9.23 // The one with the neverending story

It's the end of the world as we know it... and I feel fine.

So really, you only learned 22 things...not 23 as the last "thing" is just an overview of the 22 things you actually learned. What a ripoff! just kidding. hardy har har.

Reaching the 23rd thing... check!
Pat on the back... check!

To be honest, I was not that enthused in the idea of doing these 23 things. I'm pretty computer savvy in the first place. Granted, at home I have a Windows 98 second edition. It's pretty much ancient at this point. So in some ways it keeps me from doing things. I used to be able to watch new movie trailers on apple.com, but I can't download the latest version of quicktime to do it anymore. This happens. Even so, I know what's going on in the computer world. I think it's a generational thing. Kids these days know how to use the computer in the womb. I think my generation just picked it up quickly.

I used to have a commodore 64. My parents never touched the thing. My brother and I were the only ones who used it. When we got our family computer, a mac, a few years later...it was still my brother and I who knew it and had to teach our parents. Even now, years later when we all have our own computers in our own places, it's still us who have to teach our parents.

Anyway, Like I said... I wasn't too enthused. I figured I already know everything and I know what I'm interested in and what I'm not interested in, what am I going to learn?

It turned out that I actually enjoyed working on the 23 things. I'd say I kind of flew through it. I finished in a week (it would have been 2 days but my internet was acting up and then completely disappeared) because I did know a lot of these things and that helped me to fly through.

I did have fun and I did find a few things I hadn't found before. I can't honestly say I learned anything new, but I'm sure I did and I just didn't realize it. But I enjoyed some of it. I enjoyed playing around with image generators and searching for interesting things. I enjoyed showing off the stuff I have fun doing anyhow like searching youtube for things that make me happy and rambling...just for the sake of rambling.

I'd say my biggest dislike was having to join things... because I don't like to join and make accounts for things I'm never going to use. There were a few things (Rollyo and Bloglines for example) that I joined and I truly doubt I will ever use again now that I'm finished with 23 things. Besides that, even the things that I knew I wouldn't be interested in (RSS feeds and podcasts/audio downloads) I still enjoyed searching them because I did find things I could use, even if it's not the way 23 things intended.

Every day there are newer things added to the internet. Every day you need to learn something new that you never knew how to do before. Every day you can find something to utilize than you never would have thought to use before. So, now that we've all learned these 23 things, in about 6 months time I'm sure there will be 23 NEW things out there we should learn and my advice would be for everyone to keep exploring because you never know what you'll find! I think THAT should be the 23rd thing.

Thing 23: Discovery Exercise...
Keep Exploring... you never know what you'll find!

9.22 // The one with the impaired hearing

*ahem* Should I repeat myself?

As stated in the post below about Podcasts, I have to say that I'm just not an audiobook type person. I'm visual and yes, though I don't always read books with pictures, I can see what it is that I'm reading. But when I just listen... I just can't concentrate. When I listen to music it's always because I'm doing something. I'd do homework in school and rock out to some rock and roll. I listen to music while I'm working on the computer or driving to work. I can't just listen to music without doing something else and because I'm doing something else I'm not fully concentrating on what I'm listening to. So I'd say that audiobooks just don't work for me. It would be a huge waste of my time to try and listen to a book through audio and not know what I just heard afterwards.

With that said, I'm not interesting in downloading anything. But as with podcasts, I see it being a great source for those who CAN concentrate on audio... Just not me.

9.21 // The one with t-u-r-t-l-e power!

Heroes in a half shell. I don't know... podcasts reminded me of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Podcasts. Something that I've also known about.
I'm a very visual person. I can't do books on tape because I'll get distracted listening and end up not listening. When I read books though I visualize what I'm reading. I see it all happening in my head.
I like watching movies because I hear it and I see it.

I don't know why, there's just something about just listening to someone talking that puts my mind in a blank state where I don't focus at all on what is being said, but on all the other things driving the highway of my mind.

So...Video podcasts, they can work for me. I can see it and focus while listening to it. But if I'm just listening, it's like I'm in my own little world.

I searched for bookreviews to complete the tasks, but all I found was... Christian podcasts. Admittingly, for this reason I didn't add anything to my RSS feeds. Does that mean I don't pass?

I, personally, just don't like Podcasts. I think, for the library, they could be very useful. I think that we circulate enough books on tape and books on CD to see that there are people who can listen to books that way. I just know myself and I know that that is just NOT the way my brain functions. I think it's something that could potentially have a lot of good use within our libraries in the future.