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.

Challenge 14

Someone was asking for a calculator the other day. I knew you could find them online, but had no idea a link for a calculator was on the NCPL website. I had never noticed the link for the weather or the list of hard to find local telephone numbers. The career subject guide has a lot of useful information and could certainly help a number of library’s patrons.

Challenge 13

These sites have some odd information, but also very informative. I liked the soyouwanna site. Patrons asking about the GRE would find their section on taking GRE practice tests online useful. I also liked the cat litter box suggestions on the Instructables site.

Challenge 12

I understand why people would use goal sites, but they are not for me. I prefer not to make my goals public. Patrons may ask for information on achieving life goals. These sites would be useful in those cases. The financial goals website could be helpful for patrons showing worry about the state of the economy.

Challenge 11

I try not to use Internet slang when e-mailing friends or family, but have started to use some when texting friends and family. I have used “u” for you and “r” for are when texting but I do try to stay away from Internet slang. I’m afraid that I may not be effectively communicating a message with use of Internet slang. Most of my friends use it sparingly, but I do know people that I think use it too much. t2b j/k

Challenge 10

I have to start out by saying that I use these 2 websites all the time. IMDB and AllMusic have helped me find answers to those nagging pop culture references for myself, friends, family, and patrons countless times. IMDB’s search is superior to AllMusic for finding information. I have found that IMDB is faster, provides better results, and offers more extras than AllMusic or AllMovie. IMDB allows registered users to watch trailers and full television episodes, rank movies, discuss movies on message boards and much more. AllMusic also has its fair share of features. I like the monthly editor’s choice section, band’s followers and their influences, and exploring genres of music. These sites can also help all of you catalogers in the world. I have used both sites for subject help and for general information on albums and movies. I highly recommend both sites.

Challenge 9

The amount of information on Vault surprised me. I thought it would only provide tips for interviewing, sample resumes, and career objectives. The site contains so much more. I really liked the company and occupational profiles. The occupational profile of a librarian was very informative and liked scrolling through the different positions at companies like Microsoft. The guides were also informative providing company contact information and advice for the job seeker. I would definitely recommend this to patrons and friends looking for work. Teens could get as much from this site as adults. Vault contains information for entry level positions, interviewing, and more that could be invaluable for teenagers.

Challenge 9

Challenge 7

The book I received was Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar. I see the benefits of getting book previews sent to e-mail, but I prefer to find information on a book online rather than cluttering up my inbox. The book itself looks like it would be entertaining and I may seek it out.

Challenge 8

Challenge 7 is in the works, but for now I’m moving forward. I can remember using many websites that have required some kind of registration to access certain features. Some of these include viewing certain articles on ESPN, ranking movies or creating posts on Internet Movie Database (IMDB), and listening to music samples on all music guide (AMG). Bugmenot is an appealing website. I would use it for sites that ask for sensitive information. I don’t mind registering for sites unless they ask for my birthday or social. Identity thieves can rob you blind with these two pieces of info. I would definitely use Bugmenot for a site that I really wanted access, but required some of this information.

I already have recommended Retailmenot to my wife. She loves to shop and any way we can save money is a definite plus.

Challenge 6

I chose the historical fiction writer Jeff Shaara. His official website is http://www.jeffshaara.com/. I found the site by googling “Jeff Shaara.” The webpage loaded quickly and is straightforward. The page had details and reviews of many of Shaara’s books and had video interviews with the author. I particularly liked two things. First, the site contained a page explaining movie info. The books of Shaara that have been made into films were discussed. Second, the site provides an e-mail address for Shaara with the disclaimer that the author “reads all e-mails and responds to as many as time permits.” I would certainly recommend this site to any patron that showed interest in Shaara’s works.

Challenges 4 & 5

Pandora Radio is a good way to hear music that you may not have heard before. I’ve used the service before and am impressed by the range of music available in their catalog. I went back into my account and pulled up an old station that I had created “Pink Floyd.” It basically played classic rock the entire time including the Beetles, Aerosmith, Fleetwood Mac and others. I understand why these songs were chosen, but I would prefer to have heard more obscure bands or songs. A frustrating thing about Pandora is that it only allows you to skip a selected number of songs per hour. You can easily bypass this by closing the station and starting it right back up, but this can be a minor annoyance. I use Pandora when looking for new songs and definitely recommend it to anyone into music.

The play-away that I chose was Hunter Thompson’s Fear and Loathing. I have read the book before, which I’ve found is helpful when listening to an audio book. You can fade in and out of the story without missing much and get other things accomplished at the same time. I prefer the play-away over listening to an audio book on a computer due to its easy portability but can see the benefits of both.

Challenge 3

This being an election year and since this is a tech challenge I decided to look for articles on VOI (voting over the Internet).

The Good – http://people.howstuffworks.com/e-voting4.htm

The article is very thorough. It remains objective by discussing both the advances in the field along with potential problems. The article contained several links for the researcher to find more viable information. The site was started by a college professor and is a subsidiary of Discovery communications which is responsible for severable authoritative research sources.

The Bad – http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2006/11/72113

I hesitated calling this article bad, but it should not be used in a current research paper. The article is from a nationally known publication in Wired magazine. However the article is dated November 2006, and we don’t know if the author is an authority on the subject.

The Ugly - http://techdirt.com/articles/20061114/104328.shtml

This web page gives a slanted view of VOI and is more an opinion piece than a work that should be used for a research paper. The author may be an authority, but it is impossible to say. It does say that it is from “the slow down skippy department”??? The article also does not thoroughly investigate the topic and is from 2006. Maybe a break through has happened on this issue in the last couple of years.

Challenge 2

It’s time to play catch up. Snopes was an interesting site. I particularly liked the category break down on the side of the screen that lets you jump to a particular area of interest. I don't know how helpful this site would be for patrons but it could help answer some of the more obscure reference questions.

Google's "In quotes" fact checking site has a great interface and was easily my favorite of the 3 presented in the challenge. It's good to know what a candidate actually says about certain issues. It helps make political pundits unnecessary, which I personally think is a good thing (except for Colbert). CNN has decided that they need hundreds of pundits on screen to say basically the same thing over and over again. That's my rant. Anyway, the only problem I found with the Google site is that when you search terms, it will bring up any quote a candidate has using the searched terms. Some of the information may not be applicable for the patron's query.

My First Blog

So little to say with so much time on my hands. Strike that and reverse it. Gotta love Willy Wonka. I'm Michael and I am a librarian in Btown, KY. I'm writing this first blog in order to receive a GPS system for my car and I never go anywhere. Tell me that makes any sense.

Song of the Day - Looking for a leader - Neil Young 2006