Thought this would be food for thought with the New Year dawning

A Christmas Challenge

Watch this video and see what you think.

Books turned into music boxes

What do you think of these? Check out the artist's (from San Antonio, TX) webpage for more on these unique books.

Most will be surprised to know but I scored a B

Created by The Car Connection

Potluck #50: Global Nation

Just last week we received the passport for the last remaining person in our family, my youngest daughter, who recently turned 16, in the mail. So now we all have a valid passport. I have several dream vacations and could never narrow it down to one but included are a return trip to Germany but this time during Oktoberfest, a trip to Russia, and the Alaskan cruise.


Tripbase
Here I tried the "Tell us what you like. We'll tell you where to travel." tool and my top 5 returns were Yosemite National Park, California, , Galapagos Islands National Park, The Pantanal, Brazil , Yellowstone National Park, and Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica . When I restricted it to everywhere except North and South America, my top 5 returns were Morne Trois Pitons National Park, Cocos Island National Park, Costa Rica , Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica , Killarney National Park, Ireland , and Kvarken Archipelago, Finland . And finally when I did the same search but restricted it to Europe, my top 5 returns were Kvarken Archipelago, Finland , Killarney National Park, Ireland , Pyrenees National Park, France , London, United Kingdom , and Paris, France . Based on what I typed in as my likes and the results I was returned I am somewhat surprised that it chose the destinations that it did. Personally I can think of other destinations that would better fit my likes, so I wonder what influences the ranking of particular pages in results returned (i.e. Google Bomb? advertisers? etc.) Who wrote the site's search-rank algorithm? Anyway I guess I wouldn't take a website suggestion when it comes to taking a trip when I am spending hard earned money and using precious time off. As far as the social aspect, (with this site and any other social site on the internet) I have trouble getting together with my "real" friends let alone making time for "online" friends.


IgoUgo
"another social travel site" - that says alot and I am not into the social thing much but I guess I might once my decision had been made about where to go read up on what to do there, where to eat, etc... from people who have been there, although I much prefer reading about what people who live there have to say or "professionals" like Rick Steve's has to say.


Simpatigo
"At Simpatigo we don't tell you where to go - we just tell you how to get there and what you'll see along the way." Liked their philosophy right away. I keyed in the trip we will be making for Christmas and only got two results; one nashville which was a stop at the sometimes corny, sometimes brilliant, but always endearing grand ole opry (615-871-6779) duh... and the other in Baton Rouge, LA for a peaceful self-guided tour of the Louisiana State Capitol (225-342-7317), where one will find a monument to the vision and power of the Kingfish. In September 1935, Long, a United States senator at the time, was killed by a single bullet from an assassin's gun in a marble-lined back hallway. There is a small exhibit on the shooting and perhaps a lasting structural reminder a mark on a marble column said to have been left by a bullet from a bodyguard's gun. Long's grave is on the Capitol grounds, topped with his likeness in bronze bigger than life and gazing into the future.'' We don't even drive through LA. So then I tried a tour of several cities under explore a neighborhood but didn't find anything so I guess of the 5142 points of interest none of them are in Greensburg, Bloomington, or Marshall. So maybe when the points of interest grow to more like 500,000 it will be more interesting.

Ebookers

I don't like downloads because I don't like to "junk" up my computer. It also looks like this is for someone whose schedule is alittle more flexible than my family's, who has to work around school schedules for two kids and work schedules for two adults. I am sure there are some fantastic deals available but they are probably for dates and times when travel is low, i.e. when everyone needs to be in school. So not that helpful to me. We travel so little that and my time is so limited this website isn't for me.

So I checked out the sites but wouldn't use any of them to plan my dream vacation. And honestly seeing as how my dream vacation is years away I can't justify spending the time to plan a vacation I won't be taking for years.

Potluck #49: L'amore di lingue - Love of Languages

It's kind of funny how the topics of iHCPL seem to coincede with the activities of my household very nicely. October 26th was my oldest daughter's 18th birthday and one of the presents she asked for and received from her grandmother was Rosetta Stone's Language Program for Learning German. Although she's in her 5th year of German in high school, she feels that due to the way the class is structured this year (they have German 3, 4 & 5 all in one class) she feels she isn't learning anything new this year. Although that decision has already been made it is interesting to check out these online language programs too. I personally would love to learn Latin, German and Russian.


Livemocha
I agree with the Livemocha philosophy - "We believe that books and self-study programs are important, but to become truly proficient and conversational you need to work with actual native speakers." Nice format here but the emails telling me that I am "falling behind" are over the top.

Mango Languages
Most of everything I investigated on this site it seemed I would have to purchase, however it might be a good place to start and figure out if you want to seriously pursue a language. If you are just wanting to get some basics it will suit those needs but I'd recommend something else for more in depth study.

Wikibooks
I am not sure this would be helpful until one has achieved some proficiency in the language they are attempting to learn. I certainly don't know enough about the languages I am interested in learning to make Wikibooks in German or Russian work for me at this point.


After my investigations I would use Livemocha as my primary language instruction tool but would supplement this with Wikibooks.

Animoto video created for #45 of iHCPL the next generation

#47 Video Challenge: Post Your Video to YouTube

I figure why do the same video as the one you've already seen so I am sharing a video I've uploaded to YouTube previously during our Teen Tech Week celebration here at the Fairbanks branch.

#46 Movie Maker Basics

Because I have used Movie Maker many times in the past this was not new information for me. I have posted two videos which I used Movie Maker to create the first one is First Acceptance Letter and the second one is Danielle's horse shows from July and today.

Enjoy!

Movie of Danielle's Horse Shows from July and today

Slide.com show I made of Dani

First Acceptence Letter!

Danielle received her first acceptence letter from IU!

Way to Go Danielle!

In honor of this achievement I made a movie of our summer visit to IU.

#45: Making a Video: An Overview

The Flip - if it works as good as it looks I'd buy one, it's cute! They offer a $15.00 discount to educational institutions, their faculty and staff too!

