We were down to Historic St Marys City on Saturday (MD's first capital) and were reminded that next year, 2009, Maryland will be celebrating its 375th birthday.
St Marys City will celebrate this on March 25th, Maryland Day!, and on the weekend of June 20 & 21st. My lovely and talented wife and I were approached about helping out with the June 20 & 21st, more later.
here is the website for St Marys City:
http://www.stmaryscity.org/
Monday, December 1, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Colonial Games or high tech?
You might have seen these pictures in the programming blog, but I wanted to take a different way to see them. The children pictured are having fun playing with simple toys, not high tech toys. At the program we had several different board games, hop scotch(pictured), and other games of agility and coordination. Early games taught agility, coordination and social interaction. While today's high tech video games might teach coordination and agility, they do not do much for social interaction. Children do not need the latest video games to have fun, none of the games we played needed a computer or electricity, just some metal or physical effort.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
idiot boxes for cars
We were just on vacation down in the Clearwater area of Florida, staying with friends(another story there). While in the area we played tourist and visited local small towns; a couple of state parks to shell, bird and see the area. The male half of our friends lent us his Garmin Nuvi, so we would not get lost.
We could program in an address and most of the time it worked, but reduced driving and exploring to the lowest common level. It would speak directions, turn left at next light etc.
My lovely and talented wife, a food historian, wanted to see the remains of a sugar mill. We looked the location up on the web and programed in the address. The only problem was the address was for the hdq of the park in the next town, not the actual site. Luckily, I can still read and use a map, a lost art with these devices, and was able to get to the mill despite the Garmin telling us that the site was 20 miles further down the road. On the way back, the Garmin got confused and kept saying we were some place else(different reality?)
Look, I have driven for a number of years in a variety of places, including England using maps, atlases and my brains. The Garmin dumbs down the process, making you subject to its flaws rather than thinking for yourself.
Let just say a Garmin will not be on my Holiday list (though the bottle of Single Malt still is!)
We could program in an address and most of the time it worked, but reduced driving and exploring to the lowest common level. It would speak directions, turn left at next light etc.
My lovely and talented wife, a food historian, wanted to see the remains of a sugar mill. We looked the location up on the web and programed in the address. The only problem was the address was for the hdq of the park in the next town, not the actual site. Luckily, I can still read and use a map, a lost art with these devices, and was able to get to the mill despite the Garmin telling us that the site was 20 miles further down the road. On the way back, the Garmin got confused and kept saying we were some place else(different reality?)
Look, I have driven for a number of years in a variety of places, including England using maps, atlases and my brains. The Garmin dumbs down the process, making you subject to its flaws rather than thinking for yourself.
Let just say a Garmin will not be on my Holiday list (though the bottle of Single Malt still is!)
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Fun with technology
Well, it was 9:24 the babies and their caregivers are arriving and I can not get the @@***!!! power point to load. As a project here at this large western area branch I am putting our rhymes, songs, finger plays on a power-point, so we can display them for programs. I worked on this and checked my results on my desk PC, no problem. Saved it on my jump drive, checked that, no problem. Tried to load it into the lap top, big problem, it would not load. MANY BAD WORDS IN A ROW!!!!quickly went back to pod, loaded word program with rhymes onto jump, loaded that and used it.
After programs were over conferred with computer person, found out that somehow(computer gods having a joke? St Bill striking me down?) I had saved the program in PP 2007 on a machine that had office 2003!!!!So it opened on desk PCS, but not laptop??!!! Ah well, computers make your life simpler and easier!
After programs were over conferred with computer person, found out that somehow(computer gods having a joke? St Bill striking me down?) I had saved the program in PP 2007 on a machine that had office 2003!!!!So it opened on desk PCS, but not laptop??!!! Ah well, computers make your life simpler and easier!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Fun with Blogs
I don't know if you noticed, but up on the header of most blogger pages is a link to "next blog". Click on it and it takes you to random (I guess) blogs. This will give you a sense of how large and diverse is the blogging community. Blogs from families, in foreign languages, different genders and ethnicity, all sorts and shapes of blogs.. Try it, you will like it.
