Modern Communication

I sit with my iPad open to the FaceTime connection to my brother, a view to his shirtfront as he unpacks his suitcase, holding my cordless, on speaker, in the other hand, while my mother speaks to him about the text messages she sent him about his safe arrival home from Christmas. Her first. I make faces at my small self, presented me by my iPad, upper left.

me vs the ipad: round four

Okay, this really was a physical fight.  The cases arrived for Georgina and Henry and I had to get them into them.  First I had to wrastle the cases free of their cases, known as packaging.  I find within, after a large knife and some tricky yanking are employed, a case which will allow each ipad to stand up like a little tv screen, a protective screen for that little screen and other odds and ends, such plug ins for all the holes that the ipads collectively have, instructions which make little sense, cardboard and plastic bags to protect the covers inside the plastic packaging. 

Soooo, first I am supposed to, and I do, separate the protective screen cover from its film and there will be static cling that will enable it to attach to Georgina's and Henry's faces.  Problem, the static for Georgina's film comes off on the film, so instead of a nice clear sturdy cover through which she can see out, and we can see in, she now has a thin cover that makes her look like a teenager's facial nightmare.  Henry's cover got its static right.  Then came the final knock down drag out.  Again, Georgina got the worst of it.  I had to push them into the little clips that hold them into their cases, and ... her cover won't shut.  Nope, no way, unun, forget it baby.  Henry's is little better, but with effort he can be contained into the tiny protective space.

But they do sit up nicely in the cases and now I have to wipe the finger prints off their mask and not off their faces.  Progress.

Digital Library Plenary

Yeah, but will the architecture be as nice in the Digital Public Library of America? J

photo info

technology vs coffee

Student comes to the desk today for a reserve book.  He hands me his coffee stained appointment book with the library of congress number of the reserve item written on it.  Sorry, he says, its a bit of a mess.  No problem.  I get the book for him.  Handing back the appointment book I say, 'at least this survives having coffee spilt on it.'  Yes, he says, it went on my computer as well, had to get a new one.

21st Century technology

Techno lesson of the day

If you want people to be able to comment on your blog it is best to mark "anyone" in the settings.   Oh to be a luddite now that digital spring is here.

Multitasking is not heroic; it’s counterproductive.

A quote from the Derek Dean article Recovering From Information Overload in the McKinsey&Company Quarterly. (Another skill mastered.  I have figures out links in blogger!) I feel a wee bit justified when I read it, it confirms my understanding of humans. Mr. Dean is speaking of CEO's, but they're human too, right?  I think humans actually like to deal with humans.  Hence students will come an ask a question at the desk when they could find the information themselves online.  They want the contact.  I sometimes feel a little overwhelmed by all the changes (like comfyshoe I change but slowly), but by figuring out what these new technologies are in terms of what humans I bring it all into perspective.  No matter the system, no matter the technology, we are the same and will continue to be the same.  Tweeting for example is not new, it is word or mouth.  When we were an oral culture, everything was word of mouth.  Now that we are a global community and we have the technology to accommodate the communication, we are once again doing things by word of mouth.  It's not what you know, but who you know.  When the social media video was posted at the beginning of 23 things I thought of course 78% of people take what others they know say about a product over what the company says about the product.  (And if they are very lucky, all those people in Sweden etc. don't have to know anything about Ashton and Brittany.)  We may use new tools, but we do not change.

There, I think I've got linking down.  :-)

Oh~! one more.  Kate's site, which has been registered last time I checked, has a bit about the coptic binding course we taught last night at Art Placement.  Lots of fun, and funny as I had to give my glasses to one of the students and then demonstrate the rest of the evening out of focus.