Diving on Guam

Went diving this past weekend, went on four (4) dives to test out my gear. Haven't used it for about 5 or 6 years, so I had my regulator serviced and battery replaced on my dive computer. The morning dive was to Biles Bay and Nathan's Dent. The first dive to Biles Bay was not so good - visibility was not so great and the site was full of silt. The other dive, Nathan's Dent was great - shallow dive with lots of fish and coral; one of the divers found a fire clam hidden on the reef. It was not too fiery but something not seen every day. Since I had breakfast about 1 hour before the dive, and my dive buddy and I ended up way off away from the boat, we had a long swim back on swells....I got a little seasick so I fed the fishes carrots and celery after coming back on board....have to remember to get Damamine for the Yap dives. Diesel fumes and a rocking boat can me make seasick. So, with about 2 hours before the afternoon dive, I had lunch --- fish and rice ( I substituted rice for the chips), and a cup of coffee. The afternoon dives were great --- the boat was not too crowded, about 14 people instead of 26 on the morning dive. We went to Barricuda Reef and Haps' Reef. Great dives - lots to see, nope, did not see a shark or Barricuda but I thought I say a sea turtle lying on the seafloor, but when I got closer, it was just coral formation. On the way to the second dive location, we spotted a pod of dolphins. The crew of the dive boat played with the dolphins, and three of the dolphins were swimming at the front of the boat...I took some videos, it was wondeful. The second dive was nice. Haps reef is a great dive - easy and lots of fish and reef to look at.

Of Mime and Men

Of Mime and Men


October has come and gone and lots of news. First off, did you dress up for Halloween? Not many people did at work -- just two of us. I came as a mime in the fashion of Marcel Marceau.

I thought of going as a Goth, but I didn't want to scare anybody, and I didn't have the correct accessories, so I had an inspiration - go as a mime - same ensemble and same make-up equipment just different presentation. It was a good thing I didn't have a shift at the Reference Desk. It would be difficult to answer questions through mime!

That night, went to the Hilton Hotel where the Tree Bar Lounge had a Halloween event. They were having a contest giving away cash prizes for the best, scariest, and funniest. The winners were - a Greek Bust on a pedestal, a machete-wielding, head-carrying crazy man, and Super Sperm!

November 2nd, is All Souls' Day, and Guam celebrates by holding Mass and Services in the Cemeteries, and having picnics or family gatherings. My mother and I went to my father's grave, and it's was the first time on the island for All Souls. It is a different scene from the States. Lots of tents go up, and coolers, and foods, and families spending time together with their departed loved ones. On Guam, it’s a local government holiday, so lots of people have the day off to they can celebrate the holy day.

My first 100 days

Hello, everybody

Just an update since my big career move back to Guam and to a new job at the University of Guam. I am approaching my 100 days as a Systems Librarian, and I am enjoying the job. I am glad I took the chance and moved out here. I feel I am making a difference, and I enjoy the work. They had no real systems person for about 4 years, so there's a lot to do.

And it has an international flavor. I am working with SirsiDynix folks based in Australia and New Zealand for Dynix tech support and migration discussions, I work with folks from EBSCO based in Seattle, and I am interacting with tech support on the East Coast, and in Malaysia and the Philippines.

We have intrigue. The Pres. of the Univ just announce he is retiring in Jan 2008, one of the Ref Lib. is also leaving in December at the end Fall Semester, and we almost did not get paid since GovGuam failed to release our allotment of $$. The Univ had to freeze spending to make payroll. I dove last Saturday after helping out during the International Coastal Clean day, I watch movies at least once a week - Thrifty Tuesdays, and I get excited when gas prices goes from 3.49/gal to 3.39/gal -- the prices hold for a whole month.

I will be teaching my first BI session - Bibliographic Instruction next Thursday. Teaching 10 students how to use our electronic resources. Both undergrad and graduate students, its a hands on training session so it'll be fun.

Hope all is well with you.

Hafa Adai! Greetings from Guam. I am roaming outside of the continental U.S, into the middle of the Pacific. I am the new Systems and Network Services Librarian for the University of Guam’s Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Library.

