Amazing! Google's self-driving car allows the blind to drive

"This is some of the best driving I've ever done," Steve Mahan said the other day. Mahan was behind the wheel of a Toyota Prius tooling the small California town of Morgan Hill in late January, a routine trip to pick up the dry cleaning and drop by the Taco Bell drive-in for a snack.
He also happens to be 95 percent blind.
Mahan, head of the Santa Clara Valley Blind Center, “drove” along a specially programmed route thanks to Google’s autonomous driving technology. Look, ma! No hands. And no feet!” Mahan jokes at one point in a video of the event, posted online Wednesday by Google. “I love it,” he added.
Google announced the self-driving car project in 2010. It relies upon laser range finders, radar sensors, and video cameras to navigate the road ahead, in order to make driving safer, more enjoyable and more efficient -- and clearly more accessible. The search engine giant was awarded a patent on the system in December. In a Wednesday afternoon post (March 28, 2012) on Google+, the company noted that it has hundreds of thousands of miles of testing under the belt, letting the company feel confident enough in the system to put Mahan behind the wheel.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/03/28/amazing-google-self-driving-cars-allow-blind-to-drive/#ixzz1qYCZayNg

Google Play and Google News

Google has a new tab called Play. Just click to find lists of the top seller movies, books, music and android aps. Once you find one your interested in, you can find additional information and reviews.
Also don't miss the Google News tab. There you will find Links to top stories of the day.

Got Google Ap?

One of the best aps for your smart phone is the Google ap because of the microphone feature. Just touch the icon of the microphone and say your search term. It works!

That Pesky SouthGlenn Public Wi-Fi

If you're like me you may have noticed that SouthGlenn Public Wi-Fi seems to trump the ALDHotSpot Wi-Fi. Which wouldn't be a bad thing except it doesn't actually allow you to access the internet. Not only have I found this to be an issue with laptops but also with my iPhone. I will connect to ALDHotSpot and suddenly the Wi-Fi network is back to SouthGlenn Public.

So how do you get rid of that pesky network? On your iPhone go into Settings - click on Wi-Fi - click on the blue arrow to the right of SouthGlenn Public - at the very top click Forget this Network. From now on your phone will not automatically join that network!

Navigate the Denver Botanic Gardens

The Denver Botanic Gardens has a great new tool for visitors and gardeners, Gardens Navigator. You can access it from home or on your mobile Web device at the Gardens. Some of the things it can tell you are what's currently in bloom at The Gardens, where specific plants are planted there, what has a good chance of being in bloom during a certain time period. There are lots of photos and descriptions. There's also the Virtual Expedition feature where visitors can take tours guided by staff. You have to bring your smartphone or other device with you to The Gardens but if you don't have one you can still view the sight in their library or near the entrance to the Conservatory. Just go to http://www.botanicgardens.org/.

Gardening Apps now that Spring has Sprung

The New York Times had a recent article about apps for gardeners. It is pretty in depth, comparing and discussing the helpful aspects of each. Here's the link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/22/technology/personaltech/a-review-of-apps-for-gardeners-and-landscapers.html?_r=1&src=me&ref=technology#

The article did not tell us whether this warm weather will last, or if we will yet have a freeze... Maybe we should still wait for Mother's Day to do our planting!

Other Tech Blogs!

The Community Libraries - Southglenn and Castlewood - are not the only ones with a Tech Blog. Check out those for May and the Neighborhood Libraries. (Find them under "Branches" on Staffbook the way we get into our's.) More for us to know and help our patrons!

"A Novel With Music"

Jody was putting out express books the other day when she came across the book called Roam A novel with music by Alan Lazar. She showed me the book and the Microsoft Tags on certain pages. The book has a 7 part piano soundtrack that was composed by the author. I then went ahead and downloaded Microsoft Tag App to my iPhone to see what would happen. Once the app is loaded onto your smart phone you scan the Tag and it pulls up a youtube video that will play
the song that fits that chapter or section of the book. It was very easy on my phone to download the app (I just went into the iphone's app store and searched for Microsoft Tag) and the book even gives you the website to download the app and how-to directions. Both Jody and I had never seen anything like it before and it is quite a neat idea to combine music and reading!Authors and publishers just keep on surprising us, I wonder how this would work on an eReader like the Ipad or a tablet?!

online Denver Post

A patron had trouble viewing the Denver Post. I found their brochure to help view their website at home. The directions to help if you are having trouble viewing the most current day's paper is: 1: Click on Tools 2: Internet Options 3:General - Browser History 4. Click Delete 5. Click Delete Files - this could take awhile 6.Delete Cookies - wait a short while. 7.Close. Following these directions helped our patron be able to view the Denver Post. These directions seem to be helpful for patrons if they are having trouble getting onto our website at home too.

