tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71627982012-02-12T23:59:09.526-05:00The future of librarianship, technology, philosophy, politics and a little of me thrown in for good measure.Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.comBlogger5811100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-14174479372591338692012-02-12T22:11:00.000-05:002012-02-12T22:29:33.253-05:00

From a Lifehacker "Ask the Readers" column entitled "When Is It Appropriate to Fake a Phone Call?": Sometimes we want to be ignored, and our phones do a great job at isolating us from the world. But is it appropriate to fake a phone call just to ignore someone, or should we approach that confrontation head on?  I was a little disappointed (yet not surprised) when I first read this.  My

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-36985928879125987342012-01-24T19:31:00.000-05:002012-02-12T22:29:33.271-05:00

From Slaw's "English Court Jails Juror Who Used Internet Search": "English news sources reported yesterday that a three-judge panel of the High Court found Theodora Dallas, until recently a university lecturer in psychology, guilty of contempt of court and sentenced her to six months imprisonment. ... Dallas was on a jury trying a case of grievous bodily harm. The trial judge had given jurors

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-45521415571020899852011-11-01T09:30:00.001-04:002012-02-12T22:29:33.279-05:00

When challenged to move their institutions forward in this information-intensive age, administrators are generally quick to employ new technologies in pursuit of enhanced service offerings. The troubling reality though is that the implementation of such technologies is almost always seen as providing desirable opportu­ni­ties to reduce budgets. True. We seem to be in a fight with technology in

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-30334668697888120452011-10-11T21:49:00.000-04:002012-02-12T22:29:33.262-05:00

Interesting Spark interview from Ted Striphas, associate professor in the department of Communication & Culture at Indiana University. (It's only about 16 minutes so go ahead and listen to it.) He's talking about our algorithmic culture and the danger and issues surrounding the use of our technologies that are so often at the foundation of our current cultural activities: recommendation

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-5595220722651720172011-10-11T21:12:00.001-04:002012-02-12T22:29:33.296-05:00

I heard about "Day Zero" through Lifehacker. It says that "If you've got a list of a few things in your head that you really want to get done 'someday', consider actually writing them down at Day Zero." It claims that this will somehow motivate you. Now, I'm all for productivity tools, tools to record my goals and my efforts, tools that will help me get done what I want and need to get done.

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-60822123671338437772011-10-06T21:25:00.000-04:002012-02-12T22:29:33.331-05:00

Just like all librarians, I'm on the fence about Google and other search engines. Very useful - irreplaceable in some situations - but not always used appropriately and certainly not understood well enough to properly judge appropriate use. I just came across another specific disadvantage of the "just google it" phenomenon. People in institutions with large websites seems to think that it's ok

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-57397523172139338402011-09-06T22:08:00.000-04:002012-02-12T22:29:33.305-05:00

We like violence. We like stories that shock and scare us. It is interesting to us. And unfortunately, this is what drives the "news" industry. It's not the fault of CEOs. It's OUR fault. We tell them that this is what we want and they deliver. Do we really want this? We certainly act as though we do. It is what we talk about with our friends, our coworkers around the water cooler.

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-87319434453180293192011-08-29T22:29:00.002-04:002012-02-12T22:29:33.339-05:00

Created 14 August 2011. Digitally altered and combined photographs.

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-57441414633220106632011-08-28T22:31:00.003-04:002012-02-12T22:29:33.314-05:00

Damn. And that's just part of this infographic. (Click here to go to the original post with the full mile-high image.) I am one of the workers that don't NEED to be in the office to be productive, but I still prefer it. My office is nice. I have two monitors, a second computer (so really three monitors, I guess) and a printer. Ok, so I have all those things at home (although I could use

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-46107180192231746912011-08-28T21:24:00.002-04:002012-02-12T22:29:33.288-05:00

Foolish little thoughts, Rolling in my head. Thoughts of you and I, Despite what we have said. Foolish little feelings, Burning through my heart. Feelings I have for you Every moment we're apart. Foolish little plans, For things that we could do. Like taking in a movie, Or walks around the zoo. Foolish little daydreams, Plays plucked out of time. Our future lives look bright to me, Together,

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-58954768014194906302011-08-28T11:54:00.000-04:002012-02-12T22:29:33.323-05:00

It's been bothering my for a while now. I use Google's Blogger for this blog and it has a handy "labeling" tool for entries which are then linked and displayed for easy access to various similarly labeled entries.  It's a good function for the tagging practice that most people engage in. But I'm different.  I can't remember whether I started tagging when I first created the blog but eventually,

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-18007597805400681442011-08-23T22:27:00.004-04:002012-02-12T23:37:58.158-05:00

Created 14 August 2011.  Digitally altered photograph.