Friday, August 8, 2008
New fun with wifi at branches
We at this large western area branch, and at other branches, are beginning to see patrons using their laptops with our wireless and using one of the Internet phone software. After being informed of that being against library policy some patrons want to argue that they are not using phones so they should be allowed to make their calls. Remember computers make you life simpler and easier.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Web 2.0 or What I did on my summer "vacation"
This summer the powers that be asked us to immerse ourselves in the web and new technologies. A few random thought about the process.
One of the main thoughts I have is the easiest to say, but perhaps the harder to understand. The Web and all of its positives and negatives require a computer, access to the Internet and time. Many people have a computer or access to one through public terminals, some do not. Many of those that have a computer have web access, but at an increasingly costly rate. I saw recently that AOL is ending dial-up service, once the only way to access the web. Now there are T1 lines, Fios, cable and other broadband. To do most of the Web 2.0 activities you need broadband, esp tools such as you-tube, the social networking, twitter, etc. The Web accelerates a digital divide, further splintering our society into haves and have-nots.
It had been my intention when starting this post to provide a laundry list of the requirements of Web 2.o and my actions/reactions to them. However, in the process of writing the first paragraph my thoughts and plans changed. So just some general ideas:
I have gone on enough about my thoughts on privacy and the web, (see previous posts), but it is good to realize that the Web is a thing, not a person. It will not care if you lose your privacy by too candid postings in blogs, social sites, etc. It is up to you to determine for yourself as to what liberties you allow yourself in postings on the web.
That said, I have enjoyed (mostly) blogging and hope to continue, esp helping others in their Web 2.0 adventures. I have always tried to be a part of the larger community, in grad school, in bicycling organizations, in reading groups, in volunteer activities. However, blogging is time consuming and there are books to read, bicycles to ride, cats to pet and people to talk to.
The Web 2.0 journey has caused me to post pictures for myself and others(on picasa, not flickr), start a on-line version of my book journals (on Gale's books and authors not Library thing), to look at and consign to oblivion social net work sites, twitter and most of wikis.
It has been and will be a long strange trip my friends.
Your humble servant
TomLATI
One of the main thoughts I have is the easiest to say, but perhaps the harder to understand. The Web and all of its positives and negatives require a computer, access to the Internet and time. Many people have a computer or access to one through public terminals, some do not. Many of those that have a computer have web access, but at an increasingly costly rate. I saw recently that AOL is ending dial-up service, once the only way to access the web. Now there are T1 lines, Fios, cable and other broadband. To do most of the Web 2.0 activities you need broadband, esp tools such as you-tube, the social networking, twitter, etc. The Web accelerates a digital divide, further splintering our society into haves and have-nots.
It had been my intention when starting this post to provide a laundry list of the requirements of Web 2.o and my actions/reactions to them. However, in the process of writing the first paragraph my thoughts and plans changed. So just some general ideas:
I have gone on enough about my thoughts on privacy and the web, (see previous posts), but it is good to realize that the Web is a thing, not a person. It will not care if you lose your privacy by too candid postings in blogs, social sites, etc. It is up to you to determine for yourself as to what liberties you allow yourself in postings on the web.
That said, I have enjoyed (mostly) blogging and hope to continue, esp helping others in their Web 2.0 adventures. I have always tried to be a part of the larger community, in grad school, in bicycling organizations, in reading groups, in volunteer activities. However, blogging is time consuming and there are books to read, bicycles to ride, cats to pet and people to talk to.
The Web 2.0 journey has caused me to post pictures for myself and others(on picasa, not flickr), start a on-line version of my book journals (on Gale's books and authors not Library thing), to look at and consign to oblivion social net work sites, twitter and most of wikis.
It has been and will be a long strange trip my friends.
