Tag: NY

The Near Future Of Smart Homes & National Geographic Offers Map That Shows The Earth With All The Ice Melted

Linda Reimer

The Near Future of Smart Homes: Right now we’ve got cool devices that make our “dumb” homes semi-smart! Items like the Belkin WeMo Home Automation Switch, which looks like an outlet you plug into an electric outlet and when you use it you can control whatever devices (i.e. lamps, coffee makers etc.) you have plugged into a switch and remotely turn that device on or off via your smartphone or tablet or the Nest Thermostat which also allows you to remotely, via an app, turn the heat up or down in your house.

However, homes are going to become even smarter in the near future. Imagine a home with connected display glass throughout it, just like you see on the Corning Inc. “Day Made of Glass” YouTube clips. You can be standing in your den and speak to the display  on the wall and say “I’d like to order take out tonight” and the interactive computer system will display local restaurants that offer take-out. And if members of your family are in other rooms of the house they’ll be able to see the information on the displays near them too. Or you can be making coffee in your kitchen and have a co-worker send you a text or video that appears on your kitchen counter and you can reply to that text or message while sipping your morning coffee. And you get the idea! This is cool technology that is coming soon!

If you haven’t seen any of the three longer “Day Made of Glass” clips here’s a montage of those clips that Corning posted to their YouTube page which shows off the cool, computer connected display glass that is coming in the near future to a home near you! The clip is titled “A Day Made of Glass Montage:”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iR7wx132REQ

And here’s a link to a Gigaom article titled ‘We need computer sight to make smart homes smart;” which offers more information on how homes will become smarter soon:

http://gigaom.com/2013/11/01/we-need-computer-sight-to-make-smart-homes-smart/

National Geographic Offers Map That Shows The Earth With All The Ice Melted: National Geographic has created a cool but frightening map of the world which shows both where the shorelines are now on all continents and where they will be if all the ice in the world melts. Here’s the link:

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2013/09/rising-seas/if-ice-melted-map

Have a great day!

Linda R.

References

A Day Made of Glass Montage. Corning Inc. (YouTube Channel). Online. Accessed November 4, 2013, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iR7wx132REQ

Higginbotham, Stacey. (2013, November 1). We need computer sight to make smart homes smart. Gigaom. Online. Accessed November 4, 2013, http://gigaom.com/2013/11/01/we-need-computer-sight-to-make-smart-homes-smart/

IF ALL THE ICE MELTED: Explore the world’s new coastlines if sea level rises 216 feet. National Geographic. Online. Accessed November 4, 2013, http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2013/09/rising-seas/if-ice-melted-map

 

Pandora’s Updated Android App, All Things D’s Walt Mossberg Recommends The iPad Air, Pandora For Chromecast & The F.A.A. To Allow Passengers To Use Wi-Fi Devices All Flight Long

Linda Reimer

Pandora’s Updated Android App: The popular music streaming service Pandora has released a new and improved app for Android tablets. The new app has upgraded options which include options to easily find out more information about an artist or song title that listeners like and the ability to tweak the song list played on a listener’s customized station. So if you have an Android tablet you might want to check out the new app or update your old Pandora app.

Here’s a link to a CNET article titled “New Pandora app woos Android tablets as Apple radio grows” that offers more information on the updated Pandora app for Android devices:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57609908-93/new-pandora-app-woos-android-tablets-as-apple-radio-grows/

All Things D’s Walt Mossberg Recommends The iPad Air: The Wall Street Journal’s All Things D senior personal tech guru Walt Mossberg has tried out the new iPad Air, which goes on sale on Friday, November 1st. And Mr. Mossberg, who has certainly seen a great many tablets in his career, said in his review that he not only likes the new iPad Air very much but to quote him that the iPad Air “is the best tablet I have ever reviewed!”

And of course, anyone who has read this blog for any length of time or who has encountered me in the library will know that I am a huge Apple fan.

Having said that for my two cents worth the best overall tablet experience includes the following general points:

  • How well a tablet operates
  • How many advanced features a tablet has
  • How often the tablet operating system is updated
  • The quality of the apps available for that tablet

And in my opinion, the best overall tablet experience today can be found by using an Apple iPad. I’ve owned an iPad since the day the first generation model was released in 2010. And I’ve now upgraded three times and have been equally pleased, with each upgraded model, with the performance of the iPad, the user friendly software that runs the iPad, the great variety and quality of apps available for the iPad and the ability to stream video content from the iPad to the HDTV in my living room.

