LibrarianInBlack

Rank Check

Nice quick php-driven rank-checking tool to see how your site ranks for a particular keyword search in MSN, Yahoo, AltaVista, and Google.  Thanks to Phil Bradley for pointing this out!

Google Video Playback

Google Video Search now provides user-uploaded video content.  For more details, see Chris Shermans' article on Search Engine Watch.

Tigger and Piglet are no more...

...well, sort of.  The actors who voiced Tigger (Paul Winchell ) and Piglet (John Fiedler) in the Disneyfied Pooh series (which wasn't at all like Classic Pooh, but still Pooh I guess), have both passed away in the last week.  Kind of odd.

story from Boing Boing

Innovative & RSS

Innovative Interfaces issued a press release with more details about their upcoming RSS feeds in their 2006LE edition of Millennium.  The two tools we have to look forward to are:

• Library staff can insert customized RSS feeds into catalog pages (for library events, booklists, etc.)
• Any search run using Boolean can be turned into an RSS feed.  This means that new items that fall into the search parameters of a patron's choosing can be fed to them (kind of like Preferred Searches)

Internet Access in Libraries: Very Important

"U.S. Public Libraries Providing Unprecedented Access to Computers, the Internet, and Technology Training," a report conducted by the Information Use Management and Policy Institute at Florida State University (FSU) and commissioned by the ALA and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, shows the vital importance of public libraries providing free internet access to their communities.  My favorite quote from the report (which also happens to be the first sentence):

Nearly every U.S. public library offers free access to computers and the Internet, but overall libraries are challenged to provide enough workstations to meet demand, pay for ongoing Internet connectivity costs, and plan for necessary upgrades to the technology...

True enough, true enough.  If you have 5 computers, all will be used.  If you put another 10 computers out, then all 15 will be used.  There seems to be an inexhaustible supply of internet/computer users out there.  The Digital Divide is widening, and now more than ever the only thing attempting to bridge that gap is the public library.

Answers and IceRocket

Answers.com is partnering with IceRocket.  Answers.com will send users to IceRocket for blog searches, and IceRocket will send users to Answers.com for reference material.  I think that Gary's assumption that Answers.com will be adding a blogging tab to facilitate this process is a good one.

Walt's on Broadband

Walt Crawford, o' friend of mine, is on broadband at long last.  He also set up a wireless network in his house.  He gives his reasons why he made the switch from dial-up, which I found refreshingly candid and practical.  Congrats Walt!  Now, if you're in the mood for silliness on your new broadband connection, check out Store Wars.  (Note: I suppose my other readers can check this out too for its good-natured Star Wars and organic food appeal).

Official Find

A colleague of mine here at the library pointed out this specialized search engine: Official Find.  The site searches for official company and brand websites.  Included is a "suggest" feature in the search box (e.g. start typing and it suggests possible matches).  So far, I really like what I'm seeing.  No more sifting through superfluous Google results trying to find official websites!

IM vs. Web-Based Chat

I’m a little late posting on this, as I’ve been on a consulting job near Yosemite, which then turned into a mini-vacation. A couple of days sans computers is good for anyone. So…

Aaron Schmidt and I have an article we co-authored in the July/August issue of ONLINE Magazine titled “Web-Based Chat vs. Instant Messaging.” The article is not yet available online for free and I don’t know when it will be. But, if you can read a copy now if your library has access to EBSCO Masterfile Elite, Academic Search Premier, Factiva, ABI/Inform Global, or Gale's Business & Company Resource Center.

The article compares the two types of live online chat reference services in several categories: speed of interaction, cost, time ROI/availability, training, target market, software, features, computer requirements, privacy, and community. The point of the article was to really highlight the strengths and weaknesses of these two types of live chat reference so that libraries considering starting one or the other, or switching from one to the other, would have a point by point list of things to consider.

