LibWorm: Wifi

Rss to iphone / ipod touch

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:25:32 +0100

DoYouFeed, a site that takes an RSS feed and formats it for pretty viewing on an iPhone or iPod touch. Once you give it an RSS feed to process, it returns an iPhone- iPod touch-friendly web page with the headlines and brief descriptions from the feed. Clicking on an article link pulls up the full text of the item but without the blog's trappings -- very handy if you're using your gadget on a slow data network (as opposed to wireless). While the reader itself works as advertised, I have two criticisms. The first is that the iPhone's version of Safari already knows how to read RSS feeds -- it does so by routing them through a service that Apple provides. The second, and more serious one, is that DoYouFeed puts advertisements at the bottom of the full text article, thereby making money from the blogger's words without returning any of it to the author. In the case of the DoYouFeed version of RSS4Lib's feed, this is in direct violation of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 license I placed in the RSS feed. This license only allows, as it says, non-commercial use of the feed. DoYouFeed should parse the RSS feed and either not display non-commercial-use only feeds or not display advertisements on them. (Source: RSS4Lib)

Stanza to display samhain books from booksonboard: nice step toward drmfree ecosystem for booksellers

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:51:00 +0100

"The entire Samhain romantic fiction catalog of ebooks" will be readable via the DRMfree Stanza e-book reader for the iPhone and Touch, thanks to new agreements with Books on Board. BooksOnBoard is thus the first or one of the first commercial bookstores to link up with Stanza, which I’m guessing will also run on some other handheld devices in the near future. Toward a major DRMless ecosystem for booksellers I don’t know how seamless the buying process will be—as easy as the Kindle’s?—but this is definite progress, especially for those of us who dislike DRM. So far, Stanza lacks "protection." I’d love to see a DRMfree ecosystem of bookselling for the iPhone, Touch and other devices such as Android-OS phones! And same for dedicated readers. I’m delighted that Sony will set up its wireless system to include indie stores, and I hope it will likewise experiment with a DRMless approach. Related: Stanza tips for bookstores and writers: How to SELL ePub books for the iPhone and iPod Touch, which mentions All Romance eBooks’ support of Stanza. Meanwhile a slightly trimmed version of the press release follows. Technorati Tags: Stanza,Lexcycle,BooksOnBoard,Samhain BooksOnboard First to Offer New eBook Titles for the iPhone in Partnership with Stanza Austin, TX - November 18, 2008 - BooksOnBoard, the premier ebook retailer, has entered into definitive agreements with Samhain Publishing Ltd. and Lexcycle, Inc. to make the entire Samhain romantic fiction catalog of ebooks available on Lexcycle’s Stanza. Stanza is the highest rated and most popular ebook reader for the iPhone and iPod Touch. ...

Justice department issues report on telecommunications symposium

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 04:40:06 +0100

Justice Department Issues Report on Telecommunications Symposium Source: U.S. Department of Justice The Department of Justice today issued a report on competitive developments in the telecommunications industry. The report, “Voice, Video and Broadband: The Changing Competitive Landscape and Its Impact on Consumers,” is the result of a Telecommunications Symposium hosted by the Department on Nov. 29, 2007. The report addresses a number of issues that may affect consumers of telecommunications services and antitrust analysis in this industry, including the development of new facilities-based competition, wireless technologies as alternatives to wireline networks, price and non-price consumer benefits from competition, the significance of bundled products, and obstacles to competitive entry. The focus of the report is on telecommunications services provided to residential consumers, rather than business users. + Executive Summary (PDF; 113 KB) + Full Report (PDF; 751 KB) (Source: Docuticker)

In which i happily eat crow

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:12:52 +0100

I wasn’t sure about SPARC-DR. I wasn’t sure about the organizers, the agenda or the speakers. I was wrong. I own that. I’m happy to correct myself in public. There was a lot of high-quality material yesterday, and there’s been more today. I want to call out John Wilbanks’s keynote, Paul Royster’s talk, the Innovation Fair, and Catherine Mitchell’s talk this morning as being especially inspiring and helpful, with lots of ideas I can take home and try to get some traction on. Quite a few people here are old-timers like me, but there’s also a healthy complement of people with new or in-the-planning-stages repositories. I’m impressed at how much has been said here that’s useful to both populations. That’s a hard balance to pull off! The hallway conversations have been excellent as well, though I feel more than a little goofy about the number of people hunting me down just to say hi. On a purely practical note, the wireless is free and has been rock-solid, the food is fantastic, and the hotel staff at the Baltimore Renaissance Harborplace have gone out of their way to accommodate us laptop-toting nerds. Good job, all, and I’m sorry I doubted you! (Source: Caveat Lector)

Go go grumpator gadgets!

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100

So I've had my lovely Dell Mini 9 for nearly 3 weeks and I gave it a workout at the Charleston Conference. My review: it is super awesome! It's light and easy to carry around. I worked on my probationary review letter on the plane ride, and I can't imagine trying to use a larger laptop on a plane in such a confined space. I took tons of notes at conference sessions. The battery life is good, probably about 4 hours (I got it down to 20% or so after 3 hours, but got obsessive and plugged it in). Because I'm a laptop newb, despite being such a gadget freak, I had been concerned about connecting to wireless networks, but it is very easy. It is everything I could ever want in a laptop, and it gives me extra geekery cred because it's so tiny - strangers come up and coo over it as if it were a baby. I love it!One caveat - the 'u' key was defective and sticky - whenever I typed any key around it, I got an extra 'u'. However, I told Dell about it and they sent me a new keyboard within 2 days. We swapped it out (very easy), and I'm sending the defective keyboard back. No problem, and it says a lot about Dell's customer service - I'm quite pleased with such a rapid response.In other gadget news, I drowned my precious HTC 8125 last week. It still works, but it hasn't fully recovered - it no longer closes completely (that's my fault), some of the keys on the keyboard don't work at all, and many of the buttons stick. Considering I've had my precious for over 2 years, I decided it was time to retire it and get a new phone. However, because I now have a laptop I have a hard time justifying another smartphone, including justifying the expense when I can get a new phone as a free "upgrade." So, I decided on the Sony Ericsson W580i. I chose it because it is green, and it will be nice to have a phone that is not the size of a brick. I feel a little like I'm "upgrading" from broadband to dial-up, but I really do just need a phone. ...

Innovation in institutions - and yet more jobs…

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 13:31:35 +0100

One of the things I’ve noticed about Twitter is that if you post a link there to a recent blog post, the post can start to get read very quickly. I’ve done a couple of experiments by tweeting links to old posts and comment threads to see if it can give them a little burst of renewed life, and I can anecdotally report that it does seem to work, if you get your twittertext right… And it’s potentially also a way of using a subset of readers as a sounding board for whether or not to post more widely, to a larger set of readers. So for example, on Friday I replied to a comment on an earlier post (Printing Out Online Course Materials With Embedded Movie Links) with a rather <ranty> comment of my own… and got the following tweet back from @jukesie: So here goes - I’ve blockquoted it, but it’s not strictly a quote - I have made a few minor changes - so if you want to read the comment in it’s original form, and in the original context, you can find it here. The context was whether there was any value in adding a QR code visual link to a Youtube movie in the print stylesheet of a piece of online learning material that included an embedded video. I picked up a catch phrase earlier today, about what UK HE needs: Flexibility, Innovation, Imagination. So here’s my problem. The future lies around us, and some of us paddle in it. Innovation in the OU is hard to achieve - the feeling is whatever we give to our students, it has to scale and it has to be equally accessible to everyone. We often go for lowest common denominator plays, particularly with respect to assumptions about the availability of technology. The Innovator’s Dilemma rules… Time out: When I play with mashups - when I play with ideas - I’m balancing logic rocks. Sometimes they fall over, but that’s okay; if I wanted to build something a little longer lasting, I’d use concrete. ...

Coveritlive blog of shanachies in perth

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 00:43:37 +0100

I’ve set up a liveblog of the Shanachies presentation this morning. While wireless lasts, I’ll be zipping my notes below: (Source: Librarians matter)

Q&a with ian freed of amazon kindle

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 15:20:28 +0100

Eric Engleman of TechFlash has published a Q&A with Ian Freed, the guy at Amazon who is responsible for the Kindle. You can read the whole thing here. The thing that surprised me the most was Ian’s answer to the question: Are there some Kindle features that you’ve found work particularly well and some that don’t? He responded that newspaper delivery and the experimental browser have gone over really well, but here’s the part of the answer I never would have expected: The other one — we had pretty good instincts on this but didn’t know for sure how consumers would react — is blogs. The blog experience on Kindle is very different in some ways from the blog experience on the PC. If I’m reading a blog on Kindle I don’t actually have to be connected. I can get five blogs delivered and hop on an airplane with wireless turned off and read through the entire blog as if I’m reading through a newspaper or magazine. And that’s something that we weren’t sure how consumers would react, and frankly, while there is a nominal fee of 99 cents or $1.99 per month for an entire blog, we weren’t sure how people would react to the idea of a paying for a blog. If you think about it, it’s a third or a half the price of a cup of coffee for a month of your favorite blog. It’s not that much money. Related: Kindle might be open to non-Amazon apps someday, says Kindle VP. Technorati Tags: Ian Freed (Source: TeleRead: Bring the E-Books Home)

Mocha vnc lite: way to read e-books on your iphone or touch, including maybe even mobipocket titles?

