Commander Cupcake of the Militant Sweets Brigade

Phishing? No thanks, I'm vegetarian.

2009-02-09T13:48:00.000-05:00

For the final lesson, The Dark Side of the Web-Internet Malware, I am glad for this lesson as I think many people could use this information. Even people who use the internet daily, such as myself, could use a few reminders on what is out there. The methods by hackers continue to change, so it's important for us to keep us on our toes.

Pretty much anyone with an e-mail account is subject to a phish scam. One way to prevent getting these e-mails in the first place is to have multiple e-mails used for different purposes. For example, I have an e-mail account I generally use only for online shopping, another for correspondence with friends, and another for more professional correspondence. Having multiple e-mail accounts can help you organise your e-mails, so if you receive some sort of "Hey there!" e-mail on your account which you use for shopping, you ought to know to delete it right away. I also try to avoid joining mailing lists to reduce the amount of e-mail in my inbox.

Really, if any website wants any information aside from my e-mail, even my real name, I am reluctant share the information unless it is a website I trust. If it's a financial transaction, I have now been avoiding using Internet Explorer because of the high risk of being hacked (see this article on Internet Explorer's major security flaw). Instead, I wait until I go home to use Safari, which is much more secure. You can download Safari for free for your Mac or PC. It has a built-in RSS, too, and web designers prefer Safari to Internet Explorer. Mozilla Firefox is another good web browser to use instead of Internet Explorer, and it is also available for free to download onto your Mac or PC. Like Safari, you can also use the browser to subscribe to RSS feeds.

I subscribe to RSS feeds with iTunes, getting subscriptions to The Monocle Weekly, Scotland Introducing of BBC Radio Scotland, and NPR's All Songs Considered, among others. I have only just recently subscribed to these shows, since I don't often have the time to listen to my podcasts, but at least they're in my queue.

And that's that! Hopefully, this entry will mark me as done with Learn 2.1.

Online learning, more or less

2009-02-04T11:41:00.006-05:00

After taking a look at the Lifelong Learning lesson posted the 16th of December, I must say I really appreciate this collection of websites encouraging learning on the internet.

Currently, I am working on an application to the Master's programme in Anthropology of Food at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. I anticipate to send off the online portion of the application by the end of this week or early next week, and am looking forward to attending the school in the fall, provided I'm accepted.

In the meantime, books and DVDs from our wonderful library have provided me with plenty of mental stimulation since graduating from Rollins in 2007. In addition to what I check out, I also rely on various websites and websites for further news and knowledge. For current events, I go to the BBC and NPR, which is also a wonderful source for new music (seriously) and books. For food edification, I've been checking out Martha Stewart.com for recipes and Serious Eats, an online food community and blog. With regards to world views on affairs, business and culture, I rely on Monocle for its weekly podcast, online videos and its print magazine.

With regards to the websites listed in the lesson, I love, love, love Wikipedia, but was surprised to see Wikiversity. I like the idea, and the execution seems to be done well. I took a peek at the History portal, and felt the links were well-organised. One thing I noticed was the call for assistance in compiling ideas and knowledge on topics, such as World War I. I imagine Wikiversity would be useful to gain some knowledge on a topic, provided there is a page for it. I typed in a few topics wandering in my head, "history of Prague," for example, but there were no pages for them. It appears Wikiversity has some catching up to do in order to be as well-known as its sister site, but perhaps this will come in time as more people contribute.

In looking up "Prague" on Connexions, I was greeted with a range of links not quite hitting on what I wanted. After refining my search to "history of Prague," it seems the only articles available are historical pieces covering the whole of Europe in segments of time. Within these articles, it is possible to find text of relevance, such as in the Europe: AD 1401 to 1500 page where I learnt the origins of the Bohemian Revolution. Sadly, when searching for information on "Bohemian Revolution" in Connexions, I just got more articles along the "Europe: time period" format. Still, within the web, knowledge abounds, and if you want to know more about the Bohemian Revolution/Wars, more commonly known as the Hussite Wars, Wikipedia saves the day.

As someone who is a (very) amateur photographer, I appreciate the Nikon link (although I'm a Canon girl myself). I think it's very helpful to have some commonly asked questions addressed in a helpful, step-by-step manner. Huzzah!

The website eXtopia seems like it could be helpful, but who said mustard and red should be used together to create an info box?! Their Intro to Web Design course needs to have a segment on using complimentary colours, which their current colour section lacks. Just because you can use "peru" and "crimson" together doesn't mean you should. Perhaps the website creators could use a lesson in colour theory. Still, aside from the abominable colour choices, it's something worth exploring deeper for information that may be helpful.

And with regards to the Adventure activity for this lesson, I've ordered pizza from Papa John's before online, so that's done. I prefer local restaurants, though.

Orlando Memory: opinions and suggestions

2009-01-28T13:38:00.007-05:00

On the OCLS Learn 2.1 program dated 2 December 2008, we were asked to visit Orlando Memory and Orange Seed. Here are my thoughts.

