YOUTUBE!

FINALLY!
I made myself go in order because I KNEW I'd do the things I liked and would never get to other things.
Youtube should have been last.

Hopefully, I'll make it through everything.
Now, finally get to share my MOST loved videos.
(This will be a long post, with lots of visual aids - I call it "Why I love youtube")

First, let me share my all time favorite video on YouTube



Now, if you're at work and want to watch this, you MUST listen to the audio. BUT do not turn it up too loud. Your best bet is to watch it at home where you can listen to the volume and won't be looked at strangely if you burst out laughing for no apparent reason. After that, feel free to forward it to friends.
I think, although the topic is crazy drivers, this applies to my frantic efforts to complete these 23 things by the Neflin deadline.

I've been a huge youtube fan since I discovered it back in...
...I'm not sure. It was a while ago though.
Usually, i'd be at school, bored as hell and I'd duck into the computer lab with my earphones and watch videos on youtube.
I've never made a video to put on youtube...
But I have a friend who I met through another friend who went to school for TV production and has made a bunch for youtube.
I'd like to share one he made with his wife (my friend)

I think it's funny. Maybe you will too. (We all need a little comedy relief I think.)
Warning: Do NOT listen to it at work or in front of small children



Ok, so it's a little weird.
I still think it's funny.


In short, youtube is a great place for sharing video. Universities use it to share video lectures, bands use it to promote their music, kids use it to...
...well...be stupid and obnoxious really.
All in all, Youtube is awesome.

I can see using it in libraries...
A library could make a playlist of different topics like my stress management playlist (Again, previous warnings apply.)

I also think video is a great tool to use for libraries. So many people come in and don't know how the dewey decimal works or how to even find a fiction book. A library could make a simple how to video an either have it on their website, or playing in their library. They could make a video tour of the library showing where everything is located, or what special features their libraries have.
There are so many uses for videos I could make an entire post just on that.
I'll stop though.
And leave you with more videos.

This one is especially for Easter:










And lastly...
One with NO WARNING! (just turn down the audio cause it's a little loud)

Thing 15: Rollyo

My test search roll

I do not understand the purpose of this. Honestly.
The all powerful google is anything anyone needs. I can't even find words to blog about this.
It's the most pointless tool ever invented.
No, really it is.
It's more pointless than the hangman ap I play in Igoogle when I'm SUPER BORED and can find NOTHING else to do.
At least hangman makes sense to me.
This...
simply does not.

Thing 14: Online Productivity tools

OI!
That handy little idea I had last post didn't work. You know the one were I do a blog a day, or blog when I've got insomnia.
I blame Runescape.
Stupid game.

So, this seems like it might have been helpful thing to do earlier.
This should totally be thing 1!!!

First off, I refuse to change the start page on my computer at home or at work. I have it sent the way I like it.
Not doing it and no one can make me.
*sticks out tongue and flaps it at the world*

Secondly, I use Igoogle. Have for years.
Funny thing that Google. It's useful for so many things and has a much catchier name than Yahoo. I've got so many things on my IGoogle that absoultely MUST haves...

Let's see...
First, and most important, is my email

I've also got the weather in JAX, G'Ville, St. Augustine and Cedar Key. You NEVER know when the urge to go to the beach is gunna strike. This way I know the weather at all the closest beaches as well as my own weather.

I have a date and time thing on it too...which is pointless since I can look at my wrist and already know it. I may take that off.

We have local movie listings, a calendar, and an online translator (Never know when you want to say "Don't touch my cookies" in Japanese!)

I have my ever useful cookie click that gives me my fortune of the day.
"You will have the best life EVER" Lucky numbers are 8, 40,22,30,20,41

I have brain teasers and a sudoku puzzle, Mahjong and color junction, who wants to be a millioniare and Are you Smarter than a fifth grader. I also have hangman. You need things that keep your mind sharp, right?
I also have a few that are just for fun like Pacman and today's horoscopes.

I've got Einstein's quote of the day and National Geographics picture of the day. I've also got funny cat pictures of the day
"You eated my cookie"
I guess the cat is talking about the fortune cookie I consumed a moment ago.

I also like to know the Moon's phase. Waning Gibbous at 93% full.

I have all these wonderful tools to help me out...
...and it's been so long since I used any of them.

For me, Online productivity tools just don't work.
Give me that cold hard calender thumbtacked to my wall with barely legible scribbles and highlighters marking SUPER IMPORTANT appointments. Little red hearts around special days and big black Xs for deadlines.

