Improvement

I'm not big for online college classes. I took a few and... I just like human interaction. However, for the fun "personal growth" sort of things, I really like online media. For example, "How Stuff Works" is one of my favorite sites. I still can't tell you how my washing machine works (because I don't care as long as it does it's job), but I can give you the website to find out for yourself. I've spent hours lost in finding out how things work... or rather, useless information about things like haunted houses and animals of all sorts.

So now you brought me 5 Minute Lifeopedia. Gee, thanks. Now I can watch tons of videos on useless information too. *shrug* Put me on Jeopardy, I'll do great on those odd topics they seem to come up with.

Memories of Oranges

I quite enjoyed taking a look at Orlando Memories. There's even a link directly to OCLS information. Wow! So it was a lot of fun to look at the pictures and such taken in just the past year. I also found the amusing article "You know you're from Orlando when..." My coworkers and I had a good laugh reading through some of them. So, if you haven't read it, go do so now. :-) I think a site like this helps us remember the past and also shows us how far the library has come from it's humble beginnings.

I like the Orange Slices website. There are many good ideas, and also some that just need a little refining. What I most enjoy is the fact that, since it is a blog, a good idea without details can easily be added to. Many of the best ideas come from a group working together.

Seomoz

Time to be honest, yet again - I hate Craigslist! I have a friend who swears she can always find anything and everything she needs on it, and I've tried but... I just find it infuriating. I mean, you pull up the first page and all it shows is about one hundred links. No thank you, I'll just Google it. However, I figured if THAT was number 1, I'd like to see how number 2 managed. So I decided to check out Oodle. I like it, cute name. It's... it's beautiful. It's craigslist made usable. You simply input "what" and "where." It's great. I can handle this. And, best of all, it actually found the things I was looking for.

Then, I looked at Philantrophy and found one of my most favorite web sites of all time. Care2. Click buttons to save things. It's paid by the ads and other stuff that the site hosts. Just take a minute to check it out. I'm sure you'll find something you can support.

Where's the mouse?

I actually tend to agree with this. Being that I haven't subscribed to cable in... gosh... about 4 years at least, I certainly have a "cognitive surplus." This is not to say I spend hours on Wikipedia. No, no. I spend time reading, playing video games, talking to friends, etc. However, I do accomplish many of these things ONLINE.

The last time I watched TV, which I only do with the use of bunny-ears, I managed to bring in the Presidental voting statistics. I watched the results on TV, but I watched the speeches online the next day. Now how much of this actually serves to raise my "cognitive" abilities? Well, that I really couldn't tell you. But as Clay says, doing SOMEthing is better than doing NOthing.

Even my grandmother spends many of her hours of free time - yes, she is retired - on her computer. She can read the newspapers from Maine (where she's from and has family), chat online with her kids and grandkids, and she even sends the occasional humorous email.

As for sitting mindlessly on the sofa, well, yes, I do find ways to do that even without a TV. They are called DVDs. I can become strangly fascinated with watching TV series on DVD. However, I usually watch them with friends (or husband), which lends itself nicely to intellectual conversations about... well, okay, so watching "Supernatural" and talking about vampires and werewolves isn't the best example... You get my point. :)

Play

Okay, so I did it last year, but my Meez needed an update.

I've also been looking back over 2.0 and refreshing my memory on things I'd forgotten about, or just haven't used that often.

Technology?

Once again, I have to be honest. I hate mission statements. Why? Because most of the time, they are long, boring, and meaningless. Now, I have to give our mission statement credit - it is easy to read and (mostly) understandable. My problem is with all the added definitions.

So how do I see OCLS helping the community? Well, we have computer classes where patrons and staff can learn about the newest technology available (LIVE). We are innovative in bringing new technology - such as Overdrive and ebooks - into the system and making them accesible to the community. Some of them are just for fun (PLAY). We offer online resources that can help people learn (LEARN) about many different topics, including how to set-up and operate your own small business (WORK).

Questions?

Ok, I'll be honest and say I didn't bother to sign up for the websites this week. Why? Because I don't trust the random masses. If I have a question, I prefer to seek out someone who has actual knowledge about what I'm asking. After reviewing the questions asked online, I don't think most of them are actually asking for real information anyways. Most are opinionated or ask "which do you like best"? So there is no right answer. Of course, there's no wrong answer either. Maybe I just prefer to debate people in real life. It's a lot more fun to me than debating a machine.

On another note, I did try to Google myself. There is an author with the same name as me. Adding my middle initial didn't work to throw it off. Guess I'm just a wallflower. Yeah! :)

Wellness and Technology

Since I'm married to a man who might as well be a dietician, I don't really think I'll be using too many of these high-tech gadgets to exercise. I do, for example, read a book while riding a stationary bike or plug in my iPod while taking a walk. Ok, so the iPod is high-tech, but the book really isn't. I also work out on a treadmill with a TV in front of me. Basically, I do just about anything to distract myself from the fact that I am working out.

I like the idea of using the Wii for exercise. However, most of the articles we read pointed out that it's not a good substitute for real outdoor movement, just better for you than other video games. Personally, I'd rather spend the half hour getting a good sweaty workout so that I can veg in front of my PS2 and not feel bad about it. :-)

Who knew?

Never thought I'd update this again after I finished Learn 2.0. But, look, here I am updating. Um... introduce myself, huh?

Hi! My name is Heather. I'm married to a Chris. We have a cat named Penny Lane. Yes, we do like the Beatles - why do you ask...? Aside from that, I probably have a lot in common with the other posters for Learn 2.1. Namely, I work at OCLS and I like to read. :)