Activity # 23: Summarize thoughts

It just never fails to amaze me how much there is to learn. I'm glad of it, ecstatic really, but also intimidated. No single person could ever get through such a wealth of info in a lifetime. That's one thing I struggle with, that I feel depressed about.

I'm the kind of person who "studies" constantly. I haven't just done that since I've been going to library school. I've always done it. Right now I'm working my way through Penguin's 'History of the World.' I'm still in the early parts, at Mesopotamia, but I find it all so fascinating seeing connections between things, how one thing lead to another. That kind of thing. Once I finish this book I'm going to see if I can learn basic theories of the Universe. And after that? Philosophy, then spirituality. Then, who knows?

This experience, of experiencing 23 things, was eye-opening. I know the internet's rich, but forcing myself to zone in on specific sites really helped control my impulse to surf blindly, something I do all the time. And I do mean ALL THE TIME.

I appreciate this assignment, the thought that went into it and the points it made. The internet is nearly infinite, and it's only getting bigger. Sounds a lot like the Universe, eh? And like the Universe none of us will ever get to the end of it.

Lisa

Activity # 22: Netlibrary

WOWZERS!

Now this place is cool. If it wasn't run by OCLC I'd be a little worried, since it would be stiff competition, but as it is the place rules.

The list of publishers is unbelievable. Talk about your one stop shopping. This is incredible!

The list of university presses alone is staggering. I love the university presses. They always put out such eclectic books you can't find anywhere else. I'm reviewing a book for Harvard UP right now. Struggling to understand it (it's on philosophy) hurts my brain, but I'm pretty honored they sent it to me!

Lisa

Activity # 21: Useful Search Tools

I found this site:

http://www.pandia.com/sew/111-podcast-search-engines.html

And it's excellent! Very comprehensive.

This one's pretty good, too, but not as good as pandia, as far as I can tell:

http://dailysearchcast.com/

Lisa

Activity # 20: YouTube and other video sites

YouTube rocks! I already knew that, but check out the video I helped my husband make:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ulo30CLjyk&eurl=http://www.paulsreef.blogspot.com/

We took photos every thirty seconds for three hours, and this is what we wound up with.

Lisa

Activity # 19: Site from Web2.0 Awards

I went to: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/your-shot/your-shot

And wow.. I'm an amateur photographer and the images here just blew me away. The photos are breath-taking. I'm learning a lot about perspective as well as a lot of practical techniques. They teach about f-stops, shutter speed, you name it. They're very forthcoming and don't try to put themselves on a pedestal, because frankly they're already there without bragging!

Lisa

Activity # 18: Online productivity tools

This one looks great:

http://lifedev.net/big-list-of-online-productivity-tools/

It has all sorts office tools, and even To Do Lists to help you get organized. Really a gem.

Then there's this one. Still a powerful tool, but I found it not quite as easily navigated than LifeDev:

http://mashable.com/2007/07/20/online-productivity-god/

Lisa

Activity # 17: Learning 2.0 Sandbox Wiki

Did it! I signed up and just posted a very general post. I'll go backk there again when I can think of something more substantial to say.

Some of the subjects there are so darn weird! Piercing nipples? I guess that's for some people, but frankly it makes me cringe. "Write my name in wet cement" is another odd-sounding tag. But maybe it makes sense if you follow up with it?

Or, maybe not.

Looks like a fun site, though. I'm going over to poke around a little more when I get a chance.