I like the concept of Orlando Memory as a place for people to share photographs and musings inspired by the City Beautiful. However, I'm sorry to say I don't find the website to be very intuitive to use. As someone who uses websites such as Flickr, I found the image uploading page to be rather confusing and foreign. The upload box is placed below a very large text window that gives users format and font options and other things which aren't really necessary for putting up a blurb about a trip to Epcot or talking about someone's A&W Root Beer stand.

Also frustrating is when a photo is uploaded, or when a new topic is started, there is a moderation time. I strongly feel pictures and topics hostage like this until someone somewhere takes a look at them is unnecessary. Giving users the opportunity to flag topics and photos as inappropriate should be sufficient, along with disabling or banning users who try to put up inappropriate photographs, as well as moderators who will click periodically through new pictures. For someone wanting to start a new topic, like "Orlando protest pictures," he or she must wait until the topic is approved before being allowed to upload photos. It's been 45 minutes since I submitted a topic for approval, and as of this moment, it is still in "pending" status. This isn't very user-friendly at all.

Furthermore, if a user wants to upload many pictures at once, there isn't a way to do that. Websites such as Flickr and Facebook have ways of uploading many photos at one time. Even uploading five photos at once would be a significant improvement to the current system.

I realise this post might be harsh, and I'm not meaning for it to be mean, but as someone who uses websites which utilise photographs and uploading, trying to use the Orlando Memory site is like trying to use a Commodore 64.

In complete seriousness, I want to post photos to Orlando Memory. Collecting photographs from Orlando's past and present will be a great way for us to see what has changed and where this city is going. This is why the Orlando Memory site needs a redesign. It doesn't have to be as swank as, say, Serious Eats--another type of community which utilises a forum and photo uploads--but at least be functional.

Again, my commentary isn't meant to be any sort of jab at the people who made Orlando Memory. It isn't meant to be personal, so please don't take it that way. As someone with nearly 500 photographs tagged "Orlando" in my Flickr account, I would love to contribute to this project. But the idea of waiting for ten, twenty, thirty photos to be approved is ridiculous.

Please redo Orlando Memory. I'll be happy to provide further suggestions or examples of good design to possibly incorporate, if welcome.

The subjective nature of cognitive surplus

2008-12-26T14:16:00.009-05:00

In the Adventure Activity for the November 18th lesson, Web 2.0 Continues, the activity directed us to Clay Shirky's speech at the Web 2.0 conference. Shirky made some interesting points, but I don't think I completely agree with his views.

Firstly, Shirky needed to better articulate the differences between watching television and watching YouTube? For many, either way, you're sitting on your butt. Perhaps there is a bit of subversiveness with watching YouTube in that you're not necessarily watching something corporate giants are trying to shove down your throat (...or are you?). Maybe you burn more calories clicking and moving a mouse than a remote. Still, many people go online to watch television programs, whether it's the episode of Pushing Daisies you missed last Wednesday, or an obscure episode of Japanese anime cartoon Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro. Maybe they won't have to watch a commercial for a Sham-WOW, but advertising on the internet is out there, especially those that are tied-in to television commercials.

Second, I would like to point out Shirky's comparison of television-watching with Wikipedia contribution. I understand his point with regards to the TV producer's comment; however, his slant seems to suggest, "Oh, people watching television could be doing so much more with their free time, like contribute to Wikipedia!" Question: how many avid sitcom fans would actually contribute to Wikipedia if they weren't watching television?

So, I've contributed to Wikipedia. And I watch television. Not a lot, but I haven't really watched much in the past five years. Although it's easy to point at television to be this great and terrible SOMA, one can point to the internet as well. There have been many times I have gone online and felt like I wasted quite a bit of time on it. Even Wikipedia, that wonderful source of imperfect knowledge, can suck you in, as it did me when I followed link after link, reading various articles about numerous cheeses. Seriously, I think I spent at least half an hour, likely more, reading about different kinds of cheese. True, I learnt quite a bit about Emmenthaler cheese, but a television show on the Food Network could have informed me sufficiently (although I would have to wait for it to come on... unless I have a magic device called TiVo).

But what would have really informed me about cheese? Going to a cheese shop and asking someone working there about what they sell.

In 2007, I got my Bachelor's degree, and was done with school for the moment (I'm looking to go back next fall). Since then, I deleted my MySpace account, fell in and out of love with Last.fm, deepened my Etsy addiction and got cable television with my roommate. What do I love to do in my idle time? Sure, I go online on my breaks at work, but when at home, I play video games periodically, blog incredibly infrequently, read more often, and bake. For baking edification, I go online for recipes, but I also peruse my obscene collection of cookbooks.

I'm actually on the internet a lot less now that I'm out of school, which makes sense in one way, as I don't have as much research to do now, but I'm also spending less time on social networking websites. In fact, in the past year, I have actually watched more television, but that's because television is available. I watch television maybe an hour or two a day, and I'm picky with what I watch. If nothing appeals to me, I shut the TV off and read instead.

