It's been a while since I had a chance to update my Blog. Life gets in the way, sometimes. Thanks, Susan for the reminder of where I was in my 23 Things.
For Thing #16 I explored Google Docs. It's a really cool application that is free software for creating documents, presentations and spreadsheets online and having others on your team edit them. It's totally free and just like using Microsoft products which cost big bucks. I really liked the ability to collaborate and get things updated by others on a team and I see how this could be useful in the office and learning environments.
I was also interested in the information on cloud computing. There was an interesting article on it recently in Bloomberg Businessweek (March 7 issue) Called "The Power of the Cloud" which addressed cloud computing, what it is, and the battle between the major providers of these applications. It's BIG business.
For this task in my 23 Things, I set up a Google calendar and an iGoogle page. I was able to change the header and the gadgets to those which would work for me. The iGoogle was easy to do, but I had a few problems with the Google calendar when I went back later to add things.
The other productivity tools would be helpful, especially if I were a "listmaker". But then, if I was this organized I would probably already have a system set up.
The mindmapping was interesting as I have used this in planning events and also when teaching Girl Scouts how to plan for the year. Usually a big piece of paper and markers is sufficient for me, though.
E-Books are a fun thing that have just started to take off, now that the Amazon Kindle is priced at a level many people can afford.
I first started investigating e-books many years ago when something called the "Rocket Book" came out. I think it was just a way to read books on your computer, but that was rather uncomfortable and didn't replace the joy of turning the page on a real book. As readers came out, they were bulky and very expensive. I bided my time, just investigating them, and feeling like I would be a sort of "library traitor" if I got one.
Lo and behold, one arrived for me under the tree last year, complete with a hot pink (my favorite color) soft case.
My Kindle was very easy to set up and easier even to spend money on with the click of a button. I enjoy reading books on it. It's only downside is that I like large print, (It's adjustable) so I end up turning the pages often. I also won't be able to use it with the Overdrive library program if it ever becomes available in our system, but with free books, special discounts, and self-restraint, I shouldn't end up spending thousands in Amazon each year!
For Thing #14 I used the Hathi Trust site to look up an old book as part of my research on my Great Aunt May, the first librarian in the family. I was able to find out her name was actually Mary C. Sherrard and one of the libraries she set up during World War I was at Ft. McPherson Georgia. The site was easy to use, searchable and easy to print from. This would make it easier for researchers to use old materials, especially since libraries are not doing Interlibrary Loan as much as they used to.
Podcasts, aren't they the actors from "Invasion of the Body Snatchers?"
No?
Although I'm a regular NPR listener and love their talk shows, I find that I cannot listen to talk without doing something else. That is probably why I usually only listen when driving. Podcasts, though, are a good way to catch up on shows that you missed or had to stop listening to because you reached your destination. (Called "driveway moments" during Public Radio Pledge Week, because those are shows you had to stay in your car to listen until the end.)
I was disappointed to find that my favorite NPR show, Prarie Home Companion doesn't offer Podcasts except for the Lake Woebegon monolog, because of licensing requirements. I can usually only catch the whole show when on a long weekend car trip, with some pleading because my husband hates NPR.
For Thing #13 I browsed the New York Times podcasts and listened to some book reviews. They were well done and professionally made with a good reader.
One place I can see podcasts being useful is for people with vision problems. They could keep up with the latest news and features on their own computer at their own time.
Although I don't see myself using podcasts as a resource - mainly because I can't figure out how to get them on my off-brand MPP-3 player. I can see where they would be great for a commuter as well.
It's amazing - I finally got my husband to join Facebook. (He still thinks it's stupid, though.) I like it because I keep up with my kids who live across the country and my many friends who live across the world.
Enough of that. I'm STILL enjoying more than anything, working as a Reference Librarian. My daughter and her husband are going to spend a lot of money on an aptitude test to find out where their talents lie. (http://www.jocrf.org/.) I know that I'm born to be a librarian.
I'm actually a third-generation librarian. My mother was a fine-arts librarian at the Baltimore Public Library before she met my dad. She still complains that when she went to Drexel for her library degree it was only an Associates. She was a bit jealous when I got my job. She can't quite understand that at 90, she probably would not be able to work all day.
My Great-Aunt May (who raised my mom) was the first librarian in the family. She went to library school at the turn of the last century in Albany, New York (also where I went to library school). One of her professors was Melville Dewey and he was apparently quite a womanizer. The girls were told to be careful around him. Aunt May was a librarian for the War Department during World War I and set up libraries at Navy and Army bases around the country. She went home to Chambersburg, Pennsylvania when my mother's parents died in the 1920's and became a college librarian at Wilson College.
So you can see, it's in my blood or genes. Ask me a question - I just love to find answers!
I get on the site thinking, "I'll just look at this cute video of kitties", and two hours later...
My real problem is that I love looking at and listening to Arabic pop music videos. I lived in the middle east for 6 years, I love to belly dance, and I don't get Arabic t.v. here in the U.S.
In Kuwait we had satellite T.V. with at least 4 channels which showed music videos exclusively. Arabic music videos are like the ones they used to show in the U.S. long ago. They usually have a story, the music is catchy, and they aren't raunchy. Since I don't speak Arabic, I liked that you could get the story even without understanding the words. Aftr all, haf they time they're saying "habibi" anyway! A big plus with Youtube is that some enterprising bilingual people have posted my favorite videos with subtitles!
Which ones of my favorites shall I post? Nancy Ajram is one of my favorite singers - both because she is cute, sings well, has good videos, and we share a name. As the spokesperson for Cocoa Cola and Lebanon's #1 pop star, she is well known all over the Middle East. Whenever I had to show my i.d. to guards in Kuwait they would look at my name, give me the eye and say, "Ohhh, Nancy!" Sexiness conferred by a name...
Here's a cute video by Nancy - It's all about how her boyfriend keeps looking at other girls.
Here's my favorite - the most romantic video in the world...
As said, it's a Time Vampire. I've just spent the last 30 minutes looking for the latest Amr Diab video. Step away from the keyboard, Nancy.
I'm having fun figuring out my new Kindle (Christmas gift). It's WAY too easy to buy and download books on this thing. At least I've found the free ones and have downloaded some classics that I've always wanted to read.
Currently I'm 3/4 of the way through the new Fannie Flagg book, I've Always Dreamed of You (or something like that). It's very pleasant reading and somewhat humorous, as are all of Fannie's books. I have had fun changing the font size up and down and using or not using my glassses. The only problem with the large font is that you have to turn the pages all the time. You have to do that with large-type books as well, though. I"m wondering if I will find it easy to remember what the book looks like when I go to recommend it to folks at the library since I have no interaction with the cover. I think my mind does use the color and picture as a memory device.
I still feel like a bit of a library traitor, but have found that reading the Kindle is very easy on the eyesight. Next - trying the reading out loud feature...
