Aps and All

As I've worked on tidying up the blog, I've also been playing around with some web applications and things like that. (If my doing so has messed with your feed or such, my apologies. But I'm just now learning about these things and have changed my settings a few times.)

First, huge thanks to my friend Susan for posting her "things" list about things she likes and educating me about Google Reader. I am slowly playing around with that, and I can already see how much of a help it will be.

See, each morning, I, over coffee, visit several blogs. I have a hand full of friend/social/town ones I check, then I have another hand full of professor and law blogs. (most of them are, technically, law professor blogs.) Naturally, I've bookmarked them all and saved them to a special folder in my favorites list, making it easier to click on each. But now I've learned that for most of them, I can have new posts sent to me. How cool! It will, of course, take some adjustment to not clicking on each blog separately, but can't you see how much more efficient this can be?

Aside I: being efficient is of great import, and it's one thing I'm willing to say is a decent reason to allow laptops in classrooms. I still haven't heard from anyone on that article, which is maddening in that both yesterday and today, this has been an issue on law blogs. People want stats. they want data. I have it, but I need someone to publish it "officially." Patience . . .

Aside II: And how great that I'm learning new tech stuff now. See, as part of the time I'm visiting Mom (who, by the way, gets me to lay my head at her home more than anyone else during my Texas whirlwind), I have promised to help her with her computer. I'm going to see if folders for her favorites will help, and if she doesn't have 'em already, and help organize that info. (I do, after all, love organization, eh?) I'll also help set up some automatic gmail email folders with auto archiving. (totally fabulous way to manage the info we're sent.) Ah---and I will help her re-figure out commenting, so expect to see some Mom comments soon. ;-) But that's not all. Mom will do amazing things with me---maybe some tie dying (she makes doggie bandannas now) or who knows what other artistic event awaits? Most of all, though, I'm looking forward to morning coffee (&/or evening wine) with her and chats on the incredible deck.

Okay---back to tech. Aside from the reader services, I'm trying to learn about feedburner too. (I've already realized there are some of you reading out there I'd had no idea about before. Welcome, and glad you're here! ;-) ) And having just learned about online and automated organization systems, I've been researching things like Sandy and Jott. One allows you to email and ask for reminders, and the other allows you to voicemail and get emails sent. Not sure I'll use either, but both have potential. (I haven't had a problem with forgetting appointments or such, too much. Outlook works great for me. But I'll have to see the system I have once I get to my new place and work more on integrating my home and work systems.)

I have--finally---also gotten through all the pictures on my computer and gotten them all in folders. (a couple of years ago, that would have been: "I finally went through all my photo prints and put them in albums.") I also went through all of my folders and random files in my Documents folders and organized them. (years ago: "I just organized my filing cabinet and all those piles of papers on my desk.") Most of that was easy; the pictures, though, whew!

And being old-fashioned, I also am working on my actual wooden desk and those files. Granted, I need to update my operating system and memory---er, that is, I need a bigger file cabinet. But that will wait until my next next home. That is, not this rental "to be," but once I buy, then I'll figure out my office storage issues and configurations.

My comments above are a little tongue-in-cheek, sure. But they're mostly completely serious. How interesting how much things as simple as how we handle information at home has changed over just a few years. Just a decade or so, and things are so very different.

Where will the future go? I don't know, but that's probably the reason I'll most likely, eventually, pay the extra fee for huge storage of photos and store all mine on Picasso. After all, my current computer would not know what to do with a 3.5 disk. Will my computer in 2 or 4 years know how to read a CD? Sure, there's USB, but I can't help but wonder how long that'll last.

Progress: Fabulous . . . but frustrating.

Of course, the former so totally outweighs the latter. And that's why I keep trying to learn. :-)