Fin?

I still maintain my participation in SPL 2.0 was strictly ironic. :P

In staying true to my hip and cynical personality, the 23 things didn't really help my lifelong learning goals. I know I will never visit those websites ever again. I can't just use technology just for the sake of doing so. Librarything and the image generators were very enjoyable, but the other assignments are now merely afterthoughts.

Overall, it wasn't a bad experience at all. Who knows, I might participate in another discovery program again. I had so much fun in spite of the 23 thingys. It was tons of fun engaging in some witty banter with you all. Thanks everybody!

See ya when I see ya.

Yours Truly,

P2P

A belated Life Long Learning assignment

Better late than never I always say! I don't know how to read directions properly. :(

After watching the tutorial created by the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, I decided the hardest habit for me is to accept responsibility for my own learning. I mean, cmon! This assignment is a prime example of my downfall. Lately I have been on a horrendous streak of procrastination. I still am a powerhouse, but I do have my limitations.

The easiest habit for me is to Play! A main reason I started this blog was to Play! and to amuse myself. :D

I live for LibriVox (No picture this time) :(

I can appreciate what the volunteers at Librivox are doing. Compiling a collection of over one thousand public domain titles is very impressive. Even though I never listen to audiobooks, this is a worthy site for those who are fans of this medium.

This website appears to be non-profit, and I hope it stays that way. When I saw the notice that said the files were not always available to download, I became concerned. To keep the site up and running at a higher level, more money needs to be pumped in. I just hope they don't completely sell out, and completely compromise their identity.

I don't know anything about copyright law, but I hope Libribox can upload newer material, stuff that isn't in the public domain. It would be nice to have a variety of selection, in addition to the archaic titles they already have.

Can't podcasters learn how to edit?

Browsing through podcastalley.com led me to subscribe to three podcasts: MuggleCast, Nobody Likes Onions, and Library Geeks. The first podcast Muggle Cast was basically a news show about anything related to Harry Potter. The hosts didn't have much charisma to keep me engaged and listening. One could simply visit a fansite to keep up on Harry Potter news.

Nobody Likes Onions was a little better. It was a podcast disguised as an excuse for some immature guys to try out their offensive, crude jokes. I'd like to share some quotes, but it's NSFW. If you're a fan of Howard Stern, this podcast is for you.

To cap things off, Library Geeks provided an outlet for librarians to interivew various professionals of all different fields. They asked them library related questions like, "What was your first childhood memory of a libary," and "what is the importance of LibraryThing." It's a very dry listen.

The problem with podcasters is their tendency to waste time. It seems that half of the podcast is advertising, bumper music, or dead air. Just get on with it, say what you want to say in a more organized fashion. My short attention span needs this. *What's that? Oooh shiny!*

Dowloading music at the SPL. Is this legal?

I decided to listen to some tracks featuring the synthesizer. The songs had funky, inane titles that included: Disco Propulsion, Disco Satellite, Electronic Brain, Robot Party and Machines For Ever. I'm really glad I choose this instrument because it gave me a few LOL's. I imagine this is the sort of music that could act as a soundtrack to a 70's porn movie. Wow wow chicka wow wow!

I was also browsing through the Global Sound section, and noticed that the Smithsonian had an Yves Montand album of songs of Paris. I became a fan of him after watching Jean de Florette and Le Cercle Rouge. He is a crooner extraordinaire. I think he also had an affair with Marilyn Monroe. That's cool!

I don't see why I would ever use the site for a school assignment. It feels more like a place to browse and causually listen to a few songs, nothing more.

Skip to my Lulu

It was intriguing to see Lulu.com as first place in the book category for the Web 2.0 awards. I first heard about the website when a very popular comedian on Youtube, TJ, told everybody he was shilling his memoirs there. The book is entitled: Scumbag, Musings of a Subhuman. I may just have to purchase it just because of the title. Rumor has it that TJ made quite the profit, as his charisma translated well from video to book form.

