The last thing. It feels odd to be writing this post. The training schedule at RCPL has it down that these 23 Things should be done by the 60-day mark. On 3/23, I'll have been working here for 60 days. That's as odd a thing to comprehend as finishing this exploration. I was so excited when I got this position, and time feels like it has flown by!
There were a lot of Things in this that I only knew by name (like RSS feeds), and it feels good to have a firmer grip on those concepts. I adore the browser-based word processors (as well as their file storage capacities), and I've already started thinking of ways to make use of them.
Another thing I'm taking away is Blogspot. Currently I use Livejournal for my personal blogging, and I do like it. But in poking around Blogger, I've grown to like it for different reasons. There's got to be a better way to search it though.
As for improvements, I can't readily think of any that would actually happen. Some of the links on the PLCMC blog are broken, but it's also been 2 years since they made those posts for this program.
All in all, I enjoyed this exploration, and I'm sort of sad to see it end.
But maybe that's just because I'm not getting a free mp3 player.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Thing #22
Unfortunately, Rapid City Public Library doesn't have audiobooks available through NetLibrary. Instead, they use Overdrive for downloadable audiobooks. I looked through the selection of books in MP3 format, since I use an iPod, but I wasn't that impressed with the selection. Only two things stood out: Ender's Shadow and Tess of the D'Urbervilles.
My mother raved to me months ago about the Ender series, and I know she listened to them on CD in the car with my little sister. But Ender's Shadow is only a parallel peice that goes along with Ender's Game. Tess was abridged, and I don't see any point in reading or listening to an abridged version of a book.
But Tess is a title I've been wanting to read for some time. Seeing as I just checked out an audiobook to transfer to my iPod so that I can listen to it while on breaks at work, and I am still chugging delightfully through James Harriet's All Things Bright and Beautiful in the car, I decided that another audiobook wouldn't be the way to go.
Thankfully, Google was there to save me.
Google Books is a wonderful thing, whether you're looking for recreational reading or doing research. For the latter, even a limited preview of the work (which displays like a .pdf in a webpage frame) can be useful, since the copyright information needed for citation is always shown. But Tess is there and now also in my virtual library.
Recently I've been investigating the Acer Aspire, since I have seen so many patrons using it. One reviewer says they use it as a Kindle, since it is cheaper and of a comparable size. It makes sense, but even with books available in so many alternative formats, I doubt their print versions are ever going to disappear.
There's something about owning a physical, tangible book that means something more than just a shelf decoration. My husband first asked me out by giving me a copy of The Annotated Alice, which I swooned over as much as I did him. For my eighteenth birthday, my parents each gave me a copy of the very first book I ever read all on my own: The Elephant and the Bad Baby. Just as I collected Disney DVDs to add to my library with the rationale that "one day, I'll be able to share these classics with children," so to do I want to be able to share classic children's literature with them. My mother and I bicker fromt time to time about which of us will recieve the gems of my ailing grandmother's library one day.
Books - physical books - are powerful things and will not be replaced easily. Sure, it may be more convienant to enjoy a book in an alternate form, but that doesn't mean the printed word on the physical page is ever going to disappear.
My mother raved to me months ago about the Ender series, and I know she listened to them on CD in the car with my little sister. But Ender's Shadow is only a parallel peice that goes along with Ender's Game. Tess was abridged, and I don't see any point in reading or listening to an abridged version of a book.
But Tess is a title I've been wanting to read for some time. Seeing as I just checked out an audiobook to transfer to my iPod so that I can listen to it while on breaks at work, and I am still chugging delightfully through James Harriet's All Things Bright and Beautiful in the car, I decided that another audiobook wouldn't be the way to go.
Thankfully, Google was there to save me.
Google Books is a wonderful thing, whether you're looking for recreational reading or doing research. For the latter, even a limited preview of the work (which displays like a .pdf in a webpage frame) can be useful, since the copyright information needed for citation is always shown. But Tess is there and now also in my virtual library.
Recently I've been investigating the Acer Aspire, since I have seen so many patrons using it. One reviewer says they use it as a Kindle, since it is cheaper and of a comparable size. It makes sense, but even with books available in so many alternative formats, I doubt their print versions are ever going to disappear.
There's something about owning a physical, tangible book that means something more than just a shelf decoration. My husband first asked me out by giving me a copy of The Annotated Alice, which I swooned over as much as I did him. For my eighteenth birthday, my parents each gave me a copy of the very first book I ever read all on my own: The Elephant and the Bad Baby. Just as I collected Disney DVDs to add to my library with the rationale that "one day, I'll be able to share these classics with children," so to do I want to be able to share classic children's literature with them. My mother and I bicker fromt time to time about which of us will recieve the gems of my ailing grandmother's library one day.
