Friday, December 28, 2007

del.icio.us

Wow-this is neat! I love to explore all the tags because it brings me to many interesting sites that I would never have thought to explore. I loved the travel tag and I even found some new sites to buy big & tall man clothing for my son.! Hooray! I love del.icio.us!

WIkiWikiWeb--Wikis!!

In researching wikis I found the following information--the wiki is “the simplest online database that could possibly work”. Wikis work best in organizational cultures in which there is a high level of trust and control by the users of the system. I gathered that wikis basically is a way to manage knowledge. Knowledge management practices offer many benefits for libraries. They can help improve efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of information use within the organization and the librarians and administrators can carry out their work more effectively. I see this facilitating improved communication between all levels of the library . I think that libraries can be more competitive because in an era with constant change, it is a way to exhibit a rapid transfer of knowledge. This will provide better services to customers. Also, a library's employees will be able to make their knowledge about a specific subject matter or area of interest available to other librarians which would improve the overall service to customers.
Wikis seem to be extremely helpful in the library setting.

Library 2.0

In reading about Library 2.0, I feel strongly that it will enable more customers to use services in the comfort of their own homes. And that's what today's world is all about. I think it will meet more of the needs of people whether it is in the online world or the physical environment of the library. I believe it will allow more creativity in that people can comment and share thought and ideas which will enhance evaluation of library services and programs.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Rollyo is Great!

I created a search roll for Big & Tall mens clothing because I usually have to buy all of my 6'8" son's clothing and shoes online. It was great--I just put in Big & Tall and I got a search roll of about 13 online vendors. This saves me a lot of time going in and out of sites. The link is http://www.rollyo.com/dfarenga/.

Barbra Streisand - Somewhere (With IL Divo) 2006

I got the opportunity to see my favorite female vocalist on October 9, 2006. This was the most incredible concert and this song that Barbra sang with Il Divo was absolutely phenomenal!! I paid a lot of money for the tickets but it was worth every single dollar!!! And I'd do it again!

Podcasts

Well, I always wondered what my daughter was watching on her computer. Now I know! At 13, she is way ahead of me. I love searching for podcasts and I never realized that this "podcast" world was out there. I found it pretty easy to find something I was interested in.
I particularly like travel podcasts http://www.podcast.net/tag/travel.

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

WEEEEEE-I WANT ONE!!


I thought I would do another new technology post because I thought that this new gadget was absolutely phenomenal and I want one so bad!!

Here is the article:


I've been playing with the new Nabaztag for a few weeks, and I must say, this is one rabbit that'll keep you entertained for hours. As soon as I opened it, I headed to Nabaztag.com to configure my Wi-Fi settings so it could start updating me on everything. You see, Nabaztag is a Wi-Fi enabled bunny that can gather information from around the Internet, and reads it for you. If you want to know what's happening on your favorite blogs, you simply go to Nabaztag.com, add your favorite RSS feeds to your Nabcasts feeds, and it'll read the latest headlines every 20 minutes (you can change the frequency). That's only a fraction of what it can do. Once you become a Nabaztag owner, the customization possibilities are endless.
Nabaztag has been around since 2005, but was recently upgraded in 2007 with even more features than before. The latest version has a microphone on its navel so you can talk to your rabbit. Anytime you press a button between its ears, and give him a command such as "weather", it's quick to respond. You can send voice messages to other Nabaztag owners by speaking into its navel, as well.
Since the bunny has speakers, you can easily stream music or play podcasts you find on the Web for an unlimited time. It also has an audio output on his back so you can connect headphones or speakers, depending on your situation. If you're at work, you might want to keep him plugged to your headphones, but if you keep it at home, you can set it anywhere in the house so it can keep you updated on incoming email, weather, stocks, or news headlines. If you happen to own an iDog, you can plug him into Nabaztag so he too can read messages or play music.
I think the most interesting feature are the NabZtamps created so Nabaztag can "sniff" objects. The new Nabaztag has an RFID tag reader in his nose, so he can recognize objects embedded with NabZtamps stickers. Why would you want him to sniff objects? Well, you can assign an action or behavior to each stamp so the next time you wave, say for example a set of keys, he'll alert your personal friends when you get home or start reading your favorite Nabcasts. Making friends internationally is easy, since the little genius speaks 16 languages, including Spanish, French, German, Swedish, Dutch, Portuguese, and of course English.Not only does it communicate verbally, but it also communicates physically by moving its ears or visually by lighting up. What I love about this smart toy is the passion the Nabaztag-owning community shares. Most owners personalize their bunny by dressing it up in their own creations, or design new applications to give him even more functionality. These Nabaznauts have set up hundreds of websites, forums, blogs, YouTube channels, and they even have a Flickr stream going. Like I said, the entertainment is endless, which is why I took so long to write this quick review.
Which brings me to another point. While you may initially want Nabaztag to read all your favorite blogs, you'll have to be careful not to overload yourself. I had to turn it down a few times, because I needed to concentrate on my work or was on a phone call. I recommend you subscribe to only a handful of Nabcasts, or set it to sleep during your busiest part of the day. I especially think it's great that others can send messages to your bunny via widgets (it has a Yahoo! Widget) or by signing up for a Nabaztag account. Like I said, the possibilities are endless so you'll have plenty of things to discover and people to meet once you become a Nabaztag owner. If you want more details about this curious bunny, make sure you check out Nabaztag.com.

