A whole bunch of interesting things going on. Many involve computers/information systems. This morning I was thinking I should have done computer science as my undergrad degree. But then I was thinking I would’ve missed out on a whole lot of Russian, linguistic, and literature goodness. Variety is nice.
1. Got Ubuntu installed and running happily on our Acer AspireOne netbook (it can still boot into Windows too, ’cause I still need that for the TOEFL test grading I do once in a while for extra cash). I know I need more time to really see how I like it, but right now my thinking is “if Ubuntu can do everything I need, and more, and it’s free, and it’s open source, why buy another Mac when my current one dies?”. This last year has been one slow series of moves away from Apple products for me – first the Android phone instead of an iPhone, and now becoming totally smitten with the Ubuntu-tastic netbook while my MacBook sits on the shelf.
2. American Library Association Tech Source webinar on Metadata with Karen Coyle on April 1. I’m signed up. I’m diggin’ metadata these days.
3. The Unconferenz (oh! the Z at the end is like nails on a blackboard!) is coming to Kapiolani Community College this Saturday, March 20, 8am-4pm. Tech, Internet, T-shirt, and lunch, all for $25. Yes, I’m signed up.
4. Interesting New York Times article: Fending Off Digital Decay, Bit by Bit. Emory University recently acquired a huge collection of archival material from Salman Rushdie, including FOUR COMPUTERS. With drafts on them. Pretty cool, if you can get at the information in those old files (which it sounds like they could).
5. NiceREALLY GOOD post at The Book of Trogool on open source, open access, open standards . . . all those “opens”. Because yeah, open things are good. But do you really know what exactly you’re talking about? I don’t. Not all the time, at least.
Re. #4 — I read this article on the airplane (in the International Herald Tribune) and thought of you. I actually thought of clipping it, but then I realized you would OF COURSE see it yourself :)
My blog has been slow of late. But I’ve been meaning to make a list of all the open source software I’m using. Even at work I am attempting to move away from all closed source.
Re. #4 thanks for the thought!
Re. open source – I’d be very interested in seeing your list!