Lost and Found

Losing valuables while traveling is a sure way to ruin your trip. Take this step to increase the chances your lost items make it home safely. Record serial numbers before you leave.Label items with contact info or use tracking services such as ImHonest.com. (starts at $15.00/ year). You'll get stickers with a toll-free number for finders to call. I found this website in Money magazine, April 2012, page 22.

Real Simple's No-Obligation Book Club

Join the easiest book club ever: no pressure, no obligation.

You love curling up with a classic novel. You love talking with friends about the latest Jodi Picoult bestseller. But you can't stand the obligations of a book club. (What time? What place? Who's bringing the chip dip?)

That's why http://realsimple.com/bookclub has started the No-Obligation Book Club.

No time frame, no deadlines, no obligations: just the pleasures of reading good books, as suggested - and lead - by Real Simple editors. The goal is to get the benefits of a book club...without feeling overwhelmed by rigid schedules.

As many times as I have looked at Real Simple (every month!), I did not know they had this book club. They also have a feature each month about books that matter most to you. Go to http://realsimple.com/bookclub to answer the monthly book questions and to share your most memorable reading experiences with other RealSimple.com users.
So far this year they have featured:
January - What book helped you break a bad habit?
February - Who is your favorite fictional couple?
March - What book brightens your mood?
April - What author do you admire most?

I am adding this website to my list of readers advisory tools when asked about book clubs and/or good reads!

On The Lighter Side of Technology

If you are like me and do not have a Smart Phone yet, you may OR may not find this advertisement helpful when selecting a phone and service plan that might work for you.

http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/verizon-ad/1384573

This "advertisement" just reinforces in me that I need to have patience and understanding when working with patrons who are not familiar with all the "techno terms" and language.


And when you're finished shaking your head on that one, watch Katie Couric as she "investigates the sillies".

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/ea1eba8b33/katie-couric-investigates-the-sillies

Obviously, Katie has not attended one of our awesome Story Times here at ALD!

Hacked Email?

If you are still getting all the emails from real estate to Canadian pharmacies or friends say they are getting those same emails from you, it's likely not your computer being hacked, but your email service provider such as hotmail or gmail by guessing your email address & password. The hackers have software that will retrieve your email address from another victim and run password cracker programs to guess your password. From there they look into your sent and deleted folders for addresses you sent message to. When passwords are being set for an email acct., it's much better to choose something cryptic, using numbers and uppercase characters, etc. If the password is in the dictionary or a variation of an actual word, it's not a good password.
I found this to be good information when patrons are setting up email accts. or changing their passwords and think the simplest or shortest PW is the best.

Freegal is not available to Aurora Limited Patrons

Did you know that Freegal is not available to our Aurora Limited Patrons? I just learned that after browsing the May Library tech blog.

short story ebooks

A patron asked me about a new book available only on ebook for Lisa Gardner. After checking Google, I discovered that she wrote a short story only available by ebook called '7th Month'. This ebook was released in January 2012. We do not have this ebook in our collection, and it looks like authors are now writing books to be downloaded only onto ereaders and not available in print. This could be a new added income for them.

Prospector Hold Locations Available

It is now possible to view the location for a Prospector Hold pickup. This eliminates the need to call around to other branches to determine where a received Hold is. In the patron record the INN-Reach tab still only shows the status of the Hold for example; Prospector Requested, Prospector Received, etc. However, if you click on the regular Holds tab you can see the branch location where the item is awaiting pickup.