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 13:47:55 +0100

What if your iPod or Touch screen could display the same view as on your PC or Mac? Including even programs such as Mobipocket that will work on a PC but not the Apple gizmos? I can’t promise that the free Mocha VNC Lite app for the iPhone and iPod will allow such miracles. But maybe some kind soul can at least try—and share the results with us. Lite does not just provide the desktop view, it also offers at least right mouse-button support. Thwarted by clash with Vista So why haven’t I tested Mocha VNC Lite on my HP machine? Because, alas, VNC Lite needs a VNC server on the desktop, and the free versions of the required software don’t get along well with Vista. Could this be my punishment for the Faustian deal I made when I bought a Vista-OS desktop? VNC server info For the desktop end of the WiFi link, compatible software comes with the Mac’s OS X Software and free versions apparently exist for Windows and Linux. By the way, a 3G connection will also work. So if my hunch is correct, you just might be able to access your desktop e-library from anywhere with your iPhone. And speaking of Mobi… As for Mobipocket running on iPhone or Touch itself, does anyone have an update? Is an iPhone/Touch version of Mobipocket for the iPhone still due by the end of the year, as was suggested at the IDPF conference last spring? Mobi has wonderful features. But its delayed appearance on the iPhone reminds us of one more negative of DRMed proprietary formats. The Stanza iPhone app can read Mobi, imperfectly, but not the “protected” variety. Related: Gizmodo’s 20 essential iPhone Apps, through which I discovered VNC Lite. Technorati Tags: Mocha VNC Lite,VNC,VNC Lite (Source: TeleRead: Bring the E-Books Home)

Wireless wan

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100

Hello, We have just had Sentinel Technologies, Inc. propose to us a wireless WAN setup. We have had iffy results with wireless in the past. These folks swear that they are different, that they use "carrier class wireless equipment." I was just wondering if any of you have had experience with: 1. A wireless WAN or 2. Sentinel Technologies Any advice would be welcome. As things stand now we have five locations each with there own connection to the internet. It is almost impossible for us to maintain a connection with Horizon, so two of our branches connect via Terminal Services. One big network would be a wonderful thing, if it worked. Thanks, Kevin (Source: gmane.education.web4lib)

Re: wireless wan

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100

Have you thought about site-to-site VPN? That would give you a nice big happy network at minimal added cost. This would be an option if all your sites already have connectivity. We are doing VPN tunnels with our remote offices with a great deal of success. Our central IT group rolled out Gig radio to connect the main library with the centralized group. This turned out to be a disaster. Connectivity would drop during rain and snow storms as well as dust storms. There were issues with MTU mismatches in the system. If you choose to go with carrier class wireless it would be a good idea to lay out expected performance and functionality standards and hold your vendor accountable. +-------------------------------------------+ John Chadwick, Ed.D. Information Technology Manager New Mexico State Library 1209 Camino Carlos Rey Santa Fe, NM 87507 505-476-9740 505-476-9761 (FAX) John.Chadwick-vq9rvsl3H/FzbRFIqnYvSA< at >public.gmane.org www.nmstatelibrary.org -----Original Message----- From: web4lib-bounces-Lfqs8nn97uZ (Source: gmane.education.web4lib)

Re: wireless wan

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100

Hi Kevin, We've had a couple of experiences with wireless WANs and neither of them were excellent. Passible is more of an apt description. Two different vendors, two different technologies, but both saw signal degradation during heavy downpours and snow. Electrical storms played havoc with one in particular. If you're vendor is using equipment that works in the licensed spectrum, like microwave, it is my understanding that this is far more reliable than the stuff that operates in the unlicensed spectrum. If you're willing to deal with occasional slow downs and less than optimal performance, then wireless is ok. But nothing compares to hardwired connections done right. We've moved to a fiber optic network and it is heavenly compared to wireless. Bill **************************************************************************** * Bill Hudson Deputy Administrator/Manager, Information Technology Library System of Lancaster County 1866 Colonial Village Lane, Ste. 107 Lancaster, PA 17601 717-207-0500 ext. 12 (Source: gmane.education.web4lib)

Re: wireless wan

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100

Kevin, Find out what frequency and what protocol they are using (WiMAX?). I agree with Bill: if the frequency is in licensed spectrum, you should be A-OK--but that tends to get pricey. Even if it's in unlicensed spectrum, as long as it isn't 2.4GHz and you're not in a busy wireless area, you might be all right. Is yours the Cass District Library in Michigan? If so, it looks like it's 5 or so miles between a couple of your branches. WiMax can work at that distance, if it's fairly flat and not super full of buildings; how high up are they putting the antennas? I'm with Bill on one more point: I used to be a wireless engineer, but I still prefer wired connections when I can get them. :) (Source: gmane.education.web4lib)

‘what’s up with e-books?’: my audio on the pros and cons

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 17:18:04 +0100

Here’s the mp3 of an Advisorpress.com podcast I did with Peter Johnson on the subject “What’s Up with e-books?” This 55 minute discussion provides a good overview of the e-book world in November 2008. What is environmentally-friendly, endorsed by Oprah, distributed worldwide, can be read in the dark, empowers aspiring authors, could end textbook shortages, and gets 38 million hits on Google? E-books! And this month, on our Author Marketing Teleseminar, we have just the person to bring us up to date on this emerging form of publishing! Robert Nagle…will share his views on the current state of this emerging industry. According to Wikipedia, as of 2008, new marketing models for e-books are being developed, formats are beginning to homogenize, and dedicated reading hardware has been produced. E-books have achieved global distribution, and electronics manufacturers are releasing more e-book readers for general consumer use, such as Amazon’s Kindle model or Sony’s PRS-500. E-books have seen tremendous market growth in Japan throughout the 2000s and currently has an e-book market worth ¥10 billion. E-books may be reaching a tipping point. Just a few days ago, Oprah Winfrey gave an enthusiastic endorsement of Amazon’s Kindle E-book reader on her nationally-syndicated TV show, while major publishers are launching new titles as well as backlist titles in E-Book format. Apple’s extremely popular iPhone is also breeding a whole new generation of E-book users, with its gorgeous screen and wireless download capabilities. Robert Nagle is a Houston-based technical writer with a background in literature and teaching. He holds a master’s degree in creative writing from Johns Hopkins University and writes pseudonymous fiction. Robert is TeleRead’s Web administrator and frequent contributor. ...

Wireless printing available at the ue libraries

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100

Printing from wireless devices is currently available at the Libraries. Simply add LI264LJ to your printer options. This printer option may be selected from ACENet\UE Print01. Wireless print jobs are sent to the printer located in PC Lab 264.Questions? Ask a Librarian or stop by the Libraries' Reference Assistance Desk. (Source: UE Library News)

Bill's life: notes from the road

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 19:16:02 +0100

Gene and I are partway through our last roadtrip of the year. This morning we're working at the new Indianapolis airport, with unlimited access to power, wifi, and Starbucks. So I thought I'd check in. Madision's State St. reminded me of Northampton, MA. Are all college towns essentially the same? We went to Second City in Chicago and saw their new show, still under construction. Amazing how similar their process is to that Gene and I have been going through with our new talk: improv around a funny idea until you've got it right or let it die. Indianapolis' new library is spectacular, an entirely successful fusion of old and new, both beautiful and functional. Their new airport isn't bad either. Posted by Bill on 11/12/2008 10:08:00 AM (Source: Unshelved)

Cafe's dilemma: can you offer free wi-fi and still sell lattes?

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:45:18 +0100

Do you ever feel the guilt-stare from a barista as you're sitting in a cafe enjoying its free wireless? The cheapest patrons will nurse a coffee for three hours, while many will cave at the rate of roughly one beverage (or baked good) per hour. Rather than guilting e-freeloaders (which puts strain on customer-barista relations), [...] (Source: Freakonomics Blog)

Time for wireless…or wireless for time

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:26:06 +0100

♬To everything - turn, turn, turn There is a season - turn, turn, turn And a time for every purpose under heaven … A time to gain, a time to lose..♬ Words and Music by Ecclesiastes/Seeger, recorded by The Byrds. The one thing that none of us can bank is time. So how do we best make use of our time - especially these days - given that we have to spend a certain amount of it waiting or on trains or in transit somewhere? How can we check our email, read (and edit) attachments, check our appointments, refer to our contact information, send IM’s or chats and generally make the most out of our 24 hour allotment of time? There are Smartphones from such suppliers as RIM (BlackBerry), Apple (iPhone), Nokia, HP, Palm, Samsung, Motorola and other manufacturers), regular cell phones with data and/or email access and laptops with Wi-Fi access or data access via a cell network modem. Cell phones are great for cell calls; however creating text or email messages on a cell phone number pad are all but impossible..the multiple key combinations to create even the most rudimentary of messages would try the patience of a saint. Smartphones take things up a notch with their Querty keypads that allow nimble thumbs to craft replies to emails and work on documents. If they come with a data plan, then surfing the web is increasingly possible as web pages are designed with the smaller screens on the mobile devices in mind… However, for some the full size of the laptop keyboard is really the only alternative to intense work, assuming that you have the space to work from wherever you may be. So how do you work …wirelessly …on a laptop? Wi-Fi is all over the urban areas, but finding a suitable Wi-Fi hotspot and provider can be a challenge. There are many providers and the data plans vary. Securing a contract with the provider that will give you the greatest number of Wi-Fi hotspots in all the locations that you may find yourself is a bit of a puzzle. ...

Remembrance day / veterans day

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 00:19:59 +0100

What can libraries do for those who protect us now? I've been wearing my poppy all day. In Canada (and the UK) we wear poppies to commemorate and honour our service people, past and present, and what they do for peace and defending our way of life. We do a minute of silence in memory of when the world resolved to never bring us to the brink again, the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. The poppy comes from the famous and moving Canadian John McCrae poem "In Flanders Fields" that every school child is taught in Canada and that McCrae wrote in a trench under siege in WW1. Here it is: In Flanders Fields By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918) Canadian Army IN FLANDERS FIELDS the poppies blow Between the crosses row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields. Now we can all value and respect the past service of our soldiers but today I reflect on what libraries can do for living military personnel and their families. After all we are the folks to whom those past soldiers from failing hands threw the torch to be ours to hold high. Rather than just think about those long passed, what about those brave military folk who are now around the world in hotspots like Afghanistan and Iraq and more? So, here are some of my thoughts: These folks often serve in distant war and/or other dangerous zones. Currently our soldiers are quite differently equipped. Many people have mobile phones, laptops, blogs, Facebook profiles, MySpace pages, Flickr photo collections, YouTube videos of themselves and their families. ...

‘sony drm-free to itunes?’ time for e-books also to drop ‘protection’?

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 18:15:59 +0100

"The Apple rumor du jour is that Sony Music Entertainment will license DRM-free tracks to iTunes, under the iTunes Plus program," reports Billboard.biz. Time for Sony’s e-book side to experiment with DRMless ePub, which its new reader devices can display? Maybe with social DRM? I think so! Without traditional DRM to gum things up, ePub is a standard for real. Sony and independent stores—the company laudably plans to reach out to indies, when its forthcoming readers go wireless—could exploit this to the max in marketing. "Buy from us and own your e-books for real." My personal stake is this matter—as a writer I know: Sony will need cooperation from publishers. But at least the DRMless approach should be available as an option for cooperating houses. I’d love to see The Solomon Scandals offered through Sony without "protection"; I’m not just talking theory here. My publisher, too, dislikes DRM’s hassles for consumers. To one extent or another, the technology is a threat to our livelihoods, and I really dislike Amazon’s DRM requirements. A DRMless option would be one way for Sony and friends to distinguish themselves from Amazon and woo consumers and forward-looking publishers. A reminder: The TeleBlog has both pro- and anti-DRM readers, and I encourage both sides to speak up here, in a civil way. Related: Wikipedia item on Sony Music Entertainment. Image credit for "Social Way" photo: Casey West. (Source: TeleRead: Bring the E-Books Home)

Going wireless

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 20:27:15 +0100

We’re finally getting a wireless router at our house (Amazon just notifed me that it’s been shipped). I’m really excited, since it will free up my laptop. (I currently use it at the dining room table, with a cable running from the office, through the hall & into the dining room plugged into the laptop.) My question to my friends out there is: should we set up a password to access the wifi or leave it open? My beliefs push me to leave it open, but I’m wondering if there are consequences to leaving it open that I don’t want to deal with. I realize that anyone who really wanted to could certainly break into a protected network, but I also doubt anyone like that is going to be hanging around our neighborhood. So, open or not? (Source: the goblin in the library)

