Where are my gold boots?

It's been ages since I posted on this blog. After such a long absence, the least I can do is embed this golden gem of a clip. It's quite possibly the funniest thing I have ever seen.



How can you not love this?

Web Comics and Casts

I've not posted anything in some time, so thought I'd share my latest obsession: Web comics. In particular, those found at places like

http://www.myextralife.com/

or

http://commissionedcomic.com/

I discovered both these sites as a result of stumbling across a podcast that appeals to my odd nature. Scott Johnson, a native of Utah, and a web comic artist, has a weekly panel podcast with two other artists, during which they discuss... well... just about anything. It's often hilarious, and I've listened to enough of their archives to become a regular listener. I listen to them while making dinner. I take them with me when I walk every day. And more often than not, I'm answering questions out loud as if they can hear me. Perhaps I need help, but I'm having fun. You should, too. The Extra Life web site above is your ticket to joy.

The EyeOh Channel

Having access to both digital video and audio tools, I decided to start making odd bits of multimedia madness, and start posting them on a YouTube channel. I've made five films so far, and have spent time at home doing things like taping a digital camera to the top of a remote-control car, or photographing plastic dinosaurs to create stop-motion animation. Fortunately, my family hasn't kicked me out on the street, and are actually willing to help. My oldest daughter and I are going to tackle the next project, which has a budget of $1.95, making my dream of a location shoot possible.

I'll attempt to embed a video example here, but in case anyone's interested, go to

http://youtube.com/eyeoh4

Orion, I Think I'm in Love

I'm a happy composer again, thanks to Synapse Software's Orion 7.1. This brilliant music sequencer/mixing desk package is one I've wanted for years, and now am wondering why I didn't purchase sooner. VST plugin support gives me a virtual instrumentation palette that's nearly unlimited, and Orion's effects and mixing abilities are equally huge. Each instrument and effect is displayed on the desktop as a knob-encrusted rack module- a surprisingly effective way to give the appearance I'm making adjustments to a physical rather than virtual control. Combined with my spiffy new Evolution MIDI controller, it's a perfect team. I think I'm in love...

I'm a Podaholic

I blame Robin and Bobbi (the developers of our Library 2.0 program) for my new podcast addiction. I spent umpteen hours this last weekend working on projects around the house while plugged in, listening to tech reviews, sci-fi discussions, and far too many other topics. Podcasts are confections from hell, continuously tempting me to download just one more hour of obscure discussion before I stop listening...

... Because apparently I've got to know who Summer Brooks and the other Kick Ass Mystic Ninjas think would win in a fight between Airwolf and Blue Thunder. I opened up my Bloglines account last night, noticed that the Ninjas had a new show up, a discussion of the first Highlander movie, and I actually said, "alright!"

For Highlander? What is wrong with me?

So, thank you both very much. And my children thank you, as I remain blissfully unaware of their plaintive, hungry cries.

My Light Bulb is Dim

I've been brainstorming for an idea of what I'd like to learn more about, but wasn't covered in these lessons. The light bulb above my head is a little dim, but what I keep thinking of is this: I would have liked a lesson that shared Library 2.0 success stories from other libraries- how they have integrated 2.0 technologies into their library system. Perhaps combined with this lesson could be a request for one or two suggestions on how we might be able to do the same here. It might get us in the mood for change.

I'm done now. May I have a cookie?

You've Reached the End... Turn Around

Having finished up the Library Learning lessons (say that ten times fast), I feel like the guy in a high-speed Internet commercial that ran a couple years ago. He's browsing online, when a message flashes on his screen: You've reached the end. Please turn around. Or something along those lines. Fortunately, just like the Internet, there really is no end to Library Learning, and the more you study, the more there is to learn. How Zen.

I enjoy new technologies, consider myself reasonably proficient with computers, and am comfortable with online tools and applications. Because of this, I assumed the lessons would be appealing, and they were. What surprised me, however, was how many of the lessons covered territory I hadn't experienced before. All the applications are current technologies in use by a good portion of the online world, yet I wasn't taking advantage of them. Shame on me.

This isn't to say I'm ready and willing to use all the tools I've explored. I need more experience with del.icio.us and technorati to declare myself a convert, and the MySpace page I set up will most likely collect dust- I have enough Web pages to update already. To each their own.

There were plenty of highlights to my experience, though, including tagging, using Library Thing, messing around with image generators, creating maps on Wayfaring.com, and most of all, finally entering the world of information feeds. I love my Bloglines account, and can't believe I've managed to overlook this tool for so long.

