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Taking care of your taxes… and gadgets |
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So what are you going to do with the extra money you saved by reading this? The holidays are over so you can go ahead and splurge on yourself, guilt-free. This Rotating Stand for iPhone and iPod Touch may be the most elegant way to show off your iPhone at your desk. Or for the shutterbugs like me who spend way too much time retouching the dust out in all your photos, how about a Digital Sensor Cleaner? The makers of this gadget are pros in creating static control equipment so one shot of that anti-static air onto the camera’s sensor should get rid of those annoying, tiny spots that come out in your photos. Hm, I wonder if it could help me from being electrocuted by my light switch every morning… |
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Submitted by: RayAna Park, Web Developer
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Here’s a useful article from Yahoo Finance concerning the 
Comments (1)November 21, 2007
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This Baby Hasn’t Kindled My Interest |
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This week Amazon released Kindle, what they call a “wireless reading device”. Think of it as an eBook reader that also gives you access to newspapers and blogs. It’s generated a lot of buzz because you can download books wirelessly in a minute, preview them for free, and even send email to your Kindle. But it’s also got some problems. My favorite quote comes from an article in Forbes:
If given a choice, I’d go for the iPhone, too. My reasons are purely economic. Kindle costs $400. NY Times bestsellers and new releases are $10 a pop. (I’m rounding off here.) So to get started reading 10 eBooks, I’d have to shell out $500. The same $500 would buy me between 25 and 30 real, honest-to-goodness books — I tend to buy paperbacks — at my local Barnes & Noble. I think the break-even point would be at around 60 books, which would probably take me about 18-24 months. Not worth it, as far as I’m concerned. |
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Submitted by: Dan Giancaterino, Internet Librarian
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October 9, 2007
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Antivirus Misconceptions and My Favorite Vestigial Organ |
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A recent study completed by McAfee and the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) shows major discrepancies between what users believe they have and what they actually have when it comes to their computer’s security. From the article: “With more than 90% of respondents indicating that they were maintaining daily / weekly coverage from their antivirus software, it might be somewhat of a surprise to see that 49% of respondents were actually not running any antivirus software, or antivirus software that was not updating definitions on a daily or weekly basis.” There is also a PDF of the results of the study if you wish to read further. For those of you who woefully leave your computer out in the internet unprotected I suggest downloading a copy of AVG Antivirus Free Edition and setting up weekly updates & full system scans. You should also read and follow the Ten Commandments for Your Computer Sanity. And in completely unrelated news, scientists have apparently found the real purpose of the appendix. |
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Submitted by: Anne Baynes, Assistant Network Administrator
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March 28, 2007
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Handy Research Tools |
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I recently learned of two handy research tools via OPL-Plus, an amazing blog by Judith Siess. First, the Reference Rolodex is a collection by the Evanston (Illinois) Public Library. This resource includes quick answers to many frequently asked reference questions. Second, the British Columbia Courthouse Library Society’s A-Z Knowledgebase. While the database does not claim to be a comprehensive guide, it is a “collection of handy references and hard to find answers to a diverse assortment of legal research questions.” |
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Submitted by: Nicole Engard, Former Web Manager
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March 23, 2007
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The Blue Is So Soothing … I Could Watch It For Hours |
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Apple has (finally) introduced Apple TV, which will allow you to connect your Mac or PC to your widescreen TV. You can play back stuff from your iTunes library — music, video, even photos. David Pogue of the NY Times sums it up for us: “To paraphrase the old Macintosh advertisement, it’s a computer-to-TV bridge for the rest of us.” Tell you what — if I was still using a Windows PC, I’d definitely go for that PC-to-TV thing. That way, I could have a new favorite TV program:
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Submitted by: Dan Giancaterino, Internet Librarian
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Three Useful Sites |
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I discovered three useful sites this morning that you might find interesting. They are:
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Submitted by: Nicole Engard, Former Web Manager
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January 3, 2007
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Daylight Savings Time To Change |
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The rules for Daylight Savings Time are changing this year. Here’s what you need to know: This change is due to the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
This will also affect our computers. Here are some links to fixes online:
Mark your calendars and make sure that everyone you know knows about the upcoming changes. |
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Submitted by: Nicole Engard, Former Web Manager
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November 14, 2006
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25 Technologies in 50 Minutes |
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Here at Jenkins we opened up our multi-purpose room to members of the law librarian community to view the SirsiDynix Institute on 25 Technologies in 50 Minutes and I have to say that Stephen Abram is a man after my own heart. Learning Learning Learning - make time for learning - that was the theme of this event! Stephen suggests:
Most importantly spend 15 minutes a day playing and learning these new technologies. Stephen suggests setting up a blog - not sharing it with others - but using it as your learning tool. Through your blog you can learn how to use Flickr, tags, Technorati, and so much more. Thinking your too busy? Think about your work day - how much time to you spend checking personal email? Participating is chit chat with colleagues? Talking to family on the phone? Bet it adds up to more than 15 minutes - so why not spend 15 minutes - which is practically nothing - learning something new today? You don’t have to become perfect at it - you just have to get a feel for it. He also mentioned the Learning 2.0 program at PLMC (Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County) which was inspired by an article Stephen wrote in Information Outlook titled 43 Things I (or you) might want to do this year. In this program the staff was encouraged to learn 23 things in 9 weeks - and it was successful! Putting the staff at this library ahead of the curve when it comes to web technologies. Stephen ended by saying (I’m paraphrasing) We need to share, be supportive, and we need to learn! If you are too busy maybe you and a colleague can support each other and learn for 15 minutes every other day - taking turns. The thing I love about working in a library is that it’s like a family - and families support each other - so why not carry that mentality over to learning? See all of the links discussed by Stephen on his blog and get learning! |
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Submitted by: Nicole Engard, Former Web Manager
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October 24, 2006
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IL2006 - Cool Tools for Webmasters (and others) |
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Cool Tools for Webmasters from Darlene & Frank:
Learn more from Darlene’s Furl List - and hopefully the ppt will be online soon so I can link to that - because this is just the list I was able to catch |
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Submitted by: Nicole Engard, Former Web Manager
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September 12, 2006
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Can’t read the small print? |
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Having trouble reading the small print on some web pages? Windows XP users can use a handy tool called Magnifier.
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Submitted by: Nicole Engard, Former Web Manager
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