I have been on the island for about a month now, and working for the University for about three weeks. It is a bit strange working full-time, five days a week, 8 to 5 or so, since I have been working part-time for the last six years, working only three days a week. It took a while to get use to the daily work schedule, but I am now OK at waking up at 5:30 in the morning :)

I had to take time off to get car insurance and run other errands, so I more planning when I need to handle personal business during the day. I am so glad I took care of all my medical stuff before getting here. Part of the job requirement was to have a physical exam and a TB screen test within 60 days of hire, and I took care of that before leaving Seattle.

My commute is about 7.5 miles long, or 20 minutes. In rush hour, its about 30 minutes. The speed limit is 35 mph but on long stretches on straight pavement, hardly anybody goes the speed limit...they all go about 50! So - its strange driving on the left side of the lane, and getting passed by on the right. The roads are not great - lots of potholes and un-even pavement, so I have to drive carefully.

The weather is *hot* and my temperature gauge says 86 degrees when its about 7 in the morning. The first few days were hard; I had to hide out at the shopping mall a few blocks from the house so I could get cool, and I was taking at least three showers a day, and sometimes I took a fourth one before going to bed. My mom does not have any air conditioning, and so I have a small fan going on all night to help keep me comfortable. Power is expensive on the island;my mom has decided to not get air-conditioning. Besides, being in an airconditioned room or house for a long time makes my nose stuffy.

I had couple of shocks while I was here. I found out that an off-island check takes *16* business days to clear...so for about a month, I was living off my credit cards. I get paid for the first time this Friday...yeah! I missed the first pay period, so this paycheck is a big one!

I got a used car from my friend's brother. He was selling his 2003 Nissan Xterra, v6 engine, and an SUV. It is a gas-guzzler and with gas prices at about $3.50 per gallon, the car is my guilty pleasure. I feel more comfortable driving it than a sedan, since I am high up, and its feels secure. I have seen a few cars run a red light here, so its a safety issue. Besides, I did not like the newer Rav 4's or the CR-V's.

I joined a fitness gym attached to the Hilton Hotel because they have beachfront, and its nice to lounge on the beach after a week of work, and have a nice pool to swim in when it gets dark. I try to go to the gym at least three times a week.

One of the first things I did when I got back on the island was visit my dad's grave. The last time I visited was in 1998, so it has been a while. I also enjoyed some pickled green mangoes that came from my mom's tree.

It is taking a while to adjusted to the slower pace here on Guam, but its fun being with my friends, getting challenged at work, and getting back to island life with my mom.

I finally got news that my household goods from Seattle is on its way here. I have to pay about $15oo for shipping and insurance since I went over my relocation allowance...I guess I packed too many books!

Happy Trails to You, Until We Meet Again

Hello, just wanted a quick note to say -- working at KCLS has been fun, and this Learning 2.0 - 27 Things has been wonderful. Now, can I get my MP3 player sent to me? I am looking forward to it.

I am off to a new adventure outside of KCLS...but I will keep you wonderful people in my heart and my mind.

New topics for KCLS Learning U - begin to use the new technology promote KCLS services, improve collaboration and communication, increase the technical knowledge and currency of staff - incoming and long-term.

Thank you for all the fish, David and Laurel.

Reflections on the KCLS Learning 2.0 - 27 Things

First of all, THANK YOU to David Wasserman and Laurel Steiner, for making this happen. This training program was an incredible experience. It provided a safe, informed, and planned way to learn about the new tools, websites, services, and up-coming trends in computers, social networking, library services, and the Internet, in a way that does not overwhelm the learner.

I think the sheer volume of services, new companies, new tools, and just plain old information out on the Web is daunting and confusing without a Pathfinder helping show you the way. David Wasserman made an excellent Pathfinder.

This training program allowed staff at KCLS to navigate the bewildering world of Web 2.0, and provided lessons to learn about the new services and tools out there. We got to find out what the hoopla is about for blogging, sharing photos and video, and what the attraction might be to such sites as Flickr, MySpace, YouTube and other cool sites, and what libraries are doing to keep relevant fast-changing landscape of the Web. We were introduced to new words and new ideas like wikis, RSS, Feeds, mashups, and others.

