The end is nigh

One thing's for sure, I know more about web 2.0 than I did before.
I am still mildly confused about tagging etc. But i think it may just be like Scanner Darkly, simple plot but you come away feeling confused.
And I am confirmed in my thinking that the internet is useful after you know what you are looking for, not before. It needs a reason, then it's no end of useful.
So good night, and good luck.

Man, that was boring

If only I was running a small business or something. The content I found on netlibrary was boring and very limited. Though I didn't look up Catherine Cookson or Dan Brown. But I didn look up Guatemala, Che Guevara, Metallica and Star Wars ( for, you know, some variety.) All of which came back with either one or two refernces to the subject, or nothing at all. Sorry that's incorrect- there were guide books to Guatemala. There where no books specifically about (or by as the case may be) these subjects.

I have found more interesting books on http://www.gutenberg.org . And who can argue with free literature.

Bear in mind/ Beer in mind

Ah... podcasts. Again I had more success looking for podcasts from specific websites than using any of the suggested directories. Mainly because I couldn't think of anything to search for... and the results were all too vague and nothing really stood out as listenable.

That and downloading any software was just too slow.

So I went to the bbc website and as I suspected, there's plenty of podcasts to be had there.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/podcasts/directory/station/worldservice/
Again, I was kind of going about it the wrong way. The internet is most useful when you know what you want. If I had a subject in mind to research, then I could see benefits to podcasts. So, I shall bear podcasts in mind.

Oh mi god, liek thisis soo cool!

I'm just not in the mood for watching kids being injured, or animals doing cute things today.
So here's a link to some trusty ol' music....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbTozgoj9OQ
Hooray for youtube and being able to watch stuff one wouldn't otherwise see. (Not a reference to the injured kids and animals.)
Also, I found out that I don't like Gregorian chants, no matter what they are covering.

Sunshine, rainbows and lollipops

It's Friday, it's a short day, and I am being paid to do my 2.0 stuff. I am inside, so I can't hear whether or not the birds are singing - but I assume so.

I browsed the list of awards (#19), and checked out a couple of sites.
I liked http://www.onesentence.org/for it's profoundness and irony. That and I don't like having to read long stuff, so one sentence suits my level of commitment.

I also checked out http://www.etsy.com/. Some if the stuff is butt ugly crap. But it's good for getting (stealing?) ideas.

Yo, yo, yo; zo, ho

Yea, so at least I can see a use for online word processing etc. Though I never found that online typewriter, maybe that's better.
Good to know this type of stuff is out there.
The best use I can think of for it, is to have information available while travelling. But what are the advantages to having your stuff online rather than on a flash card?
When will you be able to save word documents onto your ipod, now that would be handy.

Sadbox wiki

Ah Sandbox Wiki, how useful information is when you have a tonne of people adding to it with no rules. I'm trying to be open minded.. but come on. I guess that's the difference between good and bad... good is usable - bad is a bunch of monkeys typing. (Can't remember the exact number of monkeys, or how long they'd have to type for.)

I can't imagine sandbox being useful. In all the uses I can think of; it would take as long to set it up, tell everybody about it, they figure out how to use it, and remember to; as it would (for example) to go on the camping trip.

But I'll bear it in mind if I ever decide to go camping.

By which time we'll be up to about web 9.0.

Catch up #14 Technorati.

Now I remember why I probably skimmed over this the first time. Technorati relates to technology stuff. I have learned that I was inhabiting a 2.0 world, in a 1.0 fashion... and that I should be a little more curious and a little less scathing of new technologies. However, I can not imagine myself reading about technology stuff. It just doesn't interest me that much.

I have however, had to eat my words a number of times recently. I always said I didn't see the point in ipods. I know what I want to listen to and when so my old battered discman was sufficient. Then I was given an ipod, then some b*stard stole my ipod and I have been miserable ever since. (Bloody batteries just don't last long enough. Bring on the mp3 player... momma needs portable music.)
All things in moderation, except humble pie apparently. At least I now know that Technorati exists. I'll go now and maybe write someone a letter, or play a CD or even a tape... or crawl into a cave and use two sticks to start a fire.

Catching up on #9.

In trying to find some library related blogs I came across http://blogs.britannica.com/blog/main/category/books/
I was impressed as there are no blogs about My Chemical Romance, kittens or Britney Spears. Oh it's so organised and actually useful. I do in fact need to know which libraries in the world are haunted (can't get more library related than that) then I know which ones to skip on my "libraries of the world" tour. (Places are limited, book early.)

