Thing #17

I'm not sure why but this Sandbox Wiki was the most difficult thing to do. I just got very confused and felt like an idiot. I don't understand why everyone else's blogs are listed and my 'favorite' list is listed....days later.....I just went back into the Sandbox to try and fix some things and it just doesn't want to cooperate. grrrrrrrrr.

Wiki wiki hi, wiki hiney ho

Wiki, wiki, wiki. I had an inherit mistrust of wikis initially(check your sources, check your sources) but my mind is being swayed as I see some of the ways that wikis are being used, particularly by libraries. The SJCPL Subject Guide was wonderful. I particularly like the idea of the community being involved especially when it comes to local history/geneology. While I would only ever use Wikipedia as a source while doing Ask Us Now as a last resort or if I couldn't find anything else I have used information found in a Wikipedia entry as a starting point for searching for more credible sources-verify, verify, verify. 'Malicious mischievousness' I can't find where I saw that in the wiki readings but it has a nice ring to it.

Thing 20

You Tube.....I never really had issues with You Tube until recently. For the most part it seemed like an entertaining and sometimes useful site. I thought of it as just another website where too many people waste too much time watching videos of other people making fools of themselves for the sake of a few moments of somewhat dubious fame. We've all watched the videos of piano playing cats and skateboarding dogs and I myself have watched some music videos through it but what disturbs me is the ease with which explicit images are accessed. Even if the video itself has been removed the thumbnail shots are often extremely graphic. I just went under travel&places and there were pornographic images right there without ever having to click on anything. Without even having to look. The last time I went on the site to play around I came across, looking for the latest Modest Mouse video, a video of what appeared to be a young teenage girl doing a seductive dance in front of the camera (her face was off camera) and although she never appeared naked it still bothers me. I almost always leave that site feeling a bit sad. sigh.

Things 10, 11, 12 & 13

I did Thing 10, the avatar, early on because it seemed kind of fun and easy although I don't think it looks much like me. The avatars seem to all have 'Bratz' lips and eyes. Library Thing seems as though it might be useful as a way of sharing opinions and/or as a source for RA, at least personally. I just didn't get Rollyo-maybe I missed something. Del.icio.us could maybe have potential (I'm thinking of substitutes & Ask Us Now) although that puctuation drives me nuts.

Everything's better with a mouse.

I was just perusing some of the other CCPL blogs and I couldn't help noticing how positive everyone else is. Shamed thusly, I vow to take a more positive attitude towards all 23 Things and computers in general. They are my friends. They are here to help. I will curb my rage. Violence is not the answer. This is Isaac. He's here to reinforce my new positive attitude. Hi Isaac, you rock!

Things 8 & 9 & 14

I created a bloglines account and haven't looked at it since. I went to the Library Journal blog and read an exciting entry about the new McGraw Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology 10 th edition (available at a discounted price through September 30!) and visited one of the many sites that seems to display news articles from across the web that people have nominated for others to vote on. Why people vote for them I'm not sure but the top story was about how someone had used herbicides to 'burn' a 60 ft. penis into the lawn of the Idaho Governors mansion. THIS is what people are spending their time doing?
So, then I moved on to Technorati and did a search for my favorite band, (who I just saw live and they were awesome) Modest Mouse, figuring if I'm going to have to do this might as well try something I like and the first blog that came up was a guy (I think) writing about how he hates to use the bathroom (I'm editing here) at work when he's wearing certain pairs of shoes because then people recognize his shoes and know that it's him and know what he's doing. Apparantly he mentions Modest Mouse further down in the blog. Seriously, I don't know how much more of this I can take. My opinion of the American public is plummeting. It amazes me that soooooo many people feel the need to put this sort of crap out into the world. I just don't get it. It makes me want to run away.

Thing #7

Something technology related that interests me this week. Hmmmm, I did go see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix at IMAX with the special 3-D ending which was excellent. Voldemort is especially creepy in 3-D. It's that slitty, snaky nose.
My, those Potter kids are growing up nicely. Kind of makes me feel like a dirty old woman. Daniel Radcliffe recently turned 18 and there were headlines in British papers proclaiming "Dan Radcliffe is legal!" as though THAT was what keeping all these people from him. Seriously, it was the same thing with Britney Spears here. I've been talking about all things Harry Potter with my teens in the book discussions and I'm amazed at how many of these 12, 13, 15 year old girls are drooling over Gary Oldman and David Thewlis and especially Alan Rickman. I love to see their faces when I tell them that Alan Rickman is 61!
But seriously, the best thing about that movie was the audience. There was every age, every race. I was looking around during all the obnoxious commercials that run before the previews and it made me so happy to see such a range of people all excited about the same film. Elementary aged kids and Seniors with canes, African American, Latino, Wonder bread-it was great!
I was similarly struck when I was reading the seventh book the day it came out. To think of how many millions of people were all reading the same book at the same time right round the globe. What an amazing accomplishment for JK Rowling (and I suppose her publishers) to have enthralled so many people.
Then again I see these books as a wonderful contribution to literature not an attempt to lure innocent children into evil. I came across an essay while playing around with, I think it was digg.com that proclaims Harry as the 'vanguard of the anti-Christ.' My favorite bit was this passage: " In a particularly distasteful and lewd display, Potter tries to tempt the rightfully furious Angel by raising his pant leg and showing him his nude ankle. In this way the Harry Potter books contribute to the hidden gay agenda. When this temptation is refused, he has a malignant house spirit who embodies all the evils of stem-cell research curse the angel down." Hmmm, who knew that Lucious Malfoy was an angel of Christ and Dobby is the 'embodiment of the evils of stem cell research'! Bearing in mind this a work related blog I'll end the discussion here!