Am I a Twit?

Being a parent is always interesting. I can hear the collective *sigh* as you process that nugget of wisdom. Yep, I’m master of the obvious. I know, right?

I may have mentioned before that Little Man talks almost non-stop and that listening to him can be very entertaining and enlightening.  He’s told me more than I could ever imagine about topics I never thought I’d even consider, much less talk about … and sometimes he’s right! I actually signed up for Twitter, initially, to keep a running record of the crazy stuff he says! [Which so totally ironic that I can't stand it!]

Every once in a while you get a blog-worthy gem. Something that really deserves a bit more “ink” than the typical 140 on Twitter. Something that makes you stop in your tracks and think – or laugh out loud – or both.

I am quoting here.

Mom, you should do something more with your day than Twittering.

Really. I kid you not. He said that to me at dinner last night.

I think he should have warned Husband that he was going to say it because lemonade almost spewed all over the kitchen table. Once recovered, Husband looked at me as if to say, “See, I’m not the only one who thinks so!” [Husband and I are exact opposites when it comes to social technologies. That's an odd story for another time.] Between the two of them, there was righteousness and smugness to spare.

Of course, they are right. I should do something more with my day than tweet … and I do.  Lots more. In fact, I’m doing one of those things right now!!!  [Ahh ... the rebuttal, feels so good. Don't you agree?]

I am more than aware that Little Man knows I work on computers all day. He knows that it’s part of my job and he knows that many of my hobbies are computer-based. He’s talked to me about Facebook. He’s been a guest blogger here. I had no idea he knew about Twitter! Color me surprised.

As it stands, I’m going to pack away two important pieces of information from this little discussion of ours.

1. Little Man hears and processes everything Husband and I say. And … he often gets it right.
2. Being able to laugh at yourself – and see yourself through the eyes of your kids – is a good thing.

I’ve got one more thought on this before I get back to Twitter. [LOL, just kidding.] My son will soon be of an age where technology will play a bigger role in his daily activities. I expect the tables will turn at least a little before too much longer. I can hear myself saying something like…

• Little Man, I’ve got a dirty job for you … your room! Turn off Mike Rowe and clean up.
• Little Man, put down the Wiimote and let’s go outside.
• Little Man, time to log off … let’s eat.
• Little Man, don’t tell your Facebook friends that I’m crazy! I’m in your friends list, remember?

Wanna bet that sometime, someday I actually turn the tables and say…

Little Man, you should do something more with your day than Tweeting.

Hmmm … the child’s words used by the parent. I think I like it! Makes for a good tweet … don’t you think?

I'll be hoppin' along now ...

5 Things – Kindle 2

OK … going to start this one out directly. I LOVE my Kindle 2.

I did quite a bit of research before purchasing. There are a lot of opinions out there about which eReader to buy (they are a bit spendy) and, frankly, about whether eReaders are just another flash-in-the-pan gadget in the first place.

Most of the research I read ferreted out the typical back-and-forth-nobody-wins type arguments common when reading opinions about gadgets. But, I made up my mind when I read these sentences in the last review I read.

The Kindle looks like a sexy and futuristic piece of electronics, while the Sony Readers look like artful interpretations of books. And there’s the rub: the Kindle line captivates techies while Sony Readers seem to appeal more to those who just want to read books.

Lisa Gade, Editor in Chief – MobileTechReview.com

So, I aligned myself with the techies [which feels right], entered the appropriate 16 digits, and became part of the Kindle family.

Without further ado, here are my 5 Things about the Kindle 2 – in no particular order.

1. Immediate gratification

OK, remember that I’ve aligned myself with the techies. We techies are by-and-large ready to “work through the issues” that come with new technologies. But … no challenges here! I opened the box, plugged it in, and opened my first book in less than 5 minutes. [All done in a rather hectic space between meetings at work, I might add.]

Once the juice was flowing, the books I ordered from Amazon were downloaded before I knew it. The device came registered to me [and "called" me by name - which was a tad creepy, really] … this was truly a plug-and-play deal. I love the immediate gratification of it.

[Some might liken this whole ready-to-read phenomenon to, say, buying a new "real" book and being able to read the first chapter in the parking lot before driving away - not that I would do that!]

2. Phenomenal cosmic power, ity-bity living space

OK, that billing might be a tad on the dramatic side, but really, the Kindle puts a lot into a fairly small package.

The Kindle 2 is just a tad smaller than my eee PC [which is another LOVE IT product for me]. It fits easily into my purse, my computer bags, my camera bag, and the diaper bag. So, it’s uber portable which is a HUGE plus because I can carry it anywhere. I’ve got all of my current reading with me “just in case”. Nice.

Despite this portability, the specs say that my Kindle will hold 1500 books. I think that’ll cover me, thank you. Oh, and the best part? Wait for it. NO DUSTING!

Oh, and did I mention that I’ve had this baby for over two weeks now and haven’t had to recharge yet. I’ve used it for at least 2 hours each day. Um. Yeh. fantastic!