With regards to cognitive surplus and deciding what is worthwhile to spend one's time on, I belive it's entirely subjective. Working on Wikipedia articles can be seen as a contribution to society on one hand, but what if that person should really be working on, say, homework instead? Or, in my case, I'm reading a very interesting book about post-punk music and culture when I should be working on my admissions essay for the Master's program I want to get into. Granted, I'm learning something, but it's not the best use of my time at the moment.

So sure, one can take the stance that going online is better than watching television, but I disagree. Although I love the internet, I recognise it as having equal potential for education and for fettering your life away looking at LOLcats all day. It can be used for good or ill, like television, like gin, like fire, like anything, really. It isn't the medium, it is the operator/viewer/user who is responsible for the quality of time spent.

Further explorations in Web 2.0

2008-11-19T13:13:00.007-05:00

In response to the Learn 2.1 lesson, Web 2.0 Continues, I went to the SEOmoz's 2008 Web 2.0 Awards site and puttered around a few websites to get a feel for them.

An honorable mention, I checked out CrazyMenu.com to see what Orlando businesses had their listings and menus up. Well, I guess the website has potential, if you have a dedicated user group who will plug in businesses and menus. But as of now, I prefer Urban Spoon. I gave Bikes, Beans & Bordeaux an "I like it" vote because the place is a great local sandwich shop and cafe, and the owners are super-nice. Clicking on a list for "cheap eats" brought up Udipi Cafe, a place I've been wanting to go to in Longwood for sometime now. I'm just hardly ever in Longwood.

As one of the ones frustrated with Last.fm's update earlier this year (gah, we went from a gorgeous website to something so poorly designed and ill-working... grumble, grumble), I was interested to see if Mog would be a suitable replacement. Sadly, many of the images didn't come up on Internet Explorer (Mozilla Firefox, anyone?), but a happy shard of light was the ability to listen to streamed songs in their entirety, or at least that was the case with one of my most favouritest bands, The Clientele. Have a listen to Rain by The Clientele and let me know what you think.

I don't know if Mog will replace Last.fm for me, as I'm still kind of iffy on the design of the website, but they get props for having The Clientele up for all to listen to.

What, how did Etsy get second place to Threadless? Shenanigans. Etsy is the super-jam, selling all kinds of stuff from all sorts of good people. According to my Etsy account, I've purchased 108 items since March 2006, and I'm currently waiting on a vintage 1950s/60s chiffon nightie-top in baby blue from Etsy seller madecute. This holiday season, I'll be turning to Etsy for unique gifts for the cool people in my life, and you should, too.

Oooh, BBC iPlayer! It's so sleek! So pretty! So... oh, bugger! I can't watch video unless I'm in the UK! Boo. At least I can listen to the radio, and BBC 6's Rock & Indie page looks dead cool. Since I'm on a work computer that doesn't have Real Player (double boo), I'll have to check out some of the audio when I'm at home, but it looks great.

As for the Adventure activity, I'll have to get to that one in a future posting.

Three Out Change

2008-11-13T13:25:00.009-05:00

In OCLS Learn 2.1's Chain, Chain, Change lesson, many different points were brought forth relating to the idea of change: change in music marketing, change in releasing new films, change in music forms. We voted for Change earlier this month. Well, most of us, anyway.

And, for the record, Radiohead is brilliant. I was one of those folks who bought the commercial release when it was released in January, but what encouraged me was the digital download I had heard. As a consumer, I like to listen to music before I buy it, but if I like it, I will eventually buy it. Granted, my current list of "have to buy" albums is quite long, but seriously, I do intend to support the artists... eventually... when I have money... someday. But, keep in mind, I'm one of those college kids with school debt, though my debt is over $10,000 more than what was shown in the video.

Anyway, back to the eXplorer topic, regarding the OCLS Mission Statement, I think it summarizes up what the Library does. With the vast collection of popular items (including all the Radiohead releases), classes, services like MAYL and Questline, online links and programs, and the sheer awesomeness of our staff, we provide all the material for a well-learned, well-informed community base.

The trick is to get them to know about it. When I tell people I've just met what I do, most of these new acquaintances are astounded at the Books-by-MAYL program. Some already are aware of it and use the service occasionally. Orlando Weekly in this year's Best of Orlando 2008 called MAYL "Best free service you don't use." Despite the thousands of items we check out in the department every day, there are still people out there who don't know about this program--I bump into them all the time at parties, cafes, hoe-downs and what-have-you.

And if people don't know about this behemoth of a service, what about the other spectacular services we provide for the public?