And the new iPad Air is undoubtedly going to be even better than previous generations of the iPad not because Apple has added tons of new features but because they’ve simply made what was great about the iPad even better. The iPad Air has an upgraded the chip which makes it faster and more powerful, improved battery life; and it is much lighter than previous iPad models. In fact, the iPad Air is called the “iPad Air” because it is so light! The iPad Air weighs only a pound.  Previous generations of the iPad were all heavier and the 4th generation iPad weighed 1.44 lbs. so this new iPad is quite a bit lighter, has battery life that according to Walt Mossberg lasts 12 hours, runs faster and is more powerful than the last generation iPad because of the new chip it uses.  So if you’re interested in buying a tablet in the near future check out Walt Mossberg’s review and stop by the library and try out one of our iPads!

And without further ado here’s the link to Walt Mossberg’s video review of the new iPad Air:

http://allthingsd.com/20131029/speed-and-power-packed-into-a-thin-ipad-air/

Pandora For Chromecast: The Chromecast, which if you’re not familiar with it is a  cheap ($35), small flash drive sized device you plug into an HDMI input on your HDTV; and which once plugged in to your TV sends the video you bring  up on your tablet, laptop or smartphone to your TV with Wi-Fi, has just added the Pandora music channel to its list of supported video services you can stream video content from; the other video services are Netflix, Hulu Plus, YouTube, Google Play Movies & TV and Google Play Music.

And just to clarify, you can access any of the video apps previously mentioned through the Chromecast but you can also stream any video content you bring up using the Google Chrome web browser on your Internet connecting devices to your TV via Chromecast.

And here’s a link to a Tech Land article titled “Pandora Gives Chromecast Some Much Needed Tunes” that offers more information on the new Pandora music app for Chromecast:

http://techland.time.com/2013/10/31/pandora-gives-chromecast-some-much-needed-tunes/

The F.A.A. To Allow Passengers To Use Wi-Fi Devices All Flight Long: The F.A.A. has just announced that air plane passengers will shortly be allowed to use their Wi-Fi connecting devices in “all phases of flight.” However, cell phone use to talk or text will still be prohibited. The new F.A.A. policy is expected to be implemented for all U.S. airlines by the end of the year.

Here’s a link to a New York Times article on the subject titled “F.A.A. Allows Use of Electronic Devices Throughout Flights” that offers more information on the subject:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/01/business/passengers-to-be-free-to-use-electronics-on-flights-faa-says.html?_r=0

Have a great day!

Linda R.

References

McCracken, Harry. (2013, October 29). iPad Air Review: Apple’s Full-Sized Tablet, No Longer So Full-Sized: A whole new class of iPad — but instantly familiar and useful, too. Online. Accessed October 31, 2013, http://techland.time.com/2013/10/29/ipad-air-review/

Mossberg, Walt, (2013, October 29). Speed and Power Packed Into a Thin iPad Air. All Things D. Online. Accessed October 30, 2013, http://allthingsd.com/20131029/speed-and-power-packed-into-a-thin-ipad-air/

Solsman, Joan. (2013, October 30). New Pandora app woos Android tablets as Apple radio grows: The top online radio company rolls out a new version of its Android app designed specifically for tablets, tweaking it for bigger screens with more functions. CNET. Online. Accessed, October 30, 2013, http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57609908-93/new-pandora-app-woos-android-tablets-as-apple-radio-grows/

Wald, Matthew. (2013, October 31). F.A.A. Allows Use of Electronic Devices Throughout Flights. New York Times. Online. Accessed October 31, 2013, http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/01/business/passengers-to-be-free-to-use-electronics-on-flights-faa-says.html?_r=0

The Livescribe 3 Smartpen Sends Written Notes To Your iPhone or iPad, Advancing Prosthetic Technology & Read A Book For Halloween!

Linda Reimer

The Livescribe 3 Smartpen Sends Written Notes To Your iPhone Or iPad: There have been apps that you can use to take written notes on a tablet or smartphone for several years. However, the new Livescribe 3 Pen for the iPhone/iPad makes it easy to quickly transfer your handwriting to your tablet or smartphone; you first pair the pen with your iPad or iPhone via Bluetooth and then open the Livescribe app, turn on the pen and your notes display on your phone or tablet screen as you are writing them on a Livescribe physical notebook (they look like those spiral bound tablets we all used in high school).

