The Anti Madam Pince

Skype and Meebo

2008-04-28T10:18:00.000-07:00

Well here we are at the last assignment from the library that I need to blog about. Since no one has ever read this blog, I don't think it will create an outcry once it goes dead. Sorry, I just don't have a blogger personality and/or writing style.

So let's get to the task at hand. I've used Skype before to talk to friends long distance so I'm not going to bother entering in a work ticket and getting IT to load it on to my computer. I remember it working fine. And I probably should get back into it since I went way over my cell phone minutes last month and was charged an additional $41. Sigh, that hurt. I'm reverting back to being a 13-year old girl with the amount of time I'm spending on the phone. I obviously need to find alternative means of communication.

As for meeebo--almost all of the past half dozen librarian candidates we have mention meebo in their presentation. It is obviously the wave of the future and something I should try. But, alas, when I went to meebo, it naturally asked me for my AIM password. Uh, I have no idea what my password is. When I click on the little yellow man icon on my computer it instantly comes up. I've never been asked to enter in a password. So after trying all my usual ones to no avail, I tried doing the "forget password?" link. I got "Sorry your request can not be processed. Please try again". After getting this message 3 times I decided to quick and try again later.

See you back here soon!

iGoogle

2008-03-25T11:56:00.000-07:00

Well we are on the home stretch now with #9--Setting Up a Google Account. And lucky me, I already have one. I don't use it that often but it is a nice place to house my RSS feeds.

I did just go back in and personalize my page with the "beach" theme. Nice.

My friend and I are also taking use of the Google Docs feature to help plan our trip to England.

Overall, I'm a fan of iGoogle. Then again, I'm pretty much a fan of everything Google. I think it would be awesome to work there for a year or two. Though with all the free food, I'm sure I'd gain a ton of weight...

Wikis

2008-03-22T13:25:00.001-07:00

So here it is a beautiful Saturday afternoon and I'm at work getting caught up on a few things. Normally I'm not so pro-work as to voluntarily come in on a weekend but I kind of got sucked into March Madness and got a bit behind.

I'm now up to Exercise #8 Wikis. I was looking forward to this one since I've already created a wiki and can just blog about it. It is part of the wiki test pilot done through EEE. The wiki is for the class History 202 Slavery and the Atlantic World. The professor, Rachel O'Toole, wanted a place where students could record all the primary sources they found dealing with this topic. So I started it with help from Rachel and it is a pretty good list. I've checked a couple of times and seen that the students have also contributed. The good: I don't have to be the sole editor of the site. The bad: I'm not the biggest fan of the editing capabilities.

Side note: Duke (2 seed) is losing to West Virginia (7 seed) right now. Life is good.

Facebook

2008-03-04T16:51:00.001-08:00

I resisted the whole facebook/my space thing for a long time (as well as having a blog--see where that got me!) and was finally beaten into submission at the library when we had a workshop about it. Now of course I'm hooked! I think the real draw for me is playing scrabbulous and having friends from high school track me down. It is a nice way to stay in touch with people but without having to put any real work into it fostering relationships. Plus, it is a nice place for me to store photos.

RSS Feeds

2008-03-04T16:40:00.000-08:00

Woo Hoo! Here's a task I've already completed. I have Google Reader and have set it up to get feeds from UCLA Newly Added Titles and History Compass. Right now it is geared for work so I don't have personal stuff on there. It is nice but I only remember to check it every week or so. I need Google Reader and Instant Messanger to pop up instantaneously when I log on to my work computer--those are the two things I always forget to do.

Technorati for dummies?

2008-03-04T16:34:00.000-08:00

Okay so I followed all the instructions--I wrote about something, did the whole "ping" thing on Technorati and Ping-o-matic, waited an hour, and then did a keyword search for "Jane Austen" but to no avail. My blog post did not appear. Ho hum. Well at least I understand the reasoning behind it. And honestly, I really don't want anyone finding this blog since it is a work assignment and deadly dull. So I'm okay with my post not appearing on Technorati. On to the next task...

The Complete Jane Austen on PBS

2008-03-04T09:12:00.000-08:00

Back in January PBS and Masterpiece Theater began showing new (and some old favorites) adaptations of Jane Austen novels. Surprisingly my new favorite adapation is my least favorite book, Northanger Abbey. They did a great job of showing Catherine's gothic flights of fancy and it is the first time I've actually warmed to Henry Tilney. (Also it should be noted that Catherine was really pretty and had some great dresses!) PBS knew not to mess around with Pride & Prejudice but just showed the Jennifer Ehle / Colin Firth adapation over a three week period. Sigh. It is still amazing and wonderful and makes me gush like a thirteen-year old girl. Seriously, has there every been a character more dashing than Mr. Darcy? I think not. Right now we have entered a lull until March 23rd's showing of an older adapatation of Emma with Kate Bosworth. I do enjoy this, except the actor playing Mr. Knightly in no way can compete with Jeremy Northam's Mr. Knightly.

