I Made It!

So, my Web 2.0 journey is complete. I really enjoyed this discovery program and am glad I participated. My favorite exercises were Del.icio.us and online apps.

Gaming

I played a couple of the Yahoo! Daily Games and really enjoyed them. I also played the free web game Cake Mania. In it Jill, the hero, is trying to reopen her grandparent's bakery which has closed because of the new mega-mart in town. It was a fun fast-paced game.

Google Earth

Google Earth is great. I especially liked the Global Awareness folder which helps non-profits get their message out. I visited WaterAid's India page and Jane Goodall's Gombe blog . Check them out!

Kungfukitty

Online Apps & Tools

I found out about Google Docs last week and love it. I'll definitely use it in the future!

Search Engines

I usually use Google to search the web, but I also like Blackle which is basically a Google custom search. The black background on Blackle.com is easier on the eyes and, in some cases, can save a small amount of energy.

Podcasts

I checked out Pierce County Library's podcasts and Sno-Isle's Hear a Story podcasts. For fun I listened to some comedy podcasts. Check out "Choir Deployed to Local Senior Center" and "Plate of Cookies Never Stood a Chance" from The Onion Radio News.

Fun with image generators

OverDrive

OverDrive was pretty easy to install but I think it needs a better guided tour. The tour wasn't as user friendly as it could be and didn't answer basic questions such as do I click "run" or "save" when the first dialogue box pops up. A specific step by step guide would be great for users who are new to the computer or don't have a lot of experience downloading from the web. Otherwise, I found the the selection of materials pretty interesting and once it becomes iPod compatible I'll definitely upload some audio books to my iPod.

Del.icio.us

Curious about the name I looked it up on Wikipedia and found that Del.icio.us is an example of a domain hack. Domain hacks are unconventional domain names that make a kind of pun using the last part of the domain name. Some other clever domain hacks are inter.net and whocalled.us. Anyway, I really like the idea of accessing my favorites from any computer. I'll definitely try to use Del.icio.us instead of my "Favorites" folder.

Currently playing on Dougie MacLean Radio: Thoroughbred Gin by Kepler

Wiki Wiki Wild!

Well, they're actually not that wild but they are useful and fun. I really like Wikipedia and have used it many times to gain a general understanding of a topic. I've even edited a page! I can see myself creating a wiki in the future to communicate with a group because they seem more efficient than email for group communication.

un mensaje de los perros

Social Networking Sites

I have been successfully avoiding the social networking sites for some time. Mainly, because the people I know don’t use them and also because I feel they promote self centeredness and attention seeking which I am definitely not about. However, my workplace asked me to create an account on one of the sites in the name of education (Sno-Isle, I shake my fist at you!) and me, being the ever obedient employee, acquiesced and joined Facebook. Of course, it’s similar to MySpace but with extra security features that I think make it the better of the two. Still, Eons (for the 50+ crowd) seems like the best site because it has games and cool questions like, “Would you stop to pick up a penny on the sidewalk?” Totally! It’s a penny for crying out loud. Anyway, I have to go and check my email because someone may be sending me a friend request. :)

Flickr

Pandora

Mr. Chimp Crazy told me about Pandora a while ago, so I checked it out but never created an account. Now that I have, I realize I should have done it sooner. I have two great stations so far, Fair and Dougie MacLean, but I'm looking forward to adding more when I have the time.

Song I'm currently listening to on Pandora: Shooting Stars by Edwin McCain

RSS and Feed Readers

I chose Bloglines as my feed reader and so far, so good. RSS will definitely make it easier to keep up with my favorite websites and blogs. :)

