RSS & Newsreaders!?

Apart from having no idea what these were until reading the exercise and doing the assigned work...I'm not really that interested!

Perhaps this is a quick judgement after a busy week, but I don't see that they have much benefit to me personally other than collating all my chosen data in one place:- ie: the news headlines, the latest gossip, literature interest information etc. While these will all be sorted and delivered to me for my reading pleasure...it is unlikely that I will ever make the time to go in once a day and read it all.

Therefore, am I not better off how I currently am with bookmarks of the nz herald, stuff etc that I then slip in to when I do have the time and the inclination to persue it.

On a positive note, it is great to be able to individualise what you get sent and specify your own interests etc to only 'get what you want' to a certain extent so you are not wasting more time sifting through information you are not interested in to find/read what you want.

Maybe I'm missing the point somewhere and not understanding the full potential of what RSS and Newsreader can offer. Will follow up by reading colleagues blogs with interest to their views on these resources.

In our professional capacity however, they may be more beneficial. In a 'fitch' type of way, maybe we could collect and archive news headlines, or entertainment news, specialist news, collate information for popular enquiries etc for quick and easy retrieval...

Bring on week 4....hopefully something more to my taste and addictive personality!

Technology Train

Well...I've come to a conclusion...and me being me...I'll share what that is!! The technology train is moving way too fast. There's just so much to do, see, look at, discover and try out on the internet that we could never do it all...even if we were given and infinite amount of time. It is just impossible which is a very overwhelming and surreal thought. It's the same as knowing in 'library land' just how impossible it is to live long enough to read every book we would like to!

When I think of my mere 40 years of life on this earth and the incredible things we have in our lives that I have seen introduced:- colour tv, microwaves, walkmans, portable telephones, cd's, dvd's, ipods, mobile phones, digital cameras, personal computers, lap-tops, Playstation, X-Box, Wii, MP3 players, flash drives etc etc...and yes...lo and behold...the internet and world wide web! We really are living in a very privileged society with an incredible amount of entertainment and exciting technology all around us for the taking.

One always is inclined to think that the latest 'thing' will be difficult, expensive, hard to use etc...and then months later...we are all using it regularly and in fact, can hardly remember a life without it.

As overwhelming as it is...we must embrace it all and look at it as positive enhancement and opportunity for all.

I look around my own home and take for granted the multiple tv's, stereo, mobile phones, microwave, Playstation, internet access, home alarm, digital cameras etc and I then think of my two nieces and nephew who, at ages 1, 4 and 6 know no different...

It is with both trepidation and excitement that I try to imagine just what the future holds...

I'm not trading this!

Okay, I admit it...I can't stop 'playing' in this site. So many new toys, and so little time... I think I need to quit my job and just spend all my time on these new sites:-learning....researching...playing...exploring...discovering!

I've made up a Library Trading Card....although I'm not trading this beautiful commodity....as tempting as it is sometimes when I have to get up and down ten times a night to let this little creature "in-and-out"! I sometimes have to console myself, that it could be worse. I could have children of my own who could refuse to leave home until they're 40!

Anyway take a browse at my cute little furry friend if you wish...although no bribery, corruption or offers of fame or fortune will even be considered for trading purposes!

Playing Around

OK...it appears that I can't stop playing with Flickr. The more I look and delve...the more I discover and need to go on and on and on... I am definitely being drawn in to this whole thing like a magnet and can see myself sitting up 'discovering' (all in the name of work of course!) in to the wee small hours of the morning...

I've just been looking at the 'toys' and while I want to try out the mosaics, and magazine covers etc...I'm a bit loathe to give more details about myself and keep joining up to things...especially when I am working from my home lap-top and there are warnings posted that information is available to third parties etc. That still makes me nervous at this stage!

However, I've just attempted to make a photo into a jig-saw...and my result is below. Again, a little nervous to download personal photos of the beautiful people in my life...but have downloaded a photo of my house instead!!

Late for the Stop 2!

OK. Well, due to school holidays, I am already behind in my learning! Although I cleared my e-mail and had a quick look at Flickr last week, I didn't get a chance to proceed with our assigned work so am now playing catch up this week!

However, when looking at Flickr for the very first time last week....I searched under 'abstract' and found the most amazing piece by an artist under the name of RubyMae titled 'Nothing in particular'. They are abstract images and I just fell in love with them... Have a look at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/djcohen/sets/72157594185176215/

I personally love abstract images and photography so this set of photos was a visual symphony to me, and naturally I felt obligated to leave a comment on the post giving thanks to the contributor for sharing their talent etc. It has already served to encourage me to get out my own digital camera again and I have started work on my creation...which has definitely been inspired and influenced by RubyMae's work!

I'm excited by the prospect of being able to share this creation, once finished, on line with virtual strangers too. I can almost feel an addiction coming on and am left wondering if my employer will pay for rehab due to the fact that I got 'addicted' all in the name of work...!

By exploring Flickr, I am overwhelmed by what is offered on the net and how many features and enhancements are literally available at our fingertips to use for our own online photo albums and memories. There is definitely no excuse now for me to not back up my personal collection of digital photographs off my own computer for safekeeping which is something I have been 'meaning to do' for years!

All Aboard!!!

Well, as if turning 40 earlier in the year wasn't bad enough....it is now time to jump aboard the IT train in the name of work and learn about some new web-sites which include social networking and 'blogging'. Don't get me wrong. I'm not a techno-phobe at all, in fact I love my lap-top, and surfing the net, Trade Me, e-mail etc. It's just that I have never had any interest what-so-ever in social networking sites and 'diary writing' to an audience. In fact, I had thought these interactions were really only for the 'younger generation'...but it seems that there are loads of people in my peer group and older who are accessing these sites regularly and loving it!! So- I'm jumping aboad, boots and all...and am going to try it all!!! Watch this space!!!