Really the last word...

...and it goes to Shakespeare, in the form of this very clever piece of writing by Bernard Levin

On Quoting Shakespeare

If you cannot understand my argument, and declare it's Greek to me, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you claim to be more sinned against than sinning, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you recall your salad days, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you act more in sorrow than in anger; if your wish is father to the thought; if your lost property has vanished into thin air, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you have ever refused to budge an inch or suffered from green-eyed jealousy, if you have played fast and loose, if you have been tongue-tied, a tower of strength, hoodwinked or in a pickle, if you have knitted your brows, made a virtue of necessity, insisted on fair play, slept not one wink, stood on ceremony, danced attendance (on your lord and master), laughed yourself into stitches, had short shrift, cold comfort or too much of a good thing, if you have seen better days or lived in a fool's paradise -why, be that as it may, the more fool you , for it is a foregone conclusion that you are,as good luck would have it, quoting Shakespeare; if you think it is early days and clear out bag and baggage, if you think it is high time and that that is the long and short of it, if you believe that the game is up and that truth will out even if it involves your own flesh and blood, if you lie low till the crack of doom because you suspect foul play, if you have your teeth set on edge (at one fell swoop) without rhyme or reason, then - to give the devil his due - if the truth were known (for surely you have a tongue in your head) you are quoting Shakespeare; even if you bid me good riddance and send me packing, if you wish I was dead as a door-nail, if you think I am an eyesore, a laughing stock, the devil incarnate, a stony-hearted villain, bloody-minded or a blinking idiot, then - by Jove! O Lord! Tut tut! For goodness' sake! What the dickens! But me no buts! - it is all one to me, for you are quoting Shakespeare.

Last Words

The Playground has been quite a fun experience for me because I got to do it both as a "student" and as a "Teacher". As a trainer, it was not always easy to stay one step ahead of everyone else, which I had to do in case someone asked me a question and I actually had to help them complete one of the tasks! Overall I think this has been a useful and enlightening experience for me, and I have really enjoyed interacting with my fellow staff over the "things". It's been interesting seeing some folks emerge from their technology shells, and also to see how creative some people are with their blogs. Hopefully we can take some of the things we have collectively learned on the Playground and use them to create innovative programs for us and for the public.

Del.icio.us -- But Not to Me

I left this one to last because frankly it left me cold. I really can't see the point of having one's bookmarks here. Maybe it's because I don't have very many, and have no desire to collect hundreds of them. I can see it's usefulness for some folks but it's definitely not for me. I also don't really see the point of the social networking side of it. Frankly it would be just as easy to do your own searches on Google. So no delicious for me. (Maybe it has something to do with my not liking chocolate??

Email, Calendars and Office 2007

I am already pretty familiar with Email etiquette, so not much new here for me.

I haven't set up a meeting on Calendars but have certainly received invitations. This is a very useful tool because you can make sure not only that people get the information but that they get reminders of the event as well.

When I first saw the new Word and Excel I liked the layout, but I had alot of trouble finding the tools I commonly use, and even now, having used it already quite frequently, forget where things are. I like the translation tool!

Technorati - No. 11

With all those blogs out there, it's good to have something trying to organize them. I like how they have been put in categories. I did at search with just the word "Shakespeare" and got 16,000 hits. I narrowed it down to "Shakespeare festival" and got 442 hits. The watchlist feature is nice, I like the idea of an automatic filtering of subjects of interest. I don't want to do it though - who has the time! It seems if you want people to find your blog,this is the way to go. I don't want anyone to find mine, so I won't claim it.

#13 Library 2.0 - O Brave New World!

I have been in libraries since babyhood, when my mother wheeled me to her volunteer job at the local library (which by the way was the first incarnation of Capilano Library!). When I was old enough, I used the card catalogue to find stuff for school projects and my Sunday afternoon by the fire reading. In university it was microfiche (whoever thought that was a good technology!),and near the very start of my career as a librarian came the computer, which changed everything. I remember in those first days of the computer catalogue, and how often patrons came to me looking for the card catalogue and bemoaning its demise. Think if we tried to bring that back now...!

Now it's all changing again, and libraries need to jump on the 2.0 bandwagon with all their traditional values in hand. Spider Robinson once said that librarians rule the world, because they control all the information. We don't need to rule, but we need to lead, we need to keep libraries relevant and places where people want to go. We need to be at the vanguard, using these new technologies to enhance the old ones. We need to be in a position to teach the new stuff to those who are used to the old, and use the fresh ideas and the people who have them to keep pace with a world that because of 2.0 is not getting bigger but is getting smaller as the whole connects in.

Vanier Park

Winning photo!

I entered this picture in the staff photo contest - theme of food and drink. This is the dessert selection at Stuart's Bakery on Granville Island

Online Databases - Thing # 19

I use online databases pretty frequently, and attend "Webinars" to keep me up to date. The databases are a rich resource and are not used enough by the public, who don't know they exist unless we tell them! They are "hiding their lights under a bushel" (which is not Shakespeare, its the Bible!) Kids especially should be encouraged to use them, as there are several which are excellent homework resources.

