EtTube, Brute'????

I found the YouTube experience to be quite entertaining. I have used it in the past to find examples of tunes being played on the bagpipes. This time I was searching for information on haggis hunting techniques. There were quite a few clips of people running through the heather chasing the pur’ buggers aboot. This method exhibits vera pur’ technique, to say the least! Nae a haggis were ever captured. It’s stealth and cunning that does the trick! There was a wonnerfu’ an’ exceptionally rare shot of an actual haggis snagging! Tak' a squint at this! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lP7dKQQRTFs Wha’ a fine specimen it is tho'. Look at the color of it’s coat. Tis' Grand!
I was also vera’ surprised tae see a wee viddee of ma third cousin on my sister’s aunties side in the Yahoo viddies. His name is Brutus Wilkes Booth MacLeod. His Da was a Shakespearian actor in Glasgow. Brutus is quite the practical joker, on’y just a wee bit short on common sense an' a far sight mair on gud taste. He vidy’oed hi’sel’ climbing a ladder while wearing his kilt, an gied ever'ain an eyefu'. Maggie Cameron was the last person he tricked into holding the ladder. She was so upsetted she yanked the ladder awa' an' left Brutus dangling in the tree tops. He drapped doon expecting his kilt tae act lik' a parachute, which it didnae', an' he braked both his pegs. When the doctor removed the camera from where Miss Cameron had stowed it, all the parts of her in the viddey were gone. Ah weel! at least we hae some pictures of Brutus when he caud still smile! http://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play?p=kilt+ladder&ei=UTF-8&fr=yfp-t-809&tnr=21&vid=000170978671

Tool Time!

I puttered around the old PowerTool box and signed up for a G(golly)email account. Mair things to check. I thought this was makin’ my life easier! I like power tools, hand tools too. Do a bit o’wood working when I can spare the time fra’ a’this typing and Twittering an’ sich. I especialy like to make Stickley styled furniture. I bought up a load of unused oak library book shelves at one time and have made several nice pieces of furniture. The last was a Morris chair based on a Gustave Stickley design. I have even dreamed aboot making bagpipes. I was doing some research on this an’ talkin’ wi’ some pipemakers and they let me in on a wee secret. Bagpipes are not made! They are GROWN!!! “Hoot toots, "says I," tha, canna’ be!” “Oh, aye”, says them an’ tae prove it they gi'ed me a wee bagpipe seed (for a mickel sma’ investment, but I think t’was worth it). “Tak’ this home an’ bury it in the grou’n on a moonless nicht and water it every other day fra’ a month” says they “and soon ye will have’ yer ain bagpipe tree!!! “ Here is a photo of the wee seedy (actual size an' a bit bigger for detail). The moon’s fu’ now sae I’ll have tae wait a bit. Man, man am I exciteded.

Oh! An' Another Thing....

I was experimenting with some of the genealogy tools. Scots are great ones for their genealogy. There is a great scene in “Kidnapped” where Davie Balfour meets Robin Oig-son of Rob Roy MacGregor . David mentions that he does not know much about his family and Robin utters something touching aboot his being "only some kinless loon that didn't know his own father." Robin is quite the one for words, eh! Anyway, I tried “My Heritage”, “Geni”, and “Amiglia”. One I couldn’t get into, but “I’ve got a grand memory for forgettin’ ” sae I canna tell ye which it’twas. The genealogy tools seemed nice but not much help with any of my searches. I can see how they would be great if customers coming in to do research used them and we could look at what they have together. We have worked with some of the other tools in the short list already so I feel that I’ve done my bit here.
All this talkin’ aboot genealogy reminds me of my Gran’da’s cousin Seamus (twice removed on his sisters’ mother’s side). One night he awoke tae an a’fu keening. He was sure it wa’ a frisky haggis crooning for a cuddle. So he tak’ his new Kodak Instamatic camera and went oot tae photograph the wee rascal. It was pit mirk an’ a moonless nicht so he aimed the Kodak at the ruckus an’ clicked the shutter. There was a general scuffle as the creature departed. When the camera spit out the photo, Seamuss realized that he had surprised a Wyckie with a sma’ set o’bagpipes. The photo is a bit fuzzy, like a’ the other famous pictures of Big Foot and Scotland’s own Nessie! So it must be the genuine article. An’ noo' it’s on the internet so it must be true!