Books - physical books - are powerful things and will not be replaced easily. Sure, it may be more convienant to enjoy a book in an alternate form, but that doesn't mean the printed word on the physical page is ever going to disappear.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Thing #21
Note: the "what is a podcast" tutorial on Yahoo! isn't there anymore.
As recent as this morning, I was thinking about podcasts. I only watch the news while I get ready for work, and depending on when my shift starts, I either get headlines or in-depth coverage (today it was the congressional committee's hearing regarding AIG and the bailout bonuses hoorah). My spotty news intake and the difficulty in finding a reliable news source got me wondering if NPR had a podcast for national headlines. Before I started listening to the James Harriot omnibus in the car again (I'm currently over halfway through with All Things Bright and Beautiful), I would listen to NPR. But again, if I work a later shift, I don't get the news.
It was easy to search on Podcast Alley for NPR's 7am and 10am news updates, but I haven't subscribed to them yet. There's a link on Podcast Alley to NPR's page for podcasts, and NPR has the option of "mixing" a personalized podcast in order to get all of the information/content you want in only one podcast. This, I like. I like it very much.
The other podcast I searched for was from Fear the Boot. I knew about it previously; a few of the guys I used to game with listened to it regularly. Tabletop gaming isn't as popular as PC or console, what with the influx of MMO's and live gaming, but I find it the most rewarding. It's a sociable activity that isn't contingient on internet connections. It's an opportunity to participate in the telling of a story, no matter what sort of dice or system is involved. It's just fun.
I honestly think that with mobile technology driving the development of media these days, podcasts and internet radio are going to replace traditional AM/FM radio. The idea that someone can download the stories/shows they want to listen to and do so whenever they want (and pause it, too!) goes right along with the notion of DVR. As plugged in as we are these days, I think this is a good thing.
Remember what Faber said to Montag:
"My wife says books aren't 'real.'"
"Thank God for that. You can shut them and say, 'Hold on a moment.' You play God to it. But who has ever torn himself from the claw that encolses when you drop a seed in the TV parlor? It grows into any shape it wishes!"
(Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. Simon and Schuster. New York: 1951. 112.)
As recent as this morning, I was thinking about podcasts. I only watch the news while I get ready for work, and depending on when my shift starts, I either get headlines or in-depth coverage (today it was the congressional committee's hearing regarding AIG and the bailout bonuses hoorah). My spotty news intake and the difficulty in finding a reliable news source got me wondering if NPR had a podcast for national headlines. Before I started listening to the James Harriot omnibus in the car again (I'm currently over halfway through with All Things Bright and Beautiful), I would listen to NPR. But again, if I work a later shift, I don't get the news.
It was easy to search on Podcast Alley for NPR's 7am and 10am news updates, but I haven't subscribed to them yet. There's a link on Podcast Alley to NPR's page for podcasts, and NPR has the option of "mixing" a personalized podcast in order to get all of the information/content you want in only one podcast. This, I like. I like it very much.
The other podcast I searched for was from Fear the Boot. I knew about it previously; a few of the guys I used to game with listened to it regularly. Tabletop gaming isn't as popular as PC or console, what with the influx of MMO's and live gaming, but I find it the most rewarding. It's a sociable activity that isn't contingient on internet connections. It's an opportunity to participate in the telling of a story, no matter what sort of dice or system is involved. It's just fun.
I honestly think that with mobile technology driving the development of media these days, podcasts and internet radio are going to replace traditional AM/FM radio. The idea that someone can download the stories/shows they want to listen to and do so whenever they want (and pause it, too!) goes right along with the notion of DVR. As plugged in as we are these days, I think this is a good thing.
Remember what Faber said to Montag:
"My wife says books aren't 'real.'"
"Thank God for that. You can shut them and say, 'Hold on a moment.' You play God to it. But who has ever torn himself from the claw that encolses when you drop a seed in the TV parlor? It grows into any shape it wishes!"
(Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. Simon and Schuster. New York: 1951. 112.)
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Charlotte Mecklenburg Thing #20
Only three things left!
My last post was rather Youtube-heavy, and so when I read the post and listened to the podcast for Thing #20, my brain was sort of still in "video game videos" mode. So the first video I'm embedding is a Youtube-heavy appropriate video...about the "Heavy" class in Team Fortress 2, the first of many viral videos Valve used to promote The Orange Box before it was released. It is appropriately titled "Meet the Heavy."
Youtube is a great thing to use for viral marketing, for video games, movies, and all sorts of other things. They've even started to do trailers for books! How awesome would that be if we were able to do something similar for the display books in the library?
For instance, right now I'm reading the Newberry Award-winner, The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman. I've heard his voice before, as he reads his novel Stardust for the audio book version of it.
