TWU Learns to Beware the Blog

It seems that the Transit Worker's Union had a blog about the strike and left the commenting feature on. ataridemocrat notes that most of the comments were not exactly supportive of the TWU. (Cached copy of the comments linked to from the article.)

"It's nothing sinister. It's just common sense."

Hey, try to take photo of a public building and you might just get hassled by the cops.

Time Waster II

Puppy Curling
If you need to ask...
Thanks L

Time Waster I

Penguin Batting
Click once to make the penguin jump, click again to swing your bat.
Thanks L

Pine Brook Kinderblog

From the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle on this Christmas morning comes the Pine Brook Kinderblog in here in Greece, NY through which the parents and children of Ms. Unterborn's kindergarten class are sharing their favorite bedtime stories.

Quote of the day

"Eek! I am in scrapbooking hell!" -- Laura trying to find a last-minute gift for her older sister

The worst job in America

Check out this video which shows you the other end of "that" phone call. (Contains adult language.)
Thanks dad

Planarity puzzle

Planarity puzzle
Originally uploaded by travelinlibrarian.

Want to try your skills at a data visualization puzzle? Planarity has you rearranging the vertices with the goal of making sure none of the connecting lines intersect. I'm showing you level three. Trust me, it gets harder from there. (My solution to this level is shown in my flickr account.) This is an especially fun game if you have a TabletPC.

via information aesthetics

Performancing for Firefox

I think I've finally found my dream blogging Firefox extension.

"Performancing for Firefox is a full featured blog editor that sits right within Firefox. Just hit F8 or click the little pencil icon at the bottom right to bring up the blog editor and easily post to your Wordpress, MovableType or Blogger blogs.

"Performancing for Firefox is for Firefox 1.5 and above only. We've made use of a number of cool new features within Firefox 1.5, so you'll need that version of Firefox to try it."

via The Social Software Weblog

Book appearance

I sent the story in myself so I know this guy is serious. (Despite the colorfullness of his e-mail.)

Congratulations! I have chosen your plate, BCR.ORG, to include in the second edition of “What Does That Mean?” The final deadline for submissions is February 28, 2006. The book will be ready for shipment in June or July.

If you have family or friends that would like to be included in the book, have them go to www.vanity-plates.com to fill out the form. They must respond by February 28^th, 2006.

I can’t guarantee that they will be in the book, but I am very interested in getting as many good stories as I can. Your plate, BCR.ORG, WILL be in the book.

I will keep you posted as things progress. The new book will be bigger and better than the original. We expect to be able to include some color pictures and we will have more license plates than the first edition. I will contact you if we need a picture of your plate.

You can read the original book online at www.vanity-plates.com and you can also see over 1,000 entries that have been submitted so far for the new book there. The first edition is available for purchase at Amazon.com

Thank you for your participation in this exciting project.

Sincerely, Denny Cowhey

Kodak Assvertising

I am only blogging this story because I grew up, and am currently spending the holidays in, the hometown of the Eastman Kodak Company.

Court rejects 'intelligent design' in science class

CNN.com - Court rejects 'intelligent design' in science class - Dec 20, 2005

I've finally done it!

Office laptop running Hamachi and RealVNC
Originally uploaded by travelinlibrarian.

I've discovered Hamachi which allows you to set up completely secure VPNs and then, with RealVNC, I can have complete access to my home and office machines, from any other machine on my network. (More pics in flickr by clicking on the screenshot.) Untimately, what this allows me to do is securely use open WiFi hotspots without worry. You can read all about the software via the links and you can also listen to episode # 18 ("Hamachi" Rocks!) of the Security Now! podcast which explains it all. Oh, and it's all totally free. (No Mac version of Hamachi yet, but it's on the way.)

Online Check-in

Online Check-in
Originally uploaded by travelinlibrarian.

Be careful where you click. Clicking on the more obvious yellow arrow will charge you extra $$$. You need to click on the less obvious text link to the left to not be charged.

W's year in review

The folks at JibJab have a new video reviewing George Bush's performance in 2005.

