AD/HD: WARNING! Here's a New Way to Distract Yourself

Enter what you're reading or your whole library—it's an easy, library-quality catalog. Because everyone else is doing it too, LibraryThing connects you with people who read the same things, and gives you great recommendations.
LibraryThing | Catalog your books online
I came across this the other day. Unbelievably, I didn't leap in and begin to lose myself in it (I just wet my feet). LibraryThing is a free service that allows you to list all your books online and share that list with other readers. You can tag each book with descriptions in that social bookmarking Web 2.0 way that is all the rage right now. And why wouldn't it be? Within a few clicks you can find other people who enjoyed Jonathan Livingston Seagull - even start a dialog of sorts with them by commenting on their user profile - while also finding other books like it you might be interested in that they recommend. Well, that is if you are into reincarnating seagulls. Might not be your cup of tea. You can also rate your collection and get a quick shot at a glance of your entire library, complete with book covers. Of course, you could just walk over to your bookshelf and look at the book covers, but let's not split hairs. This is cool stuff.


So why didn't I leap in and start cataloging my books? Well, I haven't finished labeling my entire MP3 collection, complete with cover art and special photos from within the actual sound studios each song was recorded at. Yeah, I know. It's going to take a long time, but I'm making progress. Actually, I was already inclined to organize my book, CD, and video collection using this supremely nifty app, Delicious Library. You just point your book at a webcam and the software goes and finds all the info on it for you. Easy peasy. Trouble was I didn't have a webcam. But now that somebody went and made a filter to import Delicious Library collections into LibraryThing, I might just go out and buy one - right after meticulously tagging each MP3 I own for its proper mood.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Oh dear. I thought I was being obsessive entering some of my books into my wordpress library plugin...
June 15, 2006 6:13 PM
Anonymous said…
Douglas, what have you started????
This is TOO good an idea.
Leave it to you to find it!!!
June 16, 2006 4:49 AM
Jean Bauhaus said…
I've seen Library Thing lists on other blogs, and coincidentally I finally got around to checking it out for myself yesterday. Of course my first impulse was to spend the rest of the afternoon cataloguing everything I've read this year to post on my blog, but I knew I was just looking for an excuse to keep me from writing, so somehow I managed to resist going further than the front page. It's definitely on my To Do list, though.
June 16, 2006 7:25 AM
Anonymous said…
You're right. I would totally waste days upon days with this. I best leave it alone or I may never come out of my cave.
June 16, 2006 1:28 PM
D.R. Cootey said…
LOL I'm not really surprised so many of you share the same sentiment. I looked at this and was both excited and scared. I knew if I went too deep into it I could lose weeks of my life cataloging my entire book collection. Cynically, I also believe that I'll put all that effort in only to discover nobody likes the same books I do. LOL Or the opposite. The last thing I need is recommendations for more books to read - as if I don't read enough already. :)

~Douglas
June 16, 2006 6:58 PM
Wannietta Kirkpatrick said…
Dude - we were getting along so well. There is a fine line between love and hate & I'm not entirely sure which side I'm on right now. You knew what would happen if you told me about this and yet you did it anyway. Can't stop ... must go knit ... more books ...
June 17, 2006 9:06 AM
D.R. Cootey said…
Haha! Just be glad I didn't tell you about Geocamming. Mwahahaha!
June 29, 2006 11:30 AM
Wannietta Kirkpatrick said…
Well, I had to check that out. It's all written in a bizarre language. I see some English words, but the others words that they use make it uncomprehensible overall. Probably lucky for me ;o!
June 29, 2006 11:49 AM
D.R. Cootey said…
Well, I try to avoid sitting there watching remote cameras all day long if I can help it. Watching paint dry in Singapore is just as dull as watching paint dry in front of me. However, I have found some interesting cameras that I find entertaining. And there is definitely an appeal to it. One day I watched the sunrise at an Italian seaport then went outside and caught a moonrise.

http://www.opentopia.com/showcam.php?id=3976&time=1150013547 - Camera at German ski resort looking down mountain onto city. Often you can watch clouds pass by underneath.

http://www.opentopia.com/showcam.php?camid=270
That Italian port I mentioned.

http://www.opentopia.com/showcam.php?id=2266&time=1150014979
A Scottish Lake - Not refreshed very much, and there's no sign of any Loch Linnhe Monster, but occasionally clouds pass over the lake and the vista is breathtaking.

http://www.opentopia.com/showcam.php?camid=3580
A webcam at a Japanese book store. The owner moves it around, but it's usually out on the street. It's fun to watch the passersby interact with it.

http://www.webcamkoenig.de/test.html?PHPSESSID=6009363fea8a45d0b43eb4efb32c124e
This is just silly. Behold, you can turn switches on and off via the web to affect a real webcam in Germany.

Can you tell I don't get out much? You can see more cameras than you'll ever have time or interest for at http://www.opentopia.com/hiddencam.php. Don't even get me started on the interactive cams I've found where you can control the pan and zoom from across the world. :/

But I find this type of distraction healthier than TV or cataloging my entire book collection. LOL
June 29, 2006 12:30 PM
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