#21 - The labs of Google

Labs of Google seems to be the next best feature of this process of 27 Things.
Besides, our cluster is having Learning 2.0 "IN" thing for the staff at 8am, and I snarfing a bagel and downing a few orange juices to help pass the time.

I chose the FUN and the Geeky bundles because this exercise is too much fun and personality is becoming too Geeky for most of my friends, and otherwise fun group.

Goodle trends may prove to be very interesting, but it is hard to tell before exploring these trends more.

Although I have been using Google for a long time, there are many features for me to learn about. Having fun in Burien.

#20 - Online Software

This new online software is really cool. the idea that I can create any document anywhere in the country is wonderful. creating these documents while traveling is great. After returning home the dcument can be copied into my computer and developed later.

Afer trying our both Google and Zoho the latter had the most attractive features. The many more features of Zoho had its greatest appeal to me. Having the option of sharing docuemnts with others presents a great deal of really cool options. If our libraries become more familiar with these options, it will provide our patrons of creating documents and saving them longer than Saturday night. And, they should really like the idea of accessing them here, there and everywhere.

#19 - Library 2.0

Libraries on the Web have a fantastic future.
Stopping to recall all of the wonderful resources on the Internet has been a wonderful experience. Materials are avalable that never would have come to light on my own.
Whole books are now available for people to read such as Inglorious Columbus by Vining and Revolt of the Masses by Jose Oretega y Gassett. The entire Summa Theologica can be easily researched as well as T. S. Eliot's Four Quartets.
But more important are the wonderful networking that I have found through this extercise to contact others on a variety of research topics.
There really is a Library Community, but perhaps it is best to think of it as a Research Community too.

Although we do not need to keep the "Just-in-Case" collection, librarians need to be more knowledgeable about their field to keep what will be most useful to our public.
Libraries may not have a monopoly on the resources of the world, but we have the opportunity to help our patrons to find materials that would not otherwise be readily available.

The above is the new world of librarianship. Librarians are here to assist our patrons in finding materials and learning how to utilize the resources on the Internet. Still, it remains the patron's responsibility to put these resource to work for them. Hence, the doors of creativity and knowledge of the world continues to expand. Libraries, and the Librarians that help them, are becoming the great equalizing force for the common man by making the world's resources and communities available to even the humblest person.

#18 - Search What You Like

Rollyo vs Google


Rollyo was very likeable and the descriptions of website searches seems to be clearer.
Nonetheless, I prefer the overall page of Google.
Google's main page remains the best organized after an internet search. Most importantly, it is easy for me to understand. If it is too sophisticated it looses me. Webpages need to be both function and appealing to the eye.

My igoogle page has been established with lots of interesting stuff.
May animated heading has a little fox, (i think) that goes through a daily routine. He (i think) leaves his house and paddles across the pond to pick some apples (i think). All the while, the sun drifts across the sky above Mt Rainier. Then, the little fox feeds his ducks, does some fishing, drinks tea, and heads home for a good night's sleep.

And, it is all set for the correct time zone.

On the main page:

Weather for my home
Flickr Photos (changes daily)
This Day in History (from the History Channel)
How to of the Day
ESPN
Movies
Top Stories

On my Fun Stuff Tab:

Pac Man 2.4
Current Moon Phase (and other heavenly topics)
Joke of the Day (hmmm, a little racey at times, but funny)
Wikipedia search box
and Dictionary.com


But I am biased in this regard, as I have had Google for several years now.

#17 - Play, then catch up or take a break

These Generator Blog LIst can be lots of fun.
Actually, my favorite is the Burma-Shave Haiku Generator.
As a kid, these signs were along Hwy 20 from Illinois to Iowa.
I always enjoyed them while on our weekend vacations.
OUr family had also seen them in Wisconsin, So. Illinois and Michigan.
Lots of fun.

The Maze Generator was also an entertaining site.

And my South Park Character looks like a Pirate.
Mr. Pirate can be found in the middle of this blog.

#16 - Join the Wiki collective

Well, the task is done.
Geoduck should be listd there with the other outstanding "best blogs ever."

#15 - Wikis you'll know and love

The Wikis encyclopedia has always been appealing to me.
One of my hopes for the internet was to see such an encylopedia.
Although occasional errors are found, the mistakes are not a real problem.
The website is adequately refereed to keep its data reliable.
Regardless of the source of informaiton, it still remains the responsibility of the researcher to verify the information through other supporting primary and secondary resources. After all, any book published has at least a handful of errors in them.
Yet, we do not stop using the "hardcopy" reference materials. Another great online encyclopedia is the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy at...

http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/maritain/

This resource is absolutely fabulous and contains informtion on most any person or topic related to philosophy. In addition, the articles are by individuals of note in this field of study. For example, the article about Jacque Maritain, an famous thomist of the 20th Century, was composed by Ralph McInerny. He is the Dean of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame and the author of the Father Dowling Mysteries.


The SJCPL Subject Guides were interesting, but most likely not appealing to the general public. The RSS Feed was there, and that would be helpful to librarians and researchers.

I also thought the Book Lovers Wiki at the Princeton Public Library was excellent for the general public. Still, Librarians need to learn how to be a little more jazzy in the presentation of the materials and web-based information in order to appeal to the younger general public.