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Archive for the ‘tech’ Category

Wanted: Martian Services Librarian

Friday, August 3rd, 2007

NASA will be sending a library to Mars with the Phoenix Mars Lander this weekend. Sounds like they are going to need more than a librarian. They’ll need a min-disc player circa 1995 where writings by Carl Sagan, Ray Bradbury, Asimov, Swift, and other notable visionaries will be recorded. I wonder how they will be indexed. Obviously the purpose of the mission isn’t just to get a small disk of data to the surface of Mars. If the mission finds traces of water or organic materials AND Mars gets inhabited someday, there will be a time capsule of literary genius or a little piece of “earthling” detritus for those future generations of Martians to play Frisbee with.

[via Yahoo News]

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Email Dead… Again!

Monday, July 23rd, 2007

C|net has a story that highlights the demise of email among teens. It really is dead for people under 25. Texting, IM, MySpace, FaceBook, Twitter, Blogging, and the plethora of other social networking sites have replaced so much of regular communication that email is essentially dead. It’s still necessary for transactions and stuff involving money but it’s not a mode of communication between peers. I hope libraries see what’s coming and start offering all of their services via Text or IM or even better FaceBook apps soon. The Buddy List is ever important so let’s get on with becoming a “Buddy” and not and outsider.

“I only use e-mail for my business and to get sponsors,” Martina Butler, the host of the teen podcast Emo Girl Talk, said during a panel discussion here at the Mashup 2007 conference, which is focused on the technology generation. With friends, Bulter said she only sends notes via a social network.

From C|net – Kids say e-mail is, like, soooo dead
by Stefanie Olsen

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New app for eBooks

Monday, July 2nd, 2007

Information Today has an article that highlights Adobe’s new application for reading PDF & XHTML eBooks as well as managing a library of eBooks. Adobe Digital Editions has a slick interface very different from Acrobat. It also supports the Open Publication Standard which makes XHTML ebooks a lot more fluid and readable. I downloded the full version of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and it looked great even when I resized the window. Sony, HarperCollins, and a few other publishers have signed on and apparently approve of the DRM scheme. Sony will be incorporating it into it’s readers. And the publishers have made a few limited samples available.

The application downloaded and installed almost instantaneously on my Mac. PDF eBooks likewise were pretty quick to download and install. I’m on a fast (FIOS 6MB down) connection but launching Digital Editions was much faster than Acrobat Reader. It seems to have a very small footprint even with large downloads.

Will this format take off? Maybe we should encourage it. Will library customers be asking for this functionality? Libraries might as well offer it as one of their applications / plug-ins. Oh yeah, it needs Flash. Since it is not an exe it might work on most library computers without any fuss, but it can’t hurt to check.

[via Information Today]

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Friday’s iPhone media frenzy

Sunday, July 1st, 2007

Friday, I stopped by the Apple Store in Clarendon, a suburb of DC in Virginia assuming there would be a long line, lots of Apple devotees and opportunists. What I didn’t expect was all the media. Local and international reporters and camera operators were swarming over the place. It was a zoo. They opened the doors and I left. I wonder what the Harry Potter media frenzy will look like.

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Changing themes and lamentations

Monday, June 18th, 2007

I have been playing with the various WordPress themes lately. The latest one is Blackmagic. I think WordPress themes are great way to teach CSS as well as modular web design. I’m surprised that many libraries don’t use CSS to it’s full advantage by giving users the ability to change the text size, present pages in high contrast, or format them for printing, especially for pages that include directions, hours, or fact sheets.

Oh, CSS please invade every corner of every library web site.

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Gearing up for ALA

Monday, June 18th, 2007

So what to bring to ALA in DC, Gadget-wise? Cell, MacBook Pro, iPod mini, Airport Express, Canon 30D digital camera, media card reader, noise-cancelling headphones, every charger known to man, and a USB nose-hair trimmer [just a joke].

I want to bring the Wii but, I’m not that hardcore. I’ll probably bring the book I’m currently reading. The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Nicholas Taleb [interesting but so-far but a slow read].

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the Street is fit but knows it

Sunday, June 3rd, 2007

Google’s Street View that is. It’s pretty well done. there is something vaguely voyeuristic about it all, despite being very practical. I’m waiting for a Machinima to show up on YouTube. Add a little Philip Glass to a high speed tour of Mountain View and we can call it we can call it a Mapinima.

“The Streets” are great too, despite occasionlly needing the Urban Dictionary to help with those Cockney rhymes.

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Gaming in the library

Sunday, June 3rd, 2007

Now as the proud owner of a Wii, I’m hooked. The ability of the remote controllers to detect motion in three dimensions makes the gaming experience totally suited for a wide range of ages, from kids to vintage adults. The Wii Sports and Wii Play are all you need for rotator cuff injuries, a good case of Tennis elbow and hours of fun. I can’t wait for the library to carry Wii games, especially now that they are outselling PS3 2 to 1.

We’ve been doing a number of gaming in the library types of activities, primarily Guitar Hero for the PS2. Last Saturday, the library held a teen filmaker series followed by a video game marathon consiting of GH2 as well as some retro gaming on my old Dreamcast. Apparently they couldn’t get enough of the Soul Caliber.

My co-worker who organizes most of the Video Game Nights (that take place Fridays or Saturdays 3pm – 5pm) actually will be co-presenting at CLA this year on this very topic. Rock on Sarah!!!

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Busy busy

Tuesday, May 1st, 2007

I’ve been busy. New house. New schedule. Hosted an Internet Security Workshop at the library. Got to see an inspiring talk by Stephen Abram at my library. Took a part-time faculty position teaching technology tools and resources to library school students this fall. Jumped into Second Life, even though I barely have time for a first life. I even got an office on the SL SLIS campus. Made strawberry shortcake.

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LibraryXO.org Live!

Thursday, February 8th, 2007

I must have too much time on my hands. I created LibraryXO.org where users can post stories about the library-world and vote for their favorite stories. The idea is similar (okay, identical) to Digg but it’s only for library news, book reviews, and other fun stuff pertaining to libraries, librarians, and people who are just generally turned on by libraries.

Feel free to submit stories, vote, create a profile, interact with other LibraryXO users, comment, and make suggestions on how to make the site better. It’s a work in process and sure to change in layout, design and content as users begin to make it their own.

I’ll probably have an official launch in a couple of weeks… any excuse for a party.

Technical details: Pligg engine using MySQL, PHP, & CSS etc., hosted on LaughingSquid.net.

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