23 Boxes

Assignment # 8

2009-05-28T19:16:00.006-04:00

A PSA from 'Second Life' encouraging people to visit their local library.

'Muddy York'
Known for many years as "Muddy York", Toronto suffered with streets that turned to rivers of mud and water in the spring. Taken in the early years of the 20th century, these vintage photographs illustrate the difficulties the population had to endure. All images courtesy of the City of Toronto Archives.

I was unable to enbed the videos at work. I would follow the instructions but get nothing. I tried again at home last night and it appeared to work, but when I went to add comments at work in the morning, all I had was a title. So here I am again, at home, ready to try again, and I click 'edit posts', and it's back...go figure.

I think these online videos could have potential for both staff and patron tutorials. Videos could be used to demonstrate changes to procedures, highlight improvements after software upgrades or demonstrate how to search the databases.

Assignment # 7 - Podcasts

2009-05-21T18:23:00.004-04:00

I signed up for 3 podcasts using my bloglines account.

Coffee Break French - a podcast of 20+ minute french lessons (they have longer coffee breaks than we do). I really liked this. I gave up on french classes after grade ten; now my daughter switches to french on the phone when I walk in the room. I think I will download it to my ipod and listen on my way to work.

Get-It-Done Guy's Quick and Dirty Tips to Work Less and Do More - a podcast of pithy advice on how to get things done. Actually seeing this title on my feed list will be more helpful to prod me along than his actual advice.(Get through my reading backlog by reading 3 pages a day ? Sure !)

Groks Science Radio Show and Podcast - a podcast featuring interviews with scientists and innovators. It is both funny and current. I'll listen to this one while I straighten up the sock drawer.

I find subscribing to podcasts like creating my own radio on demand. I still need to spend more time looking for podcasts that interest me.

Assignment # 6 - Google Docs

2009-05-15T17:02:00.003-04:00

I really enjoyed playing with Google Docs. This is really handy. In addition to inviting Jonathan to edit my document on the Red Bull Air Race and adding to the website document, I uploaded a couple of recipes from my home computer and created a quick skeleton of a presentation on Ancient Greece (and invited my daughter to work on her project). I also discovered the templates. This is great ! For home I love the Math Quizz template. For work I can see the Project Management Schedule being really helpful for keeping everyone on track with our 'ships passing in the night' schedules.

My brother and I are working on a geneology project. I think this could be very helpful as he lives in another city and we are drowning in emailed documents.
My highschool girlfriends and I will be celebrating a BIG birthday next year and were hoping to plan a trip. This could definitely make that collaborative effort easier.

Assignment # 5

2009-05-08T14:58:00.002-04:00

Well that's Del.icio.us !
At first I couldn't imagine why I would bother with a social bookmarking site. However, after fooling around for awhile, I was discovering content that hadn't turned up in my more traditional searches. Fellow crafters had links to interesting relevant pages.
I think I'll keep exploring !

Assignment #4 - Generators

2009-05-01T17:47:00.003-04:00

I've been spending some time browsing through the generators.

This one is fun:

The Alanis Morissette Random Lyric

This is my first try !
"I Think"

I Think smudges are really a huge problem
I Think smears are too much on my mind
I Think blobs have got a lot to do with why the world sucks
But what can you do?
Like a black rain, beating down on me
Like a Piet Hein line, which won't let go of my brain
Like Sean's ass, it is in my head
Blame it on Broken eyeliner pencil
Blame it on Broken eyeliner pencil
Blame it on Broken eyeliner pencil
I Think gaps are gonna drive us all crazy
And dots make me feel like a child
I Think dark circles will eventually be the downfall of civilization
But what can you do? I said what can you do?
Like a black rain, beating down on me
Like a Piet Hein line, which won't let go of my brain
Like Sean's ass, it is in my head
Blame it on Broken eyeliner pencil
Blame it on Broken eyeliner pencil
Blame it on Broken eyeliner pencil
Like a black rain, beating down on me
Like Sean's smile, cruel and cold
Like Piet Hein's ass, it is in my head
Blame it on Broken eyeliner pencil
Blame it on Broken eyeliner pencil
Blame it on Broken eyeliner pencil

What do you think? ...a new career?

Assignment #4

2009-05-01T16:32:00.007-04:00

Our cat Cooper as a billboard.

My daughter Tess 'warholized'.

Assignment # 3

2009-04-24T17:47:00.002-04:00

I subscribed to the following feeds:
CTV Toronto New Home - breaking news of Toronto
ITunes Top 25 Songs
Library Journal News
Science Daily - Global Warming News
Science Daily - Space & Time News

I have found this to be a quick & easy way to keep abreast of topics that interest me. It is a useful tool to help keep the urge to surf under control. The information comes to me; I don't have to go looking for it and risk being lured of an a tangent. I think I might prefer to keep the feeds I use for work separate from those I use for home (maybe 2 different accounts) to avoid distraction.

23 Things Assignment #2

2009-04-16T12:23:00.005-04:00

Tulips in my garden.

A forest path.

An amaryllis in bloom.

Blog Surfing

2009-04-09T19:58:00.005-04:00

After spending an engrossing hour searching through blogs, I found 2 blogs about topics which are my current interests: t-shirt reconstruction and freezer cooking.

http://diyfashion.about.com/od/diytops/tp/T-Shirt_Surgery.htm

http://www.southernplate.com/2009/03/freezer-cooking-how-why-what-and-when.html

Both of these blogs feature excellent step-by-step photo tutorials.

Blogs are a fast & easy way to self-publish. User comments add relevant details and variations and create a community feeling.

23 Things Assignment #1

2009-04-09T19:22:00.003-04:00

My first assignment was to set up a blog. This has been rather fun. In future assignments, I hope to learn more about blogs, podcasting and collaborative online tools.