Local info from locals

An article at search engine watch covers Judy's Book, "a site that's blending the ideas of local search and social networks, tapping into the knowledge and experience of residents of cities across the U.S. to provide a guide to local businesses and services." Sounds like Craigslist to me. On the record, I am a huge supporter of Craigslist!

Google's new AdWords campaign

Google's attempting to make ad's more relevant to searchers. There are now just two states ads can hold, active and inactive. On the surface it sounds more or less "fair", we shall see.

Anti-Patriot for another ten years

Jeebus Cripes! Did I not just finish saying how elated I felt since the proposed slight loosening of the patriot act two weeks ago? Why does freedom have to be so oppressive?

Sui Limiti della Rete

Relating to my previous post, I think I'd really enjoy reading Gianluca Miscione's book, Sui Limiti della Rete. I wish, while studying at said university, I had taken more than two years of Italian!

Disassociation and The Internet

Thinking back on my days as a sociology student at a large university in a fairly liberal city, I remember the theories of the industrial age. Summarizing, "technology and industry only serve to disassociate man from society... essentially isolating and dehumanizing him." I know, that was probably the vastest overgeneralization anyone has ever made, but it's what I've surmised from my readings of the old sociologists.

Anywhoo, I was thinking about gaming in libraries today and how many libraries are using online games to bring comunities closer together. I think this is a wonderfully socially-enriching endeavor, and I just love how it smashes the old time industrial sociological theories (in this one particular aspect). Don't get me wrong, a lot of the rest of our strange, commercialized lives prove their points, but libraries continue to represent a piece of the glue that holds our stinking nation together. As long as I believe that, I'm in the right place.

More creepy Google

Either my paranoia is finally squashing my optimism, or I need to buy some stock (at $300 a share!!!) and jump on the bandwagon to Hell.

A UN-run Internet

Ok, I see the point made by the other UN nations. But aren't there already root servers in London, Stockholm, and Tokyo? Ok, that's not many compared to the number in the US, and I suppose ICANN still decides what stays and what goes. I'm not sure how I feel aboot the implications of a divided (or fragmented) root.

Vlogging and online instruction

I can't help postulating about the possibilities this new, easy to use format opens up for online library instruction. If one's library already had a Blog, links to Vlogs on the use of different databases, catalogs, ...whatever could be added to the sidebar as quick references. Imagine librarians producing short videos entitled, "How to find a book on the shelf at GENERIC Library." What fun, and oh the possibilities! I'm such a nerd.

Rocketboom

Vlogging is expanding and Rocketboom is tounge-in-cheek hilarious.

BPL Broadband

Soon Raleigh, NC, Kentucky, and Indiana broadband subscribers will have a new choice over DSL and Cable. BPL (broadband over power lines) is a new technology to me, but it's apparently been around since the fifties-at least as basic data transmission. Anyhoo, Google has partnered with a Maryland media conglomerate and some others to pioneer this technology and actually roll it out to consumers. We shall see if it's successful. At 30 bucks a month for up to 5mbps, it's quicker and cheaper than my DSL. As an aside, I'm just a little more creeped out by Google's involvement. Perhaps Google is taking over the world?! Or maybe some people are more paranoid than me. Time will tell.

Google Earth

This is my new facorite toy. I was impressed with Google maps when they added the USGS stuff, but Google Earth blows that away. The resolution is not as great in some locales, but who needs 1 meter res?!

This software uses a TON of computing resources, so be prepared. I'm also concerned about it's impact on world terrorism. This is an amazing, impressive tool, but the potential exists to use it for evil. Nothing has yet to budge my stance on freedom of information, but this comes close. I will need to mull it over for a while...I'm definitely shocked by how easy it would have made the 911 attacks. Just that alone makes me wonder whether this tool should be so readily available.

Security Guards meet their match

Oh no, Robot X, don't shoot smoke at me! Will this deter criminal activity and replace the traditional, human security guard? Probably not, but it's neat to see RFID and Robotics technologies come together to create a true, um, something.

IPOD Cellular merge

How long was this in the making? The technology was in place, and all that was needed was a handset with the capabilities. Motorola is working with Apple to develop it...cool.

Catassing

What a wonderful word. The syntax of American English is just marvelous!

Should libraries be enablers of this potentially smelly disorder? I think so! Perhaps not as important in the academic realm, but gaming offers great potential for community/library integration and-preliminarily- seems to be an effective marketing tool for teens and adults alike... From the MLS Chicago.

Podcast the Alexandria project

Pretty cool. All of the content there is free, and now you can subscribe to a podcast. Now, if headphones didn't make me look "unaproachable" at the reference desk...

I'm such a nerd...

...but I love this! I've played with other Yahoo vs. Google tools, but this one appeals to my nerdyness. Ok, so if you think about it, the angle of the lines from the level indicates how much variance there is in the results. Wouldn't it be cool to calculate this? Too bad I hate calculus and suck at mathematics. If anyone has done this, please let me know!

GCensus

This is why standardization is great. (Am I a dorky librarian-type or what?) The FIPS55 standard used by the USGS made this project possible, and it is totally, awesomelly, cool! Scrolling and panning work just like google maps, and some really valuable (and valid) data can be extracted with much less work than using American Factfinder, or the like. Granted, this is not an in-depth reference tool, but for ready-reference questions, this rocks!

OpenID is working

OpenID is now up and running on LiveJournal. While this may save a lot of people some keystrokes and memorization during their average day, it does not seem secure enough for important identity verifications (banking, credit cards, car insurance etc.) But that's not the idea anyways. OpenID really could cut down on the number of usernames/passwords each internet user maintains. It could save a ton of time/frustration. While it could be used for evil (which is addressed in the OpenID "How's it Work" section), who cares? As long as you're using it to post comments and blog, so what? Message boards already allow people to fake identities and seriously, how easy is it to get a free webmail account at www.pickyourfavoritewebmail.com?

I will be following this one closely, mosdef.

YES!

Check this out! It's a small step in the fight for our civil informational rights in the "land of the free." Granted, it does not reverse the parts of the Patriot Act concerned with internet usage history, but at least one's reading may not be monitored/tracked.

If this Act hadn't been passed in a fit of passionate (but understandable) zealousness, maybe some of its content would have raised eyebrows four years ago.

Ironically, a representative from Florida stated, "If there are terrorists in libraries studying how to fly planes, how to put together biological weapons, how to put together chemical weapons, nuclear weapons ... we have to have an avenue through the federal court system so that we can stop the attack before it occurs."

Yes, good idea. Stop the attack before it occurs. Use law enforcement and the traditional, tried and true court system to obtain search warrants, but don't turn college chemistry students into terroists. I love this country because I am free to research/read about any topic I desire...I think that makes me a patriot, not a terrorist.

Just another reason for me to want to get out of this backward State ASAP! I need a job in Pittsburgh, please!