I have spent a lot of the past 3 days learning Google Docs, learning YouTube’s data collection mechanism, learning to save time when dealing with data entry.
3 funny things I have learned:
- YouTube does not record any data when there are no views for a video. This means that I must re-organize spread-sheets by hand to make sure the data for 03/04/09 for Sonnet 116 lines up with the data for 03/04/09 for Huckleberry Finn.
- Google Docs does not work well when you have a lot of docs open in different tabs. It stalls, creaks, and goes badly. I have learned to open just a few at a time.
- Though this humanities major would not have expected it, but I am really enjoying playing with numbers. Knowing that every line of every data sheet is a reflection of my efforts to spread great literature gives me a consistent, warm motivation to see what patterns I can pull out. It is something like giving a speech on something you are really good at.
I have been a bit concerned that I am spending so much time learning new media under a grant. Is learning to use an HD camera, a Cannon 360, Google Docs, or YouTube’s interface research? Is learning to negotiate for access to special equipment or for actors’ time covered in my grant? I know these things are important, but I am not sure if they are research.
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