Updated: 10/12/2004; 9:30:20 PM.
The Shifted Librarian
Shifting libraries at the speed of byte!
My name is Jenny, and I'll be your information maven today.
        

Thursday, January 31, 2002

Drat. I've had to remove the list of referrers from the home page because it was squishing the actual content. Oh well.  Someday when I redesign the site I'll incorporate it back in.
11:05:11 PM  Permanent link here  

Hey, don't forget that Library Lovers' Month starts tomorrow!  Share the love.


2:05:05 PM  Permanent link here  

Cool - if your favorite new TV show hasn't already jumped the shark, you can save that show! [via Marylaine]
1:46:30 PM  Permanent link here  

Flash 99% Good. "A site devoted to making usable Flash movies. Includes tips, case studies, tutorials and links to articles on Flash usability." [via ia/ - news for information architects]

For those of us taking advantage of Lori's Flash training next month!  (Did I say thank you yet?  Thank you!)


1:37:16 PM  Permanent link here  

Copy-protected CDs revealed.... "Copy-protected CDs revealed. This tech article deconstructs, in detail, the protections applied to music CDs that are "protected" (i.e. broken) with Cactus Data Shield, like Universal's Fast and the Furious disc, and describes how you can use off-the-shelf software to read and copy these discs on your PC, so you can make mix discs and backups, and so you can move your music to your hard-drive and MP3 player." [via bOing bOing]

Pretty technical, probably more than you wanted to know, but I thought Bruce would be interested in this one.


1:33:03 PM  Permanent link here  

Global Positioning Systems offer everything from hole overviews to Internet access "Shortgrass Technologies' Internet-based sports information system and financial ticker enables golfers to check college football scores on a Saturday afternoon or the price of stocks any weekday. Global positioning systems can track golf cars no matter where they are on the course, thus discovering bottlenecks and slower play. Golfers can order beverages and food en route to the turn, so golf clubs can offer more than a quick hot dog - a higher priced chicken sandwich, for instance...."

I always thought that GPS would go mainstream in automobiles first, and in a way I suppose it has, but maybe golfers will lead the real charge. I could have used a portable, library-centered GPS system myself to navigate the Chicago Public Library's Harold Washington Library when I was there last fall!


10:09:30 AM  Permanent link here  

14333 » January 31 6:51 AM. "AOL has been actively blocking Trillian users. If you switched over to Trillian and use AIM you've had problems connecting all week. As of this morning, version 0.721 is working but will likely be blocked again. AOL is claiming it as a "security" issue." [MetaFilter]

I've been lucky for some reason and haven't had any problems with Trillian accessing AIM, but I have one thing to say to AOL: HYPOCRITES!


9:17:54 AM  Permanent link here  

Consumers Welcome Mobile Marketing. "A new study funded by mobile phone manufacturer Nokia and conducted by HPI Research found that an overwhelming majority of mobile phone users surveyed (88 percent) would be receptive to receiving electronic coupons for bricks-and-mortar stores on their cellular phones.  In fact, the study found that nearly a third (31 percent) would actually welcome such marketing." [allNetDevices Wireless News]

Count me in. I know a lot of you out there are stunned by these figures, but I'm one of the folks who wants to start filtering the amount of information that's constantly hitting me.  I've taken several steps in this direction already (an essay waiting to happen), and I'm willing to give up a certain degree of privacy, to be determined by me, that I can toggle on and off at my whim, in order to do this.  Example: I had a GPS system installed in my new car (another essay I'll get around to writing), and I'm willing to be tracked by a satellite when I need directions. The rest of the time, I leave the system turned off.


9:12:02 AM  Permanent link here  

New Scientist "This article is different from anything else New Scientist has ever published. Before you read it, it's important you understand a few things. What sets it apart is that it has been released under a special kind of license called a "copyleft". That means you are free to copy, redistribute and rework the article, as long as you abide by certain terms and conditions. The exact terms and conditions can be found at the end of the article, or at http://dsl.org/copyleft/dsl.txt. All other articles on this site and in the magazine are covered by a standard copyright, which means that the right to copy, redistribute or modify the article belongs exclusively to us." [via Slashdot]

I hereby declare my site to be officially copyleft.


9:03:06 AM  Permanent link here  

According to today's Lycos 50 Daily Report, "nothing on TV is hotter than Trading Spaces on The Learning Channel. Based on a hit British show called Changing Rooms, Trading Spaces features two sets of neighbors who each get two days and a set budget to transform a room in each other's home. The show has already developed plenty of fan sites, and both the hostesses and the interior decorators who help folks re-imagine their neighbors' rooms have inspired fan clubs. In the past month, searches for the show have jumped fivefold. Last week, Trading Spaces received more searches last week than Sex and the City and The West Wing combined."

I love this show! Sheree got me hooked on it, and now I keep four episodes on the ReplayTV at any given time (sidebar: I don't own the Replay 4000, but I do covet it). So far, I've seen maybe three rooms I would actually want in my house, but the fun is to be had in dissing the designers and watching the reactions of the participants. I didn't realize there were fan sites though, so I'll be off browsing through them tonight.


8:29:00 AM  Permanent link here  

Roam: Right to replay "Charging users to download multimedia content over the internet is like trying to put the genie back in the bottle.... Mobile operators have no precedent like the Napster case to overturn, and will charge for content from the outset.... However, the whole fraught issue of rights management is now looming on their horizon as they plan their 3g services, which include delivering and charging for games, music, sports clips and a range of other content over mobile devices.... Duhl expects to see kiosks appearing where users can plug in their mobile device and download music directly via a music subscription service." [in TotalTelecom, via Slashdot]

Carriers in Europe and Asia are already experimenting with wireless downloads. I'll bet there are some folks stuck at O'Hare right now because of the snowstorm who would love to be able to wirelessly download content on their phones, especially audio content. In the future, information - including content - will come to you wherever you are. No longer will you have to go somewhere to get it.

The secondary story (at the bottom of the page) is also worth a read because it shows how much further ahead they are in the Netherlands in terms of wireless access and content. They already have working business models over there.


8:21:33 AM  Permanent link here  

Very cool! Radio Paradise will be broadcasting from Costa Rica for three weeks.  I can't wait to hear the details.
8:03:09 AM  Permanent link here  

Plaintiffs Sought Timeout After Turn in Napster Case "The major record companies who are seeking a temporary suspension in their lawsuit against Napster, were about to face inquiries into their own behavior on maintaining copyrights." [The New York Times: Technology]

Slimy record companies.


6:56:58 AM  Permanent link here  

© Copyright 2004 Jenny Levine.
 
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