Ramblings of a hedgehog

The end!

2007-01-14T14:53:00.000+10:30

I have to admit that I was quite cynical about the program before I began. How wrong I was. I was introduced to a range of new web applications that would have continued to pass me by without the push that the program gave me. Some of these I am sure I will continue to use (del.icio.us, Flickr, rss feeds) and I'm pleased to at least know about some of the others such as YouTube. A side effect was that I bought an MP3 player and felt confident to tackle this new technology, and I signed up with eBay and, even now, I am trying to sell an item there - quite an experience.

My main criticism would be that the structure of the program means that you keep rushing through to the 'next new thing' and so don't consolidate your learning with a bit of repetition. I feel I will need to revisit some of these technologies and 'play' a bit more.

So overall, a big thank you for the experience. Actually the best thing was when my son (computer guru) mentioned blogs and then said in condescending way, "Sorry Mum, you may not know what a blog is". It was with great satisfaction that I could say that not only did I know what a blog was, I actually had my own!

Thing #22

2007-01-14T11:53:00.000+10:30

I had previously signed up and paid for a whole audio book - an old John Le Carre title, which I downloaded to my MP3 palyer but mainly listened to in the car. the only thing I found frustrating was that, unlike professionally produced audio books, it did not have any markers, so I really had to just listen to it go to whoa. the sound quality was excellent.

So this time I logged in to World eBook Fair where I listened to Kipling's Gunga Din but found it fairly disappointing. The old story: you get what you pay for.

Thing #21

2007-01-08T09:37:00.000+10:30

Podcasting. I always knew that podcasting would be for me - at least on the receiving end. I am listening as I type to a Radio National podcast which I've downloaded to my MP3 player. I downloaded Juice, which is free podcasting receiver software. I have set this up to receive Life Matters from the ABC. At this stage I'm not sure what other podcasts I'll sign up for - still need to find time to listen to what I download so wary of subscribing to too much.

Thing #20

2007-01-06T15:11:00.000+10:30

You Tube - at last. Probably the best known of all the Web 2.0 applications. I found a delightful animated clip called Love Letters - an animated proposal .

Many of the top rated videos are animations. This seems like an excellent venue for would be film makers to strut their stuff. Not sure what to make of things like "Will it blend? - i-Pod" - rather unkind to the i-Pod. At the moment the technology (mobile phones?) doesn't seem to be producing much that is worth watching - and I only looked at some that were rated 4 and a half stars.

Thing #19

2007-01-06T14:51:00.000+10:30

Exploring some of the Web 2.0 applications, what struck me most was, first, how very US-centric they all are, and secondly, how they often seem to pander to the me-generation. So, I was looking at Wayfaring, which allows people to put up particular maps - the majority of these were from California (although there was one of the hillclimbs of the 2006 Tour de France) - and one called "Where I Walked on August 19th 2006". Do we care?

Thing #18 Zoho first attempt

2007-01-01T15:37:00.000+10:30

This is my first look at Zoho Writer. Will this mean I can in the future escape the clutches of Microsoft? We'll see how it goes!

Well, I exported the above directly from Zoho - how cool is that! Very easy and intuitive to use.

Thing #17

2007-01-01T15:17:00.000+10:30

Played around in the Wiki sandbox and added my name to the favourite blogs. I've had more fun at kindergarten. However, if I was seriously setting up a wiki, there are certainly some useful tips here.

Thing #16

2006-12-30T16:00:00.000+10:30

The world of wikis opens up a host of possibilities. The problems associated with the lack of editorial control are outweighed by the positive attributes of the collaborative nature of the community constructing a knowledge base together.

I particularly like the idea of book based wikis (in many ways this is what Amazon is) like the Booklovers Wiki developed by Princeton Public Library. The value adding made possible by the readership of the public library contributing book reviews to a wiki hosted by Yarra Plenty is enormous.

Thing #15

2006-12-30T13:12:00.000+10:30

Thoughts on Library 2.0. Although I find many of the new web initiatives interesting, addictive and fun, I'm not sure how many people will see the public library as a player in this field. I think that they lend themselves to social interaction becoming remotely entered into via the web. Will our borrowers see us as part of this new world? Or will they see us as the place to turn to for their older pleasures - the printed book - while entering into the world of online music, YouTube, multi-player online games and other new inititiatives via their personal computers in the privacy of their own homes? We shall see how far we are able to go in convincing the public that libraries have a role to play in this new world.

Thing #14

2006-12-17T15:11:00.000+10:30

Technorati doesn't really seem like something I would use a lot. I must speak to my buddy about it during the week. I've looked at a few other posts on it from Yarra Plenty and didn't notice the same level of enthusiasm for it as for some other things. Anything that tells me to use HTML instantly throws me into a panic. I feel as if I've had a real block on this and just need to move on for now.

