Archive for August, 2008
Google Being Sued Over Blogger’s Identity
August 14th, 2008Inquisitr - “An Indian construction company is trying to force Google to divulge the name of a blogger who wrote negative things about its business.”
Mexican Program Using ATVs Wins Gates Access to Learning Award
August 14th, 2008Library Journal - “On Wednesday, the Vasconcelos Program in Mexico’s Veracruz state was awarded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s 2008 Access to Learning Award. The program was cited for its provision of free access to computers, the Internet, and training via all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) equipped with technology classrooms”
Meet The Kindle
August 12th, 2008Jeff Gomez - "[D]uring the next week or so I’m going to be writing about the Kindle, sharing some thoughts on the device as well as the reading experience in general…"
Will Twitter make it?
August 12th, 2008Adam Lashinsky - “If Twitter has a future, what I think will be key to its success is the serendipity of finding people with shared interests.”
Should libraries develop their own e-book reader?’
August 12th, 2008TeleRead - Library-developed hardware? I don’t think so.
LJ Update on LibraryThing
August 12th, 2008A summary of the latest on LT
Speech Wars
August 12th, 2008Commentary - Ben Reis deserves credit for his nifty new creation–a compilation of all major campaign speeches by Barack Obama and John McCain into a searchable, easy-to-use website. The website, www.speechwars.com, allows one to compare the actual words of debate in this ongoing, verbose election.
Web Firms Tell Congress They Track Behavior Without Consent
August 11th, 2008washingtonpost.com: - “Several Internet and broadband companies have acknowledged using targeted-advertising technology without explicitly informing customers, according to letters released yesterday by the House Energy and Commerce Committee.”
Read… and sshhh
August 11th, 2008Read… and sshhh
Originally uploaded by library_mistress
heh.
Web Privacy on the Radar in Congress -
August 10th, 2008NYT - “I’m pretty aware of the fact that anything you do on the Internet pretty much should just be considered public,” Mr. Martinez said. While he knows that companies are collecting his data and often tracking his online habits so they can show him more relevant ads, he said, he would like to see [...]
Library sets challenge for overdue books
August 10th, 2008Manawatu Standard - “Calling all young Guitar Heros with overdue library books - outrock overdues librarian Harley Bell and get your Palmerston North City Library fines waived.”
I’ve blogged in the past on why I believe this to a bad idea.
Library’s ‘Guitar Hero’ contests a hot ticket
August 10th, 2008RapidCityJournal.com - "Chloe was one of 24 kids who competed in the first round of the Rapid City Public Library’s “Guitar Hero III” tournament on July 25."
Yup. That will totally increase literacy. Everytime I pick up my bass guitar, I start to remember the words of Shakespeare. C’mon, really?
Kids, don’t forget to pick up your [...]
Disparities across LI library districts an open book
August 10th, 2008Newsday.com - “Just as in school districts, the differences in libraries play out across Long Island in striking ways. With few regional or statewide guidelines and standards to go by, and with decisions made locally, libraries can in large part make up the rules as they go along, spending millions of dollars with little public [...]
Capital Bikes Library (Borrow a bike for your errands)
August 10th, 2008Capital Bikes Library (Borrow a bike for your errands)
Originally uploaded by SirStan
Muslim-Themed Novel “Shelved”:
August 9th, 2008January Magazine - “Chalk up another 10 points for the thought police. We live in dangerous times, indeed.”
Barack Roll
August 9th, 2008Instead of Rick Rolling…
New Kanawha library to use green tech
August 9th, 2008Another new Green library
Why Do You Stick With Twitter
August 9th, 2008Talk To LISNews
More on the FBI/Frederick Library Issue
August 9th, 2008Here
Strand’s customers are going green!
August 8th, 2008Eco-Libris: We are very proud in our collaboration with Strand Book Store, New York’s independent landmark book store
Online Swap Meets for Books -
August 8th, 2008WSJ - “Penny-pinching bibliophiles will revel in a new batch of Web sites for paperback swapping. The sites reinvent the classic act of trading summer beach reads and expand summer reading beyond the dusty bookshelves of friends and family.” (via)
Can Guitar Hero Make Children Smarter?
August 8th, 2008Kotaku: - “I think overall the answer to the question, at least in regards to the games they are playing, is not really, but I think we should all lie and make it seem like the children are smarter just so we can stop by our local libraries and play Guitar Hero in the future”
After MD Library Turns Over Computers in Anthrax Case, FBI Asks for Warrant
August 8th, 2008Library Journal: - “Though the director of the Frederick County Public Libraries (FCPL), MD, last week acceded to the request by the FBI for two library computers without requesting a warrant, the FBI yesterday requested and got a search warrant to search those computers, which it alleged were used by Bruce Ivins, the anthrax scientist [...]
Gmail FAIL
August 8th, 2008InfoWorld - “More than 500,000 businesses and universities with about 10 million active users have signed up for the free and fee-based versions of Google Apps”
My ALA Poster
August 8th, 2008ala_4538246
Originally uploaded by stevenmcohen
ALA READ Poster Generator
August 8th, 2008LibraryBytes: - “Seeing these new READ posters pop up all over the web in the last 24 hours got me curious…”
Well done Jenny and ALA.
Is there still a Trademark on READ? Does this change it a bit? I’ve always thought that trademarking READ was a terrible idea. This is powerful foot forward.
Do Videogames Make Kids Smarter?
August 8th, 20081up: - “[W]e bow down to the inevitable future of Halo-savvy librarians”
Snowl
August 8th, 2008ReadWriteWeb: “A First Look at Mozilla’s Snowl.”
I’m going to take a look at this later.
Libraries step into the age of iPod
August 8th, 2008Reuters: - “It may be about time to dig out that old library card. Hoping to draw back readers, libraries have vastly expanded their lists of digital books, music, and movies that can be downloaded by their patrons to a computer or MP3 player — and it doesn’t cost a cent, unlike, say, media from [...]
Social networks fight to stay fresh:
August 8th, 2008The Modesto Bee - “[I]n an arena that grows more competitive each day, the personality of the individual sites becomes increasingly important in attracting and keeping people. It’s no longer enough to simply offer a way to share thoughts, music and photos. The novelty is wearing off.”