Free computer knowledge quizzes

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:34:51 +0100

Looking for a way to test/learn some basic computer knowledge? Check out these free computer quizzes below. Some of the questions might be a little advanced, but you will still learn something and the next time someone asks you about your wireless internet or the RAM in one of your patron computers, you just might be able to answer the question! After you’ve taken/looked through the quizzes, check out more basic computer support resources at WebJunction. BIOS Quiz Computer Memory Quiz CPU Quiz DSL Quiz E-mail Quiz Home Networking Quiz Internet Quiz Internet Cookie Quiz MP3 Quiz RAM Quiz Router Quiz WEB 3.0 Quiz Web Page Quiz Web Server Quiz WiFi Quiz (Source: NEKLS Technology Weblog)

E-books to the rescue: ten times i was glad i had my e-book reader

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:29:36 +0100

I have long maintained that for most readers, e-books and print books don’t have to exist an ‘either/or’ scenario. There are times I like to have a paper copy: reading with children, for example, or giving a gift, or with a cookbook or other reference work where seeing the whole page at a time is critical. But there are times when having an e-book reader is a definite advantage, and I wish more authors and publishers could open up to this and make things easier for those of us who have seen the e-light! Here are ten situations where having an e-book reader was a godsend, and a real advantage over being chained to print. Can you think of any more such scenarios? On the plane: Facing a fifteen-hour plane ride from Auckland to Los Angeles, where the only in-flight entertainment options were a Hilary Duff movie and a Spanish film about soccer, I was grateful for my Sony Clie and the e-books contained therein! I had not yet discovered Fictionwise, so it was all Project Gutenberg freebies, but even so, it did open up my options considerably during a time like this! When options are limited: I spent most of 2005 in a foreign country where my home was a small city which only boasted one bookstore to its credit. That bookstore was smaller than my bathroom and filled mostly with stationary products, Harry Potter novels and two prolific authors of local interest, one of whom wrote a series of picture books about a spotted dog. Gutenberg to the rescue! On the subway: E-books have one major advantage over paper books, and that’s the ability to read them one-handed. I have so enjoyed reading on the subway! Both my eBookwise and iPod Touch can easily be held and operated with one hand, and it’s nice being able to open up a new book without needing to open up my big bag amidst a crowded sea of fellow commuters. ...

At&t compró wayport, para ofrecer mayor cobertura wifi

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 11:14:34 +0100

AT&T anunció la compra de Wayport, una de las principales compañías proveedoras de servicio WiFi en espacios públicos, hoteles, bares y restaurantes. Lo hizo por la suma de 275 millones de dólares en efectivo, y logró consolidar su oferta de conectividad WiFi en un total de 20.000 hotspots en los Estados Unidos y alrededor de 80.000 internacionalmente. Los planes de conectividad WiFi de AT&T van desde algunos gratuitos hasta otros de menos de 15 dólares mensuales, incluyendo el servicio gratuito para los usuarios de iPhone. A través de este tipo de acciones, AT&T consolida su oferta de servicios complementarios, obteniendo así una gran exposición en una amplia franja de consumidores. Otra de las ventajas es liberar tráfico a su red 3G, pues la gran base de usuarios iPhone prefiere usar el WiFi antes que el 3G para conectarse a internet y utilizar servicios de gran demanda de datos. Como se puede ver en los mapas a continuación, la oferta de WiFi es muy grande en Estados Unidos y en Europa: Incluye miles de sitios en bares y restaurants, como los Starbucks y los McDonalds de todo el mundo. Vía Martín Varsavsky (cc) pablo para Celularis, 2008. | Permalink | deja tu opinión! | Envialo a Tags: AT&T, mercado, WiFi Via: Celularis Articulos relacionados: Open Mesh, extiende el alcance del Wi-FiNuevo iPhone de 16GB de capacidadHercules Wireless N Access Point, actualiza tu red inalámbricaBeijing tendrá WiFi gratis durante las OlimpiádasMy Location with WiFi: Google sorprende con geoposicionamiento mediante WiFi (Source: tecnicalia.com)

Helsinki libraries

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100

Helsinki is a charming city, it puts me in mind of a small Melbourne, with the green and gold trams, a wide main boulevard reminiscent of St Kilda Rd, and some lovely old buildings. Helsinki was our second stop on the Great Library Tour, and we visited Sello Library, just out of Helsinki, which I wrote about last week. We also visited 2 libraries that belong to Helsinki City - and they look a lot different from our normal concept of what a library is. Library 10 is a combination of two libraries - a technology/internet library and a music library. The Cable Book Library was the first public internet library in the world, and attracted great attention in the 90s when it was set up. It grew and evolved and in order to meet demand, moved into larger premises with the music library to become Library 10. This library is situated right in the middle of town, in the old Post Office building and is open from 10am to 10pm. It is a place where people create content, meet, listen to music and borrow books. There is a music studio, a radio station, musical instruments for loan, a stage for performances and books, cds and dvds for loan. Meetingpoint@lasipalatsi is an information desk for internet services and technology – run by the library. It provides courses and information session, employment and recruitment services, workspaces with multimedia workstations, and WiFi. There is even a laptop doctor who will fix your laptop for free. These 2 libraries are pushing the boundaries in defining what a public library is. They are very popular, they are informing, connecting and learning places highly appreciated by users. (Source: YARRA PLENTY LIBRARY BLOG)

Hotchpotch watch

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100

Bad days in libraryland:Seven libraries to close in San DiegoSorry that link will die in a few days. Eleven libraries to close in PhiladelphiaThat one, too.Largest library closure in U.S. loomsI think this one stays?OK, we all are going to have to make sacrifices, due to some bad decisions made by people who made bad decisions.OK, I'll give up some of my indulgences. But why are libraries on the block sooo quickly? One day after the election of a guy who seems like he would like libraries.Are libraries luxuries, indulgences? Did everyone miss that bit about public libraries being all about resource sharing? How many retirees have told me that the library has allowed them to keep up their reading and cut their costs. Call me a socialist. Let's raise taxes, shrink the military budget, fund education.Oh, so sorry, we need another stimulus package to help banks' balances, pay off our credit cards, or the rent or the groceries. Stimulating the mind is just out. I'll just keep reading escapist fluff and not think about it.Except I do think about it. I know real estate and building have already taken a hit. I know there are layoffs coming in the auto industry, retail, the indulgence industries. I have just been through this "libraries are the fat in the budget" dance so many times.I know some would say we have not made a meaningful case for our existence. I think we have, with every toddler story hour and book discussion group, the video games for all ages, the catalogs full of dear books, DVDs and downloadable audio books, the wifi access, the public internet access with printers that work reliably. Do we really need to limit that access now?I've looked at the lists of libraries that may be closed. Some of those neighborhoods don't have another option. There will be hearings and speeches, rallies, and email campaigns in the next few weeks. ...

A wireless platform with its own oa repository

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100

Rice University has created a Wireless Open-Access Research Platform (WARP). This is a wireless platform, OA in the sense that it's extensible and programmable. It's a "research platform" in the sense (apparently) that it's an experiment for teaching and learning, although it's actually in use at more than two dozen universities and companies around the world. All its hardware and software documents are OA in our sense. To trigger further development of the platform, and research on wireless architecture, Rice has launched an accompanying open-access WARP repository to contain the working documents and discussion, as they evolve. (Source: Open Access News)

Coveritlive: karen schneider and lizanne payne

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 03:56:15 +0100

This afternoon I will be standing in for Alyson Kosina from VALA to welcome attendees at the VALA-CAVAL 30 year anniversary event .Very, very happy to be doing this. Here is a description of the event: Lizanne Payne: The Future of Library Collections: Access and Stewardship in a Networked World Over the past 25 years, the library collections landscape has been totally reshaped by digital information and global networks. As this seismic shift continues, libraries are being challenged to balance the costs and benefits of maintaining print collections at the local level, and are moving increasingly toward shared management of print materials among neighboring institutions. We are on the cusp of a great opportunity: libraries could provide lasting benefits to scholarship and economies to their institutions by proactively developing a distributed print repository network on a regional, national or global scale. Karen Schneider: The Nature of Open: How Open Source and Web 2.0 Bring Us Back to the Roots of Librarianship. Karen will demonstrate how the trends toward open source and Web 2.0 go full circle to some of the more extraordinary events in the history of librarianship. These include involvement in the Social Work movement of the early 20th century, libraries’ roles in the rise of popular reading, early library automation projects and the librarian-led innovation that came out of these efforts, and then on to Web 2.0 and open source. I hope to use my wireless modem and CoverITLive. We shall see if it works. (Source: Librarians matter)

Review: isilo v1.30 for iphone

Sat, 08 Nov 2008 23:03:12 +0100

The iSilo application, whose earlier incarnations were much beloved of doctors, lawyers, and others who sought a way to carry HTML reference material on their PDA since time immemorial, was released for the iPhone platform back in August. As I mentioned when I covered it then, I had been a heavy user of iSilo for PalmOS back in the day, since I cordially disliked the MobiPocket PalmOS application and iSilo was the only other convenient way to get Baen Webscription books onto my Palm, Visor, or Clié. However, I hadn’t used it since my last Clie bit the dust. There had been other ways to read those books, such as FBReader on my Nokia 770 and Bookshelf on my iPod Touch. When I downloaded the first version available from the store, I was fairly unimpressed, so I decided to put off reviewing it until it got a little better. That time has come now. With the release of version 1.30, iSilo has moved considerably closer to ready for prime-time. It has added support for viewing a number of non-iSilo document formats (most notably PDF), and also supports loading documents with WebDAV rather than needing a sync conduit application—an innovation I would like to see in other readers, such as Stanza or Bookshelf. It still has a few major issues, however: a slightly clunky interface, some sluggishness at scrolling, and a number of cases where documents don’t respond to font preferences. I would be hesitant to recommend spending $9.99 on this app if you do not already need it for legacy iSilo books. The iSilo document format In order to convert documents from HTML into iSilo format, you will need to download the free iSiloX converter program. This program will allow you to convert any single page or collection of linked pages into an iSilo-compatible e-book. Some websites, such as Munseys, also offer preconverted iSilo-format books for download. ...

