Thing 5

I’m already pretty familiar with RSS feeds.  I have the Google Reader on my iGoogle homepage, and I use to it to subscribe to all kinds of blogs, from my friends’ personal blogs (on Xanga, LiveJournal, Blogger, etc.), to professional blogs, to fun celebrity- or humor-themed blogs (perfect for procrastinating when I should be studying!).  Some favorites:

• Feministing (www.feministing.com)
• The Candy Pitch (thecandypitch.blogspot.com)
• Stuff White People Like (stuffwhitepeoplelike.com)
• Project Rungay (projectrungay.blogspot.com)
• Go Fug Yourself (gofugyourself.celebuzz.com)

I discovered the Google Reader about a year ago, and after just a few days of use couldn’t believe that I ever took the time to visit all these blogs separately.  Another benefit of the Google Reader is that you can access it from any computer, as long as you sign in to your Google account.  I am rarely to be found without my laptop, but it’s still a nice option to have.  Because of Google Reader, reading blog posts has become second nature to me, just like checking e-mail.  I’m not sure this is good for my productivity levels, but it has to be faster than clicking through dozens of blog links.  Just one more way modern technology is making procrastination easier and more convenient!

Thing 4

For my post about something technology-related, I thought I’d write a little bit about my latest “high-tech” purchase, the Wii Fit.

I have never been much for exercise (never played sports, hate the gym, won’t run unless someone is chasing me, etc.), so the Wii Fit seemed like a good solution for my fitness needs.  It’s low-impact and fun, set up like a series of games instead of serious exercising.  The physical exertion it demands can’t rival a workout at the gym, but it’s better than sitting on the sofa (which is what I usually do when I’m at home).  Most of the Wii Fit exercises focus on building better balance between your left and right sides, which is great for someone who spends as much time hunched over a computer keyboard as I do.

Besides the Wii videogame system itself, the Wii Fit has two main components:  the Wii remote control, which you strap to one wrist and hold while you work out, and the balance board, which sort of looks like a big white bathroom scale.  You stand on the balance board, and it reads and responds to your movements.  It’s very sensitive, so it takes a bit of getting used to at first.

When you first start using the Wii Fit, it takes you through series of tests to measure your center of balance and control.  Then it weighs you (if you have a BMI in the overweight range, it announces “That’s overweight!” – harsh, but better than the original Japanese version, which would tell players “You’re fat!”) and gives you your “Wii Fit Age”.  If you’re a bit out of shape, your Fit Age tends to be a lot higher than your actual age.  So the goal is to work down to your actual age, or even younger.

The exercises on the Wii Fit are divided into 4 categories:  Strength Training, Yoga, Aerobics, and Balance Games.  As you continue to exercise with the system, you build up points, which allows you to unlock more exercises in each category.  So far, my favorite category is yoga.

I’ve taken quite a few yoga classes before, but when I try to practice yoga on my own, I tend to rush through the poses.  Not only can the Fit measure if you’re keeping your balance throughout the pose (the screen shows a yellow circle, with a dot that represents your center of balance – the goal is to keep the dot within the bounds of the circle), it also gives you a set amount of time to hold the pose and shows an onscreen guide to help you pace your breathing.

By far the best part about the Wii Fit is that you can do it at home, on your own time – no forcing yourself to go to the gym (which never worked for me anyway).  It also has a built-in system of motivation\reward.  The more you use it, the more exercises you unlock (just like levels in a videogame), and it keeps track of your progress (improved balance, weight loss, and so on) over time.  Again, the Wii Fit is no substitute for a gym session or a jog around your neighborhood, but I’d recommend it as a fun alternative for exercise-phobic couch potatos like me.

Thing 3

For my first “real” blog post, I thought I’d write a little bit about setting up this blog, and the process of blogging in general.

I’ve actually had a personal blog since my freshman year of college.  All of my friends at that time were using the Xanga blogging service, so I’ve had an account there for years now.  One by one, my college friends have moved to other services or dropped the blogging habit entirely, so I’m now one of the few left on Xanga.  In the past year or so, I’ve been considering a move to a more sophisticated blogging platform.  Blogger is probably the leading contender, but who knows – maybe doing 23 Things will sell me on the advantages of WordPress for my personal blogging needs.

For me, blogging has always been about the social aspect.  In the collegiate glory days of Xanga, my group of friends all subscribed to each others’ blogs and would read and comment on them obsessively.  Blogging was a primary means of communication, even though most of us lived down the hall from each other in the dorms!  Since graduating, blogging has become more about keeping up with each others’ lives as we’ve been scattered to different cities.  A blog is like a Christmas letter that goes on all year – between their blogs and their Facebook pages, I have a pretty good idea of where all my friends are living and what they’re doing, even if I haven’t spoken to them in months or even longer.  Some people might bemoan the lack of direct, “real” human contact that these technological innovations foster, but I think it’s more good than bad.  When I finally see my friends again, instead of having to spend hours catching up on each others’ lives, we can jump right in.  It makes me feel like we were never separated.  And who has time to call or e-mail these days anyway?  I would rather stay in touch in superficial ways online than lose contact entirely.

Some advantages of WordPress (as compared to Xanga) that I have already noticed:  the automatic draft saving feature (when I think of all the posts I’ve lost over the years on Xanga . . . ), the customizable header image, and the ability to add categories and tags.  Blogger has many of these features, too, so I will probably have a difficult time deciding between them.  The real advantage of Blogger, for me at least, is its relationship with Google.  I already use Gmail and have an iGoogle homepage (with Google Reader, news, weather, etc.), so having everything “in one place” online is very appealing.

Thing 2 Extra Credit

I guess since I already have my blog set up, that takes care of Thing 1 and Thing 2.  Here’s my Thing 2 extra credit:  my Yahoo avatar!

My one complaint about the Yahoo avatars is the lack of plus-size clothing selection.  I suppose it’s nice that they have this option at all, but the outfits are just not as appealing.  So my avatar will remain unnaturally skinny, but fashionable.  Love the library background, though, and the orange cat!  He looks a lot like my older cat, Byron.

Getting Started . . . Finally!

Hello all!  I’m going to finally try to get going on the 23 Things – I’m so glad the deadline was extended!  I’ve been poking around the list, trying some of the things out in my free time, but not documenting my progress at all.  So I’ll try to be a little more official about it from now on.

A little about me:  my name is Layne, and I’ve been working at the Heights Library since mid-August as an Adult Services Associate and Tech Trainer.  I’m also studying for my MLIS at Kent State (planning to graduate in May 2009), and I have a graduate assistantship in the School of Library Science.  Eventually I’d like to get a job in an archive or fine arts special collection, but for now I’m really enjoying working at the public library!  I live in Shaker Heights with my partner, Nate, and our two cats, Byron and Jada.

More to come!