Aaron and I expected an outcry from libraries invested in web-based chat reference programs. And that’s just what we got, though some of the criticism is a bit unfounded, imho. Why? The basic complaints are:

1) It wasn’t long or in-depth enough. The magazine imposed a word limit, and we did as much as we could in the space allotted. It’s not an exhaustive treatment of the subject, and a full article could be written on each of the 10 sub-topics listed above. In fact, I encourage librarians with experience with both types of service to do just that.

2) It presents an “either or” framework, when libraries can use both services. That was not the intent of the article, but the “X vs. Y” and boxing match imagery used by the magazine certainly does imply that. Neither Aaron or I promote an “either or” mindset on virtual reference. Libraries can successfully use both services. In fact, my own library offers both web-based chat reference and IM reference quite successfully, though our IM service has taken off like hotcakes. As I mention in my comments to Caleb’s post, twice as many of our patrons’ questions are answered per month through our in-house IM service than through our statewide web-based chat-cooperative and our in-house e-mail reference service combined. We’ve publicized and promoted the heck out of all three services, so unequal publicity is not the issue. The difference I can see is that with IM we’re providing services through a medium with which the user is already comfortable and familiar. It’s all about point of service.

So, here’s what’s being said so far…

• Caleb Tucker-Raymond posted some constructive criticism of the article and some great ideas on virtual reference cooperatives on the Oregon Libraries’ L-net staff information blog. There’s a mighty discussion underway in the comments section on that post, and like Aaron, I hope the discussion continues.
• Stephen Francoeur on the Digital Reference blog
• Chad Boeninger on the Library Voice blog
• Luke Rosenberger on the lbr blog

Let the discussion continue!

Top Technology Trends

The LITA Top Technology Trends committee is starting to post its list of Top Technology Trends for 2005.  There are already posts from Eric Lease Morgan, Thomas Dowling, and yours truly.

gCensus

Despite my reservations about posting this (out of a very real fear that Google will force this site to come down), it's pretty cool so I'm going to post about it anyway.  Jimmy Palmer, the editor for the DRM Blog, has created gCensus, which combines census data with Google Maps.  See land, water, housing, and population information for any given geographical area, down to a city block. 

I had a lot of fun playing with it and found some interesting stats about my neck of the woods. 

link via Boing Boing

NPR & PBS funding on the line

The House Appropriations Committee has voted to cut funding by 25% for public radio and television.  If you, by chance, think this is a bad idea, please contact your representative and sign a petition created by MoveOn.org.

Thanks to the Lethal Librarian for this story.

ALA's Study of the PATRIOT ACT

In the "that was predictable" category:

Just in time for ALA Annual, the American Library Association released the preliminary findings of their study of the PATROT ACT's effect on libraries.  At least 200 different law enforcement formal & informal inquiries have been made for reading material or other internal information from libraries since October of 2001.

Top Trends according to you?

Karen Schneider, co-Top-Tech-Trendite, is asking for feedback on what you think are the top technology trends in libraries.  She's already received quite a few comments--add your own two cents!

Boy Pledges to the Federation

This is the only time you'll ever hear LiB thinking "Gee, maybe it would be kind of fun to have a kid..."

The woman who writes the Beauty Dish blog was called in to her son's principal's office and the rest is history.

...[S]he told me what he did. And as she told me, I started to laugh. I didn't laugh a little, either, but I belly-laughed and grabbed my stomach. My son stood with his class this morning, put small right hand over heart, faced the American flag, and recited his own personal pledge of allegiance:

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United Federation of Planets, and to the galaxy for which it stands, one universe, under everybody, with liberty and justice for all species.

"Mrs. Jaworski. This isn't humorous. The Pledge is an extremely important and patriotic moment each morning in the classroom. I am ashamed of your son's behavior, and I hope you are, too."

link via Boing Boing

AccessMyLibrary.com

Thompson Gale has launched a beta version of AccessMyLibrary.com, which allows their databases' content to be crawled and indexed by search engines.  When a searcher selects one of the Thompson Gale articles from the search engine's results list, they're given the option to connect to their local library to access the article (where they will have to be authenticated as usual).  The message "Read the rest of this article for free courtesy of your local library." appears on each individual article page. 

