Assignment 10 - Twitter

Following Twitter. TPL and FIFA, looks alot like this.

Youtube and the Library - Post 8

There are plenty of youtube videos on libraries, some remind me of going to training and others are simply there to be funny. Below are some of the shorter more interesting ones.

Librarian Lays Down the Law

What is the future of the library?

Sesame Street: Cookie Monster In The Library

Assignment 7: podcasts

Having not really explored these broadcasts until now I was surprised that I do find a use for them. Since I find I don't listen to the radio anymore the Podcast "MP3 Blog Podast Planet" I found under the music section of Podcast Alley is very useful for it samples the newest music available. Another interesting Podcast is called "10 minute lessons" which I found under Arts with useful information as sea mussles in Ireland can live to be 285 and always use direct questions when speaking with the elderly for clarity. CBC Radio Toronto I found outside the Alley, and doesn't seem to be as good or up to date with postings happening infrequently.

web 2.0 assignment 6 - google docs

It's an interesting concept when you consider all the e-waste that is out there. However at this point in time it would be in the best interest of the organisation to stick with Word as Docs lacks some of the sophistication that Word has developped. However, there is another feature called Google Calendar which offers actual cost savings. Having had to order paper calendars in the past that multiple people frequently edit, a free computerized version would save us time and money.

Assignment #5

Delicious was this weeks assignment for web 2.0, it was survey week so there wasn't much time to check it out, but so far the ability to tag webpages and articles seems like a new and interesting way to classify information. Cross-referencing made fun and easy, I'm planning to experiment some more when Iget a free moment but busy season is upon us...I wonder if they make an app for this, it would be a useful tool on the go for finding say italian or chinese food in a city this size.

23 things assignment #4

On internet generators:

Most internet generators I find to be a waste of time because not all are constructed well. Having grown up in the era of Mad Libs, the more we ourselves as surfers can input the more fun the results seem to be.

So far my favourite generators are these
a) Swedish Furniture name = Jenra
b) Vampire name = Empress of Scandanavia
c) The My Little Pony generator = this one is really fun because you can create your own Dream Pony.

23 things assignment #3 RSS feeds

This weeks post is about RSS feeds that have things to do with Toronto. The Library Journal feed that we were asked to try was really easy because it allowed you to select the application that you wished to use from their page instead of copying and pasting. The other feeds that I now subscribe to prefer the ctrl+c ctrl+v method. They are the following.

Akimbo: which is a website designed arround the visual arts in Toronto. Anything from calls for submissions to exhibits to curatorial/eductional jobs in the field of the arts gets posted on this website. You can also set it up to directly email you about current news, although an RSS feed makes more sense because new postings come out every hour.

Toronto Life: because if you're like me and need to know more about the city you live in, it's good to receive that information faster. I enjoy it for the finance related articles and the best restaurant guide.

Now Magazine: This publication is good for the arts in this city as well. Of particular note are the CD reviews that will direct you to some fantastic music one might otherwise not come across and the little section on gallery openings that will do an article about one of the exhibits currently on display.

The RSS feed system seems like a sound way of taking alot of information and condensing it for portable use.

23 things assignment #2

This is what Toronto can look like sometimes. A new building under construction, a picturesque escape or a huge blown up bunny attracting thousands to a mall after it's closed.

On Portraits

This post is inspired by my most recent visit to the AGO which has a gallery devoted to the portraits of Rembrandt on at the moment. I'm a member and like to visit a few spaces at a time rather than see the whole building in one go. In this space is an audio visual display that allows you to click on the faces of people who know a thing or two about the faces on display. A woman discusses how a portrait is different from a photograph.

A portrait differs because a person has to settle, or some such reason. It is the person as they are. Relaxed, that they are more themselves somehow than in a photograph. Whereas the still image catches a single moment, they looked that way for a second and that is all you get to see, a seconds worth of character.

So now I have ideas of portraiture floating in my head. I bought a book called "The Imaginary Portraits of George Condo" and enjoyed them, found them to be similar to how I tend to use figures - places to insert posture and action rather than specific identity.

This is probably why I keep thinking about that gallery in the AGO. I had been looking at identifiable people. The person speaking in the display said most of the people we encounter are like photographs, we look at them briefly and we think we know where they fit, we think we understand. The exhibit serves as a reminder of the mysteries of humanity, it allows the opportunity of inspection, to be dumbfounded, to wonder what they were thinking.

What's good about the distillery

If you travel, you know that it's hard to find a good public washroom in some of the less frequented areas of a city. In the distillery however, not only do you find points of interest such as galleries, breweries, and a chocolate factory you needn't worry about the lou situation if you are just out there for a stroll. Public washrooms are located across from the Mill St. Brewery and are very prestine.

23 things assignment #1

Well, it would be interesting if 23 things would show us how to edit Html. Since I'm interested in blogging about arts and culture in Toronto, it would be useful to make a really dynamic blog that people would want to visit.