Kindle Singles

Have you had any patrons asking about something new for the Kindle:
Kindle Singles?
Kindle Singles are something of a cross between a magazine and a book. The subjects of the "Singles" can be anything from current events, such as the crash of the Costa Concordia or the scandal surrounding Joe Paterno, as well as other fiction and non-fiction subjects. Amazon isn't the first or the only company to sell "eBooks" of this length, but they seem to be trying to find the best of the best that's out there as well as producing their own "Singles". What's nice about these "Singles" is probably the low cost, usually in the $2.00-$3.00 range. There are even some big name authors writing some of these new "Singles", including Stephen King, Ann Patchett, and Amy Tan. Because "Singles" are a new form of eBook, the quality out there are kind of hit or miss. The following NYTimes article may give you a better idea of how the public feels about these new "Singles".

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/07/books/kindle-singles-genre-between-magazine-articles-and-books.html?_r=1&pagewanted=2&partner=rss&emc=rss

Best homework help for kiddos

Recently I have had parents coming in to find non-fiction books for kiddos for research projects. After I help them find their book, I have been adding a quick 'how-to' to accompany our research databases, particularly the ones geared for elementary kids. So many parents are smiling and relieved after learning our databases provide another avenue for their kiddos to do their research homework.
95% of parents do not seem to know how easy it is to use our databases for homework help geared just for kids.
After going to the main web page and navigating to databases, choose alphabetical listing, then choose a link geared for the elementary ages. Parents are delighted to see that full text articles just for kids can be accessed and printed and then used as a research resource.
Sometimes keeping it simple is best. Our databases are free and can access reliable sources that often times Google cannot.

Reader's Advisory..in a pinch

When choosing a new book to read or helping a patron pick a new book or author, the website www.Goodreads.com is solid choice. You can just visit the website or you can choose to become a member. You can go to Goodreads and enter an author, book, or genre and it will give you reliable reviews from folks who love to read. Goodreads also has a list feature called listopia that helps in choosing books by genre, or most popular choices. It is also handy to find series information or to quickly view work by a favorite author.

When you draw a blank on an author, or need a quick reliable tool for reader's advisory, try www.goodreads.com the next time you are working on the floor!

SPRING IS THE SEASON FOR HOME IMPROVEMENT. HERE IS THE BEST IDEA WEBSITE!

This past week I had 3 patrons come in on the same day looking for home improvement idea books. One was wanting to redo a patio wall by covering it in moss (before the high school graduation party). One wanted ideas on remodeling her fireplace. And one is in the middle of remodeling a bathroom. (I could totally empathize with the last patron since I have been in the middle of a bathroom remodel for the last 9 months!) These books are a bit scarce at SG. But the best website is houzz.com . Your patrons will find tons of great ideas without a sales job. They can browse by style and space. I set up an "ideabook" for my bathroom so I can refer back to it. Great ideas are submitted by designers, architects, contractors, and homeowners. Click on the products or discussions tabs and prepare to be blown away by the wonderful creativity of everyday homeowners - and not just the rich ones.

Deleteing a purchased B & N Nook book

It is possible to delete a purchased B & N Nook book from your Nook. Go into your account on the B & N website. Before deleting the book from your B & N account be sure your Nook is turned on and Wi-Fi is engaged. Once the book is gone it is gone forever unless you purchase it again. B & N suggests that books that are no longer wanted be archived in case you want to retreive them.

40+ "Secret" iPad Features

Hello friends, I'm new to the block, so if I repeat what someone has all ready posted about...well, I apologize!

If you have never visited appstorm.net yet, I recommend it. This site rates different apps, generally those that receive over a 6, as well as various apps put out by Apple. Recently, however, they put out a series of 40+ Tips/Secrets/Tricks for macs, web apps, the iPhone, iPad, Android and Windows!

I am not a lucky iPad owner (unfortunately!) but the tips provided on this site have given me lots of helpful ideas for patrons. For instance, did you know that if you hold down a letter on the keyboard a variety of unusual characters and symbols will pop up for you to choose from (same as your iPhone)? Or that triple clicking the home key is configurable? Or heck, that you can pinch with five fingers to return to the home screen? Have a look and use it for a reference later!

http://ipad.appstorm.net/roundups/utilities-roundups/40-super-secret-ipad-features-and-shortcuts/

Computer for $35

The future of computing, here we come! The new Raspberry Pi computer just came out this month and it is selling out faster than you can blink. Why? "Raspberry Pi is a credit-card sized computer that plugs into your TV and a keyboard" at just the cost of $35. Just like a desktop computer, it's capable of creating spreadsheets, word-processing, and playing high-definition videos and games. The second generation had two USB ports, Ethernet cable, and as with all new technology, developers expect to create wifi accessibility and a case in later generations. So the next time someone complains about the cost of computers, recommend a Raspberry Pi.