This is a great way for Gale to promote its resources and for patrons to find quality trusted information and become aware of their library's online resources.

Video a Go Go

Overdrive has announced that it will be providing downloadable video through a new Video on Demand service.  It's an inevitable step in remote library services, and I'm curious to see how they handle digital rights management and cross-platform compatability. 

Librarians Set World Record!

The librarians at the Henderson County Public Libraries have set the world record for reading aloud.  Congratulations!

Visual Comparison of Google vs. Yahoo

Tara points out this site that visually compares search results between Google and Yahoo.  When you run a search, you get two rows of dots (one for Google & one for Yahoo).  Overlapping results are connected with a blue line.  It's interesting to see the different ranking systems of the two engines, and how very little overlap there is.

Blogging for the Blind and Low-Visioned

Thanks to Phil Bradley for pointing out this article, "How to Make Your Blog Accessible to Blind Readers."  The article explains seven simple steps to making your blog accessible to those using screen readers or to those with low-vision.  If you blog (or your library blogs) please read this article.

ALA and the Political Arena

Rory Litwin's article "Shake it off, ALA--Respond to the Bush Administration" is an example of thoughtful commentary on ALA's lack of a strong response to the Bush Administration's classification of and secrecy about many government documents that were previously available to the public. 

Litwin reminds us that part of ALA's charge is to ensure the continued availability of government information, and that so far, this administration is not making that information available.  Litwin also recommends that ALA members write to their Councilors to express an opinion on this matter.  I second that recommendation.

Computerized Librarian

I know I've seen this before, but since I haven't posted it here, I'm going to torture you with it too ;) 

From Diane M. O'Keefe and Janet T. O'Keefe, lyrics for "Computerized Librarian," a song to sing to the tune of "I Am The Very Model of a Modern Major-General" from Gilbert and Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance.

RefWorks

Karen has some glowing comments about Refworks, a "Web based Bibliographic Management Software."  Basically, if you're scrambling around and getting citations and references on the web, this tool will probably help you.  Read Karen's comments for the full dish.

Gorey + War of the Worlds = Happy LiB

Via Bookslut, you can get the new War of the Worlds edition (with Edward Gorey illustrations) at 33% off if you order it from the New York Review of Books website.  Pretty pretty!

House Votes to Limit PATRIOT ACT

The House of Representatives voted 238-187 to restrict investigators from using the PATRIOT ACT to demand library and bookstore records.  The White House is threatening a veto, but let's see how this all pans out.  The House victory is a big one!

LITA blog

LITA's blog is up and running, at long last!  I did my small part in contributing to the design (well, more like commenting on what other people proposed and offering my own suggestions).  And of course it has a feed!  Add this one to your aggregators, folks.

Blogging Legal Guide

The Electronic Frontier Foundation has published its Legal Guide for Bloggers, a must-read for anyone writing a blog--citizen-journalist or otherwise (read: libraries & librarians).

link via PoynterOnline

UNLV IM Reference Services

UNLV has joined the cult of IM.  The UNLV Libraries' Instant Messaging Reference service went live last Monday, and Sherri shares her solutions to the problems of e-mail reference and statistic keeping (two of the main arguments against switching from heavy-hitting web-based chat reference products to lightweight IM reference products).  Congratulations to all the UNLV students who can now get research help through their medium of choice!

Moz & the iPod

So I'm listening to Morrissey's splendid new live album, Live at Earls Court (recorded December 2004), and I'm bopping along to track 5: "Big Mouth Strikes Again."  <sidenote>Yes, I was bopping to Morrissey.  Moz is quite boppable if you give him the chance.</sidenote>

Now, the lyrics on the original recording (The Queen is Dead, The Smiths, 1986) were:

Now I know how Joan of Arc felt
as the flames rose to her Roman nose
and her Walkman started to melt.