My favorite lessons would those that explained the use of Del.icio.us, Wikis, and RSS feeds, and introduced Google Documents. I think this is a very handy since the service allows access to applications online without installing software.

The incentive of the MP3 player is a big draw for me to participate, but I think the program itself is a very good learning and staff development program. It makes staff more knowledgeable and informed about the tools and sites that the patrons are using, and makes them able to help patrons when they ask for help, and keeps staff current.

I would make a slight change to the program, maybe increase the days between lessons that are involved. I had problems with the Google Labs and the WebWare – too much to look at, and keep track – too many choices. It can be overwhelming.

Video, YouTube, television, DIY movies and video clips

Video, YouTube, television, DIY movies and video clips

YouTube created a new social network. Now anybody can be a director of their own movie, post a news-breaking clip, and alert the millions of viewer on funny, disturbing, educational, international, and un-usually. YouTube has made it a lot easier to share videos with lots and lots of people. I used it to look up videos of Zidane during the World Cup, and it was very nice to see videos US viewer normally do not have access to. In terms of politics and global issues and concerns, YouTube has widen the reach of many isolated groups, individuals, and broaden the horizons of the human race -- at least those that have access to the Web.

Podcasts and E-books
I have used or experienced podcasts before - I first thought you had to have an iPod, but I guess the widely popularity of the iPod has made the turn 'podcast' a generic term. One of my favorite shows - Project Runaway on BravoTV had podcasts by Tim Gunn. So - that is when I learned about podcasts. It's another extension of media and the Web.

For my Library-related podcast and RSS feed. I selected OpenStacks.

And for my E-book or audio book - I already used it to download a few books when it first came out. Since I had an old computer, it took a long, long time to download the chapters to my computer, and to transfer them to my MP3 player. It's a wonderful format since it is a lot easier to handle than CDs and tapes....you just need to have time to download to your computer. OR if you don't have one, there is the format already installed on an MP3 player provided by the library!

Online Docs,new tools, Web 2.0 winners

Online applications - great idea, allows for sharing of documents with others, and being able to use them anywhere through the Internet. Also, the added bonus of not having to install software or buy software. There is the question of security, and confidentiality. I would not use this for any sensitive personal information; and I would make sure I have back-ups of files on a flash drive. Another concern is what happens when I have built a large volume of documents on these on-line services, and they start charging for the service. There is also the question of ownership - who actually owns these files, and if people do not really read the agreement and use policies, they may not realize what rights they have regarding their files and access to them, and the liability of the software vendor.

Of the two services - I prefer Google Docs - 1) because I already have an account, and one less user id/password to remember. Also, the interface is similar to that of the RTF editor for Hotmail.

On Google Labs and Trends - The two services I tried and like are: Related Links and Google Page Creators. The first one might be useful for the Library to help guide patrons to other sites or information that might be of interest to them during their searches. The second one, page creator, allows quick, easy creation of web pages with fantastic looks. This would be great in creating websites -- useful for blogs, program announcements, service alerts, and uses. One concern with these services - again is the nature of the service. Currently the service is free, but what happens if Google changes this to a fee-based service, and a library or organization has invested much work on their pages and its all on the Google site.

I tried Google Set - I don't really understand what use this would be other than a piece of trivia or a fun thing to do to see the Set generator can be stumped, or what kinds of things the Set generator will bring up.

I used Web 2.0 Award nominees. I found it easier to use that Webware. I looked under the Chart of Winners to see the different categories and the winners. The two services I tried were Goowy (online Desktop) http://www.goowy.com/index.aspx and Omnidrive http://www.omnidrive.com/- for storage. I think if you have set up your Desktop a certain way it would be helpful to be able to access it anywhere, and having access to storage is a great tool and its free.

Web 2.0, Libraries, Library Staff, and Patrons

Web 2.0 is a nice revolution of the Internet landscape. Any tool or set of tools and technology that is easy to use, understand, and master that allows people to search, discover, find, use, and create, propagate, and collaborate on a local and global scale is awesome. And Libraries and their Staff should embrace these tools, but not to the extend that they disregard or ignore services to their patrons in the name of Progress, Technology, Coolness, or being Current.

