sunsspotslib13

Online Apps and Tools PLUS Recap of Learning 2.2

2010-12-19T09:23:00.000-08:00

As mentioned on Sharepoint, I visited Google Docs to find my documents from 2 1/2 years ago still there! I then played with ZohoWriter and did not see much of a difference. I do think that these online tools are in our futures (it would be nice to say goodbye to Microsoft Office, etc.). On the Mashable.com winners, Dustin Diaz is the most excellent Flickr photographer. Also, New York Times website (winner of best online newspaper) is filled, just like the print, with more things than I would ever have time to read. However, I did subscribe to an RSS feed of Dick Cavett's online column!

In regards to Learning 2.2, I felt I had a good review and enjoy GoodReads (my daughters have signed up too), started a delicious account, and found a great new place to get podcasts. Now I just need the time to use these great resources more!

Delicious!

2010-11-18T14:46:00.000-08:00

Last time I did the Learning 2.0, I vaguely remember exploring Delicious. This time, I created an account and played around with the bookmarks and some tagging. I like this as a tool for getting at your bookmarks wherever you are. I have only scratched the surface of the research possibilities of the tagging, but I can see from the tutorial that such possibilities would be endless...

Podcasting Revisited

2010-11-18T13:30:00.000-08:00

I explored LearnOutLoud.com which was amazing to find so many podcasts on so many different subjects. I greatly enjoyed Rick Steves' podcasts about travel in France and liked that you could download them and play them on your mp3 player as you travel or listen to them in streaming audio. I wasn't more adventurous with my own podcast as my girls somehow broke my 20+ year old Radio Shack model (I think it disintegrated after all these years). My kids may have a future in podcasting as they like to record themselves on the computer. My 6-year-old loves to recite funny poems she learned in Kindergarten! Maybe I'll attached one on to a future blog post!

Good Reads

2010-11-12T10:47:00.000-08:00

Good Reads seemed easier for me to navigate than Library Thing but that might be because they automatically let you write a review and rate it. It pops right up on the screen which I don't remember with Library Thing. I did check my Library Thing account from 2 years ago and saw my books from that exercise, but it is sad to know they would be charging!

Learning 2.2 (again!)--RSS Feeds, etc.

2010-11-08T13:57:00.000-08:00

As a late learner in this round of Learning 2.2, Bloglines is no more but I read through others' comments on RSS feeds. During this exercise, I stumbled upon Google Reader and tried to find anything with RSS feeds. Luckily, both ASU's Library Channel and Sheryl Crow still have them. I then added a NASA Watch (with a cool picture from the Space Station) RSS feed and the RSS feed from Livingston-Park County Library from Livingston, Montana (which my daughters and I frequented from 2001-2007 when we lived there).

I feel that RSS feeds don't seem as easy to find as in 2008 and perhaps with the growth of Twitter and Facebook it is not needed as a stand-alone resource.

As close as we are going to get to RAIN

2009-06-30T15:55:00.000-07:00

Last week my daughter spotted a rainbow around 7:30PM on June 23rd. Interestingly, we hadn't received any rain, but that is not unusual for Arizona and other places in the west (Montana included). Regardless, I went outside and got some nice pictures. As beautiful as the rainbow was, I would have preferred to have a good drenching downpour, but alas, it wasn't to be.
I hope we get some decent showers once the monsoon gets going here in the Phoenix metro area. When we lived in Montana, May and June were good months for rain and sometimes even snow (10 inches of snow fell in Emigrant, Montana on June 13, 2001), but once July and August hit we most often ran in to the driest part of the year. Fires were easily ignited by dry lightning and we had the misfortune to be near two fires in our 8 1/2 year stay in Montana.
But nothing is better than a great cooling rainshower, be it in Montana or Arizona. Let's hope both states get their share of moisture this summer.

2008-2009 Top 10 Personal Phoenix Suns moments

2009-04-30T13:21:00.000-07:00

Okay! It was one of those years for the Phoenix Suns. I was with them every step of the way--really! To quote Charles Dickens: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." Here is my attempt at my personal Suns top 10 for season 2008-2009:

10. Steve Nash's vitamin water commercials especially this one.

9. Lou Amundson's little pink packing peanuts in Shaq's car.

8. Attending the All Star Practice on February 14, 2009 and watching Shaq get 3 free throws blind-folded. Plus, Shaq dancing with the Jabbawockeez at the All Star Game introductions.