Additionally of note, you can quickly convert your handwritten notes into text and share your written words with other by email.  The Livescribe 3 smartpen costs $149 and is used in conjunction with a Livescribe notebook. This is cool modern technology because people are always going to want to be able to write and draw and with this smartpen technology you can write notes and easily share them with others digitally. Support for Android devices is supposed to come soon so if you have an Android phone or tablet you should too be able to use this cool new smartpen in the near future.

Here’s a link to an Engadget article on the new Livescribe 3 smartpen:

http://www.engadget.com/2013/10/28/livescribe-3/

And another article on the same subject from the tech site The Verge:

http://www.theverge.com/2013/10/28/5035776/livescribe-3-smartpen-pen-and-paper-pixels

Advancing Prosthetic Technology: In the recent past if you lost an arm or leg the prosthetic replacement you received was probably very simple and might have consisted of a simple hook for a replacement hand or a simple foot and/leg prosthetic for a foot and/or leg replacement; but today all of that is changing. As our technology advances, prosthetics are becoming more high tech and more sophisticated using built-in computer controlled technology. These new high tech prosthetics not only look more like real appendages but also allows their owners finer motion control than was ever available with a prosthetic before. And in the not so distant future, as this technology advances and evolves, new high tech appendages may rival Luke Skywalker’s replacement arm seen in The Empire Strikes Back – because they will offer their owners the ability to actually feel with their replacement appendages and thus amputees will be able to use replacement limbs in the same way they would have used the limbs they were born with! This is cool upcoming technology!

Here’s a link to a Guardian article on the subject titled “The technology that puts the human touch into prostheses: The touch-sensitive technology used in smartphones is helping to create a revolution in artificial limbs:”

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/oct/27/technology-human-prostheses-artifical-limbs

Read A Book For Halloween! And you may well be wondering “What on Earth does reading a book to celebrate Halloween have to do with personal technology?” And the answer is: “Not a thing!” Unless of course you’re going to read a scary e-book to celebrate Halloween on your e-reader, tablet or smartphone!

I just thought it was cool that there is actually a movement afoot to encourage people to read scary stories and give friends and relatives scary books to celebrate Halloween. It seems that the author Neil Gaiman first suggested doing this in 2010 and it is starting to catch on!

And of course you can always check scary book out of the library too and read them to each other on Halloween evening!

Here’s a link to an InkyGirl blog posting on the give-a-scary-book-instead-of-candy-for-Halloween movement:

http://inkygirl.com/inkygirl-main/2013/10/28/all-hallows-read-give-a-scary-book-this-halloween-allhallows.html

And, in relation, here’s a link to an Oxford University Press blog posting & reading list of suggested scary/spooky stories for adults who wish to read in celebration of Halloween:

http://blog.oup.com/2013/10/halloween-reading-list-oxford-worlds-classics/

Have a great day!

Linda R.

References:

(2010, October 23). A Modest Proposal (that doesn’t actually involve eating anyone). Journal. Online. Accessed October 28, 2013, http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2010/10/modest-proposal-that-doesnt-actually.html

Lee, Nicole. (2013, October 28). Livescribe 3 smartpen digitizes notes straight to your iPad, starts at $150. Engadget. Online. Accessed October 28, 2013, http://www.engadget.com/2013/10/28/livescribe-3/

Shannon-Llittle, Lizzie. (2013, October 28). Oxford University Press’s blog. Online. Accessed October 28, 2013, http://blog.oup.com/2013/10/halloween-reading-list-oxford-worlds-classics/

Pierce, David. (2013, October 28). Livescribe’s beautiful new smartpen turns pen and paper into apps and pixels. The Verge. Online. Accessed October 28, 2013, http://www.theverge.com/2013/10/28/5035776/livescribe-3-smartpen-pen-and-paper-pixels

Ohi, Debbie Ridpath. (2013, October 28). All Hallow’s Read: Give A Scary Book This Halloween!  #AllHallowsRead. Inkygirl. Online. Accessed October 28, 2013,http://inkygirl.com/inkygirl-main/2013/10/28/all-hallows-read-give-a-scary-book-this-halloween-allhallows.html

 

 

 

 

Apple iPad Event Announced & Today Is Ada Lovelace Day!

