Technology: theory and reality

June 5th I had the good fortune to attend the SMRLA Tech Showcase. It was a lovely drive down from Annapolis in the sun, and the Charlotte Hall Library was easy to find. Great view out the windows, old willows waving in the breeze, and blue sky and sunshine all around. Luckily the view was somewhat muted by the solar curtains, so it seemed more like a movie background. Gale Zasada gave her fascinating talk about Libraries in Second Life. (Tempting there for a few minutes). Watched a couple of cool videos

Shift Happens
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljbI-363A2Q and

Web 2.0 The machine is Us/ing us.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gmP4nk0EOE

Don't know if these links will work for you. But they were pretty cool and thought provoking.

Also got excited about thumb drives with U3 technology. Thought they might be just the ticket for us at our library branch. We share computers, so don't always have access to our own stuff on a computer. I thought that this U3 thumb drive would give us the access to all our own favorites and stored files in a portable device. So, I bought one. Now, I've played around with it a little bit, but really DONT know what I am doing. That's the reality of technology in my first life!

As a lifelong learner? I need to be showed things and taught things. I don't seem to learn things on my own. (quite the disappointment). Well, it's true with technology, anyway. I seem to be able to learn new knitting stitches on my own while looking at instructions.

So, if someone would figure out this U3 thumbdrive for me, I still think it might help us out here. Then the challenge would be to share what I've learned and apply it daily.

Because the bottom line from Shift Happens seems to me to be how quickly the technology continues to change. It's all good-
until somebody pulls the plug.

Keep cool!