7. Grant Hill playing all 82 games!!! Awesome!

6. Attending the opening pre-season game of the Suns versus Hawks. Even though the Suns didn't win that game, it was cool to see all the new players along with the old ones.

5. Watching the Suns-Pistons game in person on November 16 and watching Shaq get thrown out of the game! Unjustly, of course!

4. Catching the Suns-Nuggets game on December 20, 2008 where Nash saved the day with a couple clutch 3's.

3. Tom Chambers answered my question on Suns Gametime TV in early April.

2. Shaking Steve Kerr's hand and being surprised that he sat directly behind me at the Suns-Kings game April 3, 2009.

1. Sitting mega-close at above-mentioned Suns-Kings game as when you are that close the game seems faster and more intense than if you are higher up in the stands or watching home on TV.

Sheryl Crow at the AZ State Fair

2008-10-22T09:31:00.000-07:00

After 10 years of her eluding me, I finally got a chance to see Sheryl Crow in concert last night at the Arizona State Fair! But first the back-story:

Sheryl had once come to Livingston, Montana on July 4, 2002 for a free concert of which some of the concert was televised on ABC. That was a free concert. But for a person like me living 25 miles south of town and the local newspaper saying they couldn't announce when or where these free tickets would be handed out, basically meant you are out of luck if you don't want to wander the streets of Livingston at 5:30 in the morning of June 22 in hopes of scoring tickets somewhere. Many people went to the concert on July 4 who didn't even know who Sheryl was--which I think is personally a waste of ticket space. But I digress...

This year, my chances of seeing Sheryl almost didn't happen as I never saw a mention on the Sheryl Crow website and by happenstance I heard about it on a local radio station while driving home from work in mid-September! Apparently, reserved seating tickets had been available since early September!! Augh! But all went well and we ordered the tickets and had great seats off to the side of the stage in Sect. 215 at the ol' Veterans Memorial Coliseum!

Sheryl came out wearing jeans and an awesome white jacket with a huge blue skull on the back. Appearing solo on stage with an acoustic guitar, she opened with "God Bless This Mess" the first song from her new album, Detours. She followed with the band for "Shine Over Babylon" and "Love Is Free."

She continued on with lots of old favorites like "A Change will do you Good," "Strong Enough" and "Can't Cry Anymore." During "Can't Cry" she interspersed "I Can See Clearly Now (the rain has gone)." She followed that with Cat Stevens' "First Cut is the Deepest" segueing perfectly into "My Favorite Mistake." "Gasoline" had a sample of the Stones "Gimme Shelter" which was awesome!

She enjoyed talking to the crowd, jamming with her awesome band, and dancing saying that Tuesday nights are her dancing nights.

More poignantly, she talked about the detours her life had faced in the past 2 years and followed with the title track from her new album. It is one of my favorites and it worked perfectly being followed by another favorite "Home."

Sheryl ended the set with "If It Makes You Happy," "Out of our Heads," "Soak up the Sun," and "Everyday is a Winding Road."

For Sheryl's encores she did 2 songs, "All I Wanna Do" and Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground." "Higher Ground" was most excellent (to borrow a phrase from Bill and Ted) as the arrangement was a blend of Mr. Wonder's and the Red Hot Chili Peppers version of the song. An added bonus in this song was Sheryl, a former backup singer herself, spotlighted her two wonderfully talented backup singers to sing verses in the song. Wow!

Sheryl and her great band gave a long time fan exactly what I had waited for all these years and it was most definitely worth the wait! Thanks Guys! But please don't elude me for another 10 years!!!

Visit to the White Mountains of Arizona

2008-08-30T16:44:00.000-07:00

Recently my family drove up from Mesa, Arizona to Show Low and Pinetop-Lakeside, Arizona. It is a good 180-mile-long drive through lots of mountainous and ponderosa-pine filled terrain. Most Valley of the Sun folks do the trek to Payson, Prescott, Sedona or Flagstaff. I have always preferred the Show Low area.

