Thing 21

I took a look at podcast.net, but wasn't very pleased with my search. I just found too many irrelevant sites. I had much better luck at podcastalley.com. I did a search using the term "libraries" and had 25 results. However, under "education", I found an interesting podcast called "libvive", which is worth checking into further. That day's "cast" was about library funding, I believe, and it wasn't dry at all, but quite interesting, as well as informative. The podcast I added to my Bloglines account is NPR: Books, since I have listened to reviews on All Things Considered in the past and have enjoyed them.
I think, regarding podcasts, I have the same response as to some of the other "things". There is much that is interesting and/or useful, but wow, there is a lot of junk too, or just reasons (excuses?) for people to rant and rave about life. In a way it's good that we can vent, but on the other hand, all that clutter!!

NOAA: National Marine Fisheries Service---Fish Watch

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/fishwatch/

Thing 20

I can easily see why YouTube is so addictive. I put in searches for "1960s commercials" and for "1980s music videos", and was transported back to the good 'ol days when commercials were fun, and when music videos were just MUSIC and not the equivalent of a Hollywood blockbuster along with an overwrought "storyline" and over-the-top special effects. So, it was fun to see all these, and a little scary to realize how drawn in I was by everything, and how tempted I was to just keep looking at all there was. As far as posting a video, I did a keyword search for Audrey Hepburn and found this utterly fascinating one called "Women in Film". Not only do you see each face of these great actresses morph into the next one, but you get to listen to this lovely cello solo in the background.

Things 18 and 19

Thing 18: ZoHo Writer seems easy enough to work with, and not having to worry about whether the software is in place on your computer is a plus. But, I thought it still had the annoying albeit minor glitches, if you will, that Word has.

Thing 19: I first looked at "Listdump", which was under "Lists and Polls", and certainly the second syllable of the name is appropriate because that's where some of these "lists" belong--in the dump! I gave up counting the porn lists after 8. Can you imagine your 10-year old daughter or son exploring Listdump because, like me, they love to make lists and want to add their own, and being confronted with garbage like that? I guess this is my big problem with "anyone can join in and add or subtract items" things like wikis. And, also, who monitors these? Can't we have some kind of, well, censorship? I can just breeze by junk like this, but why should a child be smacked in the face, so to speak, with this?
On a more pleasant note, (and for a breath of fresh air), I looked at Biblio.com (which checks on out-of-print books) and entered a book I remember borrowing many years ago, and finding it for sale, which was rather a nice surprise. I checked out one more site, Reader2.com, and saw that it had a "what book to read next" search, but every time I put in a title, there were no hits. (And I entered popular titles such as The Da Vinci Code, and Jack and Jill, by James Patterson.) So, it seems that, to be effective, this site needs much more input from people. If only a handful of people participate and add their thoughts and lists of books, a site such as this won't be very helpful.

Women in Film

This is a very cool presentation of famous women actresses from the silent era to today, with a lovely cello accompaniment. See how many you recognize!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEc4YWICeXk

Thing 17

I very much enjoyed browsing this wiki. I added entries to the "favorite movie" and "favorite TV show" lists. I think pretty much everyone has at least several lists of favorites, if not on paper or online, at least in his or her head, and it's fun that you can now add yours to a sort of "community" site. You're putting in your two cents worth, and you get the chance to see what other people like. Certainly this kind of sharing is going to be a very positive experience, since you are only describing and listing things you like. And don't we all need places like this to go to every so often?

Thing 16

I enjoyed visiting the Princeton Public Library's "Book Lover's Wiki". I most definitely think having patrons review books is a worthwhile endeavor for a library. So many patrons ask us librarians what we think of certain titles, and while I am a voracious reader, I can't possibly read everything, needless to say, and professional reviews, while very worthwhile, sometimes don't give you that "from the heart" impression that a regular reader would. I enjoy reading the reader reviews on Amazon, for example, because you get a nice range of opinions, and again, I like that personal touch. And, I thought the ALA New Orleans 2006 wiki was great for people not familiar with either the city or the conference. The tips on where to visit and where to eat, for example would have been most helpful to someone going there.
As far as libary applications, I would love, as I mentioned above, to enable patrons to add their reviews of a book. I also can see the value, from looking at other libraries' wikis, of the library as a community resource in that people could add informtion about events such as fairs, concerts or meetings.

Thing 15

"To a temporary place in time":
The library certainly IS everywhere nowadays, with home access, WiFi, e-books, etc., but thank goodness (and not just because I like my job and want to keep it!) there are still people our patrons can talk to and get help from. I like the author's use of the term "experienced tour guides", for after all, even though so much information is in a paperless form, patrons need someone who enough know-how to navigate them through all that's available to obtain the information that is most relevant to their needs. I also really appreciated the author's last comments about libraries of the future (4.0) having areas that are, frankly, sanctuaries from the hustle and technobabble going on around us. Give me a good book, a comfy chair, and a quiet area, and I'm in "hog heaven"!! And, I think it's safe to say, I'm not alone in my feelings.
So, what about "Library 2.0"? Well, let's keep up with new things that come along. Let's provide USER-FRIENDLY databases, online catalogs, free and easy access to any information and collaboration with other library systems to bring that book or movie or special bit of info to our patrons. BUT, let's never lose sight of the idea of a library as a place being used by people, run by people and for ALL the people, including those of us who just want a book to actually hold in our hands and savor and enjoy, either at home or in a QUIET area of the library, by using the greatest piece of machinery yet devised: the human mind.

Thing 14

Technorati was a lot of fun to explore. I would venture to say that it was the most enjoyable "thing" to do so far. I did the Learning 2.0 search and found that a keyword search produced almost 27,000 results, while a tag search found 3,511, and the blog directory search found 254. Of course, blogs are way more encompassing than keywords or tags, but still, it was interesting to see how you can narrow, so to speak, your search.
I really loved just exploring Technorati. Clicking on the tag "lipstick" brought me to a slide show of Connie Francis, with her song, "Lipstick on Your Collar" playing in the background. I did a search for Audrey Hepburn and found an utterly fascinating video of famous actresses, from the 1920s to present, in which each faces morphs into the next one, with a lovely classical cello piece playing in the background. I also found the moving and lovely tribute to Miss Hepburn that I now have on my blog. The popular blog search had a video of our Vice-President, otherwise known as the Man Behind the Throne, talking, in the early 90s, of how worthless and destructive it would have been to go after Saddam Hussein after the first Gulf War. Hmmmmmmm.......
So, needless to say, I spent a delightful and eye-opening time with Technorati, and plan to visit it again.

A truly beautiful woman

Audrey Hepburn_026
Originally uploaded by draeb_FM

Click on the YouTube link below to view a lovely, touching tribute to a great actress and an even greater person.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epZoZcBiIsM