I have hundreds of dharma talks by Thich Nhat Hanh in my collection. These will not “match” with iTunes but I am able to upload them to the cloud if they meet the 96kbps criteria. Unfortunately, many of these files are below this threshold. Fortunately, it is possible to trick iTunes into uploading the files by “converting”

them to MP3 files with a higher quality. Obviously, the files won’t actually have a higher quality but they will meet the criteria. To keep the files small, I “upgraded” them to 96kbps and then deleted the original files. In the case of mono files, the custom setting had to be adjusted to 192kbps to get the mono files to threshold because of how iTunes handles importing files. It took a few days to get everything converted and uploaded to the Apple servers, but all tracks are now in the cloud.

My next project is to get everything synchronized between the two home computers and the one work computer. I noticed some discrepancies between the track numbers on each of the computers. Shouldn’t be too difficult. Seeing a winner with iTunes Match. Are you using this service? What has been your experience?

Last month they relaunched with an updated app and a different approach to the sharing process. I have to say the new app is really great. It's clean, intuitive, and unique (at least until Facebook released their timeline). I would/could use this exclusively. I highly recommend giving the app a try; you won't be disappointed.

Up to this point, I've been using as a private journal and not adding friends (with very rare exceptions). I can write things that I wouldn't necessarily write on a public social network. Of course, at any time I can option to share out to Twitter, Facebook, or FourSquare. The photo tool has filters and actually create a Facebook album when pushed there (unlike my other favorite photo app Instagram).

So now I'm in a quandary. More people are discovering Path, which is great, but I've been hesitant to add people to my Path and I don't really need another social network to monitor. I've enjoyed the privacy with the option to share.

I am curious what the philosophy of the new Path is for the company. Obviously, they are not highlighting the small network of friends aspect, though it still feels that way to me.

I'm staying limited for now, but will remain open to expanding later. Are you using Path? How are you creating (or not) a network?

#miscjoy #iphone #path #networking

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The first challenge arose when I tried to delete a picture from the Photo Stream. You can't. What you can do is reset the entire steam from iCloud. However, you must also remember to turn it off on all connected devices as well. For the record, Photo Stream keeps a rolling 30-days of photos (or 1000 pics).

The second issue had to do with getting photos onto my Mac. I could continue syncing when connecting to computer, but this seemed kind of silly to do in conjunction with the Photostream. What's the point of the Photo Stream if it doesn't backup to computer as well. Well, it does backup but one needs the latest version of iPhoto to accomplish. Launch the App Store and turn over $14.99 and an updated version appears. Lovely.

It took a while, some money, and a few inappropriate photos, but now I understand. It does keep the rolling 30-days of pics/videos, and it does sync between all devices, and most importantly, one can configure Photo Stream to auto backup to iPhoto and create monthly events.

Still can't delete, so if I take more inappropriate photos then I have two choices. Reset the entire steam (on all devices) after the fact or turn off Photo Stream temporarily on the iPhone taking the picture. The Photo Stream doesn't sync photos taken when it's off.

Though this has probably been covered elsewhere, I hope this helps a few of you.

#miscjoy #apple #iphoto #software #stream

Where are you landing? Google Music, Amazon Cloud, iTunes Match, or other?

#miscjoy #music #Google #Apple

I’ve been to many conferences – mostly technology and/or library related. I have also been to many retreats and led mindfulness activities – mostly Buddhist in nature. This conference was unique for me because it dealt with mindfulness from a purely secular perspective and aligns itself very easily with the applied ethics theme/effort that Thich Nhat Hanh has been exploring the past couple of years. Though I arrived a little uncertain, because of my experience as a practitioner and educator, I was not disappointed with the presentations and panels. I now have a better understanding of what has occurred in bringing mindfulness into schools and what challenges these leaders experienced.

What follows are my notes and thoughts from a handful of the presentations.

PRESENTERS AND PANELS 

The Data: How Kids are Actually Interacting with Technology (Joya Roy, CEO Sequence)

Joya’s task was to provide some data. How is behavior and society changing and then how do you create a brand, etc. is what his company focuses on with clients. How kids are interacting mobile and social environments. This is what’s happening. No judgement. Consumer environment has changed radically in the last century. Average kid spends 7 hrs. 48 minutes interacting with some type of device (Kaiser Famiy Foundation, 2010). If you consider “media multitasking” it’s 10-hrs. 45-min. As the devices increase in number, and as the smart phone is ubiquitous, our access to information increases and this time will increase in the future. Keep in mind that iPhone didn’t even launch until 2007 (and Android in 2009!). 80% of youth own a mobile phone (Pew, 2011). Text messaging is primary form of digital communication. Smart phone sales will surpass PC sales in 2012 – outside the US, thus means billions will have phones rather than a computer. 7.5 million Facebook users are under 13 (5m of this under 11). Touch and voice are the expectation, especially for those very young. Texts and Facebook – not email. Shorter interactions.

