As I've mentioned in previous posts, I have only worked for HCPL for six months or so. I can honestly say that my Z: drive was in good shape.
The P: drive, however, was a shambles. I sort of inherited the YA folder on the P: drive, and hadn't done much in the way of cleaning. Until a couple of days ago, that is.
I don't think anything had been cleaned from that drive since the library opened 3 years ago. It was a mess! I deleted so many useless files from 2005 on; files that shouldn't even have been saved to begin with. Unfortunately, there is so much in that folder that it will take more than half an hour's cursory glance through to clean it up. It is definitely a work in progress, but I will slog through and come out victorious!
Monday, March 31, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
Spring Cleaning #29 - email
I just spent fifteen minutes going through my email inbox. It's kind of insane how much builds up - and I've only worked here for six months!
That's nothing, though. My personal email has over 800 messages in the inbox. Over 800! But it's a Gmail account and they seem to have a limitless storage space. I should go through my inbox, delete things that are hopelessly out of date, but by this point, it would take so long that it's not really worth it. I suppose I could push that "Archive" button, but the thought of a completely empty inbox somewhat frightens me.
Relatively speaking, my work email is easy to keep track of. I haven't given that email address to any friends or family, so the only emails I receive are work related. Those fall into specific categories and I finally created folders to keep things more organized. From this point on, my goal is to make use of those (and possibly other) folders, and go through my inbox on a fairly regular basis.
So that's my big email organization plan. I'll strive to keep my work inbox up-to-date, folder-ed and clean, while my personal inbox expands to mammoth sizes. ;)
That's nothing, though. My personal email has over 800 messages in the inbox. Over 800! But it's a Gmail account and they seem to have a limitless storage space. I should go through my inbox, delete things that are hopelessly out of date, but by this point, it would take so long that it's not really worth it. I suppose I could push that "Archive" button, but the thought of a completely empty inbox somewhat frightens me.
Relatively speaking, my work email is easy to keep track of. I haven't given that email address to any friends or family, so the only emails I receive are work related. Those fall into specific categories and I finally created folders to keep things more organized. From this point on, my goal is to make use of those (and possibly other) folders, and go through my inbox on a fairly regular basis.
So that's my big email organization plan. I'll strive to keep my work inbox up-to-date, folder-ed and clean, while my personal inbox expands to mammoth sizes. ;)
Spring Cleaning #28 - GTD
I love lists. Lists make the world go round. They really, really do. If listing be the stuff of life, list on!
What I don't like is someone telling me how, where, or when I should create my lists. That really bugs me. In the quarter century I've lived, I've come to the (entirely true) decision that what works for one person is not guaranteed to work for another person. That's the beauty of humanity, right? That we aren't all the same, that what makes one person tick isn't the same as what makes the other 6 billion people on the planet tick.
At the beginning of iHCPL we briefly discussed the different learning styles people exhibit. It stands to reason that if people learn differently, they would organize differently. I, for example, have to make a list with good, old fashioned pencil and paper. The act of writing everything down, combined with the ability to doodle, scritch things along the sides, draw arrows pointing to various things, and, when the task is down, draw a thick, black line through the item, is both necessary and awesome. I make to do lists on a weekly (often more frequently) basis and scads of lists on any topic under the sun. I just really love lists.
I do use Google Calendar, and it helps to a certain extent, but mainly with my finances and keeping bill due dates and Paycheck Thursdays in order. I took a look at Remember the Milk and it has some interesting features, but I think I'll stick to my pencil and paper lists for now.
What I don't like is someone telling me how, where, or when I should create my lists. That really bugs me. In the quarter century I've lived, I've come to the (entirely true) decision that what works for one person is not guaranteed to work for another person. That's the beauty of humanity, right? That we aren't all the same, that what makes one person tick isn't the same as what makes the other 6 billion people on the planet tick.
At the beginning of iHCPL we briefly discussed the different learning styles people exhibit. It stands to reason that if people learn differently, they would organize differently. I, for example, have to make a list with good, old fashioned pencil and paper. The act of writing everything down, combined with the ability to doodle, scritch things along the sides, draw arrows pointing to various things, and, when the task is down, draw a thick, black line through the item, is both necessary and awesome. I make to do lists on a weekly (often more frequently) basis and scads of lists on any topic under the sun. I just really love lists.