New Technology Device

I found this article in the New York Times Technology section. For anyone who has teens, this tracking device sounds wonderful!!!

Tracking Thieves, or Teens Technology, the Stealthy Tattletale
By CHRISTOPHER MAAG
Published: October 27, 2007

Initially, it seemed like an easy bank robbery. After stealing $7,000 from a PNC Bank in Evendale, Ohio, Kenneth Maples climbed into a white Ford pickup driven by his wife, Jewell, according to a police report. No dye pack exploded, no police sirens screamed in pursuit as the couple’s truck slipped into the anonymity of heavy traffic on Interstate 71 just after 10 a.m. on Sept. 14.
Two bank robbery suspects were arrested in Cincinnati after a device inside the stolen cash led police to them.
But the suspects never had a chance. A Global Positioning System tracking device had been tucked inside the stolen cash, according to the report, allowing a small army of local police officers and F.B.I. agents to follow the signal from on-ramps and overpasses as it moved south into downtown Cincinnati.
Police put up a roadblock, closing five lanes of traffic. As hundreds of vehicles stopped, police converged on the suspects’ truck, sitting just five cars behind the police line.
“It was incredibly precise,” said Mark Fisk, a Cincinnati resident who photographed the arrest from his delivery van, three cars behind the suspects.
A technological revolution is making it possible not just to track down escaping bank robbers but to find missing things and people far more quickly and precisely than ever.
The change is powered less by new technologies than the artful combination of existing ones, mainly the Internet, cellphones and G.P.S. satellites. In some cases, the new devices linked to these systems can even detect a theft before it happens.
“This stuff is coming down the pike very soon,” said Jim Van Cleave, vice president of Spectrum Management, which has developed tracking systems for commercial and covert uses since 1980. “The number of potential applications is mind-boggling.”
One new use is tracking teenage drivers. Brian Aladesuyi, 17, received a new Jeep in exchange for a promise: he would never drive it outside his hometown, Kennesaw, Ga. His father, Kayode Aladesuyi, chief executive of the security firm EarthSearch Communications, used EarthSearch’s Web site to map Kennesaw’s boundaries into the Jeep’s onboard computer, surrounding the entire city with an electronic fence.
But when his father took a business trip to Brazil, Brian decided to try his luck, Mr. Aladesuyi said. Brian drove to Marietta, a neighboring town. Seconds after Brian breached the invisible wall, his father received a text message on his mobile phone.
Mr. Aladesuyi sent a message commanding the computer to disable the Jeep’s engine as soon as Brian switched it off. When the Jeep would not restart, Brian had to call his father and confess he had broken their agreement.
“I don’t think Brian really understood I could do that from Brazil,” Mr. Aladesuyi said.
That tracking system became available this spring. The onboard computer costs $229, installation included, and the service costs $19.99 a month. Mr. Aladesuyi uses a similar EarthSearch system to disengage the engine of his own Mercedes E500 sedan, making it “virtually impossible” to steal, he said.
Like a host of other location technologies in the works, the money-tracking tools can trace their origin to an initially obscure rule, written into the Federal Telecommunications Act of 1996, which required that new cellphones be able to communicate their location to emergency responders whenever callers dial 911. Some companies planted chips in their phones that communicate directly with G.P.S. satellites. Others use cellular towers to triangulate the signal. With the location systems in place, a number of companies began working on other applications.