Following the format of the iHCPL module I went to consumer reports website to see what they had to say about The Flip and here is their Bottom Line - "The Pure Digital Flip Video F160B is a simple-to-use, pocket-size digital video camera that's appropriate for “quick and dirty” video recording--to create videos to share over the Internet or in other situations where video quality doesn’t matter much. But you'll pay about $150 for the convenience of Flip Video's sub-par, low-fidelity videos." I will mention here that I think if you want to read Consumer Reports reviews for any products rather than going to http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/index.htm I would recommend going to hcpl.net clicking on the database tab, choosing Magazine & Journals from the By Subject listing and choosing EBSCOhost. You can limit your search to Consumer Reports and get the actual information as printed in the magazine with no annoying ads to subscribe to the magazine.

I already own a digital camera that will take still shots as well as videos and I am very pleased with it. It is a Sony Cybershot. We also have a digital camcorder but we don't use it nearly as often as we used to as the girls are older.

I use Windows MovieMaker frequently. I have made several graduation movies for friends and nieces and will get to make one for my own daughter this year. I also made a friend a Family History movie which I must say turned out very nicely. Those were all pretty big undertakings because it involved pulling photos from the previous 18 years in the case of the graduation videos and more than 50 years in the case of the family histoy video, scanning them in and then putting the movie together. Now I do shorter movies of just one or two events, i.e. see my movie of my daughter touring Indiana University that I made after she got her acceptance letter.

I tried Animoto as part of iHCPL a Learning Experienece and made a little music video. I prefer to have the capability on my computer so I can burn to a DVD.

I will try out Jumpcut but again prefer something on my computer like Windows Movie Maker because I feel more ownership of the final product when it is on my computer and I can burn to a DVD.

#44 A Consumer's How To : How To & Make

I looked at the different types of How To sites listed below: I liked all of the sites and have posted my comments about each site as well.

WikkiHow - much like wikipedia

HowStuffWorks - very slick with videos

Instructables - This one is pretty cool especially the How to get a library card clips. We should have one for How To Get a Library Card in Harris County and stress the free part because I get that question all the time, How much does a library card cost? or how much to rent a DVD? etc...

Quamut - A nice site but then again it should be because you have to pay to download or print anything unless of course you like the topics they are willing to give for free, How to Make a Pizza is this weeks freebie. I can't remember the previous weeks freebies but imho they were not topics of importance. How to stop Identity Theft was interesting but I didn't really learn anything new.

The one problem I had with selecting a topic to learn about was that none of the sites had the information I was looking for. Most of the topics covered on all the sites seemed trival to me, i.e. Soda Can Hinge Wallet Chain, How To Flirt Using British Sign Language not really important to me. They are not all that trival as there is How to Make Salsa which I can see someone viewing that how to and then doing it. But how about How to Write a Commencement Address? I don't know about you but I've never been asked to write a commencement address and those that are asked to do such a thing are probably, hopefully not consulting Expert Village on how to do so, though I mean nothing against the expert, John Graden, an internationally acclaimed speaker, author and pioneering entrepreneur. Someday I might find myself looking for some information on one of these sites but as of now I wouldn't count on the information being there.

#43 Buying and Selling online

I have used eBay as a buyer as well as a seller and it is pretty user friendly when searching for items to buy and getting an item listed to sell. I have never had a problem with a seller or a buyer not fulfilling their promises.
I have also used Amazon as a buyer and a seller and when it comes to books, VHS and DVDs I prefere Amazon over eBay because there is no fee to list items unless they sell. eBay charges you whether or not the item sells.
I have also used Craigslist as both a buyer and a seller and for some items that would be difficult to ship it is the best because even when you sell your item you keep 100% of the money. I've listed one item on Craigslist at 11:00am on a Saturday and the item was paid for and picked up by 6:00pm the same day! It was very quick and easy.
I have never used Etsy or Half.com because so far all my needs have been met with Craigslist, Amazon and/or eBay.
I have a Paypal account which I have used to pay for things I've purchased but have not received payment in this manner. I don't use it regularly so the only problem I have with it is I always forget my password.

Wellness #42: Staying Well

"Real wellness is much more than the lack of disease." - Dr. Mehmet Oz from the foreward to Kathy Freston's book Quantum Wellness.

A stray pill in your child's backpack? You've got bigger problems than drugs.com can help you solve especially if your child goes to a zero tolerance school like Cy-Fair ISD. And personally if I ever found a stray pill anywhere it wouldn't matter if I could determine what kind it was I'd flush it rather than let someone take it. Of course I may want to know what kind of pill it was but I'd probably take it to a local pharmacy and ask a professional to id the pill. I might however use drugs.com's pill identifier when taking a new medication I might look at the pill to verify that the medication I received is actually what was prescribed. I tried the pill identifier and searching one drug which I know is NOT a generic I found the pill accuratly. When I tried a second which is a generic form by searching my imprint, shape and color it did not find the proper medication. Of course I knew the name of the medication (although if it were a "stray pill" I wouldn't have) so I typed that in and it found the medication. I would just keep in mind as the website states: "The Service is not a substitute for the care provided by licensed healthcare practitioners and consumers are urged to consult with their healthcare practitioner in all instances." So who would I ask these questions to? - my doctor.

The Family Health Portrait was a pretty cool site (I know of two people who will probably go there and build 'a tree' after reading my post).

I used the local MedlinePlus to see the resources related to lyphedema in harris county.

The return hits list is too voluminous to list here but it looked something like this:

Health information top 2 results - lymphedema
Lymphedema
... lymphatic system. The accumulation of lymph is called lymphedema. Causes of lymphedema include Infection Cancer Scar tissue ... from radiation therapy ...
Genetics Home Reference: Lymphedema-distichiasis syndrome
... Recent literature OMIM Genetic disorder catalog Genetic Conditions > Lymphedema-distichiasis syndrome On this page: Description Genetic changes ... names Glossary definitions Reviewed February 2008 What is lymphedema-distichiasis syndrome? Lymphedema-distichiasis syndrome is a condition ...

