#17 - Play, then catch up or take a break

This week we slow things down a bit - we've got just one lesson, a fast and fun one at that, and then time for you to take a break and/or catch up on previous lessons.

But first an update on the state of Learning 2.0 - David and Bruce Schauer fill you in on a few of the details in this week's podcast.

Click the Play button above
to hear this week's Podcast (1:42)
Now on to this week's lesson - we'd like you to take a look at some image and text generators. These are minor feats of programming that have resulted in fun, sometimes silly, ways to spend a few minutes.

And how do these affect libraries?

Well, I'll be honest, my answer is going to be something of a stretch. Libraries and these image generators, broadly speaking, encourage you to keep an open mind...

So, with an open mind, let's get to today's Discovery Exercise.

1. Take a look at some generator-themed sites:
   
   The Generator Blog lists many. Take a look at the descriptions and see if something interests you. Me, I'm a big fan of the Nietzsche Family Circus Generator.
   
   FD Toys works with Flickr or other photos you may have saved on your computer to create faux posters, magazine covers, and (some of you may have even looked at these during our Mashups lesson).
   
   You as a South Park Character - join me, take the plunge:
   
   
   (be warned - these are a bit difficult to save)
   
   You as a Simpsons Character
   
   
   (clearly, I need to stay away from Springfield)
   
2. Create an image from any of the above and, if possible, save a copy to your blog (first save the image to your computer, then use the blogger 'add image' button) or link the image to your blog.

And that's all for the week. Enjoy your break (or catch-up) and we'll be back with a full week of Learning 2.0 next Monday.

Postscript

Many of you have braved the complex maneuver of saving your South Park and Simpsons images. If you are still having problems, here's one way to do it:

1. Open up the 'Paint' program (Start Menu > Programs > Accessories > Paint)
   
2. Go back to the webpage with your finished character
   
3. Press the PrtSc button on your keyboard
   
4. Go back to Paint
   
5. Go under the 'Edit' menu and choose 'Paste.' This will paste the entire screen
   
6. Crop the image down (to show just your character), click on the box icon in the top left corner of your screen (it looks like a square with dotted lines)
   
7. Drag a box around the part of the screen you want to KEEP
   
8. Go under the 'Edit' menu and select 'Copy to...'
   
9. From the resulting menu, save it to your computer's desktop
   
10. The image is now ready for uploading via your blogger 'Add Image' button
    

Next up: searching and more 2.0 concepts...

#6 - Even more fun with Flickr (aka Mashups)

Like many web 2.0 sites, Flickr has encouraged other people to build their own online applications using images found on their site. Through the use of APIs (application programming interfaces), many people have created third party tools and mashups that use Flickr images.

Mashups?

Mashups are hybrid web applications that take features from one application (like Flickr) and mash it up with another (like a mapping program). With this combination, for example, you get Mappr.

Wikipedia offers a slightly more detailed explanation.

New mashups come out, literally, every day. Here are some fun ones that work with Flickr:

- Spell with Flickr lets you spell anything from Flickr photos.
- Montagr creates photo mosaics from photos found on Flickr - all you have to do is change the tag in the top right corner.
- Flickr Color Pickr lets you find public photos in Flickr that match a specific color.
- Retrievr lets you find photos based on your sketching abilities.
- Trading Card Maker lets you create your own trading cards (many library staff already have...).
- There's even Flickr Sudoku.

And tons more - discover more on the Flickr services page, Flickr Bits (this is not officially part of Flickr) web apps, and this incredible list of Flickr tools from Quick Online Tips.

And now to today's Discovery Exercise.

1. Explore some of the fun Flickr mashups and 3rd party tools that are mentioned in this blog posting or in the links provided just above.
   
2. Create a blog post about the one that is most intriguing to you. Tell us which one you explored and what you liked about it.
   

That, everyone, is it for today's discovery exercise - hope you've had fun exploring some of these extremely cool Flickr mashups. All that's left to do now is submit your weekly Learning 2.0 Progress Log.

Next up: RSS & Newsreaders...