Week 4, Thing 9: Explore MERLIN and Other Library-Related Blogs and Feeds

O.k. This part wasn't so difficult. Honestly, I think I liked the search tools on Blogline and Feedster the best. They were really easy to navigate. I think the way that they are set up visually helps a great deal. If you don't see what you're looking for, be it a link or a feed or a category, you'll get frustrated. And I actually did find a couple comic book-related feeds. I didn't think I would, but apparently they're out there. There was even one by Marvel Comics! Sweet. However, I think searching for feeds is something that I will do with care. I don't want to sign up for every "Tom" and "Joe" who's got a blog about Spider-Man. (That's just one example.) One I'm getting at, is that there seems to be a lot of excess to go through until you find something you might want.

Week 4, Thing 8: Learn About RSS Feeds

Well, this was pretty cool. I went to Bloglines and set up an account. This will be an interesting experiment to see how I like the RSS feed as compared to a standard newspaper site. I've some pretty interesting feeds, I think:
*Daily Show Videos
*Guardian Unlimited
*National Geographic News
*Scientific American
*Library Journal News
and many more feeds beyond that!

I'll have to report later once I've given this some time to try out.

O.k. It's a few days since I first started playing around with RSS, and I have to say that I really enjoy it. Or more specifically, I like the fact that I can get news articles with such ease. It took me awhile to figure out that if I wanted an article to say, I had to actively put a "check" by it. This was frustrating at first, but know it makes sense. If I didn't want to read an article the first time I visited the feed, why would I want it there the next time? Answer: I wouldn't. So that turned out to be pretty cool.

Week 3, Thing 7: Post about Technology

I have to say, I am impressed by Flickr. The shear about of photos is amazing, as was the clarity of the images. I think I could spend a good while just thumbing through those photos. It makes me wonder if camera film will soon be extinct. There is just something about a digital image -- the crispness of it, I suppose. Is there anyone -- professional photographers, perhaps -- who still use film? I wonder. It's amazing to think that new generations will grow up never having used a roll of film. But it's amazing how digital cameras have allowed for the almost seemless swapping of images. Pretty cool, I must say.

Week 3, Thing 6: Mashups

This is a mashup I made. Although the magazine itself is fictional, the picture is quite real. It really is the Hissong fetus. My wife and I are very excited!

Week 3, Thing 5: Explore Flickr

I thougth Flickr was really cool. So many beautiful images.

In particular, I liked this one of an arctic wolf.

Howl at the moon, my brothers and sisters.

Let your cries be heard.

Week 2, Thing 4: Register Your Blog and Track Your Progress

Note to self: Bryan, remember to register your blog and save that file to track your progress. I mean it - Don't forget!

O.k. Done and done. I have registered my blog (I think), and saved the progress sheet to my memory stick.

Good job, Bryan.

Week 2, Thing 3: Set Up Your Own Blog

Done!

That was easy.

And the title, Howling at the Moon? Well, I think we just need to sometimes turn our heads to the sky and let our voices be heard. I suppose a blog is a pretty good way to do that.

Week 1, Thing 2: Pointers from Life Long Learners

O.k., well, I suppose the easiest technique on this list (for me, anyway) is to begin with the end. I find myself to be very goal oriented, almost to a fault sometimes. By that, I mean that at times I can get so focused on the end result, I fail to appreciate the process. As my wife says, "It's all about the process." I think she's talking about life when she says that, but I suppose it applies to pretty much everything.

In terms of the most difficult, I'd have to say that I have trouble creating my own tool box. Sometimes I feel that I have so many things running through my head, I don't allow myself the chance to stop and mentally file away a good technique or a useful resource. So I end up going through the same hoops when I'm faced with a familiar problem.

So, there you go.

E-Mail to myself:
This was a pretty helpful exercise. It was interesting to think about these 7 and 1/2 habits and how they might apply to myself at work (or in other situations). Easy to follow and easy to understand. All said, it was enlightening to do a little self-discovery. Nice resource.

Week 1, Thing 1: About This Program

This is a test. I hope I'm doing this right. (Fingers crossed!)

*Hey! It worked. Whaddaya know....!