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All Around I See it Changing

Tech Magnate Google has decided to at least beta test another game changer.

On Wednesday Sept 30th, Google launched the beta test of Google Wave. Now what is Google Wave we may be inclined to ask? Well, no one really knows. What is known is that it uses something the engineers refer to as “waves” of data which is apparently revolutionary and that the product will be open source and able to grow and evolve through User developed extensions.

Google launched it’s beta test to about 100,000 accounts, and some, like myself are still clamoring for an invite to this new internet platform. But Google has managed to create  rampant demand for something which most people can’t even understand what exactly it does. But, the company has a proven track record of being innovative and making things far superior then other available solutions, FOR FREE.

Google provides a video here explaining what Google Wave is. Apparently it is quite lengthy so grab yourselves a bowl of popcorn, and  there are no commericals.

Also for any of you out there reading please contact me if you have any extra invites.

No Family History Film Screening

Next Tuesday, October 13th, the NU Department of Sociology and Anthropology, the Northeastern Environmental Justice Research Collaborative, and the Northeastern Facilities Department of Sustainability and Energy will be joining forces to present a free screening of the film No Family History. This film, made by environmental sociologist Sabrina McCormick, addresses the environmental causes of breast cancer, such as toxins in personal care products. It also looks at the movement to improve regulations to prevent breast cancer as opposed to focusing on finding a cure.

Sabrina McCormick, who has done extensive research on the connection between environmental toxins and health will be giving a talk after the screening. This event ties in well with both NU’s Sustainability Week and Breast Cancer Awareness Month and is sure to be an eye opener. The screening will be held October 13th from 6:00 – 8:30 PM in 105 Shillmam.

Try Mango Languages to Learn a New Language Online

Buongiorno! Guten Tag! Ni hao! As the librarian at Snell for foreign languages and literatures, I’ve received quite a few requests for the library to provide online language-learning products to the NU community. So I’m very pleased to report that we are currently offering a free trial of Mango Languages, a completely web-based language-learning system that focuses on actual conversation skills. The trial will last until the end of October.

The languages currently available from Mango are Brazilian Portuguese, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Polish, Russian, Spanish, and English as a Second Language for speakers of Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, or Polish. They plan to add more languages in the future.

Mango is a very popular product with many public libraries and is supposed to be very easy to use. We are running the free trial now with the hope that we will be able to buy either this product or one like it. So, we need your feedback! Try Mango Languages and let us know what you think!

Recommended Reading: Juleen Brantingham

I’m often classified as a literary nerd.

I’m proud to say that’s completely true. I absolutely love reading, but even those of us who enjoy burying our noses in a good book can occasionally suffer from short attention spans.

That’s where the beauty of short stories can truly be appreciated. Recently, I was introduced to the writings of Juleen Brantingham. I have quite a few short story compilations and though I have come across her name a handful of times, I’d never actually read one of her stories. In this instance, a story she had written entitled “Something About Camilla” came to my attention and I decided to give it try.

By the time I’d finished it, it had become an instant favorite. The story itself, which deals with a group of friends at their high school reunion, was quite good. However, it was the build up and development of the story that really impressed me. I wouldn’t quite call it a horror story, more like mystery with a few creepy moments sprinkled in.

Although the story is not easy to come across, it is available in Snell as it is a featured short story in Final Shadows – the last installment of the Shadows anthology.

World March for Peace and Nonviolence

World March for Peace and Nonviolence logo

October 2, 2009 the anniversary of Gandhi’s birth has been declared the “International Day of Nonviolence” by the United Nations and it is also the day for the start of the World March for Peace and Nonviolence This march, as it circles the world, is calling for the end of war, nuclear weapons and the elimination of all violence (physical, economic, racial, religious, cultural, sexual and psychological).

The World March for Peace and Nonviolence will be starting in New Zealand on Friday at 9.30 am on October 2, 2009 from the Gandhi statue, at the Wellington Central Railway Station, Wellington. The march will continue on through 90 countries, over all 6 continents ending on Janurary 2nd, 2010 at the foot of Mount Aconcagua in the Andes Mountains (Punta de Vacas, Argentina). The marchers will be joined along the way by others who stand for peace and nonviolence, and are trying to create a better world for us all. The cities that the march passes through will be holding many different events such as marches, forums, conferences and sporting, cultural, and social events all related to Peace and Nonviolence.

Some of the Proposals of the World March are: “nuclear disarmament at a global level,” “the signing of non-aggression treaties between countries,” and “the progressive and proportional reduction of conventional weapons.” These have been created in the hope that they will inspire and create a consciousness for peace and disarmament.

If you would like to follow the march there is a map on the World March for Peace and Nonviolence webpage. To see more information on the World March for Peace and Nonviolence, check out these two webpages, March for Peace and Nonviolence and March for Peace and Nonviolence-New Zealand.

If you are interested in learning more about Gandhi,  the peace and non-violence movement, and nuclear disarmament, be sure to check out the resources available in Snell.  And you may also be interested in our upcoming talk on Bertrand Russell, another philosopher and peace activist, on October 28.