The Finale

My journey through the 23 Things has been done in the company of someone who I've come to love & look forward to catching up with whenever I can. This friend is Mma Precious Ramotswe owner of the No.1 Ladies Detective Agency in Garabone, Botswana. For anyone interested Precious has recently married the kind Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni & life is good on Zebra Drive.

So although this journey has been time consuming & sometimes frustrating, I've enjoyed it & have learnt something. I raise my glass & give a toast to Precious & Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni & the 23 Things finale.

Meebo & me

I was introduced to Meebo recently & it/he/she is very friendly. Students/clients can ask questions when I'm online. Strangely enough I don't seem to have much time to be online.

Movie Pod

I have a habit of missing the David & Margaret each week, opinionating over the latest movies - why not pod them instead.

Not Entertaining

Why? Who are these people who feel the need to broadcast themselves on YouTube. I'm sorry but this site bores me senseless. If you can find an interesting video related to librarians you are better than me. Even the endless 'sexy librarian' videos are tedious, & Medical Librarians on the dance floor - pleeese!

My Pet Wiki

Sadly I have no living/breathing pet, but have contributed a picture to the Wiki Library.
It may not be cute like some of the other photographs - but it is dear to my heart.

Not Just for Geeks

Its not the latest set of toys for the geeks! - "Web 2.0 is a set of technologies created around the idea that the people who consume media, access the Internet, and use the Web shouldn't passively absorb what's available; rather, they should be active contributors, helping customize media and technology for their own purposes, as well as those of their communities."(Techsoup 2008)
I agree with Stephen Fry who believes that emerging technologies means that the idea that you could lose a moment in time has almost completely disappeared

An Apple a Day?

Is the name contentious - & a little bit Appley (ie. iMac, iPod, iTunes) ? Isn't the CEO of Google on the Apple Board? Does it really matter? Its hugely popular & most of the reviews are positive. I'm warming to the 'i' - it has become my personal Google page. I'm not sure Mma Ramotswe would approve, she is a tradionally built women & likes the old Botswanian ways.

You can never have too many books

I have been a fan of Google Books for some time. It has been said that Librarians hail the initiative for its potential to offer "unprecedented access to what may become the largest online corpus of human knowledge". Sounds impressive, I'm more modest & agree with Mma Precious Ramotswe when she says 'you can never have too many books' - be they hardcopy or digital!
A Google Book search finds the title Botswana by Petit Futé (in French) , page 133 mentions 'une serie de nouvelles dont l'heroine est une Motswana, Mma Ramotswe nee dans le village de Mochundi'.

Similarly I am a fan of Google Scholar & would use it on a daily basis - in most cases searches do provide a large set of results, including scholarly articles, books, conference proceedings, and other types of literature - what more could you want when in a hurry.

Start Spreading the Docs

From the short time I've had to play, I like Google Docs. It has some templates I could readily use. However, do I want to share documents with my co-workers? Who can I trust? Colleagues? Google? I just don't know - I will have to be selfish, these documents will be mine only.

OverExposed

A tool that lets me locate my street, my house & shows me that my roof will need some major work in the next few years - impressive! I also get a street view of my abode & my car is parked outside - hmmm what day did they go past?
Some enterprising user has also created two maps that I particulary like - A Pub Guide to Brisbane & the Big Things of Australia - I might use these on my next trip North to catch up with the siblings.

In the Company of Cheerful Ladies

My teenage nieces are huge fans of MySpace & Facebook & can happily while away the hours. Their aging aunt on the other hand has other preferences. I'm quite keen on Mma Precious Ramotswe's practice of making bush tea (or perhaps pouring a Chardy) & having a chat on the verandah, or picking up the phone & talking to the "social network". I don't want to ask someone to be my friend, or post my picture online - I've picked up quite a few friends over the years & I'm happy to regularly catch up in person. However I can appreciate & understand the attraction for anyone who is still a way off from middle age.

Superficial?

The founder of Digg, Kevin Rose said in an interview that he wanted to combine the most disruptive ideas in social networking, blogging, online syndication, and "crowdsourcing" in order to build a website where the democratic preferences of thousands of users would create a constant scroll of stories ranked by popularity. On Digg, users submit stories. If other users like a story, they can "dig," or praise, the story, or, alternatively, they can "bury," or condemn, it.
The common criticism of Digg is that what tends to be dug is often superficial. Are the most popular stories that rise to the top of Digg the best stories? Good question - I don't have time to find out.

Informed

I'm a fan of one of the of the original uses for RSS - the ability to create a personal newspaper with new content updated every morning. There are also webpages I visit regularly – RSS eliminates the need to check for updates - what more could you want!
I'm a fan of the Age News Headlines & Librarian.net

Well Read

I've added some of my all time favourite books to the LibraryThing. http://www.librarything.com/catalog/fakenp1
This is only 10 titles out of an awfully larger list that I have shelved away accumulating dust.
Perhaps I should borrow Precious Ramotswe's maid Rose for a spit & polish.
There are some peculiar "group" tastes in literature that I'd don't think I'll be joining. For example the Reformed Theology Group is not for me - I don't fit the mould of one of those who enjoys studying Reformed Theology.

Recognition

Finally, is this the recognition I've been waiting for? I imagine this identification would be similar to Mme Precious Ramotswe's. I think it reflects a personality which is characterized by wisdom, intelligence, and patience. She exhibits all of these traits through her approach to her assignments as a private investigator, tracking down missing husbands & children & then bringing them back to their families.

Motivated

A mashup that should inspire some motivation? Have a look at http://www.flickr.com/photos/25995101@N04/2549999529/

For those interested MrJ.L.B. Matekoni is suffering from depression & has consulted a doctor. Interestingly enough Dr. Moffat's wife was a librarian & "knew a lot" & was "occasionaly consulted for pieces of information."

Melancholy

park slope angle, originally uploaded by lillergy (offline).

Ahhhh New York - this is my favourite city. Where else would you rather be that strolling the streets of Brooklyn & taking a peek at Truman Capotes old abode.

Pensive

Hmmm, interesting blogs but I'm still haven't found that enthusiasm to share my thoughts or comments. On the other hand MMa Ramotswe is now engaged to Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, proprietor of the Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors - a match made in heaven?

Lugubrious

I'm feeling a little lugubrious as I'm not a fan of the blog. I find them a tad inane & sometimes a little self indulgent. I've always thought that if I'm to waste time reading, why not make it worth my while & give me a good book. As a matter of fact I can hear Mma Ramotswe & the clients of her No.1 Ladies Detective Agency calling me now.