What about the “Other Stuff”?

It’s time I started a few non-library realted posts and what better way to begin than with Fathers’ Day last Sunday. It was a beautiful sunny day and the extended family met for breakfast at Hillary’s Boat Harbour. We found a table for 9 overlooking the sheltered bay and a few expensive-looking yachts and were entertained by the antics of the ever-hungry seagulls.

I am blessed with two wonderful sons and their equally wonderful wives. One couple lives in Melbourne so wasn’t able to join us but G & R, their sons J and K and her parents L & G as well as my mum and my husband were all there. After breakfast which the menfolk had no difficulty downing but which the ladies struggled to finish we repaired to G & R’s house to inspect his father’s day present – a new trampoline. The young boys are, of course, “allowed” to use it and are even encouraged by being offered extra computer or TV time for every hour they spend on the trampoline. Mum’s oven timer has never seen so much use!

G spends a lot of time with his boys encouraging them to cycle, run, surf and play sport. He is also studying part time and has one more unit to complete his MBA. Hope he maintains his unblemished record of distinctions for the last unit. He has also recently been promoted to general manager of his organisation. Added to that he is tall, blonde, well-built and good looking – really a son to be proud of (I’ll talk about the other handsome son nex post, maybe).

His wife, R, is building up her clothing business making and supplying ecologically friendly children’s clothes. I saw her collection on a rack in the living room and was charmed by the innovative designs. She is preparing for a stall at a craft fair at Perth City Hall on Sunday – look out for JacKai Designs.

Will Chrome take over from IE & Firefox?

I’ve just downloaded Chrome, the new open source Google browser, and am trying to come to terms with the very different interface. It is claimed to be much faster than any other browser and more stable. It is certainly cleaner and less cluttered but I have yet to decide whether or not I will make it my main browser (Firefox is still rather “cool” I think).

There’s a delightful comic e-book detailing the philosophies and development of Google Chrome. Even in this simplified form I find it difficult to understand though I do think it is a great way to try and get the message across to new and potential users.

It is more likely to take market share from Firefox than from IE because most IE users are too set in their ways to try anything new, however the fact that, like Firefox, it is open-source will make for some interesting new developments in both browsers.

Titles that attract the reader

Blog titles are , in the main, not very imaginative unless the writer is an accomplished journalist. Yet titles are very important in attracting a reader to see the pearls of wisdom one may have penned in a blog. I realised just how important they are when I saw the contents page of a new book The Revolution Will Not Be Downloaded edited by Tara Brabazon, Oxford: Chandos, 2008, ISBN: 9781843344599.

These delightful chapter headings make this book quite irresistible and it will definitely be on my list of purchases and required reading.

Part One: Scanning the silences

Access denied
Restless redundancy
Wiring God’s waiting room: the greying of web literacy
Cash for corporeality: international students and the wealth of transgression
Cultware

Part Two: Downloading harmony

He who pays the piper must call the tune?
The ultimate mix: try before you buy
Record companies vs. technology

Part Three: Uploading identity

Putting their life on(the)line: youth and blogging identity
Is it all bad? Japanese suicide culture
Traveller’s weblogs: why blog?
eBay: marketing the real body in the virtual world
Cyber sluts: the new Victorians
The I in community: it’s all about ME in gaydar’s global gay diaspora

Part Four: Packet switching resistance and terrorism

Information at the speed of thought
Keeping an eye on Big Brother
Speed kills: terrorism on the internet
Conclusion – what do you do with the other one in a duo?

I’d love to see suggestions from others of titles that you have found particularly good for attracting readers.

What comes after “23 Things” ?

I’ve just discovered this blog Learning 2.1: Explore … Discover … Play by Matt Gullett, Emerging Technology Coordinator for the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County (PLCMC). Starting at “thing #24″ Matt guides interested participants to a bunch of other technologies that we can all use to continue our Learning 2.0 experience.

Where in the World?

You may not be looking for Wally, but have you ever looked for a library book that you know is shelved somewhere in your home collection but just cannot be found? The Shifted Librarian has some good suggestions.

