SIL 20 for 2.0 - Summing it Up

I can say with absolute certainty that I've learned a lot by going through this self-guided tutorial on Web 2.0 applications. I will also have to admit, with some reluctance, that I''ve mastered very little, having completed the twenty segments with what my limited time and talent would allow. In a way, it was very much like a whirlwind two-week trip to Europe during which you stop to see the major sights and then move on, hoping to return when you can travel at a more leisurely pace.

I'm no stranger to some of the Web's most common applications. I've been a fan of Yahoo Messenger because it allows me to have live chats (and lowers our long distance bills). Our family photos are on Picasa, and I've listened to New Yorker podcasts before starting the Twenty Things. But, it wasn't until I became a Facebook user and uploaded my own video on YouTube that I discovered the enormous impact these two applications have on life in the 21st century. Suddenly it came to me: you can make instant connections with millions of people. You can be a writer, photographer, rock musician or any other kind of performer just by having the ability to manipulate an electronic mouse. You can indeed, publish yourself, broadcast yourself, and even advertise yourself. I know of no other mechanism that caters as well to one's narcissistic tendencies. With the aid Facebook Twitter, and YouTube, they can become full-blown.

You can have it all. At the same time, there's the lingering feeling that you won't have the time to experience it all.

A friend who is a keen observer of modern life and sees clearly, but, through very dark lenses, thinks that we are fast becoming a nation of perpetual adolescents (I think the effect is global) seeking pastimes that are mere distractions (not a synonym for happiness, he says). It's evident in how we choose to spend our spare time. That notion may not be entirely true. Sometimes it's not a choice. A rainy stretch in the Pacific Northwest, for instance, can bring on a sudden appetite for those very distractions even I am trying to avoid. After previously deciding that I wasn't ready for an an adventure in Second Life, on a wet and windy day in Everett, I found myself spending the afternoon on Facebook, taking my avatar to YoVille, and moving over to an apartment. Since I didn't have a scheduled shift in any of the Sno-Isle libraries, I proceeded to work at the widget factory and collected my pay there. In Dickens' words, "It was the best of times and the worst of times." I had succumbed to a new-found world of virtual reality.

In conclusion, I have this to say: my thanks to the originators and other creators of this incredible journey. It made me fully aware of Web 2.0's infinite potential, and empowers me to communicate some of that potential to curious readers and would-be users I may encounter at the library's circulation desk. And finally, I can at the very least, hold an enlightened dinner conversation on my favorite "posts" and "tweets."

Moi in my Avatar Get-up

The Wows and Woes of Web 2.0

First off, I am not (and never was) a Luddite. I may live in a house close to a hundred years old and favor vintage furniture, but, I'm also a champion of modern plumbing. In other words, I'm open to change.

We are now in the age of internet technology, so I welcome this opportunity to sample the digital delights of Web 2.0. And I'm pleased to report that in January 2009, I was one of the five million people who opened an account in facebook. Every day, I see a lineup of faces -- friends, former friends, friends of friends, classmates long forgotten, as well as long-lost relatives, all of them suddenly willing to strike up a friendship (of sorts) on the Web.
I find it awesome (because of the possibilities) at times overwhelming, but also comforting.

In a virtual world, you can add or delete a friend by simply pressing the right button

Cello Practice Session

Maria 2 July 08
Originally uploaded by pazw

I've abandoned my search for the perfect sound -- temporarily.

Since anything worth doing is worth doing well, I'm applying the same amount of zeal to this afternoon's session on posting a flickr photo on my blog.

Memorable Moments at the Circulation Desk

On an unusually quiet evening at the Lynnwood Library, David Wagoner, the acclaimed Northwest poet and University of Washington professor came up to the desk and said he needed to use a PC because his computer was out of order. "Professor Wagoner," I said, soon after recognizing him, "I'm so surprised and pleased to see you." We spoke briefly about Dorothee Bowie, who was assistant to the chairman but actually ran the English Department (I lived with the Bowie family when I was a foreign student), and about his recent nomination for a Pulitzer Prize.
It's rare to have someone whose writing I admire approach me at the Circulation Desk. I almost forgot the simple procedure involved in issuing a temporary computer pass.


At another time, a library patron in Mukilteo handed me a book that she wanted to check out. It was Alan Paton's Cry the Beloved Country, which became popular the minute it became an Oprah book selection. "This is really good," I said to her, "I still remember the opening lines."
Inspired by the moment, I began: "There's a lovely road that runs from Ixopo into the hills. These hills are grass-covered and rolling, and they are lovely beyond any singing of it."
The woman quickly turned the pages of the book looking for the first paragraph. Satisfied that my quotation was true, she smiled. It was an "Aha!" moment for her. And for me, it was instant validation that I had not yet lapsed into early Alzheimer's.

How Much is Enough?

When you read an instruction book and try to understand what needs to be done - and fail and fail again, maybe you've had enough. If you've spent hours poring over a manual with no visible results except error messages, I think it's time to call it quits. Begin reading The Brothers Karamazov instead and turn to a ten-year old for help.

When I was in Manila recently, a borrowed cell phone died on me. The gardener, who was busy watering plants, came to my rescue. Another time,when I was having difficulty sending a text message, it was the housemaid who completed the task using her nimble fingers on the tiny keyboard. She could have done it blindfolded. What I'm getting at is this: for me, every newfangled device or program that promises to make a contribution to my life also comes with a demanding commitment of hours devoted to reading and understanding the instructions before I can proceed. Frankly, I have better luck reading and interpreting a poem.

Reading and Technology

I never imagined, when I fell under the spell of the written word in grade school, that I would someday have almost instant access to everything I wanted to read. I say almost because to be able to read that book, or specific article I have in mind, sometimes requires more than a pair of eyes. Let me backtrack a little bit. It has to be said: I've graduated from reading books in print (exclusively) to listening to them on tape. That's how I finished the first volume of Proust's In Search of Lost Time -- listening to ten cassettes while beach-watching in Mazatlan. And I took a liking to audio CDs because I could listen to them while driving around in my car. Once, I took the wrong exit because I got carried away by the speaker's voice reading My Antonia.
But there is another level of reading ability that I haven't quite reached. Because my knowledge of electronic devices is limited (even though I own a laptop and an IPod), and I'm unfamiliar with the peculiar language of instruction manuals, I have little or no desire to download written material from my computer to a printed page. For now, at least, I'm quite happy to enjoy the simple pleasure of reading a book that I can hold in my hand.