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-18993742218308533342011-08-23T08:22:00.002-04:002012-02-12T23:52:44.620-05:00

In my usual search for all things 2.0, I came across the article "Magic Goggles And Enchanted Maps - Kind Of A Science 2.0 For Museums".  I'm usually looking for interesting uses of "2.0" in writing but this hit was from (and referring to) a site called Science 2.0. From the About Science 2.0® And Scientific Blogging® page, I learned that it's "a place where researchers could dive into direct

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-52510294276442630872011-08-22T22:11:00.001-04:002012-02-12T23:54:05.060-05:00

Cane 2.0 refers to a new technology to assist the visually impaired: "The Tacit, a hand-mounted system that pings surroundings and transmits distance information to the user..." So, 2.0 in this context refers to a technological advancement beyond something very physical and traditional. [ Cane 2.0: The Tacit Is Hand-Mounted Sonar For The Vision Impaired from TechCrunch ]

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-75255038984264210002011-08-21T21:37:00.001-04:002012-02-12T23:55:40.328-05:00

The Audacity of Hope 2.0. This is an article about how a young gay high school student has been standing up against Republicans against homosexuality, or at least same sex marriage, in Minnesota, and Michelle Bachmann in particular. It's not clear what the 2.0 refers to in this article immediately. Is it youth? Is in the boy's desire to become involved in the political process and have some

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-65620712830239623412011-08-21T15:37:00.002-04:002012-02-12T23:57:32.807-05:00

Good, brief article about how the hesitation seen surrounding Web 2.0 movements mirrors that of the hesitation presented at Web 1.0 stuff. I have to admit, although I am not the most regular blogger, Tweeter, or user of facebook, I find myself having to defend of them on a regular basis. "I don't need to know what people are having for lunch or when they go to the bathroom." Really? That's

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-66991067570147367862011-08-18T18:16:00.000-04:002012-02-12T23:59:09.545-05:00

"Soaps 2.0"? It caused me psychological pain to read through the entire article "Soaps 2.0: MTV's New WatchWith App Enables Your "Jersey Shore" Addiction On A Second Screen". It was mostly industry talk so it wasn't as bad as the title suggests. In fact, there was an interesting "2.0" aspect to it. I'm not used to reading of Jersey Shore et al described as "soaps" but there were two things

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-83551954988240592052011-08-16T21:45:00.000-04:002012-02-12T22:21:24.558-05:00

Family Farm 2.0 (from Agriculture.com's "The family farm: Version 2.0") For generations, the organizational structure for family farms, or "Version 1.0," was simple: A patriarch or matriarch who ran the farm took on most of the management and authority and delegated to the younger generations. ... "What it requires to become Version 2.0 of the family farm is a commitment to develop career

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-84689038124529373832011-08-11T07:40:00.001-04:002012-02-12T22:21:24.628-05:00

There's a problem with classification systems (e.g. DDC, LCC, etc.). And it's not a secret. I certainly didn't discover this problem but it's not going away and classification will still be important enough in the near future that it would be nice if it were solved. The problem lies in the two pressures on the system: change and resistance to change. The resistance to change is obvious: in

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-16278213260023545972011-08-03T22:00:00.001-04:002012-02-12T22:21:22.438-05:00

The title "War 2.0: China Suspected in Massive Cyberattack on U.N., U.S. Gov't, and More" from DailyTech (http://www.dailytech.com/) is all that refers to this particular 2.0ed phrase. But it's obvious what the 2.0 is referring to without getting into the article at all: 2.0 = cyberstuffI guess this is a case of constant conjunction confusing meaning. Just like the word "alcoholic" leads to

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-3872326324020910832011-07-31T09:38:00.003-04:002012-02-12T22:21:23.218-05:00

As I watched this TED presentation, as usual, I thought about it's application to the library world. Many within and without feel that librarianship is in danger of losing ground, of becoming less relevant, of "collapsing" and "dying out". While I'm not sure whether this can or will happen, I certainly think that the potential is there despite the harm that might result if it does come to

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-81021944874965177322011-07-29T11:52:00.001-04:002012-02-12T22:21:24.489-05:00

Came across this gem: Planking 2.0: "Owling" is Now Trendy, and More Awkward [SLIDESHOW] ... As "Planking 2.0," owling is gaining its fans. On Facebook, dozens of "owling" communities were created, and thousands of photos were posted. Here is a slideshow of selected photos of people owling and planking, with the third trend hinted at the end. Will you join the flock? Ok.  So I've seen all

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-22594038638179609802011-07-11T22:04:00.000-04:002012-02-12T22:21:22.686-05:00

I came across a simple question in my reading just now:  What is my passion/purpose?  Hmmm...  Good question.  My undergrad degree was in philosophy so I've thought about the purpose of life or existence but I have to say, honestly, I have never thought about what my passion would be. So I started thinking.  The work I was reading suggested that I start writing down possibilities for what my

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-15979884104345547902011-07-07T21:49:00.000-04:002012-02-12T22:21:22.419-05:00

Defensive Dice by M Hillier Just read "What Do You Care What Other People Think?" from Get Rich Slowly. This is a personal finance blog that I follow mostly for the headlines since they are enormously long articles and have nicely descriptive titles. This entry was about how comments like how biking instead of driving can save money are met with complaints about being judged like the

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-37782544164274623152011-07-06T21:10:00.000-04:002012-02-12T22:21:23.210-05:00

From "Internet: How to make a small fortune in Web 2.0": The Wall Street Journal has reported that MySpace has been unloaded to an internet advertising company for a mindboggling USD35 million in cash plus some unspecified number of shares (WSJ speculates it's less than 5%)..As its social networking functions were taken over by Facebook, twitter and Linked-In, and dozens of clones of each variant

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-55084455723004995132011-07-04T21:28:00.002-04:002012-02-12T22:21:23.690-05:00

Just read Here Comes Bubble 2.0, Which Is Just What The Economy Needs, another article about the second bubble since the Dot com bubble. But unlike most that I've read, this is relatively positive about the affair. It will stimulate the economy, if only in the U.S. Silicon Valley at first, but that should spread. And it won't be a bad when it pops. Hopefully the value it brings will last.

