Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Spent a bit of time at each of the sites. Really liked the Then and Now :Histroy of New York site with the 360 degrees panning around each location. Really cool. A great way to check out a location before you go there.
"Suburbview" is great for checking out any location you would be thinking of moving to, as you can check out various features like parks or surf beaches, and get an idea of how developed the area is; its housing, infrastructure,etc.
Found a site i liked on the "Mashup Awards" site-has great photos http://mashupawards.com/gimme-shiny/
There is just soo much stuff out there now and i find using Delicious helps me keep track of all the sites i want to re-visit without clogging up my Google toolbar. With mashups I can see lots of potential for anyone wanting to be creative and down the track will have a go at putting something together.

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Is Our Technology Useful?
Hi from the Rocker, Have just checked out the sites tets drive1# for this unit.
So far i've found a lot ot the apllications are just newer versions of existing ones ie, "Myplick," is just another version of "flicker".
I guess we really have to check out the various apllications and choose the one that is personally most useful and use-friendly for us.
A lot handle very specific tasks such as "Doodle" and would be of little use to someone not requiring meetings.

To me some applications such as "Tada," are simply an over-use of technonlogy as you can write down the list in your diary and don't need to access technology to retrieve it. "Writeboard" would be great for collaborative writing and i like the idea od being able to keep track of versions. However, if you are pushing a specific agenda you may have people jumping in and redirecting this in other directions and this could be good or bad, depending on where you wanted to go; you will loose control so need to be prepared to allow this to take place.
I liked "Slideshare' and would definitely use this service for creative ideas and maybe locating a few likeminded friends.

I found a lot of the apllications offer a minimum service for free but as soon as you want to do something a bit clever you need to move up to the "premium" paid version. You add up a few ot these paid versions to your online account and you can run into real expense pretty quickly.

A few other downsides for me are that i believe the more apllications you access the more likely that someone will eventually hack into your computer so you'd want to have really good security on you computer. Also, after signing up for a sight just lately i was seriously flooded with spam emails which i simply have not been able to stop. Obviously my name was allowed to be given out on a list. So free sights can definitely have their downsides. The link back to this Google Blog is http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dd283fdp_0fvssxmhb

Thursday, May 14, 2009

As per slql's Licence 2 Test Drive #2
I Have just posted my first photos of the Maroochy Library to the Flicker site and the following shortcut should lead you to them to view my masterful photography.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/38378856@N05/
As i am not that confident the shortcut will get you to my photos i have included all the details as follows- The tag and details to search are:-
MaroochyLibrary1slql2td09 by Pye88
Taken on May 4, 2009, uploaded May 14, 2009
See Pye88's photos or profile.
I have also checked out heeps of pics on this site and it is mind numbing.
There is just so much quality stuff of every concievable genre and very high quality photos. If you haven't checked this site out don't miss it!

For the next part of this task i checked out photos of sunsets and there are so many amazing ones i spent a lot of time browsing them. The one i'm using is just a sample titled, "Mekong sunset by Bеn ".
It is a very powerful sunset of a stormfront at sunset on the river in blazing oranges. I like the contrast in the visual power generated by the massed clouds and colour, whilst at the same time capturing the peace and tranquility of the boat rower on a windless and glassy exspanse of water; a feeling of peace is inescapable, whilst at the same time viewing a display of nature's awsome majesty that no language could do justice to.
It can also be viewed by searching under "Sunsets" and clicking on the 4th set and browsing down.

Friday, April 24, 2009

Busking on the Sunshne Coast

Hi from the Rocker. Been a bit tardy posting this but better late than never.

Attended the first Sunshine Coast "Busking Workshop," run by Kim Cross from the regional council. It was great to see the council actively supporting the busking community and there was a good turnup, although the youth component was noticeably missing; perhaps they'll show next time. A wide range of acts was represented with predominantly musicians but also street performers , such as jugglers, taking part.



The lineup for our first busker's
workshop. Photo By Kim Cross.
You can see by the smiling faces that it was well recieved.



The night was well run with some tales of street experiences from those seasoned performers, and a few pointers thrown in on the do's and don'ts for getting the best out of a crowd.

There were a number of small croup discussions where all buskers got to share their thoughts, both positive and negative on various topics connected to the busking agenda.


In brief we discussed the -

-current locations and other alternative or more sutable sites

-the introduction of more flexible performance times

-possibility of roving performances

-input from buskers on most sutable locations(pitches)

-possibility of selling original CD's

-other venues and an annual buskers festival to bring in nationl and international acts.

-streamlining of the application process

There was also discussion on "what do we get out of busking?"

Apart from the fincancial consideration it was considered that it's a great way to meet people, practise and refine your act, gain feedback on your performance and become more confident with overall presentation.
And of course, a meal and drinks were served, which everyone appreciated.

What does this have to do with library services you may ask? Heaps!

You can't find a better place than the library for accessing all those resources you need. There a books on playing /performing techniques. Videos where you can study other performers and glean those secrets to their success.
Heaps of music CD's for getting ideas about what to include in your repetior and to practise along with so that you can get the songs right.
Books with songs you want, complete with lyrics and chords/tabliture. Also, you'll often meet other muso's who happen to be looking for music as well.
My next post is a review on the Easterfest held at Toowoomba.
Chow and "keepa rockin'."

Monday, March 30, 2009

Tune In

Howdy to everyone out there in Library blogland. This will be my blog for who know's how long. I may get addicted to it and not want to stop; as apparently I have an addictive personality.
It will feature stuff gleaned frommy experiences as an amature muso on the road to becoming professional. How do you determine when you've made it?
Have no idea what will be on the site yet, but what an adventure is in store for us! I'm on my way.
The Rocker