Here's the promo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O13N8aGXapk

Okay so why did I just make an entry about this? I needed to for my next 10 Things assignment--how to use Technorati. Which I'm sure I'll add a post about soon...

Favorite non-work related blog

2007-12-12T11:57:00.001-08:00

Have you ever checked out Go Fug Yourself? I swear it gives me more amusment than anything else on the web (except for Televisionwithoutpity of course!). This blog takes making fun of celebrities and their clothing to a whole new level. Jessica and Heather (the bloggers) must be around my age because I almost always can relate to their pop culture references--usually having to do with 90210 or Sweet Valley High. I read this blog daily and am always slightly depressed on the weekends because it isn't updated. If you enjoy reading intelligent snarky comments about fashion (or lack there of), do yourself a favor, and read Go Fug Yourself!

Thing 2 Part 2

2007-12-12T11:47:00.000-08:00

Wow, I'm on a roll now. For this assignment I needed to link to a blog that was about libraries.

Here is the R.B. House Undergraduate Library Blog. I selected this one because it is run by my very dear friend, Suchi Mohanty. Suchi and I attended UNC School of Information and Library Science together. This blog appears to let people know about new resources at the library. I'll have to ask her how many people read it and how do they advertise it next time we chat.

Langson Library

2007-12-12T11:31:00.001-08:00

Langson Library
Originally uploaded by askpang

Here's a better photo of Langson. From what I gather, architects in the Sixties really thought this was forward-thinking and futuristic. UCI was even used in some Planet of the Apes movie as it looked like it could be the setting of some futuristic world. UCI was also used in the film "Ocean's Eleven". When I found this out, I was pretty excited. But it turns out they filmed only at the medical school which is ten miles down the road in Orange. So sadly Brad Pitt, George Clooney, and Matt Damon were not hanging out here.

Entrance to University of California Irvine

2007-12-12T11:23:00.001-08:00

Entrance to University of California Irvine
Originally uploaded by Bucky H

So this is a test. I searched for photos of campus, selected one, and clicked on "blog this". The building in this picture is Langson Library, where I work. It is certainly not that pretty or interesting but I'm quite happy with the interior.

Next Step--Flickr

2007-12-12T11:10:00.000-08:00

Okay I've set up my Flickr account through Yahoo and made sure Google has added my blog to Flickr. Whew, who knew there would be so many entities involved? Now what? I'm still looking for information on how to take an image from Flickr and post it here.

Posting a picture

2007-12-12T11:02:00.000-08:00

So as part of the UCI Library Ten Things I am required to post an image to my blog. This picture was taken when my family came to Orange County for a visit in Nov. 2007. Bethany and I are doing the classic "Look, no hands" on the ferris wheel located on Balboa Penisula. This is a pretty rinky-dink ferris wheel designed for children. Once on the ride, I soon came to the realization that I am not as cool as my four-year old neice. I did not enjoy being high up in a mental contraption that swayed. Still I had to pretend that I wasn't anxious to not appear like a total loser. I managed this pretty well since I look fairly calm in the picture. Okay now I need to go explore Flickr.

Most Re-read Books

2007-11-17T19:09:00.000-08:00

So I just read an article from the BBC about a survey conducted to see which books are the most re-read. Here's the Top Ten:

1. The Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
2. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
4. The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
5. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
6. 1984 - George Orwell
7. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
8. The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
9. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
10. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller

It seems I pretty much conform with British public opinion, though my order would be a bit different. I've probably read P&P at least 40 times, followed by HP, and then LOTR. The Hobbit, Jane Eyre, and Da Vinci Code have been read by me between 4-6 times. Wuthering Heights has also been reread but not by choice, as in it was assigned reading. (Am I the only one that wants to smack Heathcliffe and Catherine around? God, they annoy me.) And now I digress from the list. I've only read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and 1984 once. I just can't handle the Christian allegory in Lewis and 1984 was rather depressing. Finally, I tried reading Catch-22 once and just couldn't get through it. I should probably try again. Other authors that I love rereading are Lucy Maud Montgomery, Edward Rutherford, George R.R. Martin, Larry McMurtry, and Colleen McCullough.

What's the deal with the name?

2007-11-07T10:44:00.000-08:00

Madam Irma Pince is the crotchety librarian that works at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. (Now, if you don't know what that is, you might as well stop reading this blog as it will be of absolutely no interest to you.) Madam Pince is a thin, vulture-like old lady who is rather strict and sucpicious and might harbor a romatic interest in the caretaker Filch (gross!). While we share a profession, I hope we have few other similarities.

However I do want to add Madam Pince's highly amusing note that resides on the inside of all Hogwart's books:

"A warning: If you rip, tear, shred, bend, fold, deface, disfigure, smear, smudge, throw, drop, or in any other manner damage, mistreat, or show lack of respect towards this book, the consequences will be as awful as it is within my power to make them."

Awesome.

Testing

2007-11-07T09:51:00.001-08:00

Hello Everyone. This is my first posting. Let's see where this takes us...