The Booksmith

Thing 23 Yeahh!

2007-10-31T07:43:00.000-07:00

What a journey this was! I learned a lot not only in terms of getting acquainted with new sites such as Technorati, Delicious etc but of overcoming my 'techno phobia.' For someone like me who can't even program my DVD or TV reaching Thing 23 is a personal record and achievement. What this exercise did was to shore up my confidence and in the process emboldened me to be more creative and persistent in resolving techno problems not only of my own but of the patrons.

If there is one thing I can suggest to the format is that we form groups and tackle the exercise together. That way, the others who are techno-challenged like me, would not be so stymied or lag behind.Not only will this create a sense of bonding but the mentoring spirit among the newly found 'techie' will also be encouraged.

Should another program like this get introduced I would like to join. I look at this as continuing adult education.

Thing 22 Audio Books

2007-10-31T07:33:00.000-07:00

Listening to books while taking walks has always been one of the great pleasures in my life. The drudgery of household chores, the lonely drives have all been lightened by audio books as far as I'm concerned. I have downloaded Grisham's newest book on my MP3 player and look forward to listening to it on the plane next week.

Thing 21 Podcasts

2007-10-31T07:12:00.000-07:00

I have NPR's Book Tour on my bloglines and listen to it on Itunes at home. On a more personal note, you have to forgive this mother for bragging about her daughter Nicole who works for KPBS San Diego and broadcasted during the recent fire. I was able to listen to her podcasts.

Thing 20 You Tube

2007-10-29T17:34:00.000-07:00

I thought this was really cool. There is a whole world out there and one can definitely spend hours being entertained by it all.

Thing 19 Facebook

2007-10-26T09:40:00.000-07:00

I got intrigued about this site as it made the cover of Newsweek a few months ago. It seems very easy to use and as they say it is a social utility. It connects you with people in your area or with your friends. You can sell stuff, post messages, make photo albums to share.

Thing 18 Google Docs

2007-10-23T17:28:00.000-07:00

When I signed up to open a new account in Google Docs I didn't realize I already had one. A senior moment, no doubt. I used it just a month ago for the questions on the proposed call center. The very idea that you could open it in any computer anywhere is really the number one selling point.

Thing 17 HCL Sandbox

2007-10-23T17:25:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Beth we have our very own sandbox. It is a very useful tool in terms of coordinating or working on a project.

Thing 16 Wiki Wiki

2007-10-14T12:14:00.000-07:00

It is only now that I'm getting comfortable with Wikipedia. I look at this thing with great apprehension in terms of accuracy, not to mention vandalism of the 'creative nature'. As a learning tool however it would be great fun for students to take a jab at it. For the libraries of the future, it would be a positive reinforcement and interactive tool.

Thing 15 Web 2.0

2007-10-10T17:46:00.000-07:00

I do agree that public libraries have to adapt to new technology with the aim of helping the public. And there are good things out there ---Library Thing, Technorati..etc---that will help anyone organize, 'simplify' or enrich our lives. On the other hand there could be no better joy for me than to read a book, leaf through the pages and journey with the characters as they tell us their stories through the printed words. Libraries are not just repositories of books or dens of computers but community centers where people interact to discuss ideas, share books and exchange life experiences. Our lives are not going to be better because it is 'faster' but because it is lived.

Thing 14 Technorati

2007-10-06T18:44:00.000-07:00

It is mind boggling to even just take a peek at the 'blogosphere'. Tags are a great way of sifting through all the blogs and find out which one is relevant or useful to you.

2007-10-04T19:15:00.001-07:00

Save This Page

Thing 13 Del.icio.us

2007-10-04T19:02:00.000-07:00

The site has a user friendly instructional video that shows how useful it could be. Tagging your sites make it easier to retrieve several months after you have entered it.

South Africa's Kruger Park

2007-10-02T18:19:00.001-07:00

Thing 12

2007-09-28T05:28:00.000-07:00

Rollyo is one stop shopping for personal websites. Travel and books are top of my list.

Flickr experiment

2007-09-22T11:55:00.001-07:00

www.flickr.com

More Flickr photos tagged with flowers

Thing 11

2007-09-20T19:41:00.000-07:00

The Library Thing is a cut above the other book journaling software. I love it!

Filipina Thing 10

2007-09-20T18:59:00.000-07:00

This is an avatar of a Filipina woman in her regional dress with the Philippine rice terraces in the background.

Thing 8 and 9

2007-09-20T12:39:00.000-07:00

I got carried away and subscribed to about a dozen reader related feeds. New York Times book review, Bookworld and even Khaled Hosseini's website! Bloglines seems to be easy to use and an efficient aggregator.

Thing 7

2007-09-19T11:39:00.000-07:00

Downloading books on CD's to my ipod occupied me these past days. I have to check out the library site and see how to do that to an mp 3 player.

Thing 6

2007-09-19T11:36:00.000-07:00

I posted a picture of a library sign from a Flickr mashups. I have to learn how to rearrange all these images in my blog.

Thing 5

2007-09-19T11:33:00.000-07:00

Flickr is a good site in organizing or uploading pictures. I use My Publisher a lot though for my photo books.

Thing 4

2007-09-19T09:52:00.001-07:00

Blog registered and is now on the road to the rest of the 'thingys'.

Thing 3

2007-09-19T09:45:00.000-07:00

Now I can understand why people like to blog. Since the web offers some anonymity people seem less hesitant to write what they think. I guess it could be therapeutic or at the very least a peek into the hi-tech world of getting-to-know you.

Thing 2

2007-09-19T09:27:00.000-07:00

It is really in our mistakes that we learn. I was frustrated initially as I have not blogged before but as I got my 'techno-fear' in control I realized how cool this is. Just like in travelling, once we get out of our 'comfort zone' and open our minds to possibilities unseen or unheard of, the very act of listening or observing is learning.

Thing 1

2007-09-19T09:23:00.000-07:00

It took several attempts before I was able to put up my blog. I like the idea that this is self-paced and seems like a lot of fun!

Mash ups

2007-09-18T13:28:00.001-07:00

Mountains

2007-09-18T12:30:00.001-07:00

A view of the ocean