News briefs

Sat, 08 Nov 2008 18:38:58 +0100

News Briefs + Copyright Office Announces Interim Regulation Regarding Section 115; Requests Comments (U.S. Copyright Office) + The Library’s National Recording Registry To Be Featured in a Five-Part Series On NPR (Library of Congress) + Wireless industry has ideas for Obama (Government Computer News) + Library to house Dunkin’ Donuts (FortWayne.com) + Lincoln re-election speech to be auctioned in NYC (AP, via Google News) (Source: ResourceShelf)

Pandia search engine weekend wrap-up nov 8

Sat, 08 Nov 2008 15:01:18 +0100

Here are some of the search engine news stories we found interesting this week: New Face Recognition Search Engine Luxand A unique facial-mapping engine that enables a website to find people by faces (Alt Search Engines Nov 7 2008) The Post Google, Post Microsoft Yahoo Get new hitters. Simple enough. And a new technology management. (Beyond Search Nov 7 2008) 5 Ways to Power Up Your Google Reader Efficiency Here are some strategies you can use in Google Reader to help you separate the proverbial blog-corn from the chaff (Google Tutor Nov 5 2008) Google CEO on Obama tech czar job: No thanks Google Inc Chief Executive Eric Schmidt said Friday he would not serve as technology czar in Barack Obama’s administration (Reuters Nov 7 2008) AOL Launches Local Search Engine When.com A new hyper-local online event guide that enables users to search and browse for a wide range of events in their local area (AltSearchEngines Nov 3 2008) Microsoft-Yahoo soap opera continues Microsoft is looking for some kind of search partnership (Todd Bishop Nov 7 2008) Some Lyrics Websites Experienced Ranking Drops Is Google punishing lyrics sites? (Google Blogoscoped Nov 5 2008) How To Get Discovered Through Video Search People aren’t going to discover your product through video search if you can’t create a compelling video. (SE Land Nov 6 2008) Google November SERP Changes… Reverted! Changes in rankings caused by Google bug (PageTraffic Nov 4 2008) Facebook Ad Rates Fall: When 32% Growth Is Not Enough Facebook is growing, but not enough in the US (Marketing Pilgrim Nov 7 2008) Microsoft Tries to Steal Verizon Deal From Google Microsoft Corp., capitalizing on Google Inc.’s regulatory snarl, is working to steal a deal with Verizon Wireless away from its rival. ...

Libraries in second life this week

Sat, 08 Nov 2008 12:24:39 +0100

Book Discussion On Only Yesterday The book discussion series on Only Yesterday turns to Zora Neale Hurston’s classic novel, “Their Eyes Were Watching God” on Tuesday evening, November 11, at 6:00 p.m. SLT. The story, set in the American deep South in the 1930s, tells the story of a young African American woman in search of love and her place in life. Librarian TAMU Oh leads the discussion in the Reading Room (second floor of the island’s bookstore), on the plaza at Only Yesterday. As always, please come and participate, even if you have not yet had a chance to read the novel ….. and bring a friend! West of Ireland Library Please join us in the West of Ireland Library for these great events! Sunday 9 November @ 11am - Stories saluting veterans with Aoife Lorefield. Monday 10 November @ 7pm - Peter Pan with Caledonia Skytower. Tuesday 11 November @ 7pm - The Maidens of the Grael with Derry McMahon. Wednesday 12 November @ 7pm - Poems of Seamus Heaney with Aoife Lorefield. Thursday 13 November @ 6.30 - The Secret of Roan Inish with Shandon Loring. Friday 14 November @ 5pm - A salute to veterans (and please stay for the USO show!) Saturday 15 November @ 1pm - Washington Irving stories with Elder Priestman & Derry McMahon. Sunday 16 November @ Noon - Myths and Legends with the WOI Storytellers. Monday 17 November @ 7pm - Peter Pan with Caledonia Skytower. Please IM Derry McMahon for more info or with any questions! http://slurl.com/secondlife/West%20of%20Ireland/51/152/26 Investing InfoIsland Next Wed. Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. SLT we will begin a series of brief introductions to the seven stations of investing information contained on Investing InfoIsland. Next Wed. we’ll begin with Station 1, which provides information on planning to invest. Here’s the entire schedule for the series. Hypatia Dejavu or Maxito Ricardo will facilitate each session, which will be brief (approx. 30 mins. ...

Paper — pervasive media: delivering ‘the right thing in the moment’

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 23:37:12 +0100

Pervasive Media: Delivering ‘the right thing in the moment’ 21st Century lifestyles and business practices demand value delivery on the move and in many situations. An explosion in mobile services is being fuelled by the availability of powerful media-rich mobile devices and pervasive networking. Successful solutions in this high growth area will be those that can deliver ‘the right thing in the moment’. That is, high value services will be those that are tuned to the user’s situation and so deliver the best experience. Delivering the right thing in the moment changes the way content is consumed and the timing of its availability. It changes the use of space and time and so: the way the creative industries think about delivering content, the way advertisers think about just in time messaging and tracking; and the way information is accessed throughout an organization. This paper considers the implications for technology and application research. We describe the need for: an extensible and scaleable context framework with privacy, trust and security policies embedded; new modes of interface between the physical and the digital environment; and a programme that builds expertise amongst practitioners as the technology develops in its early stages. + Full Paper (PDF; 99 KB) Source: HP Labs (Source: ResourceShelf)

A day of touchiness

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100

Yesterday I tried to use just an iPod Touch to do my work. Surprisingly it went well and I got most of what I needed to do (online anyway) done with a minimal of hassle. That doesn't mean it was a perfect experience. Here's my comments on this experiment based on the notes and reflections from the day. I turned it on at about 7:30 am and pretty much insisted that I would do any Web surfing and e-mail on the Touch. This overall worked rather well. The e-mail app is way better than the one on my cell phone and Safari is a tolerably good browser. For some specific sites such as MySpace and Facebook I did end up installing site-specific apps which made those sites much easier to use. For Twitter I originally tried Twitterific but decided it just did work the way I thought it should. I then switched to TwitterFon and that much more fit my Tiwttering style.I found the Delicious App which gave me full access to all my bookmarks but I thought it was supposed to give me a way to also add and edit my bookmarks. If that functionality exists in this program, I'm totally missing it. I also found and installed Wikiamo (a Wikipedia app) and Instapaper (a site I use to mark Web pages for later reading.) Both worked extremely well though Instapaper required a little bit of a setup to get their "Read later" bookmaklet to work but that was a function of how Safari works on this platform and wasn't Instapaper's fault. Wikiamo basically reformats Wikipedia pages for better Touch-based reading. I highly recommend it for anyone who uses Wikipedia regularly. As for reading my feeds via Bloglines, I've got some issues. I'm not saying it was impossible or even difficult but there were many small annoyances. First off, Bloglines insists on forcing iPod users into an iPod-specific version of the site. Herein lies the problem. There is a "mobile" version of Bloglines which I've been using on my smartphone for a while now and that works great. ...

Unlicensed use of television white spaces

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100

From the Washington Post: "Preachers on the pulpit, Guns N' Roses and others who fear their wireless microphones would be disrupted by widespread public access to certain unused airwaves were drowned out by high-tech titans Google and Microsoft in a federal ruling yesterday."The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) website has information about rules for unlicensed use of television white spaces. The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology conducted preliminary experiments on the impact of unlicensed operation in the TV broadcast bands and issued a report on those tests.The FCC website also includes information on the recently approved Verizon Wireless-ALLTEL and Sprint-Nextel/Clearwire mergers.Source: Kang, C. (5 Nov. 2008). "FCC Expands Use of Airwaves: 'White Space' to Be Opened to Devices Connected to Web." Washington Post. D01. (Source: Government News for Montana)

Twitters from 2008-11-06

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 03:59:59 +0100

Heading out to a Dell “Future of Computing” event. No idea what to expect. # at Dell “future of computing” event in Nashville. There is no wifi. WTF? # @wanderingeyre so excited that you are coming to ALA. Miss you. in reply to wanderingeyre # gah. Microsoft ordered, for one project, 42,000 servers from dell. # Woot! Unless something goes wrong, I will be speaking at Online Information in London on Dec. 2! # I’m at Embassy Suites-Murfreesboro (1200 Conference Center Blvd, Murfreesboro, TN) - http://bkite.com/02eM2 # @Tombrarian LOL. Yeah, when I told my mom, she said “London, Kentucky?” in reply to Tombrarian # @weelibrarian I worked in one at unc, and we are planning one for our new building. in reply to weelibrarian # @smalljones Disappointed in your opinion of Ryan Adams. He has moments of brilliance. in reply to smalljones # @peatbogyeri Hey you. Heading to London in 3 weeks for the first time. Need your advice on what to do/see. in reply to peatbogyeri # Similar Posts: Twitters from 2008-11-07 Twitters from 2008-10-30 Twitters from 2008-11-03 Twitters from 2008-10-31 Twitters from 2008-11-04 ShareThis (Source: Pattern Recognition)

Planet wcet’08…is a lifeless asteroid

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 18:06:11 +0100

http://www.netvibes.com/wcet08 Partly as an exercise in personal autonomy (we’re doing a workshop on “Personal Learning Environments” so what better way than to walk the talk) and partly just in a fit of pique that the conference itself wasn’t already doing something, I created this netvibes page to aggregate the activity from the on-going WCET conference in Phoenix. It took about 30 minutes to put it together (except for the scraping of the conference schedule, which took 3 minutes once Tony Hirst showed me how to do it with the =importHtml function in Google spreadsheets - thanks Tony!) I sent it round WCET and everyone seemed impressed, and we showed it in our PLE Workshop yesterday, but alas I fear I have given birth to a non-life supporting planet. You see - there is NO CONFERENCE WIFI. I am sitting in a session right now on “Disruptive Innovations” with about 30 people in it, and mine is the only laptop out (N.B. I was ‘permitted’ to use the secret back-door account, which despite my desire to protest in solidarity, I cannot help but make use of.) So the lingr backchannel that Chris set up is likely not going to see a lot of action, nor don’t expect a whole lot of tweets on the #wcet08 channel (despite the fact that there are at least 8 active twitter users here that I know of, plus many whom I don’t know yet). Sigh. Anyways, for those at the conference who do get online through the overpriced connections in their room, here you go, Planet WCET’08. Feels a bit like Pluto… - SWL Tags: conference, epic fail, netvibes, PLE, WCET wcet08 (Source: EdTechPost)

Another major thing happened yesterday

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 13:32:14 +0100

All eyes were on the presidential election yesterday, but another important vote took place at the Federal Communications Commission that will transform tech in 2009 and beyond. "By a vote of 5-0, the FCC formally agreed to open up the "white spaces" spectrum -- the unused airwaves between broadcast TV channels -- for wireless broadband service for the public. This is a clear victory for Internet users and anyone who wants good wireless communications." As Larry Page noted in the Official Google blog, "This is a clear victory for Internet users and anyone who wants good wireless communications." The WIA details: "TV white spaces will increase accessibility to more reliable broadband networks, known as "mesh networks." Mesh networks are self forming networks created by consumer electronics devices. Devices will simply find each other in the same way they find Wi-Fi hot spots today and broadband traffic can be routed through devices based on consumer preferences. For example, mesh networks will allow users wireless connectivity in the business environment. Easily accessible connectivity to office networks will generate efficiency in routine business processes-from printing documents remotely to transferring data to a client during a meeting. Mesh networks also help to create connectivity in dead zones. These networks make it possible for the most common electronic devices to communicate with each other to resourcefully locate and establish a connection in nontraditional scenarios—like in a tunnel, or while riding the subway. " The opportunities have been called "wifi on steroids" - as this spectrum would provide cheaper and more powerful wifi broadband access. There is a good video explaining the white space oportunities offered by the Wireless Innovation Alliance. ...