At the recent Staff Day, our guest speaker, Joan Frye Williams, made a good point in regards to going where the people are. Not just tangible space, but the internet. Having the Library leave comments on blogs, news articles, and Facebook/MySpace pages would increase visibility in the virtual world. Hosting book clubs and library events outside of the library and in local cafes and tea houses could boost awareness in the material world. Williams mentioned going to local farmer's markets, which I thought was a good idea. The OCLS orange bags we currently sell to people to hold their library books in is a great way for our Library to be seen in the community, because people use those bags for all sorts of other things outside of the library: groceries, sleep-over bags for kids, toting stuff to the beach, etc. I think if we had a few different designs, our library users may want to get multiple bags. That's OCLS advertising space!

So yes, I think OCLS does well in achieving the mission statement it sets out for itself, but it could use some help in tooting its own horn about it. Not necessarily go so far as to employ viral marketing, but I think we can devise methods to make Orange County residents aware of our services, and they may be outside of the conventional channels we're used to.

Open Source is the jam

2008-11-06T12:07:00.005-05:00

Regarding the Open Source Information lesson, I have been using some Open Source technology, notably Wikipedia and Mozilla Firefox (which ought to be installed in all staff computers, by the way), for years, and I'm a big proponent for all things collective and free. I really found the Imagine 2020 video interesting, especially the Shibuya University concept. The university has an English language page, which is good because my Japanese is only a notch above nonexistant. I intend to investigate more, because I am that type of dork who loves to learn, and Shibuya is the coolest spot on the planet.

On Yahoo! Answers, I asked,"What is the most popular cookie in the United States?" It turns out, I wasn't the only one interested in the cookie preferences of Americans, as someone else has already posed the question. The answers generally list "chocolate chip" or "Oreo," but there is no answer based on any sort of study or fieldwork, sadly. Then again, this is a difficult question, reliant on opinion. An easier question example would be "Where can I buy Meiji products online?" and for that, you have a set answer.

For the record, my favourite cookie probably is the Snickerdoodle, although I also love lemon cookies. And orange cookies. Probably any cookie with a whole lot of butter. I love butter.

Speaking of butter, in Answerbag, I asked, "How is butter better than margarine?" The results were interesting (to see one of the entries, click here), although there were some entries that didn't really deal with the question I had, like the Peanut butter vs Nutella discussion, which, still, wasn't totally irrelevant, as someone interested in butter may also be keen to know more about peanut butter. Or Nutella.

For the final website, Askville (misspelt in the original blog entry), I stuck with the topic of food, naturally, by posing the question,"What spices are often used in Indian cuisine?" Someone asked a reasonably similar question here, and here's a quote from one of the answers:

There’s no one combination of spices used by absolutely every Indian restaurant everywhere, but a lot of what you’re smelling is the combination of turmeric, cardamom, coriander, cumin, and fenugreek. Those are found in nearly every curry powder recipe.

Yes, these websites were rather helpful, although I don't know if I can break myself into using these sites as opposed to running to Wikipedia or Google for life's urgent questions... "What's Montreal like?" "Where can I find Top Pot doughnuts in Seattle?" "How many dollars equal a British pound?" "What the heck ever happened to that guy from The Wonder Years?"

Since joining OCLS over four years ago, I am now a frequent library user and often check out books of non-fiction and memoir, as well as documentary DVDs. I'm currently watching Around the World in 80 Treasures, which is informative, although somewhat laughable because the host is so quintessentially British, especially when he refers to objects as "my treasure!" with a British accent. Well, I think it's funny.

I don't think I've been urged to use information technology differently, given my current position in the library, but books are still a solid source of information, and at times just as arbitrary as the internet or television. If the library were to provide as many sources of information as possible (books, media, internet, classes, seminars, etc), I think it would be beneficial to the evolution of the library and what learning environments are.

As far as Googling myself, I came up with three relevant hits, but nothing that I think is too revealing about myself, aside from my fondness for Jens Lekman, which, in turn, could lead to someone finding about my musical preferences, and possibly what shows I'm keen on going to. Okay, so it's potentially creepy. I think I don't have to worry about creepy stalkers at the moment (normally my stalkers prefer vis-a-vis interaction), I'm probably going to go back and take my name out of a few things to be a bit of a blank slate when plugging in my name on the Googles.

At least until the words "super genius" can appear after my name.

Health and Wellness on the Web

2008-09-22T09:23:00.006-04:00

Okay, so I don't have a problem with obiesety, but I would like to be a little bit more active, so I liked the Google Map Pedometer very much. I was able to calculate a few different routes in my neighbourhood for me to walk around once the weather gets a little less hot. Walking is something I'd love to do more of, but the oppressive heat and humidity of our state often leaves me running back indoors where the a/c is. When I was in Seattle last month, I took a great pleasure in walking around because the weather was cool enough for me to putter around without getting too hot, plus I was walking uphill. In fact, it seemed everywhere I wanted to go was uphill...

Other sites in this week's OCLS Learn 2.1 lesson didn't exactly hit the mark with me. I signed up for an account with NutritionData, and when I attempted to plug in my lunch in the search field, a homemade salad with cut pears, well, the listings weren't quite what I wanted. Instead of a plain salad with, you know, lettuce and a mix of other leaves (dandelion, arugula, etc), I wound up with listings from all kinds of fast food places with their salad listings. The only thing homemade that I was able to look for by putting in "salad" was a homemade potato salad. I tried to plug in my dinner last night, vegetable makhani (leftovers from an Indian restaurant), and no results were found.