But on the live version, Moz sings:

Now I know how Joan of Arc felt
as the flames rose to her Roman nose
and her iPod started to melt.

Huh.  When Moz picks up a new technology and throws it into a classic Smiths song, you know it's gotta be big.

Binary Nails

Thanks to Ms. Eclectic for IMing me about this sweet nail job.  Ah, geekiness and female primping combine.  Nice!

Kitchen Myths

Kitchen Myths debunks common kitchen myths, and even cites the sources from whence the debunking came (nice!).  Here are some myths that I grew up with, thinking they were true.  Ah, so innocent I am.

• A box of baking soda in the fridge or freezer absorbs odors.
• When you add alcohol to a recipe it all evaporates during cooking so there is none in the final dish.
• If you put the pit in the bowl, guacamole won't turn brown.

link via Idle Type via J-Walk Blog

Blog Software Breakdown

Via Phil Bradley's Blog, the Blog Software Breakdown--a useful comparison chart of the various blogging software on the market (free or pay).

Librarians, Reading, and the Guinness Book

Thanks to Jessamyn for letting us know that librarians at the Henderson District Public Libraries in Nevada are going for the Guinness Book record for reading aloud...and they're doing it as I type.  They're aiming for 100 hours.  They have a blog and some photos up on Flicker.

Enough Keyword Searches. Just Answer My Question.

The NYT article "Enough Keyword Searches.  Just Answer My Question." by James Fallows is a must read for librarians both in and out of the trenches.  Fallows discusses the difficulty in finding answers to factual questions using traditional search engines (Google, Yahoo, Ask Jeeves) because of the engines' indexing and search defaults, saying:

We live with these imperfections by trying to outguess the engines - what if I put "per capita spending by states" in quotation marks? - and by realizing that they're right for some jobs and wrong for others.

He did contact an expert to find the answer to his question, but he never thought to ask his local librarian, which was interesting (and pitiful) to me.  This is where librarians truly shine--we know how the search engines work.  We know about specialized gateways and databases that would help us find the kind of information that he was looking for.  But the thought of calling us did not occur to him.  Why?

I'd be willing to assert that he is not to blame, but rather his public library (and libraries as a whole) are to blame for not marketing ourselves better to let our residents know that this is exactly the kind of thing we can do for them.

OED new words

I don't know why I get so excited every time the OED adds new words to their dictionary, but I do.  Here's a list of their additions from June 9th, including ankle-biter, back burner, curry, servo, and some rather naughty insult words.

Beethoven Experience

Do you like Beethoven?  Well, if not, watch Immortal Beloved and you will.  Beethoven is one of those cross-generational, cross-cultural composers who has fared well over the years.  And now the BBC is releasing Beethoven's nine symphonies as MP3s through The Beethoven Experience.  Joy!

Origami Yoda

Ah yes, the Star Wars geek in me got excited by the origami Yoda.

link via Boing Boing

Book House

Sculptor Livio De Marchi has carved an entire house (exterior, interior, furnishings, and all) so that it is looks like it's been assembled from thousands of books.  While the exterior is very cool, what impressed me most was the book-esque furniture.  This person could do good business with libraries.

link via Boing Boing

RSS coming for III

Innovative will be introducing RSS features for patrons with their 2006 release.  Although I am an RSS addict myself, I do realize that the bulk of the population has never heard of RSS, much less started to use it.  However, I think this kind of service can be a selling point for introducing patrons to RSS.

Patrons will be able to get RSS messages as part of their My Millennium suite of personalization features. Timely messages such as "Materials due tomorrow" or "New item on hold shelf for you" will let patrons know about their interactions with the library more quickly than ever before.

If I can show someone how to get CNN headlines, book notices, and Snoopy via RSS, I think I've proved the usefulness of the technology.

Etymology, anyone?