HarperKids, presumably the youth division of HarperCollins has posted this trailer for The Graveyard Book:
A friend of mine told me last night that Gaiman had been on The Colbert Report, and rather than talk about Coraline, he talked about The Graveyard Book. I don't watch much television, and I haven't watched Colbert's show for some time now, but in order to test the validity of the Thing saying how quickly things are uploaded, I decided to look for the clip. Part of me was scared at the notion that it may not be there, due to copyrights, but ho! Here it is!
The fact that Gaiman mentions Art Spiegelman is just a bonus. It is also very hard not to giggle while sitting in the back room of PS and watching this video.
My last post was rather Youtube-heavy, and so when I read the post and listened to the podcast for Thing #20, my brain was sort of still in "video game videos" mode. So the first video I'm embedding is a Youtube-heavy appropriate video...about the "Heavy" class in Team Fortress 2, the first of many viral videos Valve used to promote The Orange Box before it was released. It is appropriately titled "Meet the Heavy."
Youtube is a great thing to use for viral marketing, for video games, movies, and all sorts of other things. They've even started to do trailers for books! How awesome would that be if we were able to do something similar for the display books in the library?
For instance, right now I'm reading the Newberry Award-winner, The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman. I've heard his voice before, as he reads his novel Stardust for the audio book version of it.
HarperKids, presumably the youth division of HarperCollins has posted this trailer for The Graveyard Book:
A friend of mine told me last night that Gaiman had been on The Colbert Report, and rather than talk about Coraline, he talked about The Graveyard Book. I don't watch much television, and I haven't watched Colbert's show for some time now, but in order to test the validity of the Thing saying how quickly things are uploaded, I decided to look for the clip. Part of me was scared at the notion that it may not be there, due to copyrights, but ho! Here it is!
The fact that Gaiman mentions Art Spiegelman is just a bonus. It is also very hard not to giggle while sitting in the back room of PS and watching this video.
Charlotte Mecklenburg Thing #19
I did my best not to click on a winner (or 2nd, 3rd, or honorable mention) on the Web 2.0 Awards List that was a site I regularly visit or one that I have played around with before. Instead, I clicked on Last.fm, the winner in the Music category. As I type up this blog post, I'm listening to the Flight of the Conchords radio station, which is playing Jonathon Coulton's "Chiron Beta Prime." Like Pandora, it seems that Last doesn't allow you to listen to specific songs (like iMeem does), but it does give you information about the artist you're listening to. I've heard Coulton's work before, but the information about him was neat, especially since it was complied, written, and edited in a wikistyle by Last.fm members.
Of course, given my fascination with Fictional Undead and Rotting Things, one of my favorite Coulton songs (other than "Still Alive"*, of course) is "Re: Your Brains." Since Youtube was on the award winner list, I'm embedding a music video for it.
Another awesome thing about Last is the music video feature. Sure, they're just embedding videos from Youtube, but it's a lot easier to find them on Last than it is on Youtube, especially with so many people using popular songs when they make their own music videos using clips from their favorite movies or television shows. There are also discussions going on on Last regarding the videos. For instance, follow the footnote to...
* Here! When I linked in the video for "Still Alive", I noticed a discussion going on on the page for the song. Not unlike a discussion or talk page on a wiki, users discussed the need for a distinction between Coulton's performance of the song and the version done for the video game, Portal.
Just for fun, here's that version:
Afterthought: part of me wishes Blogger had a way to "cut" posts, or make the bulk of them collapsible. There is apparently a way to do this that requires fiddling with the code of the settings. I've never done anything like that before, so I'm hesitant. I might try it though.
Afterthought #2: I wonder if "Re: Your Brains" will ever be on a list of Ballads of the 2000's or something.
Of course, given my fascination with Fictional Undead and Rotting Things, one of my favorite Coulton songs (other than "Still Alive"*, of course) is "Re: Your Brains." Since Youtube was on the award winner list, I'm embedding a music video for it.
Another awesome thing about Last is the music video feature. Sure, they're just embedding videos from Youtube, but it's a lot easier to find them on Last than it is on Youtube, especially with so many people using popular songs when they make their own music videos using clips from their favorite movies or television shows. There are also discussions going on on Last regarding the videos. For instance, follow the footnote to...
* Here! When I linked in the video for "Still Alive", I noticed a discussion going on on the page for the song. Not unlike a discussion or talk page on a wiki, users discussed the need for a distinction between Coulton's performance of the song and the version done for the video game, Portal.
Just for fun, here's that version:
Afterthought: part of me wishes Blogger had a way to "cut" posts, or make the bulk of them collapsible. There is apparently a way to do this that requires fiddling with the code of the settings. I've never done anything like that before, so I'm hesitant. I might try it though.