I agree that Libraries need to understand these new tools, and to incorporate them to provide meaningful and timely services to their patrons, but Libraries should also keep in mind not all their patrons will like the changes, or can understand the new services. The Digital Divide is still present in our society, and in some cases, the gap is widening. Even thought prices of hardware such as computers, laptops and cell phones are going down, it seems prices for services keeps going up, and those pesky surcharges, fees, and what-not can be prohibitive to some people. So, it would good if Libraries embrace Web 2.0 but not to the extend they stop providing non-Web 2.0, in person service to patrons who are not up on technology and the hype.

Search Engines - My Way, My Searches

New tools for information specialists - creating your own custom search engines! I think it is a great tool. With the explosion of information out there, it is so cool that people can easily create custom search engines to access their favorite websites, blogs, homepages, etc in a search engine format. This is handy. And being able to access this from any computer, from any place in the world that has Internet access is building upon available resources and extending their uses in new ways. We are truly in a mobile world.

I created two search engines for two of my hobbies, interests. Stargate-1 and Web page designs.

http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=002660428997621145179%3Av3iqjrn5puk

This one should take you to my SG-1 Search engine, and the other one goes to my search engine for web design information.

http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=002660428997621145179%3Asqfbvej-38u

I used the Google tool to create them, since I did not like the Rollyo tool. I do not like the use of ads on my search engine, and the preferences given to commercial sites in the results page. I also thought the Rollyo tool was harder to use, not as intuitive as the Google tool, and besides, I already have a Google account. I did not have to create another account, and have to remember my id and password.

Be in a Cartoon or your favorite TV Show!

Well, I must say this is great. Kudos to the creator of this neat tool. Check out her site to create your very own South Park Character! http://www.sp-studio.de/.

This reminds me of the fanzines created by Star Trek fans. But with Web 2.0 technologies, this is much more fun, and most of the work has been done already. You just pick and choose the elements in your character. Now, if I can find one for STG-1 and for STG-Atlantis.

Wikis, Easy as PBJ's

So that's what wikis are! Well, wikis are great tools. They remind me of a couple of my college courses in the philosophy and religion sections. I went to a liberal arts university. The Jesuits were big on a well-rounded education. Besides the sciences, students at my school had to take some Humanities courses. Two of my courses were World Religion and Philosophy. I can not remember which one covered the idea of a collective knowledge and collective consciousness. The idea is all humans can tap into this giant well of knowledge and consciousness, but because humans forgot or learn to block out the link to this wealth of knowledge, we prevent ourselves from taking a drink from this pool of information.
I think the Web and Web 2.0 technologies is making that happen again. Through the wonderful use of Wikis and the Internet, people again are gaining access to tremendous amounts of information, and they can also take an active part in the creation and dissemination of Information to the Collective Knowledge of humans. Now, if only, we have enough space to back everything up :)

Blogs, Tagging, and Folksonomies

Been on vacation, so I have a lot of catching up. Tags and bookmarks. Found out about the useful site called Del.icio.us - a FREE membership website, where you can save your bookmarks, or cool URLs, or websites - so you can access them anywhere in the world on any computer. I think its pretty cool. This helps a lot when you have access to more than one computer, and you do research or just plain old web-surfing.
The use of tags comes in handy, and it's interesting to find out how many other people on line share your interests, your curiosities, your tastes. And if you are feeling adventurous, and not afraid to reach out -- you can make lots of contacts and friends, on the web, and have discussions and sharing of ideas, thoughts, books, and movies. One of the more powerful tools of the Web is its ability to create on-line communities that span the globe, and allow anybody access to people, cultures, and ideas that can change you, the world, and your life..or just share really cool pictures, books, and movies.

Technorati -- a way to search through the massive amounts of blogs out there. It is a cool tool. Since the volume of blogs, blog posts, and bloggers increase every six months, the sheer amount can be overwhelming. Anybody can be a blogger, and so this tool is nice if you want to search for topics, tags, or posts.