[I did turn off the EVDO "Amazn Whispernet" connection because I live where Sprint service is spotty. I'm absolutely certain that's the reason for the long battery life. I'm OK with that! It's still pretty cool!]

3.  Reading experience – eInk

eInk is just cool. Agreed? Good, now we can move on.

The reading experience on my Kindle so far has been great. I have had little/no eye strain and I’m reading just as quickly as I would with a “real” book. In fact, I might be reading faster. The 6-inch diagonal screen only holds so much text so I’m finding that I’m doing a better job of focusing only on the single page in front of me – no catching words on the opposite pages and getting distracted. [Not that I get distracted or anything. Interesting idea from an educational perspective, I might add.]

I like that I can adjust just about everything I need to make my reading experience more comfortable … and I like that I don’t have to force the book open to catch the text near the binding. [I'm a please-don't-break-the-binding gal.]

4. Automagical everything

If I fall asleep while reading or, more likely, if one of the kids needs me right away [let's say when something crashes to the floor and breaks into millions of tiny pieces, for example], I don’t have to worry about losing my place. I like that.

If I want to take notes, highlight text, or look up something in the dictionary? It’s all right there. Easy peasy.

If I want to know how much I’ve read and how much I’ve left to go? No problem. The percentage completed is always at the bottom of the page.

If I want to buy a new book. Click. Click. Download. Done.

[OK, it won't go get me a Coke with ice. I might have to submit a feature request. ]

5. Possibilities

I think that one of my favorite things about the Kindle 2 is that, in the space of two weeks, it’s become one of my “must carry” items and I’m “just” using it to read a book. This, of course, means that everything/anything else it does is an absolute bonus!

I suppose I should mention that it’s not a perfect device. It’s not. But, my new friend Kindle and I have run into only one snag so far – and it’s not actually a “bug” or “design flaw” of the Kindle itself.

I was flying for business this week and realized that the Kindle was part of that “please turn off all electronic devices” thing. Everyone around me was reading and I was left waiting until they gave the all clear. To date, that is the only “problem” I’ve had. [This might have something to do with the fact that I bought it with realistic expectations of what it could and could not do.]

So, there they are. My 5 Things about the Kindle 2. I’m looking forward to exploring the possibilities while curling up with a good book.

Happy reading, everyone!

Wordle Schmerdle

So, I’ve been in a creative rut for a few weeks. It happens. But today I read a blog post about why teachers should use Wordle. What?

I’d not heard of Wordle, but intrigued, I trundled over and … well, just cool. So I wordled this blog post.

I must say, I just love this. So many applications … some serious, some just for fun.

Go visit! Make your own … I’d love to see what your Wordle art looks like!

‘Cause It’s Got … Personality

Earlier this week, I read a very interesting article from Vicki Davis over at the Tech & Learning blog. I found it extremely fascinating and have been looking forward to sharing it all week.

The article, Semantic Aware Apps Rising, introduced me to the term “semantic awareness” and started me thinking about what this “smart” technology might mean as developers start implementing it … when it becomes ubiquitous.

One of the reasons that I find this interesting is that I’ve had a fair amount of experience with personality tests and their uses. My interest goes all the way back to college, when I first took the Myers-Briggs. After seeing my results, my prof asked me how I lived with myself. Odd, yes! But the comment made me think and got me hooked.

So, I must tell you that I got a little sucked in when Ms. Davis introduced me to The Typalizer … an app that will tell you the personality type of your blog or any blog, for that matter! 

So, I took a deep breath and entered  my URL. In short order the return was back. ESTP (The Doers).

Here’s the cool thing about that . [OK ... I think it's cool.] I’m an ENTP/ENFP according to Myers-Briggs. So, it looks like my writing here pretty well matches my type. Looks like I’m going all “WYSIWYG” on you all! [If you want to read more about the MBTI ... head here!]

About 30 minutes  later I learned that the blogs I read most often have the same “bloginality” … ESFP (The Performers).  I found that very interesting because I don’t necessarily perceive their styles to be the same!

I’ve experienced the push-back when it comes to using personality profiling in hires and staffing. We can already Google folks to find information on those we work with/for. What if these analyzers begin to work on our Twitter and Facebook accounts?

The implications of all of this are far beyond the fun I’m having with it. Semantic awareness has the potential to change quite a few things.

What’s the “bloginality” of your blog?
Is it similar to your personality style or completely different?
How do you feel about the possibilities of all of this semantic awareness?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Mama, Can I Type?

Every night, Little Man asks if he can type. He can’t read yet or write much beyond his own name. All he knows is this … laptops and computers are cool and important.

He’s not figured out why computers are important or how much we can do with them. But, I get the sense that he understands that they are a vital part of life.

I hear Husband scoffing now.

How can he not think that computers are cool and important. His mom is always connected. He gets the message just by watching.

Yeh, OK. Maybe. I’m not going to complain or apologize.

He’s not going  to know a time when computers aren’t a full-on part of life. He’s not going to know a time when computers were a luxury.

