Comments on Week 4: Feeling RSSed out (but in a good way)

This was a huge one for me because there is so much potential to find out more, even though the RSS concept is "really simple". I now understand RSS better and can see its potential. I think as website users get used to RSS they will demand more of their favourite sites to provide feeds...it certainly saves time.
I initially subscribed to the built in reader on Microsoft Explorer because it is so easy to access on my work computer as the icon is right there all the time. It does seem to be a "no frills" feeder though. I then subscribed to Google Reader and found that it has other advantages such as access to it from other computers away from work, and it has a lot more features such as organizing the feed list and searching for feeds by subject etc. I set up RSS feeds from searches I did on ProQuest's "Library Science" database using "twittering" and "LibraryThing" as search terms. This is something I can show my library users to do when they access similar databases and want follow-up on subjects of their interest. I hoped that PubMed would supply RSS for searches but they don't seem to. I'm interested in getting the latest articles on a genetic syndrome that affects a family member and I don't have access to Medline which I assume would RSS the search for me. I have subscribed to the following feeds:

Weatherzone (good comprehensive weather report with lots more features) Unfortunately the B. of Meteorology doesn't have an RSS of its own .http://webservice.weatherzone.com.au/rss/wx.php?u=13145&lt=aploc&lc=5594&obs=1&fc=1&warn=1

ABC - local recipes-Australia wide (thanks to inspiration from Janice's blog) This is GREAT!

ABC - News -just in (unfortunately the news is sometimes quite old & not as up to date as their local news page)

ABC - Blue Hills (term search of entire ABC site) - unfortunately this wouldn't take because of "code errors" at their site.

National Library's new books.



I was also hoping that the RACV would have RSS for the cheapest petrol prices etc, but "computer says ...NO00o".

Had a look at Bloglines which seems quite good, but will stick with what I've set up for now.

Twittering (just when we thought we knew it all)

I found this info. on the ALIA PD newsletter. Haven't been game to check it out myself....it's all a plot to totally deprive us of a sense of reality. There was an informative article about twittering in last weekend's The Age's "Good Weekend".

"Tweet! Free. Discover micro-blogging with Twitter
Get a fast introduction to Twitter by video at http://www.howcast.com/videos/149055-How-To-Use-Twitter. Sign up at Twitter and send your first tweet to a colleague then look at 26 charities and non-profits that tweet http://mashable.com/2009/03/19/twitter-nonprofits/ and be inspired to think about how your library or information service could use this technology.
Duration: The video takes only a few minutes but beware, you could become addicted to Twitter"

My comments on the course: Week 3: Image generators & LibraryThing

Interesting to know of the existence of image generators as tools so will keep them in the back of my mind in case I have an application one day. I'm not as visually orientated as some people, so are there sound generators as well?? (I guess that's why I'm into "Blue Hills"). I used Generator Blog for my exercise....so much to scroll through with so little time. This site could be made more useful if their huge list of generating tools were divided up into pictorial and text orientated tools. The names given to them do not usually mean much and who's got the time to check them all out? I went to ones that I could figure what they might be and had fun printing a first class Qantas airline ticket from Wycheproof to Woy Woy, and rewriting President Obama's inauguration speech where I was able to get him to thank librarians for making this historic occasion possible.

LibraryThing was more exciting for me and I've got lots more checking of the provided links to do to see how other libraries use it....I would use it more as a professional tool than a private tool. I've set up one use of it here at my work but so far no feedback from my boss! Will keep you "posted" as they say in Blogland.

LibraryThing is quite the thing!

Today at work I looked at a heap of books (on appro) that have been requested by staff members for the library to purchase and the details of which need to go to my manager for final approval. I figured that I could probably set up a LibraryThing account for us to communicate the details of books without having to write emails & lists as we've previously done. I'm pretty pleased with the result, although my manager hasn't had a chance to look at it yet and to give her input on the concept. Especially good is that my manager can see the book covers and extra publishing details if she wants without having to physically handle the books.
Anyway, I've mocked up a duplicate LibraryThing site to show you what I've set up, so have a look and give any feed back. It is a private site so you will need the login details once you go to LibraryThing's home page.

Member name: GrannyB Password: purchases

In the comments field I entered information about each book's price, initials of the staff member wanting the book and their reasons for recommending the purchase.
Then my manager can use the edit function to reply giving her approval for purchase or whatever else she wants to add. Once a decision has been made about the books, I can delete them from the list and start again with the next clutch of books requested for purchase.
...and it's only taken all morning to do!