I do use Google Calendar, and it helps to a certain extent, but mainly with my finances and keeping bill due dates and Paycheck Thursdays in order. I took a look at Remember the Milk and it has some interesting features, but I think I'll stick to my pencil and paper lists for now.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Sound #26 - social networking
Two or three years ago a friend of mine told me she had created a MySpace account. My response? Why would she do that if she already had a LiveJournal, which is blogging with a healthy dose of social networking and a distinct lack predators? She said it was because a number of her favorite indie bands had MySpace pages with concert updates, etc that she could only see if she had her own account.
Tricky, tricky.
Unlike my friend, who never updates her MySpace page, but uses it only for the band information it gives her access to, I resisted the urge entirely and have kept a safe distance. For reasons that have nothing to do with music and everything to do with my sense of personal safety, I refuse to create a MySpace account. I can (vaguely) see the appeal for those who are heavily into the indie music scene, but it has far too many issues for me.
I did spend some time poking around Imeem and Project Playlist, both of which are interesting sites all about sharing music in a playlist form on any blogging or social networking site. I am seriously considering putting together the occasional playlist for a post on my personal blog. In the past, my friends and I have posted monthly lists of Seven Songs I am Currently Obsessed With. Those lists would be far more exciting if I could post a playlist to play the songs my readers might not be familiar with. It's a handy tool, one I was (mostly) unaware of.
Tricky, tricky.
Unlike my friend, who never updates her MySpace page, but uses it only for the band information it gives her access to, I resisted the urge entirely and have kept a safe distance. For reasons that have nothing to do with music and everything to do with my sense of personal safety, I refuse to create a MySpace account. I can (vaguely) see the appeal for those who are heavily into the indie music scene, but it has far too many issues for me.
I did spend some time poking around Imeem and Project Playlist, both of which are interesting sites all about sharing music in a playlist form on any blogging or social networking site. I am seriously considering putting together the occasional playlist for a post on my personal blog. In the past, my friends and I have posted monthly lists of Seven Songs I am Currently Obsessed With. Those lists would be far more exciting if I could post a playlist to play the songs my readers might not be familiar with. It's a handy tool, one I was (mostly) unaware of.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Sound #25
In my last post I discussed at length my love for my iPod. I really do love Charlie the iPod, but I still use CD's in the car. My car (Bertie the Nissan Versa) may be spiffy and new and sport an mp3 jack, but I find that using the iPod in the car, particularly for short trips, is tricky. (Besides, I don't want to leave an iPod in my car, so there's the hassle of trying to fit it in my too-small purse when I get out.)
But, because my car is crammed with far too many features, most of which aren't absolutely (or even partially) necessary, it also sports a 6 disc CD player. This means that I still rely a great deal on CD's for my music while driving. I've burned many a CD in my day (from songs purchased on iTunes) and, until something better comes along, will continue to do so.
I honestly have an incredibly hard time supporting the RIAA in their copyright crusade. They are out for blood, and it doesn't seem like they much care who gets hurt in the process. I don't want to steal music and I'm not a member of a P2P network, but it seems like the RIAA keeps pushing further and further until everything, even things that were once safe, is pushing the bounds of legality.
In their latest bid, the RIAA stated that ripping a CD you personally own (as in purchased yourself) is illegal. I find this just the tiniest bit ridiculous, seeing as it is still legal to burn one copy for yourself of a CD you own. If this newest statement holds up, it would essentially mean that people with a large number of CD's and an iPod would need to repurchase those CD's in via an online store.
But, I'd rather not get in trouble, so...
But, because my car is crammed with far too many features, most of which aren't absolutely (or even partially) necessary, it also sports a 6 disc CD player. This means that I still rely a great deal on CD's for my music while driving. I've burned many a CD in my day (from songs purchased on iTunes) and, until something better comes along, will continue to do so.
I honestly have an incredibly hard time supporting the RIAA in their copyright crusade. They are out for blood, and it doesn't seem like they much care who gets hurt in the process. I don't want to steal music and I'm not a member of a P2P network, but it seems like the RIAA keeps pushing further and further until everything, even things that were once safe, is pushing the bounds of legality.
In their latest bid, the RIAA stated that ripping a CD you personally own (as in purchased yourself) is illegal. I find this just the tiniest bit ridiculous, seeing as it is still legal to burn one copy for yourself of a CD you own. If this newest statement holds up, it would essentially mean that people with a large number of CD's and an iPod would need to repurchase those CD's in via an online store.
But, I'd rather not get in trouble, so...
