A family friend who is a librarian just sent me the link to this CNET article about a service that aims to be a Netflix for books:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13512_3-10223739-23.html
It's an interesting idea, but I do wonder how well such a service will catch on. It doesn't seem as convenient as Netflix, especially since you have to worry about how much a book weighs. I guess it would be a good source for specialized books or titles from small publishers that a library might not carry. I just wonder how many of these kinds of books BookSwim owns. It sounds like the service may be more for people who just can't wait to get a bestseller from a library and are willing to pay a little money to get their hands on the book now. I wonder if BookSwim will sell used copies of bestsellers once they aren't so popular any more and aren't needed for their subscribers. Hmmm, a new source for used books, perhaps...
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Gizmodo
I find the hompage for Gizmodo a bit intimidating. I am not a gadget person and feel like these people are speaking another language. I don't understand how the postings are organized, so I decided to try a search. I searched for "digital camera" because my branch is going to be purchasing a new one, but all of the postings on the first few results pages are old. Digital cameras change so quickly that anything even from 2008 isn't going to be helpful. Oddly, I can't even figure out what order the postings are in - alphabetical and date order don't see to be it.
However, I did find another section of Gizmodo which I liked -- Dealzmodo and the Gadget deals of the Day. Who knew that you can get a free gift if you bring three plastic bottles into a Disney Store today? OK, the gift probably isn't that great, and I'm sure it's just a chance for them to plug their new Earth movie, but its still free. I have an uncle who is obsessed with getting great deals on everything; he's the kind who will buy tons of stuff he doesn't need just because he can get it a great deal on it. I know he follows certain websites that tell you about deals, but I am not sure if he knows about this one. I will pass the link on to him and get some "great niece" brownie points. I just wish we had an O'Charley's restaurant here in Sac so I could get the free Strawberry Lemonade they are offering today!
However, I did find another section of Gizmodo which I liked -- Dealzmodo and the Gadget deals of the Day. Who knew that you can get a free gift if you bring three plastic bottles into a Disney Store today? OK, the gift probably isn't that great, and I'm sure it's just a chance for them to plug their new Earth movie, but its still free. I have an uncle who is obsessed with getting great deals on everything; he's the kind who will buy tons of stuff he doesn't need just because he can get it a great deal on it. I know he follows certain websites that tell you about deals, but I am not sure if he knows about this one. I will pass the link on to him and get some "great niece" brownie points. I just wish we had an O'Charley's restaurant here in Sac so I could get the free Strawberry Lemonade they are offering today!
Montager
Wow! There are sure a lot of ways to waste time/have fun on the web. After learning about all of them in 27 Things, I may never get any work done again (If you are my supervisor and reading this, please be aware that this is all a joke - ha ha!)
I am currently using Flickr Montager to create a mosaic of panda pictures (I am obsessed with pandas and have collected panda stuff since third grade). The only problem is that the search function seems to be based on the tags assigned to the photos by the Flickr member who posted them, so you don't always get just what you wanted. Some of the photos included I can understand, such as those of cars (there is a car in England called a Panda) and street crossing (they are always talking about panda crossings in the British mysteries I read), but why is there a photo of some guy at the beach? Anybody know if there is a way to print out these mosaics -- perhaps in larger format? I would love to print out the panda one for my collection!
I am currently using Flickr Montager to create a mosaic of panda pictures (I am obsessed with pandas and have collected panda stuff since third grade). The only problem is that the search function seems to be based on the tags assigned to the photos by the Flickr member who posted them, so you don't always get just what you wanted. Some of the photos included I can understand, such as those of cars (there is a car in England called a Panda) and street crossing (they are always talking about panda crossings in the British mysteries I read), but why is there a photo of some guy at the beach? Anybody know if there is a way to print out these mosaics -- perhaps in larger format? I would love to print out the panda one for my collection!
Rat Terriers
I like the tags in Flickr because they allow me to search for photos of things I am interested in. So I did a search for "Rat Terriers" which is the kind of dog I have, and have discovered that there are lots of other rat lovers out there. I also found out that it is not a trait of the breed to dislike wearing clothing and costumes. As proof, see the two images from Flickr in the links below:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/leababy/3387039828/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/leababy/3387039696/
Now I know the truth - it is Benton (my dog), not rat terriers in general, who are to blame! Yes, I am one of those crazy people who would love to dress my dog up for Halloween, Christmas, etc. He actually refuses to even wear a shirt when he is cold or a raincoat when we go on walks in the rain (and he really hates getting wet, so go figure). I once tried putting antlers on his head for just long enough to take a picture for a Christmas card, but he would not cooperate. Not sitting still for a photo, though, is apparently not something Benton is alone in, as you can tell from the title of this guy's flickr image:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlee20/3394169615/
I also discovered a "group pool" for rat terriers, which is a way for different members to have all the rat terrier photos in one place. Check out this image - it's hilarious:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cindyjerrell/3462012663/in/pool-ratterriers
http://www.flickr.com/photos/leababy/3387039828/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/leababy/3387039696/
Now I know the truth - it is Benton (my dog), not rat terriers in general, who are to blame! Yes, I am one of those crazy people who would love to dress my dog up for Halloween, Christmas, etc. He actually refuses to even wear a shirt when he is cold or a raincoat when we go on walks in the rain (and he really hates getting wet, so go figure). I once tried putting antlers on his head for just long enough to take a picture for a Christmas card, but he would not cooperate. Not sitting still for a photo, though, is apparently not something Benton is alone in, as you can tell from the title of this guy's flickr image:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlee20/3394169615/
I also discovered a "group pool" for rat terriers, which is a way for different members to have all the rat terrier photos in one place. Check out this image - it's hilarious:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cindyjerrell/3462012663/in/pool-ratterriers
Password Craziness
Just signed up for Flickr, which means I had to sign up for a Yahoo account. By the end of 27 Things, I am going to need a notebook to keep all of my various passwords in! I'm not all that concerned about security, i.e. someone finding my passwords and being able to log on as me on Google, Blogspot, Yahoo, Flickr, etc., so I think I could just have a notebook or something to keep at my desk with all my log-in info for each service. Of course, if someone would like to log in as me, feel free -- just be sure to do the 27 Things excercises for me for the week (just kidding)!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Ahhhh!
By the way, I was thinking of titling my blog "Marisa's First Blog, and boy is she frightened - Ahhhhhh!" but I thought that perhaps this showed a little too much pessimism.
7 1/2 Habits
I consider myself to be quite and organized person, and I have taken online classes, so such steps as "accepting responsibility for your own learning" and "create your own learning toolbox" are a piece of cake for me.
My big challenge is to "view problems as challenges." In fact, I don't think this is just an issue for me in learning, but in life in general. I see myself as more of a "view the problem and panic" kind of person. This is especially true when it comes to technology. If I can't figure out how to do something right away, I tend to get frustrated and scared. So I am very happy that we are doing these 27 Things in a very organized and supportive environment. At least for this project, I have coworkers to help me and remind me not to panic!
My big challenge is to "view problems as challenges." In fact, I don't think this is just an issue for me in learning, but in life in general. I see myself as more of a "view the problem and panic" kind of person. This is especially true when it comes to technology. If I can't figure out how to do something right away, I tend to get frustrated and scared. So I am very happy that we are doing these 27 Things in a very organized and supportive environment. At least for this project, I have coworkers to help me and remind me not to panic!
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