Linda Reimer

Apple iPad Event Announced: Apple officially announced today that it is holding a press event next Tuesday, October 22 in San Francisco. Of course, Apple likes to keep the wraps on its new products and product upgrades until it unveils them so Apple didn’t say in the press invitations that it is actually going to launch an updated version of the iPad next Tuesday. Instead, Apple sent out invitations that feature multicolor elliptical shapes on the front and say on the inside: “We still have a lot to cover.” So it while it is almost a sure thing that Apple will unveil an upgraded iPad model on the 22nd they might also be unveiling something else but we will have to wait until October 22 to find out!

Here’s a link a to a USA Today article on the subject titled “Apple invites go out for Oct 22 event in San Francisco” which features a photo of the colorful invitation:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2013/10/15/apple-invite-oct-22/2986851/

Today Is Ada Lovelace Day! If you have never heard of Ada Lovelace before you’re not alone! I had never heard of her before today either. However, Ada Lovelace was a 19th century mathematician and she is credited with creating the first computer program!

When she was young Lovelace was encouraged by her mother to study mathematics and science as a determent to the romantic lifestyle of her father the famous poet Lord Byron. And Ada Lovelace Day is celebrated annually to both spotlight the contributions women have made to the math and science fields and to encourage young women to study and pursue careers in the math and science fields.

Here’s a link to a New York Times Bits blog article on Ada Lovelace Day:

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/15/a-day-to-remember-the-first-computer-programmer-was-a-woman/?ref=technology&_r=0

And a link to a biography of Ada Lovelace who was born Augusta Ada Byron on December 10, 1815:

http://www.biography.com/people/ada-lovelace-20825323

Have a great day!

Linda R.

References

Ada Lovelace. Biography. Online. Accessed October 15, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/ada-lovelace-20825323

Barr, Alistair. & Baig, Ed. (2013, October 15). Apple invites go out for Oct 22 event in San Francisco. USA Today. Online. Accessed October 15, 2013,  http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2013/10/15/apple-invite-oct-22/2986851/

Miller, Claire Caine. (2013, October 15). A Day to Remember the First Computer Programmer Was a Woman. New York Times Bits. Online. Accessed October 15, 2013,

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/15/a-day-to-remember-the-first-computer-programmer-was-a-woman/?ref=technology&_r=0

New Digital Catalog E-Books, Audio Books & Videos Available Now!

Linda Reimer

Our October order of new e-books, e-audio books and e-videos has just been processed and you can browse the following new titles in the STLS Digital Catalog!

And of course you can download e-books and e-audio books to your computer, smartphone or tablet.

The educational & children’s videos can currently only be downloaded to a Windows computer.

And without further ado here’s the list of new titles!

Audio Books:

3 Dozen Poems: From the Writer’s Almanac

Writer’s Almanac

A Boy’s Will by Robert Frost

Bird Songs in Literature: Bird Songs and the Poems They Have Inspired by various authors

Birds & Don’t Look Now by Daphne du Maurier,

Classic American Poetry by Emily Dickinson, Robert Lowell, Robert Frost, et. al.

Complete Sonnets of William Shakespeare   

Crucible Arthur Miller, Richard Dreyfuss, Stacey Keach, et. al.

Death in the 12th House: Where Neptune Rules; Starlight Detective Agency Mystery Series by Mitchell Scott Lewis 

Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises         

Faery Tales & Nightmares by various authors

Hemingway’s France: Images of the Lost Generation by Winston Conrad, Tom Parker

History Speaks – Volume 1: History Speaks Series, Volume 1 by various authors

Naked Lunch: The Restored Text by William S. Burroughs

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck,

Reign of Terror by David Andress

Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning: Best Loved Poems

Robert Browning: Selected Poems by Robert Browning

What Went Wrong? Western Impact and Middle Eastern Response by Bernard Lewis

E-Books:

An Account of Egypt by Herodotus

After Twilight by Dee Davis

The Anti-Christ  Friedrich Nietzsche, H. L. Mencken

April Queen: Eleanor of Aquitaine by Douglas Boyd

Bagombo Snuff Box: Uncollected Short Fiction by Kurt Vonnegut

The Bargain: Regency Series, Book 1 by Mary Jo Putney

Becoming King: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Making of a National Leader by Troy Jackson

