I think if everything bad is good for you then this actually bodes well for libraries. I think it might be accurate to say that not everything bad is bad for you. I get really annoyed at folks who look down their noses and declare, “I don’t have a television.” Certainly as technology advances and information finds other ways into our minds there will be a natural inclination to declare that anything new is rubbish.
There’s a not-too-serious group of folks out there who believe that Francis Bacon actually wrote plays under the pseudonym “William Shakespeare”. Part of their reasoning is that Bacon was a barrister, and frivolous writing was seen as beneath his station. When motion pictures made their way into our culture they were seen as a foolish fad, but think of some of the great movies out there that have inspired you and you see where this leads. Everything new is bad—or is it?
So here’s where I think this all bodes well for libraries. As people begin to migrate more and more to the cyberworld, there is a need for all of the world’s history to make that transition. Books, movies, art—they’ll all need to have a presence online. How will all of this be organized? By librarians and the libraries that house these collections. There is now more than ever a need for innovative thinking and creativity in the library world, maybe more so than at any time in the history of the profession.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Class Notes
If I were The Steve, I wouldn’t change much about the class. This has been incredibly fun and enlightening. If I had to pick something, I’d only rearrange things. Gaming would be more fun if I wasn’t stressed trying to complete two final projects at the same time.
Maybe gaming could be moved to mid-semester, where things are a little less stressful and the games might actually be a stress reliever. I found myself feeling guilty playing games when I had projects to finish.
But that’s just me. I would have liked to have spent an extra week on wikis, understanding a little more of their collaborative nature. There’s something odd about making changes to a site without actually being the one who started the site. It seems to go against online etiquette, even though that’s the point.
Maybe gaming could be moved to mid-semester, where things are a little less stressful and the games might actually be a stress reliever. I found myself feeling guilty playing games when I had projects to finish.
But that’s just me. I would have liked to have spent an extra week on wikis, understanding a little more of their collaborative nature. There’s something odd about making changes to a site without actually being the one who started the site. It seems to go against online etiquette, even though that’s the point.
I Like My First Life
I was introduced to second life about a year and a half ago through work. Princeton University has a Second Life presence and one of the first things built was a replica of the library in Pine Hall. Very ornate. SL now turns out to not have evolved much, at least graphically. It’s difficult to navigate as my system is lowly regarded by SL: “Your computer is a piece of junk and all of SL’s functionality may not be available.” Thanks. I found my system struggling to keep up with tasks, the result being jumpy images and commands.
I’m not a fan. Nothing personal to SL, I just have a strong dislike for games requiring role playing and fantasizing. I’ve never once played “Dungeons and Dragons” so maybe I lack that experience. It seems SL is getting eerily close to the fantasy world Anderson created in “Feed”.
My experience with SL was disorienting and disappointing. I was incredibly frustrated because my inferior laptop couldn’t handle the processing necessary and I found myself impatiently punching arrow keys to move around. The SL world seems pretty bland at this point but I assume there are bustling communities, which makes me sad—quit living your fantasy life online, get off your butts and live your life in the real world!
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Gamey
First a note of caution. I'm not a gamer. I don't like Mountain Dew or Cheetos. I'll never become so involved with something that I need to wear an adult diaper.
That said, researching which game system to buy would require in-depth gamer research. I think I’d visit game stores and talk with kids/adults who play. Levine says the average age of gamers is 33. My guess though is that adults can usually afford a home system. A system in a library or perhaps other public arena probably needs to be geared to the high school and younger set.
Actually I saw a newscast recently that said that Wii systems are popular amongst seniors. Apparently it’s a fun way to “go bowling” or “play tennis”. It’s also good exercise for them too. I think this is terrific.
If I absolutely had to recommend a game system for a library I’d do obvious online research, talk with gamers and consult game store employees as to what are systems that are popular and can withstand heavy public usage. My choice for a library would be a “Playstation 3” as this is both a popular game system and is not physically demanding. I think this would be important for a library. Wii systems are attractive for getting kids off of the couch, but the physical activity would be distracting in a library. Although this would be my system of choice if there was a separate and sound-proof gaming room.
That said, researching which game system to buy would require in-depth gamer research. I think I’d visit game stores and talk with kids/adults who play. Levine says the average age of gamers is 33. My guess though is that adults can usually afford a home system. A system in a library or perhaps other public arena probably needs to be geared to the high school and younger set.
Actually I saw a newscast recently that said that Wii systems are popular amongst seniors. Apparently it’s a fun way to “go bowling” or “play tennis”. It’s also good exercise for them too. I think this is terrific.
If I absolutely had to recommend a game system for a library I’d do obvious online research, talk with gamers and consult game store employees as to what are systems that are popular and can withstand heavy public usage. My choice for a library would be a “Playstation 3” as this is both a popular game system and is not physically demanding. I think this would be important for a library. Wii systems are attractive for getting kids off of the couch, but the physical activity would be distracting in a library. Although this would be my system of choice if there was a separate and sound-proof gaming room.
Screencasting
After screencasting a few things I don’t really have any best practices, but maybe just a few notes:
--A three-minute screencast takes at least an hour. The technology isn’t difficult, you’ll just find yourself doing it over and over...
--In Jing, the little yellow glob at the top of your screen is annoying. Under “More” there’s a quit button, which’ll make it go away. This may be simple, but it took me awhile.
--A good screencast should be wall to wall with good information. Be sure to use the pause button when recording!
--Make notes of what you want to say, and definitely rehearse. See first comment.
--A three-minute screencast takes at least an hour. The technology isn’t difficult, you’ll just find yourself doing it over and over...
--In Jing, the little yellow glob at the top of your screen is annoying. Under “More” there’s a quit button, which’ll make it go away. This may be simple, but it took me awhile.
--A good screencast should be wall to wall with good information. Be sure to use the pause button when recording!
--Make notes of what you want to say, and definitely rehearse. See first comment.
Pop culture is fun, not enlightening
The answer to “is popular culture (games, tv, film) just a method to "sophisticatedly deliver stupidity"? (paraphrasing George Will) is YES.
Take Johnson’s view of people’s Autism Quotient. This is apparently a measure of a person’s ability to read emotions in others. And apparently Johnson believes that shows like “The Apprentice” are sociological experiments forcing readers to assess the “social logic” of what’s going on in television’s dubbed and edited world. I believe this is foolish though. If people want to become skilled assessors of social situations, then they should put themselves in social situations. Apparently Johnson’s take is that pop culture is enlightening, but all it does is lower the bar, or raise it if you’re doing the limbo. You’re not a genius if you know all of the answers on Jeopardy.
I don’t want to be a curmudgeon here. I like pop culture, mainly because I can be amused by it, but I certainly don’t delude myself that indulging in pop culture (TV, trashy mags, movies) makes me smarter. They’re just a diversion.
Take Johnson’s view of people’s Autism Quotient. This is apparently a measure of a person’s ability to read emotions in others. And apparently Johnson believes that shows like “The Apprentice” are sociological experiments forcing readers to assess the “social logic” of what’s going on in television’s dubbed and edited world. I believe this is foolish though. If people want to become skilled assessors of social situations, then they should put themselves in social situations. Apparently Johnson’s take is that pop culture is enlightening, but all it does is lower the bar, or raise it if you’re doing the limbo. You’re not a genius if you know all of the answers on Jeopardy.
I don’t want to be a curmudgeon here. I like pop culture, mainly because I can be amused by it, but I certainly don’t delude myself that indulging in pop culture (TV, trashy mags, movies) makes me smarter. They’re just a diversion.
Speed dating
Here's a screencast of me playing a game called "Speed Dating". It's keen insight into why I'm single.
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