Laws of Japanese Animation

If you're not familiar with Anime, here's a list of laws you should know.

Hunter, Humphrey & Yavitz, plc

As mentioned yesterday I worked over the weekend to implement a law firm's Web site. As the site is now live I can announce it here. Check out hhylaw.com. Comments are welcome but the design is not mine and I have no say in it unless the suggestion fixes what they would perceive to be a "problem". Constructive comments on the code used to implement the design are greatly appreciated.

When is a podcast not a podcast?

Greg Schwartz over at Open Stacks has posted about this and I'm throwing in my 2 cents now with my own example. Stephen King has posted a "podcast" on the site for his new book Cell. But here's the problem: It's not a podcast! A podcast is Syndicated audio content not a link to a single MP3 file. Sorry Steve, here's one buzzword that your tech people have failed to use properly. (Loved the book though.)

Forming Library Districts in Colorado 2006

Forming Library Districts in Colorado 2006
Originally uploaded by travelinlibrarian.

I've spent the day with 80 library trustees and directors from libraries all over Colorado discussing the how's any why's of becoming a library district. The session gave the four of us from the Aurora board a lot to think about and discuss at our next meeting on Thursday. Photos from the even can be found in my flickr account.

Law firm Web site (soon)

I spent a good part of the weekend putting some final touches on a Web site for my best friend's sister's Law firm. As soon as it goes live I'll post the link here for interested parties. (Note: The design is not mine but the implementation of it is.)

Polar bear

Moral: Don't wear a seal hat to the zoo.

Kissing a Smoker is Just as Gross.

Here's an "interesting" site to teach kids not to smoke: AshtrayMouth.com.

It's not the size that matters...

websurf.jpg
Originally uploaded by rayuen.

I want this monitor!

Performancing Upgrade

The newest of Performancing has been released. I've not yet tried it yet but the following new features sound like they'll just make a great tool even better.

• More Technorati Support
• Delicious integration
• Trackback support (including auto-discovery)
• Draft support (and default to draft option)
• Ping support
• Statusbar Icon Enhancments (drag and drop)
• More Settings Options
• Full metaWeblog API implementation, now working in Roller, blogharbor, and many more
• Lots of Bug Fixes

Firefly Season 2 !?

Would you be willing to see a second season of Firefly via the Net? On-demand cable? On DVD via subscription? If so, let you're opinion be known.

Video of the Day Dept. CATS!

From the blog of John C. Dvorak: Funn cats.

Seattle Public Library Commits To Full Wi-Fi Coverage in Branches

Details on Wi-Fi Networking News.

The Video Game Librarian

This library has been circulating video games for the past year and says it's a success. Here's my question: What library is this? It's not mentioned anywhere in the article.

Flickr 101 Web Session

My next free, online session from BCR, Flickr 101 will be held on Friday, February 3rd from 10-11am MST. Non-BCR members are welcome to register but BCR members get priority seating. There is a limit of 25 available seats. (Registrations details available via the link.)

Quote

You, my audience, are all a bunch of poppaloppers. A bunch of tumbling weeds, tumbling 'round, running from your subconscious unconscious minds.... Minds? Minds that won't let you stop to listen to a word of atristic meaningful truth.... So you come to me, you sit int he front row, as moisy as can be. I listen to your millions of conversations, sometimes pulling them all up together and writing a symphony. But you never hear that symphony... You haven't been told before that you're phonies. You're here because jazz is popular, jazz has publicity and you like to associate yourself with this sort if thing. But it doesn't make you a connoisseur of the art because you follow it around. You're dilettantes of style. A blind man can go to an exhibition of Picasso and Kline and not even see what works. Ans comment behind dark glasses. Wow! They're the swingingest painters ever, crazy! Well, so can you. You've got your dark glasses and clogged-up ears.... You become the object you came to see, and you think you're important and digging jazz when all the time all you're doing is digging a blind, deaf scene that has nothing to do with any kind of music at all.
— Charles Mingus, 1957

Blogger Help : What is BlogThis! ?

BlogThis! is a realy useful tool.

Hello from Blogging 101

This post is being entered as an example for my workshop being held now at the BCR offices.

How to Eat Sushi

How to Eat Sushi
Originally uploaded by travelinlibrarian.

For those of us that need some help, here's an instructional video.

Check this out

Military Cryptanalytics Part I
Originally uploaded by travelinlibrarian.

I found this book at the Friends bookstore this evening. More photos can be found in my Flickr stream by clicking on the image.

Map This

Here's a great Firefox extension for those of us who are always trying to figure out where things are. Just highlight an address on a Web page, right-click, and select Map This and you'll be taken to the appropriate location on Google Maps.

Update 1:28pm re: ConQuery comment
This is faster than ConQuery as it (a) only takes one click after the right click, (b) doesn't make me find Google in a big long list, (c) takes me directly to a map result instead of a Google result list with a link to a map, and (d) loads the new tab as the active tab, not one in the background. (Though I will admit this last one might be a quirk of my browser and not typical of others.)

Update 1:43pm
Greg's addition of the GoogleMaps search plugin solves problem (c) but still leaves me with the other three. To me "fewer clicks" = "better tool".

Can't stop laughing

This has got to be the best blonde joke ever.

