Change Pirate: Day 1 (Post 3)

Thing #5: Explore Flickr and learn how to get the most out of this popular image hosting site

I'm only going to say this once, so as to avoid repeating the obvious and the unpleasant.


I don't like Flickr. I don't like Photobucket. I don't like Buzznet. Yes, I've tried each and every one of them. My image poison of choice has always been Imageshack for when I want to share a picture. Sure, there's a few ads. Sure, you can't really browse other users work. Of course I can see their uses, but to this day my personal preferences will always dig it's heels in as consumers right to dislike the layouts and the necessities of those layouts. Imageshack works for me, it allows me to thumbnail, link, send, copy, paste, save, and otherwise work how I want with my images without a hundred different things trying to change format, make s uggestions, or share what I have with other people when all I want is a simple upload and a list of links that are already formatted into the html I need to share the image as I please.

Still, if I need to use them, necessity dictates most things and I'm willing to deal with them for image searches. The 3rd party mashups are useful when you're looking for other images, but I personally wouldn't use something that requires that much work for my own blog unless absolutely necessary.

Thing #6:
Explore some of the fun Flickr mashups and 3rd party tools that are out there.
Create a blog post about one that intrigues you.

Okay, I'll admit, the librarian trading card is really, really cool.
Look at mine! (Yes, I know that's not listed on Flickr, we've been over this. Hello imageshack, click to enlarge!)

Quickpost this image to Myspace, Digg, Facebook, and others!

I think this is something really cool that more libraries ought to adopt, I really like the layout and the creativity... but maybe that's the appeal to the nerd-dom in me, as the trading card displays... >_>

Change Pirate-Day 1 Test Post #2

Lifelong Learning: My meaning
Usual meaning to my understanding:

Thing #1: Read this blog & Find out about the program...
Well, that really was about as clear as mud, at first. Perhaps that's what I get while trying to unscramble my brains from working front lines at our information desk and listen at the same time!
Ten minutes pass...
Okay, reading the FAQ section made far more sense than the blog itself did! I can't decide if I'm pleased that I'm not being walked through this by an instructor (Compliment to my own intelligence?) or mildly disgruntled that this isn't left up to me. Granted, I'm aware I can't expect an entire program to be catered to my generation of computer knowledge, as I am already familiar with quite a few things on this list. Still... My personal preference would be to have this list in a list format, something like the following:
Thing #1: Discover the PLCMC Learning 2.0 program, list a few facts you didn't know before, and then blog about how you found this information and how difficult or simple it was. If you wish, provide the links you used to procure this information.
Thing #2: Blog about their tutorial and it's personal impact on you, how you already use it. Get creative!



Thing #2: Blog about Lifelong Learning.

Here's the summary I took away from that little tutorial!
1. Determine goals and timeframe: Know what you're getting yourself into!

2. Accept Responsibility: no one's going to do it for you. how-to wikis, wikipedia, books, take hold of your resources! With America's education at it's rock bottom, it's about time we in the 21st century stop depending on people to tell us what we need to know and find out for ourselves.

3. View problems as challenges: Actually, I prefer to find these things for myself for my own entertainment. Personally, learning has always been a pleasure, something that makes me feel better about myself because I'm increasing my own database of resources and knowledge to empower myself through difficult decisions. Learning is a priviledge, not a given right on this planet. I fully intend to enjoy it as such.

4. Have confidence in your own competence: Seriously. Know your limits..and your abilities. Even if your limits are closer or further than you believe, know them, push them, learn to stretch them wherever you can...but don't overstrain them.

5.Create a learning toolbox-a list of resources: Books, sites, classes, friends with a lot of skills or special knowledge, familiarize yourself with your local library.
When I first moved back to the US, I made myself a list of resources-both for a new college student, and for someone adjusting to the US. THough I am no longer a noob to college and I've had 3 years to adjust to America...these resources (I'll list them another time) have come in very handy for me yet today!

6. Use technology to your advantage: Wikipedia, online dictionaries and thesaurus. Know your boundaries, know how to search, know how to use computers. If you don't, see #1 & #2, just to begin with.

7. Pass information along: Like I said back in #3, learning is a priviledge, not a given right. Here in America it is understood to be a right, but in many countries this isn't the truth. We need to remember that America is merely restricted to these government-approved borders...the internet is international, and information is slowly trickling in, learning is gradually increasing in even some of the more remote places of the world through the internet. How can we as global citizens, believing that learning is a given right, dare withhold what we know from those less fortunate to have the resources that we do?

1/2: Play!: Information is there for you, there for use, enjoyment, 'broaden life experiences'... enrich life and perhaps increase your ease of passage through an already-difficult world. Here here! See #3 for my thoughts relating to this!

Change Pirate-Day 1

Let's face it, I've been blogging since...oh let's see, my first livejournal account in...2001? Seven years later, here I am at 21 finally writing my first blog about...a library, constant change, and my own grain in the sandcastle of the librarian world as it's changing rapidly in this modern day and age...
And I still have the same awful purple prose, it looks like, given my first journals at age fourteen, hovering over a computer in Wolf Point, Montana and looking furtively over my shoulder so my older sister didn't mock my angst.

However, on to the genuine matter at hand. I confess, I'm really in this for the gift card to Best Buy but now that I've actually got this little text box up, I can't resist the chance to ramble my own thoughts, ideas, and opinion on everything, as it seems we in the 21st century are wont to do in hopes that someone's going to pay attention to us.

Well, Test Post #1 should probably not get any longer, so I'll sign this off here and run around the site to explore options some more. This actually looks much more simple than lj or ij (Livejournal or Insanejournal), but it's going to have to be impressive to beat gj (RIP, Greatestjournal).