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-46607091729168170122011-07-04T14:07:00.003-04:002012-02-12T22:21:23.475-05:00

Good dog. Stay. by Anna Quindlen [View on Amazon] My rating: 3 of 5 stars Not a bad little book. I was just looking for something short in non-fiction and came across this in my small local library branch. Maybe 40 pages in total (a lot of pictures of random dogs), this book is an extremely short read, and the message is quite simple. But it's a good "pick me up" for anyone who likes dogs to

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-634034262395134012011-06-30T08:47:00.002-04:002012-02-12T22:21:23.951-05:00

From "Not Looking for Sympathy", an interview With Derk Haank, CEO, Springer Science+Business Media, by Richard Poynder: "...the serials crisis, which [Derk Haank] says was resolved in the 1990s, after publishers introduced the Big Deal. Librarians will surely disagree. Haank responds by pointing out that the number of papers published each year continues to grow at 6% to 7%. Consequently, he

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-81022618459533512172011-06-28T11:55:00.004-04:002012-02-12T22:21:24.498-05:00

Watched "No Time to Think" and Dr. Levy, the presenter, describes a series of crises and resolutions in the recent past: The rise in business and size of organizations threatened with lack of management mechanisms, ergo the creation of the corporation and office management technologies. The increase in production with the declining demand for products threatened over-production, but then led to

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-44166056325403727392011-06-27T21:23:00.001-04:002012-02-12T22:21:23.417-05:00

Thanks, Library Journal...  Just read "Unlocking HathiTrust: Inside the Librarians' Digital Library" an interview with some of those knowledgeable about the HathiTrust which is something, as a Canadian electronic resources librarian, I've heard about many times but not had the chance to really learn much about directly. The HathiTrust is primarily about preserving the "cultural record" digitally

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-87568847557601172592011-05-27T13:27:00.001-04:002012-02-12T22:21:24.732-05:00

Playlist for this morning's walk: "Lovely Allen" by Holy Fuck "Bed of Nails" by Alice Cooper "How does the brain wave?" by Baby Elephant "Teldrassil" from the World of Warcraft soundtrack "I'm Eighteen" by Alice Cooper "Jóga" by Björk

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-43258684335797670332011-05-26T09:06:00.002-04:002012-02-12T22:21:23.367-05:00

Playlist for this morning's walk (it was an all-AIC walk): "Head Creeps" "Grind" "Heaven Beside You" "Brush Away" Just before I put my headphones on, a car pulled up on the side of the road and pointed up.  I thought he was asking for directions but he was actually pointing to a hawk sitting on a streetlamp.  Cool.

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-80143677497242527532011-05-25T09:00:00.003-04:002012-02-12T22:21:24.437-05:00

Playlist for this morning's walk: "Headlights on Dark Roads" by Snow Patrol "Sludge Factory" by Alice in Chains "Immature" by Bjork "Fare Thee Well My Old Lover" by Victims of Science

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-70808237456652987592011-05-24T19:41:00.001-04:002012-02-12T22:21:24.125-05:00

From OCUFA Report, May 24, 2011, Volume 5, Issue 17: A Laurentian University Faculty Association (LUFA) report warns that students are paying full-price for a second-class university education, thanks to an arrangement where about 1,200 Laurentian students are educated in Simcoe County at Georgian College’s various campuses in Barrie, Orillia, and Owen Sound. The report says the partnership

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-71421604748399864002011-05-17T21:40:00.001-04:002012-02-12T22:21:24.143-05:00

From parentcentral.ca: “A contemporary library that is running well should be the learning hub, the go-to place that kids flock to when they need to find something out,” said Kelsall of John G. Althouse Middle School in Etobicoke. “In my library, kids come here to play chess, it’s the place they go to knit, run the Eco-Team — it’s the home base for student government. “It’s where they can get

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-70428561810908044562011-05-17T21:38:00.000-04:002012-02-12T22:21:24.091-05:00

From the Montreal Gazette: While governments say librarians are necessary to teach the skills needed to navigate today's information environment, schools aren't hearing the message, a report released Monday suggests. And that misunderstanding has led to cuts in school-library programs that could decrease student achievement and harm Canada's ability to build a knowledge-based economy, says

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-39486640182227317532011-05-17T21:32:00.000-04:002012-02-12T22:21:23.234-05:00

Mentions of 2.0 in the news from Monday, May 16, 2011: Garden Center 2.0 (from Four Seasons Greenhouse And Nursery: Garden Center 2.0): Simply adding a point-of-sale system to their business made it 2.0. Mobile 2.0 (from See the future of mobile development at Mobile 2.0): "Mobile 2.0 Europe – openIDEAS Conference is a Two-Day Event on June 16-17th, 2011 exploring the Future of Mobile

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-7064416161439207502011-05-16T17:49:00.000-04:002012-02-12T22:21:24.116-05:00

Mentions of 2.0 in the news from Sunday, May 15, 2011: Decision 2.0 (from RUMOR: KEVIN DURANT WANTS THE DECISION 2.0?): I don't know much about basketball but as the article says, this "decision 2.0" is about his future, his career, his contract(s). Not sure what 2.0 has to do with it. Is it the second decision, the first being to sign the contract in the first place? Or is it the publicity