The Brain, Mindfulness, and Youth with Dan Siegel (nterviewed by Soren)

Impact of texting wit friends versus talking in person. But we shouldn’t despair too much. Interpersonal Neurobiology is his field. Take all branches of science then we can have a fuller view. We see wisdom derived from integration. Texting seems to be only drawing from one side of the brain, and this may be to the detriment of the youth because the right hemisphere develops before the other – see The Master and his Emissary. The left loves syllogistic reasoning. The left is very literal. Some like to say it’s the “digital” hemisphere. The right is more about the body. Body signals come to the right hemisphere. Of course, the two hemispheres work together. The digital age is shaping the mind. But he’s not despairing; he repeated this multiple times. Integration made visible is kindness. The two hemispheres integrated. Integration is a scientific concept. Know your own nervous system. Knowing when you are in one hemisphere versus the other. To be present is being your whole self for their whole self. Can we know our authentic self in a digital age. Attention shapes the structure of the brain. Integration is the key. Integrative networks are regulatory. The Healthy Mind Platter – guide for mind development – it’s on his web site – sleep time, physical time, focus time, connecting time, down time, play time, time in (looking inward – Mindfulness practice). This needs to be a bottom-up effort. The Schools of Education aren’t gonna do it. No Pre-Frontal Cortex Left Behind - haha.

Mindful Parenting in the Technology Age (Soren, Eric Schiermeyer, Michelle Gale, Pat Christen from Hope Lab, Chade-Meng Tan)

Nice panel of parents who shared their experiences and tips for supporting their families with mindfulness.

Teens and Technology (Gopi Kallayil from Google + four teens)

All seniors in high school. Born in 1993. The year Mosiac and Newton were released.

Cultivating Joy in Kids: the Dragonfly Effect (Jennifer Aaker, Marketing Professor at Stanford)

Her kids sat on the stage while she made her presentation Happiness, joy, and meaning. They have a lab at Stanford. They also work in the area of social media. Her household is (he) loves technology and (she) isn’t too keen on it. She’s a marketing professor. So, they collected data. What is the role of technology in the family. What stories I. Social media stick? Deep meaning. Focus on single goal. Grab attention. Tells a story. Enables others to act. The dragonfly is a symbol of happiness. Small acts can create change. Wrote a book. Rethink happiness. Nice slides.

Re-Imagining Schools: Mindfulness and Education (Susan Kaisar Greenland – Mindfulness Together, Megan Cowan – Mindful Schools, Victor Diaz – REALM Charter School)

Susan adapted Buddhist practices to be age appropriate and secular. Put the practice first. Name it later. Experiential. Apply to a real life situation and regular routine. Integrated. Not “let’s do Mindfulness”

Victor’s charter school is founded on mindful practices. All students are in a wellness class – Mindfulness fitness. In Berkeley. Sounds like they use yoga. Moving from individual practice into their “outer” space and actually integrate is more challenging. Relationship building is key – knowing the kids can help you tap into the kid and connect the practice. You ask kids to jump, but you don’t always tell them where they’re going to land.

Megan is based in Oakland and been operating for about 5-years. Two programs. Go into the schools and teach Mindfulness is one. The first way to describe Mindfulness is your own presence. What do you bring. We must have a thorough understanding (this is Thay’s Applied Ethics effort – learn the practice).

The Opportunity Ahead (Dan Siegel, Susan Kaiser Greenland, Meng Tan, Soren)

Great final panel. Nice balance of practice, science, and innovation. I think Meng said tech can be developed to accelerate mindfulness by factor of 10. Instead of 40-yrs, do in 4-yrs. Then the device self-destructs.

In the end, I’m still sitting with what I heard on Saturday. I’m inspired, curious, and hopeful for what this means for me personally as well as the continued efforts to bring mindfulness into work and schools. 

I’m a technologist, and am probably more willing to push the boundaries more than others I know. I started using the then-start-up Mint to manage my finances long before it went mainstream and was purchased by Intuit. Likewise, I happily keep my files in the cloud so that I can easily access the material from any computer including all my mobile devices. It is efficient and effective.

First, let me say I love Dropbox and often recommend [use this link please] the service to all my friends and colleagues. Second, I do have an awareness of privacy and do attempt to take adequate steps to address this with the services I use. I also use a unique (and long) password for just about every site I use on the internet. Since I love Google too, I know that a ton of my data is out there for harvesting. For me, the most important thing to remember is that once content reaches the digital realm, especially how most people use it, we have to assume that it could be compromised at some point. If something is that important or private, don’t put it in the cloud without the appropriate security.

This is where my discourse switches from philosophy to reality. I have files on Dropbox that are of a highly personal nature. Financial and personnel records that should remain confidential. Yes, it is true that Dropbox encrypts my content, which is great, but they hold the keys. So what is the solution?

A product called TrueCrypt is an open source, on the fly, encryption solution. It’s reasonably easy to use and works with Dropbox. With TrueCrypt, I can create a virtual encrypted disk that can be stored on Dropbox and mounted on my computer when I need to use the content. The encrypted disk can be of any size I wish (within the confines of my Dropbox account size). The encrption is controlled by me and it uses the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) cryptographic algorith that may be used by US federal departments and agencies to cryptographically protect sensitive information. TrueCrypt uses AES with 14 rounds and a 256-bit key (i.e., AES-256). Most likely it would take hundreds of years to crack this.