My parents bought land just outside of Show Low in what was then only called Lakeside in 1980. It was wooded and beautiful--just a small parcel in a small neighborhood. In a few years, my dad had coworkers from Pulte Homes frame the house and my dad, over many years, did his own plumbing and electrical work on it. My folks always thought they would sell their home in the Valley and move up there permanently. However, it became only a get-away home, and with my dad's passing in 2001, they never retired to it. My mom felt she didn't want to drive up to the mountains by herself and did not know if she wanted to retire up there, so she sold the home to a friend in 2003.

We drove by that house last weekend. It looked so small and rustic, as we remembered it. We were surprised that the lava rock dirt road had been replaced by a paved one. But it was nice to see the home, just the same. I was tempted to knock on the door and say "Hi, my dad built this house." But I didn't. It is their home now.

It was a wonderful small home: the site of summer retreats, wild thunderstorms, crazy Thanksgivings, and my honeymoon get-away. I will always remember it fondly. And the next time we are up there, we will all drive by and say silently, "Hi!"

A Suns Odyssey

2008-05-06T16:29:00.000-07:00

The Phoenix Suns ended their playoff journey early in the first round this year. It was quite a year. Am I surprised? Not really. There were a lot of inconsistencies for the team long before the trade for Shaq. Sometimes the momentum and enthusiasm was not there. Perhaps the team played without a lot of heart or focus--sometimes. That is okay. There is always time to regroup for the next season.

I feel I can say all this since I managed to either watch or listen to every single Suns game this season. Pre-season included. This is the first chance I have ever had to do such a thing. Before this year, I was living in Montana and could only follow the team when they showed up on TNT, ESPN or ABC Sunday basketball.

My first chance to ever see the Suns play in-person was on April 1, 2007 when they played the Dallas Mavericks. Wow! That was an incredible game filled with amazing passes, 3-point shots, etc. Remember the old slogan, "The NBA is FANtastic!" It certainly was for me on that game. I was in awe. It was also tons of fun!

Once my family and I moved back down to Arizona in the Summer of 2007, I looked forward to the next Suns season. We even drove down to Tucson on October 6 for the Suns intrasquad scrimmage. My daughter got her first chance to see the Suns in a more intimate setting than the US Airways Center. McKale Center of the University of Arizona had a mere 7,000 die-hard fans having fun watching the orange team play the white team. That was so much fun!

And how quickly and crazily a season has flown by. I am proud of the Suns regardless of the playoffs or the trade or D'Antoni not playing his bench, etc. They are a great bunch of talented gentlemen who if they are "clicking on all cylinders" can be one of the most incredible teams in basketball. I don't care about the Championships--I just want the team to have fun and play well.

Enjoy your summers, guys and we'll see you next season!

Pride in your neighborhood

2008-03-28T16:29:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I like clean streets. This morning, I am walking my daughter to school and it is recycling day in our neighborhood. In the middle of the road are some cardboard bottoms from 2 Gatorade packs. I told my daughter that if it is still there on the way back, I will pick it up and recycle it myself. I proceeded to do so.

I often wonder are we all so busy that we can't pick up trash, aluminum cans, shattered glass in our neighborhoods? I never see myself as too busy to keep things clean. I do wish more people were responsible for taking care of where we live.

One might argue that it was because being an employee of the National Park Service that I have the "pack it in, pack it out" mentality. But I have been like this my whole life. I don't like to see trash, recyclable or otherwise on our streets, sidewalks, etc.

Let's try harder to keep our little corners of the Earth clean, Please!?

Ray Davies: "Life Goes On, It happens everyday so appreciate what you've got before it's taken away"

2008-03-21T13:13:00.000-07:00

Well, Mr. Ray Davies of the Kinks said it so precisely, that one can not argue with the fact quoted in the title of this post.

Here is the official end of the Learning Web 2.0 training. I have been asked, from the powers that be, to analyze the experience, to discuss the goods, bads, uglies, etc.

I most enjoyed playing with "blogland." It has been fun to do little episodes on the Learning 2.0 experience and post pictures, YouTube video, links, etc.