More health information results from MedlinePlus
Services results 1 - 20 of 104 - lymphedema

H.O.P.E. Lymphedema Treatment Center, PLLCMap & directions9914 Hwy. 90, Ste. A, Sugar Land, TX 77478281.242.5807Description: The mission of the H.O.P.E. Lymphedema Treatment Center is to provide treatment and education for lymphedema patients in a comfortable non-clinical setting. Our Dr. Vodder trained therapists provide patients with services related to lymphedema prevention, treatment, and management. Our staff members are also certified fitters & distributor for JOBST, JUZO, CIRCAID, ELVAREX. The H.O.P.E. Lymphedema Treatment Center also offers periodic support group meetings.

National Lymphedema NetworkMap & directionsLatham Sq., 1611 Telegraph Ave., Ste. 1111, use the web site to locate a support group or treatment center near you, Oakland, CA 94612800.541.3259, 510.208.3200Description: The National Lymphedema Network (NLN) is an internationally recognized non-profit organization founded in 1988 to provide education and guidance to lymphedema patients, health care professionals and the general public by disseminating information on the prevention and management of primary and secondary lymphedema. The NLN is supported by tax-deductible donations and is a driving force behind the movement in the U.S. to standardize quality treatment for lymphedema patients nationwide.

Texas Wound & Lymphedema CenterMap & directions605 Holderrieth, Tomball, TX 77375281.401.7943Description: The Texas Wound & Lymphedema Center (TWLC) at Tomball Regional Medical Center is a comprehensive inpatient and outpatient center, open Monday through Friday, from 7:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Our Services, include: * Acute and Chronic Wound Care * Debridement * Bio-engineered Skin Substitutes * Vacuum Assisted Closure Devices * Lymphedema Therapy * Hyperbaric Medicine * Pressure Re-distribution * Vascular Assessment (TCOM) * Nutritional Management

UT Pediatric Wound Healing and LymphedemaMap & directions6411 Fannin, Memorial Hermann Hospital, Robertson Pavilion, 2nd Floor, Houston, TX 77030713.704.5900Description: With more than 700 physicians certified in 80 medical specialties and subspecialties, we are the medical group practice of The UT Medical School at Houston. We help patients needing urgent or complex care and also provide wellness-oriented primary care. UT Physicians and Medical School are national leaders in research, education and clinical excellence. UT’s expert physicians can consult on virtually every type of medical problem and are preferred providers for most managed care plans.

Memorial Hermann HospitalMap & directions6411 Fannin, Houston, TX 77030713.704.4000Description: Since our first hospital opened its doors in downtown Houston in 1907, Memorial Hermann has been changing the face of healthcare across the greater Houston area. Generations of Houstonians have come to know and rely on Memorial Hermann for our quality, patient-centered care, our attention to continuous innovation and our long-standing commitment to meeting their healthcare needs.

The Methodist HospitalMap & directions6565 Fannin St., Houston, TX 77030713.790.3333Description: The Methodist Hospital System is a nonprofit health care organization based in Houston, Texas. It has extended the world-renowned clinical and service excellence of its founding entity, The Methodist Hospital, through a network of community based hospitals.

And finally I created a family medical history tree. That was depressing - I guess the only way I can think that it would be a helpful addition to a genealogy study is that it would make someone in my family stop and think about having children. They might just want to adopt and take their chances. Of course seeing as most people have their children in their 20's this is long before any interest in genealogy comes around so it's probably to late to keep someone from having babies.

And the sophomore...

and the youngest's first day of 10th grade...

Last first day of school

Ok so today was my daughter's last first day of school. She's a senior this year. As she went off to school this am. I was paying the application fee for one of her college applications.

Wellness #41 - Going Green - Part 2

The first thing I did before I even read what the exercise was going to be was to follow the link to sign up to stop junk mail. For Val-Pak Coupons: it tell you to "click the link and fill out the form - easy, but don't give them your email address" - The only way to do this is to put in a fake email address - I used the infamous trashcan@email.com

As far as things we have done at our house just this year that contribute to a greener lifestyle, we purchased a new furance and airconditioning unit for both upstairs and downstairs complete with programmable thermostats, a new hot water heater, and I purchase the compact fluorescent light bulbs as often as possible (when the light fixture will accomodate the bulb and shade without problems). I thought when I first started purchasing these bulbs that they lasted longer in addition to saving energy however it doesn't seem to me that they are lasting significantly longer than a regular bulb. I do like the cleaner Simple Green and have used baking soda to clean my cooktop for as many years as I've been cleaning. I still prefer Windex to any window cleaner you can make yourself. Speaking of making things yourself though I did make my own baby wipes and used cloth diapers for both my kids which even then was almost unheard of. All these things were relatively easy to do (except for paying for the new furnace and air conditioning units, that was expensive).

As far as the activity that may take more commitment but that I'd really would like to try I would like to recycle more but I just don't like all that stuff around nor do I want to have to pay for the recycling service, I think it should be included in your trash services. I can remember when I was little my parents recycled everything before you even knew about recycling. We used to go take our recyclables to a recycling center and although they didn't pay you for them you didn't pay them to take them either. We would take all sorts of things, paper, clothing, metal, glass and plastic. I remever finding something that someone else brought to the center to recycle and my dad let me keep it - I thought it was a treasure box and I kept my "valuables" in it for years, in fact I may still have it. It really was a German cookie tin which it turns out that many years later my mother-in-law who is from Germany receives these tins with cookies every year at Christmas and she has a house full of these tins. I have since started a collection of my own.

Wellness #41: Going Green - Part 1

According to the calculators we checked out, this is how my household and myself checked out:

I create 9.7 metric tons of CO2 per year accoording to the Green Energy Calculator from Yahoo! Green

The Total Emissions for my household are 72,125 pounds according to the carbon calculator on The Green Team website

My household produces 89,757 pounds, or 45 tons, of carbon dioxide each year! It takes 3,590 trees to store this much carbon dioxide. Both the 89,757 and the 72,125 pounds estimates are WAY above the average for Americans. Either I am way overestimating my amounts or we need to seriously look at what we are doing. As far as driving goes I don't know exactly where we'd cut back any as the driving we do is to and from work. I hope I am over estimating on the Electric bill but even so I don't know how I could be by so much.

