The Future of Media #81: Get Out Your Crystal Ball

1. I think the idea of streaming movies and tv shows through hand held devices and computers will have a very large impact on how we watch shows in the future. Our younger generations (12 and up) are already keyed into watching videos on the ipods and connecting to the internet while their in the car to watch whatever they want. Myself, I prefer the old tried and true television connected to the satellite dish to catch up on my shows. We have had Direct TV for one year now and I must admit I do watch fewer shows on the major networks. I rarely watch the live, I prefer to dvr them and watch them at my convenience. I'm not sure if I understand how this would work - if we would still have access to many of the shows we get on cable now if we weren't connected by satellite. As far as any new technology, I do real well to keep up with the current trends. I don't own an ipod, iphone or anything else "i."

2. I am definitely not an early adopter of new gadgets. I think my generation is less interested in these areas than the younger generations. My favorite gadget is my cell phone - if only I could keep a charge....I also love the dvr so I can record all my favorite shows like "The Young and the Restless," "Lost," "Brothers and Sisters," "Survivor," and many more. My only problem is finding time to watch all of these things in addition to dreaming about winning the HGTV Free Home and figuring out how to increase my "curb appeal."

The Future of Media #80: Movies

1. I signed up for a free account on HULU. I viewed a small part of a movie about skiers preparing for the Olympics in Vancouver. Since you're able to view the movie full screen it was enjoyable. Having said that, I still prefer to watch movies on bigger screens without having to sit through advertisements, etc.

2. I used iTunes Movie Trailers and watched an upcoming movie trailer. I've noticed some trailers tend to give out all of the good parts of a movie so when you actually see the movie, you're a little disappointed. It's nice to know these sites exist so you can actually check the movie out before spending mega bucks to see it.

3. I would consider using HULU at home. The only problem is I still have dial-up so if I were to be successful in getting the movie loaded, it would take forever to watch it. Until we get a faster internet service, I will probably not be using any of the free based sites. It's nice to know they are available.

The Future of Media #79: Television

1. I logged onto Hulu and tv.com looking for the television series "Lost." Each site allowed me to watch part of the shows. I was more impressed with Hulu because there is a full screen option with limited commercials. I also am interested in catching up with the Showtime channel's "The Tudors." Unfortunately, I was not able to watch full episodes there. I guess that's because Showtime is not a free network. Too bad!!!

2. I have never watched a TV show on my cell phone. I barely even text on my cell phone - I really only use it to talk on the telephone. I really don't think I would enjoy watching any type of video on small screens. I'm thinking I would probably not be interested at this time to watch television shows on cell phones.

3. I really do not spend anytime watching streaming videos or "user" channels. However, I must admit watching the Shibu Inu Puppy Cam was actually kind of fun. Those are the cutest little pups I've ever seen. It's amazing how they all pile on top of each other to sleep. We raised piglets once a long time ago and they did the same thing - very cute!!!!!

Searching #78: Video

1. I searched both Truveo and Blinkx for "Lost the Final Season." I found Blinkx to be easier to use. The small clips of the videos were streaming which made the site more appealing. I do not search the web for videos so I'm looking forward to doing more of this. Truveo was little slower to use with the small clips of the videos lined up in rows. It's search screen is a little too busy.

2. I think it would be interesting to do a short video showing the Tomball Library staff in their greeting mode. Because the Tomball Library is a joint venture library with the Lonestar College System, most people coming in our front door assume it's the entrance to the college. The circulation staff has to field many different questions - ones related to the library as well as related to the college. Greeting is an essential role at Tomball!!!!

Searching #77: Images

1. I tried using AllFreeClipArt with very little success. I did a search for santa claus with several hits but they were not on the All Free Clip Art site. I probably would not use this site for clipart.

2.SXC.hu is a very interesting site. They have some quality photos incompassing almost every subject. I will spend more time browsing their site. It's also one of the Getty images sites.

MorqueFile.com is another site that looks very interesting. There are some well done images on there. Again, I will revisit that site when I have time.

3.
DODGER BARR - THE BEST DOG EVER!!

http://schools-demo.clipart.com/search/index