Google Labs

I looked into Google Trends, Mars, Sets and Transit. Trends - if I was a business it could be useful. Transit - Seattle is one of the cities served so that is a nice feature that makes it a little easier to find the bus you need. Mars - lots of psychadelic colors and very interesting pictures. Sets - a good party game (put in a series of things and it comes up with other things that would be in that group). I also noticed that Google Maps came out of this process. That is a very useful tool.

Online Software

I have tried both the Google and the Zoho software. I found Zoho a little easier to use. I had a very hard time finding how to get into the various software offerings and then how to save once I had. I didn't have the same trouble with Zoho. We actually used Writely, which I think has become the Google word processing, when we were moving last summer. We were living in a house that had neither telephone or internet service. My girls started school without the benefit of a computer. So we would go to the local library (Kitsap Co. - much, much slower internet based service than we have here by the way). They would do their work on Writely/Google and were able to keep up. It was great.

Library 2.0 - What If You Just Want a Book?

I have to confess that this reading was the best thing for insomnia I have found in a long time. I'm not proud of this fact. They are trying to find ways to make the library more exciting and relevant. At least the way they describe it was as boring and intimidating as it could be. Way too much jargon. I even had to go ask what OCLC was. I worry that while the powers that direct the changes in our library are busy trying to turn on a segement of the population they will be turning off and leaving behind another section of the population.

One of the pieces talked about how libraries needed to become teaching places. If by that he meant that it would need to be a place that could teach and model how to use all this new technology, I say amen. Yes, libraries should use technology and teach others how to use it. But don't give up on the library in the classic sense - yet. Keep it a place where people can interact in a real world with real people (story time, author readings, puppet shows, ESL classes). Do add the virtual community through Wikis, blogs, mashups, etc.

My Very Own Search Engine

I created my very own search engine! I used the Google Custom Search Engine since I already had the account there. Unfortunately I couldn't think of anything better to call it than "Wendy Search" http://www.google.com/coop/manage/cse?cx=013351726181681466838:ndiij1ylgge. My problem is I don't usually spend a lot of time on the web so I don't have many sites I go to very often. I am caught in the public radio rut. This means I really must spend more time looking into using the web as a resource. It's a question of how you want to use your time. Or maybe I could be better informed in less time if I would put some time into finding resources.

There definitely could be some uses for the reference staff. Search engines about books, fun facts, word derivations, homework resources - all could be a little more pointed than the blunt tool of an all encompassing search engine.

Image and Text Generators

Ta da! Here is what happened when I put the picture of myself and my daughters through the "Warholizer". Pretty cool. I recently saw a picture in the PI in their collection of seasonal "Peep" pictures and there was one of a bunny peep just like this and I bet they did it with this "Warholizer". Is that cheating?

Wikis

First, I had no idea that wiki was anything other than quick in Hawaiian and a part of the pervasive Wikipedia. I can see these would be very useful for sharing procedures and materials that coworkers find work well and are useful. It doesn't seem terribly different than a blog. While content cannot be changed, you can comment and elaborate. I find the aspect of anyone being able to change an entry a bit unnerving.