Back on the subject of “Where’s Wally?”, we are experimenting with using jigsaw puzzles to attract students to the Library. The first one was a funny with a topical Olympics theme and soon had students and staff hooked – this 1000 piece puzzle was finished in 4 days. Students were torn between doing the puzzle and watching the Olympics live on the big screen set up for the purpose.The new one is a WASGIJ (if you don’t know what that is, find out). It is far more challenging but the students are again finding time to piece it together without the aid of a picture. We may be commanded to take it away soon because “libraries are not supposed to be places for having fun” but in the meantime I hope everyone gets a lot of enjoyment out of the idea.

Jigsaw

9 — 13 — 20 — Free!

The Support Alert Newsletter has merged with the Windows Secrets Newsletter. You can download Gizmo’s free e-book, 9 Free Programs Every PC Should Have from their website. I have long subscribed to Gizmo’s Support Alert Newsletter and am grateful to him for pointing me in the direction of many handy tools for my PC.

While we’re on the subject of free stuff here are some more useful lists:

13 Most Unusual Search Engines You Should Remember. These are more fun than the “Big 3″ (or is it big 2 now? I’ve lost count) and all look very “Web 2.0″

20 Best Websites to Download Free E-books. How useful to have access to free e-books on a variety of subjects.

Moving House

This morning I transferred my blog to WordPress because I have seen much discussion online about various blogging platforms and want to try some of them out for myself. I have also been given the task of facilitating the library blog when my new website goes live. This is something for which I have been agitating for some time and at last the opportunity arises. Consequently, most of my library musings and discoveries will transfer to the new, as yet unnamed, blog and I can keep this one for more personal commentary.

My personal life has changed dramatically in the past few weeks. My mother, who came to live with me 8 years ago, has moved into a home and my man and I have the house to ourselves at last. Mum resisted and shed many private (and not so private) tears but the stress of having her constantly around was too much for us and our sanity. I found her a room in a retirement village surrounded by attractive gardens. Four other people share the cottage and they have all their needs provided, as well as there being someone to talk to whenever anyone is lonely, and she can keep many of her possessions in her room. At 96 mum is lucky to still have all her faculties and be relatively healthy but the time will come when she needs more care and I think she is lucky to have found such an attractive new home.

My man and I are able to do little things that we haven’t done for years such as go out for a cup of coffee, have a meal alone together at a restaurant and eat spicy foods at home. There are no restrictions on when we can go out, when we must be home or whether we can run around the house naked (though Perth in mid-winter is not conducive to that).

Relay for Life in Second Life

People often wonder whether Second life has any use other than enjoyment and entertainment. There are, of course, may educational institutions who maintain a presence and conduct classes. The Second Life Library is a flourishing community dedicated to helping people find information on a wide variety of subjects and many businesses had established themselves there.

Second Life residents also support several charities, one of which is Relay for Life. Events are planned throughout the world culminating in the 24 hour relay scheduled for this weekend. Apart from the relay 33 sims have events planned to educate and entertain you and encourage you to part with your lindens

In 2004 Second Life’s Relay For Life Gala raised US$2,000.00

In 2005 Second Life’s Relay For Life raised US$

In 2006 Second Life’s Relay For Life raised US$41,000

In 2007 Second Life’s Relay For Life raised US$118,500

That gives Relay a grand total of having raised US$166,500.00 in Second Life for the American Cancer Society.

In 2008 as of July 13 Relay For Life of Second Life has raised US$160,128.92

So this year already the total raised is almost as much as the combined total of the previous four years. I have several friends who are or were stricken with this dreaded disease and I’ll be there to help raise money for cancer research in the hope that one day the world will be cancer-free. If you attend and see my avatar Galia Beck please stop me and say “Hi!”.

Free !

Free – how I love that word. Whether I’m finding things on the web or scrounging through shops in Second Life I’m always on the lookout for special bargains and freebies.

Sarah Houghton-Jan, Librarian in Black, has posted about free software cheat sheets available at http://www.customguide.com/quick_references.htm . These are useful guides that may be printed out and made available in the library for clients who need assistance with a variety of software applications for Microsoft or Mac.

Now this may not be the type of freebie that everyone is falling over themselves to obtain, but I think most educational libraries will find the cheat sheets very useful and time-saving.

Technology Trends

Librarian in Black, Sarah Houghton-Jan, summarises her contribution to ALA 2008 in Sarah’s Top Technology Trends – virtual presentation for ALA 2008. I would like to draw attention to point #3 in the hope that the comments may filter through to the bureaucracy running our organisation.
I really like the way so much of the technology trends that are buzzed in Library circles were used in this presentation.