This brilliant site then led me on to learning about sustainability in the book printing industry.
http://www.greenpressinitiative.org/index.htm
I feel twice as good now, having not purchased the unsustainable "Harry Potter and-the-whatsit-something". I guess I assumed that books would naturally be printed on recycled paper.
But then some people need brand new paper pulp, bleached with toxins and embossed with flowers, toilet paper to wipe their precious butts with.

And... back to task. There's a new policy for ACL, purchasing sustainable books over the unsustainable. It only remains to see if there is New Zealand based information on the subject.
Oh, but I feel so good having found useful information in a blog format! That's put a spring in my step.

Is this 50 words?

Ok now that I've watched the little video about the friend camping trip, I can now see how a wiki would be handy. Very cool, so long as your group is all up for the technical challenge. I just don't have anything to organise...

But the best part of the week? Using wikipedia to refute the knowledge of my elders. Ha! More vindication for me!

Beware of unchecked thinking

So web 2.0 is the great democratiser. There has always been a hierarchy of knowledge, scholarly thinking has always been held in high regard. Blame the ancient Greeks I guess.

Library 2.0 recognises that information and knowledge isn't always in a printed format. (Written, but not printed.) In someways, 2.0 harps back to a time when printed material was not vastly available. The printing press paved the way for democratising knowledge, making the dissemination of information cheap and quick. Like a historically verbal tradition, 2.0 takes advantage of community knowledge. Except in the 21st century, literacy rates are already established. So society doesn't have to overhaul itself to use the information. Which might be it's problem. Why adapt if it isn't critical?

However, in general, a population inherently has to believe that those inhabiting the upper echelons of that society have somehow earned their place. That anyone above you warrants respects, (that the parents knows more...) the web throws out these notions. Knowledge is no longer slowly acquired, but pours in. My scepticism of web technologies is that is it too democratic. Everyone is an expert, and has valid opinions. Myspace is a testament to stupid people with web access.

Are we in fact getting stupider by our increased supply of information. And is information enough? We receive information, but need knowledge. I can't remember who said

"don't speak, unless you can improve the silence".

Information is a lot like junk mail, you can't not be subjected to it. Information no longer has to be of any substance. Scholarly thinking, mediated, and acquired gradually has become the rude dictator. Preventing us all from our destinies as great philosophers.

Here's another quote I found, while trying to credit the previous one

"If you wouldn't write it and sign it, don't say it". Earl Wilson

Win some, lose some

I don't understand. I don't get what Del.what's it is for. I understand putting all my bookmarks in one place, and making them easy to find etc. But I don't get how it all works. It seems very random and unorganised. Though maybe it's something that works best if you have a specific use for it, rather than just browsing.

Browsing can be fruitful though, I stumbled across this...
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Bow-and-Arrow
I am so gonna try and find time to make a bow and arrow this weekend. Finally, something I can actually use.

#12 Library Thing & Rollyo

My interest is waining. How many accounts am I going to have to set up? If I was smart I would have called them all the same thing. Passwords and usernames, account names... it's all too much.

I found Library Thing kind of useful. It took a long time to put in enough information (20) to get something decent out of it. All it could suggest for me to read was other books by the authors in my list. Yea, I could read all of the books in the Discworld series, or I could not. That and an interest in grim Central American history and fiction in general, doesn't mean I want to read vampire books. I thought the unsuggester more helpful. Here's something interesting though, if you put "the bible" into the suggester or the unsuggester it comes up with the same list. That's cheating.

I found Rollyo to be utterly annoying. I made a reference list, then decided to alter it. But I created a new roll, (didn't think about editing the existing one.) Then i couldn't delete the old one... or make a short cut, or find my roll from the homepage. I think my lack of enthusiasm this week, cut short my patience. I good idea, just really irritating to use.

This is definitely taking more than 15 minutes a day. But hey... roll on next week.

Quit it

Oh joy, oh rapture.

I modified my idea, and finally it worked.

I want to quit my job and spend my days making Star Wars dioramas, and then photographing them.

No motivational poster for me

After finally coming up with an idea for this weeks learning exercise, for the life of me I could not make it work.

I tried using an image from flickr, but couldn't get into to copy or upload into the programme thingy. Tried various different ways to "acquire" the image I wanted, and couldn't even get my second or third choices. I tried copying the URL (as I've previously done), and saving it to my desktop and then uploading it. All to no avail. So I'm afraid I have unceremoniously given up on that task. After mustering some excitment over finding such a fantastic image... again I am left disapointed.
Woe...

