Twenty Three Skiddoo!

   This is kind of like the Oscar acceptance speech, but I’d like to thank the Learn and Play Team, and apologize for not doing a video (but I will now if you want to do a post-Things video series!).  Thanks to the ELT for allowing and encouraging the staff to Learn and Play, thanks to my supervisor who didn’t gripe when I disappeared for considerable periods of time to work on L&P stuff, and to my co-workers who helped me through some rough spots and seemed to enjoy doing it.  Thanks to my family who had to listen to me both when I was carping about L&P and when I was waxing poetic in my enthusiasm as I discovered the creamy filling and wanted to share all my 2.0 discoveries. 

  Learn and Play has really opened my eyes to a lot of things that are going on in the technological whirlpool of which we are each a part.  Some of us (i.e. ME) are way out on the rim, just beginning to pick up speed and get caught up in the current.  Others, my children among them, are close to the center and moving so fast I have faint hope of catching up!  It affects us all, however, and even the most stubborn, pencil-addicted, battery-free individual will be faced with the necessity of dealing with it someday.

I am still hesitant and unsure about a lot of things we touched on, and, if you have read my blog posts, there are parts of it that I doubt I will ever really understand, enjoy, or use on a daily basis.  Learn and Play has given me the tools to delve more deeply into those things and figure them out when and if I need to make use of them in the future.   A jewelry instructor I know says at the start of each class “If you make a mistake here, no one dies!  So get to work and make some mistakes!”  The L&P team gave us that same freedom–Play with it, no one dies, you can’t bring down the Web by pressing the wrong button!

 One of the things I carry away from Learn and Play is the overwhelming capacity for the exchange of information out on the web.  Blogs seem to appear everywhere–I’m finding that most of the sites I am ordering Christmas gifts from have blogs now, so you can read up on what the company has to say and what they will be doing with the money you just gave them!  Many (too many) interactive sites seem to be filled with rantings from the illiterate and uninformed, and it makes one despair until you realize that these aren’t the people who are out there solving the problems, they are just the ones who have nothing better to do than complain about how unfair the rest of the world is to them! 

Twitter, Google Docs, blogging, and Lulu are my favorite Things.  I think I will be using all of them more and more as time goes on.  I’ve already spoken to many of my friends about them, and gotten several people to check them out on their own with great enthusiasm!  I sincerely hope that CML will publicize Learn and Play and make it available to the whole community (with or without incentives).  This would make a great alternative to the Adult Summer Reading Club!!! 

 The whole Learn and Play program was very well done, and the team deserves highest praise!  From the kickoff with Michael, to the flexibility to add weeks to the program, to the humorous and helpful videos, the whole shootin’ match was well planned and fun.  A feeling of excitement and encouragement was built and maintained throughout, and I know it kept me going through several “chuck it all” moments!  I will look forward to the next initiative, and I hope it comes sooner rather than later!

 I think one of my favorite L&P moments was finding KayBeeStew’s dachshund video on YouTube after Twittering with her many times about her Henry and my Lizzie.  I feel like I’ve made a connection that defies time and space!  If Web 2.0 can make this kind of connection happen for more people in more places then I will overcome my reluctance and be proud of my budding technological savvy!  I will cheer with the best of them “2 point OH!  Way to GO!”

And Gerald, I say “PLAY!!”

My Old Lamebrain Doesn’t Intuit (MOLDI)

  Let me get this straight.  I can “check out” books, music, etc. and put it on my “device” and in 14 days I can’t access it anymore?  What kind of sorcery is this?  And what about the things I can burn to CD?  Do the copyright police show up at my door? 

  We spent the Thanksgiving weekend with my mother (75 years old) and my mother-in-law (76 years old).  Several times during the  trip I found myself grinding my teeth because it seemd to me that one or the other of them couldn’t understand that things have changed, time has marched on, we’re not living in the Depression (okay, maybe we’re getting close, but still . . .), the lights can stay on–no bombers will be flying over, a latte is not just a coffee with cream!  I bring this up because I realize that like my mother I sometimes live in the past.  When I was in college we had to carefully budget our kilobytes of computer memory.  I still can’t believe that I can go around downloading free software onto my computer and not suddenly “run out of space.”  I worry every time some site tells me I have to download their free software in order to use their service.  Do I have enough space?  Will my computer crash?  Oooh Noooh!

