What was that blog again? Oh, wait! I use RSS feeds!

I am one of those people who never has the time to keep current with all the latest blog posts. I don't know how some people manage it, but I sure haven't discovered their miracle secret to staying up to date. At least now, with RSS feeds coming to my Bloglines account (and the Google Reader account I already had), I no longer have to remember exactly which blogs and sites I'm behind in reading. RSS brings me that information! So although it hasn't revolutionized my world, it has at least eliminated a few things off the impossibly long list of things I'm trying to remember at any given moment. Which is an improvement, I guess. Freed up some brain space for other information to forget repeatedly. And every once in a while I do remember to login and check the blogs I like reading, so having the RSS feeds collected in one (OK, two) place(s) is quite handy. I'm a convert.

Flower Sudoku with Flickr

This is the coolest Flickr-related app I've ever seen!

I clicked on the link from our Discover 2.0 blog, and the page that came up defaulted to a Sudoku grid with hamsters on it, so I played around with the button to click to get new pictures and solved that puzzle. Then I decided to try a new tag and chose flowers. This is the puzzle I ended up getting, which I then solved. (I can't figure out how to upload the exact completed puzzle, so this link just takes you to the page where you get a new puzzle. Sorry!) The flowers are gorgeous! The only complaints I have are that you have to stare really hard at the screen, which gives me a headache, and it's harder to keep track of which photos have and have not been used in a square or row than it is to glance and see which numbers have/haven't been used yet. Still, it's fun! And I like that I found a computer game I actually enjoy, which requires no particular hand/eye coordination. :)

I also played around with the Spell with Flickr app. This is what it came up with for Discover 2.0--lovely, no? I like that you can click on an individual letter until it comes up with one you like. Not sure if there's a "back" option on that--I didn't try it yet.

I'm amazed that people figure out how to create these programs. It's certainly nothing I know how to do. Nor would I probably be able to think up an idea of what to create even if I could...and wanted to devote sufficient time to it...which is also unlikely. So hooray for the folks who do!

Landscapes on Flikr

I wasn't sure what to search for in the Flickr tags. I hadn't anything specific in mind for this post. But I like landscapes, so I eventually put that in as a search word. And this is one of the ones that came up on the first page:
Based on the "caption" on the page where I viewed the full image, I'd guess this was taken somewhere in Italy. What I love about it, though, is the blue of the clouds. It just seems to glow, and I have no idea what time of day it's supposed to be. Maybe the photographer (adrianoperelli) used a filter--I don't know. Doesn't really matter. I just find it peaceful to look at.

So there you go. Maybe you'll find it peaceful, too.

My first blog post...ain't it grand?

My thoughts on the whole 7 1/2 Habits of Lifelong Learners...well...I like #7 1/2! The rest of it isn't really new information--just old news repackaged. Not that there is anything wrong with what they said--they are quite correct, after all. It's just that I've been raised to do all those steps, so it feels like stating the obvious.

That being said...what would I say is my easiest step to follow? Probably #4: Have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner. I've always been able to learn most things quickly and well, so I pick this one.

My hardest step to follow might be #1: Begin with the end in mind. I don't always stop to clearly articulate my goals, and that can make staying on track and knowing when I've succeeded a bit tricky.