Facebook demo

Here is a demo of "how to give a free gift on Facebook"

SNs and Libraries

Some people tend to think that social networking sites such as MySpace or FaceBook are not useful; there is nothing "educational" about SNS. However, if libraries (with their primary role as educators), get involved in SNs, it would be quite a different story. Libraries can glean through the profiles of its users and, based on what they see, they can select and disseminate educational materials that would help satisfy user needs.
Users may perceive the libraries using SNS as a part of their world, not as isolated repositories of knowledge.

Ning

One of the greatest advantages of Ning is that anyone can create his/here social networking website based on his/her interests, areas of expertise. A Ning can be created for a specific audience or special interest group. However, Ning has its drawbacks. It requires some knowledge of web programming and lacks the scope and scalability of services such as Facebook or MySpace.
I think that Ning can be used effectively in a work environment especially for global collaboration, group projects and discussions with colleagues and co-workers.

Facebook, MySpace

Facebook is a free-access social networking website. Facebook has a number of features for users which makes it “sticky”. Some of these features include the Wall, a space on every user's profile page where friends can post messages for the user, Pokes, which allows users to virtually "poke” each other, Status, which allows users to inform their friends of their whereabouts and Photos.
One of the most popular applications on Facebook is Photos which allows users to upload an unlimited number of pictures where users can upload albums and photos. Facebook allows users to upload an unlimited number of photos.
Facebook’s “Gifts” service allows users to send virtual gifts to their friends that appear on the recipient's profile. Gifts cost $1.00 each, and a personalized message can be attached to each gift. Facebook’s “Marketplace”, allows users to post free classifieds.
Like Facebook, MySpace is also a social networking service. It has many features that make it "sticky”. MySpace’s “Profiles” section displays Zodiac signs. MySpace allows users to upload pictures. MySpace also has blogging and instant messaging capabilities. “MySpace News” displays news from RSS feeds submitted by users.

A Demo of Mathematica

This is a demo of a Symbolic Programming Software called Mathematica

vodcasts

I liked all the vodcasts. Some of my favorites:

I love coffee. This one about "How to make great coffee" is delightful:
http://jfscils598f08.blogspot.com/2008/11/my-educational-video.html

The pictures are cute and colorful, the holiday theme is well chosen:
http://tascils598f08.blogspot.com/2008/11/my-monsters.html

You can watch "Chess trap" on blip.tv

Chess trap demo

This is a brief demo of the Guico Piano opening trap by Neil Chitrao

You can also watch this show on YouTube.

Aircraft at the Smithsonian

Here are some pictures of airplanes and spacecraft at the Smithsonian(Udvar-Hazy Center) during our last trip to Washington D.C. in April 2007.

Educational Video vs. Entertainment video

It seems that educational videos may be crushed under the huge demand for entertainment videos. Who does not enjoy sitting back and watching a funny video? The whole experience is therapeutic--it relaxes the mind, lifts the spirit and eases stress. Even dedicated students, who are so strongly aware of the benefits of learning or individuals who have allocated their personal time, energy for learning, are prone to distractions and are unable to resist the temptation of watching entertainment videos.

This being said, it should be noted that educational videos have their place in this world. They serve the important purpose of instructing/educating viewers and as such, cannot be dispensed with. Their audiences consist of students, researchers, parents, teachers and enthusiasts. High school students and their parents would find videos on the SAT and ACT testing very useful. History researchers and enthusiasts might choose to watch videos on the Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire. Teenagers would like instructional videos on avaition, cars or about whatever their interests may be. In spite of their instuctional focus, educational videos may not be necessarily boring. Everybody appreciates that a good educational videos, which combine fun and learning are valuable and indispensable.

Flickr pictures

The Flickr pictures show how similar and yet how diverse our interests/tastes are. It seems that we all enjoy travel and love our pets, books, computers and the beauty of Nature. It also seems to me that we are all good photographers. Being a diverse group, we have different interests--ethnic food, botany, cars etc.