ePrints

Well, I completed the assignment but I am still left wondering how/why I would use this as a librarian. I seems like an interesting application for perhaps high school or college professors but I just don't see how it would be helpful in terms of patron use? Am I over thinking this?

video testing

I have been wanting to try embedding a video clip (other than through Jing) so this is my test run. Fingers crossed!




Oh - sweet. I think the test was a success.

Bing.com

Well I never thought I would give up Google but I decided to use Bing.com today and I really really like it. 1) It is attractive to look at. 2) It is easy to use 3) the results were great. I haven't tried mapping yet and I have only used it for an hour or so but so far I give it two thumbs up.

Google Chrome and the "what is a browser" video.

I wasn't surprised that most people didn't know what a browser was or that they kept confusing a browser with a search engine. But what I did think was interesting is how many of them mentioned using Google but that had never heard of Google Chrome. It seems like you are not marketing yourself very well if a ton of people use your services but you don't really advertise (on your own website no less!) all that you have and can do. Hey but what do I know, I'm no marketing major.

Dystopia NOW

I was watching HLN the other day with my grandfather and they were showing live footage of the protests in Iran over the elections. It was amazing to me b/c all the footage was amateur footage from people's cell phones and I thought it was so awesome that we could see news as it was happening from the people the news was/is happening to. Then I watched the Clay Shirky: How Twitter Can Make History talk and I started to wonder if all this freedom was somehow going to lead to an anti-technology backlash. Like what if China doesn't just shut down Twitter? What if they shut down the Internet completely or take away cell towers etc. Are we all going to end up in a dystopian future that resembles North Korea? Should we perhaps be "fighting the future"?

webcams

I need to buy a webcam and I have a MAC, it was made before MACs got the Intel processor. Any thoughts, suggestions or concerns that I should be aware of during the selection process? Also I don't want to spend a ton on this so keep that in mind. Thanks!!!

Asn 4 - Zotero + Jing = the ripping out of hairs

Can I start by saying how much I hate the sound of my own voice. Perhaps if I hadn't just spent my life savings on Library School I believe I would take up mime. So for better or for worse here is my assignment.

Jing-aling-aling

Jing,

you led me on. I thought you were amazing and easy to use. You made me believe you were user-friendly and free. Then came the first blow - one small mistake and I had to begin anew. Another blow- you didn't pause. The next blow, you crashed. Jing - I think you need serious counseling before we can be together again.

You need help.

Cat

WorldCat I <3 you.

I have long been a fan of WorldCat but our assignment 3 made be love it all the more. I just wish I had know about the spreadsheet function sooner. It would have made the many collection development assignments I had much easier. So for those of you in the SLCP track of Library School remember the WorldCat spreadsheet and you will find you finish those collections in a snap.

(photo by davidking)

boogie-boarding the Google WAVE

SO If I am understanding this correctly it looks like Google WAVE is a platform for iPhone-esque "apps" that Google is calling "Gadgets", or at least this is one of its features. Thus enabling everyone to have a place to create these "gadgets" and to use them? I am still confused as to what a "wave extension" is and how I might use it but it all looks interesting if not terribly original.

The Cloud

So maybe I have watched too many episodes of Alias or something but I am wondering about security in the "cloud". If you are not physically tied to your servers and you may not even know where they are, how do you maintain security? And if security is one of the provided services how do you know it is really secure? On the surface it seems really awesome to not have to deal with severs and a server room and bandwidth issues etc., but if you have a business with sensitive data how can you trust the "cloud" or do you just say "my data is so sensitive that I HAVE to have my own servers"?

Similari

I thought that the study It’s Personal: Similarities and Differences in Online Social Network Use Between Teens and Adults
was funny because it seems like we were supposed to be shocked and amazed the teens and adults were using social networking sites in similar ways. I am sure you could use these sites for nefarious purposes and that some people do but for the most part I think people just want a place to connect to others, be you young or old.

Dimdim remix

So I wasn't able to log on to the chat on Thursday night and I have tried to find a recording or copy of the chat to no avail. I really love technology and all its amazing and myriad
applications but when technology lets you down it is one of the most frustrating feelings in the world. (I realize I am preaching to the choir at this point but I guess I needed to vent.) I just really want to spend my class time being productive rather that having to look in 22 different places for things and then realize that NONE of the things I tried worked!

Ok - rant over. Cheers.