Lulu is a self-publishing company that allows authors to upload their files to Lulu's web site, select binding and other options, and set the amount of profit they wish to earn on each copy. If the document is not already in PDF format, Lulu converts it to PDF. This site is a great opportunity for up-and-coming writers to have their books distributed to the unsuspecting masses. Most newbies wouldn't be able to secure a major distribution deal, leaving them in the cold.

I don't see Lulu working well in a library setting. Most of the materials we purchase comes from well established publishing companies. I don't think we would catalog any random book from any Joe Schmo author.

Worst Zoho Ever!

Here I go again. It's time, once again to bring my negative spin to another library thing. I feel like I'm turning into the comic book guy on the Simpsons.

In theory, Zoho Writer feels like a great idea. There could be a heavy burden lifted when you can access all of your documents from any computer, anytime, anywhere. Back in my day, I had to worry about losing computer disks that stored my papers. I did lose some disks, which only adds to the stress of completing a research paper.

My only caveat with Zoho Writer is the concern with security. As a horrendously protective neurotic of my writings, I would worry about my Zoho account being hacked and exposed. I rarely shared my work to be proofread and I didn't really pay for it. I made it through school just fine without receiving much constructive criticism.

Wikis: Don't believe the hype

I trust Wikipedia as much as I can throw it. There's a very good reason why college professors don't allow it as a usable research option. Because of this Wiki ideal in which everyone is allowed to contribute, getting the facts right becomes an afterthought. The masses can merely create the truths they want to believe in, and do they ever. Who's to stop a group from creating an entry that The Holocaust never happened, or that saying the number of elephants has tripled in the last six months.

Implementing wikis as a less formal medium is a more reasonable approach. I didn't have a problem with any of library wikis I visited. I think it would be a great idea for the SPL website to create something like the BookLovers Wiki. Patrons could share their favorite books with everybody, as well as receivng recommendations. This could provide a more interactive experience with the community that hopefully some people could take advantage of.

Bloody hell

I'm so glad I'm not an Englishman right now. I bet you could hear a pin drop over there, the silence must be deafening. UN-FRICKEN-BELIEVABLE. That's millions and maybe even billions of pounds down the tubes.

Hard work is beneath me

Blah. Double Blah. Ever since I got back from attending the Zag game, I've been working like mad to find free vids from todays UFC pay-per-view. Come on you stupid links, work! Is it too much to ask to see the Michael Bisping/Rashad Evans throwdown? This is very frustrating, I have only found two working vids so far. For F's sake, this never-ending quest marches on.........

Poke This!!!!!!!!!!

The other day I was exploring Facebook. After doing so, it appears I won't be creating my own profile. I can see how it would be a useful social networking tool to link up with your current circle of friends, or to reconnect with long lost pals. This whole poking phenomena, on the other hand, is another story. I just don't get it, somebody needs to explain it to me. The idea of a complete stranger poking me for no apparent reason, turns me off. I mean, I wouldn't email or call somebody if I had nothing to say.

If poking occured in real life, I imagine it would be something like this:

Some random, internet douchebag: Hey bro, I'm on your Facebook.
Me: Uh, ok. That's cool, I guess.
Douche: Yeah
Me: Yep
Douche: ......................
Me: .......................
Douche: ...........................
Me: So........did you have anything to say to me?
Douche: Not really bro, just chillaxin!
Me: Riiiiight, I'm gonna go now. Goodbye sir.

A quick message to TV and Movie execs: Go fug yourselves!!! Twice!

GIVE ME BACK MY DAMN SHOWS YOU GREEDY, CORPORATE SCUMBAGS, NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, it's only been two weeks into the strike of the Writer's Guild of America, and it's already taking a heavy toll on me. Three of my can't-miss-shows have completely closed up shop: The Colbert Report, Late Night with Conan O'brien and the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. The only show keeping me alive is House M.D. Fortunately, they keep whipping out new episodes, for now. I just hope the strike is resolved before Fox is forced to air reruns.

