This was an interesting lesson. I first explored Big Huge Labs. I played with creating a puzzle, and thought "This would make a great gift with the right photo!" Then, I checked the price. Yikes!! $40 for a small 252 piece puzzle is fairly ridiculous, at least to me. I didn't play with their create a poster option, but could certainly see how it would be wonderful for libraries to use--photos of events used to create posters for the same event the next year, etc. Of course, it all depends on the price...
Then, I looked at some of the applications for making slide shows with photos. These tools would certainly come in handy for library presentations. And, I have to confess, my first thought was how cool it would be to use this to come up with a slideshow of childhood photos for my daughter's upcoming wedding. Of course, my daughter may not agree...
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Friday, May 1, 2009
Online productivity
This seems to have great potential for the workplace. Different people can collaborate on a single document (or group of documents) for a presentation, etc. So much less time than emailing folks back and forth.
The problem remains, however, with people who procrastinate.
Now, if they could only come up with a solution for that...
The problem remains, however, with people who procrastinate.
Now, if they could only come up with a solution for that...
Tags/Social Bookmarks
Okay, I get it now. I have to confess that this is one more thing about which I've smiled and nodded and had no earthly clue what people were talking about. Everyone talked about delicious as if it were the best thing since sliced bread, and I had no idea why.
So, now I get it.
I can totally see how this would be helpful. They're right--bookmarking interesting sights gets totally unwieldy. But, if I can keep those things on a delicious account, then I don't have to be so selective about what I bookmark, thus ending the frustrating "I want to be able to find this site again, but when will I realistically need it?" For instance, my son is an historical reenactor, and I find helpful sites about how to construct time-appropriate shoes, or that sell woolen stockings (I know, I know, but he's a wonderful kid, so I can overlook him wearing stockings), so now I can bookmark them, even though I may not need the information again until the stockings wear holes bigger than I can mend.
I appreciated the library sites that were listed with "tag clouds." Really helpful stuff. It makes so much sense for the librarians to find all the good, useful, informationally correct sites, and post tags to help patrons find them. So much better than sending teens into cyber space to find weird "information" that some wacko posted. And off the subject, I loved the librarians' avatars and the "get to know them" sites. Makes patrons feel more comfortable with the librarians, and make the librarians more approachable. Gotta love that.
So, now I get it.
I can totally see how this would be helpful. They're right--bookmarking interesting sights gets totally unwieldy. But, if I can keep those things on a delicious account, then I don't have to be so selective about what I bookmark, thus ending the frustrating "I want to be able to find this site again, but when will I realistically need it?" For instance, my son is an historical reenactor, and I find helpful sites about how to construct time-appropriate shoes, or that sell woolen stockings (I know, I know, but he's a wonderful kid, so I can overlook him wearing stockings), so now I can bookmark them, even though I may not need the information again until the stockings wear holes bigger than I can mend.
I appreciated the library sites that were listed with "tag clouds." Really helpful stuff. It makes so much sense for the librarians to find all the good, useful, informationally correct sites, and post tags to help patrons find them. So much better than sending teens into cyber space to find weird "information" that some wacko posted. And off the subject, I loved the librarians' avatars and the "get to know them" sites. Makes patrons feel more comfortable with the librarians, and make the librarians more approachable. Gotta love that.
Facebook update
Well, I took the plunge. In the privacy of home, where I had plenty of time to play with it, I created a Facebook page. I was surprised at how easy it was (taking a good picture was the hardest part--sheesh!), and astonished by how quickly it grew. Suddenly I was getting stuff from all these people. However, compared to my daughter's site, I'm positively plain jane. She's got all sorts of stuff going on there. Evidently, she's some sort of mafia person.
I'm not asking.
Another weird thing? Someone from high school contacted me almost immediately. And, I'm embarrassed to say, someone that I don't remember, even though I looked them up in my yearbook (and they had to tell me their maiden name and that they went to high school with me before I even got that association.)
That's just sad.
Have I truly lost that many brain cells?
I'm not asking.
Another weird thing? Someone from high school contacted me almost immediately. And, I'm embarrassed to say, someone that I don't remember, even though I looked them up in my yearbook (and they had to tell me their maiden name and that they went to high school with me before I even got that association.)
That's just sad.
Have I truly lost that many brain cells?
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Social Networking
Okay, I am so behind the times on this one. Everyone talks about myspace and facebook. Everyone in my family but me has a page on one or both of these. I actually signed up for one of them to keep track of my kids' doings on them, then delegated the task to my husband, since he routinely uses it, and I don't.
I guess my biggest thing is that I'm scared of identity theft, or weirdos showing up on the doorstep, thinking they know me because of my page. The articles say to make it private, but I'm not sure how that plays out--if it's private, then it's only people I invite in??? But one of the articles said that private doesn't really mean private--people can still access your information. And, if it's private, then how to I go about meeting people with similar interests? How much information can you give before you've crossed the line? If I say I live in Virginia, is that okay? What about Richmond? I have an unusual name, and I would be easy to track for anyone determined to do so--for that matter, for anyone who can use google. So, is it truly a big deal to post that on a page?
I have so many questions about this that it paralyzes me. It's easier not to do anything, then to do something and have people say, "Well, you should have known better..."
I guess my biggest thing is that I'm scared of identity theft, or weirdos showing up on the doorstep, thinking they know me because of my page. The articles say to make it private, but I'm not sure how that plays out--if it's private, then it's only people I invite in??? But one of the articles said that private doesn't really mean private--people can still access your information. And, if it's private, then how to I go about meeting people with similar interests? How much information can you give before you've crossed the line? If I say I live in Virginia, is that okay? What about Richmond? I have an unusual name, and I would be easy to track for anyone determined to do so--for that matter, for anyone who can use google. So, is it truly a big deal to post that on a page?
