Thank you to "Memphis" for suggesting the MuseumPods site. I knew something like this was out there. I found a podcast from the Horniman Museum in London, England, titled The Music of Punjab. The podcast relates to a recent exhibition called Utsavam - Music of India. In addition to learning about the musical instruments used in bhangra music, I now know that Punjab literally translates to "five water" and that there are five rivers in the Punjab region of India.
Podcasts are an excellent educational tool. The VHS should explore creating podcasts for use in permanent and temporary exhibitions. Podcasts could be designed for use in the building or as stand alone educational material for people who cannot easily visit in person. The possibilities are really endless.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
I'm a Mac
The initial thought bubble that appears over my head after taking the tour of Google Docs looked something like this: "Where was this when we were working on the digital imaging strategic plan?"
The Google Docs tour, however, seemed a little too good to be true and I decided to search for criticism of the application. I found a wiki about Google Docs that listed some of the pros and cons. Apparently some of the features of Google Docs are not compatible with the Mac. I use a PC at work and a Mac at home and I'm not confident about the mobility between machines with this application. At least you can get MS Office for the Mac. The wiki was last updated 1 December 2007 and a lot can change in a year, but the wiki did mention problems with both the Safari and Firefox browsers.
Another article also emphasizes the obvious drawbacks such as security, offline access, and unavailability of Google Docs. I'd have to see Google Docs in action to really see how it compares to using MS Office. I'm willing to try it once.
The Google Docs tour, however, seemed a little too good to be true and I decided to search for criticism of the application. I found a wiki about Google Docs that listed some of the pros and cons. Apparently some of the features of Google Docs are not compatible with the Mac. I use a PC at work and a Mac at home and I'm not confident about the mobility between machines with this application. At least you can get MS Office for the Mac. The wiki was last updated 1 December 2007 and a lot can change in a year, but the wiki did mention problems with both the Safari and Firefox browsers.
Another article also emphasizes the obvious drawbacks such as security, offline access, and unavailability of Google Docs. I'd have to see Google Docs in action to really see how it compares to using MS Office. I'm willing to try it once.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
pbwiki
I have some doubts about the reliability of information shared though wikis. I have cautiously used Wikipedia and since I don't hear thunder rumbling in the distance, I also think I can get away with saying that Wookieepedia is entirely based on a fictitious universe.
The pbwiki is useful for communicating across departments. I have confessed to the books hiding in my office, although I suspect that no one else is interested in them.
The pbwiki is useful for communicating across departments. I have confessed to the books hiding in my office, although I suspect that no one else is interested in them.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Target
I had a discussion about Myspace and Facebook with one of my colleagues in the museum department a few months ago and he compared Myspace to Walmart and Facebook to Target. I laughed and thought it was a good comparison. It's been fun locating old friends on Facebook. The Facebook team threw me a curve ball with the changes they made to the layout, but I'm adjusting. I don't visit my Myspace account nearly as often as Facebook. I also spend more time in Target than in Walmart. (I also live closer to a Target than a Walmart so this may not entirely be Walmart's fault.) Both sites can be very useful for promoting the VHS.
I just signed up for a meebo account. I'm embarrassed to say that it has been so long since I instant messaged anyone that I have no idea what my AIM password is. Usually I end up on the telephone because one or both of the parties involved in the IM is tired of typing. My family has recently discovered Skype as a way to talk to each other using our computer's video cameras instead of IM. It confuses the dogs, but saves a lot of typing.
I just signed up for a meebo account. I'm embarrassed to say that it has been so long since I instant messaged anyone that I have no idea what my AIM password is. Usually I end up on the telephone because one or both of the parties involved in the IM is tired of typing. My family has recently discovered Skype as a way to talk to each other using our computer's video cameras instead of IM. It confuses the dogs, but saves a lot of typing.
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