Week 9 Thing 23: Wow, I can't believe I did it!

So, I made it through the program. I probably didn't delve in as much, but it is a lot of information to let sink in. And I figure I will go back and revisit some of the "things" to get more information, most specifically, the wiki pages that contained a lot of information on formatting that is more user-friendly than HTML. I really appreciated all the information that was provided so that I don't feel completely out of the loop. I now understand RSS feeds, and how great they are at serving up information rather than trying to find it blindly on the web. It also provides a lot of great ideas for things to do with digital pictures that I have of my kids. I'm hoping that the web sites are kept in a central repository so that I can refer back to them. I know that there will be many new additions to the web, in terms of technology, applications and capabilities, but I figure with the foundation that I have now, I am not so out of touch. Thank you 23 Things!

Week 9 Thing 22: EBooks

So this was neat. There were not that many titles that I would be interested in downloading right now, because I prefer to bring a book along with me, and I have little time to sit in front of a computer listening to the books. I think the best application would be for downloading them to a portable device for listening on the go, in the car, etc. But for those who have visual impairments, this is great. However, they'd probably need help to navigate the system and download the books.

Week 9 Thing 21: Podcasting Directories

Well, this was neat. I'm glad that the better ones give you a choice of their recommended favorites, as well as give you categories. I am amazed at how many podcasts there are out there. I feel like this is the new forum for the Wayne's and Garth's out there. Unfortunately, many of them are not that entertaining, with voices that just drone on. I wish there was a way to siphon out those, but as podcasting becomes even more popular, I'm sure there will be more to sift through. That just means that the really good ones will have to market themselves through word of mouth, and elevating their rankings on the podcast directories. A marketing niche that I'm sure the big ad agencies are going to be rushing to fill to keep their hand in the ever-fragmented market which is being controlled more and more by people themselves. That's my thoughts for Thing 21.

Week 9 Thing 20: You Tube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oyg2PXF8g6I#
When Saturday Night Live was funny.

Week 8: Thing 19: Web 2.0 Awards List

Not that I am a lush or anything, but cocktail builder is a really neat site. You just enter in some ingredients that you have on hand, and it will tell you what you can make or what other ingredients you need to make something. And they rate all the drinks so you know which ones are well-liked. Next time, I have a party, I am going to seriously have to consult this site. Thank you bartenders who listed your drinks....

Week 8 Thing 18: Open Software

Well, as you can see from my previous post, I used the open software on the web and posted the document to my blog. So, I guess I figured that out.

stephs musings

Steph's Musings Move to Open Source

So, here are I am typing up my thoughts on this open source application. It's pretty cool. I wonder what Microsoft is making of all this openly available software. What is amazing to me is the amount of competition out there that Microsoft has. I would never have believed that all this open source software was available. Now, I will say there are definitely some things that Microsoft does really well, and it isn't as user-friendly to use open source software. However, for basic word processing, this stuff works great. It's got the same universal icons so that you can figure out the functionality. I'm one of the converted. Move over Microsoft, there is some stiff competition out there.

Week 7, Thing 17: Learning 2.0 Sandbox

So after much tooling around, I figured out how to post my blog. I also created a page listing some of my favorite books in the sandbox. At this stage, there are not that many HCL blogs posted on the site. Many of the other libraries have over 30 blogs posted. At HCL, we need to get with the program. Granted we didn't officially start the 23 things until yesterday, but still. If I can figure out how to do it. And let me tell you it took a couple of tries, anyone can do it. So, that's my post for thing 17.

Week 7: Thing 16: Wikis

I realized that the Library's internal Web site functions like a wiki - or is in fact a wiki. I edited it the other day. How weird. I think it's really amazing how wikis work. I just am hesitant about wholehearted adoption given the number of people out there who love to disrupt community activities. There's always one person who would like to wreak havoc on a wiki, thereby ruining the experience for everyone else. And some people do it unwittingly. I just read in the paper today how Johns Hopkins University is setting the record straight on the whole toxins in plastic that are released when heating food in microwave. I hate to admit that I was caught up in the hysteria and started using glass to microwave my kids' food. Hopkins name was attributed to the findings, so I didn't think I actually needed to check in with them to verify. And lo and behold, today it comes out that Hopkins never endorsed that finding. Some schmo put it on the web somewhere and hysterical parents everywhere started to send around the e-mail lending the "urban myth" credibility so that people believed it, rather than verifying that it was in fact not authored nor substantiated by Hopkins. Gotta love it. All I have to say, is that there are sick people out there who prey on the well intentioned out there. And wikis just give them another playground. That's my two cents.