Light blogging

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100

The small matter of moving house, and a wait of eighteen working days for broadband to be transferred to the new house mean that my updates have been sporadic. I rely on wifi in cafés in London, the over-subscribed and under-powered computers in Seaford library and the iPhone; Seaford is without public wifi, just as, when I tried to buy the London Review of Books (Source: Tom Roper's Weblog)

Lianza 2008 day two leadership, im, comics, open info and gen y

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 08:47:41 +0100

LIANZA 2008 has continued to be an open, warm and intellectually stimulating conference. I liveblogged the sessions I attended on CoverItLive, so there is much more detail here (keynotes) and here (individual sessions). Did I mention that the conference committee have provided free wifi iin return for liveblogging? Thank you very, very much for this. A nice win/win situation. Here are the main ideas that took my fancy today: 1. Keynote - Professor Mason Durie. Talked about transformational leadership and the need for people to be Future Makers (proactive) rather than Future Takers (reactive). He talked about 5 contexts in which future leadership will take place and gave a New Zealand perspective on these: Demographic transitions Changes to Technology Information Avalanche Economic Transitions Globalisation Leadership for tomorrow will require leaders who can look outside their own institutions and make connections and community. He talked of many leaders and I saw a common theme - these were all people who could make links with business for economic support or community groups for social support. Professor Durie suggested that maybe leadership will become a separate career in the future - people with qualities needed for future leadership are hired specifically to lead, rather than getting people who have been in the organisation for a long time and have risen to the top. 2. Charlotte Clements and Timothy Greig talked about two Instant Messaging projects set up among four universities. They had teams evaluating chat reference - one looking at proprietary purpose-built library reference software and one looking at Open Source solutions. They chose to test QuestionPoint (OCLC) and VRL plus (sirsi dynix) from the vendor based software and look at Psi, Trillian and Meebo for the Open Source. Eventually they decided to implement meebo - straight away - without a trial. No stats on the usage yet. ...

Washington post free to kindle owners for the election

Sun, 02 Nov 2008 15:40:36 +0100

According to the Amazon Kindle’s Blog, the Washington Post will be free to Kindle owners from November 2 to November 5. I went over to the Amazon site and, indeed, today’s issue is free. Over the air delivery is the real strong point of the Kindle. I can’t wait for Sony to jump into the fray with their wireless version. (Source: TeleRead: Bring the E-Books Home)

‘time to market the tx as an ereader?" said before—but worth repeating

Sat, 01 Nov 2008 13:50:38 +0100

Lee Cohen’s post at PalmAddicts (link added)… Sammy, I’m using a TX in Pennsylvania, no crashes just stability and the option to run hundreds of programs, hook into any WiFi hotspot and grab my email. I especially love the fact that I can take advantage of the large screen and read e-books on the go. Of course, I read PalmAddicts, Washington Post and the NYTimes during my coffee break. Palm should market these devices as portable eReaders, there is a market ready to be had, Palm. Technorati Tags: TX,Palm TX (Source: TeleRead: Bring the E-Books Home)

Nyt writer reviews kindle, yawn, yawn: when will the times get serious about e-books and write about the grubby stuff?

Sat, 01 Nov 2008 12:19:31 +0100

The New York Times’ Virginia Heffernan reviews the Kindle and explores all-too-familiar territory—for example, the wonders of the wireless as well as the machine’s design deficiencies. The Kindle is Oprah-hot right now, and Heffernan’s review is lively and well-written. But when, oh when, will the Times seriously take up grubby issues such as eBabel and the need for ePub? Or the perils of DRM lock-ins? Enough of this Kindle fixation! The Kindle itself, by the way, is a prime example of the eBabel issue—being unable to read encrypted PDF, for instance. I’d love to see Heffernan write on the desirability of being able to own works in E for real. If we tie e-books to proprietary technology, how can we can take them as seriously as we could otherwise? Remember Gemstar and the other vendors now out of the e-book business. What’s more, Amazon just might change its priorities someday. If nothing else, what about the PDF books Amazon once promoted? Reminder: We’re not anti-Kindle here, and in fact, co-editor Paul Biba is a proud Kindle owner—we’re just prodding Amazon and other companies to improve their offerings. Also, I continue to be a big Times booster, because of the mix of substance and excellent packaging in the online edition. I just wish the Times would get more serious about e-books. Technorati Tags: New York Times Company,New York Times (Source: TeleRead: Bring the E-Books Home)

E-readers popular among most of the publishing people using them, says publishing trends

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 18:05:10 +0100

Some months ago Random House, S&S and other major houses said they were buying dedicated e-readers for certain editors, sales reps and others. Have the new gizmos worked out? Which brand is most popular? And how are publishing people using them? Sony Reader most popular among publishers "In general," reports Publishing Trends in the November issue, "e-reader users are happy with the device they currently own." Typically that’s a Sony because of the quantity discounts the company offers, unlike Amazon. Also, unfairly, as both PT and I see it, some publishing people are worried about people spying on them. I do think the Kindle has privacy risks, but not in this case—I doubt Amazon is taking time to snoop on manuscripts and book proposals, the main app for publishers. E-books’ other most popular uses Other popular uses are purchased e-books (40 percent of respondents compared to more than 80 percentage for manuscripts and proposals), newspaper articles (more than 30 percent), magazine articles (20 percent) and memos and other internal documents (about 10 percent). The Kindle’s wireless, of course, can be useful for sharing material, and Sony itself will release a wireless model in the near future. G Phone not well enough integrated with Google Books yet In a separate PT article, Ariel Aberg-Riger recounts her mixed experiences with a Google Phone and says of Google Book Search: "On the phone, you just float around the page as you would online, only tinier." She’s expecting "more seamless integration between the mobile platform and GBooks as both continue to improve. ...

Asist2008: the office

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100

(uh, oops, couple more to post)The Office“a place of work used for non-manual work” – OEDintroduce the office as a useful concept for information researchexamine:- history- theory- information seeking behavior- classification- computer desktopoffice as power, as aesthetics, organizing metaphorJana Hartel, TorontoTeresa Dirndorfer Anderson, University of Technology SidneySooYoung Rieh, WisconsinWilliam Jones, WashingtonBarbara Kwasnik, SyracuseProbst – “the action office”Now cubicle cultureoffices as “innovation junctions” – discrete innovations for info production, dissemination, and storage lurched information work forward, sociotechnological systemless well studied – most study in CSCW… also look at session on Materiality yesterday by Olaf Sundin looking at the impact of placeHartel – her dissertation on cooks, their information stores were like offices …Anderson - “office as a state of mind” or cloudKwasnik- effect of time on org ofRieh – talk more, read more, think more, grade more, organize less – information seeking and use at homeJones – office anywhere – computer desktop “what is the office in an era of nomadic computing”TDA: “when is the office” aka: when two or more computers are gathered there must be wifi (and hopefully electrical outlets)digital environments are- multisided- multilayerd- fluid- ever shifting-“perils of dichotomizing” human and machine (?)Randall et al 2005 – sensitizing concepts in ethnographic research of work practicewhen is infrastructure? only as a relational property, not necessarily as thing (Bateson 1978)ethnography of infrastructure – when is the office?infrastructure is part of human organizationinfrastructure inversion (bowker 1994) – foreground infrastructureinfo systems as political creationssame technology foster sense of community can also restrict access (Weingarten and overbey)embedded background work with highly visible public performance (star and ...

Lightbulbs could replace wi-fi hotpsots

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 18:02:38 +0100

Lightbulbs Could Replace Wi-Fi Hotpsots Boston University’s College of Engineering is launching a program, under a National Science Foundation grant, to develop the next generation of wireless communications technology based on visible light instead of radio waves. Researchers expect to piggyback data communications capabilities on low-power light emitting diodes, or LEDs, to create “Smart Lighting” that would be faster and more secure than current network technology. This initiative aims to develop an optical communication technology that would make an LED light the equivalent of a Wi-Fi access point. “Imagine if your computer, iPhone, TV, radio and thermostat could all communicate with you when you walked in a room just by flipping the wall light switch and without the usual cluster of wires,” said BU Engineering Professor Thomas Little. “This could be done with an LED-based communications network that also provides light - all over existing power lines with low power consumption, high reliability and no electromagnetic interference. Ultimately, the system is expected to be applicable from existing illumination devices, like swapping light bulbs for LEDs.” Source: cellular-news (Source: ResourceShelf)

Resurge el meizu m8 con nuevas capturas de pantalla

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 09:19:11 +0100

El Meizu miniOne M8 parece resistirse a desaparecer. Cada varios meses aparecen nuevas imágenes del teléfono y nuevos rumores, pero todavía no sabemos nada sobre una fecha de comercialización oficial. Lo que sí hay son rumores sobre un posible lanzamiento para el mes de diciembre. Las últimas capturas de pantalla muestran una interfaz realmente interesante, limpia, práctica y estéticamente bonita. Aquí tenéis las especificaciones que tendrá el dispositivo. Vía | Meizu Me (cc) Christian para Celularis, 2008. | Permalink | deja tu opinión! | Envialo a Tags: M8, Meizu Via: Celularis Articulos relacionados: Reproductor multimedia Meizu Music CardMeizu M8, real y en agosto en JaponAlternativas al iPod: Creative Zen X-Fi Wireless LANMeizu MiniOne M8 en vídeoRealiza capturas de pantalla con tu iPhone o iPod touch 2.0 (Source: tecnicalia.com)

Mla 2008 cit sig programs

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100

In preparation for the Conference Debriefing meeting on November 7, I compiled a list of all 16 programs that the Computer and Information Technology SIG sponsored or co-sponsored at the 2008 Missouri Library Association Conference. The times are as they appeared in the Conference Program (I know at least one was changed to a different timeslot during the conference). I thought this list might be useful to more people than just me, so on the blog it goes.I put in the attendance numbers that I know of (if anyone attended the sessions without attendance numbers and has a rough estimate, let me know). I'm not sure how much weight to give attendance. I was at the session with the smallest attendance. It probably captured everyone at the conference who deals with the nuts and bolts and keys of computers and was likely very valuable to those 10 people. If nothing else, they had the opportunity to meet the other 9 people at the conference who work with the guts of computers. We were in a small room and didn't take up much space, so I think it was probably an important service of the CIT SIG to offer that program.Wednesday, October 18:15 – 11:45 Get Your Game On! (preconference) -- Beth Gallaway (cosponsored by YASIG and YSD). Attendance = 142:45 – 3:30 Collaborating in the Cloud -- Robin Hastings. Attendance = 603:45 – 4:30 Beyond Library Learning 2.0 – Library Learning 2.1 – Bobbi Newman. Attendance = 203:45 – 4:30 Securing Public Access Computers – Sheila Dennehy. Attendance = 10 Thursday, October 27:30 – 8:15 Home is Where One Starts: Designing a New Web Home for Saint Louis University Libraries – Mikael Kriz. Attendance = 13.8:15 – 9:00 Three Low-Cost Usability Evaluation Methods for Library Website Redesign – Kim M. Thompson, Hsin-Liang Chen, and Sanda Erdelez. Attendance=20. ...