Phil Bradley points us to the Online Etymology Dictionary, a wonderful and highly detailed resource of the history of Modern English.  Search for a word, and get the complete etymology for the word.  I searched on "carbon" (actually from an IM reference question a few weeks ago) and got the following:

1789, coined 1780s in Fr. by Lavoisier as charbone, from L. carbo (gen. carbonis) "glowing coal, charcoal," from PIE base *ker- "heat, fire, to burn" (cf. L. cremare "to burn;" Skt. krsna "black, burnt," kudayati "singes;" Lith. kuriu "to heat," karštas "hot," krosnis "oven;" O.C.S. kurjo "to smoke," krada "fireplace, hearth;" Rus. ceren "brazier;" O.H.G. harsta "roasting;" Goth. hauri "coal;" O.N. hyrr "fire;" O.E. heorð "hearth"). Carbon 14, long-lived radioactive isotope used in dating organic deposits, is from 1936. Carbon paper (soon to be obsolete) is from 1895, as is carbon copy.

That's a lot of information, and much more than I was able to find elsewhere online.  You can find a complete list of the site's sources, which completely reassured me of the site's reliability.  Add this to your bookmarks now!

OU Libraries confirm IM is preferred

The Ohio University Libraries surveyed their students, and found the same thing that Sherri found of students at UNLV: students use IM, they don't use the library's "Ask Us" service, but they would if it were provided via IM.  I'm really glad to see academic libraries listening to their users on this issue.  Provide service where the user wants it--not where you want it.

Schtuff

If you're hunting for a free wiki service, try Schtuff.  They host the wiki for you, provide tagging, RSS feeds, customized permissions, and image galleries.

Thanks to schwagbag for pointing out this useful freebie!

Vintage Pharmaceutical Ads

Check out this site with dozens of vintage pharmaceutical ads...my favorites are the injectable whole opium ad and the ad pictured to the left, which reads "Tyrant in the house?  Thorazine can help control the agitated belligerent senile."

At first glance some do seem as though they must be fake, but alas...they are all real.

CUFTS (not fisticuffs)

Thanks to Carole Leita on the Infopeople Blog for pointing out CUFTS, an open source OpenURL link resolver designed for library consortia.  The Journal Search Database they provide tells you which online databases index which periodicals, including full-text and date coverage information.  Their Resource Comparision tool compares two databases to see what the overlap is between periodical coverage.

LiB used to use JAKE to do these things (particularly useful at academic libraries), but as Carole points out in her post, JAKE hasn't been updated in over two years.  Yay CUFTS!

Sendak interview

NPR has a great interview with Maurice Sendak on their website.  He has some pretty harsh comments about Disney/Mickey Mouse, and discusses how to be successful at writing for children.

link via Boing Boing

LJ sidles up to RSS

Library Journal's new blog, LJ Tech Blog, has an RSS feed.  Finally, LJ has dipped its little footies into the RSS pool.  Hurrah!

Do You Lego?

Create a Lego-head of yourself.

Or make a whole Lego-person out of yourself.

No...seriously.

link via Steel White Table

Handmade Anime Dolls

I think I could be a crafter someday.  I can see how the obsessive person inside me would rather enjoy making things, making them beautiful, making them fun.  This Anime Dolls site appealed to that crafty-LiB.  It even includes how-to instructions for the dolls.  I agree with TangognaT...the Vampire Hunter D doll is the best.

Why Smart People Defend Bad Ideas

Scott Berkun's article, "Why Smart People Defend Bad Ideas," is a thoughtful examination of why ordinarily rational and intelligent people defend and hold on to the silliest ideas and practices.  Much of it has to do with ego or simple group thinking.  I agree with Tasha at Sites and Soundbytes--so much of this applies to libraries (probably to every workplace).  It's a good read--particularly if you have any committee meetings coming up!

Back to Nature

Ask Jeeves has returned to using natural language searching with its new Web Answers feature.  Tara isn't that impressed with the results, and neither is your own LiB, to be honest.  I still like Answers.com for this kind of natural language query.

