Daily Thoughts 12/14/2011

Depiction of Joseph reading to the Pharaoh. Lawrence Alma-Tadema, 1878 Ebers, From the book, "Egypt: Descriptive, Historical, and Picturesque." Volume 1. Cassell & Company, Limited: New York, 1878. p 096b.

Daily Thoughts 12/14/2011

This morning, I updated the Facebook and Twitter accounts for the library.  I also checked the displays, checked the gift books, looked over the flyers, and printed some more bookmarks. 

We spent some time discussing the computers. Techsoup has some very good deals on software for libraries http://www.techsoup.org/ , especially for Microsoft products.

The computer lab is going to be open from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. for academic use.  More people are coming in for the lab lately.  A lot of them are from the computer classes on Tuesday nights.  We are installing Open Office in addition to Microsoft Office.

I am reading The Life and Legend of Jay Gould by Maury Kleint.  Jay Gould was known for being a robber baron and industrialist on the railroads in the 19th century.  We are going to read biographies of people who worked with the railroads as part of the biography book club for next month.

I put together the beginnings of a book display on trains, subways, and trolleys.  There is some information on old railroad lines in Westchester that have since stopped operating in the Local History Room which I hope to look at.

Significant Changes at the Mount Vernon Public Library
http://www.mvinquirer.com/mount_vernon_public_library_chan.htm

Web Bits

Ebooks Shmee Books; Readers Return to the Stores
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/13/books/steve-jobs-biography-and-other-hot-titles-bookstore-lures.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all?src=tp

For Amazon Lashes and Backlashes
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/14/for-amazon-lashes-and-backlashes/%20
Is it alright to be ambivalent?

A "New" Digital Divide
http://www.ors.ala.org/libconnect/2011/12/13/a-new-digital-divide/
I like to think there are a number of divides:
1) Access to computers and computer training.
2) Access to smart devices-- smart phones, tablets, digital cameras
3) Access to broadband internet and wifi
4) Access to electronic content-- databases, ebooks, and other electronic content like music and film.

Each of these divides adds to the ability to interact in the increasingly digital world.  I keep on trying to convince myself to buy a smart phone and a tablet.

Morning Thoughts

Al Capp War Bonds Cartoon, U.S. Government Poster (Sarah Palin could be Daisy Mae with glasses.)

Morning Thoughts

I walked up to my local library this morning. I picked up a couple of books, Yoga RX by Larry Payne, Ph.D. and Richard Usatine, M.D. and The Forty- Niners By Alan Moore, Todd Klein, Gene Ha, and Art Lyon. The Forty Niners is published by America's Best Comics, a company of which Alan Moore is one of the founders.

It has been pretty quiet right now. I returned a few books.

I've spent a little bit of time looking through Yoga RX, there is a specific section for yoga that deals with overweight people. The book is broken down into floor exercises for specific problems, asthma and allergies, back pain, hypertension, and other problems. I tried the floor exercises they suggested. They are all doable, I could probably add a few other ones and have a short workout which I could do every single day. I'm planning on walking a bit every single day. The illustrations are very clear and the language is easy to understand.

Earlier, I had said I was going to lose 5 pounds every two weeks for a while. There will be a point, I guess around midpoint where dieting will stop being that effective, and I'll have to do some light exercise. I don't want to lose too much too fast, because then I won't keep the weight off permanently. I've stopped eating candy and soft drinks. I'm replacing candy with nuts and plain seltzer water.

Green Thoughts

I've been buying inkjet printer refills from Walgreens lately. It saves a decent amount of money. It is half the price of buying a new cartridge. The process is very fast.

I like to think there are Five R's ; refurbish, remanufacture, reduce, reuse, recycle. The first two R's are industrial and they could be built much more strongly into our economy. It is the xerox model of service which most uses the first two very well, they refurbish and remanufacture many of their machines.

Congress and the public are becoming more enamored with trains. I have always preferred trains and subways for going short distances. (I am not that fond of buses). I also don't like driving that much. Trains are one of the major reasons I live in New York. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081101/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/passenger_trains_2

Morning Subway

I take the train

Rolling and rocking

Puts me to sleep