Maybe it just means it’s past time to venture out of my comfy world of a tiny monitor, audio-free computer, cat chow infested keyboard, and Windows 98, get on the computer autobahn and put the pedal to the metal, as it were.  When I do that then I think I will truly enjoy MOLDI, especially the books I can burn to CD.  I’m not big on sitting and reading a computer screen, but I will listen for hours as I drive, knit, fuse glass, string beads, wash the dog, etc.  I was excited by the variety of titles in the audiobook category, but I have to say the choices in the e-flicks were a big BIG disappointment. 

I think it is great that CML has a computer set aside specifically for MOLDI downloads–maybe I will go there first and make use of the expert CML staff in person to guide me through!

I vow to overcome my intimidation and actually try using the MOLDI service, and I know that if I try it I will like it–after all I’ve liked most of what L&P@CML has served up!

Podcast schmodcast!

Podcasts are like podpeople.  They seem easy and innocent, and the Common Craft video (is that a podcast too?) makes it seem like the best thing since cream cheese met olives.  Don’t you believe it!!  I found myself being sucked inexorably down the vortex of Doom to the everlasting darkness of true confusion as soon as I clicked on the first podcast directory link!  Joy, Gerald, how could you do this to me?!!  Here my confidence was growing by leaps and bounds, my comfort level was heading for “Cushiony Soft,” and I successfully inserted not one but TWO YouTube videos into my last blog post, then this.  Utter despair and defeat is only scratching the surface.

Yes, I listened to a couple (or parts of a couple) of podcasts, then found one I might actually want to continue with, but at that point I had something like 63 windows open, and the darn things kept asking me to “click here” whereupon a whole new window of gook would appear, I’d be asked to download and update and outsource and come up with yet another password (in the future all my passwords will be short but effective obscenities from British Slang, by the way).  So I am still in the dark about what I am actually using as a “podcatcher,”  where it is, what it is, and if I will ever get back to the podcasts from the nice lady in Wales who is knitting something that sounds like “Claptree” and find out what it is.

As far as finding and inserting an RSS for any podcast I actually found and could listen to, Go Fish.  I couldn’t figure that out, not even with a cold sardine held to my throat!

Assuming, as I do, that everyone else in creation knows more about this than I do, and that most of them actually enjoy podcasts, I think the Library had best get busy with a fun series of podcasts about soon to be published books, events around town, author visits, etc.  Maybe they’re already out there, I wouldn’t know!

Yoo Hoo Toob

YouTube.  Where do I start?  Who has time to watch all these things, much less record and post them?  Or should that be vice versa?  It’s kind of like being strapped in a chair and being forced to watch bad home movies of your relatives, except at least those didn’t have sound so you didn’t have to listen to vapid people asking each other “What’s going on?” “Did he do it yet?” or my favorite “Are you recording this?”  OMG!!

I can see where this would be a valuable tool for libraries who wanted to reach the YouTube watchers and get the message out about events, resources, or general library coolness.  The trick would have to be to tag it (hey, I used a techno-term!) or title it so that it got a lot of hits (there’s another one!) on a wide range of searches.  I searched “Dachshunds.”  It was a mistake.  Lots and lots of idiots have video camera capability and think their dachshund is the cutest/funniest/smartest thing on this planet.  They are wrong.  Now if the library had a good videographer and did 2 minutes of a herd of dachshunds exploring the geneaology collection that might be worth watching!  And the library would get serious coolpoints from all the (apparently) hundreds of thousands of dachshund lovers watching YouTube.  Of course they would want to bring their dachshund to the library . . .Heeey, this sounds like one of those stories where you give a rodent a baked treat and so on.  Maybe I’ll write it up, upload it to Lulu, publish it with my own original artwork, and become a millionaire!! 

Okay, all of that up there?  That’s now copyrighted, so hands off!!

Meanwhile, here’s my favorite dachshund-oriented (not oriental dachshunds) YouTube video. Notice that it is professionally done, with good clarity, excellent script, a through-line, and a climax.

