Week 8 # 19 Web Based Apps-- Zerowriter

Zerowriter seemed simple to use, and if you don't have Word, seems to do alright, but their fonts are limited and I LOVE fonts. I may have to use it or lose my recipe book if I ever got my own omputer. I thought that since cookie season is upon us, I would contribute a really yummy cookie recipe for my zohowriter exercise. The name is gross, they look gross, but they are simple to make and yummy to eat. The original is in Gross Out Cakes by Kathleen Barlow

Doggie Doo-Doo Drops

Makes 20

1/2 C. Milk 1/2 C. butter or Margarine

2 C. Sugar 1/2 C. Cocoa

1 C. chunky peanut butter 3 C. oats

1 tsp. vanilla

1. Measure milk, margarine, and sugar into medium saucepan.

2. Mix on medium heat.

3. Stir until mixture comes to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring

continuously.

4. Remove from heat and add cocoa, peanut butter, oats, and vanilla.

Stir well.

5. Mold handfuls of the mixture into doggie doo doo sized cookies. Place

molded cookies on waxed paper to cool. For a more decorous

appearance, drop cookies onto waxed paper to cool.

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Week 8 # 18 Social Networking

Social networks are too much like Elaine the Lady of Shalot. Not the reality, but the shadow. For one of my hermit proclivities, I don't think I would like to social network too much. I have a feeling it would just be too aggravating. After all these years of pretty much not having to look at embarrassingly bad personal photos, I'd hate to get trapped now. Besides, if you don't have time for your friends in this dimension, how are you going to find the time to micro-manage hundreds of strangers in another dimension? Nice for shut-ins and agoraphobics,although dogster is tempting.

P.S. Great video! Loved those dogs!

Week 7 #16 Wiki

I finally got the first part of this week's assignment done. I don't think I'd use it for reference. Wikipedia is notoriously inaccurate, nor would I use it when I was writing, since I don't usually want to share my baby, but I can see it would be great for making bibliographies-- Books Boys Like, Books Children Like, Books for Toddlers etc.

Week 7 # 17 Technology

I am doing #17 before #16 because the Wiki page was busy, so I thought I'd get this out of the way first.

Technology. Sometimes our friend, but frequently not. I am a Neo Luddite. Which means accept that technology which makes your life better, but do not use it if it does not. Use the lowest level of technology adequate for your needs. Do not e-mail a message to someone across the hall if a note will do as well. Do not talk to someone on your cell phone who is sitting across the table.

I do not wish to be connected to everyone all the time. Those little ear thingies look like the first step to being a Borg. (Resistance is futile...) and being part of the collective is abhorrent. The thought of never being out of easy reach gives me the jim jams. I do not want to "interact" with everything. I don't want to be pestered by a minute-by-minute account of anything, even my best friends lives. I have my own to live.

Frankly, until you can use an e-book or computer in a bathtub full of bubbles and hot water accompanied by Diet Coke and chocolate, the book is safe. Unlike a computer, a book frees the imagination to create our own reality. The author guides us, provides a framework, but the reader gives the creation life, colour, taste, smell --a world. A computer/ video does all of that and the viewer is trapped for better or worse, in someone else's universe.

The technocrats from Library 2.0 missed the point. Yes, computers are handy for finding facts. I have to say full text magazine databases would have saved me many crazed, frustrated hours as a student. But a Library is more than fact and research. Once you have left school most of us are not doing "research". We don't need the factoids so beloved by Ed-u-cat-ors. We need the best way to build a deck, find a recipe, participate in a hot romance, capture a murderer, or invade England with the Normans. We want an old movie, a song from our youth, a friendly face, a chat with a kindred spirit face to face in "real time" about shared interests-- out of the house. Some of this can be accomplished by computer and it's kindred, but not all of it, and not always in the best way.

Added Comment to: Liberian

Week 6 #15

To a Temporary Place in Time...I liked this article best and the last part best of all. Library 2.0 seems to focus narrowly on research and information to the exclusion of the best part of the library. Library 4.0 actually implied that there is a place for books and dare I suggest this....Readers?! I'll do the part for the people who actually like to read (and there are still many and will be until I retire) and let the techies run the rest. I know many people to whom the library is more than just a collection of bits of information, and it is not information that they are necessarily seeking. As Louis IV said "Apres moi, c'est deluge" I'm sure if you spend an hour or so Googling it and wading through many pages of irrelevent websites, you can find the translation.

Week # 6 Technorati

Interesting. I have to say it was a fun way to waste an hour. I was almost tempted to use the link that can generate letters to the FBI etc to get your file. My biggest gripe today is the lack of definitions. WHAT IS A WIDGET, WHAT IS A MEME????????? I know what a widget is in real life, but what are they in faux life (computer)? and where would I find my html code assuming I wanted to tag it?

Week 6 #13 Tagging

I went to to del.icio.us. Since someday I might actually get a computer, it would be nice to set up an account with all my web sites so I won't have to keep track in a note book and enter the site into two "favourites". I am not planning to do any research extensive enough to require the amount of management del.icio.us. Besides, with a deep and ingrained distruse of electrons, I can see massive amounts of work disapearing in an electronic hiccup. They've done it before.

Week 5 # 12 Library Elf-- Preliminary

I have not been able to access Elf, the site won't come up. From what I have heard and from what I read about what it does, the program is unnecessary for Harris Co patrons. I am under the impression that Horizon does that. That being said why would any security minded person put their personal information on the internet do do something that can easily be managed on your own. I will update when I can get on the website

Week 5 # 11 Library Thing

Now this one is good! Easy, functional and useful!! I will keep this account, and should I ever get a computer, actually use it.(if I ever get all the other stuff done I need to do!)

My Catalogue: http://www.librarything.com/catalog.php

Week #5 Image Generators

Here is my avatar I made in Meez. Cute, huh. It's fun, (and being the frivoulus person that I am, that's reason enough, but really... what's it good for? I tried several others, that were listed. It reminded me of playing with paper doll without the boredom of having to cut the clothes out first. The URl is of course http://www.meez.com/

Week 4 # 9 Finding Feeds

I'm obviously not in tune with these people. Feedster, and Topix seemed limited except for
political junkies. Syndic8 made absolutely no sense to me. Technorati was the easiest to use, and while the various blogs were interesting, there wasn't anything that I wanted to read from these people again.

Week 4 #8 RSS feeds

Been there done that exercise. It's okay I suppose, but I've never been much of a news junkie that I can't wait til regular news times for it to intrude on my life. Besides, they don't post the weather/flood information I do need. They don't post when MY street is flooded, and finding out when my portion of my river is going up or down has to be figured out from coy little hints gathered from multiple sources. Any other news can wait til 10:00. Although, the joke a day, the word a day, and the quote a day are fun.

Week 3 Flickr-Pixar- Camels 2

This is totally frustrating. First I couldn't get the pictures to load on Pixar, then they wouldn't change, then I can't get them to save to this blog. I am having SO much fun...