I’m curious what you all use for your RSS feed readers. How do you keep track of the blogs you read?
If you choose “Other” leave a comment below and let me know what you use. I’ll add it to the poll.
Loading …Star Wars: The Clone Wars | Star Wars: The Clone Wars In Theaters and on Television in 2008
The Clone Wars animated series is going to start with a theatrical release!
This is great news. To be honest, it’ll be a little weird to see an animated Star Wars on the big screen, and it’s a bit of an odd idea to launch a TV show with a theatrical pilot (though there will be a TV pilot, too), but if any franchise can pull that off, it’d be Star Wars.
The theatrical release will be on August 15th, followed by the TV debut on Cartoon Network (and TNT) in the fall.
On the front lines of an intergalactic struggle between good and evil, fans young and old will join such favorite characters as Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Padmé Amidala, along with brand-new heroes like Anakin’s padawan learner, Ahsoka. Sinister villains — led by Darth Sidious, Count Dooku and General Grievous — are poised to rule the galaxy. Stakes are high, and the fate of the Star Wars universe rests in the hands of the daring Jedi Knights. Their exploits lead to the action-packed battles and astonishing new revelations that fill Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
For some nice shots and behind-the-scenes info, check out this starwars.com video.
And for good measure… here’s the Sneak Peek released a while back.
Technorati Tags: Star Wars, Clone Wars, George Lucas, animated tv
Official Google Reader Blog: There’s a feed for that?!
I’ve never actually used Craig’s List, but the article linked above points out that you can use feeds from that site and others to help you in a job search. It also has some other uses for feed readers that may not be immediately obvious to some people.
While I don’t use Craig’s List, I do have the feed from my ASTD job search coming to my feed reader. That’s very targeted to the industry I’m looking for… but it’s a good idea use whatever services make sense for you.
Basically, if you do searches frequently and the site you use has a feed option… why not use it?
Technorati Tags: job search tips, rss feeds, productivity
Learning 2006 - Josh Bersin & Elliott Masie Dialogue
Josh and Elliot, two “thought leaders” in the learning industry, get together and talk about the things they’re seeing in the learning industry. It’s at least partially a teaser for Josh’s presentation at Elliott’s Learning 2006 conference, but there are some good things being said.
For example, Elliott, not for the first time, makes the beginning of a case to make a job in the learning field a part of a larger business career, not a career unto itself. There’s also a discussion about ROI and how it’s not really a sufficient, or even possible, metric to collect. Rather they’d like to concentrate on impact.
An underlying thought to much of what is said, is that learning is not necessarily tied to a “course” model, where you have content, test, content, test, etc. They argue that delivery should be more piece-meal, just-in-time, searchable, nuggets of content, with more of a performance support structure.
That concept is supported by new technologies like podcasts, blogs, wiki’s, RSS, and the like. Personally, I’m all for doing things that way. I’m trying to gently push my company into venturing into these territories (and let me tell you, that rudder is gonna be tough to move). That doesn’t mean abandoning formal classrooms and/or instructional design completely, but their point is a good one - sometimes you just gotta get it out there. They use their own discussion as an example of content that clearly has learning value, but was put together quickly and informally, with no slick interface and no instructional design.
Lest someone read into this that I am advocating dropping ID work, I’m not. I do think, though, that we need to start taking more advantage of technologies that support nuggets of content, and providing a way for the user/student to get directly to the piece they are looking for, rather than concentrating solely on full-blown training events, which is where many training organizations focus.
For a more in-depth look at that concept, listen to Elliott’s podcast on “Fingertip Knowledge“.
Technorati Tags: Josh Bersin, Elliott Masie, Learning in a Flatter World, industry trends
There is a lot going on in the world these days. The pace of life is increasing at an amazing rate. The progress we are making is incredible, and there is great stuff happening every day.
But progress at this rate is a double-edged sword. Yes, we have unprecedented access to information, conveniences, and services, but it’s also very easy to be overstimulated and distracted.
This is more evident now than ever before, but it’s nothing new. As that link above shows, the pace has been increasing for … well … forever.
But while that link above is interesting and related, it’s not really precisely what I want to say, which is this: we are letting ourselves get too distracted to pay attention to the things that are really important.
Here’s a simple example: I was driving home from church last sunday and realized as I was driving down the highway that there were whole sections of the surrounding area that I’d never paid attention to. Why? Because I, along with most of society, am always trying to get to the next “thing” quicker and don’t take the time to look around me on the way. To use a cliché, I don’t stop to smell the roses.
When I stopped to think about it, I realized how very sad that really is. I used to just sit and watch water (and other things) flowing in streams or listen to the sounds of the forests. I used to truly appreciate the things around me, and notice the complexity in the seeming simplicity of nature.
Now I’m “too busy” for all that. And it’s not just that I physically have things to do or places to be. Sometimes it’s the mental work of taking in information from the overload of sources available to us these days. Podcasts, webcasts, RSS feeds, cell phones, blogs, email, PDAs, billboards (now including changing messages!), and even television and radio all compete for our attention virtually every minute of every day. And those are just the things that get in our faces and ask for attention.
I’m a geek, so I love having all this technology and information available. There is a large part of me that just wants to swim in the constant connectivity available to us. But there is also a large (albeit shrinking, sadly) part of me that wants to shut it all down and lay in a field on a mountain where no one can find me.
What I’m really scared of is that we are creating a society where we can’t sit and be silent, or even just amuse ourselves. We’re all ADHD-patients-in-training — searching for our next connection, waiting for someone else to provide some excitement in our lives.
I was talking to a friend last week and brought this up. She told me a story about a recent family get-together. The kids in the house were told to go outside and play. Fifteen minutes later, they were back in the house complaining they were bored and wanted to watch TV or get on the computer. They could not find anything to do in a roomy suburban neighborhood. Nothing stimulated their imaginations. That story, while not surprising, really disturbed me.
I’ve done one thing to “fight back”. Yes, I rarely cut the power to my computer, and you can probably guess my weight from the dent in my chair. Sure my television is almost always on (though that’s next on my list) and the radio or a CD is always playing in the car. But I refuse to carry my cell phone everywhere I go. That’s my little line in the sand. I use that phone for emergency only. I know it drives people nuts (especially my brother), but I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s simply not necessary to get ahold of me that quickly if I step out to pick up a snack or go buy some new underwear. I’m not that important. It’s a small thing, but it reminds me to stop everything and step away from the rest of the world every once in a while.
I hope I can teach my kids to find a balance.
Loading ...