The bloglines account was an exceptionally neat way to keep track of blogs, podcasts and the like.

I liked the image generator exercise where I could find the Warholizer. That was lots of fun.

I was most bored with the searching sites for RSS feeds and podcasts. For me, in both instances, it was easier to go to a website on a topic I knew and subscribe to the podcast or RSS feed from there.

My post on the Library 2.0 phenomenon which was my Pollyanna-ish version of how I currently see it in libraries, was commented on from an unknown individual that I glossed over the comment since it brought back nightmares of Library School 14 years ago!!!! I just can't philosophize on that level. I have a husband, kids, cats, and the Phoenix Suns to root for!!!

I think I will continue to keep my blog up for fun. So thanks for the experience!

Here is a link to an Unshelved issue I especially liked:
Unshelved strip for Friday, March 14, 2008

Audiobooks via the Internet

2008-03-20T16:36:00.000-07:00

I browsed the Greater Phoenix Digital Library website and explored in more detail the titles for the OverDrive audiobooks.

I liked the "Browse audio ebooks" option which allows one to search by genre. I also liked the "burn to CD" notice when you look up a list of titles.

I checked under the biography/autobiography option and found a book called Antarctica on a Plate by Alexa Thomson. This author agrees to go down to Antarctica and cook for scientists, eccentrics, etc.

This sounds like an interesting premise and reminds me of my remote and rural existence in Montana. I certainly had challenges when preparing food. Let's just say I was 22 miles from a grocery store and 50 miles from a WalMart. And certainly fast food was NOT an option. This author has even more intense experiences dealing with defrosting food in a frozen environment, for example.

I also explored "Sue Grafton" to see if any of her works were accessible via audio ebooks.

Interestingly, after I reviewed this site, I had 3 questions in a row about the Greater Phoenix Digital Library at the Information Desk and I was able to help each individual since I had just reviewed the features.

Podcasts??

2008-03-19T10:17:00.000-07:00

I browsed some podcast indexing websites and was overwhelmed! I was flustered as to what topic I would want to listen about. I tried to see if a soap opera, Guiding Light, was still doing podcasts (in a way a perverse return to their radio hey-day), but all the dates where from 2006. Perhaps they have moved to the streaming video episodes . . . (my home computer and its internet connection are too ancient for such technology!!!).

My husband suggested going to websites of things I like. For example, the Phoenix Suns website has a link to their podcasts. I was amazed how easy it was to add that to my bloglines account. It was really neat since you can get podcasts of radio interviews that you might not be able to listen to live.

I did find the Library Channel from Arizona State University. This is a neat resource of podcasts from all facets of the many libraries in the vast University Libraries system. I have learned about Arizona history, travel, new resources, new librarians, etc. Keep those podcasts coming!

Our library system could benefit from podcasts if we were visited by an author and we could conduct an interview with them about their books. I guess those individuals who do the special programs at the library could also have their presentation be in podcast form. Such podcast-abilities are endless!

You Tube in Libraries?

2008-03-17T15:22:00.000-07:00

How could something like YouTube be beneficial to our libraries?

I was thinking about using YouTube to provide a tour of the various libraries in our library system. Sometimes materials, restrooms, copy machines and the like are not easy to find. Individuals could link to a YouTube video from the library site and get a brief tour of the library they were curious about.

Also, a short YouTube video could track the renovation or construction of libraries in our library system as well.

You Tube

2008-03-14T11:09:00.000-07:00

So, the wonderful world of YouTube. I will try to embed a cute cat illustration--Simon's Cat. That seems like a lot of fun. And so true for cat owners--you should have seen my screens in Montana (I was replacing them often!!!).

I chose this because I like the crazy world of cats and this individual has a brilliant way of displaying that via illustration.

Upcoming . . .

2008-03-14T10:43:00.000-07:00

With so many Web 2.0 tools to explore, I could not decide at first what topic to pick.

In the end, I decided to explore "Upcoming" a service provided by Yahoo.com. The site provides a listing of events in a geographic area. You can search all events or go by category.