I liked the looks of the Yahoo! Green website most but respect the reputation of the National Wildlife Federation most. The Green Team website is from Illinois State University does have a very nice Carbon Footprint Calculator for kids complete with lesson plans for teachers.

I have been to the Houston farmer's market in the Heights and @ Rice University, both are good but the Rice University one has more vendors. I buy honey from the honey lady every time I go and whatever fresh fruits and veggies that are available. I also regularly go to local u-pick places and pick strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and figs. I purchase my free range eggs from our vets office who has a local farmer bring them to their office to sell. I would like to use Jolie Vue Farms to purchase our meat but I don't have a freezer (which would increase my carbon footprint because I would be running another appliance) and driving into Houston (Rice University) is not feasible or possible on a regular basis. I would like to figure out how to use Jolie Vue or a farm similar to it on a regular basis.

If you liked this iHCPL unit you might want to read:

The omnivore's dilemma : a natural history of four meals / Michael Pollan.
by Pollan, Michael

Animal, vegetable, miracle : a year of food life / Barbara Kingsolver, with Steven L. Hopp and Camille Kingsolver ; original drawings by Richard A. Houser.
by Kingsolver, Barbara

How to reduce your carbon footprint : 365 simple ways to save energy, resources, and money / Joanna Yarrow.
by Yarrow, Joanna.

Plenty : one man, one woman, and a raucous year of eating locally / Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon.by Smith, Alisa, 1971-

Slow Food Nation: Why Our Food Should Be Good, Clean, And Fair by Carlo Petrini and Alice Waters

Moveable Feasts: From Ancient Rome to the 21st Century, the Incredible Journeys of the Food We Eat by Sarah Murray

Wellness #40

Carson Kressley can sure make you smile despite what you see in the mirror.

I took a look at the fitness calculators on ExRx.net and

Checked my BMI - Did I really need to know this information?

Calculated my calorie requirements - this one would have me gaining weight even faster than NutritionData.com

and answered the questionnaire to determine my health age - Now I'd love to believe what it says here but based on the calorie requirements calculation I highly doubt it can be accurate. It would have my life expectancy at 87.3!

I am currently very motivated to change my eating habits and stick to my exercise routine but not as a result of these activities. I have been so since my oldest daughter started a countdown to her high school graduation. I can hardly believe my baby is graduating and it sure would be nice to be able to shop for a new outfit for the graduation without feeling disgusted at the size it needs to be to fit. My goal is to be the same size the day she graduates as the day she went to kindergarten. I don't think I'll use any of the sites from this exercise to keep me motivated, my motivation is coming from my husband, my daughters and my best friend.

Only 293 days till Graduation!

Wellness #39: Nutrition

On this subject, I would recommend the following titles:














Just a few ideas to clear up -

If it has Miracle in the title, don't bother
If it says Permanent results, don't believe it
If it says Simple, don't kid yourself



Did you know free-range eggs have 7 times more beta-carotene than regular eggs. Nutrition Data is packed with useful and surprising information about the food you eat. This may be true but I can tell you if I ate based on the Daily Needs Calculator from this website I would rapidly gain weight. I typed in my information and the site responsed with my daily caloric needs. I do believe the information about free-range eggs, I do not believe I need as many calories as the site suggests.


2) I entered a favorite lunch recipe into Recipes.Sparkpeople.com. Here is the recipe with its nutrition facts:

Turkey on Wasa Rye Crisps
Turkey breast meat, 2 slices
*Wasa Fiber Rye Crispbread 1 slice, 2 serving
Mayonnaise, regular, 1 tbsp
Swiss Cheese, 1 slice (1 oz)
Basil, 5 leaves


Nutrition Facts
Turkey on Wasa Rye Crisps Serving Size: 1 serving Amount per serving:
Calories 278.8
Total Fat 13.4 g
Saturated Fat 6.0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 4.0 g
Monounsaturated Fat 3.6 g
Cholesterol 48.2 mg
Sodium 709.7 mg
Potassium 172.7 mg
Total Carbohydrate 22.4 g
Dietary Fiber 4.3 g
Sugars 1.5 g
Protein 17.5 g
Vitamin A 8.4 %
Vitamin B-12 22.8 %
Vitamin B-6 9.1 %
Vitamin C 4.8 %
Vitamin D 3.1 %
Vitamin E 3.9 %
Calcium 28.2 %
Copper 2.0 %
Folate 1.5 %
Iron 12.3 %
Magnesium 5.3 %
Manganese 2.4 %
Niacin 0.5 %
Pantothenic Acid 4.1 %
Phosphorus 27.4 %
Riboflavin 14.4 %
Selenium 24.2 %
Thiamin 4.3 %
Zinc 10.9 %


This recipe is not high in calories, but you could experiment with this recipe by substituting the brand of cracker you'd like to put it on or the variety of Wasa cracker you'd like to put it on.

The Pocket Guide to Mischief

Winston Churchill (1874-1965) was "giving a speech in Paris, and he tried to say 'When I consider what is behind me' in French. His audience started chuckling, and after his speech, Churchill learned that he had actually said 'When I consider my behind, I can state that it is divided into two equal parts." Or in French "Quand je considere mon derriere, je constate qu'il est divise en deuz parties egales."

Jonas Brothers!

If your a Jonas Brothers fan, you might want to run to the newstands and purchase a copy of the July 25th edition of Rolling Stone magazine.

