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Filemaker Pro

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Edited by Jonathan Vernon, Monday, 29 Aug 2011, 18:00

In an effort to bring myself into the 21st century technologically I am revisiting Filemaker Pro as a piece of software I have used since it was developed in 1994, though not upgraded in eight years.

Whilst it is a relief to find current versions are familiar in terms of the way fields are created and popualted with 'assets' it is a pain that to transfer material I am going to have to retrofit an earlier version of Filemaker and use this as a electronic stepping stone.

The reward will be to have data that I am familiar with that I can then manipulate and share in a Web 2.0 way. The intention is then to populate this with a substantial number of documents to familiarise myself with how it operates with text. It used to be the case that files could not contain much more than 150 words.

Then I will use Filemaker Pro to build by OU e-portfolio for H808.

The problem no doubt remains of 'interoperability.' Does my using Filemaker Pro necessitate others to have the same software? To use its extensive functionality, probably so ... however, on a 31 day free trial I  think much could covered and from this user's point of view, the investment in a light version of Filemaker Pro may be more beneficial that going down to the route of a customised PLE of various recommended software tools, or going for Google Docs.

Meanwhile my OU Blog and MyStuff get the lot! (Just to be safe)

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Just a thought

Reading your blog entries, came across swimming, IT tinkering and using and now drawing; all form part of kinaesthetic learning. Definitely would encourage you to do MA in Fine Art, I've done the other kind of MA in art, history and theory, but friend who did the MA Fine Art with no BA Fine Art first has now opened his own business an art gallery in Penzance.

Like the new slice of brain, mini-photograph, there's plenty of cerebral activity.

Design Museum

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Hi Vicki, yes, a year ago I was looking at either picking up on the MA ODE with the OU that I had started in 2001! ... or following the MA in Fine Art root. This meant that earlier this year I was working on a portfolio (art work, not e-portfolio) while also looking at re-engaging with the OU. I live in a perpetual flux with boxes of art materials on one side of the table, and stacks of files/books on the other!

The image is of an MRI scan, not mine sadly, though I've had too. I was developing a concept called 'The Contents of my Brain' in 2000 - ideas that have long ago been surpassed by simple storage and sharing tools. The BBC received a TV Movie script of the same name a couple of years ago, so it is a common theme. To store a person's lifeworks, not just the content, but how they related to it in order to facilitate some kind of 'after life' interactivity?!

Design Museum

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P.P.S. Whenever it has been investigates I have come out has a highly visual and kineasethic learner, but life being what it is I find myself going through an undergraduate degree and further post-graduate work and ending up being paid to write ... embellished at times by direxting, which I guess brings in both the visual AND the kineasthetic side of things.

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Hi

You seem a real expert at this blogging thingy. I am yet to be sold on the idea, as only ben blogging since early 2010 as part of the H800. Tell me whats the attraction form your perspective?

Nick

Design Museum

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Nick, I emailed you so you have that lengthier response. I came across this lately and keep refering to it.

Some useful advice from 'Blogging for Dummies.'

  • Pace yourself
  • Keep you entries focused
  • Keep entries short
  • Make meaningful entry tittles
  • Be personable
  • Post frequently
  • Do whatever the heck you want

With one proviso, the OU won't go along with the last suggetion, though there are webistes that will! Such as LiveJournal and Diaryland.