maybe ... but NOT "cultured".
E-mailing and IM'ing are, of course, quite useful both socially and practically. But with both techologies you needed, until recently anyway, to be near a computer to use them. The current trend of Blueberries or Raspberries, and EyePhones, etc. leaving people constantly chained by unseen electronic links back to their little digital world - a world where they can be rude, obnoxious and underwhelmed by the simpletons who populate the 'real world' - had not come into existence by the time e-mailing had become a household term. And text messaging is not simply an 'extension' of these early tools. In most instances it is used as a Frankenstein-like, mutated, overgrowth of them.
Some studies have indicated that as few as .2% ... that's not 2%, it's .2% ... of all text SESSIONS ... not messages, but SESSIONS (which indicate multiple 'expressions' typed over a short period of time) are exchanges of practical information between users. A recent study by the AAA discovered that an alarming 46% of teens admitted to being distracted behind the wheel due to texting. THAT is frightening.
And yes ... I'm sure the percentage of extraneous (read: non-informative) telephone calls made every day are even higher. I make them ... we all make them. But there is a social aspect to a telephone call. Much of it having to do with appreciating and understanding the nuances and qualities of a person's voice, both of which allow for better understanding during communication. In many ways it is the most personal form of communication next to a face-to-face conversation. And, of course, up until a few years ago you couldn't make non-informative phones calls to another person while I was trying to enjoy a movie that I paid $12.50 to go see!!! Arrrrgh. Making matters worse, I recently sat in front of two girls in their twenties who had gone to see Bruce Springsteen with their boyfriends who were texting EACH OTHER during the show. And their idiot boyfriends almost came to fisticuffs with the guy behind them who had finally had enough and and asked them to stop (not very politely ... but could you blame him?) about half way through the show because their phone screens were more than a mild distraction.
And don't tell me that texting is improving kids' writing skills. I'm sorry, but "IMHO I LMAO @" that idea.
OK ... rant over. Young people can let their friends know where to meet them at the mall or the movie theatre, parents can contact their kids without making that embarrasing phone calls to friends' houses that every kid dreads when growing up, travelers can alert their families when planes will be delayed and yes ... libraries can notify users about upcoming events or when an interloan has arrived. These are important and useful ways to employ the new technology.
ONE IMPORTANT AND POTENTIALLY USEFUL POINT
AOL Instant Messenger is a pervasive RAM hog, and a nasty program. If you frequently IM, and if you use multiple services, might I recommend Cerulean Studios free Trillian program. It is an excellent IM consolidator, which takes up very little space. When installing it you should just be careful not to check "YES" when it asks you if it can place the toolbar in your browser or change your home page. It should only ask once, and then it will leave you alone. It's a nice little trouble-free program.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Spelling with Flicker
OK ... these little "doodads" that make up Thing #5 of the "18 Things" are all cute. But practical? Dunno.
Anyway, if my old band ever plays together again at least I'll have a place to go to fetch images for a potential flier. But wait ...
Does that, then, make this doodad practical in some way? Hmm ...
Anyway, if my old band ever plays together again at least I'll have a place to go to fetch images for a potential flier. But wait ...
Does that, then, make this doodad practical in some way? Hmm ...
Sunday, June 7, 2009
When the Beatles and the Monkees Jammed
I found this great photo on Flickr. A Beatle and a Monkee. It's pretty well-known that Micky and Paul got along well, as did Mike and John ... but I've never seen a shot of these two before this one by John McNab. The caption claims that George is trying to convince Ringo (off camera) to let Micky Dolenz use his drum kit. Cool!
Anyway, it only took one round of putting "Monkees" as a search term into Flickr. I'll have to check with a friend (and PWPL patron) who is working on an update to his Monkees book to find out if he has ever seen this one.
Oh, yeah ... I guess this is kinda "THING 4".
Anyway, it only took one round of putting "Monkees" as a search term into Flickr. I'll have to check with a friend (and PWPL patron) who is working on an update to his Monkees book to find out if he has ever seen this one.
Oh, yeah ... I guess this is kinda "THING 4".
Reading the thing about the 2nd thing ...
OK, I did that. Interesting material. I posted a comment. No sense in being redundant, so um ... it's there ...
Right.
Right.
Subscribing to RSS Feeds ... Again
OK, so I've subscribed to a few RSS feeds from Blogs like Rolling Stone, Mojo, etc. These are sites for magazines that I use from day-to-day at work to select CDs for the collection. Some other sites, like "Crooners Corner" keep me up-to-date on reissues, and also let me check out some vintage music that may have slipped by me "back in the day". Fun stuff.
I add the "again" because I was doing RSS feeds for a while and found it got out of hand. Tooooo much information. We'll see how it goes this time, LOL!!
I add the "again" because I was doing RSS feeds for a while and found it got out of hand. Tooooo much information. We'll see how it goes this time, LOL!!
Friday, June 5, 2009
18 Things That Flash?
Hmm ... a very 60s-ish title for a program?!?
Oh, wait, it's "18 Things IN a Flash"! OK, I get it. We're going to be exploring the exciting virtual landscape, and looking into some of the new tools that can be found here that apply to the wonderful world of information dissemination. Yeah. That works. And so, here is my blog. Thing numero uno.
I now have an "avatar". Funny, but that word used to be reserved for Hindu deities, like Vishnu. Times sho' 'nuf do change, don't they! If I could have made my Avatar dude truer to form I would have, but they had no tabs for adding "Some Extra Chunk", "Tail Length" or "Facial Hair Stylings". The clean cut hippie lookin' dude with the Greek fisherman's cap (OK, at least I own one of those) will have to do.
Well ... more as the "things" happen!
Peace,
Tony
Oh, wait, it's "18 Things IN a Flash"! OK, I get it. We're going to be exploring the exciting virtual landscape, and looking into some of the new tools that can be found here that apply to the wonderful world of information dissemination. Yeah. That works. And so, here is my blog. Thing numero uno.
I now have an "avatar". Funny, but that word used to be reserved for Hindu deities, like Vishnu. Times sho' 'nuf do change, don't they! If I could have made my Avatar dude truer to form I would have, but they had no tabs for adding "Some Extra Chunk", "Tail Length" or "Facial Hair Stylings". The clean cut hippie lookin' dude with the Greek fisherman's cap (OK, at least I own one of those) will have to do.
Well ... more as the "things" happen!
Peace,
Tony
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