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-18393725290036434892011-04-18T22:56:00.000-04:002012-02-12T22:21:22.572-05:00

"Without effective communication, some institutions will just see the library as a repository for books or as a supermarket: they think if you put self-checkout machines that's an automatic librarian which, of course, it's not. Further down the line when the collections gone to pot and the machine can do nothing about it, the institution recognises that the librarian's job is more than just

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-2010644182231391532011-04-18T22:11:00.001-04:002012-02-12T22:21:22.619-05:00

At the Yale Law Library circulation desk, students have been signing up this week to check out Monty, a 'certified library therapy dog,' for 30-minute sessions of unconditional, stress-busting puppy love. Ok. I love libraries and all, and I love the idea of libraries trying out new things and exploring new roles but this seems to be pushing the boundaries a little bit. We are about providing

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-73283434632510990342011-04-18T21:55:00.000-04:002012-02-12T22:21:24.219-05:00

Anti-Semitism 2.0: "The concept of the "evil Jew" has made a well-disguised comeback: Criticizing Israel and Zionists, is now deemed a legitimate option to cursing Jews and Judaism." (from Hudson New York) Egypt revolution 2.0: "...the revolution is not yet finished. But two months since the beginning of the revolution that toppled Egypt’s president, ideas are diverging on how to continue the

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-87503085479393545512011-03-31T12:26:00.000-04:002012-02-12T22:21:24.723-05:00

Representations of librarians by the mass media generally fall into one of five somewhat discrete categories. Public perceptions of librarians are somewhat different; although librarians are often described in positive terms, there is nearly no awareness as to the knowledge, duties, skills, and education of librarians and, as a consequence, public perceptions draw more heavily on stereotypical

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-75872212688626869152011-03-27T21:34:00.000-04:002012-02-12T22:21:24.281-05:00

"Outside of college campuses and romantic comedies, the library is not usually a place to pick up a date. But that didn’t stop several dozen singles, mostly in their 20s and 30s, from showing up on a recent Tuesday night at the main branch of the San Francisco Public Library for its first speed-dating session." [ From the New York Times Fashion & Style article "One Way to Encourage Checking-Out

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-6447630894804176202011-03-27T21:29:00.000-04:002012-02-12T22:21:23.996-05:00

"The Slim Shady Records newest signees joined their boss on the blistering “2.0 Boys” track and all six of the rappers were in clear battle mode over the aggressive and piano laced banger." [ From MTV's Rapfix article "Eminem, Slaughterhouse And Yelawolf All Featured On New "2.O Boys" Track" ] "Tuesday was the official day that Southwest Airlines flipped the switch on its frequent flier program,

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-71330044447462352862011-03-27T21:17:00.001-04:002012-02-12T22:21:24.135-05:00

Librarians are being whipped into a state of frenzy over the news that Harper Collins intends to limit the amount of times that an e-book can be lent. While the usual limit of librarian ire peaks at a disgruntled ‘shhh’ when TechEye gets caught sheepishly grunting by the "romance" stand, it seems that the publisher has pushed them too far this time - with the announcement by distributor

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-20327024111740107582011-03-27T21:10:00.000-04:002012-02-12T22:21:22.636-05:00

China 2.0 - "China's efforts to retain authoritarian control over its internet evolution increasingly—and inherently—conflict with its professed business, economic and educational need to raise living standards and grow." Shelley Jackson's Skin Project 2.0 - "Shelley Jackson's story "Skin" exists only in the flesh... of about 2,000 volunteers [who are] tattooed with a single word..." "...

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-8392245082525852622011-03-21T21:30:00.001-04:002012-02-12T22:21:24.575-05:00

A blog entry written as if the author was peering into my brain: Why don’t journalists link to primary sources? Whether it’s a press release, an academic journal article, a formal report, or perhaps (if everyone’s feeling brave) the full transcript of an interview, the primary source contains more information for interested readers, it shows your working, and it allows people to check whether

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-75862278759589243822011-03-17T16:36:00.000-04:002012-02-12T22:21:24.272-05:00

TouristInfo 2.0 - "...a free social network for travelers, vacation providers, hotels and B&Bs alike..." Rationing 2.0 - "...Rationing 1.0 is a very limited version of the new health care program and will be quickly replaced by Rationing 2.0. If Obamacare continues on its trajectory and is not stopped by the Supreme Court, the current Congress, or another President to be named later in 2012, we

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-26007122928958663742011-03-17T15:31:00.000-04:002012-02-12T22:21:22.814-05:00

Chinese Tyranny 2.0 - "...China got fed up with Google, kicked it out and now it's turning to a new and more “cooperative” engine that will yield search results which are far more friendly to the regime."

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-4959903248299715702011-03-07T21:18:00.000-05:002012-02-12T22:21:23.546-05:00

Civil War 2.0 - "a new kind of union battle — one being fought in places like Trenton and Madison and Columbus and Indianapolis..." "...state governors... as commanders in this escalating conflict with Big Government Labor..." The Bodyguard 2.0 - "Kevin Costner's The Bodyguard is getting a remake."

