YouTube-#20

My YouTube entry seems to have disappeared. Apparently it may have merged with the Podcast Locator entry. Perhaps I clicked on the wrong place when editing. So I will try to redo it. I have used YouTube in the past, once even to answer a reference question. A patron expressed disbelief that a candidate actually made a statement that was attributed to him. I was able to show him a video of the comment. I also met with two other library people several weeks ago and we looked at interesting sounding videos on YouTube. We looked at Hamster Montage, Just Ducky and Steam Trek: the Moving Picture. And I course I previously looked at the Staff Day video and last spring when traveling looked at the Obama ad that everyone was talking about.

I did not want to set up a YouTube account at this time. When I tried to export an actual video to my blog, it required an account be set up. So I will just put the URL of a video into my blog. It didn't make it a live link, but it is there. It is a video of a lego catapult.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCZQBjVDzHA

Locating podcasts-#21

Podcasts seem like fun. I usually have the radio on a talk station when I'm in the car and at the most interesting moment I find myself having to get out of the car. So they are almost like a TiVo for the radio, letting you listen at a more convenient time. I have thought about downloading one onto my home computer but I never have. But if I had an MP3 player I would be more likely to listen to them. I tried out some of the podcast search engines, but I wasn't really looking for anything in particular, so I didn't really develop a preference for one over another. I added the Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me Quiz to my Google Reader account as a result of the search. If I start listening to them I'll add more later.

I am putting all of my URLs on the tracking form, and I must have edited this incorrectly because my entry about locating podcasts showed up with a URL that included the word YouTube and my YouTube entry disappeared. So I am redoing this entry.

Ending Comments-#23

It's been an interesting journey. I have enjoyed learning many new things. My only complaint is the time pressure. I would definitely want to continue the process, but next time please (for the sake of the people in Children's Services) do not start it during the summer. I definitely tried some things that I will continue. I like the blog reader and Pandora (one of the Award winning sites)best. I would be interested in continuing with a format where everyone tried one new thing each month (the same thing for everyone). There was so much here that it was overwhelming and will take quite a while longer for me to fully absorb everyting. And I think that some people didn't start because they thought that they would not have time to complete the program.

Thanks for all the challenges.

Downloadable Audiobooks-#22

I think that the downloadable audiobooks are a wonderful source, and I am very glad that our library has made this available. It seems like a very much more efficient method, than to come in and check out a book on CD or tape. Patrons used to often come on and ask if we had a list of talking books that they could browse through. So it is nice that you can browse these titles as well as search for a specific title.

I am more visually oriented than audio oriented, so I much prefer my books to be in paper form. The last time I had to listen to an audio book, I had my son download the discs to his laptop so I could listen at 2X speed. It is surprising how normal that sounds. Nonetheless, I think that I would be much more likely to listen to an audiobook using an MP3 player than CDs. With CDs I tend to walk away from the player and then realize I have missed a chunk of the story. If I get an MP3 player, I think I will definitely download a book and try listening. Even the dedicated MP3 players that the library is considering getting seem to me a drastic improvement over CDs, but I think that the downloadable books sound even better.

I might try listening to Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett after hearing him speak at the National Book Festival this weekend.

I definitely think that having an MP3 player and downloading a couple of books would make it easier for any librarian to be able to show patrons how to download books.

Locating Podcasts-#21

Podcasts seem like fun. I usually have the radio on a talk station when I'm in the car and at the most interesting moment I find myself having to get out of the car. So they are almost like a TiVo for the radio, letting you listen at a more convenient time. I have thought about downloading one onto my home computer but I never have. But if I had an MP3 player I would be more likely to listen to them. I tried out some of the podcast search engines, but I wasn't really looking for anything in particular, so I didn't really develop a preference for one over another. I added the Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me Quiz to my Google Reader account as a result of the search. If I start listening to them I'll add more later.

2.0 Awards List-#19

I wanted to select a site that was very different from others we have been exploring. So I selected Pandora, the first place music site. I looked around the site and tried out making a temporary station. I have not yet set up an actual account, but very likely will some time in the near future. The site says that it requires DSL and since our home computer is still down, I don't have any immediate incentive. This requirement also implies that we would not be encouraged to listen on staff computers at work, since it may slow things down. But I very much like the idea of a ready source of music tailored to fit my mood and tastes. You can set up as many as 100 separate stations based on songs or artists you like. You can have a free account with advertisting or a paid account without. I like the fact that the artists are compensated and that they play not just the artists you select but also others who share similar characteristics, so you are introduced to artists you may not have otherwise heard about. I based my trial station on the music of Django Rinehart, who I haven't listened to for a while, and very much enjoyed the selection. To listen to more, I would have had to set up an account, and while I may do so soon, I am not ready to yet. But I am very glad to know about it. It will probably not be a site I would use often at the library. Mainly because you cannot request a certain song be played on demand. You also cannot replay a song that was just played. So it would not be useful for patrons looking for a particular song. But I would certainly recommend it as a site for someone who is interested in more casual listening.

Practice Zoho Document-#18

Zoho
This is a practice document I am writing to try out zoho. I will try to export it to my blog.

O.K. It worked. The directions for this one were very clear. And this is something that will be very useful. I can definitely see using this one in the future. Especially when I am traveling as I will be doing soon.