Your humble servant
TomLATI
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Privacy, blogs and the web : part 2
Orangerful and Don's comments and posts to my last privacy rant got me thinking(I know it being in the morning and me thinking doesn't seem right, does it?). Anyway, Orangerful also had a comment about my reading/ listening post:
"I know you probably shouldn't judge people by what they read or listen to but...oh we all do it! It adds a bit more personality and gives a few more hints about what the person might be like."
So if we get hints and judge people about their choices, what does that do to privacy? Don suggested we should adopt web persona's. So if I am conducting a persona, should I post my reading logs? Web 2.0 participants are posting links to their library thing pages, do I judge them by their links, their choices? Are these choices, my reading lists real or made up? I guess I will be careful as to my postings from now on, too much personal information leads to invasions of privacy.
But, a blog just about my Web 2.0 explorations would probably just be stale and dull. If you explore around some of my comments, esp to Gnaritis Vox's blog, you probably learn more about me than is useful and wise. We have all heard about people with problems when employers access their blogs, my space, you tube, etc sites. We know that library employees are looking at these blogs (which is one of the points of the Web 2.0 assignment), so am I being "judged" by them because of my postings, choices?
I guess I will be more circumspect about what I post and take down the "personal" posts and just go back to the asignments. Safer, probably; duller, for sure.
A Semi-rant
"I know you probably shouldn't judge people by what they read or listen to but...oh we all do it! It adds a bit more personality and gives a few more hints about what the person might be like."
So if we get hints and judge people about their choices, what does that do to privacy? Don suggested we should adopt web persona's. So if I am conducting a persona, should I post my reading logs? Web 2.0 participants are posting links to their library thing pages, do I judge them by their links, their choices? Are these choices, my reading lists real or made up? I guess I will be careful as to my postings from now on, too much personal information leads to invasions of privacy.
But, a blog just about my Web 2.0 explorations would probably just be stale and dull. If you explore around some of my comments, esp to Gnaritis Vox's blog, you probably learn more about me than is useful and wise. We have all heard about people with problems when employers access their blogs, my space, you tube, etc sites. We know that library employees are looking at these blogs (which is one of the points of the Web 2.0 assignment), so am I being "judged" by them because of my postings, choices?
I guess I will be more circumspect about what I post and take down the "personal" posts and just go back to the asignments. Safer, probably; duller, for sure.
A Semi-rant
Friday, July 25, 2008
A good way to waste time
Sigh, My lovely and talented wife just sent me the link to the newest "Simon's Cat" video. If you are owned by a cat (dogs have owners, cats have staff) or know someone who is, Iencourage you to waste some time, esp. if need a giggle, with these.
http://www.youtube.com/user/simonscat
Simon's cat reminds my of our male, Blackie, who knows when it is time for us to get up so we can fullfill our duty and feed him.
http://www.youtube.com/user/simonscat
Simon's cat reminds my of our male, Blackie, who knows when it is time for us to get up so we can fullfill our duty and feed him.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Privacy and Community
Del.icio.us sounds great, you are able to save and retrieve bookmarks from any computer, anywhere. Like other social network programs however, in delo.icio.us you are part of a larger community and as part of that community you reduce your privacy. When I set up my Picasa page, see last post, I thought about the negatives about putting pictures of myself and friends out on the web, such as since they are "public" posts you have no copyright or expectation of privacy about their use. Anyone can view them, download them, use them without your permission, However, I wanted the pictures available to the others on the trip to use (as I have added pictures to mine from their postings).
We, on this Web2.0 exploration, are to "Make sure you pick an appropriate user name. I would recommend avoiding using your full name as your user name" so to be "private". Yet, we all have an idea who we are, where we work. Do we realize that others in the blogosphere can access our blogs, photos, del.icio.us sites? We want to be part of a community, but how large a community? How much of our privacy do we want to give away?
Some semi-rants
We, on this Web2.0 exploration, are to "Make sure you pick an appropriate user name. I would recommend avoiding using your full name as your user name" so to be "private". Yet, we all have an idea who we are, where we work. Do we realize that others in the blogosphere can access our blogs, photos, del.icio.us sites? We want to be part of a community, but how large a community? How much of our privacy do we want to give away?