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-20245840562796337942011-02-28T21:32:00.000-05:002012-02-12T22:21:22.627-05:00

Finding the right book for the right kid is a tricky job for any school librarian. It's easier, of course, if you're read the whole library. That's just what Blendon Middle School librarian Karen Yingling wanted to do, pledging to read all of the library's hardcover fiction books. Nine years and more than 6,000 books later, she's finally done. ... The busy librarian even has chronicled every

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-5895125898265215392011-02-28T21:02:00.000-05:002012-02-12T22:21:23.808-05:00

Two interesting uses of 2.0: Women 2.0 - "...a group dedicated to increasing the number of successful female-founded startups through a strong network and plenty of resources." Ag 2.0 - "...shorthand for the infusion of technology into every facet of the agriculture industry."

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-13388515393395810662011-02-28T20:56:00.000-05:002012-02-12T22:21:22.334-05:00

Two "2.0"s on the 21st of February: Dotcom 2.0 - "...another major Dotcom boom..." "Dotcom 2.0 is much stronger than its predecessor." "...Dotcom 2.0 isn’t a bubble, and it won’t burst." Where 2.0 - "Last year, Where 2.0 was a sold-out event. This year, O'Reilly is organizing another lively, must-attend conference for anyone who needs to get an edge when it comes to apps, platforms, hardware,

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-1720674909368276002011-02-27T21:28:00.000-05:002012-02-12T22:21:22.475-05:00

Big haul from the 20th: Boho Chic 2.0 - "Matthew Williamson moves further and further away from that dreamy, flowing look–the look that made him king of the boho chic set. // Today’s show, much like last season’s, was an updated idea of boho..." Life 2.0 - "Davies, who chairs SETI’s "welcome committee" (if and when creatures from other planets decide to pay us a visit), is dedicated to

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-53026170521066761202011-02-26T21:35:00.000-05:002012-02-12T22:21:23.624-05:00

The governor of the US state of California wants to "cut all state funding for local libraries – about $30 million", "erase funding that allows libraries with fewer resources to borrow books from more affluent facilities. Brown's budget would also cut off support that helps libraries hire staff, buy books and maintain hours of operation..." thinking that they will "push more libraries to adapt to

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-749133811223086342011-02-26T21:16:00.000-05:002012-02-12T22:21:24.246-05:00

An interesting use of the phrase "2.0": Pet 2.0 - "...robotic pets [that] can match the companionship of their real-life counterparts or save us from cougars." "Robo-pets... could help us grasp the social consequences of humanoid robots by providing a glimpse of future human-robot relations."

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-44936361204635957422011-02-25T21:27:00.000-05:002012-02-12T22:21:23.442-05:00

...although I'm not sure there's a 100% correlation. From Gary Brown's "What did we do before Google?" apparently We drove to the library, or at least called the library, and asked the librarian to look it up in any of the thousands of reference books she had at her disposal.But she wouldn’t do it millions of times, of course, which is what is happening on the Internet.And she wouldn't be

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-23636578559879719552011-02-25T21:10:00.000-05:002012-02-12T22:21:22.745-05:00

Retirement 2.0 - "American cyclist hero, Lance Armstrong has called his 2011 split from the professional race, 'Retirement 2.0'... referring to his second announcement of leaving the professional cycling competition behind. Armstrong first retired in 2005."

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-48983209871436721442011-02-16T09:09:00.001-05:002012-02-12T22:21:23.530-05:00

I'm not a big fan of historical fiction. Actually, I avoid it like the plague. I'm thinking that from my years working in book stores and then as a librarian, I have questioned and been a bit frustrated by the curiously vast numbers of history books in the world. I'm not a history fan and I guess this has unfairly set my sights away from history and anything historical. But I selected this

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-19601829228427687982011-02-15T21:29:00.000-05:002012-02-12T22:21:22.610-05:00

So apparently, UK "Prime Minister David Cameron's... [thinks] that centralized state spending on services should be cut back, and that the vacuum will be filled by volunteers and enthusiasts at the local level. Work previously paid for by government will be done for free by the citizens, and the resulting savings can be spent on reducing the deficit, or tax breaks for the wealthy, or something."

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-38875421956500236832011-02-15T21:13:00.001-05:002012-02-12T22:21:23.226-05:00

Only one from that day, but it's an important one: Revolution 2.0 - "...Google executive Wael Ghonim, one of the principal organisers of the massive anti-Hosni Mubarak protests..." "described the huge protests against President Mubarak... as an 'Internet revolution'." "He told CNN International Thursday: 'I'm -- I -- I'll -- I'll call it Revolution 2.0.'" "'If you want to free a society, just

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-35657098827590131572011-02-10T21:26:00.000-05:002012-02-12T22:21:23.149-05:00

Two for the records from yesterday: Winter Storm 2.0 - (Not sure why the 2.0 was used in this case which was disappointing since it really jumped off the screen for me.) End of Web 2.0 - "It's easy to make fun of AOL's pending purchase of HuffPo. Just like AOL's purchase of TimeWarner, here we have a new media company – Huffington Post – fooling an old media company, AOL, into overpaying for

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-36209081186392631772011-02-10T21:14:00.000-05:002012-02-12T22:21:23.166-05:00

I only found one mention of "2.0" in the news that could be of interest from the 8th. Direct-sales cosmetics 2.0 - "You might be familiar with Avon's door-to-door saleswomen or Mary Kay cosmetics. But in the Past few years, the industry has grown rapidly to include organizations that market via Facebook and Twitter, products that are available only on the Internet..."