The major flaw with this event website is that people have to enter the information. It is not an exhaustive list of events. It might be a good place to search if one was not sure of where an event was being held. However, one would have to keep in mind, not all events would be listed.

It did look very easy to add an upcoming event to the site. All one would need is a Yahoo login and password.

Libraries could list their upcoming programs on this website and it would be useful to residents and newcomers to a community. Interestingly, Palomino Library (one of our fellow branches) was using Upcoming to list its upcoming programs. Good Job!

Onward Google Docs

2008-03-13T16:50:00.000-07:00

So, I played around with Google Docs. Below is my successful posting of one of my Google Docs. It was a pretty quick procedure and I was impressed with the speed of the posting.

I also tried the share function by setting up the "viewers" to my home emails. That was neat to click on a link from my email and read the document before I even got around to posting on this blog.

I really liked the idea of not having to by separate software for spreadsheets, word processing, etc. Will it turn out to be the wave of the future? I don't know. . . .

2008-03-13T16:49:00.000-07:00

So this is a test Google Document. Who knew you could now do word processing, spreadsheets, etc., online.

I will write about my Seal Point Siamese Cat, Koko. She is now into hanging out on the roof of our house. She meows quite a lot but when you try to get her down, she will roll on her back and play "keep away" from you. My husband, Harold, who has the long limbs in the family, is the cat catcher.

I have tried to lure her to jump over to our shed which is a mere 3 feet away from one part of the roof, but she won't budge. Also, I tried to put the tall trash bin underneath where she hangs out on the roof and she doesn't bother jumping down that way. I think it is just a game to her. The other puzzling thing is that she doesn't do this everyday, either.

Overall, we are hoping she will get bored with this before she becomes the proverbial "cat on a hot" tar "roof."

Playing in the wiki-sandbox

2008-03-07T12:44:00.000-08:00

So I got to play in the wiki-sandbox for SPLS learning 2.0. It was neat to see how easy it was to add a comment or link to the various favorites. It was also fun to see other people's favorites as well.

I can certainly see the popularity of the various wikis that are out in the internet. Wow!

Wide World of Wikis

2008-03-07T12:10:00.000-08:00

I just explored various wikis from a library point-of-view. Overall, I find wikis a fascinating tool since it is collaborative and easy for anyone to use.

I think that libraries could benefit by using wikis for a variety of things. As a former academic librarian, the idea of subject guides in a wiki is a great way to keep links, books, etc. current. It would be very useful tool for general reference librarians and the community that it serves.

I saw an example of one library who had a great wiki about local history with various links to Sanborn Fire Maps and obituary and newspaper indices. That would make an interesting idea for the Scottsdale Room here in the Scottsdale Public Library System.

I also found an example of a library using a wiki to keep a Frequently Asked Questions list.

Overall, libraries will benefit from the endless possibilities from the use of wikis due to the ease of use, collaborative efforts and the most current information.

Caption Challenge!

2008-03-04T15:37:00.000-08:00

Please take a good look at this photo of my cat. I would love, in comment form, any great caption ideas for this photo. The top 3 captions will be determined by my daughter and she is quite a tough judge . . . . Good luck and enjoy captioning!

Cholla!

2008-03-04T15:31:00.000-08:00

Library 2.0: The Library is a growing organism

2008-02-29T12:18:00.000-08:00

In reading all the perspectives on Library 2.0, I was initially reminded of library guru, Ranganathan, and his law, "The library is a growing organism." Libraries should grow and adapt with the times, culture and technology that it finds itself in. Library 2.0, the goal to make the library more interactive and collaborative with its community, is fulfilling this law of Ranganathan.

I propose that most libraries have been doing "Library 2.0" all along. We have always listened to our community and tried to offer what they demand. The library I work at has computers for anyone to use (not just library card holders), brand new DVDs, multiple copies of best sellers, etc.

The virtual library exists at the library I work at as well. I assisted a gentleman on the phone who had signed up for an online library card. He was only planning to use that online library card to gain access to the Value Line database. He was never planning to enter the physical library itself. This is certainly an active example of Library 2.0 where we provide the customer with a new way to provide service instead of the customer coming to us.