Ten LIS Stories that Shaped 2005

Courtsey of LISNews.org.

Gateway Woes: Day 36

Despite being told two days ago that my computer was being repaired and given no date for getting it back, I've just received my laptop. Yes, they fixed the problem with the cracked monitor case but they also "reloaded OS due to a corrupt OS. OS was getting blue screen." Funny, I wasn't getting a blue screen when I sent them my laptop. Additionally, I specifically told them that I was to be notified if they felt that they needed to do something to my harddrive. (Yes, I backed up my data but I've lost all my software, customizations, and updates.) Hell, the OS they gave me is WindowsXP Service Pack one. They didn't even give me the current OS! I've sent off an angry e-mail demanding an explaination and a phone nubmer of a supervisor to talk to. Given their responses to any of my questions of late, I'm hardly expecting any thing useful back from them. Maybe my next computer will be a Dell.

Cute Overload! ;)

Feeling down? Need a visual pick-me-up? Check out the Cute Overload! blog.

The Nigerian Scam Gets the Holiday Spirit

Dear Friend,

As you read this, I don't want you to feel sorry for me, because, I believe everyone will die someday. My name is Mr. Naveed Jafar merchants in Dubai, in the U.A.E.I have been diagnosed with Esophageal cancer. It has defiled all forms of medical treatment, and right now I have only about a few months to live, according to medical experts.

I have not particularly lived my life so well, as I never really cared for anyone(not even myself) but my business. Though I am very rich, I was never Generous, I was always hostile to people and only focused on my business as that was the only thing I cared for. But now I regret all this, as I now know that there is more to life than just wanting to have or make all the money in the world.

I believe when God gives me a second chance to come to this world I would live my life a different way from how I have lived it. Now that God has called me, I have willed and given most of my property and assets to my immediate and extended family members as well asa few close friends.

I want God to be merciful to me and accept my soul so, I have decided to give alms to charity organizations, as I want this to be one of the last good deeds I do on earth. So far, I have distributed money to some charity organizations in the U.A.E, Algeria and Malaysia. Now that my health has deteriorated so badly, I cannot do this myself anymore.If you are interested in helping me kindly reach me on my private email address (removed@hotmail.com)

God Bless You.

Naveed Jafar.

On librarians...

From Lin's Bin on WXRT in Chicago, here's Lin's thoughts and rememberances of librarians. (Mp3) On a personal note, I've worked in the stacks at the New York State Library and they're exactly as he describes.

San antonio - Radical Reference Wiki

Some of the folks at the Barnard College Library have started a Wiki for ALA midwinter in San Antonio.

Nature Podcast

The journal Nature has a Podcast. The 15 December 2005 episode is on the Wikipedia/Britannica match-up.

Political Cartoon

Political Cartoon
Originally uploaded by travelinlibrarian.

Google Safe Browsing for Firefox

Google Safe Browsing for Firefox
Originally uploaded by travelinlibrarian.

Well, I installed the extension and waited to receive a phishing scam. I clicked on the link and this is what I got. The "Get me out of here" link sent me to my homepage. I'd say this extension is a success.

Restart Firefox

Speaking of Firefox extensions, there's an extension which adds "Restart Firefox" to the File menu, simplifying the shutdown and restart process necessary to get recently installed extensions and themes to work.

New Firefox extensions from Google

The two new extensions are deisnged to assist with blogging (image) and block phishing sites (image).

Wikipedia just a good as Britannica

Despite the recent bad press for Wikipedia, the journal Nature has confirmed that "Wikipedia comes close to Britannica in terms of the accuracy of its science entries".

The Penguin Podcast

Penguin Books has a podcast of A Christmas Carol available in five parts starting today.

Playaway

Playaway
Originally uploaded by travelinlibrarian.