Sound #24
*cue theme music*
These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. It's continuing mission, to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilization, to boldly go where no one has gone before!
iHCPL is back and, in true SciFi style, has a new style to it. Fantastic! So without further ado, mp3's.
As I mentioned back in the days of iHCPL 1.0, I have an iPod, fondly referred to as Charlie. I adore Charlie (even if he is so old that he's big in size, light on storage space, and incapable of playing video). I also have a shuffle, lovingly dubbed Colby. He's blue and shiny and clips onto my shirt for an easy, hands-free workout.
I've owned an iPod for several years, so I already feel like a pro at downloading music to it. In fact, just last week I hooked Charlie up to Rodney the MacBook Pro and transferred all of my new music. I believe I've stated this in the past, but Apple owns my soul. It is my goal in life to own one of the spiffy new iPod Touch models. Someday...
Even though I'm a firm believer in the awesome that is iTunes, I explored some of the other sites mentioned - all in the spirit of iHCPL, of course. What annoys me about music downloading sites is that you generally have to set up an account and give out a credit card number to purchase songs. Frankly, I don't want that information stored on three or four different sites when 98% of the time iTunes does the job. Also, Rhapsody, which I've tried to use in the past, operates very slowly on my computer. I'm not sure if it's an operating system issue or just me, but it's not worth the hassle.
I took a peek at music.download.com, and found a few interesting things. For the most part, though, I found the collection limited in scope. It might be interesting to browse through the free downloads list at some point, but it won't be priority.
As for streaming audio, it just isn't my cup of tea. I get easily distracted, particularly if I'm trying to read or write, and having songs with words playing at all times would simply not work. I know so many people who absolutely love Pandora (or something similar), and I've tried so hard to enjoy it...but I just don't. I'd rather listen to some of the 20 gigs of music I already have on my computer.
I did discover that at least one of the radio stations I sometimes listen to, Mix 96.5, has a website with Live Listening. I doubt I'll ever listen to the radio online as I can barely tolerate the radio in the car, but it's handy to know about for when that one song I just can't remember the name of plays.
Yeah, reading back over that it all seems pretty negative. I really do love Charlie the iPod and Colby the Shuffle and iTunes and purchasing songs for 99 cents! Sure, I have to limit my spending to a gift card every now and then, but it all works out in the end!
These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. It's continuing mission, to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilization, to boldly go where no one has gone before!
iHCPL is back and, in true SciFi style, has a new style to it. Fantastic! So without further ado, mp3's.
As I mentioned back in the days of iHCPL 1.0, I have an iPod, fondly referred to as Charlie. I adore Charlie (even if he is so old that he's big in size, light on storage space, and incapable of playing video). I also have a shuffle, lovingly dubbed Colby. He's blue and shiny and clips onto my shirt for an easy, hands-free workout.
I've owned an iPod for several years, so I already feel like a pro at downloading music to it. In fact, just last week I hooked Charlie up to Rodney the MacBook Pro and transferred all of my new music. I believe I've stated this in the past, but Apple owns my soul. It is my goal in life to own one of the spiffy new iPod Touch models. Someday...
Even though I'm a firm believer in the awesome that is iTunes, I explored some of the other sites mentioned - all in the spirit of iHCPL, of course. What annoys me about music downloading sites is that you generally have to set up an account and give out a credit card number to purchase songs. Frankly, I don't want that information stored on three or four different sites when 98% of the time iTunes does the job. Also, Rhapsody, which I've tried to use in the past, operates very slowly on my computer. I'm not sure if it's an operating system issue or just me, but it's not worth the hassle.
I took a peek at music.download.com, and found a few interesting things. For the most part, though, I found the collection limited in scope. It might be interesting to browse through the free downloads list at some point, but it won't be priority.
As for streaming audio, it just isn't my cup of tea. I get easily distracted, particularly if I'm trying to read or write, and having songs with words playing at all times would simply not work. I know so many people who absolutely love Pandora (or something similar), and I've tried so hard to enjoy it...but I just don't. I'd rather listen to some of the 20 gigs of music I already have on my computer.
I did discover that at least one of the radio stations I sometimes listen to, Mix 96.5, has a website with Live Listening. I doubt I'll ever listen to the radio online as I can barely tolerate the radio in the car, but it's handy to know about for when that one song I just can't remember the name of plays.
Yeah, reading back over that it all seems pretty negative. I really do love Charlie the iPod and Colby the Shuffle and iTunes and purchasing songs for 99 cents! Sure, I have to limit my spending to a gift card every now and then, but it all works out in the end!
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