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-25046636887427240202011-02-08T21:39:00.000-05:002012-02-12T22:21:22.797-05:00

It is but to dream. LIBRARIANs are organized and systematic. They are data driven in their decision-making, and work to design teams and processes that can reliably ship quality code in line with the priorities of the company. As the product and engineering team scales, a Librarian can figure out how to create a structure that can coordinate the efforts of many while maintaining the creativity

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-22710360599283674822011-02-08T21:36:00.000-05:002012-02-12T22:21:22.703-05:00

[Alma Smith] Jacobs was the first black librarian in Montana and spent her life fighting for racial equality. ...instrumental in the construction of the current library in 1967, but also was the first black person to hold the position of library director in the state. In 1957, Jacobs was the first black person to be elected as president of the Pacific Northwest Library Association.Great

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-91390670707437838942011-02-08T21:23:00.000-05:002012-02-12T22:21:24.883-05:00

How did the media use "2.0" yesterday? I'll tell you... Internet 2.0 - "Though the United States has not exhausted its supply of allotted IPv4 addresses, the proliferation of mobile devices is straining reserves. So tech companies are ramping up a migration to the next-generation Internet, IPv6..." Tom Ford 2.0 - "The designer... was ushering in a new era of personal luxury, designed with the

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-18048625886549156332011-02-07T21:57:00.000-05:002012-02-12T22:21:22.515-05:00

From the article discussed. Libraries and politics. The former can never get away from the latter and the latter saves thinking about the former when they need the "traditional" vote. Library budgeting always gets me. I find there are three major library budget lines: collections, operations and capital. The first is what the library is holding, the second is running the library and almost

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-51014971870439287472011-02-07T21:21:00.000-05:002012-02-12T22:21:23.555-05:00

Bar Tools 2.0 - "Jigger, shaker, spoon? Check, check, check. The next wave of bar tools is a lot more fun." iPad 2.0 - "If it were it a movie, the sequel to the iPad just might be titled 'iPad 2: 2 Fast, 2 Light.'" Dotcom boom 2.0 - "The information technology sector is growing fast again."

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-86363961984268012382011-01-31T21:35:00.000-05:002012-02-12T22:21:24.690-05:00

So I guess there will be a new restart of the silver screen Spiderman series. From one of the "Comic Book Movie Fansites" called "Sir Edward and Spidey", we are treated to what "would be [the author's] perfect cast for the Spider-Man Reboot" with a blog entry entitled "Spider-Man Reboot Fan Cast ( 'A Not Too Shabby' 2.0!)" I like this use of "2.0". It's not just a 2nd edition but a renewal of

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-55446097752111888602011-01-30T21:20:00.000-05:002012-02-12T22:21:23.715-05:00

I just came across the Huffinton Post article "What's the Least You Can Believe and Still Be a Christian?" by Martin Thielen from January 22, 2011. He tells an anecdote about a friend who wants to switch from atheism to agnosticism (with a suggestion of a little more) by understanding what is minimally necessary for Christian belief. The article focuses on the important problem of the "negative

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-60645619865064685222011-01-30T19:04:00.000-05:002012-02-12T22:21:23.863-05:00

Vestron’s Law states that: when publishers or content producers in non-print media license rights to third-parties, over time the pressure builds to revert those rights. McGraw-Hill thus joins other book publishers, journals publishers, Hollywood movie studios, television producers, and newspapers in viewing subsidiary rights licenses as short-term opportunities and long-term obstacles for

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-54612604370834598802011-01-24T22:04:00.001-05:002012-02-12T22:21:23.659-05:00

Sometimes librarians, by doing their job as it is supposed to be done, can bring life back into an institution. In the late 1940s, Nichols Library lagged woefully behind the times. The book budget didn’t go very far, the place shut down every Wednesday and calling to make an inquiry was impossible because the building had no telephone. That all changed when Miriam Fry took over as head librarian

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-2771015949107313722011-01-24T21:16:00.001-05:002012-02-12T22:21:22.888-05:00

Came across a reference to "Obama 2.0", the 2.0 of which, in this very anti-Obama piece, seems to mean reinvention in a very manipulative way. Barack Obama has begun yet another process of reinvention on the road to reelection. Will he succeed in bamboozling voters once again? ... He may be cold-blooded, but he is a chameleon who can change the way people perceive him. ... A clue to Obama's

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-28154942315007280842011-01-23T21:32:00.000-05:002012-02-12T22:21:22.923-05:00

On January 16, the Japan Times says that: Japan is now on the verge of a new economic bubble for the 21st century... While the 1980s bubble was a homegrown development, bubble 2.0 is expected to be inflated by factors at home and abroad... The world is paying attention to Japan's stock markets... There's more interest in Japanese property now...So, "2.0" equals the next big instance of

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-57808507594500101712011-01-23T21:24:00.001-05:002012-02-12T22:21:23.792-05:00

A survey by the European Commission has found that parental control programs aimed at keeping children safe online do not function well with Web 2.0 sites, smartphones or games consoles... this at a time when 31 percent of European youngsters access the Internet on their mobile phones and 26 percent go online via game consoles. In addition, content from Web 2.0 sources like social-networking

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-85411544626613646342011-01-18T21:45:00.000-05:002012-02-12T22:21:24.664-05:00