We can not predict where libraries will be in 5 or 10 years, but if we apply the open ideas of Library 2.0 and remember that the library is a growing organism, we will be prepared for the future.

That's Technorati!!!

2008-02-29T10:45:00.000-08:00

So, once again, I am exploring a world of endless blog-abilities: aka Technorati. It is truly amazing how much "free time" some of these bloggers have. Any conceivable subject they are off and blogging about it. Some can be highly entertaining.

I explored search tools for "Learning 2.0" and found some blogs that occurred regardless of the tag search, blog post search, etc. However, each type of search also found ones that were different as well.

I tried searching for topics I was interested in and realized my flaw of entering Montana as a search term. I am thinking the state where I lived for 8 1/2 years, not "Hannah Montana." (Oh the popularity of that gal! Yikes!) I did stumble upon some other legitimate blogs dealing with the state of Montana and was able to click on a tag of Bozeman (it was 50 miles from my home in Emigrant). I was eerily reminded when I saw the video links and the inside of the Burger King there. Also someone had road video of driving I-90 from Missoula to Bozeman. Dare I say, it brings me back.

I did experiment and go as far as claiming my blog on Technorati. I will see if any comments increase on my blog as a result. Perhaps, I am not Comment-worthy. . . Only time will tell.

Delectably Del.icio.us!

2008-02-26T10:16:00.000-08:00

So, in this exercise, I was introduced to the social bookmarking site, Del.icio.us. I liked the concept of the font size of the tags determining the popularity of such tags. I browsed comics, reference, research and photos. I was impressed with the ways you could either go directly to a website which was bookmarked/tagged but also be able to read what other Del.icio.us users had to say about a site as well.

At first, I didn't understand why anyone would want a bookmarking site when you can establish one on your personal computer internet browser. Then as I read about "social bookmarking" I realized for those people who can never remember a website address and may perhaps have to use a computer at a library and can't remember where they found some information, this type of "social bookmarking" website allows an individual to retrieve one's bookmarks from any computer anywhere.

I also read about the idea of a "shared account." This may be useful for a library information desk where many of us have to recreate the wheel if one is not familiar with useful reference-type websites online. If an information desk group added websites into a shared social bookmarking account such as Del.icio.us, it would be a good way to quickly access online reference tools.

It used to be "Penpals" and "Listservs"

2008-02-19T10:45:00.000-08:00

So, I visited MySpace and Facebook today. These are definitely the ultimate in social networking where you can link to other people easily and reveal as much or as little as you want to about yourself. I was very amazed at how some people so freely provide intimate details about their lives!

To me, MySpace and Facebook are replacing things like penpals and listservs. Back in the good ole days, you could write to a penpal and you would eagerly await your penpal's reply. You would probably get a neat stamp out of the deal if your penpal was out of the country. Now with these social networking online sites, a reply could be instantaneous!

If you are a fan of a band, singer, actor, etc., you used to just go to a website or fansite and perhaps subscribe to a listserv to get updates on the artist's activities and possibly even network with other fans. Now with MySpace it seems to be all in one place. I went to former American Idol finalist Vonzell Solomon's MySpace site and was amazed at all the things she has up on her site! Wow!

I also stumbled into the American Library Association's MySpace site and was intrigued with the various things on that site. YouTube's of special guest appearances at ALA meetings and ways to network with other libraries and librarians were neat features.

Our library could benefit from a MySpace by providing links to activities going on at the library and providing a forum for customers to write reviews on books, DVDs and other programs.

Post that Library Thing!

2008-02-15T10:59:00.000-08:00

Wow! The wonderful world of social networking for booklovers!

There were many neat features on Library Thing that made it very easy to add a book to one's list--like an amazon.com or Library of Congress search. You also get pictures of covers, etc. I liked reading the reviews of books on my list from other members. I also liked how statistics would come up quickly on how many members listed one of your books in their lists.

The social data tab was nice so you could quickly read reviews. I also figured out how to write a review of my own!

The link to the authors in your list was amazing! With a double-click of the mouse, you could view lots of information on your favorite authors.

