WIKIS

Thing 18

When this Wiki was first born I listed my favorites in every category and I even added a couple of categories for good measure. It was easy and fun and I for one am convinced that this is a valuable tool for anyone who wants a free and simple space for collabrative work.

Thing 19

As I stated above, I like Wikis a lot. The uncyclopedia is cool (which is why I added it to the post) and I really do believe that for now, Wikis are the most cost effective solution readily available for allowing many participants to work together on the internet.

ONLINE VIDEO AND AUDIO

Thing 15
I love Sade (but not in a creepy way of course) so I have embedded one of my faves, By Your Side:



Thing 16
I found this wonderful audio book on NetLibrary:
Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar- Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes.
It has a running time of 4 hours and 7 minutes and is narrated in the English language.

Thing 17

I listened to several podcasts at NPR.org. Those Click and Clack fellows on Car Talk are a hoot!

RSS AND GOOGLE READER

I have used and enjoyed my Google Reader for several years. Via the magic of RSS feeds I subscribe to ESPN, Ain't It Cool News, Card Chronicle, Crooks and Liars, Cake Wrecks, CNN Political Tracker, and LFPL's 23 Things among others. I find that it saves me time and energy that could be better used making fun of unintentionally funny cupcakes.

RESEARCH TOOLS

10b.
Database: ProQuest Newspapers
Betty Jean McMichael had 4 sons and the obit was published in the Courier - Journal on Mar 18, 2008.

10c.
All journals found in Academic Search Premier.
Telos, abstract only.
British Journal for the History of Philosophy Full Text: 03/01/1998 to present (with a 12 Month delay).
Clinical Medicine and Research Full Text: 02/01/2004 to present.

11a.
Using the Morningstar Investment Research Center database I found the following info:
Manager- Duane F. Kelly
Stewardship grade- B
Overall rating- 4 Stars

11b.
Using Masterfile Premier I found this article:
Consumer Reports, Dec2009, Vol. 74 Issue 12, p23-28, 6p, 3 Color Photographs, 2 Charts, 1 Graph Abstract: The article presents a comparison of liquid crystal display (LCD) and plasma televisions, including the LG 55LH90, the Toshiba Regza 55ZV650U, and the Samsung LN528750.

11c.
Using Business Reference USA I found:
94 Coffee Shops in the 402 zip codes.
There are 10 in 40202 and of those the Starbucks at 280 West Jefferson did the most sales last year and appears to be the biggest potential competitor.

12.
I personally find that I use Masterfile Premier the most because it indexes popular magazines (including the ever useful Consumer Reports) that I actually like to read.

Photo Sharing

I utilized the search functionality of the Flickr photo sharing site to find many beautiful pictures of bars on beaches all over the world. Nothing makes a cocktail taste better than a little saltwater and sand. I found the Flickr interface to be both user friendly and amazingly replete with images that made me seriously consider up and moving the family to the Seychelles.

Social Networking

Isn't it ironic that a technology that allows you to anonymously peer into your friend's and acquaintance's lives uses the words "social" and "networking"? If I remember correctly, in the past one had to actually mix with others to be social and to network. But I digress, this post is devoted to Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, the three headed god of the new interconnetedness religion that is saving the planet.
You need to look no further than the wave of pro-democracy regime changes in the Middle East and North Africa to come to grips with the power of the tweet.
FaceBook allows us to keep an eye on our old high school chums and to organize play dates for our children.
LinkedIn has the potential to give us a leg up on that perfect job that will allow us to purchase a "smart phone" that will, in turn, let us to stay connected to our social networks sans computer. Then we will be one step closer to the glorious day when we are connected to the omninet via the chip implanted in our cerebral cortex.

Don't Mess with the Google

Google is a life support system for those library patrons who are not familiar with how the interweb operates. I always explain it as a sort of "phone book" for the Internet where you can find the website that fits your needs.

Maps is clearly very helpful and utilized quite often (I spit upon Mapquest).

For those without a flash drive, Docs can be a great tool but I recommend a level of computer expertise at least slightly above the "how do you make this mouse move" patron.

Books and scholar are wonderful research tools for our high school and college students who need to finish that paper yesterday.

All-in-all I will still maintain that Google is not yet an evil corporation but rather a company offering services that I am happy to help our patrons utilize.