The situation looks dire, I'm clutching at straws here. If negotiations continue to fail, TV programming will be overrun with mindless reality shows. I can't be so desperate as having to watch vacuous drivel like The Hills or Survivor!

I'm in full support of the WGA. Let's level the playing field and give them more DVD profits or whatever realistic demand they so desire.

I miss you so much big guy!

A childhood of discontent

http://www.garbagepailkidsworld.com/create.html



Oh wondrous Garbage Pail Kids, such are the painful memories of a disenfranchised youth. I know my mother is responsible for bringing me into this world, that was swell. But, I will never forgive her for throwing away my GPK collection. A grudge is forever, according to this owner of a cold, scornful heart.

http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc26/RandomZagFan/pailkid.jpg

Watching Gonzaga > Working on Tuesday

Huzzah for floating holidays! I'm glad I saved them up until the last minute. My priorities are unquestionably in the right place.

Back to your regularly scheduled program on Wednesday........

Library 2.0: A prophecy of doom?

NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WHY?????? WHY??????? WHY????????????? WHY????????????????

As you can see, I'm currently in the midst of an epic meltdown/collapse. If I weren't at work right now, I'd be having an even bigger hissy fit, believe that. Nevertheless, p2p will never give up. I shall try my best to finish this post and pick myself up by the bootstraps. Actually, I really need this. Bloggin' is an ideal solution to distract my worried soul.

So anyhoo, p2p read two articles, "Away from Icebergs" and "Into a New World of Librarianship." The former was the only essay worth commenting about. Rick Anderson, the author of Away from Icebergs, essentially tells us a futuristic, magical tale of gloom and bedlam. The crux of Anderson's argument is that there are several obstacles potentially threatening a library's success. He decides to focus on three major obstacles (he calls them icebergs for metaphorical effect, I suppose).

1) The "just in case collection": Anderson does not believe in a library collection, in the traditional sense. We shouldn't amass a comphrensive collection of materials, just for the sake of doing so. When circulation numbers go down, the new materials will be unused, merely collecting dust. I can already see this trend at SPL. We seem to be way more selective in what we choose to purchase.

2) Reliance on User Education: In this point, Anderson wants to somehow improve library services as so every patron would fully understand it, with hardly any instruction provided to them. Sure, I would agree with providing efficient and more fluid methods to help out patrons, but there is an eventual line I do not want to cross. Libraries are institutions of academia, and should not completely "dumb" down. If you want to go to a place where everything is reduced to the lowest common denominator, I suggest you visit a frat house or rodeo.

3) The "Come to us" model of library service: As a final nail in the coffin, Anderson says we must adapt to keep people interested in visiting the library. In today's complex world, a library is just one of many options we can occupy our time with. With the internet, TV and other various technolgies, patrons can find the same services that a local library provides. It's as if he was thinking of SPL when he described this dilemma. Our organization can definitely receive a major upgrade with technology. Researching more about Ebooks comes to mind. Or how about the ability to accept credit and debit cards for crying out loud!

The Technorati community hates me

http://www.technorati.com/people/technorati/page2peon

Great, this is just what I needed, another pick-me-up! I now have something else to painfully remind me how insignificant I am in the grand scheme of things. I currently possess a Technorati ranking very close to 9 million. Let's put this in perspective folks. The population of New York City is around 8.2 million. To bump up the total to 9 million, Jacksonville, Florida fit the bill. So, according to the wise beings at Technorati, EVERY single person living in NYC and Jacksonville is better than me. I don't need your approval Technorati, I know what awesome potential I can unleash on this unkind universe!

Exloring popular blog, searches and tags on the site is really uneventful. All it does is feature the same 'ol crap that every trend follower likes.

And finally, if searching for "learning 2.0," using the advanced search tool is the way to go. The tag window or blog directory will weed out several links that are irrelevent.

(One postive note: I love how my secret lover is on the thumbnail of my blog link!)