Afterthought #2: I wonder if "Re: Your Brains" will ever be on a list of Ballads of the 2000's or something.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Charlotte Mecklenburg Thing #18
This post is an attempt to use Zoho Writer to write a blog post in accordance with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Thing #18.
I love that Zoho allows me to log in with my Google Account rather than have me sign up for an account with them. Having so many things that require a password can get hectic. Maybe Google having such a monoply on the internet (what with Gmail, Google Accounts, Google Docs, the Google Toolbar, and Google Earth) we're one step closer to having barcode tattoos or implanted chips that are scanned to determine identity rather than flashing a picture ID.
As much as I love being able to keep documents online in order to transfer them from computer to computer without the hassle of a flash drive, privacy becomes an issue in a way. Who can access stuff on Zoho? How hard will they have to try if they really want it? Things on the internet are rarely ever (close to never) private. At the same time, I have had the unfortunate experience of being unable to access a flash drive because there were already too many drives associated with the (networked) computer.
Any edits to this post will be of a purely formatting nature (such as subject and tags).
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Charlotte Mecklenburg Thing #17
Like Thing #4, Thing #17 seems impossible. While I have a PBwiki account (since I use PBwiki for a collaborative writing project I'm working on with a friend of mine back in Indiana), I cannot join the PLCM Sandbox wiki in order to edit pages.
But as I explained in my previous post for Thing #16, I'm familiar with the wiki syntax.
But as I explained in my previous post for Thing #16, I'm familiar with the wiki syntax.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Charlotte Mecklenburg Thing #16
First of all, and I have to get this off my chest, I think it is hilarious that the podcast for this "thing" talks about how easy it is to edit wikis and that they don't have a complex markup language. This is false. Wikis do have a complex markup language - it's just that one can avoid it if they don't want to do anything more than type in content.
For example, I'm a member of a collaborative-writing/role-play group that draws its material from the television show Heroes; however, String Theory is set in an alternate universe where the antagonist in the first season was not defeated. Like most online roleplaying communities these days, String Theory has a wiki to organize information on plots, characters, and individual "scenes." String Theory uses Wikidot, and I have yet to see a game that uses another wiki service (such as Wikispaces or Pbwiki). Anyway, this is all just to preface the sorts of things that can be done with a single page on a wiki using the syntax. Wikidot really phrases it well when they say, "master this and you can do magic ;-)" on their help page.
As an example of what I've been able to do with wiki syntax and time, I'm linking the character page for Matt Parkman, a "feature character" (or character from the television show's canon) I play on String Theory. Matt's page has a variety of examples of what can be done with wiki syntax. There are collapsible fields, tabbed fields, pictures, tables, embedded videos from Youtube, and edited links to other pages.
I have used PBwiki for a smaller collaborative writing project, but it did not seem to me that their interface allowed for much customization via the use of syntax. Wikispaces allows for the use of a "text editor" versus a "visual" one where raw syntax can be typed in. I would normally prefer it, but since the only time I use Wikispaces is with the DUSEL wiki when editing pre-existing pages, I can't justify fiddling with the code and risking throwing off the established look and feel.
Maybe it's because, back in middle school, I made webpages using raw HTML and nothing else, but I prefer working with raw wiki syntax than grappling with the user-friendly editors in place in some cases. So maybe that's why I like wikidot the best.
For example, I'm a member of a collaborative-writing/role-play group that draws its material from the television show Heroes; however, String Theory is set in an alternate universe where the antagonist in the first season was not defeated. Like most online roleplaying communities these days, String Theory has a wiki to organize information on plots, characters, and individual "scenes." String Theory uses Wikidot, and I have yet to see a game that uses another wiki service (such as Wikispaces or Pbwiki). Anyway, this is all just to preface the sorts of things that can be done with a single page on a wiki using the syntax. Wikidot really phrases it well when they say, "master this and you can do magic ;-)" on their help page.
As an example of what I've been able to do with wiki syntax and time, I'm linking the character page for Matt Parkman, a "feature character" (or character from the television show's canon) I play on String Theory. Matt's page has a variety of examples of what can be done with wiki syntax. There are collapsible fields, tabbed fields, pictures, tables, embedded videos from Youtube, and edited links to other pages.
I have used PBwiki for a smaller collaborative writing project, but it did not seem to me that their interface allowed for much customization via the use of syntax. Wikispaces allows for the use of a "text editor" versus a "visual" one where raw syntax can be typed in. I would normally prefer it, but since the only time I use Wikispaces is with the DUSEL wiki when editing pre-existing pages, I can't justify fiddling with the code and risking throwing off the established look and feel.