Some semi-rants
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Picasa
Yes, I made the plunge, I created an album on Picasa, google's pictue software. I have not downloaded the software, need to consult the IT cat. I used Picasa since I already had a google account because of the blog, one less sign-in to forget. I do not know the tech diferences between it and fickr, just slothfullness on my part.
I decicide to do it to share the pictures of my bike trip with my compatriots and others. Matt, one of the bikers, already posted 2 albums of his pictures. http://picasaweb.google.com/matthedt/2RLXBikeTour2008
We will see how far this goes.
I decicide to do it to share the pictures of my bike trip with my compatriots and others. Matt, one of the bikers, already posted 2 albums of his pictures. http://picasaweb.google.com/matthedt/2RLXBikeTour2008
We will see how far this goes.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
twits and widgets
there is an older Brit word for an stupid person: a "twit". That word was running through my mind when reading about twitter. Oh Boy IM! (preparing to get too snarky here, settle down) Can we go too far in this wired world? Is everything going on today going to require, a computer, a server connection, a blog, etc etc etc. I still remember getting my first cell phone 6 years ago when both my folks went into the hospital and I was dealing with it at a distance. That was the start of a slippery slope. Yes cell-phones are semi-needed, but we, as librarians are now cell phone police.
maybe I will us a widget to link to some stuff to my blog, maybe not.
On another note, I remember reading on one of the Web 2.0 blogs about haggis hunting, but now can not find the blog(I did comment on the post). Any help ?
maybe I will us a widget to link to some stuff to my blog, maybe not.
On another note, I remember reading on one of the Web 2.0 blogs about haggis hunting, but now can not find the blog(I did comment on the post). Any help ?
Monday, July 7, 2008
Wikis/online software
In a diferent universe, when I taught History, I was careful to make sure that I expressly denouced the use of Wikipedia as a source for research papers. Even after taking classes to the college library for instruction in using its data bases, students, being the normal lazy humans as the rest of us, would try to use Wikipedia as a primary and/or secondary source for the papers. They were horrified when I marked their papers down for it.
Wikipedia and other wikis are as good as the community that supports them. When you trust the community(our new tech wiki) you can trust the Wiki. Since the community for wikipedia is so large, I only use it to provide common social knowledge and then with careful fact checking. Wikis, like many accesible online sources, can and do descend to the lowest common element.
Online software maybe the coming thing in computers, but right now they are reinventing the wheel. "Just like word, excel, etc" they trumpet. These might be good for patrons using public computers, but we supply word and one branch has excel/power point in the lab Color me skeptical.
Wikipedia and other wikis are as good as the community that supports them. When you trust the community(our new tech wiki) you can trust the Wiki. Since the community for wikipedia is so large, I only use it to provide common social knowledge and then with careful fact checking. Wikis, like many accesible online sources, can and do descend to the lowest common element.
Online software maybe the coming thing in computers, but right now they are reinventing the wheel. "Just like word, excel, etc" they trumpet. These might be good for patrons using public computers, but we supply word and one branch has excel/power point in the lab Color me skeptical.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
You Tubbin, Face Book
You tube and Face book both seem like "good" ways to waste time. There is a lot of dreck on them, but good bits also. I put a link on my last blog to the Port Tobacco site and the other you tube video that caught my interest was the video of a Rev War British ship just found in the Great Lakes. Other than that, blah! Both, esp You tube, use masive amounts of band-with, and are full of people wanting their "15" inute os fame.
During grad school a friend proposed a difference between "good" procrastination and "Bad" when needing to work on your dissertation. Good: cleaning the bathroom; Bad: watching soaps.
Most of youtube and facebook are beyond bad
During grad school a friend proposed a difference between "good" procrastination and "Bad" when needing to work on your dissertation. Good: cleaning the bathroom; Bad: watching soaps.