I'm always tagging, 'cause I'm from the streets fool

Del.icio.us is not delicious. It tastes like the Durian fruit, Yuk! Sorry, I'm not a fan. My dilemma is that I'm so conditioned to finding interesting articles via search engines. I'm more than willing to waste a few more minutes of my time typing in several keywords in order to find exactly what I want.

I can see how a Del.icio.us account may be useful if somebody wanted to accumulate a cache of the fascinating items they come across the internets. A helpful archive like this would come in handy when specific research problems arise.

Unfortunately, my attention span is at such a low point, I don't care to fuss over tagging. Once I'm finished reading something, it usually becomes dead to me. I want to move on to the next big thing.

Christmas has come early for a pathetic GU Fanboi

Yay! The joy and rapture are finally here!!!! The start of the season is today, and my elation has never been higher. It appears this squad has the most amount of talent ever, in terms of depth. My expectations are astronomical. Anything less than a Elite 8 appearance will be a disappointment.

In my life, I'm usually introverted and composed. During the GU season however, all my caution is thrown to the wind. When I watch a game, I turn into a caveman. It's sooooo damn embarrassing. There are lots of curses and other shrieks of displeasure to be had! Obviously, there were plenty of those last season, since we had an off-year.

So, enemies of the GU nation, have at thee!!!! Do your worst. Bring your tired mushroom jokes, your outdated "mid-major" labels, and your constant rumours of Mark Few's departure. We will not falter.

(Just as a sidenote, I will never be convinced that Gonzaga is pronounced Gone-zaag'-uh. If the school is named after an Italian saint, shouldn't the pronunciation have a more continental flair to it?)

I have a secret lover and she's a perfect 10!

Meet the woman of my wildest dreams. *Jaw dropping to the floor*


She is the epitome of the sacred feminine. She is the reincarnation of Aphrodite. She had me at "lucky you." She is.....well, you get the idea.





"Baby I'm a want you, Baby I'm a need you."
(Isn't Bread the greatest band ever??????)

This was harder than my AP exams

So what is p2p up to this weekend? Absolutely, friggin nothing! Oh well, C'est la vie. Making an attempt to be sociable is far too arduous. It's simply a Herculean task that I cannot master.

I suppose one activity I did is worth mentioning. Try this.........
http://www.addictinggames.com/theimpossiblequiz.html

I got up to question 80 or so, before giving up. Lets see if you smartasses can beat me.

Rollyo assignment: Arsenal 2, Man Utd. 2

Today was the English Premier League match of the year, Arsenal F.C. versus Manchester United. Unfortunately the match itself was anti-climatic, ending in a unsatisfying draw. Man U. went twice ahead, but my lads clawed their way back to rescue a point.

To honor Arsenal's tremendous spirit, I created a searchroll. It was simple enough. All it takes is mindless data cruching. Just type in the websites, and you're on your way.

http://rollyo.com/page2peon/the_obsessed_gooners/

Of course cute bears support Arsenal!

Cesc Fabregas is the greatest footballer at only twenty years of age. I just hope he grows the mullet back!

The Evil Care Bears want you to look at my LibraryThing

http://www.librarything.com/catalog/page2peon



Creating a LibraryThing was an enjoyable experience. I tried as best I could to list my favorites from my childhood years up until the present time. It was intriguing to observe the evolution of my reading history. Clearly my tastes have always been impeccable!

Huzzah for nostalgia!

Image Generators, They're soooo self-defeating

Click here for a clearer view of my Emo Peon.
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc26/RandomZagFan/Emopeon.jpg



















Hello, EmoPeon here. Not that you care. In fact, you don't care about anything at all. Everyone is isolated, left to survive by themselves in this cruel, harsh world.

Life is pain. Life is suffering. Life's a bitch, and then you die.

Gawd, I'm so depressed.

*Goes back listening to Bright Eyes and My Chemical Romance*

I loves me some Care Bears!

Forget about the other previous costume suggestions. I have found the ultimate selection!