Maybe it's because, back in middle school, I made webpages using raw HTML and nothing else, but I prefer working with raw wiki syntax than grappling with the user-friendly editors in place in some cases. So maybe that's why I like wikidot the best.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Thing #15
I think that the RCPL embraces Michael Stephen's view on Library 2.0. We are user-centered, timely, trendy (without being ga-ga over every bit of shiny new technology), and efficient in gathering, linking, and posting content.
These are all great things, but we are also impacted by some of Rick Anderson's icebergs. From my experience, there are plenty of patrons (usually Baby Boomers or Classics) who would rather have a print resource than try to follow my Google-Fu or navigate one of our online databases. That and the fact that many patrons are apprehensive if not downright against attempting to tackle the basics of computer use, not to mention the Internet.
While I adore the idea of the "knowledge spa" that Dr. Wendy Schultz presents, I'm not sure what to think about her Library 3D. I'm a digital native in the strictist sense (not the generational one - I'm a Gen-Y, but the sort that values the same things their parent's valued, if I remember my Virtual High School training), but maybe I've been living in the only bit of habitible space that is under a rock on the digital playground. Before reading this, I had no idea what Library 3D is. After reading it, all I can think of is a serious drain on my computer's processing speed. Will a swing in the way we interface with the internet turn everyone into audio-visual learners? I still enjoy reading text on a screen, and while at times I'm sure I'd understand it better if it were being patiently and verbally explained to me (take cataloging for example), I can't imagine our society as anything but text-based. Even my online recreation is text-based, but I could just be the odd one out in that case.
It's either that, or I am just that notorious (and lonely) torch-bearer for King Alfred the Great.
These are all great things, but we are also impacted by some of Rick Anderson's icebergs. From my experience, there are plenty of patrons (usually Baby Boomers or Classics) who would rather have a print resource than try to follow my Google-Fu or navigate one of our online databases. That and the fact that many patrons are apprehensive if not downright against attempting to tackle the basics of computer use, not to mention the Internet.
While I adore the idea of the "knowledge spa" that Dr. Wendy Schultz presents, I'm not sure what to think about her Library 3D. I'm a digital native in the strictist sense (not the generational one - I'm a Gen-Y, but the sort that values the same things their parent's valued, if I remember my Virtual High School training), but maybe I've been living in the only bit of habitible space that is under a rock on the digital playground. Before reading this, I had no idea what Library 3D is. After reading it, all I can think of is a serious drain on my computer's processing speed. Will a swing in the way we interface with the internet turn everyone into audio-visual learners? I still enjoy reading text on a screen, and while at times I'm sure I'd understand it better if it were being patiently and verbally explained to me (take cataloging for example), I can't imagine our society as anything but text-based. Even my online recreation is text-based, but I could just be the odd one out in that case.
It's either that, or I am just that notorious (and lonely) torch-bearer for King Alfred the Great.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Charlotte-Mecklenburg 23 Things: Thing #14
So I guess I'm reluctant when it comes to looking for information in blogs, but on the occasion that I might want to find a bit of information I know to be in a blog, I can't really do better than Technorati. I take a little bit of an issue with the portmanteau that is the engine's name - I don't consider many bloggers to be members of the literati - but such things have gotten in my way before, and I've learned to shrug them off like Bertie often shrugs off Jeeve's subtle reproaches.
I already use tags in this blog, as I have in others and on the wikis that I am a member of. Maybe this is one of those difference between digital natives and digital immigrants. I hate to group myself in with the rest of my generation at times, mostly due to the fear of being labled stuck up, entitled, or naive when it comes to the difficulties of my elders, but this is one of those cases where I guess I have to.
I already use tags in this blog, as I have in others and on the wikis that I am a member of. Maybe this is one of those difference between digital natives and digital immigrants. I hate to group myself in with the rest of my generation at times, mostly due to the fear of being labled stuck up, entitled, or naive when it comes to the difficulties of my elders, but this is one of those cases where I guess I have to.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg 23 Things: Thing #12
I really enjoyed searching for and in Rollyo. I made one for quick reference, even though "reference" is a category within Rollyo. Oh well! The only downside I can see is that some searchable resources available at the library wouldn't be searchable alongside web sites, but I guess that's something I can live with. Using something like Rollyo is a lot easier compared to Google, especially if you find yourself using the same resources (Wikipedia, Snopes, etc.) over and over anyway. Just another thing to help sift through the sand!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Charlotte-Mecklenburg 23 Things: Thing #13
After poking around a bit in the PLCMLC2 del.icio.us, I decided to go out on my own limb and search for tags relating to Sims 3. Those who pre-ordered the game get it shipped out to them on February 20th, but I haven't yet made the decision to purchase the software.
So I decided to do some research. Now, I know that if I were to pop the search term "Sims 3" into Google, I'd get whatever Google deemed the most relevant and usefule links. However, in del.icio.us, the only problem I found in doing research concerning what the game would include was that there were multiple tags for the official Sims 3 website. But I guess that's just part of the nature of folksonomies.
