Thing 5

To have more fun with Flickr, I added the Spell with Flickr to the bottom of this website. Then I created my favorite picture of my Cons into a puzzle and posted it here.

I was impressed with the various mash ups that are available. I could see how it would be simple for a library to put their photos on Flickr and create a product like a movie poster or calendar to advertise the library to their customers.

Online photo sharing can be helpful to let friends and family see photos in the digital format. I favor it over sitting at a computer and looking at tons of photos. Copyright protection should be maintained if the photos are copyrighted. And, if the photo is not yours, give props to the photographer.

Digital photography is now the rage, and online photo sharing seems to be a trend, too. I'm curious to see what the future holds. Will people tire of taking pictures? Or, will a new digital medium be established

I'm excited. There's a Converse outlet store near the Twin Cities so I'm going to go check it out. So far, I'm still at ten pairs of Cons. And, I haven't purchased any this year. But, I have been tempted since Target now carries Converse One shoes in their stores.
Now that Converse are more popular, my enthusiasm for buying a new pair has dampened. Maybe it's knowing that I have ten pairs already. Or, that the fact that I wear Cons makes me no longer unique. I'm not sure, but so far, I haven't seen any that's triggered my buyer's impulse.
Another thing that I've noticed is that I often look at people's shoes to see what kind they are wearing. And, then I kind of make a silent judgement in my head about the shoes and the person wearing them. If they are Converse, I, of course, think to myself, "Cool - Cons." And, my smile to that person in passing is perhaps a little bigger than someone who might be wearing shoes like Crocs.
Doing this, though, doesn't really seem right. I mean, I'm a librarian - not a fashionista. And, judging people for their shoes or anything else really shouldn't happen. Unfortunately, though, it does. I just started to read Greg Boyd's book - Repenting of Religion: Turning from Judgement to the Love of God. Maybe I'll post more on this topic after I've finished it.
P.S. I still look at weather forecasts, but I'm trying to live my life and obsess about the weather less.

Thing Four

To explore Flickr, I typed in "Converse shoes." I only looked at the first 8 pages of results, but the first one was my favorite. I was going to upload it to this blog, but then I read the copyright statement and decided to use a hyperlink instead.

Then I created an account with Flickr. This process was fairly easy since I already had a Yahoo account. Then I took some pictures of my library. I'm going to post my favorite here. It's of me pulling microfilm for my job.

I'm not sure if I'll use Flickr for my personal photos. I had trouble adding this blog to my Flickr account. So I just downloaded the photo from my computer to this blog. But, I can see how Flickr is helpful for storing photos and sharing them with friends. For a library, Flickr could be used as an access point to bring people to the library website if they posted some of the photographs in their collection on Flickr and then gave the URL of their website to find more.

Thing Three

I set up a few RSS feeds on Google Reader. I kind of put if off because I thought it would be hard, but actually, it was kind of easy. So I added the blogs of two of my co-workers who are also doing the 23 things (Norton Knows and Slappy McPretzel's 23 Things Blog). Then for the non-23 thing material, I added two blogs that I check regularly that are written by my friends.

I was kind of stuck, though, on the third non-23 thing so I used Google to search just for blogs. It took me a minute to think of a topic, but then I typed in "Converse shoes." I added the most interesting result, ConQuest - Cons on the Go, to Google Reader. It's a LIVEJOURNAL site where people just post pictures of themselves and their Converse shoes. It's nice to know that I'm not alone in collecting many pairs of Converse shoes, but I haven't decided, yet, if I'm going to add them to the ConQuest site.

hello weather obsessed

The clouds are starting to clear now outside the window, but the wind is moving them.
I'm starting to realize how weather obsessed I am. Perhaps the signs were present when I was younger. I recall looking at the themometer outside the kitchen window in the morning to see the temperature. But, now I've come to the point that I'm always checking weather.com to see the 10 day forcast if I planning to do something outside or traveling on a trip. And, it's common for me to watch the weather forecast on TV after getting up and before going to bed.
So when my roommate asks me about the weather, I usually have a response. Actually, I'm just telling her someone else's forecasts or predictions. These forecasts and predictions guide me as I select my clothing and plan my day.
I'm beginning to wonder what would happend to me if I stopped obsessing about the weather. Would I wear a long-sleeve shirt when I instead should have worn a short-sleeve one? Will not carrying an umbrella drastically increase the chances of me being stuck in the rain?
I'm not sure, but I do wonder what will happen to me when I break free of my weather obsession. So I'm going to try and see if I can not see Sven or Belinda doing the forecast on TV and obstain from checking the hourly forecast on the Internet.
People before me lived without knowing the weather forecast. Granted, they did have a farmer's almanac. But, life is too short to spend it worrying about things the weather. At least for this moment, that's going to be my mantra.

Thing Two

Sitting here, I am not sure how to describe this in words. I am trying to complete these 23 Things and learn more about the Web 2.0 tools. This is partly fueled by curiosity, but also by the need to stay current with my librarian peers.

Individually, I've kind of have been reluctant to embrace new technology. Not necessarily computers because I've dealt with them since the 5th grade. Even though their form (Commodores with green screens) is rather ancient. No, I'm talking about all the other tools and gadets. I just bought a digital camera in the last year, and that's only because I thought I'd be traveling to Europe. So I'm still figuring out how to use it. I downloaded a picture of my Converse shoes and made it my avatar. But, I've yet to do the MP3 player or Ipod. I have a cell phone, but it's about 3 years old so it just takes pictures besides giving me the opportunity to reach out and touch someone.

I guess my main question in this post centers around what John Blyberg briefly mentioned under "L2 requires a fundamental change in a library’s mission." And, that's the question of how savvy a library's customers will be in terms of technology. I mean, I see the Web 2.0 being a hot topic in library circles. And, I'm not against this because today's 5th graders have a lot more high-tech computers and other gadgets than I did when I was their age.

But, I am wondering if Web 2.0 tools will be embraced by all library patrons. Will the older ones be as apt to use Facebook and Flicker as the young ones? Perhaps age will not be a factor in regards to a library's mission. I am curious, though, how the baby boomer generation will embrace Web 2.0 technology. A lot of them are approaching retirement. And, I wonder if their library service needs will be the same as today's youth. Or, will they be different?

ode to Beverly

I'm not sure if you'll get Internet access in heaven. But, I wanted to state a few thoughts that are on my mind.
Your memorial service had the Dixieland Band as you requested, And, plenty of people weeped and wailed.
You made the hours of my job pass by pleasantly when you came to volunteer. At first, I found you intimidating. Rachel had warned me that you and Florence were a rowdy bunch.
Soon after meeting you, though, I looked forward to seeing you on Thursdays and discussing topics like movies, politics, and life. Usually, with laughter and on your part, sass.
So thanks for sharing your stories, jokes, and experiences. And, for encouraging me to travel and asking about what's new in my life. I'll miss you, Beverly. And, your rendition of "Here she is..."