Blind Justice: William Monk Mystery Series, Book 19 by Anne Perry

Break Point by Kate Jaimet

Carrying the Rancher’s Heir & The Cowboy’s Pride by Charlene Sands

Cat in Glass: And Other Tales of the Unnatural by Nancy Etchemendy

The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan

The Child in Time by Ian McEwan

The Children Of The Mist by Jenny Brigalow

Christmas Chaos by Jennifer Conner

Christmas Stockings by Karen Hall

Claudia Silver to the Rescue by Kathy Ebel

Cowboy Deputy & The Cowboy’s Secret Twins by Carla Cassidy

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: And Other Tales of the Jazz Age by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Dead Is a Killer Tune by Marlene Perez

A Deadly Draught: Microbrewing Mystery Series, Book 1 by Lesley A. Diehl

Death at the Alma Mater: St. Just Mystery Series, Book 3 by G. M. Malliet

Death of a Cozy Writer: St. Just Mystery Series, Book 1 by G. M. Malliet

Demigods and Monsters: Your Favorite Authors on Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series by Rick Riordan

Discourse on Method and Meditations by René Descartes

A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century by Barbara W. Tuchman

Earthbound by Richard Matheson

The Eternal Son  by Cristovao Tezza, Alison Entrekin

Everything the Bible Says About Angels and Demons: What Do Angels Look Like? Is Satan a Fallen Angel? Are Demons Real? Are Angels Sent to Protect Us? by Bob Newman

The Explanation for Everything: A Novel by Lauren Grodstein

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream by Hunter S. Thompson

A Forest Apart by Troy Denning

Gap Creek: A Novel by Robert Morgan

The Giant Among Us: Forgotten Realms: Twilight Giants Series, Book 2 by Troy Denning

The Hallowed Ones: Hallowed Ones Series, Book 1 by Laura Bickle

Hauntings of Williamsburg, Yorktown, and Jamestown by Jackie Eileen Behrend

The Histories Book 1: Clio by Herodotus

The Histories Book 2: Euterpe by Herodotus

The Histories Book 3: Thaleia by Herodotus

The Histories Book 4: Melpomene by Herodotus

The Histories Book 5: Tersichore by Herodotus

The Histories Book 6: Erato by Herodotus

The Histories Book 7: Polymnia by Herodotus

The Histories Book 8: Urania by Herodotus

The Histories Book 9: Calliope by Herodotus

A Holiday Fling by Mary Jo Putney

A Kiss of Fate: Guardian Series, Book 1 by Mary Jo Putney

Lauren Yanofsky Hates the Holocaust by Leanne Lieberman

The Link by Richard Matheson

Mage’s Blood: Moontide Quartet, Book 1 by David Hair

The Mammoth Book of How it Happened in Britain by John E Lewis

Midnight Sons Volume 2 by Debbie Macomber

Midnight Sons Volume 3 by Debbie Macomber

The Mom 100 Cookbook: 100 Recipes Every Mom Needs in Her Back Pocket by Katie Workman

Murder by Syllabub by Kathleen Delaney

Myths of the Afterlife Made Easy by Annamaria Hemingway

No Wind of Blame: Inspector Hemingway Series, Book 1 by Georgette Heyer

The Ogre’s Pact: Forgotten Realms: Twilight Giants Series, Book 1 by Troy Denning

One Wild Cowboy & A Cowboy to Marry by Cathy Gillen Thacker

The Perfect Christmas by Debbie Macomber

The Rationalists by Rene Descartes by Benedict de Spinoza, Gottfried Wilhelm Von Leibniz

The Road from Gap Creek: Gap Creek Series, Book 2 by Robert Morgan

Sam’s Book by David Ray

Sanctuary by William Faulkner

The Second Christmas Megapack: 29 Modern and Classic Christmas Stories by Reginald Robert, Mary Wickizer Burgess, Booth Tarkington

Shabanu by Suzanne Fisher Staples

Sheepish: Two Women, Fifty Sheep, and Enough Wool to Save the Planet by Catherine Friend

The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Gladys Malvern

Spirits of ’76: Ghost Stories of the American Revolution by Daniel W. Barefoot

Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative by Austin Kleon

This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Thunder and Roses: Fallen Angels Series, Book 1 by Mary Jo Putney

Thus Spake Zarathustra: A Book for All and None by Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, Thomas Common

The Time Ship: A Chrononautical Journey by Enrique Gaspar, Yolanda Molina-Gavil?n, Andrea L. Bell

Travels with Herodotus by Ryszard Kapuscinski

Valley of the Vanishing Men by Max Brand

Valley Thieves by Max Brand

Wake Up and Smell the Coffee by Eric Bogosian

The Wild Medicine Solution: Healing with Aromatic, Bitter, and Tonic Plants by Guido Masé