Somebody call a Google Doc(tor)!

While working with Google Docs my computer suddenly went on a spree! Absolutetively no response. I'm not sure if I lost anything except my peace of mind. I need a bit of culture to cheer me up, so lets visit with A. E. Houseman again!!!

Is My Team Plowing

Is my team plowing,
That I was used to drive
And hear the harness jingle
When I was man alive?"
Ay, the horses trample,
The harness jingles now;
No change though you lie under
The land you used to plow.
"Is football playing
Along the river shore,
With lads to chase the leather,
Now I stand up no more?"
Ay, the ball is flying,
The lads play heart and soul;
The goal stands up, the keeper
Stands up to keep the goal.
"Is my girl happy,
That I thought hard to leave,
And has she tired of weeping
As she lies down at eve?"
Ay, she lies down lightly,
She lies not down to weep:
Your girl is well contented.
Be still, my lad, and sleep.
"Is my friend hearty,
Now I am thin and pine,
And has he found to sleep in
A better bed than mine?"
Yes, lad, I lie easy,
I lie as lads would choose;
I cheer a dead man's sweetheart,
Never ask me whose.

Ahhhh!! Thats better. Nothing like a cheery poem.

Finally!!!!

This is finally something that I can actually imagine that I might use. Actually, I have started to use it already. I created a local history program on a local Columbus area family over the last couple of years. Many of the documents are in different formats, different programs and created on different computers. When trying to organize and print everything out, many of the results looked like a Russian thesis (or possibly gaelic!). Images were another problem. I have started this process all over again using Googledocs and am still having trouble with some things that even Google does not like. Hopefully sometime soon they will accept everything that I have here. Maybe if they went to some E-diversity training they would be more accepting?

Her's a pretty picture for you too. Put this on your Christmas list with my name by it.

Mair Wykies! in the sand!

I had a sand box when I was a wee laddie. It was a grand place to play. Making castles and things. Always a place of enjoyment and magic. Someone was always leaving me surprises too! buried in the sand.

I remember Grand Da telling me aboot the auld days when he was a wee manny in the glen. They had plenty o’ Wykies then too. Wykies are wee fairy folk. They’re na dangerous or hatefu’ like bogles. They are muckle curious, tho’ an’ their main fault is they canna’ keep a secret. If they over hear a conversation they canna’ help but listen an’ should they be told a secret they fash aboot an’ can’t wait until they can tell it. Usually they will hop on a roaming Haggis an’ gae’ aroun’ the countryside tellin’ everybody they see. They will sneak up on people while they sleep and whisper it into their dreams. Ridding a Haggis is nae’ sae strange as it sounds. They are sma’ gentle creatures similar to a great rabbit, on’y mair sae. Fast as the wind they can run. They are no as common as they aince were. This is on account of their del.ici.ous flavor, which is why they are sought after and cooked up for Burns Banquets an’ sich. Haggis only mate aince a year. The sound of their mating call is quite loud and sounds like someone twisting a cat’s tail. The Heighland folk call it piobaireachd (which is pronounced: pee-brok).

Wykie Wackie

I can see where using a wiki can be a great advantage in any area where communication of information is important. Looking at the examples of book reviews & reading lists; bibliographies; staff manuals; organizing projects – these are great applications. What I don’t think is a good use is for the answering of reference questions – and for the same reason it is valuable for the other areas – anyone can edit it; add to it; and change it. Unlike our magician friend, I do not believe that the collective consciousness makes us all geniuses. Quite the opposite.

Abrakadabra 2.0

I decided to read all of the Web 2.0 articles. The only one that I could even begin to agree with was by Dr. Wendy. She seemed to take a more moderate view of the situation. The others were far too radical in their views for me. I was surprised to find all the writers had basically the same view point until I realized that all the articles came from the same source. (OCLC Newsletter). Also, in a field like computers where the landscape changes oh so quickly, I was disconcerted to see that the articles are almost 2 ½ years old! The tip off was Michael Stephens photo. I could have sworn that he had more gray hairs on his chinny chin chin when he was here recently. I think he has the look of a magician. Put a tux and top hat on his photo! He could do Vegas!
I don’t trust magicians. Do you?