Various New Jersey public librarians on Wikipedia: Wikipedia has profoundly changed the way most of us gather information. It may have had less effect on the people whose job it is to look things up: reference librarians. Yes, they'll use it sometimes, they told us. But with misgivings, and never as a sole source. What Jim Beckerman, staff writer at NorthJersey.com, or perhaps the librarians

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-11386921138625299552011-01-18T21:36:00.000-05:002012-02-12T22:21:21.894-05:00

In Florida... or Hawaii? Corrections needs a new paradigm... designed to target recidivism and drive cost reduction via a bold, new approach: a continuum of care through public-private partnerships (PPPs). PPPs are simply government contracts with private sector prison operators or service vendors to provide a range of correctional services... Expanding the use of PPPs to create a continuum of

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-85372677197556426392011-01-18T21:25:00.000-05:002012-02-12T22:21:24.645-05:00

...for the new Surface, Microsoft teamed up with Samsung for the SUR40 with Microsoft Surface, or ”the 2.0 Experience”, as they called it. The exterior has been revamped, as it now features various pedestals so that you can mount the platform to, let’s say, a wall... The next generation of Surface features infrared ”pixel sense” detection in each and every pixel, so the entire screen is at your

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-53945143545545802892011-01-18T21:18:00.000-05:002012-02-12T22:21:23.641-05:00

A challenge constantly faced by researchers developing new drug delivery methods is how to create particles that will stay in the blood stream for an extended amount of time... He and his colleagues found one solution that, according to DeSimone, "represents a real game changer for the future of nanomedicine." What they did was create a kind of Blood Cell 2.0--synthetic particles that are as

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-43558413364725787772010-12-22T18:30:00.000-05:002012-02-12T22:21:23.385-05:00

From "Letter from CC Superhero Josh Sommer of the Chordoma Foundation" "...in the very recent past, humankind has developed the tools and know-how to cure disease, yet we are stifled from maximizing the potential benefit of these new tools by social and legal systems that evolved in a bygone era. This has to change." "Creative Commons is leading the charge to find these solutions. By helping

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-31186643792529776682010-12-01T21:36:00.006-05:002012-02-12T22:21:23.048-05:00

The supposed racist KFC ad: On the one hand, it seems pretty bad on first look, at least to someone brought up with an American perspective on what seems like a straightforward racial issue. On the other hand, the criticism that since this involves Australia and the West Indies, American intuitions do not apply. I have two problems with it though: KFC is an US company. I find it hard to

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-77654860745786194442010-11-29T10:11:00.000-05:002012-02-12T22:21:24.345-05:00

Important conclusion quotes from an article regarding the potential harm of wi-fi: "...it is possible to select the results of individual research studies in support of a variety of opinions [regarding exposure to RF energy]; which may range from no risk of health effects on the one hand, to a clear need to reduce current exposure limits on the other." "...there is emerging evidence that

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-4191304809892414562010-11-19T12:01:00.000-05:002012-02-12T22:21:23.314-05:00

Checked out Coolendar. This was described to me in the Lifehacker article I read about it as "an alternate take on calendars, turning the matrix-style calendar into a more simplified list." True enough. Although later they say "a little more like a to-do list than a calendar", I would have to stick with calendar mostly. Although it looks like a to-do list, since everything seems to require a

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-33574493041375233132010-11-10T23:53:00.000-05:002012-02-12T22:21:23.114-05:00

If there is no God, then God is incalculably the greatest single creation of the human imagination.  No other creation of the imagination has been so fertile of ideas, so great an inspiration to philosophy, to literature, to painting, sculpture, architecture, and drama.Read this quote in the preface to "Philosophy of Religion: An Anthology" by Louis P. Pojman and, as usual, I was all like, "

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-72866707583385577472010-10-31T12:00:00.001-04:002012-02-12T22:21:24.211-05:00

Just read an article about a school librarian who has realized that the secret to getting her students in the library and excited about reading is to quantity not variety. Buy more copies of the titles they want to read, sometimes up to 10 or more. She's found that they are excited about the books, are in the library more, and tell her what books they like since she listens and does something

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-72322564680902851002010-10-27T23:18:00.000-04:002012-02-12T22:21:24.180-05:00

Wow. So I'm reading this article about the privatization of some libraries by L.S.S.I. which is actually in support of the idea. I'm a librarian so of course I'm not exactly pleased with what he has to say but it's an interesting perspective nonetheless. But what gets me are the comments (big surprise). Reason.com is apparently a primarily libertarian community/site and so such an article and

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-41755752196423624132010-10-20T12:00:00.001-04:002012-02-12T22:21:23.305-05:00

Another Web 2.0 article. Not that I have anything to do with Carnegie Mellon -- other than that I love watermelon. This just came up in my general "2.0" Google News search feed. Most of what gets picked up is not relevant or even interesting but this is exactly the kind of thing I was looking for. This article is filled to the brim with the key concepts of Web 2.0. It mentions facebook (et

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-24016668805364364822010-09-28T14:01:00.001-04:002012-02-12T22:21:22.763-05:00

Peter Rukavina has a new e-book reader. No, it’s not an iPad, or a Kindle. It’s not a Kobo, or a Sony Reader. Rather, Peter’s new ebook reader is a human being named Shawn, who runs a local copy shop. In the interview of Peter, he explains that he has tried several e-reading methods but, at least for now, cannot get past the need for a visceral connection to the physical book itself, i.e. page