Viral ssids in libraries?

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Are any of you aware of libraries who have had problems with sudden and dramatic growth of wireless traffic on "viral" ad-hoc wireless SSIDs, as described in the following article? http://www.wlanbook.com/free-public-wifi-ssid/ For several days now, the signal for our campus infrastructure wireless network inside our library and lecture halls has been very unstable. After analysis, campus networking is telling us that there are nodes sending out bursts of heavy traffic on ad-hoc networks with SSIDs like "hpsetup" (even though we have no wireless HP printers anywhere near here). These bursts of traffic are creating so much "noise" that they are intermittently knocking users off of the real infrastructure network. Tracking down the "source" of this traffic has been elusive -- which makes sense if we are experiencing the phenomenon described in the article, because if that's true there probably are multiple, constantly shifting sources of this traffic. Both library and campus IT are puzzling over how to add (Source: gmane.education.web4lib)

Ontario bill 118 now online

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:42:11 +0100

The text of Ontario’s Bill 118, Countering Distracted Driving and Promoting Green Transportation Act, 2008 is now available online. There’s also a PDF version. Display screens visible to the driver are prohibited, except for dedicated GPS devices and a few others. The “money” provision reads as follows: No person shall drive a motor vehicle on a highway while holding or using a hand-held wireless communication device or other prescribed device that is capable of receiving or transmitting telephone communications, electronic data, mail or text messages. With the proviso: a person may drive a motor vehicle on a highway while using a device described [above] if the person is not holding the device… [or] if all of the following conditions are met: 1. The motor vehicle is off the roadway or is lawfully parked on the roadway. 2. The motor vehicle is not in motion. 3. The motor vehicle is not impeding traffic. Gives new meaning to the old and worried question: “You holding?” (Source: Slaw)

Web 2.0 expo in berlin - day 1 highlights

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 00:17:56 +0100

Like I have mentioned yesterday, this is the next blog post of the series of my highlights from the Web 2.0 Expo in Berlin that I attended last week, where I will try to share some additional insights from the ones I have already shared over at my live twittering account on @elsuacon and the pictures I will be uploading into my Flickr account, as time goes by. This series of entries may well be on the longer side, so you may want to get a cup of coffee / tea, sit back, and read on. I am also going to point out to you something incredibly helpful that the Slideshare folks have done, which is basically put together all of the slide decks under a same single frame and which I will keep referring you folks back to it every now and then, as I will not be embedding or link to the direct decks (To keep things easier for everyone). Just that single, master one. This one: | Get your Presentation Pack Thus with all of that said, here we go now with the highlights from Day 1 (Tuesday 21st of October). As you would be able to see from the Agenda itself, this was the first day, where, for a good chunk of the day, there were a number of workshops on various different topics, including the ever interesting Leisa Reichelt (@leisa) as well as the always insightful Dion Hinchcliffe (@dhinchcliffe) who both were covering a number of interesting topics related to Web 2.0 and the state of things. You would be able to see as well how there were a number of other different workshops and you may be wondering whether I attended any of them or not. The quick and short answer would be No!, I didn’t. My day was already packed with one of my favourite activities of every single conference I get to attend: networking. ...

More from the survey

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100

A few more of your comments from Service Survey 2008 (which runs through Sunday):Home access to ProQuest:ProQuest is available from the remote databases page. Under Magazines, log in with your town name and first five digits of your library card number.How about some vending machines?There are two in the Snack Spot, where you can also brown bag your lunch or supper and use the wireless for your laptop.Would like downloadable audiobooks?We have them! The libary has an OverDrive subscription, download from home or from our station in Music and Media. (Source: @MCL)

Asist2008: digital rights management or digital restrictions management?

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Digital Rights Management or Digital Restrictions Management? (Panel)Tuesday, October 28, 2008Kristin Eschenfelder (U Wisconsin-Madison)Kevin L. Smith (Duke, http://library.duke.edu/blogs/scholcomm/)Bill Burger (VP Marketing, Copyright Clearance Center)Johns Sullivan (Free Software Foundation)Rafal Kasprowski (moderator)KE: Can I e-mail this? The use restrictions found in licensed digital resourcesSetting the context in library landassumption: libraries always opposed to DRMlibraries:concerned due to compatibility and interoperability – example proprietary readers that are downloadedsecond major concern, digital preservationthird, patron dissatisfactionfourth, ideological barrier – in opposition to idea of libraries to promote maximal access and usebut: in archives and special collections – lots of interest in using DRMexpand access, but control who sees – if culturally sensitive, or nesting locations of spotted owls, or copyright issueswhat counts as DRM, anyway?hard technology – strictly control or disallow direct or subsequent use actions (saving, printing)soft technology – interface or server side configurations to discourage but there are browser or other workarounds (see her articles in College & Research Libraries)policy – license terms internal policies, terms of use, lawcultural law – cultural views about who can access and use informationSoft TPM typesTPM – technological protection measuresTPM by extent of use – maybe server fraud something systems? batch downloading alerts and blockingTPM by frustration – chunking – like NetLibrary where you can only see a page at a time and it is really inconvenient to print or downloadTPM by obfuscation – interface does not advertise use functionalityTPM by omission – vendor or software interface doesn’t have the option, but you can do it through the browser or OS (like right click, or control p)TPM by decomposition – like in health and medical resources, materials only ...

Bsj: true reading hotspot

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 17:35:37 +0100

For the past four years, Read In Week / Semaine de lecture has been transforming Bibliothèque Saint Jean ( BSJ) into a true reading hotspot. Odette Dionne, program coordinator since its inception in 2005, says: “Reading week is a very special event. It allows readers and pupils to get together and experience moments in a French setting. It’s an unforgettable experience!” Activity #1 : Tuesday October 7th - 19 students enrolled in EDU M 318 Apprendre à lire / Lire pour apprendre animated eight reading workshops for 49 Grade 4-6 pupils from McKernan School. The workshops make up part of the coursework and are evaluated by proffessor Cynthia Pharis. Activity #2 : Thursday October 9th – The library was invaded by 53 pupils from Avalon Junior High French Immersion School. The pupils, divided into 8 groups, were able to listen or experience two or three texts presented by 17 readers occupying 8 reading areas scattered throughout BSJ. Readers included Campus Saint-Jean students, employees and professors as well as announcers of the French CBC, L’UniThéâtre and a retired school teacher. (Source: Library News)

Method uses ’bluetooth’ to track travel time for vehicles, pedestrians, may 2008

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 12:00:00 +0100

"Engineers have created a method that uses pervasive Bluetooth signals from cell phones and other wireless devices to constantly update how long it takes vehicles and pedestrians to travel from o... (Source: Info To Go: Navigating the Internet)

A university library laptop lending service: an analysis using two ...

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 07:00:19 +0100

Purpose - This paper aims to report on a study of an academic library's wireless laptop lending service. The authors believed that the unexpectedly l (Source: pligg - all)

Search engine wrap-up oct 26

Sun, 26 Oct 2008 14:06:03 +0100

We follow the search engine web for you. Here are the latest headlines from the worlds of online research and search engine marketing. Third Google Webmaster Chat Questions and Answers! A lot of useful webmaster info from Google staff (Page Traffic Oct 23 2008) Blog Search Engines : The Complete Overview The most helpful and unique blog search engines (SE Journal Oct 24 2008) Google Analytics Add 6 Enterprise-Friendly Features! Advanced Segmentation, Custom Reports, a data export API, reporting for AdSense publishers, multi-dimensional data visualizations, and an updated interface. (PageTraffic Oct 23 2008) Google’s Geolocation API Comes to the Browser If the browser can detect wifi locations and/or cell towers, Google will know where you are (SE Roundtable Oct 24 2008) How to Link to a YouTube Video So It Starts at a Specific Time Google Blogoscoped Oct 26 2008. The Future of Web 3.0 According to Yahoo! On the consumer release of Yahoo! Open Strategy (Y!OS) (ReadWriteWeb Oct 18 2008) Google CEO Eric Schmidt to stump for Obama Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt, an informal adviser to Barack Obama for several months, is joining the Democratic nominee on the campaign trail. (Mercury News Oct 20 2008) The Great Google Rebellion Users protest against the new sidebar in iGoogle (10 Zen Monkeys Oct 19 2008) Listen to Music Online with Last.fm Last.fm taps the wisdom of the crowds, leveraging each user’s musical profile to make personalised recommendations (About.com Oct 20 2008) U Rank: Another Microsoft Search Innovation Microsoft studies how people edit and share searches (Beyond Search Oct 24 2008) Industry Experts Contribute to Network’s Blog Looksmart’s Thought Leadership Series, a blog featuring industry visionaries such as John Battelle, Danny Sullivan, Charles Knight and Anita Campbell. (AltSearchEngines Oct 24 2008) Soovle - Let the web help. ...

Multitouch on the eeepc 1000h

Sun, 26 Oct 2008 12:50:10 +0100

I loved my eeePC 700 with Xandros Linux- so portable, so easy, so cute - but I had problems with re-installing the VPN client I need to access the work wireless. I loved my husband’s eeePC 701 with Windows XP - no probs with VPN or viewing my work email via webmail (that only really works on Internet Explorer)….so I stole it for a few months…. but every time XP had an update I’d lose all available memory as it just bloated…and some applications demanded that I manually re-size the screen …driving me ‘nanas. Two weeks ago I bought an eeePC 1000H. I really love it so far. It is a bit bigger physically than the eeePC 701, but with 80G of storage I can store my photos on it and make backups of presentations when I travel, and it works just fine with the cult of Microsoft that is my workplace. Apparently it runs Vista just fine. I can even run Second Life on it - slow but enough to do an emergency repair or talk to a friend. It is actually faster to do most things than the eeePC 1000 which has a 16G SSD drive - contrary to what one would think. It is a *totally* different beastie to the eeePC 1000HD - which has a slower processor. Check out the eeePC specification comparison table in Wikipedia if you want to know more. Image below :Eee PC 1000H and Eee PC 901 20G Uploaded to Flickr on October 17, 2008 by Josh Bancroft The deal clincher for me was the battery life - a claimed 6-7hrs when not using wireless. I do not get quite as good times as I paid $50 to a man in a small booth in Sim Lim square in Singapore to upgrade the RAM from 1G to 2G while I waited. I have also enjoyed using bluetooth for the first time. I can download photos from my phone and save backup files from my work laptop with absoluter ease. The only problem I had with it was that it seemed like the internal microphone was not working. The mike would not pick up my voice when I was recording a movie with the webcam. ...

