Just browsing ...

Photo of Young People's Browsing Room from New York Public Library's photostream.

I’ve really enjoyed this sightseeing trip. Was entertained by the video doing the comparison between the four browsers.

Then decided to do some exploring myself and did tours of Google Chrome and Firefox. I’ve downloaded both. Firefox was trouble-free. Encountered some problems with Google Chrome’s installation. Reports on each to follow:

Firefox

• The video tour highlighted the speed and security aspects of the browser. The private browsing, scam identifiers and “forget about this site” features were of note. I was intrigued by the “awesome bar” and the idea that it learns as you use it. The bookmarking tool is certainly easy to use and edit.
• I admit I was taken in by the add-ons mentioned in Fashion Your Firefox. Some sounded promising but weren’t quite what I’d expected. StumbleUpon and the Shutterbug options got my attention immediately. Of course, News Junkie is a prerequisite for me, particularly its Read It Later. Lost plenty of time playing in the Decorator area. Appreciated the Digital Pack Rat especially the Thumbstrips.

Google Chrome

Features that I prized:

• Like the Google search page, Google Chrome’s interface is clutter- free. The arrangement of the toolbar and address bar allow for so much room to view a web page itself and not the browser.
• Chrome’s double duty all in one address bar & search box was an adjustment that I admit took a little getting used to. I suppose I don’t mind the set up of the separate ones as per Firefox.
• Liked the options to “Pick a theme” by artists or google. What to choose - Wes Craven, Mulberry, Anna Sui or Hedgehog in the fog?
• Adored the huge list of shortcut keys although I don’t think my memory is quite up to the job to retain even half of them.
  

Photo from State Library of Queensland's photostream

Which is best? At this stage I’m just happy to find the content I’m after, however the browser looks and operates. I have a leaning towards Firefox for all its customization options, but then again I am in love with the layout of Chrome - there are still so many other browsers I haven't tried yet. Haven’t quite made up my mind. So many goodies to choose from the window. Still browsing, thanks for asking though.

Casting a wide net

Photo from State Library and Archives of Florida's photostream.

On this latest fishing expedition I have stopped off at a few hot spots to see where the fish are biting. I have even jumped into several "streams" in the hope of catching some interesting cod casts, sorry I mean podcasts.

I am by no means a podcast aficionado but am very familiar with the attributes that make it so enticing. The beauty of being able to access what you want anywhere, anytime and listen to it whenever, wherever you please is a revelation. Convenience and the attraction of being able take podcasts with you has many hooked fish in the Internet Ocean. It means that there is now no excuse for letting the big one get away - there's always a podcast archive.

Photo from Oregon State University Archives' photostream

Photo from State Library of NSW photostream

My favourite fishing (podcasting) spots include ones that :

• enlighten me: I love to catch topical and not so typical podcasts on news & current affairs. I prefer to visit podcasts with a slightly different angle or more in depth approach. Enjoy most of ABC's podcasts. A particular favourite is ForaRadio. Also like throwing a line in to catch some of ABC's sport podcasts.
• educate me: Whether it's learning a language or a song, podcasts can be a rewarding expedition on the education freeway. I've found podcasts to take me to lectures and festivals. I didn't have to worry about finding a good seat or deal with noisy distractions. I could pause at any time. I spied a lot of libraries on this journey making use of podcasts for sharing author talks, book reviews and exhibitions. Also caught sight of some using it for training and tours.
• entertain me: Podcasts can brighten and lighten the day allowing me to catch up on those shows that I've missed out and to listen to them at my own leisure. So, if someone tells me again about the crazy thing on the Hamish and Andy show I can go to their podcasts to hear it myself. Music & podcasting go hand in hand and give you a front row ticket. I am a fan of NPR Music with its music interviews and performances. For instance, I could listen to a two-hour Tom Waits concert that I could never get to. Again ABC offers so much, for example, Triple J's Richard Kingsmill's podcast.
  
  On this trip there were a variety of professional broadcast podcasts and unique amateur (& bizarre) offerings that were worth paying a visit. For example, askaninja with its comic take on a ninja handbook. By the way, on a little side trip I snagged plenty of fishing podcasts - threw most of them back though - bit dry for my taste. Anyway, there are plenty of other podcasts in the sea. This is a stream I think that will never be fished out.

IN THE MIX?

Photo of tram & taxi crash in Pitt St. from State Library of New South Wales photostream.

#2 Mashup mousetrap mishap?

I feel as though I've been trapped too long looking at the huge range of websites using mashups. It was an enlightening exit to take , but I felt I had better escape and get back to blog business. Some of my discoveries include:

• Twitter seems to dominate this path. Mashups to help Twitter users (twitters? twitterers? tweeters? twits??) with their tweets abound. Everything from how to convert tweets to SMS shorthand or to translate them to another language. Twitterfall highlights the latest tweet trends & allows searches on what those in your suburb are tweeting about.
  
  
• Photos also get a lot of attention on the mashup motorway. I saw a lot of creative sites making use of them. I particularly liked gimme shiny where the mashing up of the photography & art communities (using Flickr & deviantART along with the bookmarking of FFFFound ) made for fascinating viewing. Pixelpipe showed another way for photos & videos to be shared on social networking and photo websites.
  
  
• Maps certainly direct the action on a lot of sites. I saw many inventive examples of Google Maps use - from checking on real estate in the area to the nearest coffee shops. There were sites combining it with recommendations and reminiscences of town hot spots. Another interesting combination was spot story where maps, photos and experiences of favourite "spots" are shared. (Perhaps this is an avenue for libraries to encourage client participation with their favourite books or spots where they like to read or spots in the library or other local spots that they like.)
  
  
  
• Books do have some mashed up locations. Amazon.com appears to feature heavily in these collaborations. Reading radar is a simple combination of it with the New York Times bestseller list. zoomii books is another example where a mashup is used to bring the experience of browsing bookstore shelves to life while shopping online.