7 Ways Your Public Library Can Help You During A Bad Economy

7 Ways Your Public Library Can Help You During A Bad Economy

1. You can get pretty much any book at the library: A book habit can be expensive. Even second hand books can add up if you read a lot. Even the smallest library can access inter-library loan, Worldcat, OCLC and other library loan services to get you even the most obscure and out of print material.
2. Yes, we have movies: Many libraries charge a nominal (1-2 dollar) fee for renting recent or "popular" titles. It's something of a controversy in the profession, one side arguing all library services should be free, the other saying "We're not a video store!". I tend to fall on the side of free for all. In any case, the fee is often far less than what you'd pay for a rental at a chain video store, and the fees to to cover costs of processing and growing the video collection. If you're looking for a rare film, perhaps older or on an obscure format (Betamax tapes are out there still) libraries can save you a ton compared to buying it on Ebay. HCPL doesn't charge. The only fees involved are incured when items are returned late.
3. Kids Activities: Any library worth it's salt offers a summer reading program for kids. Often with prizes, programs and events all summer long. Libraries also offer storytimes, arts and crafts, computer classes, movie nights and reading clubs for kids of all ages. HCPL Fairbanks branch has hosted and will be hosting RockBand, Guitar Hero, Scrapbooking, Go Gaming, Speed Stacking, Science Camp, Olympic Rings Week, Saturday Matinees this summer, in addition to our year around storytimes.
4. Save Money and maybe your life!: Libraries offer seminars in home buying, estate planning and even purchasing electronics and other big-ticket items. Libraries also offer free blood pressure screenings, programs about weight loss and exercise. HCPL will be installing AED units in all their branches and many staff are trained to operate these units.
5. Make new friends: Library book clubs and book discussion groups are great ways to meet people. Some libraries even offer "mingling" events for single patrons. Many librarians are valuable people to know! The Fairbanks staff would make great friends!
6. Find a new job!: I can't tell you how many times local employers have come in asking to post job listings or drop off materials about open positions. Many libraries offer resume writing workshops, computer training and even job fairs. College and University library job fairs are often open to the public. Resume typing and printing are frequently done at our branch. We recently had a resume workshop as well.
7. Libraries listen to consumers!: We like to call them patrons, but we really do listen. Do you want a storytime for kids after 5pm? Ask for it! Want more books about home finance or budgeting? Just ask! Libraries often go to great pains to suss out what the community wants, letting us know directly is great. The complaint or suggestion of a patron carries a lot of weight with library directors and boards, so you are being heard. You may go to our library website hompage and suggest a purchase, get a library card, or sign up for our Adult Summer Reading Program where you could win a bookstore gift card in the amounts of $200.00 (for 1st prize), $150.00 (for 2nd prize), and $100.00 (for 3rd prize) after reading just 4 books!

I would also add these ways to save:

1. Need to find a new place to hold your meeting where you don't have to pay a deposit for the room or buy a round of $5.00 a cup coffees? Come to the library and use our meeting room, it's free! Click here for more information on using a HCPL meeting room.
2. Free Web 2.0 education: Check out our iHCPL, a learning program designed to explore new technologies.
3. Databases: The Library owns thousands of online full text serials and journal subscriptions. These are available both within the Library and over the Internet with a library card number.
4. Turn your air conditioning way up and come to the library instead and let us keep you cool. It is a chilly 72 degrees in our library even when it is 98 degrees outside.
5. Digital Media: With a HCPL library card you can download eAudio Books, eBooks, Music, and Videos 24/7 to your PC at home, in the office or from anywhere in the world, even for our military personnel serving our country overseas!
6. If you really want to tighten your belt cancel your internet service and use the library's FREE computers and FREE internet. Worried about getting a turn on a computer? If you own a wireless capable laptop bring it with you and use our FREE Wi-Fi. Other options include borrowing our laptops and our desktop computers. You can even call ahead to book one for the time you need it.
7. Don't pay someone to help you file your taxes or pay to file electronically, we have Tax Assistance - Volunteers help taxpayers prepare their returns during tax season and file the return electronically for you if you like.

Journey to the Center of the Earth

"Ah man, I really should have read that book!" - Sean Anderson played by Josh Hutcherson

Bottom Line on Downsizing your Car from Consumer Reports

A friend and I were discussing this very topic the other day which lead me to investigate it further. I thought I'd share what I found:

Checking out When to downsize your car is the place to start.

For more discussion however you'll want to check out

Downsizing your car – when does it make cents?

from Consumer Reports Car Blogs

If you don't want to read all that here's the bottom line conclusion from

Downsizing to the extreme

"Bottom line on downsizing Over the course of an article and several blogs, we have seen what the numbers can do. Ultimately, it boils down to the following:
Don’t rush into downsizing without considering all the owner costs of your current vehicle, including depreciation and finance charges.
Understand your goals with downsizing (environmental concern, fuel savings, cost savings), and be sure your strategy will meet these goals.
Realize that the biggest rewards come with the greatest sacrifices, such as transitioning from a large SUV to a small car. At the same time, make sure the new model will satisfy your financial and lifestyle goals for years to come. If you have a family, remember, kids grow and need more space.
In northern regions, consider using your SUV as a winter-only vehicle, especially if it enables you to buy an efficient, front-wheel drive car, rather than an all-wheel drive model. Be sure to adjust your insurance accordingly.
Conversely, if, for some reason, you really want/need a large SUV, this could be a great time to purchase a relatively new, low-mileage example. Both new and used SUVs (especially the monstrous ones) are sitting on dealer's lots—you can practically get one for a song."

Wordle

Generation R

"Contrary to the depressing proclamations that American teens aren't reading, the surprising truth is they are reading novels in unprecedented numbers."
Check out Generation R (R Is for Reader) from Newsweek Magazine May 14, 2008 for complete article about teens and reading.

Games and Gaming #38: Console Gaming

Visited the "nostalgic" game site and spent about... okay, I'm not telling how long I spent playing Pacman and the other games from my youth. I'll never forget our first video game - PONG from Radio Shack I think. Then we got an Atari, not so much because my sister and I were into gaming but probably more so because my Dad loved gaming. We all played but it was he who would stay up till all hours of the night playing Breakout. I guess sharing was one of the skills we learned as we had to take turns playing though not a skill unique to video games, we would have learned to share in many other ways as well. Maybe losing gracefully? Well if your Secret Asian Girl and your losing to your son maybe but if you are me losing to my older and wiser sister, NOT, but the potential to learn to loss gracefully is there. In my high school days we would hang out at Putt-Putt Golf playing the arcade games including Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Burger Time, Galaxian, Frogger, Q*bert, Centipede, Space Invaders and my personal favorite Joust.

