Indy girl

Web According to Google #88: Wave, Buzz and Mobile

2010-05-19T13:27:00.000-07:00

(1)I don't currently use an online collaboration tool but I like the idea of Google Wave. Being able to share the info live while conversing and adding individual input on the document would definitely have advantages -you know, strike while the iron is hot and enjoy faster resolution on your project with spontaneous give and take.
(2)I've been considering upgrading my current phone and Google Buzz is definitely giving me a push. I like the idea of sharing videos and photos with my family.

Web According to Google #87: Google Reader

2010-05-17T15:44:00.000-07:00

(1)I don't currently use a feed reader. Google Reader, as with most Google products, seems very user friendly and offers lots of options- I just don't feel the need to be constantly "connected".
(2)I subscribed through our website-have to admit I've never noticed that icon before. Even though I don't see myself using this on a regular basis, I think it is worthwhile learning to navigate.

Web According to Google #86:Calendars & Documents

2010-05-17T14:42:00.000-07:00

(1)I liked trying out Google Calendar-easy to edit and toggle the different formats (day, week, month). I'll probably continue with my current system of using a dayminder calendar- don't always have internet access at this point. Google Calendar is definitely helpful to coworkers- able to access schedules to verify and also plan appointments around work times. In a personal application, this type of schedule might be helpful for families to avoid scheduling conflicts and stay on top of family member's activities.
(2)I think using Google Docs in addition to our office desktop would definitely be useful- accessibility to the files anywhere/ anytime with internet would be nice- ability to share the documents is also practical.

Web According to Google#85: Resistance is Futile

2010-05-04T12:12:00.000-07:00

(1)I definitely use Google search on a regular basis. I think this is probably due to habit and also familiarity with the product. Recently, while Google was unavailable to me, I dabbled with some other search engines and found them to be very useful,too. I very much like using our Google calendar for work schedules- easy access and updates/ less paper wasted. Even though others are out there, I see myself coming back to Google for it's rich variety-maps, books, calendars, gmail and more.../ and for the most part accurate and updated (still have memories of the phone# mix-up between our library branch and the Harris Co jail).
(2)I checked out a few of the Google Labs and was most interested in YouTube Test Tube/Caption Tube-the diagrams and text were pretty thorough and I liked the opportunity of giving feedback.
(3)This was my first time to try Google Books and I liked it. I checked out a couple of previews- one book I had already read and another new title/ suggestions from other readers were helpful. I also previewed a magazine but was a little disappointed to find the ads were not skipped over to show more articles-very true to the text. I think Google Books might be very helpful to a library customer who is not sure about a particular item and would like a brief glance at the material.

The Future of Media #81: Get Out Your Crystal Ball

2010-03-05T14:12:00.000-08:00

(1) Maybe as 3D TV is tweaked more and becomes more commonplace, it will make a bigger impact on our tv viewing. As we were walking out of a 3D IMAX theater after watching Avatar, a person in our group wondered what kind of viewing experience someone watching at home would have of the same movie- if their impression would be the same as ours. After reading this post, I think how wonderful to have 3D TV give us a choice to opt for something similar to the movie theater experience (although on a smaller scale) at home- even offering the viewer more say over their attire, environment, refreshments, and audience. I also believe 3D TV could enhance even regular programs we watch- more true entertainment- imagine Man vs Wild for instance. I haven't followed any new technology lately but would be curious to see more development of 3D technology.

(2) I'm not really an early adopter but I do try new things that appeal to my needs. Looking back, I was a little slow to embrace using a DVR but now especially like the convenience mine offers- easy to program for recording/storing shows, streamlining television viewing(skipping through all those commercials)and the ability to repeat details I've missed.

The Future of Media #80: Movies

2010-02-24T15:28:00.000-08:00

(1) I think I would continue to prefer watching dvds on my television although I would have more portability with my laptop.

(2) I watched a trailer for "Shutter Island" on Hulu and think if I wanted more information than a television commercial or magazine ad would offer, this would be a good option. I also liked the news feature on Internet Movie Database.

(3) Since my movie viewing tends to be pretty spontaneous, I don't think I would use a fee-based service- especially with mail delivery. I'm happy with the convenience of using the library collection- broad selection, reasonable cko period, and free if returned on time.

The Future of Media #79: Television

2010-02-24T15:11:00.000-08:00

(1) I browsed the Hulu site and viewed a portion of a full episode of "30 Rock". They had quite a few episodes available for the season provided.

