Tuesday, July 17, 2007

The next few things

I had a look at Rollyo and while I can understand and appreciate the idea of it, I know that it will never replace Google, either in the world at large or in my tiny little part of it. I like the idea especially that one can limit by 'reference' sites, since is that not the first thing one needs to learn when using a search engine - how to sort the possibly credible information from the less possibly? Information literacy, man. Limiting by .edu or .info or whatever is a step in that direction (but again you can do that in Google already, eh?)
My first venture into technorati began this morning as I was led there by a click from a cbc news article (Tim Hortons are raising their coffee prices in some parts of Canada, btw). Very interesting (not the coffee prices, although what I would not give for a lovely coffee and maple doughnut about now.... cue Homer Simpson 'hmm, doughnuts...) stuff I got into, too. Of course, those of you who work with me every day know far too much, I feel, about the so-called Gord-mania of recent weeks (well, I have had I think one maybe even two Gord-free posts here, you knew he would be making a return appearance sometime soon, didn't you?) so (to quote Sam Roberts, in speaking of a different Gordon (Lightfoot) though) : 'when all else fails, go with the Gord'. So, that was my second (yes, second) technorati search. And it did yield some interesting results, and many nice moments of listening have been spent by me this afternoon as a result.
My first search was (really) library 2.0 blogs, just to see what and whose I might get. Some very interesting discussions are going on out there - I like the idea one blogger had of setting up a small chat thing where participants from her library system could get together once the 23 things had been completed. And I was happy to read that I am not the only one feeling a little bit overwhelmed in some respects by all of this. Well, and underwhelmed as well, there is a dichotomy there, in all honesty. I, as I have written earlier, feel like each of these things might be just One More Thing, you know, but I have been reflecting on some of this and perhaps a more constructive approach is that, although I have learned about a few new and nice (not necessarily hip) things over the past few weeks, I do not need to incorporate all of them into my life. I can pick and choose the ones that work for me and leave behind the ones that do not. As much as I do kinda dig this stuff, techno-girl I will never be. People I know now are perhaps surprised when I tell them I was like the least techy person in my library school class - it is true. And I am fine with that- but I still like to know what is out there and how it can benefit best my life and my provision of good customer service, so I will carry on with the next few weeks, and see what I am feeling when I get to the end of Things 22 and 23.

"Black day in July /Black day in July
The streets of Motor City now are quiet and serene
But the shapes of gutted buildings /Strike terror to the heart
And you say how did it happen / And you say how did it start
Why can't we all be brothers / Why can't we live in peace
But the hands of the have-nots / Keep falling out of reach" Gordon Lightfoot

Friday, July 6, 2007

First week of July

Have been busy with many other things this week, and now it is Friday and I am working my way through the next several things on the 23 things list. I have created my Bloglines newsreader account - very interesting. I have selected all of the news sites I usually read - yes, having them all in one easily-accessible place makes it easier than going to each site in turn, I suppose. Now, all I need to do is remember to go to the bloglines site! I know a couple of news junkies who use this with glee. I can see why. I think I will need to spend some more time with it and customise it a bit more. Of course, in the midst of my news-seeking, I found lots and lots that is library-related, but since I am supposed to be on holiday this week, I will keep my news (as much as I can, it is actually rather difficult) library-free. (Ah, who am I kidding - I know I will be reading the American Libraries as soon as it comes into my inbox. Sigh. I think this makes me a total library geek.)

Anyway, the online image generators have been kinda fun, and really just like kinda. The few I have enjoyed : the graffiti generator was cool (Degrassi is a font style!) and so was making a 3D snowflake (try it - you will see). And seeing what my name looks like in manga-style Japanese.

Well, I have just gone to Library Thing and had a peek around. It sounds like it could be fun and all of that. Again, it is also kinda just one more thing to do, you know? I am also not sure just how much info about me I want to put out there into cyberland. I understand the need to connect and to share and all of that, and yet there is something about me that I also feel ought to be private. I am considering whether I want to put just the current stuff I am reading, whether I like it or not, or just to stick to the books I know and love. I have added to 'my library' just a few titles that I know and love, and there is one person with whom I share two books, and they are not the two books of poetry I have in there, either, oddly enough. However, to refer to a previous thought, they may both have free spirits as their creators.

There is no way that I could ever enter all of the books I own (those of you who have been to my home - you know what I am talking about!) so I will need to see how best I can use this site, if indeed at all. I have just recently joined facebook (at the insistence of a good friend of mine who now lives in Australia), and I am also not quite sure how I am going to get into that. I will need to spend some more time poking about and pondering what is going on with all of this, and see whether I can find a place for me in it, and perhaps realising that it will be okay if there isn't.
"Ah we can dance if we want to, we can leave your friends behind
Cause your friends don't dance and if they don't dance
Well they're are no friends of mine
I say, we can go where we want to, a place where they will never find
And we can act like we come from out of this world
Leave the real one far behind,
And we can dance" Men without Hats