I think the best console game system for library purposes is the one you can borrow for free. In our case we've had Guitar Hero programs 3 times and DanceDanceRevolution twice and every time I bring the equipment from home, set it up, take it down at the end of the program and take it back home. It seems to have worked out very well. We have spoken with our Friends group about getting a gaming system and they hold the final decision based on what they are willing to pay though my suggessted console would be a refurbished Playstation 2 so then we would just have to borrow our games which would be compatible resulting in additional savings. Like everything, as long as there is a balance, gaming can be a learning tool when it is just an aspect of an overall program. I've had to limit Playstation time in my own house to make sure homework and chores were still completed just as you might limit TV viewing.

In my experience with the gaming programs we've had, I've made a point to look around for participants in the library to see if they are staying around, coming back, using computers or checking out books. I still cannot definitively provide an answer to that question. It would seem to be a family affair because our advertising for the game program was done in the library so someone either the participant or a family member must have already been in the library to even know about the program. So even if I do see participants again are they coming back because of the game program or they would have come back anyway? Who's to say.

The New York Times National Report

Here's an interesting tidbit to ponder...

"according to the National Endowment for the Arts, fewer than half the adults read even one novel or play or short story a year that is not required for work or school." from A Requiem for Reading in a Smoldering Pyre of Books.

Games and Gaming #37: Get Your Game On @ The Library

I read the New York Times Article, Taking Play Seriously at the Public Library With Young Video Gamers Choose as well as being a regular reader of the Shifted Librarians' blog with a great deal of information about gaming in libraries.

Played I'll Get It on the Carnegie Mellon University Libraries website and once again I can only say I find almost any kind of game addicting and therefore could easily spend LOTS of time playing them. The game was pretty fast paced and determining what the patron wanted a book or an online resource as difficult. If I had more time I could probably figure it out but there's only so much time in the day and one must prioritize.

My thoughts on gaming in the library, how you think it will evolve and whether or not games belong in the library: I have held Guitar Hero and DanceDance Revolution events at our branch library. While I would say the events were successful, I am not certain we are responding to the needs of our kids/teens or if we are just out there trying to do what we think kids/teens want us to do. These events are fun, everyone likes the snacks and drinks that accompany the event. I love music even if accompanied by a "ting" or "tang" here and there or worse "FAILED" but I never give up. Of course the kids are much better at it than I. However what I think is central to the question is whether or not gaming (or you may fill that in with whatever new idea you like) helps us fulfill our mission which states: "Harris County Public Library provides information and resources to enrich lives and strengthen communities through innovative services within and beyond our walls." I feel that depending on your community, gaming just might help you fulfill this mission as long as you are not foregoing other programs in order to provide gaming programs. Financial considerations should also be kept in mind because I know as a consumer it is hard to stay up with the current games and game consoles and it can be an expensive proposition keeping my girls current let alone an entire branch library's patrons. Timing is also important because "what's hot" changes day to day and our programming, gaming or otherwise, needs to be reflective of these changes.

Games and Gaming #36: The Wide World of Online Role Playing Games

Well I guess I am going to find out about Runescape sooner than I thought. I was going to add it to my list of things to do for summer but alas it's our next exercise!

1) Again the 15 minutes is a joke as I could easily spend a great deal more time exploring Runescape. It took me 15 minutes to decide on a user name. I started with the tutorial and I have not that it is not easy to learn how to get around. I've been looking for the gate for some time now.

2) MyRunescape character screenshot is included in this post.

As far as World of Warcraft goes I am immediately turned off by the name of the game so I was glad that we didn't have to invest any time exploring the game. And as far as earning points for completing chores (Chore Wars) I am better off completing chores at home and enjoying the benefits of a happy family than accumlating points that buy me nothing. Second Life? is that for those that are not so successful in their first life they want to master a second one? or maybe the opposite?

Remember This by Joshua Foer from National Geographic November 2007

This is so true....

"Our culture inundates us with new information, yet so little of it is captured and cataloged in a way that is can be retrieved later."

The Reference Interview

On days like today this sure is reassuring...

"One common observation was repeated: It's the quality of interpersonal engagement that compels patrons to return to the reference desk, not perfect answers."
from American Libraries Magazine March 2007 Face to Face: Teachable Moments During the Reference Interview

International Literature

Interesting information about multicultural literature...

“There is much evidence, anecdotal and research, that shows that increasing exposure to multicultural books help lower barriers, change attitudes, and make for better understanding of other cultures. (Cai 2002, Darby and Pryne 2002, Pirofski n.d.) It works both ways: when readers from an ethnic minority read about people from their own culture, their self-esteem is enhanced: while reading about another culture, both their empathy and knowledge increases. (de la Idesia n.d.)" From Walking Two Moons by John Royce in Knowledge Quest : Broadening Perspectives across Cultures and Countries Volume 35, No. 2 | November/December 2006 pg. 33

Games and Gaming #35: Games? In the Library?

I love playing FreeRice! It is addicting but that's the problem all the games for me are addicting and I end up spending HOURS playing them, hours I don't have. I checked out WordSplay and found that I could quickly be addicted to this games as well. Suduko is a game I am relatively familiar with as my husband took a book of suduko on the airplane on our trip to Germany. He spent almost the entire 9 hours flight playing Suduko, so there are times when the amount of time one can spend on an activity is a good thing but those times are few and far between for me. I've only been on a 9 hour flight twice in my lifetime. Looks to me like the advantage to playing Suduko online is there is no erasing!

Exercises:
1) The 15 minute requirement for this exercise was a joke. I tried to limit myself to 15 minutes but I just couldn't stop after 15 minutes. I spent more like 15 minutes per game, on FreeRice, WordSplay, and online Sudoku. However I see myself going back to some of these sites in the foreseeable future.

