Technology

I'm allowed to blog about anything related to technology!

I guess I'm going to write about the things I love about the internet.

I love what the internet has done for the music community. Music blogs and websites like Pitchfork, Last.FM, and even Myspace (to name a few) have really changed the way the music industry functions today. It's also really great how musicians can sell their own work with ease as well as get discovered via the internet. Altering the dictatorial power that major record industries once had over artists is a wonderful thing. The stunt that Paul Westerberg pulled this year especially amused me. He released a download only single track album entitled 49:00 which sold from amazon for 49 cents. A few weeks later he was made to withdraw it from the internet due to copyright issues. The initial download was short 5 minutes and 5 seconds of 49 minutes. Immediately following the downloads disappearance from purchase a free download appeared on Paul's personal site...a download entitled 5:05. I love Paul Westerberg. The Replacements may have not made it past 1990 but Paul is still every inch punk rock.

"I ain't about the money//If you wanna sue me//Can't see through me//Bring on a lawsuit//I'll bring my swimsuit//All you girls and guys//Make some noise//And join the 5:05"

I love it.

Music tangents aside, another internet feature I'm really keen on is StumbleUpon. After registering with this website and creating a user profile you download the Stumble! toolbar. You then proceed to lose hours upon hours of your life to the internet. Stumble is one of the coolest things out there, hands down. You rate every site that you visit thumbs up or thumbs down. That, combined with the user information you specified during your registration works together to generate websites targeted specifically to your interests and preferences whenever you hit the Stumble! button. It's one of the greatest random things ever.

Where else would I find a link to photographs of an exhibit which featured this amazing piece?

seven and a half habits of highly successful lifelong learners

So, this is my blog for the Columbus Metropolitan Library's Learn and Play Program!

This is task one & two of the 23 things list that we need to complete by 12.02.08

We were asked to view a video on lifelong learning. The video's main message emphasized that it is never too late or too early to learn and encouraged a process in which to go about making that learning a reality. Seven and a half (although I failed to understand why the last one was only a half) habits were listed as crucial to becoming a successful lifelong learner.

These habits were:

-begin with the end in mind - determine a goal, then plan to achieve it
-accept responsibility for your own learning
-view problems as challenges
- have confidence in yourself as a competent effective learner
-create your own learning toolbox
-use technology to your advantage
-teach/mentor others
-play

We are asked to list which of these habits we find the easiest and the most difficult and why.

I feel like I utilize many of these habits in my life already. I think the habits that have come most naturally to me are accepting responsibility for my own learning, using technology to my advantage, and creating my own learning toolbox. I've always been curious, and it seems to me that these three habits are only natural behaviors for someone who wants to learn and know things. How else do you learn?

The hardest things for me are confidence and following through with what I have begun. You can view a problem as a challenge, but many times a challenge is reason enough to drop something for me. Especially when that challenge is time. I never really feel confident about anything. That sounds terrible, but I bet that I am far from alone there. It is very easy to doubt yourself, especially when you are trying to learn about something new.

...Why is playing only half a habit?