" /> Sites and Soundbytes: May 2004 Archives

« April 2004 | Main | June 2004 »

May 31, 2004

Book Reviews

Yet Another Book Review

A book review site that specializes in science fiction, fantasy and horror. The collection of reviews is split into recent reviews, favourites, must reads and other tempting categories.

May 30, 2004

I'll Join You on Mars

Sickening Plot Twist: A world without books

Take a glimpse into the future with this satirical look at the destiny of the written word.

Here are the paragraphs on libraries:

"There still will be libraries, but they will become much different places. Books will be phased out, and replaced by computer stations, TV monitors, video games and other electronic media. Libraries will become noisy and boisterous. Instead of shushing everybody, librarians will roam the aisles wearing change aprons. "Who needs quarters for the machines?" they will shout. "Get your quarters here!"

Some libraries will keep a few books in a display case in a corner somewhere, for the sake of historical interest. Docents will be on hand to explain to curious young people what "books" were, and what they were used for."

MyRatePlan

Wireless Number Portability - Change Your Carrier but Keep Your Number

Take advantage of the new law that allows for number portability. This site offers information on portability where you can put in your own data and come up with options. It also has sections on long distance, satellite TV, credit cards, loans, insurance and Internet Service Providers.

People Finders Online

PCWorld: The Best Web People Finders Are Free

At our library, people are constantly coming in to ask how they can find out detailed information on other people. Steve Bass from PCWorld has compiled a collection of the top sites, and best of all, the top ones are free!

Hotel Information

HotelShark

Reviews of hotels, resorts and motels, plus a section for hoteliers with hotels for sale.

May 29, 2004

Consumer Info

ConsumerLab

This site offers independently tests of health and nutrition products for safety. Information on test results, natural products, recalls, and warnings.

May 28, 2004

Vietnam War Through New Eyes

UC Davis News & Information :: Dateline

An appropriate link for Memorial Day weekend, UC Davis students present an online class project with oral history from veterans and a flash slideshow by the students.

May 27, 2004

EcoHealth

EcoHealth

This site for from Johns Hopkins focuses on how global climate changes are affecting our health. The website was designed for teachers and students, but anyone interested in the topic will find the site useful. Subjects include global warming, rising ocean levels, extreme weather, and epidemics.

Retirement Communities Site

AgeQualified.com

National directory of retirement and 55+ communities. The site offers information on the city the community is located in, including weather, population, and home values.

May 26, 2004

Technology Site

Technology Owl

This site covers technology news with many postings each day in its general news section. But best of all, it offers news on specific technology topics like computers, digital cameras, home theater, MP3 players, PDAs, and video games. Each of these specific topics is accompanied with an RSS feed, so you can subscribe to those you are interested in. Very nice.

May 25, 2004

The Daily Gullet

Welcome to eGullet.com

This website is filled with daily news, Q & A sessions with famous chefs, discussion boards, recipes, and jobs in restaurants.

Bootdisks

Bootdisk.Com

This site provides bootdisks for DOS and Windows. It also has drivers, links to networking information, and how-to guides for different versions of Windows.

May 24, 2004

Science.gov 2.0

Science.gov 2.0 Launches with New Relevance Ranking Technology

Science.gov launces a new version of its site, version 2.0. The site remains free with no registration required.

"The new site offers additional content, technological enhancements, and a newly-developed relevancy ranking technology that helps patrons get to the best documents quickly. Science.gov 2.0 lets users search across 30 databases from 12 government science agencies (up from 10 agencies in version 1.0), as well as across 1,700 Web sites—that’s 47 million pages, with results presented in relevancy ranked order."

May 23, 2004

GasBuddy

GasBuddy

Find the cheapest gas prices in your area through this portal site. The site also lists highest prices.

May 22, 2004

Baseball History

Spalding Base Ball Guides

The Library of Congress American Memory project offers this collection of 35 guides that were the top publication of their time about baseball. The Official Indoor Base Ball Guides for the time are also included, giving a glimpse into a nearly-forgotten game.

Wordworth Site

The Wordsworth Trust

This site is done by The Wordsworth Trust, a living museum in Grasmere, England. The site offers information on Dove Cottage, collections and exhibitions, as well as Wordsworth's poetry and Romanticism.

May 21, 2004

Turtle Site

AllTurtles

Information on caring for pet turtles, turtle adoption, humor, related links and an online message board.

May 20, 2004

UN News Center

United Nations News Service

Daily news from the UN filled with world-wide concerns, regional news, and multimedia coverage.

May 19, 2004

Dinosaurs and Plate Tectonics

MSESE Elevator

The NASA Classroom of the Future offers this site for kids on why the dinosaurs became extinct and plate tectonics.

Civil Rights Site

Voices of Civil Rights

This site from the AARP and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights presents personal accounts of the struggle for civil rights in America. It offers stories, a timeline, the struggle of desegregation, and information on new activists.

May 18, 2004

Surfwax

SurfWax -- Aggregating News for Thousands of Topics

Wow what a site! Surfwax offers an enormous collection of news on all sorts of topics. The library section alone has a hundred separate subjects. This is definitely one that I will have to spend some time exploring. Unfortunately, I can't find RSS feeds for their pages, that would have made it invaluable.

