mrbesbol’s random collection of thoughts
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I LUVs me some ta-da list!
As a chronic list-maker, I (like many others in the library world, I’d imagine) really enjoy the sense of accomplishment that goes along with crossing things off the list, and, even moreso, of the sheer joy of a whole list of completed tasks.
There’s something very concrete and gratifying about a list of things to do with lots of scratch-marks on it.
Ta-da list provides that in a virtual sense, and is waaaay more functional than those little scraps of paper that I always seem to end up sending through the wash in my pants pockets.
A portable virtual to-do list: such a simple concept, but pure genius!
I fiddled with all three of these (including workhack and todoist), but definitely preferred the ease of ta-da list. You don’t have to figure anything out. Just type in some things to do. Reordering them, while not quite as easy as it is on workhack, is still simple. Click “reorder” then click and drag.
I do like the color-coding prioritization options on workhack. But the simplicity of ta-da list is hard to beat. Plus, the “email yourself a copy of this list” function is sweet and easy, and there’s the RSS factor for people who do that sort of thing. I actually don’t like the fact that you don’t have to create your own account on workhack, as this seems to make it slightly less portable.
I’m the guy who often realizes that there’s a list of things I need to do at work tomorrow at 11:30 p.m., just as I’m about to fall asleep and needs to write them down or there won’t be any sleeping. So I need to be able to make a list at home and access it from work later.
Todoist was just waaaay more complicated than I wanted from a simple to-do list application. When it wasn’t immediately intuitive, I skipped it. Ta-da list was so straightforward.
Wow. Maybe I’ll be more organized, effective and productive. Probably not. But maybe.
Dare to dream.
Anyway. So, I don’t know that this sort of thing has a library-specific application, but it sure and the heck seems to have a general-organization application. That should work for anyone, library employee or just a regular schmoe.
Casting about
Right. So I’m a semi-regular YouTuber — mostly because it’s just a swell place to go find some hilarious stuff. Don’t believe me? Go back to YouTube and search for “Flight of the Conchords.” Pick a clip at random and then tell me you didn’t laugh your face off. Or just click this link. Trust me.
But it certainly has the potential for library applications, as we’ve seen with our YouTube contest (and the zombie vid). There’s a ton of stuff available on YouTube that illustrates how libraries are using this technology to get their message out. Storytimes, etc. Coming soon to a library near you…
I really enjoyed this exercise more for the insight into podcast.com. I’m not big on the podcasts — mostly because I’d rather listen to music on my iPod than anything else (call me old-fashioned). But it’s great to know there’s a place I can go where there are lots of podcasts collected and categorized so that searching for one, if I want to listen, is pretty simple. I enjoyed the quick-hit tutorial they provided, too.
Also, the zombie vid, which I’ve seen before several times, is a personal fave. I think some of those folks come to Walnut Creek, too. Sometimes, before I get my coffee, I’m one of ‘em. 
Decaf Bill: not a pretty video.
Now if I could just get myself a cool rap name like Hiphopopotamus or Rhymenoceros…
Really simple
RSS. What to say. I can honestly say that, as good as this exercise was, I probably STILL won’t use my RSS reader on a regular basis.
I dunno why. Maybe it’s just one more thing to log in to. Maybe I’m lazy. Maybe I don’t really want to know all that stuff.
Still and all, I will admit that I find RSS to be a wonderful, not to mention powerful, tool. To be able to get bits of your website to populate with updated information automatically, well, that’s just a dream come true, right? Nevermind the end-user usefulness (you know, if someone were to actually LOG IN to their reader…).
In response to the prompts, I will say that I had to surf a bit to find a feed with current library programming available. Pleasant Hill has a Lapsit Storytime coming up on Wednesday June 4th, 2008 – 10:00 AM that will include “Stories, music, rhymes and bounces especially for children 6-24 months. Child attends with caregiver.”
I think I had a pretty good handle on RSS to begin with. But thanks anyway!
Not really a problem, but a difference. I didn’t get a page of code for the library feeds, I got a subscription page. Maybe this was because I was already logged into Bloglines? At any rate, it was a breeze.
IM, therefore I am
Here’s another one where I was sorta ahead of the curve. IMing is not new to me. Still. The meebo thing is quite cool — the ability to sort of aggregate your IM accounts and manage them from on centralized login is pretty sweet.
From a li-bary standpoint, I’m intrigued by the idear of IM reference. I think it’s a swell idea. But I also think it will require a pretty significant amount of manpower.
Plus, I kinda feel like there is a certain amount of time involved in finding answers to reference questions. And IM is the ultimate in instant gratification. How do you make those two apparently disparate urges jibe?
I guess we could follow the path laid out by Live Homework Help or, for those of you in L-school, Elluminate, and provide a virtual whiteboard or something of the like to keep people interested. This would also facilitate file-sharing and allow us to share webpages, etc. with patrons.