So, fear not. Use the cloud to store your files, have an automatic backup, and use TrueCrypt to protect the sensitive material.

What are your thoughts on privacy and use the cloud?

P.S. – I have recently attempted to use an older encrypted volume of mine and have forgotten my password. This is the downside of AES-256…I have to remember it or will never recover that content. I need to take that drug from Limitless because it’s in my brain somewhere!

Better Communication

No matter your age, it’s important to embrace new communication technologies. In particular, I’ve found text messaging and instant messaging to be highly effective in working with my staff. Most likely your organization has an instant messaging tool. Are you using it? Text messaging is particularly useful if you have a younger staff (under 40) and there are tools such as Group Me that lets you group message. By integrating around Google products such as gVoice, gMail, and gDocs managers have the ability to have a personal database with all the communication and document resources in one place. For example, collaborative work functions very well using Google Docs because it’s an anytime/anywhere solution with built in tracking. Do you post your email address on invoices and other communication from the organization?

In addition to tools that help you communicate and collaborate more effectively, managers should embrace the use of social media to stay informed and stay connected with the profession. The big players, who aren’t going away any time soon, are Facebook and Twitter. Have you taken the time to learn these tools and apply them professionally? In my career, these tools are one of my primary sources of professional development.

Increasing Efficiency

In addition to effective communication, managers are always looking for methods to increase efficiency. I’ve already mentioned a couple of the tools above, but this can be expanded to include Google Calendar, Doodle, and Remember the Milk (RTM). The calendar is a powerful tool providing many layers of calendaring and sharing. Do you have an organization where you can’t schedule meetings because everyone doesn’t use the same calendar tool? Then Doodle is a useful solution for scheduling meetings. Keeping our tasks in order, with useful text reminders, is something that RTM can provide anyone for a small fee. One final piece of technology that I can’t imagine living without is Dropbox. This cloud-based storage service is dead simple to use, very secure, and gives users access to files from anywhere (plus is a good backup solution).

Learn More

I’ve only highlighted a few of the possible technology tools that managers can use to be more efficient and effective. As a manager, I use each of these on a regular basis and have integrated them into my work flow. If you’d like to learn more about how this works, then join me for two workshops on June 2 and June 9. It’s being provided by ALA TechSource under the name Using Technology in Library Management: Skills for More Efficient Administration and Communication.

Based on past experience with Apps, I thought setting up the Google for Nonprofits would be a breeze. Though it was very simple to complete the application (contact information needed only), we then discovered we’d have to wait up to 30-days before it was reviewed and approved. This was only 5-minutes into our scheduled meeting! Fortunately, not all was lost, we discovered we could move forward by setting up a regular Google Apps account and later link it with the nonprofit component.

It took about an hour, but we setup and configured our domain to be hosted on Google Apps with a handful of users. Explaining as we went along, the two members seemed to understand the options provided by Google. Possibly the most challenging piece we’ve yet to resolve is that they are using .com for email right now but everything else is on .org – I think they should transition the email to .org to keep it all consistent (and then redirect).

Two key steps remain:

1. Editing the CNAME and MX records for the custom URLs and the mail.
2. Explore the Sites component to build an integrated environment for the organization’s committees – this is what they asked! Here’s an example of what it might look like. I’ve actually never used Sites, but I’m optimistic about this type of solution.

I had a great time teaching and learning more about these free tools. We have a month to tinker while we have Google review our nonprofit status. A fun Friday evening.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSbFJ-Ok8Zo

This invite-only event came together around a series of OCLC-identified game changers for community colleges. They did a pretty good job of identifying themes in order to frame our discussion. As we sat around discussing these themes, a great deal of experience was brought into the room and we stepped in directions beyond the five game changers that were initially presented. The five brought to the table were (1) exploding registrations and student populations, (2) budgets, (3) eBooks, (4) working with faculty, particularly adjunct, and (5) leadership and succession.

The list brought to the table does encompass many of the common themes we are experiencing at the community college level. I found the discussion to be rich, informed, and enlightening. No answers were provided but awareness of these themes is important as we proceed in our libraries. My hope is that others can engage in this type of discussion in the future – perhaps regionally – to help frame our status in the academy. 

In the course of the discussion, I came away with ideas to explore on my campus. Here’s my action list from the gathering.

• Make certain tutors receive training on financial aid, registration, etc. because they often are required to support students in those areas in the library.
• Request a counselor in the Library during the first week of school.
• Look at the Bergen mobile site.
• Consider a Library Only Fee – is that feasible in California? Is it wise?
• Some colleges are implementing variable tuition – charge different fees for different courses.
• Can an ebook in our collection function as a textbook (if simultaneous access is support)?
• Special events for adjuncts in evening/weekend or classroom drop in just to say hello and make connection.

Though we did discuss a few other game changers, I’m curious if any readers can identify game changers for community college libraries in the next five years that haven’t been included above?