Spell with flickr

Create ransom notes 2.0 using spell with flickr

Are you a librarian?

I guess I'm just an "aspiring librarian". I wish the results would tell me which questions I got wrong...

Aspiring Librarian You scored 55% on knowledge of librarianship.

You're getting there - you know more than most people about libraries. Maybe you're starting Library School and getting yourself ready to take over the profession. Or maybe you already work in a library but just don't know some of the history and details. But, you're more of an aspiring librarian than a full-fledged librarian.

My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 77% on knowledge

Link: The Are You a Librarian Test written by attention on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

Clockr - It's Flickr Time

Clockr shows you the current time using flickr photos.

Doctor Who to be broadcast in the US!

According to this BBC report the SciFi channel will be broadcasting the 2005 series of Doctor Who starting in March. This is the explaination for the previously unspecified delay of the DVD release, originally scheduled for Valentine's Day. The new release date is now July 4th. (What is it with the holiday-based release dates?)

Password checker

How strong are your passwords? Use Microsoft's password checker to find out.

Tiny yet expensive

Here's a New York TimeFlybook which is "a full-blown Windows XP computer, complete with touch screen and stylus, that's not much bigger than a DVD case (9.3 by 6.1 inches, 2.7 pounds)." Unfortunately it doesn't come with a CD or DVD drive (without paying extra) and still costs $2,490.
Thanks Louise

Borders Coupon

Here's a coupon for 25% Off the Regular Price of One Book good through 15 January 2006.

Kudos

The Aurora Public Library (I'm on the board) has added some new features to the OPAC.

1. Patron Ratings - Patrons who log in to their library account will now have the ability to give items a rating (on a 5-star scale), and these ratings will appear next to the item in the catalog. Comments cannot be added, just a 1- to 5-star rating. Patrons who are not logged in to their library account will be able to see ratings for an item, but will not be able to add their own rating until they log in.
2. Library holdings - Search results will now include an abbreviated holdings table for each item. Essentially, the system will display the first three items in a table very much like the one displayed for individual records. If the library has more than 3 copies, a message will appear underneath the table that reads, "There are additional copies/volumes of this item." The user can click on the "Show Full Record" button to see all copies. The real benefit comes when the library has 3 or fewer copies; the location, call number and status of each copy are displayed without having to view the full record.
3. Changing pickup location - It is now possible for patrons to change the pickup location from their online library account for items on hold. Unless the item is Ready for Pickup, a drop-down menu will allow patrons to change the pickup location.

E-mail to SMS made easy

If you've ever needed to send a text message to a friend's cell from your e-mail client you not only needed to know their cell number but also the format for the domain name of their service provider. Well, not any more. Just send an e-mail to cellnumber@teleflip.com and it will go through just as fast as it can. More details (though not many more) can be found at teleflip.com.

Friends with Low Wages

Just what does Garth Brooks think of his WalMart deal?

Remember the 5th of November

Check out the Guy Fawkes section of the V for Vendetta movie site.

Piffle!

According to The Gallifreyan Embassy the Doctor Who region one 2005 series DVDs have been delayed. No new date has been set yet.

Presenting both sides of the story

I don't know if you've heard about the report from The Smoking Gun that accuses James Frey, author of A Million Little Pieces of basically lying throughout the book but that's not the news I'm actually posting about. What prompted this post is that fact that the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library has posted about it on their blog PaperCuts. Now that's service! Here's a best seller that I assume still has a whole bunch of people on the waiting list, yet the library is letting people know that there's a controversy. (If only we'd done this back when The Bell Curve was pointed out to be the load of crap that it was.) In fairness to Mr. Frey, the library has also linked to his rebuttal.

Now, anyone interested in telling your patrons that Natural Cures They Don't Want You to Know About isn't worth reading either?

Search the USA PATRIOT Act

Here's a full-text, searchable version of USA PATRIOT Act as Passed by Congress - H.R. 3162 (Oct. 25, 2001)

Clerks II

They're back and they're not at the Quick Stop any more... Check out the first Clerks II teaser.

Filter Flap Confounds CIPA-Compliant Connecticut Library

Really, I don't know where to begin when it comes to the statements made in this story.

Search by sketch

retriever (blue & green)
Originally uploaded by travelinlibrarian.

retriever allows you to search flickr photos based on you sketching what you're looking for.

No it doesn't

No it doesn't
Originally uploaded by travelinlibrarian.

Last night I was trying to enter a contest on the FOX site. I don't find scripts that refuse to accept my address very often but they had one.

Treo 700w

The new Windows-based Treo is now available.

Borders/Waldenbooks coupon

Here's a coupon for 30% Off the Regular Price of One Book good through this Sunday.

But why would you want to?

What would you do with 250 pounds of Silly Putty?

Overdue "tantalizes" patrons

Today's Overdue is another book review. This one is about Connie Willis' Inside Job which I've read. (Connie is also a wonderful woman and a Colorado resident.) The funniest bit is the fact that the Mallville library doesn't actually own since it was a small press limited edition (from Subterranean Press). I got a big kick out of it because I read a copy from one of my local public libraries and I'm conflicted on the idea of libraries buying limited editions and ruining them with all the tape, stamps, and stickers.