week 10:is this really...

My favorite discoveries include finding out more about how deep & broad the internet is. These exercises have inspired me to jump in, try more, explore more. The surprise was how much fun it is. Hope this keeps me in the conversation about technology. A special thanks to Monica at CYF who taught one of the Friday morning learning sessions & helped me begin. Also, another big thanks to Cheryl Wilkins, Head of Circ @BC, who made sure every BC circ staff member who wanted to participate had time scheduled to complete the 23 things. And last, but certainly not least, to all my fellow BC staff members who helped & encouraged me to finish. THANKS!

week #9: 22 downloadable media

Authors I find interesting were hard to find: Michael Dibdin, for example. However, the classics such as my favorite "Tale of two cities" were easy, which is easy to understand at this time. Probably in the very near future physically publishing a book will at the same time correspond w/"virtual" publication.

week 9: #21 podcasts

Subscribing to a podcast about organic gardening was easy. Although the host is the most informed and the teacher, it is the questions of the callers that provide the springboard to learning. Composting was never so interesting. Bountifil Grow & Super Seaweed are natural composting enzime activators which the host recommends to his callers who are getting started in composting. Now I cann't wait to hear "Dances with ants and a little bit more".

week 9: #20 discover youtube

What was it Andy Warhol said about everyone getting 15 minutes of fame? What seemed impossible when Warhol made his statement is now possible with youtube. Being an animal lover, I began at those sites, and many of them made me laugh. But so much of youtube is unfiltered, seemignly w/o peer review. Children can watch an addict shoot up heroine, or view a graphic sex. These things have always gone on, only now this filth can invade the home and into the formely innocent minds of children. Talking cats, or an execution are all the same on youtube.

As far as the library goes, go for it. Join the rest of the world. Its a good way to put forth another point of view.

week 8: #19 web-based apps

Zoho is wonderful. The future of Microsoft Office has changed. This has financial implications for all software companies. For users, people sharing & working together w/o having to physically pass a floppy around expands computing horizons. Also, the wall of one version vs. another is gone. The physical limitations are lifted. And this is only the beginning.

week 8:#18 social networking

Amazing! The things one can do in jammies & slippers from the comfort of home. The two online communities that caught my eye were "Rate My Space" and dogster/catster. The pet sites really lift my spirits & make me laugh. "Rate" is inspiring: these are regular folks showing off & sharing. A site visitor can ask where the divan fabric can be purchased, or offer an opinion about repainting the red kitchen cabinets. What fun!

week7: #17 blog about technology

Adding my comment to another participant's blog was very odd. To me, the printed word is not something to deface or vandalize. Be kind to books. The big transition for me is understanding this is a conversation, not a printed work. Everyone and anyone can put in their 2 cents.

"Wonderful world" sung by Louis Armstrong is my theme song for trying to interface with technology. My first keyboard was a manual typewriter, and now I'm using the internet! By a trick of time this giant leap in technolog has taken place in my life-time which provides a backdrop of before and after.

While there are many upsides, I have to wonder if people are able to distingish between reason & logic, knowledge & wisdom. Even the littlest child toddles to the computer bank here at the library, reaching out almost instinctively for the mouse, staring at the screen. No matter the gender, language, or national origin this behavior is universal. Wonderful world.