Work Hard. Be Nice.: How Two Inspired Teachers Created the Most Promising Schools in America by Jay Mathews

Videos:

All About Horses

Anchors Away (Paddington)

Benji’s Very Own Christmas Story                 

Christmas Blast

Dare Devil Bear

Franklin’s Christmas Gift              

Horse Crazy       

One Bear’s Treasure      

Princess And The Pony 

And here’s a link to the STLS Digital Catalog just in case you’d like to browse!

http://stls.lib.overdrive.com/AB2F119D-AC5F-4721-A66F-A09DD6A43F66/10/50/en/Default.htm

And if you have questions about the library e-book app — it is called OverDrive Media Console — please ask the staff at the library! We will be happy to help you put the app on your tablet or smartphone and walk you through the download free library e-book ropes!

Have a great day!

Linda R.

New iPads Being Unveiled October 22

Linda Reimer

Hi everyone, it is super, crazy busy in library land!

So here’s a very short posting to say that according to a CNET article Apple will be announcing new iPads on October 22.

Here’s the link to the CNET article:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57606589-37/apples-ipad-event-reportedly-set-for-october-22/

Have a great day!

Linda R.

Where To Find The .com key If Using iOS 7

Linda Reimer

Where To Find The .com key If Using iOS 7

Where To Find The .com key If Using iOS 7

Where To Find The .com Key in iOS 7: If you own an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch (5th Generation) and have just upgraded to the latest Apple mobile operating software iOS 7, then you may be wondering where the .com key went that used to be on the keyboard!

The .com key, which displayed when you were using the Safari web browser, used to be found at the bottom of the Apple keyboard under the letters.  And pressing this key allowed you to press one key to bring up online domain extensions including .com, .org and .edu– at least those are the Internet extensions you’ll see if you’ve got your keyboard set to display “English” – as your language.

And you’ll notice I’ve got the word “English” in prentices? That is because that just plain “English” keyboard setting probably should be termed “American English” and there are other keyboard settings including Spanish, Chinese, French and British English! So if you use the other keyboard language you’ll see the extensions and all the text display in the language you’ve selected – which is cool!

And I’m digressing in my technological enthusiasm!

The bottom line is that you can now access Internet extensions, so you don’t have to type out .com, .edu or .org, by holding down the period on your keyboard when you are using the Safari browser!

And if you’d like to see more pictures than the one included in this post check out the CNET article “Where to find the ‘.com’ button in Safari on iOS 7” – here’s the link:

http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-57602657-285/where-to-find-the-.com-button-in-safari-on-ios-7/

25 Cool House Cleaning Gadgets!: Being the kind of girl that loves technology but not house hold cleaning chores; I’m thrilled with an article I came across today titled “Best 25 Gadgets to Keep Your House Clean.” The article shows off cool circular robot-like floor cleaners (iRobot), circular cleaners for carpet-less floors that double as cat toys (Robomop), automatic cat box cleaners (LitterMaid), a high tech trash compactor (Broan) and a magic sanitizing wand (Clean Wave) that you wave over keyboards and other surfaces to clean them among other neat gadgets.

Now granted, some of these high tech cleaning gadgets are a bit on the pricey side – the Broan Trash Compactor, which is supposed to cut down the bulk of your trash by 75% costs $800! However, that cool sanitizing wand cost less than $100. And all the cleaning gadgets are cool!

The article is I came across that showcases all these neat house hold cleaning gadgets is titled “Best 25 Gadgets to Keep Your House Clean” and is from the TP (aka Technology Personal) website. Here’s the link:

http://techpp.com/2013/10/02/house-cleaning-gadgets/

Have a great day!

Linda

References

Tyrsina, Radu. Best 25 Gadgets to Keep Your House Clean. (2013, October 3). TP. Online. Accessed October 3, 2013, http://techpp.com/2013/10/02/house-cleaning-gadgets/

Cipriani, Jason. (2013, September 19. Where to find the ‘.com’ button in Safari on iOS 7. CNET. Web. Accessed October 3, 2013, http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-57602657-285/where-to-find-the-.com-button-in-safari-on-ios-7/

Mark Zuckerberg On Making Internet Access Available For Everyone & Unlocking Your Car Without A Key (Smartphone Required!)

