Susan's Musings

SF Gadgets Examiner: Nintendo release may drastically change Wii

Posted using ShareThis

Ooooooohhhhh - new Wolvie clip - can I say I am looking forward to this film!!!

Yep go to Library Thing and make your own widget - lots of nice choices - I think this one will replace the one on the bottom of the blog - but I am posting it here to see if I like it before I commit.


- Now at the bottom of the blog -

Ahhhh - Finished - Survey in and I am done - please make sure you all check out Thing 16 post if you haven't - it is a nice finishing touch. Should have maybe used that video for Library 1.0 :-)

Time is always the issue when it comes to using these technologies - perhaps it is because so much of my work time is in front of the computer and since I don't have free work time to play with this stuff - it tends to get back burnered. I have found the blogging experience interesting - it and Facebook will be things I will keep up with, albeit not every day. Heck I haven't even had the chance to share Red Sox Spring Training and blog about the baseball season. I didn't want to mess up the pristine Things list (yes out comes the librarian in me)- but I am actually looking forward to blogging about other stuff.

Yea I love tech, I love all the widgets and gadgets - but after using them, and reading about them I often don't have a lot to say about them. That is the beauty of the Web 2.0 and on technology, it is easy and you don't have to be a coding genius - in fact often I don't care how it works just that it does. If I want to know I can usually find out.

Have added the WeReads widget to my Facebook profile to join the Visual Bookshelf widget and the OCLC WorldCat Widget that were already there.


I was interested in the Kindle debate - I still don't think it works for the library setting -
yet - too much possibility to legally run afoul with Amazon and the DRM for downloaded content could be nightmareish. I do like to see progress made on this front - but me - I'm holding out for e paper - someday soon to be in a market near you.

Project calculators - these were interesting and I can see the use of these for school projects and the UM calcultor looks fabulous for written assignments. I would love to see other project based calculators similar to Microsoft Project - in fact I am going to go look for something similar. Part two when I get back, let yah know what I find

Social Networks - I seemed to have joined more than I have ever planned to. MySpace - joined to see what it was like - really didn't like it - so deleted my account there. I joined Ning over two years ago to join the Library 2.0 group that formed there - mainly my groups and networks there are library related but I have joined a couple of Ning based 3D art groups, Meshbox and Content Creators Guild.

some other social networks that I belong to are LinkedIn and one called Tastespotting - Tastespotting is such a beautiful site to look at - just don't go there when you are hungry.

I also belong to several digital art websites that are/have social network components - Artzone, Deviant Art & CG Society

Facebook - joined a little while ago - but still getting into checking it on a regular basis - sorry everyone, I don't check it every day! Flair is quite addictive - I have joined a couple of Library groups and of course my beloved Red Sox - so friend me if you would like - Susan Reynolds in the Ocala area - if you need my email - comment me, email me or IM me and I will send it to you.

Fheeewww - caught up some of the Facebook fun that was waiting for me - boy it can take a little while

Added an RSS feed for some podcast/videocast feeds - the one I chose to put on my page is from the local Orange County Public Library System - it looks like they update the feed often - this is a plus and why I added it to my blog feed, nothing worse than a feed that is a year old.

Yep - had to - somebody had to - enjoy!

Rollyo search box added to the site and custom search created - check it out - that's how we roll-yo

These are a few of my favorite things - when I iGoogle, when I MyYahoo! when I use my calendars - I simply get reminded of events in my life - and then I don't feel sooo bad.

OK - I use iGoogle all the time - I have had a My Yahoo page for much longer (I have had a Yahoo mail account for decades at this point) but the personalization and features in iGoogle are much nicer - My Yahoo would break or drop the stuff I really liked - like the auto maintenance tracker, etc. I did have a bone to pick with Google when they recently changed the top tabbed interface - that was much nicer since I setup tabs for separate topics - still don't like the side folded navigation - more steps for clicking content this way - but the tabs don't fall off the main page either - am getting used to it anyway.

What I really like about the whole Google setup - Mail, iGoogle, Finance, Picasa, Blogger - is that it is one sign-in, easy to navigate and easy easy set-up. Same with calendar and the Google docs - it is all there easily and unobtrusively linked.

Zamzar has saved me so many headaches - I found this site a few months ago and it is a library lifesaver. Highly recommend!!!

I am now off to play with some of the other mentions - knew about the PDF convertors, but the sticky notes are calling my name - still am mad that the old PostIt note software went to pay - maybe this will fill the need - I love To Do lists - perhaps some day I can actually clear one without starting over. Also going to play with the countdown widget - hmmm - how many days till my vacation or the must see movie?