ALA, Gorman, and bailing vs. staying

Gorman is not making friends.  The Eclectic Librarian has had it with Gorman and is giving up.  ALA Councilor Rochelle isn't sure yet, but definitely has mixed feelings about ALA.  Free Range Librarian (aka ALA Councilor Karen Schneider) has also had it with Gorman.  Jessamyn West says that Gorman is a "librarian's librarian" but not "the public's librarian."  Caveat Lector's author encourages folks to take action, to write to the Executive Board.   

As for myself, I think there are two issues here.  1) Gorman has some interesting and thoughtful things to say about Google Print.  That's fine. I think he brings up some good criticisms, but is a bit single-minded in his approach to the issue.  But all in all, I don't care that much what he thinks. 2) What I do care about is how Gorman represents librarians and libraries to the outside world.  And he's doing a bum job of it right now.  With flippant and poorly thought-out comments about blogs and covert racist comments about dumbing things down to a hip hop level, Gorman is putting a bad face on librarianship--one that is technologically regressive and socially insensitive (if not downright racist). 

Some have said "but he didn't mean it that way."  That doesn't matter.  It's how he's coming across, not to just the library world, but to the public in general.  And that should count for something.  I've repeatedly been half a step away from stopping my ALA membership because of Gorman.  The only things that are stopping me from doing that are 1) Quitting because of one irresponsible person, leader or not, is rather irresponsible in and of itself and 2) I realize that no small protest action that I can mount on my own is going to make a whit of difference to ALA as an organization.  All I can do is work from within, try my best to improve things as a member, and keep voicing my dissent about Gorman's behavior.

Zabasearch and Personal Info Online

Zabasearch, an online directory with a frightening amount of information about people, is perfectly legal in the United States.  Anita Ramasastry's article on FindLaw, "Can We Stop Zabasearch -- and Similar Personal Information Search Engines?", discusses how these sites provide access to personal information (some for free, some for a fee) and how despite their use in identity theft, they are still legal. 

The author points out an important fact: much of this information is already findable in public records--people just have to know how and where to look.  Zabasearch simply makes the information accessible in one place.  Usually, as librarians, we think that is a good thing.  In this case, however, the privacy-minded side of our profession comes in conflict with the sharing-information side.  Still, Zabasearch is a resource to know about, and to make patrons aware of. 

story via Virtual Chase

RSS Feeds from Kirkus

Did you know that Kirkus offers RSS feeds for its most viewed, e-mailed, saved, and printed reviews?  Now you do, thanks to Sites and Soundbytes.

78 MP3s

No, not 78 different MP3s (because that would be boring).  I'm talking about MP3 files made from old 78 records from 1900-1930.  The creator includes some informative notes about transferring the songs, and information about the original records themselves.  My favorite title was "As a Porcupine Pines for its Pork," a 1925 gem :)

link via Boing Boing

Western Springs History

Aaron has been working on westernspringshistory.org, a grant-funded site showing the local historical society's historic home collection.  Look up a street and an address and you just might see the original house!  The site is running off of WordPress (!) and allows commenting, which users are already taking advantage of by sharing stories about the houses.  This is an easy to use and practical site that can help share the history of this town.  Good work Aaron!

Student Privacy and Military Recruiters

Were you harassed by military recruiters as a student?  I know I was.  The recruiters would hang out in our high school (in which the students were not affluent by any means), and harangue anyone absentminded enough to stumble into their line of verbal fire.  It was not a gentle approach of "here's what we can offer you."  Rather, it was a barked out "It's your duty to serve!" 

I also used to get phone calls weekly throughout junior and senior year from recruiters from the army, navy, marines, and airforce.  And no matter how many times I said "Look, I'm involved in an anti-war group here at school and a member of international peace organizations" and "Take me off your list," they would continue calling.  Their counter argument was always "we'll pay for your education."  And even though I didn't have money for college, I'd be damned if I was going to join the military to get it.  Instead, I worked full time during college and graduate school, and emerged three degrees later without a single cent of debt.  It can be done.

