"Abidee, abidee, abidee...That's all folks."

Basically, I like the old fashioned searching around and finding neat feeds, but it seems to me that we did this all with the previous exercise. Oh, I guess on the previous one we used ones we were already familiar with. That makes sense.

That one, Topix, I found pretty good, but Syndic8, not so much.

And the first one (Feedster) on the list appears to not be operational any longer or there's a major glitch to it. Maybe whomever is posting all this material might want to take a gander at that and verify.

I've pretty much spent too much time on this today, so I am going to leave my post as is. In the words of the immortal "Porky Pig", "Abidee, abidee, abidee...That's all folks."

"That's what SHE said."

I dont' think I did this public thing the way it said to, but I enlisted the help of my guru and she says I have now added "RSS feed buttons to my blog," so my blog should be accessible at this point. In the words of Michael Scott of the "Office", "That's what SHE said." Ok, and here are my thoughts on the template questions (easier than having to think myself; I've thought too much on this public thing).

1) What do you like about RSS and newsreaders?Well, I guess it is a positive thing to be able to get updates or have a one stop shopping place for all the sites I visit. I was amazed that the Boston Globe, which I visit a lot as a Red Sox fan, doesn't allow this kind of hookkup, but the Florida Times-Union does, at least for its columnists like Littlepage (actually Podcasts; gotta love those Littlepage podcasts). I enjoyed the exercise, but I doubt I'll use it all that much. I don't mind going to sites on an as needed basis. But I am glad to know that I can use this if I become more tech oriented as time goes by (the world seems to be moving me that way, alas).

2) How do you think you might be able to use this technology in your work or personal life?

I answered part of this above. I might use it as I become more tech oriented and find myself not having the time to go to sites, but Google makes it so easy to find sites I am not sure how valuable this is for me personally.

3)How can libraries use RSS or take advantage of this new technology?

Frankly, I don't have a clear idea as to how libraries can use this. Well, maybe we can put a link on our website that tells people what RSS is and directs them how to go about getting a feed; sort of how we have links to all the e-mail providers. That might be a neat thing to do, come to think of it.

Cell Phones

I often wonder what it is about people that makes them HAVE to be connected and talking to another person all times of the day or night. You see it everywhere – people driving in high speed traffic, people on dates, mothers or dads with their children. Everyone’s on the cell phone, 24/7/365. No one can be comfortable where they are in the moment.

For a long time I resisted owning a cell phone just for that reason. I thought it was goofy how people couldn't be "unconnected" for even a little while.

I finally broke down and got a very inexpensive, pay-as-you go phone, but I use it sparingly. In fact, I have to force myself to use it because if I don’t the minutes go away after a certain date (quite a rip off, but that’s another story).

So, I guess the thrust of my comments here is that I see technology as a tool; I use it, it does not use me.

Babies R Me

Last December, at 44, I became a dad for the first time, and it has been revelation. I'm interested in all things baby now, and when I spotted this picture on the Montager, I just had to use it. The boy is so cute. (I think the baby's a boy; hard to tell when they are young. My boy, Milo, has been called a she a time or two).

I like the way the Montager looks. It is just intriguing.

Iowa Floods of '08

I chose a photo from the recent Iowa floods (now forever known as the "Floods of ’08" by Iowans).

My wife is from Iowa and all her family is as well. So, my son’s maternal roots are from that great state, and it broke my heart and that of my wife to see what happened there just a few short weeks ago.

On a personal note, we had a long planned trip to Iowa City for a wedding, and we went last week. You couldn’t see much in the way of remnants of it because roads were blocked so we couldn’t get down to the University of Iowa Campus, which was a shame because my wife graduated from there and had been looking forward to showing me her old stomping grounds.

I selected this photo because it is one from the campus area and in the rear you can see the new art building, which is deluged with water. My wife was an education/art major, so, again, it touched us personally to see this.

It just goes to show that Mother Nature doesn’t play!

Life Long Learning: The good and the bad

The 7 1/2 steps listed on our library staff's 2.0 program are all good, common-sense points about how to be a life long learner. It is so crucial to have that mindset. I read a book earlier this year called "Mindesets" by Carol Dweck, and this entire life long learning thrust reminds me of that. Dweck says some people come from a mindset that if they have to work to learn something it isn't worth it. They expect to be naturally good at something from the get go and if they are not, fuhgetaboutit. That's a counterproductive way to go about life. We can all learn to improve in almost every area. In the book it took people who said they were horrible at drawing (like me) and with just a little bit of training their stick figures turned into decent likenesses of what they were trying to draw. I recall not being a good free throw shooter as a boy and years later, in my thirties, laid off from work, I spent hours one day shooting free throws and actually got to where I cold make 10 to 12 in a row. So, we can all improve.

The easiest thing or best thing in the 7 1/2 for me is taking problems and treating them as opportunities. I've had mega personal challenges in the last 15 years, and initially I cried, "Why me," but I came to realize the folly in that and figured, "Why not me", and endeavored to use my "problems" to become a better person. And I am a lot better person now. I am not where I want to be, but thank goodness I am not where I used to be.

The most difficult of the 7 1/2 steps would be dealing with technology, I believe. I am not afraid of it, and am proficient with computers and such, but I am at an age where I am between the dinosaurs who have real problems with tech and the younger folk who grew up with it and using technology, for them, is like breathing.