Printing out online course materials with embedded movie links

Sat, 25 Oct 2008 16:43:55 +0100

Although an increasing number of OU courses include the delivery of online course materials, written for online delivery as linked HTML pages, rather than just as print documents viewable online, we know (anecdotally at least, from requests that printing options be made available to print off whole sections of a course with a single click) that many students want to be able to print off the materials… (I’m not sure we know why they want to print off the materials, though?) Reading through a couple of posts that linked to my post on Video Print (Finding problems for QR tags to solve and Quite Resourceful?) I started to ponder a little bit more about a demonstrable use case that we could try out in a real OU course context over a short period of time, prompted by the following couple of comments. Firstly: So, QR codes - what are they good for? There’s clearly some interest - I mentioned what I was doing on Twitter and got quite a bit of interest. But it’s still rare to come across QR codes in the wild. I see them occasionally on blogs/web-pages but I just don’t much see the point of that (except to allow people like me to experiment). I see QR codes as an interim technology, but a potentially useful one, which bridges the gap between paper-based and digital information. So long as paper documents are an important aspect of our lives (no sign of that paper-less office yet) then this would seem to be potentially useful. ...

Random 2008 lita national forum thoughts

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 13:52:00 +0100

I attended the 2008 LITA National Forum in Cincinnati the other weekend. This was my first time attending the forum. It was nice to have a conference nearby given the recent cuts in travel allocations.I participated in my first Forum by writing a series of posts for the LITA blog including Tim Spalding's keynote, a discussion about IT Management, the implementation of Library Labs, and the development of a Homegrown CMS. I was a bit frustrated by the number of typos that got through. The spellchecker on WordPress wasn't working on my Mac (kept getting javascript error) and I am used to going back into my published posts to make minor edits. (Which I have already done three times to this post)The conference was well run and the communications from the organizers were great. The facilities were very nice, although open wireless access was non-existent in many of the breakout rooms. The hotel also seemed to turn off the 'default' service at the end of the sessions. At least the hotel provided 'free' wired Internet to attendees.One thing I really liked about the Forum was that the conference planners put on a fairly green event. Participants only received two handouts: a USB key containing all he conference materials (thanks to Serials Solutions) and a badge. No packets of vendor materials. No printed conference program. No bag! Almost all conference materials including schedules, handouts, and PowerPoint's were made available prior to the conference. Participants were encouraged to print off what they needed. I just downloaded the materials to my laptop or just popped in the USB key. The wiki was also very helpful! This is in stark contrast to most conferences in which one receives literally pounds of paper, much of which goes into the garbage (hoping the hotel recycles!).The Forum is described as a "highly regarded annual event for those involved in new and leading edge technologies in the library and information technology field. ...

Back from monterey

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 19:55:19 +0100

I got back yesterday afternoon, caught up on some work, and slept a lot, honestly. In general, I’d say Internet Librarian is good for hands-on techie librarians, though there’s always room for more enterprise sessions. It’s slanted towards public and academic librarians primarily, but there are plenty of sessions which are broadly applicable. Yes, there’s a bit of “the same crew doing presentations,” but there were a lot of new presenters this time around. One thing Jason Clark brought up which I brood about more and more is the notion of hands-on lab type work. There’s discussion of things programmers can do, and discussion of baby steps non-programmers can take, but I really miss the hands-on element. Maybe something to bring up with the local SLA chapter - would there be a company or special library willing to host a computer lab for a day? The pre-conferences are getting better and better, and I have to figure out if there’s anything a solo librarian with no physical library can offer in terms of presentations. WiFi continues to be a problem, but I expect Dick Kaser will have another editorial about how we all need to unplug from our gadgets or somesuch. OK, that was snarkier than I usually like to get, so props to ITI for getting more gear in once they noticed there were issues. I’m thinking next year I get a PCS card or a broadband modem. Also, I’ll bring an extra battery. With respect to the blog, I’ve renewed the domain. At the corporate/special librarians dinearound, the idea was brought up of a group blog. The idea has appeal, offering the perspectives of solo librarians, librarians at large companies, librarians from different industries, etc.. But judging from comment frequency, I’m frankly skeptical posting would be any more frequent. So I have to think about things. ...

Ipod touch tricks i learned at conference

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 15:25:38 +0100

I took one of the iPod Touch that the UH Libraries bought with me to Internet Librarian and over the course of the conference learned a bunch of neat tricks and installed some cool free Apps. This included: How to take a screen shot on your iPod Touch Stanza InstaPaper Wordpress blogging App Stanza Also for those of you reading my conference blog posts, nearly of these were done on the iPod Touch so there are some unique typos some of which I’ve caught some of which I have not. If you see an error, comment (like Jon Gorman did) and I’ll fix it. It pretty hard to proof on the iPod Touch and I just did a quick proofing on the laptop in my room at night, so mistakes happen. I felt like it was more important to get the content up speedily. Some not free Apps I’m lusting after Air Touch which turns your iPod Touch into a remote mouse for a computer, and iBeam which allows you to send your contact information to another person (I’m always forgetting business cards so I like the idea of this App). I’m in the process of making a demo video of what I learned for the staff at the UH Libraries. Cause a picture/demo is worth much more than me writing about it to them. Once I’ve got it done I’ll link to it from here. All and all, I’m pretty please with using an iPod Touch at conference. Biggest issue, bad wireless, but this has me recontemplating the iPhone for myself. My cell contract expires in 2009 so I need to do some further research, especially since the Android phones should be coming out soon. No tag for this post. (Source: Library Web Chic)

Conejos usb le hacen “cariño” a tu computador

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 11:02:00 +0100

Los animalitos rijosos vuelven al ataque, pero esta vez no se trata de un perro lujurioso sino que de un conejo, el cual si bien tiene una tierna apariencia también se mueve con frenesí cuando lo conectas a un puerto USB. A diferencia de la versión perruna, este animalejo puede almacenar archivos y cuenta con 1GB de espacio para ello. Tuyo por USD$15. Link: USB Humping Bunnies (Vía Gizmodo) Via: FayerWayer Articulos relacionados: IOGEAR permite que utilices tu LCD en forma inalámbrica (o casi)Controla tu computador desde el iPhoneImation prepara discos externos con Wireless USBMouse pad para manos congeladasUSB Mouse Wheel: Un ratón que corre cuando tecleas (Source: tecnicalia.com)

Down to the wire on white spaces

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100

There's more than one important vote going on this Election Day. On November 4, as Americans cast their ballots for President of the United States, the Federal Communications Commission is scheduled to be voting on rules governing "white spaces" -- the unused airwaves between broadcast TV channels.Just as Wi-Fi sparked a revolution in the way we connect to the web, freeing the "white space" airwaves could help unleash a new wave of technological innovation, create jobs, and boost our economy. But it can happen only if the FCC moves forward with rules that make the best possible use of this spectrum.Last week, after many months of thorough testing, the Commission's engineers announced their conclusion that white spaces devices could operate without interfering with TV broadcasts or wireless microphone signals. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin pledged his support for opening "white space" spectrum, and announced that the Commission would vote on the issue on November 4.Unfortunately, last Friday the broadcasting lobby filed an emergency request to stop the vote from happening. This comes despite more than four years of study, months of extensive lab and field testing by the FCC, and tens of thousands of pages of formal record material -- during which the broadcasters' concerns were fully considered. As we understand it, the draft order carefully and appropriately addresses all legitimate concerns about interference, and the resulting draft rules are, if anything, overly conservative. Nonetheless, the proposed framework overall appears to be sound, and we strongly support it.While the science should speak for itself, that won't stop the broadcasting lobby from trying to use stalling tactics to derail the technology before the rules of the road are even written. ...

Introducing gmail for mobile 2.0

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Whether you've lost signal on the subway or turned your phone's wireless connection off on an airplane, you no longer have to wait to read and compose your Gmail or Google Apps email on your phone. Today, we're happy to introduce Gmail for mobile 2.0, designed to be faster and more reliable in low signal areas and to even support basic offline access on phones like the Nokia N95, Sony Ericsson W910i, and BlackBerry Curve. Our latest version of Gmail for mobile also allows you to access multiple Gmail or Google Apps email accounts from the same application.To find out more about Gmail for mobile 2.0, check out this post on the Google Mobile blog and watch this demo video:Posted by Lawrence Chang, Product Marketing Manager, Google Mobile Team (Source: Official Google Blog)

Il08: closing keynote

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 23:35:11 +0100

Closing Keynote Wednesday Technical/Tangible/Social Liz Lawley http://delicious.com/mamamusings/il08 New arcs Shes going to show us a lot of stuff none of it is cheap, and all of it youll want Today is her bloggoversary 6yrs New game experiencehow think about new library experience. Dont want to move behind the screen as games begin to move out from behind them. How can we embrace the tangible again. iPHones popular because the feel good. Tangible, touchable. They understand importance of this tangible object. Weve been thinking of these objects as way to deliver content. This is not where these object shine instead about social proprioception sense of what they sound like, how to move around in a space, or a social space. Twitter gives us this social proprioception, so do FB updates. Twinkle twitter client that runs on the iPhone uses GPS info on iPhone to show who is nearby. But virtual isnt enough. People want to be physically present. Ambient Devices co. makes cube or sphere that changes color that follows something like stock market. Also make an energy usage readout Home Joule what are you paying right now, what is current energy usage biofeedback loop for house energy consumption. Can get points toward bill for using less! Game mechanics for power consumption! Availabot not commercially available yet from Schulze and Webb. YouTube Availabot. Chumby interactive media player that streams fav parts of Internet. Can push to device could give to grandparents to push photos, etc. Its cute. Baztag little rabbit talks, monitors online environments, send kisses from friends. Both baztag and chumby dont require being at computer. Inherently social, visual, kinetic. Mir*ror give powers to your objects RFID tag reader with USB interface lets you define what to do when you scan a tag. ...

En directo desde el iv coloquio internacional de ciencias de la documentación

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 14:58:32 +0100

Empieza el Coloquio y disfrutamos de Wifi para todos los congresistas. La ponencia inaugural corre a cargo de Jesus Lau, director de Servicios bibliotecarios de la Universidad Veracruzana de México: Acceso y Gestión del Conocimiento, papel catalizador de las Habilidades DHI. Jesus comienza con un ejemplo real de como se gestiona el conocimiento en el hotel en el que estamos alojados, para definir la complejidad de la gestión del conocimiento cuyo origen está en el mundo empresarial. La razón por la que nos preocupamos de gestión del conocimiento la encontramos en la demanda de la socidad de información de dar con sistemas de administración enfocados a gestionar el conocimiento. La relación entre las bibliotecas y la GC se situa en la posición central de las bibliotecas, como entidades que trabajan en la búsqueda, localización y adquisición de información, para organizarla y difundir su uso y acceso en sus comunidades de usuario; Jesus demuestra la importancia de contar con una buena biblioteca en cada universidad con un metáfora: Si la universidad es una panaderia, la biblioteca es la que tiene la harina Recomendaciones que podemos hacer las bibliotecas en materia de desarrollo de competencias y habilidades informacionales: Adopción de una filosofía educativa Pedagogía basada en el uso de recursos informativos Curso curricular con créditos Cursos optativos Talleres Tutoriales Otras acciones, visitas, demostraciones Lau recomienda el uso del logo ganador del concurso de la IFLA para promover las campañas de competencias informacionales Finaliza su intervención recomendandonos una serie de fuentes bibliográficas para conocer más sobre el desarrollo de las habilidad informativas. ...

