Challenge 21

I was familiar with most of these tricks. I did not know ctrl-t would open a new tab. That is very helpful. I also did not know that f5 refreshes a page. The shortcut I most often use is ctrl-c and ctrl-v. Everyone should use this trick. (It can come in handy when dealing with patrons who misplace their library cards)

Challenge 20

I have heard of some of the open source software, but only had used Firefox. I downloaded Miro, a Media Player similar to WMP. It ran slower than WMP, but had some nice features including peer-to-peer video downloads. I also tried the Internet Browser Flock. The Favorite feeds feature was cool. It allows the user to put his/her favorite web site feeds on display and Flock has an easy to use photo uploader. I am considering using this program over IE.

Challenge 19

I have tried both the MyYahoo and iGoogle sites. They are o.k. and can be helpful if you want to see an overview of what you find important on the Web. I prefer to actually go to each site on my iGoogle and MyYahoo sites and don’t care for their layouts. I know they can be customized, but it is time consuming and often the headlines or alerts do not contain enough information or even are cutoff. These pages definitely have their uses, but are not for me.

Challenge 18

I found teamsnap.com which is a site for managing a sports team. This site could be very useful for parents running a little league, tee-ball, softball, gymnastics, etc. I may need this site down the road (Not as a gymnastics coach). Patrons could use many sites featured on Web 2.0. Kids are always looking to play games online. Doof and Arcaplay are 2 good sites for gaming.

Challenge 17

Overdrive has a nice selection of audiobooks. I downloaded the console and the book “blink.” I believe I could answer most questions about the service. Patrons may get confused about which electronic resource plays on an I-Pod or WMP, but it seems easy enough.

Challenge 16

I tried out the test dive and thought it was fairly easy to use. Not much of a picture guy. All the pictures I have taken lately are of my cat. The setup is good. You can easily find editing, downloading, and e-mailing functions. I didn’t see a template for creating CD album covers out of photos. It may have been there. I would use that feature.

Challenge 15

I liked how Firefox allows the user to test the legitimacy of a web site by simply clicking an icon. You never know what may be a scam. The automatic spell checker is also a cool function. I didn’t download firefox, but am considering it. Several of the add-ons looked to be handy including blueorganizer, breadcrumbs, and read it later. I will definitely use Firefox more at work.