Costume Couture

I'm a Halloweenie. I refuse to participate. Nevertheless, here are some hypothetical costumes I came up with.


The Marx Brothers, sheer class.

As a Clockwork Orange Droog, I'll be Singin' in the Rain.

Dressing up as a shower like Daniel-San in the Karate Kid would be a real treat.

Or Perhaps a Baseball Furie from The Warriors. Simple, yet elegant.

Uhhh.......yeah.

Does size matter?

OMG, I have the biggest D*ck you have ever seen in your entire life!!! How is this physically possible? Check it out!!!

http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc26/RandomZagFan/070713_bigone_0.jpg

I couldn't resist

Here's another one for ya. You're Welcome.

Finding feeds, it's FTW

My main feed-finding method of choice was via bloglines. I looked in their directory, which led me to a list of the most popular/subscribed feeds. This was much appreciated, since I don't want to waste time sifting through piles of crap in the RSS wasteland. Besides, I'm too lazy to think for myself. I only approve of feeds if they are trendy and mainstream. Live in the "now" people, and surrender to mob mentality!

I quickly browsed the Feedster website, pretty straightforward enough. I see it as a Google for feeds. It certainly adheres to KISS (Keep it simple stupid). All you really need is a strong and dependable search engine for satisfaction.

As for the other site I visited, Syndic8.com, it left a lot to be desired. Its purpose seemed to feel it would be important to list every single feed in existence, whether it was of high quality or not. No matter how obscure or bombastic the feed was, there it is on syndic8.com! This reeks too much of political correctness. Not every feed is special, deserving of recognition! Just don't visit that site, it's for lamers.

This is my Rifle, This is my bloglines account!!!

Check it out!
http://www.bloglines.com/public/page2peon

The one thing I liked about this excerise and RSS, was the exposure to new and intriguing websites. I was never familiar with American Leftist, Cinematical.com, or the Dictionary.com word of the day. Thanks to bloglines, I have additional websites to waste my time/life with!

Perhaps libraries could use RSS to help serve patrons in a more efficient manner. If, for example, somebody needed info on a news story that our newspapers couldn't provide, a bloglines account might fill in the void. Having access to all the major news sources on one single website could make the researching process more fluid and less time consuming.

IMO, I'm still not sold on bloglines/RSS. As a self-confessed visually oriented guy, the layout of bloglines does not meet my standards. It's such a dry read when you're reading naked text with an occasional picture thrown in the mix. I would much rather read the article at the original website and be bombarded with their color arrangement. Advertising be dammed! I'm so conditioned and overexposed to it, ads don't bother me as much anymore.

So cmon Bloglines! Step up your game! You gotta woo and wine and dine me if you expect to get past first base!

More mashup madness!!!

Sometimes I live by the philosophy, "Less is more." Of course, this does not apply with LOL Cats. You can never get enough of these cute critters!

There are two things I need more in my life. 1) Lol Cats 2) Cowbell!!!!!!!!!!

Dumbeldore Exposed!!!

So Dumbeldore has come out of the closet from the grave. He is officially a Gay! I did not see this one coming. Methinks I need to have my gaydar taken in for repairs. If there were any homosexuals in the HP universe, I figured it would be Snape, McGonagall or friggin' Dobby.

It's typically expected of the wacko right-wing religious zealots to make a meal out of this. I can hear them now, "Burn Rowling at the stake for letting her bra slip!, Harry Potter is the antichrist incarnate!, send Dumbeldore to Jesus Camp for decleansing!

Gimme a break man! Who cares? Dumbledore is still a badass in my opinion. He's so powerfull, even Voldemort couldn't off him for crying out loud.

Yes, the white bearded one is gay. Not that there's anything wrong with that!

Cool Runnings: Great movie? Or the Greatest Movie?

Is it morally wrong to consider Cool Runnings as one of your favorite movies? Yes!!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot stress this enough folks. If perchance, you like this film a bit too much, p2p will relentlessly mock you until the end of your days. Consider your dreams haunted by my unforgiving judgment. First warning given.