What’s great about the kindle

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 14:36:50 +0100

I tell you, the Kindle is really addictive in a way that the current Sony Reader, or the new one about to be released, can’t match. So I’m sitting in the living room and have to be in New York for a few hours tomorrow. I’d like to spend the rest of the day there, perhaps take in a museum and have lunch. My Kindle is by my side and I remember that I saw an ad on Amazon saying that the Frommer’s city guides now have Kindle editions. I fire up the machine, connect to Amazon, buy the guide for $9.99 and I plan my day. There is absolutely no question in my mind that connectivity is the thing that will sell ebooks in the future. The same thing can be said for the iPhone and eReader or Stanza. However, the iPhone platform is not well suited to something like Frommer’s. Nevertheless, I use my iPhone to download, over the air, my monthly subscription to The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and Interzone. Now that I have wireless connectivity, I will never connect an ebook reader to my computer again. No point to it and I no longer have to fight the hassles of trying to use the Sony Reader with a Mac. There are solutions out there, but I no longer have to fool with them. To be free of a tether to a computer is worth whatever compromises in ergonomics the Kindle has made me make. I can even download books, easily, from Manybooks and Feedbooks onto the Kindle directly over the air. By the way, a bit of heresy. I don’t mind DRM for something like Frommer’s. The content changes every year anyway, so who cares about DRM - I’ll want to buy another edition next year no matter what. Boy, that statement will get David’s blood pressure up! (Source: TeleRead: Bring the E-Books Home)

Internet librarian 2008: library floorplans 2.0

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 10:16:14 +0100

Internet Librarian 2008: Library Floorplans 2.0 Thom Cox Thom Cox works for Tufts University as the Technical Project Manager for the Tisch Library. Space, and the management of it, is a challenge that every library faces. How do you avoid the unintentional transfer from library to labyrinth? They have an Access 2003 Database at their library that manages the stacks (where they are, whatâs on them) and that helps managing shifting. They also have a facilities room database showing the square footage of each room, its use, and occupant. They also have a hardware and software database that the IT department uses to keep track of all of the equipment and software, versions, etc. How could they connect all of these databases, enhance it with GIS coding, and use it to make spatial decisions? L-SIMS is their new database of geo-encoded uniquely identified objects like floors, rooms, stacks, computers, wireless access points, and more. What purposes does this database serve? It helps to facilitate analysis and optimization of existing space within the library. It serves as a real-time high quality map generator. It provides access to the square footage of any room in the library and helps assist librarians direct students to library resources. It is a completely searchable query engine that shows what software is on any individual computer in the library. They have also found it to be a critical component of disaster planning. GIS, if youâre unfamiliar with it, is a system of computer software, hardware, data, and personnel intended to help store, manipulate, analyze, and present information that is tied to a spatial location. Much like multi-layered maps in Google, they have multi-layered maps too (floor layer, room layer, computer layer, etc.). They imported CAD drawings of floor maps into ArcGIS. ...

In the slow zone

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Jason from 37 Signals has a post about the problems getting rural Internet connections in southwestern Wisconsin. He can't connect via DSL, cable, wireless ISP, or 3G. As someone who lived in rural central Wisconsin for some time, I completely feel his pain. In fact, though I live in a less-rural area now, we don't have 3G at all. It's very spotty except in Madison and Milwaukee. I remember how thrilled we were when cable Internet arrived in our small town. It was gloriously fast and very stable. But cable runs end quickly when they enter townships, trickling out for almost everyone. Depending on how far out in the boonies you live, it can be impossible to get anything but dial-up. Check out the comments to see what solutions people are suggesting. None are for the non-geek or faint of heart. (Source: Sites and Soundbytes)

Wireless internet access

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100

The Jamestown LRC/Library now has wireless internet access on all three floors of the building. To access, pick the TitanNet network. No special usernames or passwords are required. For more information visit the directions posted by the GTCC MIS Department at http://www.gtcc.edu/services/titannet/. (Source: See What We Can Do For You - GTCC Library)

Finding corporate knowledge: three case studies

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 19:17:15 +0100

Deb Hunt presented this session. The first two case studies were for corporate environments (an environmental engineering firm and an architectural/design firm) , the third for a non-profit (The Exploratorium). WiFi went up and down throughout the session. Universal challenges: Too many information silos Dirty data No metadata/classification nor taxonomy in place Differing needs of different groups Multiple physical locations with differing protocols for storing information Loss of intellectual capital when people leave [One other thing I didn't capture in time, but the presentation is available online at ] Environmental firm had a traditional library of externally-published documents (both print and digital), five offices in California with plans to expand to Nevada and Oregon. Security of proprietary information was key. Deb interviewed the staff to understand the information-seeking behaviors of different groups and levels and what issues those groups and levels had, then presented at the annual all-staff meeting. She only spoke for a few minutes, the majority of the presentation was staff people talking. Two people had created their own databases, yet nobody else knew about them. One person had a LexisNexis subscription which nobody else knew about. She used a number of sources to research appropriate systems (Capterra’s Library Automation Software Finder, Marshall Breeding’s Library Technology Guides, article in October issue of Computers in Libraries) and created an RFI and spreadsheet for vendors to fill out. Narrowed candidates down from 12 to 3, only one candidate allowed the company to retain proprietary documents in its system. The firm is using a cataloger to catalog print and digital items (with items prioritized), instituted a Dumpster Day, the intranet is being redesigned and marketed to staff. The firm will continue to train staff, market the portal and get buy-in for contributing documents to be catalogued. ...

Internet librarian 2008: solving the money problem

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 08:49:52 +0100

Laura Crossett and I co-presented on solving the money problem in libraries. Below is a link to my presentation: The Broke Library's Guide to a Better Web Presence (PDF). Enjoy! Note: I had blogged Laura's presentation too, but the post was lost due to flaky wireless. Serves me right for not writing in NotePad. Sorry Laura! IL2008 (Source: LibrarianInBlack)

Dispatches from internet librarian

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100

I now understand the cult of Internet Librarian. People have been telling me for years that I needed to come, and for years I've very prudently stayed away to tend my collection of panicky Fall Term students. But this year I was asked if I wanted to help lead a pre-conference workshop here with pretty much the best group of people ever, and so here I am, and it is wonderful.I wake up every morning (far too early, I might add, due to the craziness that is the Pacific Time Zone) to the sound of the sea lions singing to each other. There's good sea food. There's good company. And there have been several really interesting sessions so far. I might even get around to blogging about a couple of them soon. For example, there was a great session on an ethnographic study that a team at George Washington University did to see how students used Facebook and how librarians might appropriately fit into that world. It's always great when somebody backs up hunches about the way things work with actual research.But more on that next time I have a good wireless signal. (Source: Pegasus Librarian)

Practical guide to a user-focused digital library

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 22:28:43 +0100

Sophia Guevara and Qin Zhu presented this session. As Jane Dysart had announced before the keynote, WiFi was available in every room except the San Carlos Ballroom (where the keynote was). So back to liveblogging. There are many definitions of digital libraries, so they suggested starting with an understanding of a given library’s users, an understanding of what the goals are of the organization and of the users and how the library could align its services with those goals, and an understanding of digital content and the digital collection. Physical and space constraints, changing user information needs and changing information behavior may all drive digital libraries. Digital content may include e-journals, e-books, e-reference, image collections, digital audio and video and electronic databases. The lifecycle of digital content, as expressed in a 2005 article written by Tamar Sadeh and Mark Ellingsen (available as a PDF): Discovery Trial Selection Acquisition Access Renewal or cancellation Questions to ask include bibliographic details, terms of access and pricing. Analysis of content - granularity, dates of coverage, subject focus and overlap with existing sources. Content analysis resources: Content provider sites Electronic Resource Management systems ILS Comparison tools, either existing (CUFTS, databases, Excel) or home-built Assuming everything checks out, user feedback is positive and a vendor is found that can provide an option for filling a given information need, some questions to consider: Can content be purchased a la carte or only as part of a package? Can a better deal be negotiated by agreeing to a multi-year purchase? What kind of access is available (per-seat, per-site, etc. ...

Il2008: digital marketing - successful plans and organizations

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 21:01:22 +0100

Sarah Houghton-Jan and Aaron Schmidt presented Outreach - connecting users with librarians - important to highlight the librarians! Make your library website two-way.- can people register for library cards?- can they share their opinion?- can they have an identity? Make sure you rlibrary is listed correctly in all the library directories (like LibDex, publiclibraries.com, etc) submit your RSS feeds to blog search engines (Feed Submitter is great)- look at Robin Good’s list of where to submit your blog/feed- RSS Specifications list of where to submit, too… make sure you’re listed on maps (wikimapia, etc) search engine findability: search for different variations of your library’s name, make sure you’re there.- also buy adwords from google, hire an SEO to help wifi:- list yourself in wifi directories (check the presentation for a list later on) Community website presence- list in places like upcoming.org, eventful, etc. ...

Living in the conversation

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:03:13 +0100

Jetlagged here but back from an incredible time in London for Internet Librarian International. While the fun in Monterey continues, I’m in Illinois prepping for the next few things and excited about this post from Hey Jude: http://heyjude.wordpress.com/2008/10/18/were-living-in-a-conversation/ After using Twitter for IDEA2008 and ILI2008, these thoughts for conference microblogging, etc are spot on: How do you feel about the undirected use of laptops during conference presentations? It is essential to have the freedom to search links, explore ideas and interact with concepts being presented at a conference. I choose my options as to when to listen and stare at a conference presenter, or when to listen and connect with my laptop to check out idea, share ideas with others, or discuss issues being raise. If I am bored I certainly don’t want to be captured with no escape as well..I would rather check my email than waste the time sitting in a presentation that doesn’t demand my attention. How do you feel about the undirected use of mobile phones for texting/microblogging during conference presentations? When it comes to professional learning this is absolutely essential for being engaged with the content, expressing opinions and reflections about the presentations, and just plain having fun through interaction. Remove the ‘industrial model’ from conference presentations, and allow them to be interactive and collaborative. Use the tool, don’t abuse the tool. Oh, and this is GOLDEN: Wifi should be accessible and free. Collaboration and distribution of information and ideas should be considered the norm. (Source: Tame The Web: Libraries and Technology)