My younger brother joined up, as did two of his friends.  If you don't have money for school, you're a bit aimless about your future, and you have less than stellar GPA (which the military now knows about), you are prime rib to the military recruiters.  My brother is now 23 years old and a veteran of the Iraq War.  It's miraculous he made it out alive after a year there.  And yes, I said War.  It's a war, not a conflict.  Korea was a war too, damn it.

I wish I had had access a resource like Leave My Child Alone back them.  It is a family privacy project that helps you advocate for the privacy of your child's school records.

School districts are required under Section 9528 of the No Child Left Behind Act to release student records to military recruiters or risk losing funding, but they are also required to inform families of their Opt Out rights. Notification varies wildly across districts, and it's a bit of a crapshoot whether families know or not.

U.S. Representative Mike Honda is sponsoring H.R.551, the Student Privacy Protection Act of 2005, which would amend the No Child Left Behind Act to prohibit military recruiters from contacting students unless both the student & their parents specifically "opt in" to receive such communications.  There is a citizen-sponsor petition on the site to sign to support the bill.

link via J-Walk Blog

Customized Classics

Customized Classics will plug you and your friends into a classic piece of literature and give you a bound paperback copy in which you can bask your ego.  You can even put your own photo on the cover. 

It is a bit limited.  I got all excited about turning Alice in Wonderland to Sarah in Wonderland, but you can only customize three characters: Alice, Mabel, and Ada.  I don't even remember a Mabel or Ada, but they're listed as Alice's "friends."  With the Wizard of Oz, you can't customize the scarecrow, tin man, cowardly lion, or the witches (I had inspired visions of getting my sister a copy with her boss as a witch).  Still, I think it's a cute idea, particularly for a young reader.

link via J-Walk Blog

Make Your PC Work (not look) More Like a Mac

I'm not a Mac user, and may never be one (sorry Michael)!  But I do appreciate the user-friendliness of certain Mac interfaces and features.  Make Your PC Work (not look) More Like a Mac lists several solutions to making your PC feel a bit more like your handy-dandy Mac.  This list could be particularly helpful for those who use a Mac at home but use a PC at work.

link via schwagbag

Weather a la Lynch

David Lynch is extra creepy, but serves up stunning cinematic experiences, so he's on my cool list.  Lynch is now providing short daily weather reports on his website, though a "will return soon" sign greeted us today.  My only question is this: is the weather being reported the actual weather in Southern California, or the weather as it exists in the David-Lynch-land inside his head?

Book meme

My turn with the book meme that's been in the ether lately...

Total number of books I've owned: No way to know for sure, but I'm estimating around 2,000 especially if you count all of those textbooks needed for two literature degrees, which I only temporarily owned but owned nonetheless.  I did a massive weeding project of my collection before I moved out to California three years ago, and I think I'm down to around 200 titles.

Last book I bought: Animal Popposites: A Pop-Up Book of Opposites by Matthew Reinhart.  Well, I was present when it was purchased for me.  I didn't actually shell out the dough for it (thanks e)!  He found it in a kitchy souvenir shop on Coronado Island (while I was gazing and scowling at the frighteningly ugly "sand globes").  I'm a sucker for pop-up books, especially when they're thoughtful gifts.

Last book I read: Bangkok Tattoo by John Burdett (good so far!)

Last book I finished: Gilead by Marilynne Robinson.  The theme and writing style reminded me of A Month in the Country by James Lloyd Carr. 

Five books that mean a lot to me: Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson, Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne, Neuromancer by William Gibson, and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.

Five people I'd like to see to do this as well: Michael, Aaron, Karen, Walt, and Mary.

Oh Deana!

Not quite sure how I feel about this yet, but Riker will be directing The Librarian, part II.

Public Radio Feeds

If you're like me, you really like public radio.  Sometimes I feel like it's the only place I can turn for truly interest