Thing 16 - No Phishing!

This kind of fishing is great, but phishing for people's money and identity is despicable. I have received lots of these types of email and always immediately delete them, but I can see how novice emailers can be taken in by them. It really is a lowlife crime. You may think that Shakespeare has nothing to say about this modern day crime, but as I always say, there's usually a Shakespeare quote that fits:

Who steals my purse steals trash; 'tis something, nothing;
'Twas mine, 'tis his, and has been slave to thousands:
But he that filches from me my good name
Robs me of that which not enriches him
And makes me poor indeed.


Ironically it is the vile Iago (from the play Othello) who says this, who probably would have loved phishing scams, as he enjoyed manipulating the innocent to his own purposes!

Askaway

I have been trained on Askaway and have done alot of sessions. Though it is extremely well used by students, it is not being used much outside of that group. Alot of the students use it instead of the resources at their fingertips, and I feel sure that laziness has alot to do with it sometimes, as clearly they could do the searches just as well as I could. On the other hand, there are moments when you do feel gratification, such as the time a student asked me how to do a math problem. Well, I couldn't do the math, but I could direct him to Math.com and the right section of that website to help him. His reaction was ecstatic, and no doubt he would use it again to help with his homework.

So Askaway is useful, but I prefer answering questions face to face!

Thing number 23

I have already used Library to Go, and found it very easy to download their software and the books. Perhaps I will have more fun with it when I get my MP3 player!

Thing No. 22 Podcasts - In A Pickle

I have already added alot of podcasts to my Google Reader account from the CBC website, choosing some of my favourite CBC 1 shows, like Queue. I checked out Podcast Pickle and found it quite easy to use, lots of different genres. Some of the items on there seem to be commercial items which require payment. I found the NY Times Book Review, and it was easy to download, as they had a selection of icons indicating ways to subscribe, one of which was Google. There are lots of different ways to find Podcasts - but for someone starting out Podcastpickle and their like seem like an friendly way in.

By the way, did you know that Shakespeare was the first to use the phrase "In a pickle"? It is found in "The Tempest".

Something Funny About Mac -- er I mean The Scottish Play

Thing Number 21 - YouTube

Copying videos is fun and easy - one could waste the entire day doing it!

Thing # 12 Social Networking

I signed up for Facebook about a year ago, and it was really only because it was work related that I did. I didn't think that I would ever actually use it. It seemed to me to be a very youth oriented thing and I saw it as a time waster. Well, it turns out it is a time waster, but a fun one! Before I knew it, people kept finding me and asking me to be their friend, and I got back in touch with people I knew when I lived in Austria, and other long lost folk. It helps me keep track of birthdays, and events I am interested in attending. I really like the feature that tells you what people are doing at any given moment. It's like a little snapshot of people's lives. Facebook gets a thumbs up from me! This picture is the one I use for my profile on Facebook. Cute, eh?


Here's another interesting social networking site:
Shelfari
This is website where you create a virtual bookshelf on what you have read, what you are currently reading, and what you are going to read. Because it is a social website, you can find other people with similar reading interests. It is a little like Library Thing, only on this site you don't catalogue the items you only display them. Check it out!

A picture in a thousand words...

Text Shakespeare by Yelnoc Found on Flickr

I attended the Dress Rehearsal of Bard on the Beach's "The Tempest" and oh what a treat for the senses! Please go and see this wonderful play, full of songs and spirits, bubbles,beauties and beasts, and men in wedding dresses!

Here is a card I made using the Trading Card Maker

Shakespeare Sketch

I wonder if Shakespeare really had these kinds of problems with his producers....

LibraryThing books

RSS Feeds

I subscribed to some interesting feeds on books - the New York Review of Books, NPR (National Public Radio) Topics: Books, and Powell's Books Canada. Also added some fun ones: Quotes of the Day, and a feed on Movie Releases. I also have Google news, but that one is very overwhelming - 1,000 stories!

To Blog or Not to Blog, That is the Question...

And the answer is....to Blog! It's been fun setting up this blog for the 24 Things project, although I have to say it took me 3 tries to get one I liked. I completed that task, and have tried posting to the Staff blog, although I already knew how to do that...but it did enable me to figure out an easy way to make a link to a file in shared notes, which was helpful!

It's been an education being a "trainer" on this as well, since I have been learning alot myself while helping other people out.

The play's the thing!

This is Bard on the Beach in Vancouver, one of the best Shakespeare festivals in North America. I am a volunteer at the festival, and have been for 14 seasons. It's a great place to spend a summer evening. This image was downloaded from Flickr.

He was not of an age, but for all time...

Our revels now are ended. These our actors,
As I foretold you, were all spirits, and
Are melted into air, into thin air:
And like the baseless fabric of this vision,
The cloud-capp'd tow'rs, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve,
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff
As dreams are made on; and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep.