WEEK #5 TASK 12 The Library ELF

Library ELF was a pleasure to use. I need a service like the ELF. I never seem to get the mail that I have a book due. As I age, I need more and more frequent reminders. It was easy to use. I was able to setup an account in a matter of minutes. It remains to be seen, if it will actually deliver the information, but I have high hopes. This is one of the most useful applications that I have seen in iHCPL.

WEEK 5 TASK #11LibraryThing

Well written site. The process of creating the account was straight forward and very simple (although I would have appreciated it if the password would have been verified). Adding books was simple using the search feature, and I was glad to see that they could be entered manually since I have some books that are not listed on the book websites. For those interested, my library can be located at: http://www.librarything.com/home/dawhip .

WEEK 5 TASK #10 Images, Illustrations, Art?

Most of the generators that I found were not easy to use. Some of them I could not even get to load. It might have something to do with the network that I am using. Some of the machines are connecting at 10 Kilobits. I suppose that if you were willing to pay, you would have access to some of the premium products. Although it is not easy to use (it sometimes locks up) the generator at http://www.comicstripgenerator.com/ has some interesting graphics. I can use them in some of my presentations and some of them might work well to hand interest to handouts. Avatars from Yahoo was very simple to use, but I could not locate an easy way to export it to other applications. Meez was kind of interesting. I created an avatar and was able to export it to other applications. If I had a large quantity of free time, I would try to locate some other useful applications, but I am not sure it is worth investing the time for an uncertain outcome.

WEEK 4 TASK #9 In search of a few good blogs.

I found most of the blog search tools to be hard to use. If you do not have a fast connection, you will timeout before you can go anywhere. Syndica8 was useful. It was somewhat cumbersome to use, but once I spent some time working with it, I was able to locate a few useful blogs. I never got Feedster to do anything. Technorati was easy to use, but did not offer a wide variety of blogs on most of the topics that I was interested in. Truthfully, the easiest way I have found to locate blogs relevant to my interests is to go to Google and do a search on “whatever subject I am interested in” blog. This usually gives me an extensive list of blogs on the given subject

WEEK 4 TASK #8 RSS

The RSS exercises were interesting. I noticed that most of the participants in iHCPL did not have anyone subscribing to their blog. I signed up for a few; I can only hope that they are active, and I get something from the feeds. The instructions were specific enough that I could follow them, but general enough that I was able to subscribe to some blogs that were arranged differently from the ones in the example. I can see how the RSS could be useful to someone who depends on the Web for most of their information. It could be a real time saver, not having to go to 10 different sites. It would also be helpful to someone who has a group of friends that blog on a regular basis. One stop shopping for all the daily gossip.

WEEK 3 TASK #7 Kylie

Kylie
Originally uploaded by Tomball David

This photo was edited using Picnik. It was cropped and the critter eye was removed.

WEEK 3 TASK #6 Random thoughts on Tripper Map

Tripper map would be a good way to share your vacation photos with friends and family. It appears to be simple enough to use with little instruction, but powerful enough to off some flexibility. However I doubt that anyone would be interested in my travels to the various botanical gardens that I like to visit, so I doubt that I will be using the software in the near future.

WEEK 3 TASK #5 Kylie

DSCN2195 (Medium)
Originally uploaded by Tomball David

This is Kylie with a bad case of critter eye. You will notice that the other photo similar to this one has the critter eye removed and has been cropped. Thank goodness for Picnik.

Safety and privacy in cyberspace

The current laws concerning privacy in cyberspace are inadequate. This is a classic example of technology out pacing society’s ability to regulate it. Currently the concept of privacy online is poorly defined. We never who is collection information about us, or how it will be used. Once something gets into the cloud, it has a life of its own. My philosophy is to give out as little information as possible.

There is no such thing as absolute safety, much less absolute online safety. Life is inherently unsafe. You have to realize that the safer something is, the less freedom it offers. If I venture online, I have to accept the fact that I will not always be safe, and it is my responsibility to watch out for myself.

Learning Habits

When I start examining my learning habits, I have a hard time being objective. If I focus only on my strengths, I will make little progress because many times my weaknesses will sabotage my strengths. Therefore, I need to spend a good deal time compensating for my weaknesses. Motivation is a hard concept. If one does not see a practical purpose for the activity, it is very hard to keep focused. On the subject of setting goals, setting goals is easy; setting reasonable and effective goals is much harder. Organization is a difficult task. However without it I spend most of my time spinning my wheels. Only time will tell what will be hard and what will be easy in this task.

Kylie

Kylie
Originally uploaded by Tomball David

Kylie finally wore herself out.

Paddie O'Dog

Paddie O'Dog
Originally uploaded by Tomball David

This looks like a dog's life. I wish I had nothing to do but to sleep all day.

Zoe 1

Zoe 1
Originally uploaded by Tomball David

Say hello to Zoe.

Obscure Comments

Not quite sure what I am doing. The instructions so far are a little vague. I guess I will just wander around the iHCPL materials until I figure out what to do.