Thing 18: online productivity tools

I was able to successfully post from my Zoho Writer account to my blog (see below post). This Zoho thing seems like a pretty useful tool. I would have used it in college if I knew about it then. I will recommend the site to patrons when they ask to buy a floppy disc (which we don't always have). This is probably going to be one of the 23 things I use and recommend most.

Untitled

This is my first time using Zoho Writer.

Thing 17: wikis and libraries

I have added my blog address to the list. Wikis can be useful to libraries. They are a good way to keep track of developing information on one page. It is less confusing than trying to keep track of emails. I already use wikis at work, mostly just to check if I am spelling the name of a book or author correctly while assisting patrons. I am glad to be getting closer to finishing.

Thing 16: Wikis in and out of the library

I like Wikis. I have been using Wikipedia for some time now. I even got away with using it as a source for a few college papers (it can be good for basic biographical info or definitions). I like that wikis are easy to update, they should be a good way to find out about new developments. They seem to be increasingly accurate too. I finally believed James Brown was dead when I read it on wikipedia.
I think library related wikis are a good idea too. People can get good book recommendations without even coming inside a library. It might be good to look at the way other libraries have done things to get ideas about how we should do things.

Thing 15: the future of libraries and library 2.0

I liked the "Away from Icebergs" perspective most. Libraries are definitely a changing place. If they are to continue to be used, they must change as technology advances and consumer demands change. Libraries have always used new technology, lots of technology has even been invented for libraries. He is right on about user education, it is already happening and libraries are not sufficiently staffed to do it well. I agree that libraries are increasingly trying to draw people in by offering a variety of technology and by marketing materials and providing things not traditionally related to libraries. For example, we already carry Motley Crue's "Lewd, Crued, and Tattooed" DVD (and video). I have a hard time with the "just in case" collection because while I believe electronic versions of things are sometimes useful and practical, books are just better to read. Staring at computer screens causes vision problems, posture problems, can trigger vertigo, and uses increasingly expensive electricity. I still think nothing beats finding good books while browsing or looking for a particular title.

Thing 14: Technocrati

Technocrati seems useful. It appears to do something similar to del.icio.us. When I searched for "Learning 2.0" I noticed substantially more results in blog posts than in tags. I didn't come across anything when I searched for "Learning 2.0" in the blog directory. When I searched popular blog searches and tags, I came across "Boing Boing: a directory of wonderful things (boingboing.net)." They have great pictures, good news articles, funny stuff, etc. Tagging seems good but it takes some effort, that is probably why there weren't many results when I searched specifically for tags.

Thing 13: Del.icio.us

Del.icio.us is new to me and seems useful. I created an account with the username of andelicious. I haven't posted or tagged anything yet. From what I can tell, it is just another blog site that makes it easy to search for information in other blogs. I think it can be useful to libraries because it is another way to search for information (that might not always be accessable through conventional search systems). It might make it easier to find information about how to deal with problems and/or challenges and provide examples of how people have dealth with them in the past. It is also nice because it is always being updated, and can provide current information.

Thing 12: Rollyo

I created a rollyo searcher-thing called good deal finder. It searches ebay, craigslist, froogle, musicians friend, and music 123. I created it because I thought it could save me time when I want to compare prices for musical instruments. It seems a bit glitchy and I'm not sure if it even worked.
This is the address of the page that has my "good deal finder" roller:
http://www.rollyo.com/index.html

Thing 11: web 2.0 awards site

I found a site called wayfaring.com. It is pretty cool, people post hiking and biking trails, maps of hills, pretty much maps of whatever interests them. I created a map of some of my favorite restaurants in San Francisco. I think this could be useful when trying to decide what to eat (it can help you guestimate how far you are from a good restaurant). If anyone is interested, here is my map of good food in S.F.
http://www.wayfaring.com/maps/show/33272
If you can't see the street names, etc., it helps to click on the "hybrid" button on the top of the map.

Thing 10: online image generator

I hope no one ever gets one of these!

Thing 9: library related blogs and news feeds

I found some pretty good ones, feel free to check them out:

http://www.librarian.net/
http://www.theshiftedlibrarian.com/
http://www.acrlblog.org/
http://keptup.typepad.com/academic/
http://www.jyve.com/ (not a blog, no RSS, just a useful website for people with questions)
http://www.lisnews.com/

Thing 8 (not actually week 4)

RSS is pretty cool, it can make using the computer much more convenient. I even found RSS on a friend's website and subscribed to it. This exercise has definitely been the most tedious so far. I am wondering if I will actually complete the 23 things. Creating the bloglines account was pretty painless, I even found some good feeds. Here is the link to my bloglines stuff:
http://www.bloglines.com/blog/andysbloglines
RSS can be useful to libraries in many ways. One is by providing current information about new books and book reviews. There are too many useful library-related RSS applications to list here; besides, I don't want to take any work away from the library computer people.

Thing #7: technology related blog

So, one piece of technology that has been of interest to me in the last week has been my newest musical instrument. It is called a Unisynth, a bit of both synthesizer and guitar. It is also the type of guitar I would imagine unicorns to use if they were a little better with their hooves. The frets are made of rubber with sensors underneath so it can tell where your fingers are. It has portions of real strings, which are used as triggers when strummed to let it know when to make sound. It features the latest technology (as of 1984) including several voices such as "vibes," "vibes 2," "guitar," "guitar 2," "brass," and "synth." It also has a whammy bar. Here is a picture of one like mine (below).

Thing 6: exploring mashups and 3rd party sites

One of my best friends recently told me the word mashup is his least favorite word of 2006. I don't really understand why, I enjoyed the mashups I found. Check out this magazine cover I "found" below.

jerdawgpipejam

jerdawgpipejam
Originally uploaded by andypaul.

Thing 5 (continued)
This is a picture of my friend Jeremiah. He was in town recently from New York.

Thing 5: exploring flickr

This has been the most enjoyable part of my learning 2.0 journey so far. I seen pictures my friends have posted on flickr before but never really had an opportunity to browse the site. I appreciate good photographs and am glad to see so many in one place. It's always nice to find a new way to kill time on the internet. I posted 8 pictures on flickr but none seem to show up when I search for them. Two of my co-workers seem to be having the same problem. I am now going to try to add a picture to this blog.

-Andy

Things 3 and 4

Setting up my blog was pretty easy. The hardest part so far seems to be navigating the pages. I am glad I am learning about this blogging stuff, I never really had a reason to check it out before. Posting the first blog was very easy, coming up with something interesting to say was the hard part.

Registering the blog for thing #4 was also easy. I even got a friendly email thanking me for doing so. I'm glad I am learning new things while getting paid to do so!

Thing 2: "The Seven and a Half Habits of Learning."

I enjoyed this exercise. I am definitely a lifelong learner. I agree that it is important to remember that we learn in other places than the classroom. I have learned the most valuable life lessons on the mean streets and while traveling. I especially agree with the habits of accepting responsibility for your own learning, teaching others, beginning with the end in mind, and using technology to your advantage. This part of the program had me concerned that library people might be plagarizing a little (From wikipedia.org: "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, first published in 1989, is a self-help book written by Stephen R. Covey").

first bloggggg

This is my first blog. I don't know what else to say. Will complete one later.
I am enjoying reading other people's blogs. Now that I kind of know what I am doing, I will attempt to attach a picture to this blog. If it works, you should see one below this text.