Thing #7: Post on anything technology related that interests you

First off, the thing that really interests me is the fact that the letter "e" seems to be a no-no in today's technology. For example, "Flickr" and "Dumpr". Where's the "e" before the "r"? Is that a byproduct of text lingo? Am I now Lizbth Ryan xploring tchnology?

Ok, that said, what really interests me as far as technology is mp3 players, especially in regards to the music industry, because I have witnessed so much change during my life.

Here is my personal music timeline:
Birth: wind-up mobile
Toddler: Fisher Price portable record player with the plastic grooved records playing nursery rhymes
Grade school: my parents bought a hi-fi that had an 8 track tape player. I owned the Partridge Family and Sean Cassidy LPs.
Junior High: Spent all my money on 45's: either the Top 40 or the Golden Oldies, $1.00 each, $. 50 on clearance
High School: Sang and danced to the K-Tel records; coolest kid in school was the guy who got a Sony Walkman
College: Made a mixed tape for my boyfriend for Valentine's Day but the cute RA and the upperclassman across the hall had CD players
Marriage: bought ourselves a stereo system. It had a single CD player but also included a turntable and speakers 4 feet high.

As we all know, 45's, LPs, 8 tracks, and music cassettes are all pretty much things of the past, with CD's soon to follow. I received an mp3 player for my birthday 2 years ago. While I strictly use mine for music, I had originally wanted it for downloading audio books. Although I am unlikely to choose reading a book on the computer or even with a Kindle, music and audio books lend themselves to mp3 technology. It even fits in with today's popular "green" way of thinking. How many one hit wonder CD's do we own? How many books do we own that we'll never read again? CD's get scratched and broken; their digital counterparts can be accessed over and over again, seemingly without repercussions.

Currently, I do not advocate removing music CD's or audiobooks from libraries. However, I do think keeping a watchful and proactive eye on this technology will prove fruitful for libraries. If this technology is embraced, we will save space on our shelves, successfully connect with our younger and more technologically savvy patrons, and provide access to our materials to an infinite number of patrons at the same time.