Finally, I was able to find something with the entry "pear," after scrolling past all sorts of canned options and others I can't conceive ("canned with heavy syrup, sulfered and stewed with added sugar"). A raw pear, which I have in my salad for lunch today, does have a listing. Apparently it is on the tip of the green point on the colourful triangle (ooh!), and according to the website: "This food is very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Vitamin C, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber." However, "[a] large portion of the calories in this food come from sugars."

I figured I'd do a search for something I know might not be super-good, so I looked up "scones." Unfortunately, they don't have a homemade option for scones; instead, it comes up as Food from Starbucks. Well, since I do make blueberry scones at home, and often for the cafe I bake for, I took a look at the Nutrition Facts for Starbucks' version. I wish there was an ingredients listing along with all this nutritional data, so that way I can further compare it with what I make, since I don't know if Starbucks and I use the same ingredients. Attempts to look on Starbucks.com for ingredient listings were futile, as the two locations I clicked on in the Orlando area gave me a notice that the nutritional information was unavailable for the two stores.

Bugger.

I don't know, I think perhaps my eating style might be too unconventional for NutritionData. It's good for folks who eat out more, but I often eat stuff that's either homemade or from Mom & Pop restaurants that don't have a spot in the NutritionData listing. Or stuff that is utterly sublime, but is often met with weird looks, like my vegetarian take on the Guberburger, a hamburger topped with peanut butter. Seriously, it's good; get a tomato-basil Gardenburger patty topped with peanut butter (non-hydrogenated), and add some basil leaves, crunchy bean sprouts, lettuce or spinach, and a squeeze of lime, and sandwich it between two parts of a Martin's potato roll bun, and you've got yourself something wicked tasty!

All in all, I'm not too worried about my diet, although I would like to increase my B-vitamin intake. Currently, I am taking B-12 supplements perscribed by my regular doctor because we found out earlier this year that I have a deficiency, which is common among vegetarians. That's my main nutritional concern at the moment. As far as my protein and iron levels go, I'm meeting or exceeding my daily quota for those.

Atlhough I would love to take some tai chi or bellydancing classes, I'm a bit on the broke side. Okay, more like I'm over on the broke side, and I'm probably going to be kickin' it there for a while. Oh well. As long as I can keep my B-vitamin levels in good standing, and if I can move to a place that isn't so hot so I can do some walking (or get an air-conditioned bubble suit to walk around in Orlando), I think I'll be in good health, barring any sort of bizarre disease or getting hit by a car or something.

The Cupcake Tins are a Bit Rusty

2008-09-16T15:48:00.002-04:00

Not from a lack of baking, but from blogging on this particular blog. It took me a moment to figure out what e-mail account I used, then what my password was.

It was... a trial.

So here it is, Commander Cupcake back on active duty, ready to undertake the Learn 2.1 mission. Pip, pip.

Some magic

2007-06-29T15:12:00.001-04:00

Please click on me.

How are you going to use your MP3 player?

2007-06-25T11:13:00.000-04:00

I was going to give mine to my mother, as I have an iPod Shuffle that I use for listening to music. All the songs I listen to are songs I have on CD stored on iTunes. I don't use it for podcasts yet, although I think if I were to ever get a bigger iPod model that has a screen and more space, I'd love to download podcasts from places like NPR and some other websites.

If my mother decides she doesn't want the mp3 player, as she's not very techy (she crashed our computer somehow playing a mah jong program--I don't know how), maybe I can use it for news podcasts.

-doreen

Online Music and DRM

2007-06-14T14:13:00.000-04:00

I took a look at Liveplasma and plugged in the band name "Blonde Redhead." I don't think it has an entry for Blonde Redhead, however, as I was redirected to the mapping of a band called Screaming Headless Torsos (who?!). My search for the artist RJD2 proved much more fruitful, with little multicoloured planet bubbles bearing the names of some of my more favourite artists like DJ Shadow, Company Flow, El-P, Prefuse 73, Aesop Rock ("Daylight" being one of the best songs ever--but not worksafe!) and more. I was also able to have a little circle-map for the Velvet Underground, which yielded names like the Ramones, Iggy and the Stooges, Television, The Clash, New York Dolls and Elliot Smith. The correlations seem to go well together, and this is a good, quick way to discover new artists (assuming it accepts the artist you plug in).

Music-Map did have Blonde Redhead, lookie. Although I've seen and heard of Last.fm, I don't have an account yet, but I think I may get one very soon. I like the concept of the site, and many of my friends are music fans, and we're always trying to get each other turned on to different music. I'd also recommend Pandora as another means of finding new artists one might like.

However, it's websites like Pandora that are losing out to the new DRM laws that seek to retroactively charge online radio stations for the music they play. Listen to this article from NPR: Music Sites Fight Higher Royalty Fees.