And HERE!! Well, this is just the total L&P@CML experience, because I just found a video of Henry the Dachshund who is owned by a woman I met on Twitter when I was learning about that. We met because I searched for Twitterers with dachshunds, and we’ve been tweeting back and forth ever since. Now, thanks to L&P, I not only can see her dachshund, I can hear her voice and see her truck!! I feel like I have a new friend, even though we’ve never met face to face! Thanks, Learn and Play!

Tools of POWAAH! Mwahahaha!

Do we have  great libray or what?!  I, personally, cannot wait until I have an operating system on my home computer that will support the CML Toolbar.  I also look forward to the day when my card number will only have to be entered once so I don’t have to keep typing it in as I work with the site, (I’m not loding my breath, but, y’know, the sooner the better!) 

I will be happy to continue reading the Toolbox blog now that I know it is there!  I knew people who use Firefox seemed more content, more complete, somehow more at one with the universe, and now I know why!  If I truly understood the browser concept this might mean even more to me, but it does inspire me to consult my daughter, now returned from college for 6 weeks, and get some face to face learning!

Some of the Tools on the list I know about from Learn and Play, but I am intrigued by Book Burro.  I’d love to hear from anyone who has (or is) using it!  So if you are so socially bankrupt that you have nothing else to do other than reading the blogging of the Supreme Wombat, and you are a Book Burro as well, please leave me comments relating to same!

Ta very much!

Lulu Woo Woo!

  Another slow day at Tech Services means I can get even closer to completing L&P@CML, YAY!!  I started with Thing #18, looking at Web 2.0 tools/sites/whatever.  (I think half my difficulties with technology could be overcome if I could just remember the jargon!)  Many of the sites listed in the Winners list looked vaguely familiar, so maybe I’ve been working on Thing 18 before and lost those brain cells somewhere along the way (kind of like breadcrumbs–maybe I could follow them back to the clay tablets I used to use!). 

I tried looking at “Yelp” because I liked the name, but it was a great disappointment to me.  The opening page was so cluttered and 20-something that I didn’t go any further.  In fact I fled with my tail clamped tight for safety.  The “Books” catetgory seemed safer, so I checked out “Lulu.”  WOW.  Talk about opening a new world!  I have had photo books made for my own use on Kodak’s Easyshare site, but I never suspected that there were whole sites devoted to self-publishing actual books!  And adding to that the possibilities of putting it out on the Web for other people to order, getting profit from the sales, setting up a storefront, making your work available on Amazon and other sites . . . I feel my new career taking off!

Actually the first thing I’m going to do is pass this information on to several starving artist friends of mine who will be thrilled to get involved right away!  This seems like the book version of Etsy, or is Etsy the handcrafts version of Lulu?  The egg? The chicken?  How about the nest coming first, which is Web 2.0 in this case!

I think this may well be the most exciting Thing in Learn and Play for me.  Will I follow through?  Well, I will definitely explore more, comparing self-publishing sites and other Web 2.0 stuff, and for that I have L&P@CML to thank! 

Thanks!

Sand in my eyes!

  I have returned from visiting the Learn & Play Sandbox, and am pleased to report that I found it free of rocks, gum, and cat gifts unlike my local playground!  It was very fun reading other people’s edits, especially the favorite movies, and I added a few comments of my own. 

  I am convinced of the utility of the wiki, I think, but I can’t help but believe that eventually we will need more that 24 hours in the day to keep up with all our wikis, RSS feeds, Bookmarks, tags, blogs, and Twitters!  Are we doomed to become WALL-E humans, floating around in our chairs focused on screen in front of our faces and dependent on them for all our information, social interaction, and entertainment?  I know my son would like that!

  This weekend I drove to Illinois to bring my daughter home from college for her winter break.  We were talking about her plans to study abroad next fall.  I commented that at least people are still eating a lot of cereal during the economic downturn so her Kellogg’s stock is rising in value and she will be able to afford studying abroad in Australia (as she desires).  I was floored  when she casually  said that she was aware of that as Kellogg’s stock info is one of her bookmarks, so she can check it whenever the mood takes her!  I am going to go back to the bookmarking Thing and have a do-over, I think!  Maybe after Christmas, as my husband is making noises about getting a more up-to-date computer in the house for me to use (I’d rather have fusible COE 104 glass and some yarn, but a gift is a gift, eh?!)