I found a display of these in Borders yesterday. They're self-contained digital audio books from a company named Playaway. At $39.95 they seemd a bit pricy considering you can't do anything but play them. According to the company you can "enjoy digital sound from a lightweight player with eight simple buttons. Wear it around your neck or stick it in your pocket. From novels to biographies, languages to business best sellers, Playaway comes already loaded with your favorite content." Are there any libraries circ'ing these or at least thinking about it? (There are a few more photos available by clicking on the image to the right.)

Stupid Email Disclaimers

As a followup to a previous post on legal gobeldy-gook at the bottom of e-mails, here is the Stupid Email Disclaimers page.

What should Jackson (Peter, not Michael) do next?

One person strongly suggests Doctor Who.

Book Map

Book Map
Originally uploaded by travelinlibrarian.

I'm using FreeMind to organize my thoughts for The Reference Librarian's Guide to Mastering Internet Searching. This is what I've got so far. (You'll need to view "all sizes" to make it readable.)

The Da Vinci Code trailer

The Da Vinci Code trailer
Originally uploaded by travelinlibrarian.

It's now available on the Apple trailers site.

Jazz quote

"Anybody who plays above a high C on the bass clarinet must be considered a beatnik or a subversive."
— an unnamed "very fine composer out on the west coast" c. 1958

Call for articles (Colorado librarians only)

I’ve been invited to be the guest editor of the spring 2006 issue of Colorado Libraries and since I’ve accepted, it is now my job to find librarians willing to contribute articles. The issue’s topic is “Managing Change in Libraries” so I’m looking for libraries that have been going through changes and are willing to share how they’ve dealt with all the issues involved. Potential areas of change that you could write about include, but are not limited to:

• Staffing changes (retiring baby boomers being replaced with Gen-X or millennial librarians)
• Dealing with the ever increasing speed of technological changes
• The changing roll of the librarian in society
• Moving from in-house services to outsourcing
• Changes in the library’s collection (moving from physical to digital resources)
• Service changes in response to shifting populations
• Managerial issues with change

This is just a list of topics that I came up with and welcome any other suggestions. I am looking for authors from all types of libraries and at all levels from paraprofessional to directors. If you are interested in submitting an article please send me a 1-2 paragraph summary of your article idea by January 6, 2006. Upon acceptance of your proposal I will send you the author guidelines. Finished articles will need to be 8-10 double-spaced pages (length negotiable depending on the number of submissions) and submitted to me no later than February 20, 2006. Thank you for your consideration and please feel free to pass this along to any other Colorado librarians that you feel might be interested.

30% Off @ Borders

Use this coupon for 30% off one item at Borders now through 19 December 2005.

Pointless?

Will someone please explain the point of such e-mail appendages to me?

Confidentiality Notice: This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. This message contains confidential information and is intended only for the individual named. If you are not the named addressee you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail.
Please notify the sender immediately by e-mail if you have received this e-mail by mistake and delete this e-mail from your system. If you are not the intended recipient you are notified that disclosing, copying, distributing or taking any action in reliance on the contents of this information is strictly prohibited.

Restrictive Policies

Restrictive Policy Originally uploaded by travelinlibrarian.

First there was this sign from a library board which the staff doesn't even agree with. Now, while working on my public WiFi policies article for Computers in Libraries I've been shown a policy that states "!!!!!!!!! YOU MUST BE 18 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER to access the internet through the Wireless Access Point. !!!!!!!!!" (Exclaimation points not added by me.) This is due to the fact that the library does not allow anyone under 18 access to e-mail or chat.

Dean Gray Tuesday

Dean Gray Cover Originally uploaded by travelinlibrarian.

Today is Dean Gray Tuesday as hosted by AmericanEdit.org. I am a participant so if you want the tracks, today's the day to click on the link and start downloading.

Please!

I'd consider it a wonderful Christmas present if someone would just show me that the Wikipedia Class Action Lawsuit is a joke.

Microsoft Certificate Error

Microsoft Certificate Error
Originally uploaded by travelinlibrarian.

Will someone please explain to me why the IE Blog ( http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/Rss.aspx) even needs a certificate? (Never mind the fact that it's been certified by an "unknown authority".)