With DRM restrictions and other means of preventing listeners to hear music they want to listen to, I think these music companies are shooting themselves in the foot. I find out about most of my new music online, and I can easily rattle off musicians whose CDs I've purchased after listening to their music online through websites like Pandora, Tigersushi or NPR's Song of the Day: Bon Savants, Sol Seppy, Chad VanGaalen, Blonde Redhead, The Twilight Sad, Beirut, Silver Apples. Artists like the New Young Pony Club, East River Pipe and Hot Chip would be unknown to me without online radio and other online means.

And artists recognise this. This is why so many artists have MySpace and Humblevoice pages to showcase their music online to those who might want to hear, and buy, their work.

Many people point to the record labels as the walls preventing artists from getting their music out to people. EMI's change of pace from the rest of the big labels is refreshing, as well as Apple's iTunes making music available to be DRM-free. Although I do tend to agree with the peanut gallery with the grumble about the higher cost for something that just ought to be anyway, but in the end, it's 30 cents extra for not supporting the DRM ethos. Whether you feel it's worth it or not is up to you.

I actually don't buy music from iTunes, since I normally just buy the CD if I like the artist or band and I've heard at least one or two songs I like (a reckless gamble, I know) and the reviews from my favourite magazines are favourable (BUST and VenusZine being two of a few). In the end, though, DRM and strict policies against music sharing will hurt artists, their fans and their potential listeners by cutting off a means of promoting themselves online.

Week 8's "PS"

2007-06-14T14:08:00.000-04:00

My groupmate, Rita, made a Flickr account that you can see from our humble environs of Special Services. See it here. We're using her Flickr account to represent that of our department.

Playing catch-up

2007-06-12T20:20:00.000-04:00

Since I was away, I'm going to play catch-up for the OCLS Learn 2.0 lessons with this posting.

With regards to Week #7, I checked out Chug'd and, although I'm quite the beer fan, it didn't look like there was a lot going on with this website. The beer bottles next to the listings aren't the actual brand's bottle, but just a generic icon. And any beer website that fails to mention my favourite brew, Hitachino Nest White Ale, is bound to get a thumbs-down from me. It appears that Chug'd has a long way to go before it could be a useful resource and tool for anyone possessing beer knowledge that goes beyond party keg swill.

When it comes to actually connecting with other beer drinkers, why not have a good cause behind it? Beer Church is a group that gathers people together for good beers and good causes. Our local Orlando chapter meets monthly at Redlight Redlight out in Winter Park, and I recommend the experience. The website itself is also full of information about beer and beer news, like this article on the Top 30 Beer Brand Performers. Newcastle is #1!

I was familar with Catster and Dogster; my old cat (who's now with the ex) has a Catster site, though it hasn't been updated for ages, nor will it be any time soon. You can see it here.

As far as the "Adventure Challege" goes, I believe I've already mentioned Open Source Food, which I've been using for my baking hobby. So far, I have six recipes, though my goal is to be a pro-user by having ten three-star-rated recipes. You can see my profile and recipes here.

As far as Week #8 goes, I don't know how I can catch up with regards to the photos that my department has done. I actually have a Flickr account, which you can find the link for in the sidebar of this blog. In any case, I guess I'll have to talk to my manager, Jim, with regards to catching up to this one. With Creative Commons licensing, I've been familiar with that as well through my experience with Flickr, as well as when I wrote my little Wikipedia article (which has no doubt been rewritten and/or edited since), and with Open Source Food.

Here is a photo I took in Mexico City this past January. If you click on it, it will take you to my Flickr account.

-doreen

Gone for now

2007-05-27T11:37:00.000-04:00

I'm going to the Philippines tomorrow, so all blogging and baking will be suspended on this site until further notice.

Book nerds, unite!

2007-05-25T21:15:00.001-04:00

This week on our Learn 2.0 adventure, we travelled the internet seas to see the various library and book applications available. I already have a Library Thing account, but I don't use it too often. However, Shelfari seems better designed, so I'm torn.

Some of the applications we were asked to explore seemed like too much micromanaging. In other words, it seemed like a lot of work to catalogue everything on Guru Library. Wouldn't you rather just read more books rather than spend time cataloguing everything? I guess it would be handy if, say, you have uberrare copies of books or DVDs, or if you just really, really, really like to keep track of every possible thing you own.

But I don't have time for it. I'm too busy getting new stuff, trading in old stuff and generally using my stuff to keep track of everything.

Something interesting and book-related that wasn't mentioned on this list from OCLS Learn 2.0: Book Crossings. This website is part book-giving, part scavanger hunt where people log in books they own that they want to pass on, then leave them somewhere, then say where they left it online for others to go find it. Care to do a bit of hunting in Orlando?

In other news, I'm up to six recipes on my Open Source Food account, including the super-duper tasty treat, Glazed Orange Spice Cake. It's good like nobody's business.