Week 6: Thing 15: Library 2.0

This was just a reaffirmation that Libraries need to keep up with the times and integrate technology-driven services into their offerings. Sometimes I feel like a throw-back because I just like to pick up and read an actual book. I'm not looking forward to the time when people read books electronically. I think it will mess up people's visions. It's probably more environmentally-friendly if you need less paper, and therefore cut down less trees, however I really like the feel and smell of a good book. It's great to be able to bring a book in bed with you. It's highly portable and doesn't require a battery. With the move toward greater use of technology, I sincerely hope that the actual books themselves don't become obsolete.

Week 6 Thing 14: Technorati

So I was tooling around here and did some searches. It was funny to come upon some of the blogs. I actually found one from a woman where my kids go to school. That was really interesting. It confirmed that I am happy where my kids are at. Anyway, it was pretty crazy to see all the blogs and posts out there. Unfortunately, I'm not that into "celebrity" so most of the tags that were the most popular were the least of interest to me. I don't want to use any of the celebrity names for fear that Technorati will scour my blog and put me up there as having some interest in P*** H****. You know who I'm talking about. Actually, I could have just done fill in the blank and there are plenty of young stars who have been in the celebrity rag spotlight. So that's my post on Technorati.

Week 6 Thing 13: Delicious

So that was another interesting site. It will be a good place to look when researching a specific topic , rather than searching blindly on the web. That assumes that you can trust people who have bookmarked sites to have good sense and not just bookmark everything and anything.

Week 5: Thing 12: Rollyo

So this was pretty cool. Here is my roll: http://rollyo.com/stephanieshane/hoco_sports_rec/
It contains a bunch of sites that have information on kids sports and recs in Howard County Maryland. I hope it's helpful to any other parent out there who has young kids and feels the pressure of having to figure out what sporting activity to sign them up for.

Week 5: Thing 11: Library Thing

This was pretty cool. I have wanted to create a repository to store a list of my favorite books. And now I've gone and done it. So that was pretty neat. Here is a link to my catalog: http://www.librarything.com/catalog/stephanieshane

Week 5: Thing 10 - Online Image Generator

So, I finally created a Yahoo Avatar. It's been bugging me for over a year to create one. So, I guess I finally succumbed to the pressure. I also created a Garbage Pail Kid card. It wasn't that exciting. I thought you would be able to do more things with it. These generators just feel like a poor man's version of photoshop. But, then maybe it's just me. They just don't allow for much individuality. That being said, if it was harder, I would probably need remedial assistance.

Week 4 Thing 9: Merlin

This was neat to see that there was a web site run by librarians that contained a lot of information on various feeders. I had fun tooling around the site. Not much else to report.

Week 4 Thing 8: RSS

Finally I figured out the whole sharing thing. Unless I completely bungled it up. They don't tell you that by the end you will have created a second blog for yourself. One on blogger, and the other on bloglines. I thought bloglines was just for rss. Now it seems to have its own blogging section. Just what I need, another account to manage and update with random thoughts....

Oh, by the way, here it is:
http://www.bloglines.com/blog/stephanieshane

Week 3 Thing 7: One of the Converted

So, I am a technophobe. However, I love my ipod. I used to be one of those people who would go walking carrying my CD walkman in my hand, while teenagers would run past me with their little mp3 players. I could see their steps slow down and the shaking of their shoulders as their heads would twist from side to side and I know they would be laughing at the "old fogey" with outdated technology. Now, I am one of them. And, unlike them, I actually have good music on my ipod. (Of course, that is just in my humble opinion.) I can't listen to regular radio anymore - thank goodness for satellite radio. I am sure that my parents thought my music was crap growing up, but at least it was melodic, and the people who sang it actually wrote it and played the instruments as well. Okay, now I'm really sounding like an old fogey. Anyway, that is my technology post (music rant) for today.

Week 3 Thing 6: What we did on summer vacation

002_24
Originally uploaded by stephanieshane

Check out this kid's wonderland.

Week 3 Thing 5: Reading=>Knowledge=>Power

Reading=>Knowledge=>Power
Originally uploaded by Women, Fire & Dangerous Things

I did a search on Howard County Library and look what a cool picture I came up with from the Glenwood Branch. This is good press for all that is done for children's classes at Howard County Library.

Week 1 Thing 2: Lifelong Learners

I learned that I am not alone.

7.5 habits of successful learners

So I will readily admit that I am a nerd, and love to learn (I've been doing crossword puzzles since I could learn to spell). However, being able to set a goal and stick to that goal is a little tough. I tend to keep modifying it to the point that it gets so watered down that it looks like I just dabble in things. Oh well. So, that's my post for today.

Week 2 Thing 3: Blog Setup

So, I am now on the path to learn 23 things related to technology. Being a self-professed technophobe this should be interesting. Setting up the blog was relatively easy and painless.