One of the links I looked at broken videos (no sound!) but otherwise I learned a lot about the different features that Sims 3 will have. I like del.icio.us as a research tool, because the results are automatically sorted in a way - I mean, after all, it takes time to add something to a del.icio.us, so even if it's only an extra few seconds/mouse clicks, people aren't going to do it higgildy-piggildy.
So I decided to do some research. Now, I know that if I were to pop the search term "Sims 3" into Google, I'd get whatever Google deemed the most relevant and usefule links. However, in del.icio.us, the only problem I found in doing research concerning what the game would include was that there were multiple tags for the official Sims 3 website. But I guess that's just part of the nature of folksonomies.
One of the links I looked at broken videos (no sound!) but otherwise I learned a lot about the different features that Sims 3 will have. I like del.icio.us as a research tool, because the results are automatically sorted in a way - I mean, after all, it takes time to add something to a del.icio.us, so even if it's only an extra few seconds/mouse clicks, people aren't going to do it higgildy-piggildy.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Charlotte-Mecklenburg 23 Things: Thing #11
I had a hard time remembering books to put into my Library Thing, and will have to scour my shelf at home for ISBNs to really capture how eclectic my tastes are. There are some things that should be noted, however, chief among them being that I have not read all of the books I own. Perhaps I meant to at some point, but I probably got distracted by another book or some other form of entertainment or edification.
Also, I don't own 3 AM. I still put it on my Library Thing.
Also, I don't own 3 AM. I still put it on my Library Thing.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg 23 Things: Thing #10 (3 AM #1: The Reluctant)
(Typed on The Internet Typewriter, part of Thing #10)
There was a shrub that served as a frame, like a cruder, natural version of the cardboard box turned television crafted by a child. She didn't know she was being watched. She merely stood there, leaning against the lamp post to catch her breath as she hugged her torso with her thin arms. Her skin was flushed from running. I knew that to reach out and touch the glowing flesh would be like pressing these cold fingers to a kettle about to whistle. The air pushed from her chest with each laborious exhalation would surely be like the steam rising from that same kettle's spout. Her eyes were wide with frantic fear, and for good reason. It wasn't hard to guess why she had been running so hard. It wasn't hard to guess why she was here.
Sympathy was hardly an option; there were too many things about her to envy, such as the rise and fall of her chest and the vitality that glowed in her hair and skin even in the unflattering light of the lamp above her. Whatever was chasing her, she must have deserved for some reason or another. She wouldn't be here if that wasn't the case.
They weren't far behind. They could have overtaken her in an instant had they wanted to, but they enjoyed a good game. People - prey like her were as much entertainment as they were nourishment. The chase would not end until her potential for amusement had dried up. It was true of the young and the old, but the old were more subtle. The young did it this way, running down their prey in packs in order to appear more threatening while in actuality only one would be feasting tonight, and he wasn't even here yet.
The sound of their approach was muffled by the roar of the bellows her lungs had become, but they could not hide themselves for too much longer. Her ability to sense danger so acutely was another reason to envy her. Even in her exhaustion, where the andrenaline that pumped through her was the only thing keeping her from collapsing in defeat and depletion, she still retained her faculties. Though still wide, her eyes flared with a passionate anger so intense that it reached the leafy frame when they came into view. They only laughed at her as she stood with her post at her back, as if she were an accused witch about to break her bounds and flee from the purifying pyre.
She was soon surrounded like a cornered rat. They moved slowly, eyeing each other as much as they eyed her.
It could have been described as a primal sort of roar - the cry of a stronger, more dominant creature - but it did it's scripted job in scattering the others at the same time it encased her in ice. There had been words to it, but they were lost in the echo that bounced against the stones in the walls and road. Alone, she stared into the blackness, clinging to the pole as much as she clung to the light that emanated from it.
The dark is nothing to be afraid of. No child is afraid of the dark itself. It is only what is potentially lurking in that darkness that is worthy of fear. But when he emerged, some of that fear fled with the darkness as the lamp's light encircled him. She was grateful, but only because she had no way of knowing.
I watched in horror as he led her away.
There was a shrub that served as a frame, like a cruder, natural version of the cardboard box turned television crafted by a child. She didn't know she was being watched. She merely stood there, leaning against the lamp post to catch her breath as she hugged her torso with her thin arms. Her skin was flushed from running. I knew that to reach out and touch the glowing flesh would be like pressing these cold fingers to a kettle about to whistle. The air pushed from her chest with each laborious exhalation would surely be like the steam rising from that same kettle's spout. Her eyes were wide with frantic fear, and for good reason. It wasn't hard to guess why she had been running so hard. It wasn't hard to guess why she was here.