So, I let him type. Tonight, he’s going to take over part of this post. He’s been waiting patiently for me to tell him that it’s his turn. 

hrdhdejdhhhhhdudufuufuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuufhfhhffhhcfnvbff bfgbvbbvvbvfghgffgfb nncccm mmm m m  cvbcvbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbvbbbbbbbbbnnnnn  n       vbvbbbgbgbvbvvccnnnnnnnbvbfbvbcbvbvfhgjdjdfb nnnnnnnnnnnn                             vvcbbbvcncncncncncncnnnnnnnnnnnnnncvccjfhfhfhhhchchhhhhhhchgc

gdfhffg  yfddhrfvhvvvjvjhhvhufutugujgjjjggbbnnvvjgbnnbnbbbbbnbnbbb jefcjcjvjgvjjjjjjjjjjyruuuuuuuufhfyfyyhhchgfhfyufhfhfhhffhhghhg jjvigjgjbbnnbnbbnbbnbbvmvmbmvfjjjjjgjggfjfjdfjjjjjjjhgjgbmgmbbbnbnbbbmnbbb  jgjnvhvvvbnvnvnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnvvvjvjvjvhvhv

uuuuuuuddvb nycccfbbbbbbbbbbcdgbcbcbcbxxbbbbbbggggghgggggggf vbtybcbvcbcbcbccnn gbxcncvncnvbnvnvnvbnvvnvnnnnnnncfgggggggdjffjgggjghgfgggggfhyfgfr cvvbbccbcvcv

So, there you have it.

You should know that he used both hands and mimiced my typing skills [which is too dang cute for words] and was very serious about the whole thing.

He tells me that this is a post about going to the donut shop, getting ice cream, and watching the trains go by.  These are all things that he wants to do on a vacation.

He has much more to say, believe me. He is – at this very moment – continuing the story as he waits for me to finish this so he can type again.

Here’s the cool thing. I’m excited that he wants to be a part of this. I can’t wait until he’s old enough to get involved. I want to teach him how to be a productive part of the online world – his world.

I know it’ll be a while – as it should be. 

In the meantime, the together time we get to have while he types and learns more about his digital world will be full of some very analog/old-school moments – and I intend to enjoy every one of them for as long as he’ll allow me to!

Themed Out

OK my blog friends, I have officially taken a ride on the Crazy Train ( little nod to Ozzy, there)!

I’ve just spent the better part of the evening and my lunch hour working on the look and feel for this blog. I’ve downloaded and tried six different themes. The reason? I don’t particularly like the spacing in my current theme.

It was really simple when it began. Just find a theme that was close to Paalam only with more readable spacing. You’d think that would be doable! NOT!

Every theme I tried had things I liked … and all of them had 1 thing I didn’t like. The 1 thing changed with the theme. In the end, I discovered that I really liked my original theme best.

So, after I don’t know how many hours and a bunch of CSS work on 6 themes, I re-activated the original ding-dang theme!

All Aboard … ah .. ha .. ha .. ha

Error

I’m a firm believer that audience is everything. What works for individual or group of people is not a slam dunk solution for another. Pleasing everyone is dang near impossible and those who strive to reach this goal typically fail not because their product, idea, or implementation was poor but because of their unrealistic expectations.

In the past few weeks, I’ve been struggling with technology. It’s sort of an ongoing battle – things work great and then all-of-a-sudden and without warning it’s the end of the world as we know it (and nobody’s feeling fine!). Frustrating in the extreme.

When it comes to technical stress, I really try to start each day fresh. I’d be lying if I told you I pull this off all the time – or even 1/2 the time, but I find it’s much less crippling to think of a problem as “fresh meat” than as something I’ve been beaten by for weeks. Plus, I find my temper is in a much better place when I come from this angle … that just increases the safety of both my windows (my actual physical window panes, not my operating system) and the equipment giving me grief!

I think that’s why I found the error message that greeted me this morning when I fired up my laptop so laugh-out-loud funny!

“Something bad happened” … really? Oh my word, I laughed.

As I was waiting for that graphic to upload, it dawned on me that this is the software equivalent to Southwest Airlines … it’s serious, without taking the whole thing too seriously. No wound-too-tight jumble of techy speak here. Just a statement and a place to go research the problem. I like it … I like SWA.

Perhaps there’s something to be said for random error messages that state the obvious and disarm. Perhaps this is just me and this error message would cause someone else to throw their computer out the window.

Meh, something to think about anyway!

Technology is Grand!

Well, here I sit with my new phone … blogging. This is pretty cool.

We went to see Phantom of the Opera tonight. It was pretty good. Christine was beautiful … I want her hair. I did find it a bit disturbing that the Phantom looked a little like one of the Baldwin brothers! It was a bit distracting.

Now on to more important matters. Who is responsible for the parking spaces at the AMC on Ray?

No kidding, somebody better have gotten fired over those. You simply WILL get a ding in your car if you park there. It’s inevitable.

OK my thumbs are cramping up now … but this is still cool!

I’m off…