2) The benefits of FreeRice and WordSplay would be an incresed vocabulary. When you play WordSplay and the game is complete the results for all those playing appears in the upper right hand side of the screen and you can see all the words that you didn't (or did) get. All the games were easy to learn to play. The timed games help you build your speed, both thinking and typing. The benefits of gaming in general IMO, include educational benefits, improved coordination skills, and the increased use of one's imagination. Role playing games especially, by nature requires interaction with other people, whether it is in person or online. I am going to checkout Runescape though I don't normally go for the role playing games just so I will have a better idea for how its played in case any of our teen patrons participate in the activity this summer.

Another word game I like to play on the computer is TextTwist.

Leo Tolstoy from Family Happiness

"I have lived through much, and now I think I have found what is needed for happiness. A quiet secluded life in the country, with the possibility of being useful to people to whom it is easy to do good, and who are not accustomed to have it done to them; then work which one hopes may be of some use; then rest, nature, books, music, love for ones neighbor, such is my idea of happiness."

Water directed by Deepa Mehta

"Chuyia, an Indian girl that is married and widowed at eight years old, is sent away to a home where Hindu widows must live in penitence. Her feisty presence affects the other residents, forcing each to confront their faith and society's prejudices."

The movie is in Hindi with English subtitles.

Awareness of Iraq War Fatalities Plummets

"Shortly before the count of American military fatalities reached 4,000, a Pew survey found that only 28% of adults were able to correctly specify the approximate number of American troops who have died in the Iraq war; by contrast, in previous polls going back to the spring of 2004, nearly twice as many respondents could correctly estimate the number of fatalities around the time of the survey. "

Maps #34: Geocoding and Geocaching

Discovery Exercise:

1. The location I chose to find was the Bill Archer Dog Park and the GPS coordinates for that location are 29.816584, -95.645516

2. I learned about geocaching when a friend of mine was taking a Geography class in college. We went out looking for "cache" one night and had a few good laughs. After taking a look at Groundspeak to see what's out there to look for I found this interesting geocache. http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=16123133-6dc6-43fd-a4d7-eb14dccd9390

The GPS Coordinates for this cache are N 29° 52.429 W 095° 32.558

3. Given the time to pursue it, this could be fun. But there are many other things that take higher priority for my leisure time. However now if someone comes in the library asking about geocaching or geocoding (which at first may not seem likely however given the proximity of two very recent "caches" stashed to our library it may be more likely than you think) at least I will be better informed to give assistance.

Maps #33: Relocating with Online Maps

ACTIVITY 1:
I performed a search using all three apartment locators and all three house finders listed in the blog. It seems to me the biggest problem with all these sites are they only list apartments or homes that pay to have a listing on said site. The place you hang your hat has a major impact on your life and frankly its far to important a decision to make based on a virtual tour in my opinion. I suppose its a good place to start but I imagine most people looking to relocate already have a pretty good idea for what they want so I would say the best thing to do is to visit in person. Some really questionable places can be made to look beautiful on the internet, at the same time some really great places may not look as good because of amatuer photography, bad angles, and poor lighting. I did lots of searches: apartments, senior housing, homes that have mother-in-law suites, etc. Of all the sites I liked google the best for its ease of use. The different map views are helpful depending on what you are looking for. For instance, I was looking for the DHL office near our library the other day as I needed to pick up a package there. It was easy to locate using Google Maps with the address but even more reassuring to look at using Google Satelitte Maps because I could see which end of the strip mall they were located in based on all the DHL trucks parked in the parking lot.

ACTIVITY 2:
So for purposes of this exercises and because I've always wanted to know more about these lofts, I chose Sawyer Heights Lofts as a potential new home. I tried finding it using the apartment locators but because I already knew the name of the complex the easiest thing to do was google the name of the complex and visit the complex website directly. I used Walk Score to check out what was within walking distance, all the important things, a supermarket, a theater, a pub, a library and a park! Schools would be irrelevant because I wouldn't relocate till my kids were in college. I didn't like Discover Our Town at all because my second choice of towns for relocation wasn't even listed on the site? Yes the big ones of there but since they are big you probably don't need much help in finding information on them. I guess I've always gone to the chamber of commerce to check out the places we considered moving to when we relocated to new homes.

Maps #32: Current Events

ACTIVITY 1:
Some of my favorite activities on 100 Things To Do With Google Maps were #21 Drive like a madman (those of you who know me, know that I don't need a google maps mashup to do this), #85 Fly a Plane, and #1 Find a world brewery.
The question I get all the time is how to get to another branch of HCPL which of course is best answered with a visual, the map! "I'm the map I'm the map I'm the map", says the map in Dora the Explorer. I have copies of maps and directions on hand to the branches to which we are frequently asked for directions. A hypothetical question might be, "I have someone I'd like to throw off the nearest cliff, where can I take them?" Answer can be found at Earthtools.

ACTIVITY 2:
Explored the Global Incident Map, Terra Server, and National Atlas.
I found many maps and images that interested me. Especially relevant to current events I chose to post Texas Primary Results Map from Google Maps.





OPTIONAL BONUS ACTIVITY: I also took a look at the EarthNow Landsat Image Viewer. I flew over Canada, the north western tip of Washington and Oregon then out into the Pacific ocean.

Maps #31: Have Map, Will Travel

1. Watched the Google Create a Map Tutorial.

2. Created a customized map of the places I've been.

3. Embeded my map here on my blog. I can't wait till I have time to do one for Family History research of where the different branches of my family lived and when they lived there.


View Larger Map


Also found this while working on this exercise. Thought it was an interesting blog posting for YahooMaps. You might want to check it out.

Horse Show

Spent the day in the beautiful outdoors at our first Horse show. Danielle rode in three different classes. She got 4th place in one and reserve in another. Got a little to much sun today but otherwise it was a very nice day. The horse show was held for the San Jacinto Horse Show Association and was sponsored by Magnolia Acres in New Caney. Danielle's barn is Northfork Farms in Tomball.

Doppleganger by David Stahler Jr.