I have been playing with Library Thing for a little while - but I still need to catalog more items from my library. There is a Library Thing widget on the bottom of this blog - scroll all the way down to get a peek at my library. I became interested in Library Thing for Libraries and it prompted me to revisit my Library Thing account and start posting items to my account. I do like that Library Thing for Libraries is allowing enriched content to be used in library OPACs. I have played around a little in Good Reads and a couple other similar "bookshelf" type apps but haven't had time to put as much in as I have with Library Thing. It is also incredibly easy to add items to your Library Thing collection, add in ISBN and away you go.

Wiki - Wiki - Wiki

Have used PB Wiki a lot - NEFLIN groups such as the Technology Users Interest Group have been using PB Wiki for a while.

I think wikis work wonderfully as internally driven FAQ pages - common knowledge sites for staff. I think wikis can also work wonderfully as pages to collect commomly shared web site links. While there are certainly many tagging sites like delicious, digg, etc. a wiki is nice because you can easily make it open for group collaboration.

We have decided to take the wiki idea further - thanks to a colleague we are now using a wiki to collaborate on programming ideas.

Can you Digg it, can you Digg it, can you Digg it? Have to say I am not really digging it. It seems so much like the up-down thumb, check mark, buzz, etc. already prominent in so many pages - I do understand the concept - what people like right now, what they found newsworthy - but I saw a lotta old news on the Digg main page and I have to say that I wasn't greatly impressed by the options available.

I do see possibilities for this type of application though - I think it would be great to use as an add for an OPAC along with user reviews - it would be fabulous to implement on a library page for the news/events and features page (are people reading the message - did they like the event, etc.)

So I don't dig Digg - but I will look at some other sites. I already have Twine and Newsvine accounts, but it has been awhile since I popped in there - I get back with more in part deux.

Ooohh - Delicious - I love tagging - why? Because tagging makes sense to the average user. I love the LC Subject headings - but Cookery? Come on.

LC is also so slow to change or to adapt to common everyday terminology it is frustrating.Tagging can solve that issue - it isn't about indexing or cataloguing something perfectly, but just good enough. I really like the way that Solinet instructor Russell Palmer makes use of Delicious bookmarks - he provides a grouping of links for each of his sessions so that people can easily access them after the online sessions - here is a link to his main Delicious page. He has some great links there.

I think you are going to see a huge amount of research into the concept of online language, semiotics and sociolinguistics as it applies to the online environment.

Sharing - I love sharing - never reinvent the wheel - borrow (Creative Commons Licensing is a fabulous thing) and or retool - but don't reinvent. Do you have a great presentation? Share it! I have a widget from SlideShare on my blog and I have seen some great presentations on Library 2.0 applications, cataloguing and even some presentations on open source applications. It is a great place to get a quick overview of a concept. Staff training using presentations is also easier, considering budget cuts and travel for training is often cut first. Staff can view presentations at their own pace. I will be uploading a couple of presentations and classes that I have created to Slideshare - I'll let you know how that goes.

I still need to remember to bring in my camera and take pictures of the library to load to my Flickr account - after I do I am intrigued by the idea of creating a database and or slideshow of the photos - probably a widget will have to come off the blog to make room for it - look for it in the near future. Anyone try Picture Trail? I like the idea of linking for the blog - I am currently using Picasa Web for my online photos and other family is using DropShots

Ahhh communication in the webverse - good times to be had. OK I feel dyslexic about IM technologies - I love IM have used it from the good old days - MSN, Yahoo, trillion, now Google and Meebo - love them all - even liked Web conferencing - but I really really hate phone texting - I guess I just don't get the point - instead of talking on the phone - hmmm, typing; and not typing to look something up (i.e. web surfing) but typing to communicate - I guess I just don't get it - why bluetooth and handsfree when everyone is so hands-on?

So I am going to imbed a Meebo widget - don't expect people will use it much - but what the heck. I noticed a Vermont colleage has a Twitter account so I think I will sign up and follow his exploits - it seems you can Twitter from a computer - that I can do - cell phone not likely - but stranger things have happened - I'll let you know how it goes.


Part 2

Success? Have done a Meebo widget and now have a Twitter account - "following" some people who were in my email address book - have to say it feels a little bit like a web stalker. Found David Pogues Twitter feed - OMG - how many 'twits' (?)can that man do in a day?

Part 2a

We have had IM enabled for our staff for several years - some people use it, others don't - I like it, I like to know if someone is available to talk or if I can send an email and expect a response.