To do lists?
I have my handwritten ABC lists. A in red means DO NOW. B in Yellow means DO THIS WEEK. C in green means...someday, I'd like to see these things done, someday, they will make it to list B. And MAYBE...maybe they'll make it to list A, but probably not.
Grocery lists? Why make them on a computer?
Put them in your head and forget them when you get to the store. That way, you get to see the cute guy that bags the groceries again tomorrow. Right?

At the library I can't be bothered to use anything more than outlook. I'm only at my computer for twenty minutes a day max.

Thing 13: Librarything

I found librarything interesting. It's a neat little way to share with other friends and other people what you're reading. I can see uses for this for libraries too.

If you wanted to compile lists of books that librarians recommend for patrons, there you go. You can use it to put out recommendations for parents for their kids. I know I stop in down out at youth services department around christmas time to ask what's popular with the kids so I can by Christmas presents for my friends' children.
With this site...I might not have to ask them anymore. I could find reading lists for kids. But also, if libraries have a "What's popular" list...that's great too.

I will definitely be using this to organize my own library of books, which is actually much smaller since I moved two years ago. It's so hard to let go of books when you move. But sometimes, there's just not enough room to cram them all into your car.

As far as the local feature...I'm not sure how useful it is for the library. On a personal level...I FOUND my library on it.

Thing 12: Wikis

I can still remember, not so very long ago, going to my college's library for orientation. I'm not sure why every one of my English teachers wanted to make sure we understood how to use a library for research.

I can still remember the librarian talking about Wikipedia. "Don't use it!"
"Anyone can add information into wikipedia articles and while some people may be knowledgeable experts in their fields, Marlene's, from down the street, crazy Uncle Ned also has access to the site and can edit however he chooses."


That said...Wikipedia is one of my favorite places to go for first level research. There's SO much information there in one spot it's just the easiest first place to look when I'm wanting to know something completely random. If it's for something important, I'll take that info, look for the sources and then do further research on it to ensure whatever I found is a valid fact or just some random tidbit crazy Uncle Ned put in.

I still don't think there's anything wrong with banning Wikipedia from research. I found ways around using it when I was in college. Like I said...first level.
I found the info I wanted from it. Then found alternate sources to use for references that the teachers would find acceptable.
I think doing that helps students learn to find multiple sources of information to ensure the accuracy of what you learn.

I played around some with the meta:sandbox. I only tagged it really.

Ultimately, Wiki good. Delicious still BAAAADDDdddd!

Thing 11: Social Media

WOW...
I've gotten way behind. NEFLIN is on thing 19, I'm still WAY back here. Good thing I've got the week off from classes and the first week will be light. I figure if I post a thing a day, I'll be caught up by the time this thing is over.

LOL
("Laughing out loud" for those acronymically challenged.)

I do want to update on thing 10 before I continue on with thing 11.
Delicious-
While at first it did seem awesome...It had hijacked my tab key and my ability to C&P in most windows. I'm currently trying to figure out how to get rid of the program that I installed into my browser. As soon as I figure how to get rid of the peskiness that is delicious I'll let you all know.
DOWN WITH DELICIOUS!

******

Read Terminator two meets that movie with Ally Sheedie
Or this one...about dinner saving a classroom. (Yes, they still eat guinea pigs in Peru.)

Articles like this one, while entertaining, make me fear for the future of information. I guess I fear more the contributions of everyday people than from legitimate news sources.
I'm sure if my brother could figure out how to, he'd be contributing crap like "Toads explode after being filled with firecrackers," along with video footage.
Maybe I'm being a little extreme, but I don't put much stock in social media outside of the entertainment value. Part of it being..."Wow...someone has too much time on their hands."

I wouldn't really want to use these tools in my library unless someone called up and said "HELP! I'm really depressed and need something to make me laugh! What do you suggest?"
Really, social media is nothing more than a productivity detractor.

By the way, if you have any free time (Don't watch these while you're working, seriously. Productivity detractor, remember?) I found these courtesy of reddit.

Exercise ball revenge.

Thing 10: Delicious

Wow.

I did not know of the existence of this kind of site before 23 things.
My mind is bursting with the possibilities of this web 2.0 tool. I mean, information sharing among friends, among classmates, research tools, coworkers...
it's just endless.

I imported my bookmarks to my account and now I have the daunting task (because I'm horrible about cleaning up my bookmarks) of organizing it.
Thankfully, it kept my bookmark folders as tags, so a good chunk will be easy to sort through and see if the sites are active and relevant. Of course, I have 87 tags and over a thousand bookmarks to go through.

I do some online RPGs and write lots of short stories, so I have research bookmarks for all the characters and whatever was needed for the stories.
I guess you could say my bookmarks are kind of like cable TV 800 channels and nothing on. LOL

I can't wait to make some public research bookmarks for my friends, though. I'm trying to keep them in the loop of these great internet tools.