Welcome, new obsession

2007-05-22T15:39:00.000-04:00

Now that I've graduated (although I'm still waiting to receive my degree, ahem), I have a bit more time to putter around and get into things that I originally couldn't do. I was pretty distracted from my schoolwork at times because, by golly, I just had to make a batch of banana muffins or a gang of cookies.

Now, I can be distracted all I want, and there's a website out there that's encouraging my baking predilection: Open Source Food. It's a website where you can upload photos and recipes of your favourite tried-and-true masterpieces and tummy-fillers, browse other recipes from other members, create menus and rate recipes. Not only is it super-functional and fun, but it meets Hao's approval for site design. And that's saying a lot.

I have three recipes up, and be on the lookout for more. I made what I've now called my "Bachelorette Pasta Bake" last night for dinner, and wouldn't let anyone touch it until I had some photos on a borrowed digicam. I can see it now:

Someone: "Can we eat it yet?"
Me: "No, not yet. I have to get a picture for the website."
*click*
Someone: "Okay, now can we eat?"
Me: "Wait, I need better lighting. Maybe I should put a scoop of ice cream next to it."

It would be funny if this scenario hadn't already played itself out. Twice.

My username is my first name: doreen. You'll see the little recipe image slideshow on this blog as well. If that doesn't tempt you, what will?

Web 2.0: Menschenseele in Maschine

2007-05-10T15:24:00.000-04:00

Earlier today, my fellow group members and I did this week's OCLS Learn 2.0 together. Fanya, Rita and I watched the Web 2.0 video, and I couldn't help noting the websites that were briefly featured, as they were websites dealing with anthropology. I've just completed my studies for a Bachelor's in Anthropology at Rollins College, so I was curious about the concept of a "digital ethnography" of YouTube, and fascinated with the possibilities of how humanity is creating a new international culture that is internet-based.

Culture 2.0, if you will.

I could continue to muse, theorise and get all po-mo, but instead, I'll talk about the presence of OCLS on MySpace and YouTube. I had known that the Library has been putting up videos and using a MySpace profile, but I hadn't gone online to see the work that's been done to reach out to the online community. I'm pretty impressed, especially at the 171 MySpace friends the Library has. Our group read some of the comments, and it's really intriguing to see the very positive comments the Library's gotten on MySpace from teens.

The other part of the exercise entailed going on to SEOmoz's website and exploring a few websites that gained their Web 2.0 awards. I was already familiar with Pandora, and it truly deserves accolades and more. It's a great way to find out about new music you might like, but not think to look for. We also looked at the website for PEERtrainer, which is a nice way to find like-minded individuals who are trying to live healthier lives, like the one who started the group 20 somethings who need to put down the martini and pick up the weights. Although I personally am normally at the other end of the spectrum, being a purveyor of baked goods, I think a website like this would really help those who need a little bit of motivation to be more active and to eat better. Our group also took a gander at Farecast.com, which is going to definitely get used when I take a trip this year to Seattle. It's another way to find cheap airfare online for domestic flights. They predict the fares and allow you to book online, and they provide refunds if the fares they predict are over the ticket price. The website also tells you when you should wait to buy tickets, and when you should buy now. Here's an example of low airfares coming out of Orlando just to give you an idea.

I also wanted to mention a website that was on the list of SEOmoz's: Etsy. I shop online through Etsy all the time, and I love the idea of supporting crafters and artists who work from home or a small studio, making unique clothes and items that really stand out. Some of my favourite Etsy shops include RunzwithScissors, the little stitch, Katrina Kaye, Kitty Empire, AhPeele and Run Amok. The shops are located all over; recently I ordered a few gifts on Etsy from an online shop all the way in Shanghai.

Okay, I got this through my feed from Fark.com from their "sappy" section: Students raise money for beloved elderly janitor's dream. I confess to getting a little misty after reading this story.

-doreen

Wednesday's cookies

2007-05-09T16:01:00.000-04:00

So I made cookies last night, which are the ones pictured here, from a recipe gotten from my RSS feed from All Recipies. The recipe was derived from one called Jumbo Raisin Spice Cookies, but the version I made were vegan and omitted the salted peanuts, using instead dried apples and cranberries from an organic fruit snack mix bought in the Greenwise section of Publix. As the empty plastic container next to me proves, these cookies met with the approval of at least some members of the Special Services department, namely one in particular who asked me for my version of the recipe. Since I was experimenting last night, this recipe might not be accurate, but I'll post it anyway, just in case someone else feels line fooling around in the kitchen.

Vegan Fruit & Spice Cookies
makes 24 cookies, more or less

Ingredients
3 cups oat flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup unsalted vegan butter (or use regular unsalted butter if recipe doesn't need to be vegan)
1 3/4 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup sweetened applesauce
1 1/2 cups raisins
1 package of dried cranberries & apples (I used Good Sense's brand)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
2. In a large bowl, beat butter until soft. Mix in the vanilla and sugar. Add the applesauce and mix well. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger cinnamon and nutmeg. Gradually stir into the butter mixture. Stir in raisins, dried apples and cranberries. Take tablespoon-sized pieces of dough and drop them onto the cookie sheets, pushing the dough to make a round or semi-round shape.
3. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Let cool on wire racks.