Reference Desk Fun

I don't typically blog about the questions I get asked at the reference desk, however... Today I received a phone call from a gentleman wondering about the value of the $2 bill he had in his hand. According to him, it was from 1776. "It says so on the back right under the picture of the signing of the Declaration of Independence."

CIL06: Preliminary Program

The CIL'06 Preliminary Program is up and yes, my post conference on RSS is listed. However, due to some confusion, mostly on my part, the title/description listed is for my original short presentation proposal, not for a three hour post conference workshop. Here is the correct title/description.

RSS: The Power of Aggregation
Sometimes it seems that RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is all the library technologists are talking about. So, just what is RSS all about. As a user you can use an RSS aggregator to read many blogs in one central location. You can also get up-to-date information on new topics, search results, packages you’re tracking, or maybe even your library record. As a blog publisher, adding an RSS feed makes it easier for your readers to receive your information. As a Webmaster, you can harness RSS to republish information from around the Net. In this half-day workshop, you will learn the fundamentals of RSS technology, learn how to find and subscribe to RSS feeds using Bloglines.com, see different methods for creating RSS feeds for your information, and learn how to republish RSS feeds in your own Web site. (Attendees are expected to have familiarity with using the Web. A basic understanding of blogs and markup languages (HTML, XHTML and/or XML) will be helpful.)

Christmas Invasion - Trailer

The first, longer, trailer is up for Doctor Who: The Christmas Invasion. I've got to say that witnessing the TARDIS "crash land" is a bit of a twist.

MyFilmz

From the creator of Reader² comes MyFilmz, a new way to "find new movies to watch [and] put your watching list online".

Writing: Colorado Libraries

I've been invited to be the guest editor for the spring 2006 issue of Colorado Libraries. This means that I'm in charge of finding the authors, assembling the articles, making sure they're up to snuff, and putting them in order. (No Laura, I'll not be doing the copyediting...) As soon as I get organized I'll post the call for articles. (Sorry, Colorado librarians only.)

Gateway Woes: Day 30

Well, here's the latest from Gateway:

Thank you for your e-mail and I apologize for the misunderstanding. Michael, please be advise that we rely on our manufacturer to provide the part that would fix your unit. At this time, we are still waiting for the said part. Again Michael, I apologize for the misunderstanding and the inconvenience this has caused you, however, please be assure that we are doing out best fix your unit and sent it back to you as soon as possible.

What!? It's been a month and despite what I've been told over the past few weeks they don't even have the part yet. I'm getting very upset...

Trumpet Man

Trumpet Man
Originally uploaded by multivaca.

But, he's playing a trombone...

Unfortunate

A Picture Share!
Originally uploaded by The Shifted Librarian.

Come on! Some of us need to get over ourselves.

Portable Firefox 1.5

Firefox 1.5 is now portable version for your USB goodness.

Wireless Access Policies Needed

If your library has an access policy for the public (i.e. policy that covers using the library's open WiFi connection by a patron's laptop) please take a moment and send me either a copy (electronically) or the URL of the policy (preferred). I'm looking to create a list of sample policies for an upcoming Computers in Libraries article. Just use the contact link above to submit it to me. Thanks.

Gateway Woes: Day 29.2

Here's the response from Gateway:

Thank you for your e-mail. I sincerely apologize for the delays you've experienced with the shipment of your computer. Michael, I have checked Service Request Number 2-2102908243 and found that your system is still being repaired in our service facility. I can assure you that your system is very important to us and we will do our best to get it out to you as soon as the service is complete. Please accept my apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Needless to day, I'm not a happy camper.

20% Off @ Borders this weekend

Use this coupon for 20% off "one book coupon per customer, per day".

Christmas Rhapsody

This song is you you've got to hear to believe. (MP3 link)

Chris Kringle no, do not give him coal
Give him coal!
Sait Nicholas has a lump of anthracite for me, for me, for me!