Let's just say this was a fun exercise:

My list: http://www.librarything.com/catalog/scuddahoo

The Warholizer

2008-02-12T14:51:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I was born in 1968, and I was not hanging around with Andy Warhol, Lou Reed, Nico, etc., in the Village and doing artsy things. But now I have the chance through an image generator I explored called the Warholizer to take any picture and add a little of Warhol's genius to my snapshots. Miss Amber is perhaps just a budding starlet and in no way a Marilyn, but it is sure darn cute!

Try your own snapshot with Warholizer at http://www.shadowfire.de/warholizer

Finding more feeds?

2008-02-12T12:35:00.000-08:00

I tried exploring topix.net, Syndic8.com, and technorati.com to see how they worked. I saw how it was relatively easy to type in a search term and find recent news feeds or in some cases, blogs on a topic. However, none of them made it very obvious to me if you could locate an exact RSS feed. I came closest during a search on Syndic8.com for an XML for the Arizona Diamondbacks, but I wasn't successful in adding it to my blog on bloglines. For that, I will try again later.

I do find it easiest to go directly to a website on a topic or person (musician, celebrity, etc.) and see if they provide an RSS feed. I did that successfully with weather.com and the Sheryl Crow website and proceeded to add those feeds to my bloglines account. I also see the advantage of such a thing as bloglines where you can check for updates on all of your blogs or websites of interest all in one spot.

RSS and Newsreaders

2008-02-05T10:42:00.000-08:00

I have just explored the world of RSS and newsreaders on bloglines.com. It is very intriguing that with a few copy and pastes of URLs, you can be signed up for real time news information and also people's blogs.

Library Land can benefit from the use of RSS feeds by alerting people of new books in the collection or basic account information. People can also subscribe to news and weather feeds through the library website and stay informed of the world at large.

My feeds can be accessed at http://www.bloglines.com/public/scuddahoo

Technology through the eyes of a child

2008-01-31T15:39:00.000-08:00

My eldest daughter was born at the end of 2000. She is certainly a child of the 21st Century. Technology to her is a common everyday affair. She has asked me the following questions: "When you were a little girl, what was your favorite website?" or "When you were a little girl, did you have a favorite computer game?"

I have to tell her that there were no things like websites and computer graphics in the 1970's when I was her age. Computers were used to perform detailed calculations. Any computer screens might be someone's old television with either white, green or amber type. She can not fathom such things.

She is also puzzled by black and white movies or tv programs. I have to explain that originally television was only in black and white. I tell her I remember that we had one black and white television when I was a kid. Also, that movies from the silent Charlie Chaplin films she's seen to Miracle on 34th Street were in black and white either because A) the technology did not exist for color films or B) color film in the 40's and 50's was so expensive that many movies were made in the cheaper black and white format.

Perhaps the drastic changes of music technology are not as foreign to her since she has seen our turnable and albums and 45's. We have an extensive collection of albums, cassettes and cd's, but have not jumped on the iPod or mp3 bandwagon.

She is growing up in a world where, because of technology, you don't have to really wait for anything. Instant gratification. Everything is so fast. I wish that as a parent I could teach her patience, but perhaps my slow dial-up modem is about the only way she can understand that things don't always move as quickly. While she waits for a computer game to load from "Club Penguin" she reads a book. ; )

World in Pictures

2008-01-31T09:32:00.000-08:00

I explored the 3rd party Flickr tool called World in Pictures. I searched for Yellowstone National Park since I lived and worked there for 8 1/2 years before moving back to Arizona.

I was greeted with images of bison, moose, Hayden Valley, Old Faithful, and Mammoth Hot Springs. These images have inspired me to add my own Yellowstone pictures to this site when I have the time. (The above image is from my personal digital photo collection).

I also look forward to browsing the World in Pictures website for more locations such as Mesa, Arizona (since I live here again); Victoria, British Columbia (since I have always wanted to go there); Brussels, Belgium (since I visited there 20 years ago--Yipes!) and maybe even see if I can pull up pictures of the Cascade Mountain range volcanoes.

I also looked into Mappr and noticed it had an intriguing map of Route 66. I couldn't figure out how to take a closer look at the photos. Maybe when time permits . . .