Again, this recipe is still in beta mode, so I will still be working on it to make it even better. I'll release a 2.0 version if I decide to modify this any.

-doreen

cooking with bling

2007-05-07T11:52:00.000-04:00

I was listening to NPR online, and apparently a couple of people have released a new cookbook called Joy of Liberace: Retro Recipes from America's Kitschiest Kitchen. It's a collection of recipes the King of the Candelabra had himself, and one of them, the "Angel Bling Cake Pie," is featured on the NPR website, and here it is in my little work bloggie, too:

Recipe: Angel Bling Cake Pie

2 egg whites
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 cup chopped nuts
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 275 degrees (F). Beat the egg whites with salt until almost stiff. Beat in the sugar, a tablespoon at a time. Add cream of tartar and nuts. Spoon into a greased nine-inch pie plate and bake about an hour. Cool. Whip the cream, add vanilla, and spread over the pie. Chill.

Serves six people

I'm curious to see what other recipes are included, as the photo for this bling cake pie looks impressive, and the ingredients seem rather simple.

Learn 2.0 lesson for week 3

2007-05-03T15:36:00.000-04:00

On Grokker, I searched for "apple muffins" and came up with all sorts of results: wheat apple muffins, bran muffins, apple cinnamon, et al. Here's a recipe for Cranberry Apple Muffins that was gotten from my searching.

Grokker was helpful, yet I think I preferred the outline view in comparison to the map view. I don't know if that is indicative of my learning style (2.0) or not. I vaguely remember being labelled a "visual learner" when I was in middle school after a test the whole class took, though I don't know if this sort of thing stays solid throughout one's years.

Bloglines is a new website for me, and I like the idea behind RSS feeds, so I still need to play around with the site a bit more. I was able to organize the feeds I have into categories by following the "Edit" link above the list of blogs I'm subscribed to, then opting to make a few new folders to keep my subscriptions in line. This way, if I'm looking for new stuff in one topic in particular, I don't have to scroll through a gang of feeds to find the ones I want.

These are the RSS feeds on Bloglines I've subscribed to: Slashdot, NPR topics: Books, NPR topics: Business, Orange Slices, BBC News - Front Page - World and Allrecipes Baking. Here's a recipe for Frosted Ginger Sandwich Cookies from Allrecipes Baking. It looks simple enough; I need a cookie cutter, though.

-doreen

Cinnamon-Spiced Vegan Banana-Blueberry Cake

2007-05-02T12:45:00.000-04:00

Cinnamon-Spiced Vegan Banana-Blueberry Cake
Inspired by Abigail Johnson Dodge's recipe in The Weekend Baker

Makes a 9-inch or 8-inch cake, depending on your pan, or about 8 servings

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or more if you like
1/4 teaspoon table salt
6 tablespoons of vegan butter, at room temperature (I use the Earth Balance brand)
1 cup granulated sugar2 medium bananas
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
2/3 cup vegan sour cream (I think Tofutti makes a version)

For the topping:
3/4 or 1 cup blueberries, rinsed and drained well
3 tablespoons granulated sugar1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or more if you like

1. Place an oven rack on the middle rung, then heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease and flour the bottom and sides of a 9-by-2-inch round cake pan. If you don't have a 9-inch pan, an 8-inch will work okay, but make sure that the sides are at least 2 inches tall. Tap out any excess flour.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Whisk until blended well. In a small bowl, mash the bananas together with a fork until it resembles baby food. In a large bowl, combine the vegan butter and sugar. Beat with an electric mixer (with paddle attachment for stand mixers) on medium speed, or with a fork and some gumption if, like me, you don't have an electric mixer. Add half of the banana mush to the butter-sugar blend and beat until just blended, then add the vanilla and the remaining banana together. Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the butter mixture in three batches alternating with the sour cream, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Scrape the batter into the greased-and-floured pan and spread evenly. Bake for 10 minutes.

3. Once you put the cake in the oven, make the topping. In a small bowl, combine the blueberries, sugar, cinnamon and flour. Mix with a fork, lightly crushing the blueberries.

4. After the cake has baked for 10 minutes, sprinkle the topping evenly over the top of the cake. Continue baking until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 30 minutes longer. The sides will brown a little.

5. Transfer the cake to a rack to cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the inside edge of the pan to loosen the cake. Using a thick, dry dish towel to protect your hands,, invert a large, flat plate on top of the cake pan and, holding both the pan and plate, invert them together. Lift the pan off, then invert a flat serving plate on the bottom of the cake and invert the cake once more so the blueberries are on top. Serve warm or at room temperature.

You can cover the cooled cake in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 5 days.

graven words

2007-04-26T14:45:00.000-04:00

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