Socrates Cafe

The Society for Philosophical Inquiry

Returning philosophy to the people is a goal of Socrates Cafes or Philosophers' Clubs. They are a program done at public libraries that don't require finding an expert in philosophy, just an interested moderator.

May 17, 2004

Disability Site

DisabilityInfo

Federal government site offering information and resources on disabilities with resources for people with disabilities, families, employers and service providers.

May 15, 2004

Nova Scotia Site

Explore Nova Scotia

Official site from the Nova Scotia Department of Tourism and Culture, this site offers information on what to do, where to stay, where to eat, and transportation.

Travel Alaska

Travel Alaska

This site for Alaskan tourism offers maps, regional information, cities and towns, parks and public lands, photos, and sections on activities, transportation, food, lodging, events, weather, and package tours.

May 13, 2004

Hitchhiker's Guide Movie

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy -- The Official Movie Website

Not much information up here yet, but the splash screen does have some of the feeling of the book. I don't know whether Douglas Adams fans should be excited or very cautious, probably a bit of both.

The Italians

The Italians

Gorgeous renderings of three centuries of Italian Art from the 16th through the 18th centuries.

May 12, 2004

Turning the Pages

Turning the Pages

Now this is a digital library project done right! The British Library presents digitized books that are amazing, including Leonardo's Notebook, a Chinese scroll from the year 868, an anatomy book from the 16th century, and much more. The Shockwave interface is very fast and allows the reader to fully participate in turning the pages of these wonderful books.

Internet Storm Center

SANS - Internet Storm Center

The Storm Center offers information on viruses, patches, and other security issues. But best of all, it has a concise daily news that is available via RSS feed!

May 11, 2004

Banned Books Week

ALA | Online Order Form

Banned Books Week materials are on sale now! The posters are great, with the one for young adults being my fave.

Medical News

Medical News Today

Medical and health news with an RSS feed! The site also includes recommended links, medical abbreviations and terms, patient resources, and information on specific conditions.

May 10, 2004

Colonial House

Colonial House

PBS presents this site to coincide with the beginning of Colonial House. It offers behind the scene information, a section on the participants, and historical data. The series starts on May 17th.

Unearthing T Rex

Unearthing T. rex

The first interactive Tyrannosaurus rex dig! This site offers access, starting today, to a daily field journal documenting the dig, complete with facts and stories plus some semi-live items. You can also find out general details about T Rex and paleontology.

Nonprofit Times

The NonProfit Times

Business information for non-profit management with sections on the largest nonprofits, salaries, and feature articles.

May 9, 2004

Lee Child

Lee Child

Official site for this author of the Jack Reacher novels, who has a new volume in the series coming out on May 11.

May 8, 2004

IRTF Alternative Resource Collections

International Responsibilities Task Force

The IRTF offers a collection of alternative resources on hotspots in the world. Right now they include: Haiti, the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, the Iraq War, the war against terrorism, and cuban librarians.

May 7, 2004

CDs and DVDs Rot

CDs and DVDs Not So Immortal After All

Librarians have been saying this for some time, especially because the public is not gentle with library CDs and DVDs. Most frightening is the claim that if DVDs are bent getting them out of the case, glue could separate and the disc could be destroyed. Dang, and I was just looking to see if the hub was cracked!

Here is what you should be doing:

"For maximum longevity, discs should be stored vertically and only be handled by the edges. Don't stick labels on them, and in the case of write-once CDs, don't write on them with anything but soft water-based or alcohol-based markers. Also, like wine, discs should be stored in a cool, dry place."

Dan Brown

The Official Web Site of Bestselling Author Dan Brown

Official site for the author of the Da Vinci Code.

May 6, 2004

Margaret Maron

Author Margaret Maron's Official Web site

Official site for this popular mystery author, complete with biographical and contact information.

City & Town

CityTown.info

Official websites for cities and towns throughout the U. S. and Canada. Select a state and be amazed at the tiny towns included on the lists! Very nice and very useful for those of us in rural areas.

May 5, 2004

Invalid Search Warrant = Lawsuit

LLRX.com - Could you be sued for turning over an Internet user's sign-up information to law enforcement?

Cautionary tale for libraries about turning over Internet sign-up sheets to law enforcement even with a search warrant in hand! AOL is currently being sued for turning over information to police when the search warrant was invalid. Definitely a need for libraries to have an attorney they can call whenever a warrant is shown. And frankly, how nice to have a big company mess it up rather than a cash-strapped library, so that we can all learn from it.

May 3, 2004

Technorati BookTalk

Technorati: BookTalk

Technorati is a very useful site that monitors what is being talked about on weblogs. Best of all, it has a section called BookTalk where they show the books receiving the most attention on blogs.

May 2, 2004

History of Bestsellers

Bestseller Lists 1900-1995

I know that many of you may not have ever been asked for the bestsellers for certain years going back for decades, but I seem to be asked this quite often. Here is the perfect website to answer that question!

B-Movies

B-Movie Central

Reviews and ratings of B-movies with articles, downloads, and links.

May 1, 2004

Small Step

Small Step

This program from the United States Department of Health and Human Services offers small steps that people can take to improve their health through exercise and diet.