You dare question my authority? Just read these "memorable" CR quotes. I rest my case.

Sanka Coffie: I'm freezing my royal Rastafarian nay-nays off!

Yul Brenner: How 'bout I beat your butt right now?
Sanka Coffie: How 'bout I draw a line down the middle of your head so it looks like a butt?

Derice Bannock: Sanka, you dead?
Sanka Coffie: Ya man.

Sanka Coffie: So, let's talk about this bill-sled team.
Derice Bannock: No, Bobsled team.
Sanka Coffie: Whoever

Sanka Coffie: So what should we call her?
Junior Bevill: How about Tallulah.
Sanka Coffie: Tallulah, sounds like a 2 dollar hooker. Where did you come up with that.
Junior Bevill: It's my mother's name.

Sanka Coffie: Hey Derice! Ya dead?
Derice Bannock: No mon, I'm not dead . But I have to finish the race.

Irwin Blitzer: Gentlemen, a bobsled is a simple thing.
Man: Yeah, so's a toilet!

Yul Brenner: You're going nowhere, Sanka, and you're thrilled to death about it.

Daft Punk is playing at my house

Today I wish to share with you the greatest song in the world, "Around the World." Daft Punk has such a masterful command of the English language. One could write a hundred page graduate thesis about the song with all of the depth and substance going on there! Here are the lyrics:

Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World,Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World, Around The World Around The World.

There are no stupid questions, just stupid people

Answer this statement either true or false: This statement is false.

Drink java, yest ye be judged

Type in your favorite drink and see who you really are!

http://www.buttafly.com/starbucks/index.php

Futile technology blog/rant

Can someone please explain to me why the ipod is so massively popular? It simply boggles my mind. Somehow this slippery, silver contraption from hell has hypnotyized mainstream society.

With technology so advanced these days, one would expect to assume the ipod would be more convenient to use. But alas, my assumptions are merely dust in the wind. Apple wants to toy with my fragile psyche.

My main gripe with the blasted doodad is the turning wheel. I feel like such a fool when I try to turn off the damn thing. Holding down the "off" button does not always work. I have to press-hold-press-hold-press-hold for ages before it finally randomly turns off. Come on now! I have better things to do with my time. These video games are not going to play themselves ya know;)

Additionally, the wheel sensor is too sensitive for my touch. I can never get the colored bar on the selection I want the first time around. If I move my finger just a millimeter too far, I lose:(

The battery life is also painfully short-lived. I couldn't even listed to the full version of Bohemian Rhapsody if I tried.

Whatevers, what the heck do I know. I got mine for free anyway. Blah

Flickr post and mashups

If you don't like LOL Cats, you fail at life!

Reading all of the descriptions of the different mashups on the SPL 2.0 site did not spark my interest. But then I read the wikipedia's definition of a mashup, it mentioned it could also apply to music as well:

The term mashup originally referred to the practice in pop music (notably
hip-hop) of producing a new song by mixing two or more existing pieces.

That said, I highly recommend the Grey Album by DJ Danger Mouse. It perfectly fuses Jay-z's lyrics from the Black Album with the music of the Beatles' White album. Too bad it can't be commerically released. Curse you Apple records.

I'm getting paid extra for this, riiiiight???

Greetings everyone, Page2peon reporting for duty. As I've been lurking on this site, viewing my fellow coworkers profiles, I finally decided to get my rear in gear and create my own account. Just say "yes" to peer pressure! Yes, tis true. Page2peon is of a sheepish origin and cannot think for himself. BAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Disclaimer:

To anyone reading my entries, please do not expect any moments of brilliance or insight. I'm merely doing this for a laugh and to troll on other library employee's blogs. Your internets are surrounded SPL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Surrender now, and I might be willing to negotiate a peace treaty. You have been warned y'all. Mwaahahahahaha.

Thanks for reading, and please leave comments. Peace.