Linda Reimer

Mark Zuckerberg On Making Internet Access Available For Everyone: Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has created a new organization called “Internet.org” in conjunction with tech companies Nokia, Qualcomm and Samsung. The goal of this new organization is to make Internet access available to everyone in the world.  According to Internet.org two thirds of the people in the world cannot currently access the Internet; and Zuckerberg and the other members of Internet.org are determined to change that fact.

Internet.org has released a three minute video featuring Mark Zuckerberg;  in which Zuckerberg notes that Internet access is a necessity for people today to be able to be innovative and creative and that the creativity and innovation of individuals can benefit humanity if those individuals have Internet access. Additionally, Zuckerberg offers some information on just how Internet.org intends to reach its goal of making sure all the people on Earth have Internet access.

I applaud the goal of Internet.org to make Internet access available for everyone across the globe!

Of course, access to information is a prime public library goal too. Public libraries exist to serve their patrons and one of the ways we do this is to offer patrons access to information contained in books and other printed material and information and resources they can access online. And with that information in hand our patrons can do all sorts of things including create a resumes to land a new job, learn how to create a new product and get a patent for it, write a book and self-publish it online, read public domain books, learn how to do algebra, learn more about history and much, much more. So here’s hoping that Internet.org is successful with their global Internet access project.  

Here’s a link to a Next Web article titled Mark Zuckerberg: How to make the Internet 100x more affordable by lowering costs and reducing data which offers more information on Internet.org and links to both the Mark Zuckerberg video and the Internet.org site:

http://thenextweb.com/facebook/2013/09/30/mark-zuckerberg-how-to-make-the-internet-100x-more-affordable-by-lowering-costs-and-reducing-data/

Unlocking Your Car Without A Key (Smartphone Required!): The Wall Street Journal offers a press release by the Voxx company. Voxx has announced that it has created a new keyless system for the Ford Motor Company. Customers who purchase select Ford Lincoln cars will be able to unlock their cars without a key. Instead of using a key the system allows car owners to unlock their cars with their smartphones via Bluetooth technology and an app called Lincoln Remote Access.

Being one of those people that locks myself out of my car on a regular basis; I find this new technology super exciting! Of course, I suppose I could leave my phone in my car with my keys but then I could simply pull out my iPad and use the Lincoln Remote App on it to unlock my car – if I owned a Lincoln Ford! I guess I have to still key track of my keys for the moment though…

Here’s a link to the Wall Street Journal webpage:

http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20130930-905573.html

And here’s a link to the iTunes webpage which tells you more about the Lincoln Remote App:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/lincoln-remote-access/id587055049?mt=8

Have a great day!

Linda R.

References

Young, Ken. (2013, September 30). Mark Zuckerberg: How to make the Internet 100x more affordable by lowering costs and reducing data. TNW. Online. Accessed September 30, 2013, http://thenextweb.com/facebook/2013/09/30/mark-zuckerberg-how-to-make-the-internet-100x-more-affordable-by-lowering-costs-and-reducing-data/

VOXX International Corporation Announces New Accessory Product Collaboration With Ford Motor Company. (2013, September 30). Wall Street Journal. Online. Accessed September 30, 2013, http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20130930-905573.html

New iPhones Go On Sale & Apple TV Has An Update

Linda Reimer

It has been another super, super busy day in library land so this will be brief tech blog posting to simply note that the new iPhones, the iPhone 5 S and the iPhone 5 C, have gone on sale today; and that if you own an Apple TV video streaming player there is a software update for it today that no doubt complements the new Apple iOS 7.

Here’s a link to a Verge article on the just-went-on-sale-today iPhones:

http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/20/4749888/iphone-5c-5s-begin-sale-in-stores-gold-numbers-limited

And a link to a Wired article regarding the new Apple TV update:

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/09/apple-tv-updated/

Have a great weekend everyone!

Linda R.