Google Goggles

Eating in a German restaurant and can't recall what type of fruit a "Birnen" is? Driving through another state and forgot the name of the famous landmark you've passed by? Or, maybe see an image of an artwork on a TV show and want to know who painted it? The Google Goggle apps is a quick and easy way to find out what you're looking at and have the object/place identified or language translated. Just snap a picture with your phone and the app instantly recognizes the image and bring up relevant search results. This is great on the road or for patrons trying to identify countries or landmarks for a homework assignment.

Printing Meeting Room Schedules

I have noticed that sometimes when printing the Meeting room schedules they are slightly over one page or multiple pages and then it makes it hard to see the full day's schedule when they are put in the holders. I went into print preview and found that instead of the setting "shrink to fit" that choosing between 80% and 90% both pages will show up on one page. This also makes it easier to look for meetings at the different pods, a quick glance and not flipping through several pages to find the event. Also, if you go into the print settings and select "print pages" and "page 1" it won't print the extra blank page that follows. It's a great way to help save paper and a tree!

Num Lock on Mac

Is the number keypad at your computer not working? I had this come up the other day with a staff and a patron computer. There is not a Num Lock key on Mac keyboards. Click on the Shift and Clear keys or Alt/Option and Clear keys at the same time. This will turn the keypad on or off.

New "Ultrabook" computers

Computers haven't just been sitting on our desktops for a long time. Laptops, netbooks, tablets, and even smart phones are computers. The newest version is an "Ultrabook". An Ultrabook has these characteristics:

- very quick startup, under 7 seconds
- long battery life
- less than .82 inch thick (that's VERY thin!)
- enhanced security
- powered by Intel

Intel trademarked "Ultrabook", so Apple is calling their ultra-thin the "MacBook Air" and it's selling fast. Acer, Asus, HP, Lenovo, and Toshiba all have versions of these thin and light laptops, also.

ALD Mobile

Within 2 hours of the ALD Mobile poster standing in our library, a patron asked me how to access the code. She did have a smart phone, but didn't know how to scan. I told her about the QR code reader app. which she found was already loaded onto her phone, but didn't know what it was for. I showed her the process of turning her camera on the code, translating it into the website.
She was sure she could figure it out after that. I imagine we will be getting more questions along that line since the codes are everywhere and especially since it's another cool way for our patrons to access our information. I was glad I had asked about this process at the Verizon store a couple of weeks ago.

New Generation iPad

If you haven't heard by now, the newest generation iPad was released today. It is pretty similar to the iPad 2, but the major updates include a super high definition retina display, a faster processing chip, a better built in camera, HD video recording, and 4G LTE network access on certain models. Tech jargon aside, I think that the most relevant news to the library world is that they will continue to sell the iPad 2 for a reduced price. This may mean more patrons could afford to purchase them and use them for audio and ebook downloads among other things. It also means software updates are coming- if you have issues with an iPad in the coming weeks I would suggest updating their device to patrons. The new toy rolls out on March 16th.

http://www.apple.com/ipad/

Get Rid of a Blank Page in Word

I had a patron who had a blank page at the end of her word document, and she could not figure out how to get rid of it. Here is how you do it: While on the home tab, click on the paragraph symbol ¶, located in the top right corner of the paragraph section. This will then show any paragraph marks or other formatting symbols (including page breaks). You can then locate the page break at the bottom of the last page you want on the document. Delete this page break, and this will get rid of that pesky blank page at the end of the word document. Then click on the paragraph symbol again, and all marks will be taken away.

Random House Ups Ebook Prices to Libraries

Random House, a "Big Six" publisher has announced that they will increase ebook prices for libraries to purchase, in some cases as much as 300%. The ongoing struggle between publishers and libraries keeps getting uglier as libraries struggle to provide their patrons with the newest formats for books, and publishers keep getting skittish about maintaining a profit on their digital titles. This article may be something you can share with patrons upset by the lack of availability of ebooks.