Sympathy was hardly an option; there were too many things about her to envy, such as the rise and fall of her chest and the vitality that glowed in her hair and skin even in the unflattering light of the lamp above her. Whatever was chasing her, she must have deserved for some reason or another. She wouldn't be here if that wasn't the case.
They weren't far behind. They could have overtaken her in an instant had they wanted to, but they enjoyed a good game. People - prey like her were as much entertainment as they were nourishment. The chase would not end until her potential for amusement had dried up. It was true of the young and the old, but the old were more subtle. The young did it this way, running down their prey in packs in order to appear more threatening while in actuality only one would be feasting tonight, and he wasn't even here yet.
The sound of their approach was muffled by the roar of the bellows her lungs had become, but they could not hide themselves for too much longer. Her ability to sense danger so acutely was another reason to envy her. Even in her exhaustion, where the andrenaline that pumped through her was the only thing keeping her from collapsing in defeat and depletion, she still retained her faculties. Though still wide, her eyes flared with a passionate anger so intense that it reached the leafy frame when they came into view. They only laughed at her as she stood with her post at her back, as if she were an accused witch about to break her bounds and flee from the purifying pyre.
She was soon surrounded like a cornered rat. They moved slowly, eyeing each other as much as they eyed her.
It could have been described as a primal sort of roar - the cry of a stronger, more dominant creature - but it did it's scripted job in scattering the others at the same time it encased her in ice. There had been words to it, but they were lost in the echo that bounced against the stones in the walls and road. Alone, she stared into the blackness, clinging to the pole as much as she clung to the light that emanated from it.
The dark is nothing to be afraid of. No child is afraid of the dark itself. It is only what is potentially lurking in that darkness that is worthy of fear. But when he emerged, some of that fear fled with the darkness as the lamp's light encircled him. She was grateful, but only because she had no way of knowing.
I watched in horror as he led her away.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg 23 Things: Thing #9
Some of these Things are things to read, and some of them are Things to do.
This last thing was about RSS feeds. This was new to me, but rather than use the website recommended, I used the IE option of making a feed page. It seemed easier - and one less "website" to visit in order to read what I need/want to. Isn't that the point of RSS feeds?
This last thing was about RSS feeds. This was new to me, but rather than use the website recommended, I used the IE option of making a feed page. It seemed easier - and one less "website" to visit in order to read what I need/want to. Isn't that the point of RSS feeds?
Charlotte-Mecklenburg 23 Things: Thing #6
Of all the "mashups" listed on the PCLMC blogpost for this Thing, I found the Trading Card Maker to be the most fun. The mosaic took forever to load, and I saw no other use for the color picker other than a more creative way to browse Flickr.
I can't imagine someone taking the time to make a 50 card deck (since it would seem that FD Toys based the format on Magic: the Gathering), but it was fun to make one.
I can't imagine someone taking the time to make a 50 card deck (since it would seem that FD Toys based the format on Magic: the Gathering), but it was fun to make one.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg 23 Things: Thing #5
I've noticed in my previous "plundering" of Flickr, many photographers (often with the most artful pictures) protect their images. I don't have a Flickr account, so I'm not exactly sure how this is done, but it prevents the random passerby (i.e. me) from simply right clicking on the image to save and use it elsewhere. It makes sense, especially in an age where that average, random passerby sees anything and everything on the interent as fair game. If only people had listened to their teachers and learned how horrible plagarism (i.e. theft) really is.
I have a friend who helped make a wiki for a collaborative writing game. It was a well put-together tool for all of the participants to upload information concerning their own characters and plots as well as refer to information about the settings and themes decided on by the game's moderators. You can imagine my sympathetic chagrin when we discovered her hard work in coding the wiki (making collapsible tables and other nifty gadgets that organized information rather effectively and aesthetically) had been stolen for someone else's without asking or assigning her credit for the work.
I think it is safe to assume that on the internet, if you don't say otherwise, people are going to assume your content originates from you. Sure, it's a silly thing to assume in a world with things like Google Images and Flickr, but I think the academic standard still applies to some degree. Unless you cite it, you stole it.
I should tell you all that the image you see to the right (my avatar for this blog) is from National Geographic, but if you have already ventured to click on it, you might have gathered that already. I should also tell you that the image below is a photograph taken by Thomas Hawk, a Flickr user, and is entitled "In the Jungle, The Mighty Jungle." If you click it, you'll go to his Flickr account (and see it in a larger size).
I have a friend who helped make a wiki for a collaborative writing game. It was a well put-together tool for all of the participants to upload information concerning their own characters and plots as well as refer to information about the settings and themes decided on by the game's moderators. You can imagine my sympathetic chagrin when we discovered her hard work in coding the wiki (making collapsible tables and other nifty gadgets that organized information rather effectively and aesthetically) had been stolen for someone else's without asking or assigning her credit for the work.
