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.