Feed on FSS feeds

Currently I am distracted by listening outside my comfort zone, am listening to the X-ecutioners, for a temporary change to metal.
So, RSS feeds.
I set up my bloglines account, and subscribed to some of their popular sources. For the life of me, I could not find anything I really wanted to subscribe to when I tried searching the various suggested sites.
I have my news sources of choice and a couple of websites I frequent. I can see that subscribing to newspapers is handy. But when it comes to the websites that I check out- I actually want the atmosphere of the website.
Basically, I don't want my computer telling me what I should be doing. I will seek news and information when I want it. I don't want it seeking me out.
Every time I have subscribed to newsletters via my email address, I never read ANY of the guff they send me. It must be a mutation of the adage that, if you give someone a photocopied information- they won't read it.

Sad wittle Emo's!

Here's a note worthy article I have copied/pasted:

Emo Outrage Over MH Win Boils Over
08.28.07

Machine Head's "Best Album" win at last Thursday's Kerrang! Awards over pop-rock powerhouses My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy has apparently cut deep with fans of both bands, prompting a flood of angry whining and sad-faced emoticons on the Kerrang! message boards. Machine Head's upset victory over the multi-platinum softcore acts sent their inherently sensitive fans into an emotional frenzy, building into a tizzy of unparalleled proportions. Wrought with dismay, polished fingernails the world over lashed out at the band and metal as a whole with diatribes the likes of "MCR really should have won!!! I'm mad now!!!!”, "what a load of shit, who the fuck listens to them?" and "Stupid Machine Head!!", at times stooping so low as to say the competition was fixed, and often gravely endangering the integrity of their carefully sideswept hair with posts like "I H8 METAL, I H8 METAL, I H8 METAL, I H8 METAL, I H8 METAL, I H8 METAL, I H8 METAL".Not surprisingly, Machine Head fans responded en masse to the tirades, lashing back in defense of the band and the undisputed quality of the album, citing critical praise, technicality, songwriting and fan response to 2007's "The Blackening", as well as the band's influence on and history within their genre, with the occasional "Machine Head piss all over anything MCR have ever done" thrown in for good measure.To much less internet-based commotion, the band also took home the "Hard Rock Hero" award, netting them two Kerrang! awards for the first time since "Burn My Eyes" where they received "Best International Band" and "Best Video" for the song "Davidian".


Thank you. And goodnight!
Vindication from the highest level!

Thanks to machinehead1.com, purveyors of good taste. (Hurry up and re-scedule, please.)

Week 7. No. 3

Is it technology related to complain about the dodgy manual clutch in my car? It's going funny, and as a completely outmoded piece of technology is twice as frustrating. (I don't know if my car likes to have it's age revealed.)
Driving a manual car is one thing. But like cassette tapes, manual clutches are entirely redundant, and aren't even old enough to be retro cool yet.

Don't argue with me!

One legged people should NOT take photos. These "crazy/zany angle" photographs are just a slap in the face to anybody with taste or style. I cannot be scathing enough of people who think this is a good idea. Having been to Tikal in northern Guatemala (subject of above photo), and having a Bachelor of Design, majoring in Art Criticism and specialising in photography; gives me all the authority I need to be scathing. And, I also don't like beige.

Please don't rub salt in my wounds

A digital slap in the face to myspace! In my delving into online communities I was left wanting. Well, not so much wanting as... vilified. In browsing that features were to be had on myspace, every band profile I was interested in looking at left me with the same message, something about routine maintenance....
But here's the thorn in my decidedly out-of-date side... I must admit defeat. OK, so there may be some interesting things on myspace. Up-to-date interviews etc. (And videos of people hurting themselves in stupid ways.)

So... I see reason to this aspect of myspace. I concede, partially.
But. I am still to be convinced to sign up. Observation and not participation is my thing, all those neat people with their pre-set-digital-camera-setting portraits will have to remain unknown to me at this point. I'm sure my life will be less fulfilling not chatting to all these neat people, oh well.

Week 1. 48 Hours In Hamilton (Fashion Weak)

Regardless of meeting the required number of inhabitants, Hamilton, still misses a certain 'big city' something. The mecca of heavy metal in NZ, Hamilton does indeed have a life of it's own. What are, in the 21st century called, cigarette jeans- have in fact never gone out of "fashion" in Hamilton. (And indeed have never been called cigarette pants.) Oh, Hamilton; immune to the sands of time, and the dull trends of the 'big city'.

Values in today's society

Working hard to destroy E.M.O, and raising the profile of 80's thrash metal.