  So maybe the new computer idea is something to start a family wiki about . . .

Wiki-wakki-woo

Well, let me just brush the dust off my blog and get started writing about wikis!  It’s been so long since I had time at work to sit down and hurl myself at Learn & Play–that pesky Fall Publishing Season really whacked us last month.  It doesn’t help that my home O.S. is ten years old and lots of 2.0 things don’t like it (such as my new insulin pump, the CML toolbar, my glass fusing software . . .).  Sigh.  There’s just no room on the Web for antiques!

Wikis.  Hmm.  I really (and I mean REALLY) liked the Common Craft video about them.  This is the first Common Craft video I’ve had a chance to watch (my home computer “doesn’t do” sound) and I am impressed.  Do they have one on Peace in the Mideast?  I kind of knew about wikis from my husband and kids describing Wikipedia, but I guess I didn’t realize it was the sort of thing that could be a useful group tool.  Now I wish I had a reason to create one! 

Looking at the Bull Run Library’s wiki was interesting.  It seemed like more of a community forum, but it also didn’t seem to have any way to access/edit.  I assume that it is controlled by the library, so there is a gatekeeper who decides what goes on the page?  Uncontrolled access to editing has always been my impression of wikis, and made me mistrust their reliability.  I think I will be reevaluating my wkipinion now!

Google, Docs, my Word!

Okay, so this Google docs things is slick as butter on a bald monkey!  I mean, I can hardly believe it.  I don’t have to pay a  bazillion dollars for some set of high powered office programs, most of which I will never use, just to create a document?  I don’t have to struggle to remember to attach that document to an e-mail to share it?  (yes, I have a whole folder of e-mails that I forgot to attach the document in question to, and an equally full file of apologies for same)  This is fabulous.

The toolbar is familiar, I had no problem inserting pictures, colors, etc.  The lack of fonts is perplexing, but I am sure that it is just that I didn’t spend a whole lot of time exploring.   I would love to insert a link here so you can see my lovely and inspirational document–graphically superior in every way-but I don’t know how.  If anyone wants to help me with this, hesitate not!

For me the biggest plus is that I can proofread my kid’s papers and projects with them, even when they are not at home!  I can create fliers and articles for the various groups I help out and not have to worry if everyone doesn’t have the same software.  Everyone can open and read the stuff!  YAY!  Why aren’t these Google people bringing us peace in our time, ending world hunger, and helping the Blue Jackets win the Stanley Cup?!!  Who cares, they gave us Google Docs!

(Imagine at this point the sound of thousands of frogs falling onto a concrete floor.  This has been proven to most closely approximate the sound of 950 people clapping their hands)

Feeding the RSS monster

I think the best part of RSS feeds is the comics!  The Dispatch insists on wasting good comic space on loser strips like Judge Parker and B.C., not to mention Marvin and Hagar the Horrible, when there are so many more worthwhile (and shall I mention ‘Living”) comic strip creators out there.  Now I can get my fix of the good stuff on the RSS feeds.  At least I can when I remember to check my feeds!

That is really the root of it all.  All what?  All my 2.0 issues!  I have a job that has me nowhere near a computer (I do not sit down unless I’m jacketing books!) and a home computer that is from the same era as Family Circus.  I don’t have much in the way of portable electronics (an insulin pump and a cell phone-a very old cell phone), so I am not in the habit of popping into the online world on a regular basis!  When I do crawl in under the door I might have 20 minutes to spend, and it’s hard to budget that time amongst e-mail, RSS, blogging, Twittering, and let us not forget shopping!  This is all assuming I can even remember the passwords to any of the above! 

Lest I sound like a pathetic whiner (which I do) consider that I am in the background of the online technocrowd cheering y’all on!  See me?  I’m there way in the background waving with one hand and holding tight to my rotary phone with the other, chanting “GO GO, Two Point OH!”  Really.  That’s me.