Up in the Clouds again

Heart From Cloud,
originally uploaded by zik " Tây ".

What a glorious image! Found it on Flickr and blogged it straight across from Flickr. How cool is that?

I have been looking at Zoho and Google Docs. Online word processors without the cost. Feel very happy to have come across these before we brought the new computer and forked out several hundred dollars for Microsoft Office.

For our needs at home, Zoho has got everything from word processing, forms and even web design application. Will have a look at downloading a free template for a website and processing it in Zoho. I'm having trouble publishing an item on Zoho on this blog. Don't know why. Something about User Names and Passwords and I'm very confused. So, I'll plod on and leave that for another day. May need to log out of Zoho and let it reformat as I have only just confirmed membership. How time flies when you're lost in cyberspace.

I've cut and pasted instead :

Here is a blog published from Zoho. It's doing the funny double spaced thing at the moment but that's okay. I'll figure it out. This is just incredible. Free word processing. I guess I do have concerns that all this is saved in the public domain and if I wrote anything controversial, it may be accessed by 'Big Brother' but I suppose it is unlikely that anything I said could produce much cause for concern!

Because I'm having trouble with Zoho, I've cooled a bit. But will check it out. Had a look at Word Cat. Seems enormous and still in development stages.

Feel sad to be reaching the end of CCL Learn. I have enjoyed it and I've learnt enormous amounts. I'm a little bit bewildered by so much information that has come to me. I need time to absorb it and play around a bit more. There are features such as the blog, Skype, Zoho, Flickr and some of the image editing sites that I will use regularly. I think the Blog is a great tool for recording what I've learnt because I can refer back to it.

A big thanks to CCC for giving me the opportunity to test these things out and the time during work to sit infront of a computer and concentrate. I don't think I'd have been able to get half as far on my own at home. The course notes are great. LAMS is a bit annoying in that you can't go back over things, but all in all it's a great way of learning. I like that it is self motivated and the articles are clear, easy to follow and topical.

I shall keep going!

Winter Blogging

Today I'm catching up with my blog and have added a blog list of favourite blogs. I have started the assignment on wikis - more to follow.

Mid winter - just past the shortest day. Today it's cold but the sun is out.

Went to the 'Key to Managing Stress' workshop at Outside the Square yesterday. Heartily recommend it to everyone. The speaker, Derek Roger, presents his philosophy clearly and concisely. He offers suggestions that can help in all areas of life.

To sum up, the way to handle stress is to wake up, pay attention, become detatched and let go. He uses the analogy of a house with a stream of thoughts up to the windows. If you ignore them, they'll break in. If you indulge them, you'll drown. So you open the doors and let the current run through while you sit up above in the attic and watch them go by.

Thoughts always occur but there is no need to entertain them constantly. We have choice and can chose how to spend our waking time - either in waking sleep or wide awake. Derek made us pay attention to our senses. Just listening to what is going on around us, helps us gain perspective and stay in touch with the world. We can only make a difference in the moment, now. Everything else is a dream.

Very powerful stuff.

Up in the Cloud for Free!

Tried to log on to http://www.splashup.com/ but can't remember my Yahoo log-in. Have left my book in the car so will have another go next week. Great opportunity to edit photos. There is also a free film editing site! How cool is that? http://www.jaycut.com

Or how about slide show presentations at http://www.slideshare.net/
I was worried about getting a new computer because my old version of Photoshop would be lost but, lo and behold, it is all there and free!

Important Stuff

There are so many things I find important regarding the public PC environment that CCL offers, it's hard to know where to start.

However, I do consider the opportunity for people from all walks of life to have free access to computers one of the most important features. Computer hardware is beyond the financial range of many people in the community, especially those on benefits, the elderly and families with children. Software is expensive too with new and improved versions of operating systems coming onto the market constantly. Computers in libraries enable everyone to have up-to-date access to these invaluable resources.

Technology is developing at breakneck speed and it's almost impossible now to imagine a world without it. Schools use computers constantly and assignments are almost all required to be written then 'published' using Word. Families and friends are keeping in touch through email and social networking sites and people who are separated geographically can stay in contact using programmes such as Skype. Companies are using conference calls and group networks to improve staff relations and communications. Most jobs now require computer skills and up-to-date knowledge about the internet and on-line services.

Free computers in the libraries recognise the need for everyone to have the opportunity to use computers and keep up-to-date with the latest developments in technology. I feel very happy to be part of an organisation that is making this happen for people in a safe, comfortable, easily accessible environment.

Autumn Leaves

autumn leaves,
originally uploaded by Tazliz.

I'm posting a photo from my Flickr photostream. It is handy to do this because I can now put all my photos onto Flickr and move them across onto the blog when required rather than having to have them all on disc. I am having trouble uploading images from my disc. Will try again. Maybe they're a bit too large or something. Maybe it's just network overload.

Images etc.

Today I'm looking at Images. It is one of those things I could spend days doing. All the various options for editing photos in Flickr and Picnik are bewildering. Here is an image I messed around with. It's kind of OTT but was lots of fun to create.

I really like Flickr Color Picker. There are wonderful colours out there and it is wonderful to see so many images all in my favourite colours. Flickr too has some interesting ways to view images. You can select themes, colours, follow their favourite sets. Makes me feel creative and I'd really love to get a decent digital camera so I can add images to my blog. http://www.krazydad.com/colrpickr/index.php?group=crayonbox

fd's flickr toys is also pretty astounding. It sets up colour charts from a photo - very useful for painting I think. You can also make pop art posters, cards - all sorts of stuff. I could spend days experimenting with these. The address it http://bighugelabs.com/



This is a Wordle at wordle.com. Kind of fun. Have seen these images about and now know how people create them.

Fun and Games

Time to have a bit of fun with my blog again. I've been working hard and getting through the modules. Today I am here on a Thursday because we're going away to Lake Clearwater for Queen's Birthday tonight. Four nights without power and no cellphone coverage. Sounds great. No internet either or any opportunity to use a computer.

I'm in a Matisse mood. Look at the colours! Aren't they superb? His rich reds and juxtaposition of warm and cool passages are divine. Love the chair too. It is a celebration of colour. All about sensual colour and the joy of living.

It seems I can't add more than one image to my blog:( I found three I loved but this one will suffice. Have sussed it now. You can add as many images as you like!

My blog was looking so staid and formal with all that writing. I've hit a bit of an impass. I didn't bring a pen drive with images on for the images module or a cd. My pass-it-on segment will require me to find someone to teach. Dare I try to teach Lyn and Rod to use Skype? Would it even be possible? It would certainly be a challenge and they would get a lot out of Skyping Josh and Lucy and the folk down in Oamaru. Maybe I could try it? Will contemplate things and see how it goes.


Will set up my Skype address and have a quick look at Images - see if there is something I can get on with.

The grandparents are as excited as the children about going away for
a few days. In fact, I think they're even worse because they don't have
to go to school, etc. They of course are all packed and rearing to go
whereas Jeremy and I are still at work and the house is in a shambles.
I haven't even got to the grocery shops yet. I need to buy bacon and
eggs, moisturiser, coffee and apples. I shall leave here on the dot of 2pm
and get the show on the road.

At this stage I'm looking forward to sitting down with a good book and going to sleep for a couple of days!