Week 6 #13

2006-12-06T21:15:00.000+10:30

I've been reading about others' experiences with del.icio.us and wanting to get to grips with it. Wow! Now this is something I will find useful. I always seem to have different bookmarks saved at home and at work. I've set this up at home, so the telling point will be when I get to work, if I can get synchronicity! I found the tags an easy concept. I mean it's just making up your own subject headings, how easy can you get. We'll see how things go but at this stage I am a fan!

Week 5 #12

2006-11-30T13:34:00.000+10:30

Well I think I've finally worked out Rollyo, although I'm not convinced how much I would use it. This is a Rollyo for quotes. Could be fun if you were writing a speech (horrible thought) or giving a talk (even more horrible thought).

Yay! More than half way through my 23 things to learn. It's downhill all the way now.

Week 5 thing #11

2006-11-26T13:57:00.000+10:30

Cataloguing my library is a daunting prospect, but on a small scale this is a lot of fun. I have added nine books so far which can be seen here
If I don't turn up at work for a month, you'll know I've decided to catalogue all the books in the house - I'm not allowed to weed at home, which is very frustrating. I'm not sure whether I want to share my library with the world, but maybe that will come.

Week 5 Thing 10

2006-11-25T20:24:00.000+10:30

Playing around with image generators, I made a few fun things including an Absolut Vodka bottle and a Dummies book for Library 2.0 on The generator blog. It was amusing but not something I can imagine continuing to use. Still it's good to know how easy it is to do this sort of thing! The Victorian election is humming along in the background...

Week 4 #9

2006-11-15T20:42:00.000+10:30

I looked at a number of news feeds, but was not particularly taken by any of them. As I have Firefox at home as my browser I automatically have an RSS news feed, which I probably didn't really use before. Now that I understand the little orange symbol, I'm far more likely to click on it. It feeds international news from the BBC.

I really disliked the flickering ads on Technorati; Topix seemed more attractive; when I searched for authors who I knew had their own blogs on Feedster, I found everything but. I am sure as time goes on, I'll will find the feeds that interest me, by various random processes. I will re-visit some of these sites, but at this stage I remain unconvinced of their usefulness.

More than 1/3 of the way through my 23 things!

Week 4 Thing 8

2006-11-14T09:11:00.000+10:30

It's taken me a while but I am really happy with RSS feeds. I have my Bloglines Account and a few feeds set up. This is something that I will definitely continue to use. It beats going into lots of different blogs to check if there's a new post, or forgetting a favourite blog altogether. I'm not sure that I quite understand blogrolls and I haven't yet linked to my blog, but hope to achieve that soon.

Help from my buddy

2006-11-09T15:16:00.000+10:30

My favourite blog is from the Centre for Youth Literature at the State Library. A good place to keep in touch with what's happening in the world of YA lit in Australia and around the world. My buddy showed me how to put this link in - how easy was that!

Melbourne Cup day

2006-11-07T11:49:00.000+10:30

Kangaroo paw 1
Originally uploaded by MrsTwiggyWinkle.

The Botanic Gardens in Cranbourne are a well-kept secret. I went on a bitterly cold day in winter, but plan to return when the weather is pleasanter. All the plantings are very new, but it will be interesting to see how it develops. It is dedicated to Australian natives in contrast with the Botanic Gardens in the city.

This is my first attempt to add a photo to my blog!

Thing #7

2006-11-03T14:12:00.000+10:30

Playing around today with audiobooks online. The Age's Green Guide last week had an interesting review of various sites who provide audio books downloadable to MP3 players. They varied in how attractive their offerings are - and the better the range of what's available, the pricier the product. I finally chose a book from www.payperlisten.com and managed to download it to my lovely new MP3 player. It cost $US12.65 so I was careful to choose something Yarra Plenty didn't have as an audio book! The sound quality is lovely and I am listening as I type. If you loved audio books and did not have access to a collection like that of YPRL, I can see that it would be a huge bonus to be able to get these downloadable books.

And yes, I have posted a comment or two to other people's blogs!

Week 3 Number 5

2006-10-25T10:04:00.000+09:30

Well I had a go at Flickr, but decided that uploading my photos to the world would bust my disguise so I've kept them private at this stage. I found it easy to use, although once again choosing a name was problematic. I'm not sure I really want to share my photos with the world, but can see a real use for them in cases like a wedding in the family and having relatives scattered about the world.

Week 1

2006-10-21T21:24:00.000+09:30

Well, coming up with a name was certainly challenging - hence the rather bizarre name I've ended up with. The concept of life-long learning is not new to me. I've taught myself to use computers, to bring up children (now that was hard!), to train dogs, to ride horses, to cook and to garden, to sew and to make jam. I can paint a house or climb a mountain. Creating a blog seems pretty easy compared with some of these. What I would really like to blog about is books.