JaxCat Search Gadget

I added a JaxCat search gadget to my blog. It was super easy and only took a minute, thanks to the clear how-to instructions.

Library Thing

I created a Library Thing account in December 2006 because I read so many great books during 2006 and I wanted to keep track of the books I read in the upcoming year(s). I don't use the account too much these days, just to add books I've read when I remember. In the past, I've looked at Library Thing's recommmendations and browsed other people's libraries who are reading books similar to mine. Anyhow, here's a link to my woefully neglected personal Library Thing page: http://www.librarything.com/home/lauraminor

One practical application I've seen recently is library consultant Pat Wagner's Library Thing page. She uses Library Thing to network and to share bibliographies. You can view her page at http://www.librarything.com/profile/PatternResearch.

Image Generators

I really like the Sketch Generator. It might come in handy if you make a collage for a flyer and you're not allowed to distribute said flyer because of copyright issues. Instead of going through the trouble of making an alligator with a handlebar mustache to legitimize the flyer, you could just run the collage through the Sketch Generator to get an original work that doesn't violate any copyright laws. It could happen!

The Feed Hunt

I found Blogline's search tool easiest to use. Technorati is alright, too. I liked the "Local News" feature on Topix but I'm definitely going to avoid this site in the future because I can't resist the temptation to click on the "Comments" section. And that's always a huge mistake. It's like reading the "Rants & Raves" in the Times-Union. Infuriating at best, just plain depressing at worst. Syndic8 might be good but I didn't have the patience to try to figure it out because I didn't find the site aesthetically pleasing and I'm shallow that way.

The library-related feed I subscribed to was Library Link of the Day. It appealed to me because there is only one link per day. I can keep up with something like this. More importantly, these are not (for the most part) links to librarian blogs and news sources. They are links to items about the real world that have library applications.

RSS Feeds

What do you like about RSS and newsreaders?
I like having the links to all the blogs and news sources I keep up with in one place. I like not having to deal with advertisements.

How do you think you might be able to use this technology in your work or personal life?
I already use the technology in my personal life. It helps me to keep up with the frivolous reading I enjoy during slow times at the reference desk.

How can libraries use RSS or take advantage of this new technology?
As an experiment, I created a Bloglines account for genealogy news because I like the Bloglines public format. It allows you to view the 10 most recent posts in a separate frame, all the while allowing access to the entire list of links. This would be an ideal format for our library’s Recommended Websites because you don’t have to use the back button on your browser or open up new windows to preview multiple links. The public URL for this account is http://www.bloglines.com/public/jplgenealogy.

I was curious about the “Blog” feature Bloglines offers. Turns out it’s super easy to use and the blogroll I created for the Bloglines account is automatically included in the sidebar. I did a quick test post and realized cut & paste doesn’t work all that great. You can view the blog at http://www.bloglines.com/blog/jplgenealogy. I may or may not pursue the idea of maintaining a blog for the department but at least I go the chance to see how Bloglines “Blog” feature compares to Blogger.

Technology Post: eBooks

Nick Hornby wrote an interesting guest post for the Penguin Blog about why eBooks have not caught on the way mp3 players have. In it, he makes some really good points that got me to thinking about why I haven't explored the world of eBooks.

There are a number of reasons I haven’t used eBooks. The first is format. I don’t want to read a book on my computer. I want something that is portable. So, why not buy an electronic reading device? Because they’re too expensive. Amazon sells its Kindle reading device for $359. And that’s just for the device. It doesn’t even include the price of the eBooks. NetLibrary eBook checkout is available through the library but when I searched for a number of titles I was interested in reading, none were available. In fact, they only have a total of 27,713 eBooks in their holdings. So that basically means I’d have to purchase all the eBooks I’m interested in reading. To me, that seems wasteful because when you’re done reading your eBook, you can’t share it with a friend or trade it in at a used book store.

More flickr Fun

I tried out several flickr tools. First, I tried Big Huge Labs' Mosaic Maker and made this mosaic from some pictures I found on flickr:

Then I used Big Huge Labs' Warholizer to create this:

Stunning, isn't it?

But the pièce de résistance is the Lolcat I made from a picture of my once-feral cat, Little Mama. Little Mama is a huge Obama supporter if for no other reason than their rhyming names. So first, I ran a photo of Little Mama through the Logobama Barack Obama logo generator. Then I uploaded the result to Big Huge Labs' Lolcat Generator and here you have it:

Unfortunately, everything's spelled correctly and there are no cute cat-like(?) grammatical errors. I guess it's not as Lolcatty as I thought.

Aftermath.

Aftermath.
Originally uploaded by kasari

I found this photo while browsing through the flickr group "Holga Weekly." It's of a Philadelphia street after a Chinese New Year celebration. This photo is a prime example of why I became interested in the plastic toy cameras. I like the 5X5 size and the vignetting that are characteristic of Holga photos. And the colors in this photo are amazing!