Brain Food Week 4: Exceptions and Exceptional
Photo by Courtney Jade via Flickr
Here's a few things I have stumbled across this week that I'm mulling over.
Library Related
- Mita at New Jack Librarian explores how newspapers act as scaffolding for local stories. Until local newspapers keep their archives freely available online for more than 30 days it's harder to reference stories or tell stories that stretch over time. Ultimately this will impact what stories get told and the depth at which they are told.
- Nicole Engard, at What I Learned Today, writes about a cool tool, Calgoo that is free. This is a calendar application that "supports synchronization between a wide range of calendar programs: Outlook 03/07, Apple iCal, Google Calendar, and 30 Boxes".
- Sarah Houghton-Jan at the Librarian-In-Black offers some practical advice in Ten Social Networking Tips for Libraries.
- Kathy Dempsey's Newsbreak on ThinkeringSpace Project describes a new way to play in the 21st Century that might be coming to a library near you.
- Empties4Cash - Your Recycling and Fundraising Partner - Reuse printer ink cartridges to work by funding your library or another great local cause.
Going Green
- Texans Embrace Wind Power in a Big Way - 4.9 Billion with the cost of $3 to $4 more per month to the end consumer for the next few years
- Coffee grounds for compost and fertilizer - don't drink coffee? No worries, Starbucks packs up their grounds for composting. Just ask at your local Starbucks.
Science and Health
Each week I'm amazed at the array of science and medical research findings.
- How the Personal Genome Project Could Unlock the Mysteries of Life
- Tobacco is Good For Something - Scientists develop tobacco plant which turns red when it detects landmines
Quotations
“The reader's freedom is a holy thing,” says William Gass.
"In times of profound change, the learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists." -- variously ascribed to Al Rogers or Eric Hoffer Link: How to Save the World - Dave Pollard
'First, it’s a logical impossibility that most people are the exception to the rule, yet most people believe they are. ... Our perception of peoples’ differences is exaggerated because we spend our lives finding differences between people to choose teachers, band mates and spouses. Gilbert recommends you think of grapes: “If you spend seven years studying the differences between grapes, no two will look the same to you, but really a grape is a grape.” ' Link: Penelope Trunk's Brazen Careerist
Tags: coffee grounds | composting | green | library | online calendar | quote | social media | tobacco| wind power