I think it is safe to assume that on the internet, if you don't say otherwise, people are going to assume your content originates from you. Sure, it's a silly thing to assume in a world with things like Google Images and Flickr, but I think the academic standard still applies to some degree. Unless you cite it, you stole it.
I should tell you all that the image you see to the right (my avatar for this blog) is from National Geographic, but if you have already ventured to click on it, you might have gathered that already. I should also tell you that the image below is a photograph taken by Thomas Hawk, a Flickr user, and is entitled "In the Jungle, The Mighty Jungle." If you click it, you'll go to his Flickr account (and see it in a larger size).
Charlotte-Mecklenburg 23 Things: Thing #2
One of the blogposts I have been asked to write as part of the PLCMC's 23 Things is on the 7 1/2 Habits of Life-Long Learners.
The seven habits are
1. having a goal in mind at the onset;
2. being responsible for one's own learning;
3. viewing problems as challenges;
4. having confidence in one's ability and competance as a learner;
5. creating a toolbox for life-long learning;
6. using technology to one's advantage;
7. teaching/mentoring others; and
7 1/2. playing.
Looking at the list, I see number six as perhaps the habit I have already adopted or would have no trouble forming. It is rare that I am presented with a question and I do not immediately use every resource available to me in an effort to find its answer. While I was in college, the Online Oxford English Dictionary was a hotlink on my browser, and I was sad when I graduated and lost access to it through my university's library.
It's harder to pinpoint the habit that would be the hardest for me, and perhaps that's appropriate. I think most people could look at a list of habits and see room for growth in every item, or at least I hope that's what most people would see. Of all of these, I think I would struggle the most with number four. Yes, I know that I am an intelligent, talented individual, but in the face of other talented, intelligent individuals, I occasionally either falter and kowtow or attempt to assert my own intellectual prowess. Both are less than ideal reactions, but in a way, doesn't competitive academia hinge on these arguably primal forces? I think I should be able to move beyond this to a more cooperative perspective with time, practice, and mental elbow grease (though brains with elbows are a scary image).
The seven habits are
1. having a goal in mind at the onset;
2. being responsible for one's own learning;
3. viewing problems as challenges;
4. having confidence in one's ability and competance as a learner;
5. creating a toolbox for life-long learning;
6. using technology to one's advantage;
7. teaching/mentoring others; and
7 1/2. playing.
Looking at the list, I see number six as perhaps the habit I have already adopted or would have no trouble forming. It is rare that I am presented with a question and I do not immediately use every resource available to me in an effort to find its answer. While I was in college, the Online Oxford English Dictionary was a hotlink on my browser, and I was sad when I graduated and lost access to it through my university's library.
It's harder to pinpoint the habit that would be the hardest for me, and perhaps that's appropriate. I think most people could look at a list of habits and see room for growth in every item, or at least I hope that's what most people would see. Of all of these, I think I would struggle the most with number four. Yes, I know that I am an intelligent, talented individual, but in the face of other talented, intelligent individuals, I occasionally either falter and kowtow or attempt to assert my own intellectual prowess. Both are less than ideal reactions, but in a way, doesn't competitive academia hinge on these arguably primal forces? I think I should be able to move beyond this to a more cooperative perspective with time, practice, and mental elbow grease (though brains with elbows are a scary image).
Charlotte-Mecklenburg 23 Things: Thing #3
As part of my orientation at the Rapid City Public Library as a Library Associate, I have to go through the Charlotte-Mecklenburg 23 Things - part of the PLCMC Library 2.0 program. Of course, I'm not participating in order to get a free mp3 player or to be entered into a drawing for a laptop. Because I am not a member of PLCMC's system, this blog will not get registered with them (which is actually Thing #4).
I am tempted to also use this blog to hone my writing skills. I recently checked out a copy of 3 AM Epiphany by Brian Kiteley at my local library. (Do you still have to italicize hyperlinks that are also the titles of books? They're already underlined in many cases, and combining underlining and italics in order to denote a title is redundant.) I plan on working through the exercises in 3 AM, so perhaps I will post them here, along with posts from the 23 Things as I am required to do so. Developing my skills as a writer is an example of life-long learning, after all.
I am tempted to also use this blog to hone my writing skills. I recently checked out a copy of 3 AM Epiphany by Brian Kiteley at my local library. (Do you still have to italicize hyperlinks that are also the titles of books? They're already underlined in many cases, and combining underlining and italics in order to denote a title is redundant.) I plan on working through the exercises in 3 AM, so perhaps I will post them here, along with posts from the 23 Things as I am required to do so. Developing my skills as a writer is an example of life-long learning, after all.
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