Thing 4

First off, let me say that I thought that the Common Craft video posted on the "23 Things" homepage was excellent. All I could think while I was watching it was, "what a great format for explaining very simple computer functions to folks who are less-than-savvy on all things technie!" Nice job, Lee LeFever. Very nice.

As for Flickr, I have always meant to create an account as my relatives are spread out all over the country (Oregon to Texas to Georgia to Virginia to Vermont to Illinois) and Flickr would be one way to post photos of my boys without remembering a gajillion email addresses and waiting ... waiting ... waiting ... waiting at home for my s-l-o-w dial-up connection to send photos (albeit ones that have been reduced to 25% ... folks that don't reduce their photos when they send them in an email are EVIL on my list, but that's another topic for discussion). So Flickr was an easy task for me (and fun too!) I also found a way to post some long-overdue sharing of photos I took of the remodeled children's room in my hometown, the Evanston Public Library. Take a look -- tell me what you think. Some really very nice ideas (and I've more photos but posted the best ones here). I decided not to upload a photo onto my blog ... because, well, I sort of already do that. I'm a 100% image gal and can spend waaaaaaaaay too much time tinkering around with images, formatting, etc.etc. (I think I'd love to have been a graphic artist or designer in my other life). I could see that Flickr and other photo-sharing sites might have a very powerful impact on library use and patron use. Just took a look at the new Encyclopedia of Life http://www.eol.org and see that photo sharing in this capacity could be a valuable tool, especially as our print reference collections start to disappear.

Final verdict? I heart Flickr! Now I just have to restrain myself from going overboard with posting photos of my kids ...

Thing 3, part 2

I decided to go with Bloglines because I use Google so much and wanted to give someone else a shot (awww ....) I have to say that I think RSS could be incredibley useful -- and addictive! I added not only some of my peers' blogs, but a few news sites that I visit fairly often. However, I'm not sure if this will just be added to my list of things-I-must-do-every-day-online (email [both accounts], monitor IM, check my library account, my cell phone account, blah blah blah) but it will be handy to find all the updated information I may need or want in one place. RSS is a very crafty tool and seems fairly basic as well, a big plus in my department. I also decided to forgo adding a bloglines button to my toolbar. I prefer a very simple, basic toolbar so as to provide as much "screen" space as possible. My biggest complaint about web sites is that some of them decide that you should have their button on your toolbar. No thanks. I'll bookmark instead!

Not a Thing

Got to post a little bit of perspective here ... while I'm at the reference desk in my library. How is it possible that I'm trying to learn RSS, Flickr, blogs, etc. while patrons are having trouble figuring out how to print color images from the Internet? Somehow I feel like we're moving too fast for the masses, and that average folks (NOT teens or kids) are stuck back on the "So now I can master the mouse -- what next?" level. I fear that in the next 3 to 5 years a small percentage of tech-savvy people will be leaving more and more patrons in the dust. Or not? Curious as to what others think, but it was an interesting juxtaposition, me reading up on RSS and a patron asking me to show him how to print a color image from the Internet ...

Thing 3, part 1

I read up on RSS and will take some time later (probably not today ...) to set up my account using Google Reader ... but I gotta say, coming from an old cranky person like me, I do not like to read my news online. However, I can see that updates from web sites would be handy so that you don't have to constantly be checking individual sites to see if there are any changes or new postings. We'll see ... in the meantime, I'll drink some Coke ... with bacon.

Thing 2

So here's the deal ... I read only part of the blog post (my eyes totally glazed over, sorry to say) but I found the video clip interesting ... tho that constant "commentary" was annoying.

All the above leads me to say the following : if I, at the age of 40 and raised in a pre-tech world, could not stand to read all that text online, doesn't that say something about the future of alternative learning venues for future generations? I'm sure you've all heard that kids growing up nowadays are growing up in a society dominated by images and pictures (less text - more photos, please!) and that we as librarians need to know this so we can better serve them. I truly believe all this. My 5-year-old learned pretty much on his own how to use the tracking pad on our laptop at home (although he still "punches" it to try and make it go faster, which really annoys me as both a mom and the owner of said laptop) and we are far from a fully-tech household (we're just debating whether or not to spend $10.75 a month to get basic cable ... just so PBS won't wig out and we can record Lost without worrying whether we'll understand Locke when he has his grand moment).

On the other hand ... I think it'll be a cold and freezing day in hell before "they" manage to develop an e-book that I can read in the bathtub without fear of electrocution (or short-out) should I happen to drop it in the water. Nuff said on that subject. Books (and print media) are here to stay. I also love, love, love, love my morning newspaper. And I would hate for my kids not to be exposed to things like newspapers, weekly magazines or wall calendars with tear-off pages. Print must continue to exist with technology, not in place of (or visa versa). Bill Gates and his peers keep trying to persuade us to give up our clunky old print media (datebooks, calendars, magazines, etc.) by introducing all sorts of fun new gadgets to take their place. But when I work on a computer all day long (here I am, folks!) the LAST THING I want to do is go home and look at my mail, my news, my entertainment on another g-d computer. My eyes hurt already, just thinking about it ...

And for those of you who'd like a bit of computer humor, here is something my brother sent me ages ago ... I think it's funny and still has merit today ...
http://web.archive.org/web/20010801144357/http:/rita.thegourmet.com/computers.html

Thing 1

OK, my first posting.
UGH, UGH, UGH, spent waaaaaaaay too much time creating that Avatar. Thanks to JD for sucking me into this entire thing. However, I guess I'm glad I've jumped on board the 23 Thangs thingy. Will keep me up to speed with a lot of stuff that I probably need to know (even if I don't want to know). It won't be long before my two kiddos are way ahead of me in the tech area and I don't want to look like the loser mom (nor do I want to look like the loser librarian to a bunch of 11 and 12 year olds). One step at a time, eh? Don't know when I'll have time to work on this, what with desk schedule, selection (CDs are lurking in my rearview mirror), stortyime prep, weeding, mending, &etc. Ahh, a children's librarian's life is never a dull one ...

Other things about today :
Ben went home "sick" from daycare with an upset stomach (then "changed his mind", grrr...)
Daniel has been referred to a pediatric urologist. Poor guy, but he seems totally OK with the entire thing.
Is it really Ben's birthday next week? ACK!!! Must ... go ... shopping ... for ... toys ...
And finally ... (drum roll, please) tonight A.I. begins in earnest. Woo-hoo!