I have so many questions about this that it paralyzes me. It's easier not to do anything, then to do something and have people say, "Well, you should have known better..."
Friday, April 17, 2009
Games
Hmmm. What to write? Good old solitare has been around since the computer screen, and I've played my fair share. When I sat down to do this session, though, I discovered that I am actually afraid of some of the new interactive stuff. Afraid? Yeah. Weird, huh?
I think it stems back to junior high softball tryout trama. I mean, it's one thing to fail at your little solitaire game (or in front of sneering adolescent jocks), but in front of a world wide audience??? Could we not go there???
I'll admit, I've given gaming a few tries, but I strongly object to people shooting at me--even in cyber space. And, ramming my podracer into canyon walls hurts, regardless.
The only game I've enjoyed recently was a Boggle-like game with prairie dogs or some such popping up. Even then, I don't blink enough when I play--my eyes end up red and burning, my shoulders are hunched up over my ears, and I have a permanent furrow in my forehead--the Ghost of My Wrinkled Future.
Maybe I'm just not playing the right games?
I tried a couple of the options provided. One wouldn't download on the computer. The other didn't provide instructions, so I was shouting at the computer that I didn't understand while a bubble burst on my head and killed me. Oh, yeah. Fun stuff.
I think what it boils down to, for me, is that I don't mind the occasional card game, but I really have too much to do to offer my non-committed time on the altar of computer gaming. There are books I want to read! Quilts I want to make! Scrapbooking for future generations! Books to write! I prefer showing my teenage son the really cool mushroom that sprang up in the yard overnight that I noticed while cutting herbs. I won't have him around forever. Too many real people in my living room need my time and attention. And, my massage therapist (aka my husband) thanks me for forgoing shoulder-hunching activities.
I think it stems back to junior high softball tryout trama. I mean, it's one thing to fail at your little solitaire game (or in front of sneering adolescent jocks), but in front of a world wide audience??? Could we not go there???
I'll admit, I've given gaming a few tries, but I strongly object to people shooting at me--even in cyber space. And, ramming my podracer into canyon walls hurts, regardless.
The only game I've enjoyed recently was a Boggle-like game with prairie dogs or some such popping up. Even then, I don't blink enough when I play--my eyes end up red and burning, my shoulders are hunched up over my ears, and I have a permanent furrow in my forehead--the Ghost of My Wrinkled Future.
Maybe I'm just not playing the right games?
I tried a couple of the options provided. One wouldn't download on the computer. The other didn't provide instructions, so I was shouting at the computer that I didn't understand while a bubble burst on my head and killed me. Oh, yeah. Fun stuff.
I think what it boils down to, for me, is that I don't mind the occasional card game, but I really have too much to do to offer my non-committed time on the altar of computer gaming. There are books I want to read! Quilts I want to make! Scrapbooking for future generations! Books to write! I prefer showing my teenage son the really cool mushroom that sprang up in the yard overnight that I noticed while cutting herbs. I won't have him around forever. Too many real people in my living room need my time and attention. And, my massage therapist (aka my husband) thanks me for forgoing shoulder-hunching activities.
Wiki update
To put my wiki training to good use, I created the wedding wiki for my daughter's upcoming wedding. I'm here in Richmond, she and her fiance are in South Carolina, and his parents are in Ohio, so it seemed a good way to work the deal.
We've had our ups and downs with this. I thought it would be a good way to let the future in-laws know what traditional wedding expenses were, while keeping my daughter abreast of the budget. Seems my explicit list was too much for the futures--they went a bit nuts, causing my poor daughter extra stress. But, things did get out in the open, and some readjustments were made. It has turned out to be good for keeping information all in one place, since my daughter's wedding planner is in SC with her, and the people we need to work with are here (and I'm sort of in charge of doing the planning until school lets out).
Remember my enthusiasm for the potential benefits a wiki would offer to my husband's group? He didn't get it. He said email was good enough for their communications. After having to search for a flyer so he could send it to a co-planner, I said, "This is why you should use a wiki. If all the stuff is stored there, nobody has to spend time searching for it to send it to someone else." Well, folks, the light bulb went off with a brilliant strobe. He's slow, but he does come around. His adorable wife set him up with a wiki in no time flat, and then abandoned him when he started trying to post adobe stuff. I hadn't done it, so was no help. He'll figure it out.
We've had our ups and downs with this. I thought it would be a good way to let the future in-laws know what traditional wedding expenses were, while keeping my daughter abreast of the budget. Seems my explicit list was too much for the futures--they went a bit nuts, causing my poor daughter extra stress. But, things did get out in the open, and some readjustments were made. It has turned out to be good for keeping information all in one place, since my daughter's wedding planner is in SC with her, and the people we need to work with are here (and I'm sort of in charge of doing the planning until school lets out).
Remember my enthusiasm for the potential benefits a wiki would offer to my husband's group? He didn't get it. He said email was good enough for their communications. After having to search for a flyer so he could send it to a co-planner, I said, "This is why you should use a wiki. If all the stuff is stored there, nobody has to spend time searching for it to send it to someone else." Well, folks, the light bulb went off with a brilliant strobe. He's slow, but he does come around. His adorable wife set him up with a wiki in no time flat, and then abandoned him when he started trying to post adobe stuff. I hadn't done it, so was no help. He'll figure it out.
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