Via SIVACRACY.NET

Gatweway Woes: Day 29

Well, I checked with Gateway again this morning regarding when I'm getting my tablet back. I contacted Teach Support via chat for the third time (the first was on 11/29 and the second was on 12/05) and they told me that they couldn't help me and I needed to send an e-mail to the general e-mail address. Talk about outrageous. When I told them that they were able to help me the last two times the tech "talked to [his] supervisor" and confirmed that Tech Support couldn't help me. I've sent the e-mail and I'm waiting for a response.

IVR Cheat Sheet(tm) by Paul English

Here's how to actually get through voicemail to a human at many comapnies.
Thanks Deb

More Bunnies!

A Christmas Story in 30 Seconds with Bunnies
Originally uploaded by travelinlibrarian.

This time it's A Christmas Story.

Reading password protected feeds in Bloglines

There are certain circumstances in which you may want to put some username/password authentication on an RSS feed. Unfortunately, this will lock out those using Bloglines as it does not support authentication. There is a way around this. All you need to do is embed the username and password in the URL of the feed. So, if your URL is:

http://www.yadda.com/index.xml

and you need to login with:

username: steve
password: feedme123

The subscribe to the following URL:

http://steve:feedme123@www.yadda.com/index.xml

Bloglines will accept this revised URL and give you access to the feed. One word of warning however, this is a security hole. To minimize the problem, make sure you mark the feed as "private" in Bloglines so others may not read the URL and thereore the username/password information.

Most Recent Photos

Most Recent Photos
Originally uploaded by travelinlibrarian.

The Shifted Librarian makes it to Flickr's "new pics" page.

John Lennon (1940-1980)

john 2 Originally uploaded by juliomartinich.

Nanaca Crash!!

Nanaca Crash!!
Originally uploaded by travelinlibrarian.

Here's a great flash-based time-waster of a game. Try beating my record of 3449.82m which I earned on my third try.

OCLC Report

OCLC Report Originally uploaded by travelinlibrarian.

Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources (2005) summarizes findings of an international study on information-seeking habits and preferences. With extensive input from hundreds of librarians and OCLC staff, the OCLC Market Research team developed a project and commissioned Harris Interactive Inc. to survey a representative sample of information consumers. In June of 2005, we collected over 3,300 responses from information consumers in Australia, Canada, India, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States. The Perceptions report provides the findings and responses from the online survey in an effort to learn more about:

• Library use
• Awareness and use of library electronic resources
• The Internet search engine, the library and the librarian
• Free vs. for-fee information
• The "Library" brand

The findings indicate that information consumers view libraries as places to borrow print books, but they are unaware of the rich electronic content they can access through libraries. Even though information consumers make limited use of these resources, they continue to trust libraries as reliable sources of information.

iTunes free download of the week

diana krall - iTunes free download
Originally uploaded by travelinlibrarian.

This week it's Jingle Bells by Diana Krall. (iTunes required)

Computers in Libraries (the journal)

A revised version of my "A Library Policy for Public Wireless Internet Access" article (previously published in WebJunction) has been accepted for publication in the March 2006 issue of Computers in Libraries focusing on "Setting Up a Wireless Library". The revision is due in January.

Podcasts from the U.S. Government on FirstGov.gov

The government now has podcasts.

Wikipedia on NPR

Talk of the Nation interviews John Seigenthaler and Jimmy Wales regarding Wikipedia's recent problems.

Triangulation 1: Google Print

The folks from this WEEK in TECH have started a new podcast named Trangulation. In the first episode "Lawrence Lessig, John C. Dvorak, and [Leo Laporte] discuss the furor over Google Print - Google's attempt to create a search service for books." (It's download only, no feed, at this point.)

Computers In Libaries 2006 discount registration

Please excuse any cross postings.

Once again BCR is sponsoring discounted rates for the upcoming Computers in Libraries conference, March 22-24, 2006, at the Hilton Washington in Washington, D.C. These discounts are being offered in cooperation with Information Today, Inc.

Staff from BCR member libraries may attend using BCR's group registration rate of $185 for the three-day event (regular price is $399). Discount prices of $99 for the Internet@Schools East conference (regularly $199) and $199 for the combo of Internet@Schools East and Computers in Libraries general conferences (actual price is $429) are also available. No discount rates are available for pre- or post-conference events.

