Privacy? No more …

One thing libraries take seriously is the privacy of their users. We go to great lengths to ensure that what you’re reading is for your eyes only. That’s why this article is so disturbing: http://www.eff.org/issues/printers. In an effort to stop counterfeiters, the Secret Service has persuaded some laser printer manufactures to encode printed pages with identifying information that could be used to track the printer and the person who used it. Sure, we can all agree that counterfeiting is a crime, and it certainly needs to be prosecuted, but isn’t this going too far? What do you think? Should be libraries be doing something about this?

Curling up with a good mystery

Picture this, cup of tea, piece of cake, and you curled up on the sofa!  Doing what, you asked?  Reading a great mystery, that’s what!  Haven’t heard of any good titles?  Well do I have one for you!  Heard of James Patterson’s Alex Cross series? No? You don’t know what you’ve been missing.  One of my favorites is The Big Bad Wolf.  While this wolf won’t blow your house down, you may want to lock your doors and check your windows after reading.  Patterson’s characters jump off the pages right into your scary heart.  Enter in Dr. Alex Cross, detective and psychologist all rolled into one.  He’ll need both those skills to help solve the murders he encounters.  Will he be able to? I can’t give away much more of the storyline, but you can read all about the adventures of Alex Cross.  Where, you asked?  Snell Library that’s where.  Check him out, you won’t be disappointed.

Handing the Web Back to the Experts?

Here is an interesting Newsweek article suggesting that the Internet is beginning to move back away from the Web-2.0 phenomenon of user-generated content. (Just when some of us are getting excited about adopting Web 2.0 features!) The article explores the idea that Web users may now be more interested in seeking out expert opinions and reliable knowledge online. What do you think — what is the place of user-generated content versus expert knowledge on the Web?

After Restaurant Week

Mmmhmm, you had a wonderful experience at your favorite restaurant and now you feel, oh, a little bloated. Feeling a little pressed for time, maybe, with exams or work or just life in general. As a fitness professional (in addition to being a professional business librarian), I have heard just about every reason why you can’t work out – and it keeps me very busy in my time away from the library! In case you didn’t know, Campus Recreation offers a variety of options for helping you take off that little extra. If you need an extra push, beginning instruction, variety, or want to take it to the next level, they have personal training available at very reasonable rates. If you haven’t looked at their PT programs lately, take another look – they have a number of options available – some of their packages even include a group exercise class every week! If you want to learn something new in a group environment, you could sign up for one of their instructional programs (NU-OPPS) – try out hip-hop, swimming, or even hula hoop! These are short-term classes, so you can try out a variety of different programs. With all these opportunities to get moving, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t.

Year of the Frog

Someone asked me if I had heard about a rare and threatened New Zealand Maud Island frog that has been found to be breeding in the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary. Of course being a Kiwi I should have known about this but no it was new to me. So I did a Google search and found quite a few news items about this wonderful small little frog. It has started to breed again and this is wonderful as according to the article it wasn’t even doing that on its home island of Maud. The article also mentioned that this frog has eveloved little over the last 70 million years. Wow that is, well for want of a better word “mind blowing” that a species is here now and has been around for that length of time. These rare frogs do not croak, live in water or have webbed feet sorather different from your regular frog. But  Thirteen little froglets have been born and as this is the Year of the Frog what could be more wonderful. Keep on breeding Maud Island frogs.