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-63659543998872629342010-08-23T16:21:00.001-04:002012-02-12T22:21:23.960-05:00

I LOVE pages like this. Nothing but great web design examples. Although they do make me a little evil - since I want to "steal" everything on them. I immediately think about how I can use these ideas somewhere for me, for my work, or even somewhere else, anywhere else. In fact, reading this made me want, nay NEED, to redesign my site. Coming soon. [ Inspired by Inspiration: 30 Web Designs

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-1705977282435627262010-08-04T13:29:00.000-04:002012-02-12T22:21:22.456-05:00

A good summary of how to think of the Internet and our increased technological and communicative interconnectivity as harmful: Tech pundit Carr posits that modern technology encourages superficial grazing that, over generations, can rewire the brain to deleterious effect. ... "One big triumph of human culture was the learned ability to pay attention to one thing for a long time, which the arrival

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-44593957868615908902010-07-27T13:48:00.000-04:002012-02-12T22:21:23.426-05:00

As soon as I read the headline "UAE says RIM’s BlackBerry a threat to national security, social mores" I thought, "Wouldn't it be easier to beef up national security measures than try to change the business practices of a foreign and very popular company?" You don't outlaw arms and legs because someone's figured out how to climb over your fence, even if people are doing it unintentionally. (

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-91176598263944354852010-07-26T12:15:00.000-04:002012-02-12T22:21:24.866-05:00

So, Google's crumbling under the pressure of China's demands to have Google obey Chinese rather strict censorship laws and to stop redirecting Chinese users to the legally more open Hong Kong site. The information ethicist in me is disappointed but the realist in me is not so upset. I mean, it's not good to pander to unethical demands simply for money, but of course Google is a for-profit

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-82784846380392320982010-07-23T10:51:00.000-04:002012-02-12T22:21:24.532-05:00

From MLA-FOCUS July 22, 2010 email newsletter:MLA Urges Supreme Court to Reverse Decision in Costco vs. Omega MLA has signed onto a brief urging the Supreme Court to reverse a decision that Costco infringed copyright by selling Omega watches without the watchmaker’s permission. The brief addresses the harmful impact of the decision on consumers, resellers, libraries, and the economy at large.

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-42098864905338395582010-04-29T10:06:00.002-04:002012-02-12T22:21:23.332-05:00

I just signed up for and set up Twitterfeed, a tool that tweets all my blog entries.  At least I think I did.  This is just a test to see if I did everything right.  *fingers crossed* (Update 20100429 11:39 am:  Just checked it and it worked!  Yay!)

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-87917837374225717602010-04-29T09:41:00.000-04:002012-02-12T22:21:24.776-05:00

From an email from NRC-CISTI: NRC’s Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information (NRC-CISTI) is pleased to announce the launch of PubMed Central Canada (PMC Canada) in partnership with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the US National Library of Medicine (NLM). With PMC Canada, Canadians now have a freely accessible national digital repository of the latest

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-15926290242606594502010-04-20T16:31:00.000-04:002012-02-12T22:21:22.410-05:00

Came across this list of "8 Sexy Movie Librarians": Rachel Weisz -- Evelyn Carnahan in The Mummy Ingrid Pitt -- Librarian in The Wicker Man Florence Stone Fevergeon -- Lady in Library in Tomcats Michelle Williams -- Emily in The Station Agent Julia Roberts -- Laura Burney in Sleeping with the Enemy Natasha Richardson -- Mary in The Comfort of Strangers Rene Russo -- Lynn Wells in Major League

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-21238363064749295802010-04-19T10:16:00.000-04:002012-02-12T22:21:22.653-05:00

Just read an article on "how to use Delicious to organize your student life" which included the pretty obvious but expanded on steps: Sign up Tag everything Bundle it up along with tips under the headings: What should you bookmark? Building on your records How to keep track of all the tags? Some of this info is pretty basic and is obviously meant for someone at least close to a first time user

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-43809171563177696632010-04-07T21:59:00.000-04:002012-02-12T22:21:23.401-05:00

"This is crazy," Erickson said last week on WMAC's In the Morning with Erick Erickson of the census. "What gives the Commerce Department the right to ask me how often I flush my toilet? Or about going to work? I'm not filling out this form. I dare them to try and come throw me in jail. I dare them to. Pull out my wife's shotgun and see how that little ACS twerp likes being scared at the door.

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-83125878775309817942010-03-31T22:28:00.002-04:002012-02-12T22:21:24.549-05:00

Fox News tries to advertise a program of supposedly new American Stories to inspire viewers but LL Cool J notices that he's in the show and didn't know it. Now there are probably many of you reading this complaining about Fox's misrepresentation of their show, their sleazy way of trying to guilt LL Cool J into changing his mind (or is it just revenge), or their usual description of their

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162798.post-23717588395120442282010-03-30T23:06:00.002-04:002012-02-12T22:21:22.755-05:00

I watched this video recently and as I watched it, there were several points where I was tempted to argue back with the screen. That doesn't work well so I'm putting my responses here instead. Watch the video first though... It's only a little over 6 minutes. 00:03 Bill O'Reilly says "...her speech was shut down by radical students." Sure, most university students are not participating in

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382637543517859063noreply@blogger.com0