More information about the conference is available on Information Today's Web site at http://www.infotoday.com/cil2006/.

For more information about the discounted rates, contact BCR's Stephanie Jauregui at sjauregu@bcr.org, (800) 397-1552 or (303) 751-6277, X127. To receive the discount you must send your registration and payment (please make checks out to Information Today, Inc.) to: BCR, 14394 E. Evans Avenue, Aurora, Colorado 80014-1478, by February 1, 2006.

X-MEN 3 Trailer

The first trailer for X-MEN 3 is up. Looks like it's going to be a wild ride.

Twisted crochet

The site's in German but this woman's crochet creations are a bit twisted. (You've been warned.)

Piracy Is Good? How Battlestar Galactica Killed Broadcast TV

Piracy Is Good (live)
Originally uploaded by travelinlibrarian.

The online article is great but to get the full impact you need to watch the live presentation version. (bittorrent link)

Wikipedia changes the rules

In response to some recent bad press Wikipedia now says that "anonymous authors will no longer be permitted to create new articles on Wikipedia. Instead, users will be required to create accounts in order to do so."

Unshelved

Colleen starts a blog.

The Phantom of the Opera

The Phantom of the Opera
Originally uploaded by travelinlibrarian.

I saw it again on Saturday night. Not a bad performance but not the best I've seen. (Once in Toronto, once in NYC, and now twice in Denver.)

Christmas idea

Lisa Snellings-Clark sells rats. The Neil Gaiman one is my favorite with the Harlan Ellison a close second.

The new $10 bill

The new $10 bill
Originally uploaded by travelinlibrarian.

More details at here
.

The Christmas Invasion teaser one

The first teaser for the next Doctor Who episode The Christmas Invasion is now up on the BBC site.

Pointless Firefox extension

Display the Homeland Security Threat Level in the status bar.

Bookman

Does anyone know where this statue is located?

It's alive!

XHTML and CSS Essentials for Library Web Design
Originally uploaded by travelinlibrarian.

Look what just arrived via UPS!

Firefox Search Plugins presentation

The recording of my Firefox Search Plugins presentation is now avialable for your viewing pleasure. Please be sure to run the participant wizard first if you have not done so previously.

Title:	Firefox Search Plugins 02 December 2005
Archive ID:	BCR_Training_2005_1202_1202_31
Description:	The Firefox browser has a built-in search bar allowing users to search such databases as Google, Amazon.com and Wikipedia. What many don't realize is that you can create customized searches that can be added to Firefox. This F³ session will walk you through the creation of a search plugin that, once installed, will allow your patrons to search your OPAC from within Firefox without having to access the library's site first.
Launcher:	http://208.185.32.63/launcher.cgi?room= BCR_Training_2005_1202_1202_31
Participant Wizard:	http://208.185.32.63/wizard/launcher.cgi?wc=qt
Room ID:	BCR_Training
Archive Length:	44:48 minutes
Media Format:	QuickTime

Test your knowledge of the first ammendment

The Student Press Law Center has a 30-question muntiple choice quiz. I got a score of 29/30.

SETI@Home: Librarians

IN case you've missed the news, the SETI@Home project has some new software participants must switch to. With the new software and Web site, the Librarians team has also moved.

Q-unit

Q-unit (front)
Originally uploaded by travelinlibrarian.

Check out this mashup featuring Queen and 50 Cent before a record company orders this one taken offline too. (I've not listened to it yet, but it's on the iPod for tomorrow.)

The true cost of Christmas

The accountants at PNC Advisors explain why it's up 10% this year.
This one's L's fault

RIAA starts threatening artists

The RIAA has sent a warning to David Byrne (of The Talking Heads) for playing more than four Missy Elliot tracks in an hour on his radio stream. 12-year-old kids, 74-year-old grandparrents, famous artists. Who's next RIAA?
via BoingBoing