Social Networks, MySpace and Friends

OK - I can now say I have used myspace.com. I created an account and created an identity, totally un-like my normal every-day life. I posed as the opposite sex, and made myself younger. I noticed that after I created the account, the ads seems to be targeted to my character's demographics - young, professional, male. It's sort of scary that marketers are gathering info from the profile, and customizing the ads, and the content seen on the website.

After searching the Myspace website and using its dating and networking features, I am concerned about teens and other non-techie users of the internet are not being taught correct usage of technology to maintain a level of security and privacy on the web. The use of social networks to lure naive users of the web to release personal information to strangers or to the entire web should be a red flag. The increased use of the internet and the wealth of databases, and other services that ask for user information, should trigger an increase in the education of young users and others about online safety and precautions.

Another drawback to the different accounts, and different personaes, is trying to keep all the passwords and user ids straight. I had to request for a reminder emails from a couple of services, since I forgot my user id and passwords to a couple of email accounts and services.

That said, the concept of a social network is intriguing. One of the concerns about increased use of the internet is the isolation of its users from society. But like in anything else, moderation is the key. A little bit of online life, and a little bit of real life, and its a nice balance of the virtual and the real.

I can see how the social network services such as myspace, facebook, and such would be good to keep in touch with friends, co-workers, family, in a far-flung network, but still maintain a feeling of a village.

RSS Feeds and Bloglines

This week the assignment was to play with RSS Feeds and create an account with the service called Bloglines. This service allows the creation of a custom newsreader: a little bit of old tech and new tech since I remember the concept of newsgroups in the 80's.

I added feeds from BBC, the NYTimes, a couple of library related ones per the assignment. I found it easier to subscribe to a feed from a well-known source or site such as BBC News, The NYTimes. The tools to search for blogs to meet a topic requirement can be confusing and time-consuming...I used some of the suggestions, since I figured the sources were OK, and it will be a fairly active blog with daily if not weekly entries. One thing -- there is a LOT of blogs out there. Syndic8 was a nice tool to see how recent the blog was update. Since I have started my blog for the KCLS 27 Things - I have found out how difficult it is to write an entry and to make it interesting. I make my entries about once a week -- usually on weekends.

Flickr -- what a concept!

I am learning new web technologies as part of a program with my library system. One of the assigments is to play and explore with the Flickr website. This is a webhosting service with a photo sharing segment connecting communities online grouped around common interests. Lots of photos, lots of tags, lots of stuff. Tags are keywords used to label a photo, so other people can quickly search through the vast volume of photos.

Part of this assigment with Flickr is to explore the site and blog about something I found interesting. Well...I decided to blog about Tim Gunn and Project Runaway. This is a show on BravoTV, going on this fourth (4th) year -- hopefully, but no news yet. Tim Gunn, formerly of the Parsons School of Design in New York City, has been hired by Liz Claibourne Industries to be its Chief Creative Officer....Project Runaway will not be the same without the sauve, urbane, articulate, modest, and insightful Tim Gunn. I hope BravoTV does everything it can to keep him connected to the show.

Tim Gunn's catch phrase is "Make it work."

This photo is from sgt fun's collection at http://www.flickr.com/photos/sgtfun/tags/timgunn/

The second portion of the assignment is to play with mashups; and I like the Spell with Flickr and Montager. Mashups are services that use one feature or webapp with another. Spell with Flickr is fun - spell out words using pictures of letters, and Montager creates a mosaic out of pictures it finds on the web. Here is the montage I made using "Tim Gunn" - it can be slow to create the mosiac, but its great to have one place where you can look at all the pictures in one location.

http://www.deviousgelatin.com/montager/image.php?image=406200814

Where I work

Yes - I am a Librarian, and I work for a public library in the Northwest. Here is a link to my library's homepage.

http://www.kcls.org

Check it out - there's a lot of stuff on the homepage and most of it does not require a library barcode to access. Lots of local information and readers advisory stuff.

Blog Newbie

Ok - now that I have set up an account for blogging, and picked out my colors, comes the hard part. What do I blog about?

This first posting is about the ease of setting up an account. A few years ago, a person had to know HTML and XML and other stuff to create the look of the website or the webpage. Now, with a few mouse clicks and some keystrokes, voila! a Blog is born. Easy as pie.