References

Baldwin, Robert. (2013, September 20). Apple TV 6.0 Update Brings iTunes Radio and AirPlay From iCloud to the Streaming Box. Online. Accessed September 20, 2013, http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/09/apple-tv-updated/

Kastrenakes, Jacob. (2013, September 20). iPhone 5C and 5S go on sale with gold in short supply (update). The Verge. Online. Accessed Septemger 20, 2013, http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/20/4749888/iphone-5c-5s-begin-sale-in-stores-gold-numbers-limited

Speculation In Advance of Apple’s September 10th Press Event, New People Magazine Subscribers Must Pay for Digital Access & Oyster’s E-Book Answer to Netflix

Linda Reimer

Speculation In Advance of Apple’s September 10th Press Event: Unless you’ve been out of communications range, you probably already known that Apple is hosting a press event tomorrow to unveil a new iPhone or two and possibly another product or two. Apple being Apple, no official information has been released about what products will be unveiled in advance of the event. However, it is a sure thing that Apple will unveil a new iPhone tomorrow and to complement that the next Apple mobile operating software iOS 7; whatever else Apple might unveil is open to speculation until tomorrow! Will they unveil a new iPad or iPad Mini, a newer Apple TV player, an iWatch? We’ll just have to wait and see to find out!

Here’s a link to an NBC News article on the subject of Apple’s September 10th press event, titled On eve of iPhone event, Apple rumors reach fever pitch, that offers a nice overview of the tech rumor mill speculation on just what devices and software upgrade features Apple will unveil tomorrow:

http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/apples-new-iphones-what-we-think-we-know-8C11095778

New People Magazine Subscribers Must Pay for Digital Access: People magazine has changed its offerings for new subscribers. In the past anyone who paid for a print version of People automatically received access to the digital version of the magazine which they could then read on their smartphones or tablets. But new print subscribers will no longer automatically receive access to the digital version of the magazine. Instead, and you just knew this was coming, they’ll have to pay more. The new print and digital subscription package is called “People Digital Plus” and it costs $112 per year; and on top of that if you want print copies of the magazine that will cost you $20 more. In contrast, the print only People subscription simply costs $112 per year sans digital access for new People subscribers.

Here’s a link to a paidContent article on the subject titled No more free digital access for People print subs: New options are $112 to $200 per year:

http://paidcontent.org/2013/09/09/no-more-free-digital-access-for-people-print-subs-new-options-are-112-to-200-per-year/

Oyster’s E-Book Answer to Netflix: Oyster is a young start-up company based in New York that is launching an unlimited access style subscription service for e-books. Think of it as a Netflix service for e-books. More than 100,000 e-books will be available on launch day and the books will be offered by several hundred publishers including: Houghton Mifflin, Melville House and Harper Collins. And subscribers will be able to read as many of those books as they can all for only $9.95 per month.

The subscription service will be available on Thursday for iPhone users via a first-come-first-served invitation basis.

You can request an invitation at the Oyster site found at:

https://www.oysterbooks.com/

And here’s a link to a Mashable article regarding the new Oyster E-Book Subscription Service titled Oyster Releases the First True Netflix-for-E-books App:

http://mashable.com/2013/09/05/oyster-launch/

And as a librarian I have to say the idea of a subscription service for e-books, added to the fact that right now if you “buy” an e-book most of the time you aren’t “buying” the e-book itself you’re buying a license to access the e-book; gives me pause.

I am somewhat ill at ease regarding the fact that unlike print books, which you can own and access forever, licensed e-books can be rather unceremoniously deleted from your Internet connected device by the publisher or the e-book store you bought the e-book from on behalf of the publisher whenever said publishers or e-book stores deem it right to do so – as when a contract between a publisher and e-book seller expires. I also dislike the idea that unlike a print book that goes out of print; if an e-book goes out of print or out of license – you may not in the future be able to read that book because unlike printed books there may not be any digital copies available to read. Granted as long as print books are mass produced this may not be an issue but the day is coming when most books, sans special editions, will only be made as e-books and then this will be a real issue.

Ah well, I guess we’ll see if subscription model e-books are the wave of the future or if we’ll still be buying or licensing e-books in years come.

Have a great day!

Linda R.

References

Choney, Suzanne. (2013, September 9). On eve of iPhone event, Apple rumors reach fever pitch. NBC News. Online. Accessed September 9, 2013, http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/apples-new-iphones-what-we-think-we-know-8C11095778

Fiegerman, Seth. (2013, September 5). Oyster Releases the First True Netflix-for-E-books App. Mashable. Online. Accessed September 9, 2013, http://mashable.com/2013/09/05/oyster-launch/

Hazard, Laura Owen. (2013, September 9). No more free digital access for People print subs: New options are $112 to $200 per year. Online. Accessed September 9, 2013, http://paidcontent.org/2013/09/09/no-more-free-digital-access-for-people-print-subs-new-options-are-112-to-200-per-year/