Recently read and enjoyed this book.
"I watched the news instead. Big pick-me-up-there. The police were still trying to figure out who was behind the killing of that woman from Springfield. They hadn't found her Surbaru yet and didn't really have any leads. Good luck with that, I thought. I knew how those things worked. The rest was more of the same-terrorist sttacks, bank robberies, a factory explosion, just a typical day. Oh yeah, and some dog that had gotten itself stranded in a flood got saved. Big deal. Like that made everything else better."
It is funny how the news is really that way. I wonder why they do that to the viewers? Do they really think we are that dumb?

The Last Kiss

"What you feel only matters to you. It's what you do to the people you say you love, that's what matters. It's the only thing that counts."

- Stephen (Tom Wilkinson) from The Last Kiss.

No More Lemons for Me!

Currently Reading

Chew on This by Eric Schlosser
I think this should be required reading for all High School Ag classes, Home Economics and Health classes.

"Pull open the glass door and feel the rush of cool air. Step inside. Look at the back lit color pictures of food above the counter, look at the ads for the latest Disney movie, get in line." The book begins and ends with essentially this same paragraph. In the beginning it shows that "the whole experience of eating at a fast food restaurant has become familiar, routine and taken forgranted." But 250 pages later after detailing amonst other things how McDonald french fries are made and what makes thes taste so good; learning about the secret ingredient that makes your drink pink; exploring the life a fast-food chicken lives before it becomes a chicken nugget; explaining the advertising methods employed by fast-food companies that exploits children; and an explanation of the "dangerous corporate concentrations" in the fast-food industry, it closes with a similiar paragraph however it leaves you with a sense of hope in that the next step is yours. "Think about where the food came from, about how and where it was made, about what is set in motion by every single fast-food purchase, the ripple effect near and far - think about it. Then place your order or turn and walk out the door. It's not too late. Even in this fast-food nation; you can still have it your way."

"If a defective toy somehow poses a risk to small children...the US government can demand that every one of those toys be removed from the stores but [they] cannot order a meatpacking company to remove contaminated, potentially lethal ground beef from fast-food kitchens and supermarkets-even if that meat can kill children. The government can't even fine companies that knowingly sell bad meat...The ability of the meatpacking companies to avoid strict food safety rules has been made possible by their close ties to members of Congress."

"The US goverment claims that the color and flavor additives widely used in processed foods are safe." However, a 2004 University of Southhampton in England study found 3 and 4 yr old children were "more hyperactive when they had the drink full of artificial ingredients than when they had fruit juice." We used to think DDT was safe too.

"The whole idea of a free market is that a fair price will be set by a lot of potential buyers competing for the same product. That cattle market doesn't work that way anymore. With only four big meatpacking companies left, there isn't much bidding these days."

"The political power of the fast-food companies and their big suppliers makes a discussion of what Congress should do largely meaningless."

It is not all doom and gloom - there are people out there getting it right. The Edible Schoolyard started by Alice Waters is a perfect example of someone who is trying to make changes.

Keeping Mum

As a big fan of Maggie Smith (even before Harry Potter, see The Secret Garden), I enjoyed Keeping Mum. Kristin Scott Thomas is as always delightful, but you will see Rowan Atkinson and Patrick Swayze in a whole new light.

We own the night

"Better to be judged by twelve than be carried by six." - Joseph Grusinsky
From We Own the Night

Spring Cleaning #30: Take a Load Off Our Drives

Having done the exercises in #30: placing a file on the S: drive and then removing it; attempting to better organize the P: drive and any files I put there; and cleaning up the photos by posting them on Flickr; and finally deleting no longer needed files/pictures on my Z: drive and organizing the remaining files, I can just confirm what I already knew about my obsessive complusive self. I like to have a neat and organized area in which to work. At home I have a routine that I unconsciously follow that keeps my house tidy (I didn't say clean necessarily but tidy). It keeps everyday things from piling up, it doesn't however keep the hardwood floors spotless. But it is vital for me because waking up to a clean empty kitchen counter helps me feel energized and ready to start breakfast and lunch packing for everyone. Also knowing that everything is in its place when I leave for work in the am; dishes are done, laundry put away, dog walked and fed, I am able then to mentally leave it all behind and feel ready to start work. This way I am not revisiting; Did I remember to mail the bill on the counter? Did I send the note to school with my daughter? If you do it the first time instead of setting it aside you save yourself a lot of time and freeing up not only physical space and digital space but also memory space in your own mind.

"Affection is desirable. Money is absolutely indispensable!"
- Mrs. Austen played by Julie Walters in Becoming Jane.

Spring Cleaning #29: Email

I have had a personal email account since about 1988 and it's been the same address for the majority of those years. What can I say I'm not necessarily brand loyal but it's too much of a hassle to change.
For my work email account I have created folders for the different tasks I perform and emails I keep (i.e. training, iHCPL, proctoring exams, ILL information). I don't really keep many emails as I almost always do something with an email as soon as I read it. I either act on it, delete it or file it for reference to later. I have found that if you do this at least once a day when you check your email it is easier to keep up with and not so overwhelming. I do the same with my regular mail. I open it and decide if it's something to read and throw away, read and act on, or read and file for later use and I do one of those three things immediately. So generally on a daily basis I don't have a clutter problem. Of course when your routine is altered as in the case of illness or vacation it may take a little more attention to get caught up but not as much as if you don't let it get out of control to begin with.

Rendition

"I fear you speak upon the rack, where men enforced do speak anything."
- William Shakespeare (1564–1616), British dramatist, poet. Portia, in The Merchant of
Venice, act 3, sc. 2, l. 32-3.

Watched the movie Rendition last night and throughly enjoyed it. Extraordinary Rendition refers to the practice of transporting terrorist suspects from the country where they are captures to their home country or to other countries where they can be questioned of held for the purpose of gathering intelligence or to face trial. Its use by the United States expanded dramatically after September 11, 2001. The movie will give you something to think about as you may see a different perspective as a result. Make sure you watch the short documentary following the film. For more information on Extraordinary Rendition check out FRONTLINE.

"I believe in music the way some people believe in fairy tales." from August Rush

Schweppes Burst