I can be told how to ride a bike, but won't actually learn until I pedal one. Rather than absorbing a demonstration, I've always learned best by simply sitting down with a tool, and discovering what it's capable of. Introducing Library 2.0 ways of thinking through hands-on, self-paced experiences is an effective method, and one that works especially well in a busy work environment. Considering all I learned, it obviously worked for me.

Throughout these lessons, the emphasis on libraries as part of a global, interactive community could not have been better placed. Libraries are tasked with offering informational access to everyone, and doing so without taking advantage of emerging technologies would result in an ever-increasing loss of patrons. They will expect us to change with the times, and it's our responsibility to do so. In my mind, the key to this change is accessibility- tools that are intuitive for those with little experience, yet complex enough to meet the demands of the technologically savvy. And they must continuously change with the times.

My Book Needs Batteries

Having spent time perusing Meditations of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, random ebook samplings I chose from NetLibrary, I have the same opinion I've had before: when it comes to recreational reading, electronic books just aren't my thing. I love my computer, reading articles and blogs online, and keeping up with new technologies, but I just can't get excited over reading a novel in my office chair, or lounging with a PDA.

Figuring my reluctance was more based on age than anything else, I asked my sixteen-year-old if she could see her future self reading electronic bedtime books to her children. I was surprised when she said no, simply because half the time she could be mistaken for a computer. It could very well be that she will be downloading books and reading them from a touch-screen built into the wall above her child's bed, but as of now, she's not excited about the prospect.

Thinking back a few lessons, I can see a beta is forever approach being key in this area. A slow, steady introduction of electronic formats will result in greater acceptance. But declaring the death of the traditional book today simply doesn't make sense to me, and the crowds at Barnes & Noble would seem to back this up. More engaging formats will be necessary to win me over, but I'm certainly willing to try.

Podcasting

Finding and listening to podcasts is a simple process. Finding regularly-updated podcasts is a different story. Many of the ones I discovered during this Library Learning lesson hadn't been updated in the last year. It reminded me of a couple of weekend movie box office sites I used to have links to in Explorer- at the time I deleted the links, both sites hadn't been updated in two years! There is no end to the number of dead pages on servers around the world, and depending on your search terms, this is also true of podcasts. Why bother linking to a science tech review podcast that hasn't been updated in two years?

Luckily, there are still plenty of current ones out there. Of the three search engines used during this lesson, Yahoo! Podcasts seemed to give me the simplest, most current results, with visual style. Then again, this could have something to do with the odd searching I did. My Bloglines account now has feeds from Geek Speak Radio and The Kick-Ass Mystic Ninjas. It's best not to ask.

In a library setting, podcasting makes as much sense as embedded video. We could have anything from a book recommendation corner to children's stories in streaming format on our site- all recorded by staff. Interactivity is the key, and this would be a simple way to make a personal connection with our patrons.

Watching the Tube

My teenage daughters know all about YouTube, and have forced me to watch approximately ten million anime music videos in the last year. If I see one more video made from Advent Children clips, I might require physical restraints. And considering the varying levels of talent displayed here, to say that YouTube encourages anyone to try is an understatement. Digging for YouTube diamonds can be quite a task, depending on your tastes. Yet, I've enjoyed nearly every search, and viewed talent I otherwise would never have seen.

I'll post a good example of this. During a search for Japanese art, I came across this video of a week's worth of ever-changing artwork painted on a wall. Time-lapsed, various people flit across the screen, adding this, taking away that, at times washing it all away to begin again. It's amazingly complex work at times, and if it weren't for this video, I'm not sure how many would have seen and enjoyed it before it was gone. Thanks to YouTube, it's available for all.

To me, the benefits to the library of a site such as this are obvious. With embedding, filmed examples of library programs or community events could be added to our site. We could even film our new technologies in action, and post the results as short instructional videos.

Wayfaring Across the Universe

Library Learning lesson #24 had me explore one of the many applications nominated for the Web 2.0 awards presented by SEOmoz. I chose Wayfaring.com, the winner in the mapping category. It is much like any one of the million mapping sites out there, but with nice route creation and tagging features. It makes the experience more interactive... in a Web 2.0 way. Go figure.

