The Universe and All There Is: October 2007

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Week 6: #15 on Library 2.0 & Web 2.0

To a temporary place in time………….perhaps can also be termed

The “Library Uncertainty Principle.”

Predicting the future library based on what the technology is today and perhaps what is quickly coming down the pike (Library 3.0 & 4.0) is fun and exciting. The direction of the future library is being driven by the information momentum of change and people.

It’s a big universe out there – and who knows what time will bring.

What hasn’t been mentioned is fragmentation – everyone does not welcome change. And what about cultural differences ? The point is perhaps to just enjoy the journey and the experience.

Away from the icebergs……..

But What about the REAL things you can feel and touch ?

The “just in case” collection brings to mind the diehard book lover, sitting in a chair in front of the fireplace with a blanket and a steaming cup of hot chocolate , and holding and turning the pages and immensely enjoying a hardback book. Maybe there will still be places like this to go to – a library museum perhaps; or a old bookstore. The past should also have a place – let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water.

The People’s Choice Awards
The ovens were predicted to become obsolete with the introduction of microwave cooking. Ovens are still around – and both are used according to the cook’s tastes and preferences.

Monday, October 22, 2007

Week 6: #14 Getting not-so-technical with Technorati

Searching on Technorati or Learning 2.0 yielded the following results:

Blog Posts with exact phrase 540; all of the words 6,773 results

Blog Directory with quotation marks 340 ; without quotation marks 701

“A Trip Down the Farmington River, Monrovia, Liberia” is an interesting video post . Also of note was the effort to get everyone to post something about the environment. One thing that blogs do is emphasize how big, in terms of individual blogs, but how small, in terms of the internet, our planet is. And environmental problems exist everywhere on our small planet. The issue is not only the environment but also humanity’s – we have the same problem with responsibility all around the globe.

Factor X – Ponte el cinturon is a Spanish show just like American Idol. There is no language barrier when a contestant has no singing talent and the judges are somewhat crass. “Spun” TV shows exists on the internet – with different actors and in many different languages. Blogs also emphasize the commonality of bad TV.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

WEEK 5 : #13 TAGGING MAKES THE WEB 2.0 GO ROUND

I FOUND IT ! Hmmmmmm!

Chocolate Fountains in The Chocolate Hotel in Bournemouth,UK ! This is a place I must visit.

I made a great discovery while wandering around "topix.net" - It’s Chocolate Week in Great Britain !

As the tutorial has suggested it’s easy to get lost. Where shall I go and what shall I find when I get there- has new meanings with social bookmarking. As suggested in the tutorial you need to find the “middle” ground. Chocoholics of the world can easily unite their bookmarks !

It’s a big universe out there ! One positive thing about this site is the ability to access your bookmarks from anywhere. How vast has the universe of bookmarks has become. At Library Thing, I noted the usernotes of just one user, carolshergold, who has bookmarked 447 items.

Del.icio.us - and a great tool for bookclubs and wandering chocoholics.

Friday, October 12, 2007

Week 5: #12 The Library Elf

I did explore The Library Elf site and its features. This is an excellent tool. One of the best features is the capability to merge several accounts into one. It is also good for those libraries who do not have a Horizon and internet features such as we do. However, I did not feel secure enough to link my personal account to this web site.

Week 5: #11 Library Thing

This is a nice and easy way to keep track of all those books. Being able to search and find out related titles and to share with others (Library Thing) provides a wide reading exposure to some books that you may not have discovered.

Week 5 : #10 Image Generators

Question ? Are cut-out paper dolls a thing of the past ? Answer: Probably not; but with animated avatars people can have loads of fun. I like the many possible applications, such as use on cards, letterhead, etc. It was fun exploring and it's free !

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Week 5: #10 The Home Front

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

WEEK 5 : #10 ON GUARD

Week 4: #9 Finding Feeds

The search feeds : Syndic8,Feedster and Bloglines search tools were all easy to use. However, with Syndic8 it is easy to lose track of your search. Feedster was the easiest. It was great to find feeds and blogs from all over the world such as the Middle East Times and blogs. One of the most unexpected search results was a site for educational games about the Alhambra palace in Spain.

WEEK 4: #8 RSS and a NEWSREADER

There's lots of things out there : RSS feeds and newsreaders. And I now know what they are and how to use them! The world is becoming smaller and smaller each day; and I really enjoy being able to keep up with a subject that doesn't get much air time - such as the recent elections in Turkey. It is good to have a personalized news page and to keep up with the "goings on" in the world. I just wish I had more time to do so.