(2) I haven't watched a TV show on my cell phone- I've never really had an interest in doing so- maybe a combination of the small screen and the fact that I prefer to tape my programs I might otherwise miss on my DVR and enjoy my time out of the house away from the TV.

(3) I have not yet posted a video on a site with streaming programs but I have enjoyed watching a few on YouTube.

Money and Finance #59: Credit, Money Management, and Saving

2009-04-29T16:43:00.001-07:00

Money and Finance #59: Credit, Money Management, and Saving

I had a basic understanding of FICO scores but didn't know it was also
impacted by the number of inquiries made.
I currently have a spending/budget plan in place. I found the process
to be fairly easy to accomplish- I maintain a monthly log of expenses and then
incorporate the weekly and yearly(usually quarterly) expenses. This system allows
me to track current payments and anticipate up-coming expenses. It gives me a quick
glance at what I can afford and progress of savings, too. I like the security of
knowing where everything is going.
I found the entire TCDRS site was user-friendly, especially the retirement
package they offer with important details for planning emphasized upfront.
Everything seems to be clearly spelled out to make sure all of the steps are
completed with minimal surprises.

Money and Finance #58: Banking, Budgeting, and Spending

2009-04-29T16:42:00.000-07:00

Money and Finance #58: Banking, Budgeting, and Spending

I belong to a credit union that offers online banking. I like the fact
that I no longer receive statements in the mail, the convenience of access to my
account at any time, access to information in my "history", and the option of bill
payment online. I don't like the risk of someone being able to access my
information online but that is also a possibility with traditional transactions. My
credit union helps to secure my account by requiring 3 security codes and also
provides a pop-up indicating any unsuccessful (and then successful) attempts to
access my account. Also they will notify members of any breaches that may occur
concerning our accounts-most recently one involving Visa debit cards the end of last
year-thankfully mine was not involved. I only use my personal laptop to manage my
account and keep my security codes in a safe place.
The budgeting tools looked interesting but I prefer the my method of a
budget log-I've tweeked it over the years and find it easy to maintain and also very
portable. I use it to record monthly bill payments along with my check register to
monitor other expenses. I like the freedom of being able to use it anywhere and it
helps me keep track of when and where my money is going.
I found the advise in the Consumer Report article helpful. I'm planning
on speaking to my current cable company about a package deal to include an internet
connection. I'm also considering shopping around for a better deal on my
prescriptions. Actually, many of the expenses I've assumed to be pretty much set
might be more flexible-just need to do some homework on the choices. I think I may
be able to cut some current costs without out too much sacrifice.

ihcpl/ week 10/ #23

2007-11-29T12:45:00.000-08:00

Hooray, I made it! I've tried so many things through this training- where to begin? Flicker was fun and I hadn't even thought of a service like library elf- it's a nice supplement to the HCPL notifications. I think this experience has pushed me to "get my feet wet" and get out of my comfort zone. It has also been a great sharing of information with our staff- everyone has been very supportive and so willing to offer tips. I think making the quick videos to give visual training is entertaining and useful. I hope we can maybe expand on the features we have learned- maybe have a little more "hands on" time to practice and reinforce the training. Thanks!

ihcpl/ week 9/ #22

2007-11-28T13:40:00.000-08:00

This is great! Although I don't own an mp3 player, I have borrowed one owned by our branch in the past to try some of HCPL's e-books. I liked the fact that material is automatically deleted-no need to worry about overdue fines. My husband and I both have enjoyed some Clive Cussler books-Sacred Stone will probably be our next choice. I think I'll try to download one of the old classic movies on my computer at home-didn't know videos were available! It was interesting that LibriVox accepts volunteer readers for their material.

ihcpl/week 9/#21

2007-11-15T12:55:00.000-08:00

I added http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast.php?id=510047 as my rss feed for a podcast. I enjoyed the book reviews that I listened to and think this could be another interesting source for library users. I don't own an MP3 player or Ipod-I like that this is something I can access on my computer.

ihcpl/week 9/#20

2007-11-13T15:24:00.000-08:00

I explored YouTube and chose the "Howto & Style" category/ tango lesson: musical phrasing. I thought the site was easy enough to navigate and that it might be helpful as an instructional aide for "visual learning" people like myself. Just like almost anything-that huge variety of choices out there also means you take the good with the bad and responsible use is a concern.