Most of youtube and facebook are beyond bad
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
rss feeds, library thing, et al
It seems to me that rss feed are like the digests I get from some of my verbose e-mail list (esp RevWar and 4MA). It would take me hours to get through the individual posts from the lists, with digests I can easily pick and choose. Both however, require me to keep myself wired. When I go on vacation in a couple of weeks (bicycling from Pittsburgh to DC) I plan to be wired free! no checking email, no web surfing.
Library thing is interesting. I decide to use the new Gale data base: books and authors instead. More on this later after I have transfered my book lists from the paper form to the electronic form.
A green idea now going about is transfering mailed items into e-mails. I now get bike club newsletters, The poisened press book news, et al via the web rather than hard copies. I guess this works as long as I have web access.
Every now and then my wife and I talk about building on the 17+ acres we own near a small town in the high country of New Mexico. One of the attractions for me is the difficulty of being wired, now only dial up or sattelite hook-up.
Ah well, if your interested in local archeology, check out the Port Tobacco project blog:http://aacplexploration.blogspot.com/. Just recovering from the poisin ivy gained from being one of the "inmates" at the jail dig
Library thing is interesting. I decide to use the new Gale data base: books and authors instead. More on this later after I have transfered my book lists from the paper form to the electronic form.
A green idea now going about is transfering mailed items into e-mails. I now get bike club newsletters, The poisened press book news, et al via the web rather than hard copies. I guess this works as long as I have web access.
Every now and then my wife and I talk about building on the 17+ acres we own near a small town in the high country of New Mexico. One of the attractions for me is the difficulty of being wired, now only dial up or sattelite hook-up.
Ah well, if your interested in local archeology, check out the Port Tobacco project blog:http://aacplexploration.blogspot.com/. Just recovering from the poisin ivy gained from being one of the "inmates" at the jail dig
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Flickr
While I do not post on flickr, see last blog, I do have pictures on it. Last January I took part in the living history day at Ft. Ward park in Alexandria. this was part of the George Washingon's Birthday celebrations. There was a "battle" between the British forces and the colonial forces. As a member of the Maryland Militia, I was a "colonial". Naturally, since it was for GW's birthday, the good guys, us, won!
Anyway here are some pictues of the event. I am the guy in funny clothes.hint I have a bright blue stocking cap that says "Liberty"
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Why I do not blog
Blogs are milestones around your virtual neck! I am at my desk at work writting this blog, it is, I guess, a form of "productive" procrastination. I have other work that needs to be done.
I believe in privacy, I do keep a journal, for myself, not for the general public. I do not belong to a social network site, post picutes on filkr or other places. I guess I am a luddite at heart.
Tom Moore
WCO
I believe in privacy, I do keep a journal, for myself, not for the general public. I do not belong to a social network site, post picutes on filkr or other places. I guess I am a luddite at heart.
Tom Moore
WCO
Thursday, January 24, 2008
2 "learning" quotes
"No impression whithout expression" William James
History repeats itself, the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce. paraphrase: Karl Marx
When I returned to college, after a decade long break, the first thing I saw on the way to my first class was a mural of Wm James with the above quote. It still lingers in my head. To learn, we must express ourselves: in writing, reading, teaching, learning.
I returned to college on my way to an advance degree in History. Too many historians take themselves too seriously, I keep in the back of my mind the quote from Marx(and of course a mental pictue of the Fireside Theatre album cover: "Hail marx, Hail Lennon!") Before becoming a librarian I taught College level American History surveys, both in MI and MD. I tried to make my courses both fun and educational.
Tom
History repeats itself, the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce. paraphrase: Karl Marx
When I returned to college, after a decade long break, the first thing I saw on the way to my first class was a mural of Wm James with the above quote. It still lingers in my head. To learn, we must express ourselves: in writing, reading, teaching, learning.
I returned to college on my way to an advance degree in History. Too many historians take themselves too seriously, I keep in the back of my mind the quote from Marx(and of course a mental pictue of the Fireside Theatre album cover: "Hail marx, Hail Lennon!") Before becoming a librarian I taught College level American History surveys, both in MI and MD. I tried to make my courses both fun and educational.
Tom
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