Cat ownership at 30

2008-01-30T15:17:00.001-08:00

As a part of my lifelong learning, I became a pet owner for the first time at the age of 30. If you asked me when I was 9, I would have said my first pet would be a dog.

Instead, my first pet was a cat, and not the one pictured to the left. She is cat number three.

My first cat, Molly, was adopted on February 6, 1999 from the Stafford Animal Shelter in Livingston, Montana. She was about 5 months old and literally walked onto my lap at the shelter. I figured this was a good sign, so we adopted her. She lived with us in Yellowstone National Park for her first month with us.

In March 1999, my husband and I moved with Molly to a 20-acre ranch 20 miles south of Livingston and rented a small apartment there. Molly watched from inside and watched the landlord's calico cat, three dogs, horse, crazy llama and ducks wander around the ranch.

In May of that year, she ventured outdoors and didn't turn back becoming very confident in being outside. She became a proficient hunter. She loved to find the oddest hiding places, including an abandoned horse trailer, to take outdoor naps. After awhile, we decided as long as she knew where she was, that was okay by us. She'd come back when she was good and ready.

In time, Molly moved with us to our 8 acre property 3 miles down the road a-piece. She would let out panther-like screams when neighboring cats came on the property. My dad installed a catdoor for us and Molly loved to bring in mice, voles, and birds. After awhile we decided we didn't enjoy the live animals indoors (besides Molly herself), so we had a piece of wood to block the catdoor. Whew!

A few years later, we adopted a orange tabby we named Tony, so Molly would not get so lonely when we traveled. Molly didn't know what to think of Tony who was a tiny kitten at the time. She eventually tolerated him and would engage in cat-wrassling and the occasional grooming session. The two cats where like John and Yoko with their occasional bed-ins. The younger ginger Tomcat and the older, more exotic lady cat.

In 2006, we saw a Siamese at the Bozeman PetSmart. She was our 3rd cat. My daughter felt it was her birthday gift, as we adopted Koko, two days before her birthday in December. Koko was a stray so we have no idea how old she is. As with most Siamese, she is extremely playful and curious. Tony was scared of her at first and Molly just tolerated her. Tony warmed up quickly to Koko and they tussled and Koko always groomed Tony. Tony was 12 pounds and Koko only 6 pounds, but they were such a cute pair!

Molly could care less about the other two cats--as long as she could go out and hunt, she was okay.

Stay tuned for a future post on the cats travels of 1200 plus miles down to Mesa, Arizona. . .

SUNS eastern road trip

2008-01-25T09:52:00.000-08:00

This is test blog post #2, so I am going to write what is in the back of my mind today. . .

I am a Phoenix Suns fan. Tonight the team plays the Cleveland Cavaliers. Everyone knows that when Cavs player, LeBron James, is playing well, he is hard to beat.

Hopefully when Grant Hill gets back into the groove (he just had an appendectomy on January 10), he will help the team gel a little better. We shall see.

However, when Grant was out, some other bench players stepped up and fought hard against the Lakers, TWolves and Nets. Marcus Banks and dare I say, Boris Diaw, to name a few.

Let us hope that after a day off, the Suns have had a chance to regroup and practice their shots. Remember guys, defense!!!

7 1/2 Habits of Lifelong Learning

2008-01-25T09:33:00.000-08:00

Since I work in LibraryLand, I feel that everyday I am a lifelong learner. So I would have to say that the habit of "Accept responsibility for your own learning" is definitely the habit that I find easiest. Every time I work at the information desk, I am greeted with various questions from a diverse range of people. Some are as simple as placing a reserve on a best-selling book. Some are asking whether we have a book on how to write a letter to a friend who has a terminal illness.

Just a few days ago, for almost every question I was asked our library did not have exactly what the customer was looking for. Some people I helped didn't have the time to go into more thorough searches for their queries. I find that in these instances my hardest habit of lifelong learning is "View problems as challenges." I know I am challenged with some questions but sometimes I view them as problems instead. For example, when the library does not have the exact type of item they are looking for, I am frustrated that we don't have a book on that subject! However, I was able to suggest to our non-fiction selector some subjects that we could look for to order for the library system. So I do try to take the lemons and make them into lemonade, if you will.