Here are the results of Liz Strauss’ 25 Words of Work/Life Wisdom Project! Liz put the creations into a beautiful and moving slideshow (which doesn’t seem to want to play on this blog–:-P 
). The inspiration in these words is amazing.
Enjoy!
mousewords is moving to its own site soon–Subscribe here!
© 2008 Christine Taylor
I’m continuing toward my goal of writing 50,000 words of fiction in June for the Southern Cross Novel Challenge! I’ve had a lot of ups and downs this past week, with many exciting moments.
However, I’ve been remiss in posting blogs lately…the latest episode (at the top) tells why. It took me two videos and a good amount of Kleenex to explain. 
Day 26 – Origins, Part 1
Day 26, and I explain the origins of my novel–and something of my own life’s story.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiJWwxi7CoY]
Origins, Part 2
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-BD8QpbuCY]
Day 21 – Environment
Day 21 of the Southern Cross Novel Challenge–a day when I realize that environment has an effect on the words I write.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62Ojj0BlVXE]
Day 19 – Dreams Come True
Day 19 of SocNoC–and I’m seeing the goal within reach!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oax6GaOfU6Y]
Day 16 – We’re Halfway There
Day 16 of the Southern Cross Novel Challenge–halfway to the end of the month, and halfway through the goal of writing 50,000 words of fiction!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=df8r6Evaass]
mousewords is moving to its own site soon–Subscribe here!
© 2008 Christine Taylor, All Rights Reserved
My blog content (along with the writing of many other bloggers) has been pirated–oh noes!
(Originally recorded on June 16th. Happy ending: The offending site has been removed. It goes to show that standing up for your rights, and the rights of others, can make a difference. Go for it. Make some noise.)
I welcome you to subscribe to blog posts, and come join the conversation!
© 2008 Christine Taylor, All Rights Reserved
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vAIQ3pC0mg&hl=en]
This video was posted to YouTube today. Within minutes, the link was being shared on Twitter. In the next few hours, I’m sure many blog posts will be written on the subject.
It is every human’s right to be free. It is unconscionable to hold another as a hostage. It is the duty of every person to take action to save those who are being held captive.
Hundreds of people are being held hostage by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Ingrid Betancourt, a dual French-Colombian citizen and former presidential candidate in Colombia, is among them. Throughout six years of captivity, her face has become a symbol of this horrible situation.
When I look into Ingrid’s face, I see a sister of humanity. We are all connected—we are a family. When a member of our family is in danger, we must take action.
Taking action means something different for everyone. I can’t physically rescue these victims of terrorism; but I can pray, write a blog, and share a link.
What can you do?
Today was the kickoff of “My ooVoo Day With…”, a “week-long experiment in blogger to fan interaction.” What’s ooVoo? According to the website, it’s “the next evolution in online communication.” It enables up to six people to participate in an online conversation, at the same time, via video chat or text. Other features include video messaging, file transfer, even phone calls. The name makes me smile, since it reminds me of an old comedy routine quoted by Myrna Loy and Cary Grant in “The Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer.” (“You remind me of a man…”) But the technology has me intrigued.
To showcase the ability of the technology, well-known bloggers are hosting chat sessions throughout the week, covering a wide range of topics. Anyone is invited to grab an available slot and join in the conversations. As a thank-you to the hosts, ooVoo is making a donation to each blogger’s charity of choice.
I didn’t even own a webcam—but the opportunity to talk with these bloggers on a face-to-face basis was too good to pass up. So I ran out and got a webcam, and had it set up just in time for the start of “My ooVoo Day With…” I had the privilege of participating in a chat with artist and new media consultant Susan Reynolds and communications specialist Connie Reece, founder of Every Dot Connects. Susan’s battle against breast cancer inspired the creation of the Frozen Pea Fund, which is working to raise awareness and funds for the fight against breast cancer. The FPF is one of the organizations benefiting from the ooVoo Day event.
The site proclaims that ooVoo is “remarkably easy to use,” and I agree. Being familiar with web chat, I was able to intuitively use the features of ooVoo, even though I had no previous experience with video chat. The design—with its theme of black, gold and gray punctuated by bright primary colors—is aesthetically pleasing, and makes it easy to identify things at a glance. I quickly found myself looking at my own face onscreen, alongside those of the other participants.
For the first chat, I was on my laptop, with a high-speed Wi-Fi internet connection; but found that it had trouble keeping up. The audio and video were erratic, making it tough to follow the conversation. Thankfully, the simultaneous text chat capability helped me have a say even when my voice couldn’t make it.
A quick query to Scott Monty garnered the advice to use a wired connection–so I moved operations to the desktop PC. An ooVoo chat from there worked just as it should–decidedly cool. I noticed that if a chat participant is using external speakers rather than a headset, I hear my own delayed voice in the background–which makes it kind of surreal at first–but beyond that the chats were as easy and normal as sitting across the table from people at a coffee shop.
The possibilities of using ooVoo have me enthusiastic—whether it’s to connect with my siblings in the same state or get to know my readers from all over the world.
And I’m also looking forward to other “My ooVoo Day With” chats coming up later this week. They remind me of a place, actually. What place? A coffee shop. Who do? ooVoo.
People are amazing. This was so cool.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ot-B4V8oqPQ]