As an exercise, I mapped out my daily commute to the library, with visual tags for my house, the library, and the Capitol building- all built with simple mouse clicks on a map. The distance of the route was calculated as I clicked (7.61 miles, if you're curious), and the resulting map saved under my profile, able to be shared with other users. I'm not sure why they'd want to see it, but it's available if I wish to share. I might use this tool to show the route of our family trip to Montana last year (complete with tagged highlights) for my extended family to view. Won't they be thrilled? Come on, it's better than sitting around with a photo album.

Lab Rat

Having spent some time exploring Google Labs, I've found a couple applications I enjoyed using. By far, the most useful to me would have to be Google Notebook, which allows me to clip, paste, organize and save information as I browse, without having to leave the browser. The result is saved for future use, from any location. Neat! Although not as useful, Google Trends is certainly fun to play around with. Trends displays comparative information for multiple search terms. For instance, I typed in Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, then searched. The engine gave me a chart comparing the number of Google searches for both terms over the last two years, and displayed the results on a chart. Of course, the Broncos won. Everyone knows that ;)

Of these two "toys," Notebook certainly has the greatest potential to graduate into a full-fledged Google tool. I'd use it.

A Blog About a Document That Became a Blog

I'm using Google Docs and Spreadsheets, a free online service, to create this blog entry. I've always relied on MS Publisher, Word, or other variations lurking on my drive at home to create documents. This online version has most the bells and whistles those programs have, but besides being free, what makes it most exciting is the simple sharing and collaborative editing of documents. And we all have instant access to the same version of the program... yes! This is nice.

The Great Search

I'm using various engines to search the web, and comparing the results. For comparison purposes, I've chosen to search for international monks, simply because these were the first random words to pop into my head. What psychological statement this makes about me, I'm not certain, but here are the results:

1) Exalead- Many internationally-flavored sites on monks and monestaries came up.

2) Wink- Only social networks are searched, so the results were odd. The web search tab on this page links to the personal search engine, making me wonder why it's even on here.

3) Gravee- News search results only. However, if I ever wish to know what international monks are up to, this would work just fine.

4) Clusty- Results very similar to Exalead, with many of the same hits in the top ten.

5) Mooter- Interesting graphic-cluster approach to searching, but I didn't notice any difference between the results displayed for each cluster! They all had the same links, all to news.

6) KartOO- No flash player is loaded on the workstation I'm at, so I shall attempt later...

7) Yahoo- Emphasis on news and music in the results. Not the same as Clusty or Exalead.

What have I learned from all this searching? Different search terms might be necessary to get similar results, but as is, the results I wish to get would determine which engine to use. Emphasis is on news items when using Yahoo or Gravee, blogs and personal pages with Wink. When it comes down to it, even though I might branch out to other engines now and then, I'm still a happy Googler.

Beta is Forever

Week eight of Library Learning has brought me to the crux of this class: How is library technology changing to fit the needs of an ever-increasingly connected patron base? What mindsets need changing in order to grasp the online information explosion, and changing needs of our patrons? The title of this blog is the favorite line I read concerning this issue. Beta versions of software are ones that are in a late testing stage, not yet ready for full release. Changes are constantly being made to work out the bugs. In order to fully serve the patron base, and gain new ones, libraries must take a beta is forever approach, constantly updating and changing rather than waiting for a technological plateau that will never arrive. It's a smart approach, but one that I have a couple questions about... Actually, I have many more, but won't take the time to type them.

1) How will we offer new approaches for younger patrons while still maintaining services for those who aren't technologically savvy? For instance, I don't believe it is realistic to expect an older and younger patron to adapt in the same ways. As the population ages, this problem will lessen, but today, we have to consider this gap. How do we avoid driving off a considerable portion of those we are tasked to serve? If they don't understand it, they won't use it.

2) Which formats, and how simple will they be to upgrade? Reading through the material for this lesson, the meaning behind the text is clear: Printed materials are dinosaurs, stumbling around the edges of a tar pit. Digital formats are fine, but constantly change. Digital libraries will need to reformat on an amazingly regular basis, or risk becoming the digital version of an 8-track tape. A book, printed a hundred years ago, yet taken care of, is as readable today as the day it was printed. Yet, there are already a mind-boggling array of digital text, image and audio formats (some proprietary, some not), and more always right around the corner. Beta is forever. What standards do we choose, and why? Our digital formats need to be easily upgradable, and cost effective, to work. A digital library must allow all patrons access to data, not just those with the latest gear. Will we rely on remote databases, and hope those running them upgrade to the latest formats, or will we be in charge of our own collection on our own servers?