Ah, Blogging. Why do we do it? Personally, I find that I don't have time to write out all my thoughts of the day--and if I did, I don't know that I would really want anyone in the world to have access to them. Blogging is rather like publishing your diary on the internet for everyone to see. I could go on and on about the people I work with or my views on politics, but I find other things to occupy my time.
I guess writers would have the most reason to set up a blog. Their work could then be available for every person on the internet. Then maybe they could get a job, if they were unpublished. Or if they already had a writing job, they could keep fans up-to-date on their current projects.
I'm not a fan of blogs in general. Like several million other people, I surf the internet. I shop and find information. I never really felt the need to search out others people's opinions on, well, anything. I would rather come up with my own opinions based on accurate information than spread possible misinformation from someone else's blog.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Wordsmith.org's A.Word.A.Day
What is linctus anyway?
Medical terms are being featured this week on Wordsmith.org's A.Word.A.Day blog. The blog helps those who like to increase their vocabulary. Pronunciation, meaning, etymology, and usage are all given for each word of the day. This may be helpful for high school students studying for their SAT's or ACT's as well as the average adult wishing to add to their lexicon. I wonder if blogs like this are mentioned in study books for these tests.
At the bottom of the page for each word of the day is a thought for today. These thoughts have nothing to do with the word of the day. Linctus' thought of the day is a quote by Cicero: "It was our own moral failure and not any accident of chance, that while preserving the appearance of the Republic we lost its reality." Since linctus is "a syrupy liquid medicine, especially for treating coughs," no obvious connection (such as using the word in the quote) can be found. Stretching it a bit, one could make a connection--the Romans liquid-coated the Republic's situation by ignoring their real problems as long as they could. I don't think the authors of the site were really trying to make such a connection. This being said, I'm not sure why it is included on the word's page. Perhaps the authors did a bit of research on people who generally utilize sites such as theirs and found a thought of the day something to their liking as well as a word of the day. Or maybe they just didn't feel like making more webpages to cover a thought of the day alone.
Medical terms are being featured this week on Wordsmith.org's A.Word.A.Day blog. The blog helps those who like to increase their vocabulary. Pronunciation, meaning, etymology, and usage are all given for each word of the day. This may be helpful for high school students studying for their SAT's or ACT's as well as the average adult wishing to add to their lexicon. I wonder if blogs like this are mentioned in study books for these tests.
At the bottom of the page for each word of the day is a thought for today. These thoughts have nothing to do with the word of the day. Linctus' thought of the day is a quote by Cicero: "It was our own moral failure and not any accident of chance, that while preserving the appearance of the Republic we lost its reality." Since linctus is "a syrupy liquid medicine, especially for treating coughs," no obvious connection (such as using the word in the quote) can be found. Stretching it a bit, one could make a connection--the Romans liquid-coated the Republic's situation by ignoring their real problems as long as they could. I don't think the authors of the site were really trying to make such a connection. This being said, I'm not sure why it is included on the word's page. Perhaps the authors did a bit of research on people who generally utilize sites such as theirs and found a thought of the day something to their liking as well as a word of the day. Or maybe they just didn't feel like making more webpages to cover a thought of the day alone.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Librarians' Internet Index: New This Week
I wish I had known of this blog before. The Librarians' Internet Index gives brief descriptions of new library-related websites. The websites are often about current library or popular events. This week's topics included summer reading programs, george carlin's biography, and fun travel ideas. Links are provided for all the websites along with their descriptions.
I'd never really thought seriously about experimental tourism before now. Lonely Planet has a huge list of interesting ways to travel. This goes beyond keeping up an accent through dinner at a strange restaurant. Couples talk of traveling to the same city separately meaning to find each other. Whether or not they find each other, they have lots to talk about afterward. Traveling from one country to another with a blindfold on the entire time or using the number 12 to completely plan your itinerary are other quirky examples of the travel experiments listed on the site.
Before gas prices got so high, I used to drive out into the country, get lost, and find my way back home to relieve stress. If only I could find someone who didn't think that was odd, maybe I could do more experimental traveling myself!
I'd never really thought seriously about experimental tourism before now. Lonely Planet has a huge list of interesting ways to travel. This goes beyond keeping up an accent through dinner at a strange restaurant. Couples talk of traveling to the same city separately meaning to find each other. Whether or not they find each other, they have lots to talk about afterward. Traveling from one country to another with a blindfold on the entire time or using the number 12 to completely plan your itinerary are other quirky examples of the travel experiments listed on the site.
Before gas prices got so high, I used to drive out into the country, get lost, and find my way back home to relieve stress. If only I could find someone who didn't think that was odd, maybe I could do more experimental traveling myself!
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