I am an elephant

Philadelphia InqirerMarch 31, 2008
Stu Bykofsky:I am an Elephant
I AM AN ELEPHANT.
I was not born for your amusement any more than you were born for mine.If you see me in the zoo, and especially in the circus, which arrived here yesterday, I am not there willingly.I was kidnapped and carried far, far away from my home and my family. I might have been an adult, but was more likely a baby when captured. Some "brave" hunter might have killed my mother - who could be dangerous - and sold me to a zoo or circus as an orphan.Elephants have large families, as you may know, each headed by a female. When a female is born into the family herd, she never leaves.Closely and happily, we travel together, eat together, play together, rest together. For elephants, every herd is a "village" in which the baby is cared for by its mother, and her sisters, and her mother. Being connected to family is as much a part of our being as our floppy ears. It harms us to be separated from our family. Can you understand that?Do you think I cannot feel loneliness and despair?As you may know, we elephants grieve for our dead. We mourn for our family. Being disconnected from our family is like death for us.That is what we suffer when we are captured, and kidnapped, and sold.I am an elephant.I know you love seeing me, in the circus or in the zoo.I know some of you feel that, "It isn't a circus without elephants," or, "It isn't a zoo without elephants."You are thinking about yourself - what you want, what you like.Please think about me.I am an elephant.Do you think I was born to be chained to a stake, when my spirit cries to cross vast savannas? Do you think I was made to be pushed into cramped circus railway cars, to be hauled around the country like furniture?I perform for eight minutes for your pleasure, then spend endless hours in misery.Some zoos try hard toaccommodate my physical and psychological needs, but few succeed.My first need is spiritual and that was crushed when they stole me from my family in Africa.In Africa, my numbers are dwindling as poachers slaughter my kind for a few pounds of ivory.Imagine killing a majestic, 5-ton animal for scraps of ivory. Does that offend your sense of decency?And yet you don't think twice about the slow death of imprisoning me in a barren cage.You believe letting your children get close to a captive elephant will make them appreciate me. Must that come at my expense? Can't they learn from videos, DVDs and webcasts, without my suffering?Can't you teach them about the dignity of living animals by leaving us alone?When you and your children see me do a circus "trick," you are delighted.You don't ask yourself, "How did they make that elephant stand on his head?" I never stand on my head in the wild.Was it positive reinforcement, as Ringling says? Was it through abuse, as undercover videos have shown?I am an elephant.My second need is for physical stimulation, by walking. My long legs are built to move. I walk a dozen or more miles a day, when I am free to.No circus, and few zoos, give me what I need.And still I hear you want to see me in a zoo, you want to see me perform circus "tricks."You want to see me because you love me, you say.If you love me, don't do this to me.I am an elephant.

Republic of Kungfukitty

The Republic of KungFuKitty"Support your right to arm bears."
UN Category: Liberal Democratic Socialists
Civil Rights:Excellent
Economy:Weak
Political Freedoms:World Benchmark
Location: the Pacific
Regional Influence: Minnow
The Republic of KungFuKitty is a tiny, socially progressive nation, notable for its strong anti-business politics. Its intelligent population of 5 million love a good election, and the government gives them plenty of them. Universities tend to be full of students debating the merits of various civil and political rights, while businesses are tightly regulated and the wealthy viewed with suspicion.
The medium-sized, corrupt, socially-minded government juggles the competing demands of Education, Social Welfare, and Healthcare. The average income tax rate is 24%, but much higher for the wealthy. Private enterprise is illegal, but for those in the know there is a slick and highly efficient black market in Uranium Mining.
Crime is moderate, and the police force struggles against a lack of funding and a high mortality rate. KungFuKitty's national animal is the elephant and its currency is the fudong.

Make your own at nationstates.net

Chat Transcript

11:53 AM me: Hi Pam! :D
mcg.pam: Hi Cari
me: This is silly! From me! :P
11:54 AM mcg.pam: Especially since you are right there! B-)
11:55 AM me: I'm adding this conversation to my blog.
11:59 AM Good Music Video! http://youtube.com/watch?v=JK716RqoUms

Kerry and the Men Without Kilts

A history of techno icons: Kerry and the Men Without Kilts

Emerging from the depths of Glasgow, Scotland, Kerry and the Men Without Kilts roared onto the techno scene in 2008 with their debut album, Techno Bagpipe. The band's latest album, Matt Damon's Available, blends Kung Foo Kerry's chilling vocals with gnashing atmospherics to cook up an effort bursting at the seams with sludgy anthems. With standout tracks like "Techno Bagpipe," dominating radio airwaves far and wide, Kerry and the Men Without Kilts is an essential addition to any music lover's library.

Evil Wheels

Okay, so I admit it. I have what some may consider to be an irrational fear. However, I tend to shy away from that classification and instead like to think of myself as a very prudent person. I mean it happened in Stephen King's movie Maximum Overdrive and, surely, everything in the movies is based on actual events (Independence Day anyone?). What am I afraid of that you would also be wise to fear? Well, I am absolutely terrified of motor vehicles starting of their own volition and chasing after people. Think it's funny? It's definitely not. Picture it, the mall parking lot at night; you walk in front of a parked car when suddenly its headlights turn on. Funny, you don't see anyone inside the car. You continue walking, then notice the car behind you and you were right there isn't a driver. While you were thinking about dinner, it had quietly rolled out of its stall and like a cat, is waiting to play with its prey (you) before going in for the kill. Still think it's funny? Of course you don't!

Week 3

Accessing the progress log was easier than I thought it would be; however, the instructions for including a permalink were confusing. :(

Pimp Chicken

A+

Assignment 2- Done