ihcpl/week 8/#19

2007-11-10T13:16:00.000-08:00

I enjoyed playing around with the Zoho Writer's features-very user friendly. I had been curious about some of the features that I had seen used in other applications and didn't realize this was available and so easy.

ihcpl/week 8/ #18

2007-11-10T07:44:00.000-08:00

After checking out some of the social networking sites, I think they would be a good way to introduce yourself to various groups- as long as there would be some kind of genuine contact eventually(face to face if possible in some circumstances)-not just a lot of people out there pounding away on keyboards and staring at computer screens. Safety issues concern me too, especially since everyone uses anonymity. I really liked Rate My Space.

ihcpl/week 7/#17

2007-10-25T13:34:00.001-07:00

I added a comment on another participant's blog in response to their comment on the impact of current trends and changes in library systems. We've had so many opportunities to experiment with "new to me" technologies-some things I know I might not have tried on my own. I think I'm getting more comfortable each time navigating through the system. This training has given me the push I needed. The Library Elf will probably be one of the most practical tools I've learned.

ihcpl/week 7/#16

2007-10-25T12:30:00.000-07:00

Once again, so much info out there on the web! I can see lots of advantages for using wikis in a research application- unfortunately the very thing that makes it so useful(updated constantly as opposed to print material that sometimes becomes outdated even as it arrives for our shelves) also means verification of sources becomes even more important. I logged onto ihcpl wiki and added a post on favorite books.

ihcpl/week 6/#14

2007-10-25T11:34:00.000-07:00

I found some of the results were repeated in at least 2 searches of the 3(Blog posts, tags, and Blog directory). I tried other advanced searches and achieved similar results. When it comes to exploring popular blogs, I feel as though I've just "tested the waters"-wow, there is so much stuff out there!

ihcpl/week 6/#15

2007-10-25T09:28:00.000-07:00

I'm exited about the changes taking place. I especially like the fact that our system is not only implementing the changes but also offering the training to staff and patrons who have not had experience with some of this technology. It's interesting to me how we have become a more social environment just by sharing our information and embracing Library 2.0 yet you can also use the library on an individual level-the best of both worlds.

ihcpl/week 6/#13

2007-10-19T09:05:00.000-07:00

At first I was wondering how practical Del.icio.us might be in my application-then I realized I could quickly locate the links that were grouped together-helped to speed my searching.

ihcpl/week 5/#12

2007-10-19T08:23:00.000-07:00

http://www.libraryelf.com/SignUpCards.aspx
I think this tool is going to come in very handy-even though the library notifies me through my email about my acct, I can quickly check the status of my family's accts in one place. I just went into my libraryelf acct and really like this-the info and it's presentation was great.

ihcpl/week 5/#11

2007-10-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

http://www.librarything.com/catalog.php
I cataloged my titles and it seemed easy enough. I can see where it might come in handy for future shopping. If you would like to see my link, it is shown above.

ihcpl/week 4/#9

2007-10-15T13:31:00.000-07:00

I have to say, after browsing through some other options for finding feeds, my
favorite method was the Bloglines search tool. I was able to quickly select the
topics of my interests. While searching with Syndic8, I kind of found some surprises
that lead to my hasty exit...ok- I'm a little timid-just starting out-I might revisit
them to give it another try. I definitely liked the Quote of the Day and some of the
knitting feeds that I found.

ihcpl/week 5/#10

2007-10-12T10:50:00.000-07:00

Hey, this was pretty cool! I used the link http://avatars.yahoo.com/
I was able to change the avatar character's eyes, hair, skin, outfit, and image
backround-alot easier than I thought.

ihcpl/week4/#8

2007-10-11T09:45:00.000-07:00

I think this is going to be fun-really interested in where else I might be able to go with info from the different feeds I've subscribed to.

covered bridge/week3/#7

2007-10-11T09:05:00.001-07:00

covered bridge
Originally uploaded by white.tatiana

I used picnik to edit this photo.

week 3/#6 trippermap

2007-10-11T08:42:00.000-07:00

Get your own Trippermap!

I'm almost there!

covered bridge

2007-09-28T09:21:00.001-07:00

covered bridge
Originally uploaded by white.tatiana

2007-09-21T08:47:00.000-07:00

I may be a little naive when it comes to online security- I just want to learn to be smart about it but not paranoid.

2007-09-21T08:43:00.000-07:00

You know, I'm the kind of person who needs to just get in there and do things to really make them "stick". Might take some trial and error-repetion is a good thing.

Here we go...

2007-09-21T08:19:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm in--very first blog. Yikes!