Pinterest

The newest social media platform is called "Pinterest," and it's very pinteresting! An online pin up board of sorts, Pinterest allows users to share all the wonderful, crazy, funny, or interesting things they find on the internet. Pinterest, like most social media sites, aims to connect people who share similar interests and spread ideas. Their mission is simple: "Our goal is to connect everyone in the world through the 'things' they find interesting. We think that a favorite book, toy, or recipe can reveal a common link between two people. With millions of new pins added every week, Pinterest is connecting people all over the world based on shared tastes and interests."

Can I lend my Kindle book?

Andy Vuong of the Denver Post says yes. You can find out if you can by checking the Product Details section of the book's page on Amazon. If you can it will be labeled "Lending Enabled". You can click on the "loan this title" link on the Manage Your Kindle page or from the product page of a book already purchased. Once clicked you can send a message to the loanee. They can read it on their Kindle or from a Kindle app. It's their's for 14 days but you can't read it at the same time. Andy referenced an amzn site but I found the easiest way to find more info is simply to Google "Lending Kindle Books", there's an easy step by step example.

HP TABLET BLOWOUT

A bunch of us at SG and Jen Kolic worked on this today. A patron came in with a new HP tablet. Apparently we may see lots of these because customers could recently get them for cheap - hundred bucks. We could not find an Overdrive app for her to download, her Kindle app showed "beta", and the ALD website does not list the HP as a compatible device. Frustration was mounting. It looks like HP uses WebOS operating system. Apps are downloaded from the app gallery at "webOS Nation". The e book app is called P-reader.
Bottom Line: get ready for some of these devices (and their patrons) asking for help - and be prepared that not all the kinks are worked out.

Knew It Was Coming

Did you know that you can now file your taxes on your smart phones and tablets?  Download the app Turbo Tax Snap Tax for iphone or droid.  Use the camera on iphone to snap a pic of your W-2 form, answer a few questions and submit.  The app is free but it costs to file your taxes($14.00).  Also go into IRS2GO to find out the status of your refund.  What will they think of next!!

Keep Track of Your Workouts

Like to keep a record of how far and fast you have run or bicycled?  You can keep track of your speed, distance and time you have worked out by downloading an app to your phone titled IMAPMYFITNESS.  This app will also keep track of the calories burned for each workout.  My daughter runs marathons and keeps track of everything she does so she can see if there is an area that she needs to work on to improve.  You can also use your phone as a pedometer-just download the app-Pedometer and carry the phone in your pocket and it will count your steps.

DRINKS CALCULATOR

Are you planning a Summer Wedding, Graduation party or March Madness party? Do you or a patron you are helping need help with knowing how much booze to buy?

evite.com is a quick resource to help. The easiest way is to google "drink calculator" and evite is the first on the list.

The guy at my liquor store tells me this is the most accurate calculator and all of the liquor industry uses it.

(And yes, the wedding plans for my daughter are proceeding nicely - thanks for asking!)

Downloading to a KIndle

On Monday, Feb. 27 the Denver Post has an article on downloading a purchased book onto a Kindle. The reader had purchased a three-book package on her Kindle but only the first book downloaded.

Three possible reasons from Steve Alexander of the Minneapolis Star Tribune were 1) the battery may be low, 2) poor wireless coverage in a the area, and 3) the Kindle has not been turned off recently. Solutions he mentioned are 1) charge the battery, 2)move to another area where WiFi may be better or near to a window or outdoors, and 3) turn the device off, then on again.

If none of these work he suggested finding more advice from Amazon at tinyurl.com/6nxmztq. Or there is a one-year warranty on the device.

Spotify

Spotify is a music service that I recently learned about, downloaded on to my computer, and I love it! Spotify is a music community of sorts that enables the user to browse and listen to an extensive shared music library with its other users. Almost every song you could imagine is available on spotify (thanks to other users) and almost every album or song can be listened to in its entirety with scrubbing so you can jump to the part of the song you want at any time.

It is a free simple software download for MAC or PC (there are mobile versions but those require a subscription service). It is an excellent service comparable to Pandora or other Internet radios- but the advantage is that you can skip an unlimited number of songs and create your own play lists to share with others.

It integrates with Facebook (of course) and one of my favorite features is sending a track to another spotify friend with a message. I think this could be a great resource to share with patrons so they can find new music, listen to entire CDs, and then seek out these items from us. The software would most likely have to be installed each time if the patrons want access on our computers, however.

http://www.spotify.com/us/start/?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=start