Now for something a bit different...using an Image Generator

I've used one of my previously posted images and regenerated it to look like a 100 year old photo using an image generator which you can find at http://labs.wanokoto.jp/olds. And to think that some people spend money to get their old family photos updated to look newer! I think this application could create some really cool images of your favourite photos...like some of those cute dogs I've seen on one of your blogs. I found this generator on the Generator Blog...scroll down the list to "Old-style photo". http://generatorblog.blogspot.com/

My comments on the course: Week 2: Flickr

I'm not sure I could go through that process again! Had to set up a Yahoo a/c, then it wouldn't recognize me, but reluctantly changed its mind and let me in. Then I could set up the Flickr a/c and found all the decision making about who, how & what it should look like and what public account names I should choose fairly exhausting. Then I couldn't find the button to "blog this" photo anywhere...it was pointed out to me by another blogger that I had to click on the picture first to bring all those options up on screen, but this is not mentioned anywhere that I can see on the Flickr site.....bad website design when they don't cater for the complete idiot. Slowing getting over my post trauma and am pretty happy with what I've managed to get up on my blog. I don't think I'll go near "gadgets" yet......

Trevaunance Cove and the Blue Hills, St Agnes, Cornwall

Trevaunance Cove and the Blue Hills, St Agnes, Cornwall
Originally uploaded by Earthwatcher

This is another part of the homework for Week 2...I've found a picture I like on the Flickr site and am adding it to my blog. More Blue Hills, this time from Cornwall from where some of my ancestors come from.

Toora township (and Blue Hills) from Silcock's Hill

Toora township from Silcock's Hill
Originally uploaded by Aussie Spirit

Hey, it worked! So I'm doing another one just so that I can remember how I did it.. Time for a cup of tea...did anyone make some scones?

By the way, these 2 photos were taken by my husband....we are frequent visitors to South Gippsland.

"Blue Hills" of Wilson's Promontory

"Blue Hills" of Wilson's Promontory
Originally uploaded by Aussie Spirit

Week 2's exercise done at last! Boy it's been an effort to get this far with the task of utilizing Flickr. So hopefully this will work and this is my first picture up on the blog from the Flickr source. I uploaded some photos from "My pictures" on my computer into Flickr. Let's see if it works....! (Now, press "Post Entry")

The next episode..... "Where's the time going?"

Yes, as you may have guessed I am old enough to remember "Blue Hills" on the wireless. I grew up on a dairy farm near Warragul and listening to "Blue Hills" was serious business not to be missed or interupted.... and I heard the last episode in 1976 (in New Zealand!), but more of that later. You may like to visit the Landline Archive for journalist Pip Courtney's coverage of radio announcer Ingrid Just's enthusiasm for the social implications of radio serials then and now. I think it is exciting that she is doing what she can do to bring back such programs.

http://www.abc.net.au/landline/content/2008/s2503104.htm

This is a very short week for me and I may not be able to do this week's homework till next week, so no Flickr pictures to accompany this post I'm afraid.

My Comment on the Course: Week 1: Step 2

I've found this week's exercise pretty challenging with unfamiliar terms such as "Followers" and "Dashboard". This is the second go I've had at putting up this comments post.. I lost the first one after looking at the preview of it....then I couldn't work out how I could edit it and lost it instead. I notice that my time zone that appears after each post seems to be out of whack... I seem to be on Fiji time or something so I need to go into customize & sort it out... or I could just relocate to Fiji to fix it. I remember it was challenging when I was first exposed to Email all those years ago so I guess I'm up for the next challenge now. I've still got to check out the wiki and the FAQs which may help me. And I just discovered some "Help" links to one or more of the pages, so I've still got lots of exploring to do just to run my blog in a more flowing fashion. Time constraints mean that Granny Bishop herself hasn't had another look in with more thoughts on "Blue Hills" since the first post.

The beginning....

The reason I've named my Blog "Blue Hills Rolls On" is that I'm stimulated by a segment on last week's ABC "Landline" about a young Qld ABC announcer who has become fascinated by the social history of "Blue Hills". She is too young to remember this daily wireless serial that was broadcast on the ABC Country Hour from the 1960's till 1976, but she is intrigued by how thousands of ardent followers of the serial still have passionate memories of the characters and times. She has even gone on a scholarship overseas to find out if similar radio programs have a similar effect on their listeners... and, should the ABC think about bringing back some sort of radio serial that would meet some need for today's listeners. I've adopted the name "Granny Bishop" as she was the matriarch of the serial, and the one who has the last word when the final episode went to air. More in my next post.....