“There’s a lot of sexy stuff out there that’s just getting ready for prime time,” said David Mansfield, vice president of Raptor Analytics, a company in Longmont, Colo., that advises banks on security.
Banks began putting the technology to use about two years ago, Mr. Mansfield said. Harry Trombitas, the F.B.I. special agent who leads the bank robbery unit in southern Ohio, said that the G.P.S. devices allowed law enforcement officials to keep close track of missing money. “These things are pretty accurate,” he said. “They can get it down to within a few feet.”
Sometimes the technology allows property owners to detect a theft before it occurs. SC Integrity, a security firm in Bothell, Wash., uses G.P.S. technology and a database of shipping container thefts to safeguard trucking fleets.
If it finds a pattern of thieves stealing, say, cigarette shipments from a certain Texas truck stop, the company can load the coordinates into a G.P.S. module inside the trailer, creating an electric fence around the entire freeway off-ramp, said Denis duNann, the company’s chief executive.
If the truck exits anyway, trucking company dispatchers instantly receive an alert and phone the driver. If the driver lies about his location, dispatchers call the local police and alert them to a possible theft in progress.
“You can sit at your computer and watch him do a U-turn and get right back on the highway,” Mr. duNann said.
Many missing objects, of course, do not involve a crime. Project Lifesaver, a nonprofit group in Chesapeake, Va., fits Alzheimer’s patients and autistic children with radio frequency beacons disguised as bracelets, which help emergency responders find them if they are lost.
Next spring the group will introduce new bracelets, created by Locator Systems, a British Columbia company, that combine radio signals with G.P.S. and cellular communications. That should allow caregivers to establish a zone where patients can safely wander, said Jim McIntosh, the company’s chief executive. If patients wander off, emergency crews could receive more specific information.
But most of the work is aimed at recovering stolen property, potentially saving billions.
OnStar, the G.P.S.-based navigation system offered by General Motors, will start a “stolen vehicle slowdown” service next spring to help avoid dangerous high-speed chases. If an equipped vehicle is stolen, police can ask OnStar to send a wireless message to the onboard computer, cutting the engine’s power.
The driver, said Chet Huber, OnStar’s president, will have time to pull off the road safely. After that, the thief is on his own.
The Talking Business column by Joe Nocera, which normally appears on this page, will return in two weeks.

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Hi! I'm Purple!


Hi! I'm Purple!
Originally uploaded by tektsu
I found this beautiful photo through flick colr pickr! How cool is this!

Monday, October 29, 2007

Bahamas018


Bahamas018
Originally uploaded by D. Sheldon Photography
Two years ago my husband and I spent our 20th Wedding Anniversary in Nassau, Bahamas on Cable Beach. It was the most beautiful and relaxing vacation I have ever spent. Whenever life gets me down, I put myself back on Cable beach enjoying the early morning sunrises and the late night strolls on the gorgeous beach!

I DID IT!

After several attempts, I finally figured out how to set up a public access to my blog. Here is a link to my public Bloglines account: http://www.bloglines.com/public/dfarenga YEAH!!

RSS Feeds

I was very excited learning about how to set up a page with all of the websites I usually visit on a daily basis. With time always being a sparse luxury, it truly does save a lot of time! I also showed my husband how to set up a bloglines with RSS feeds and now it shortens his time on the time sitting at the computer and provides extra time to free me up with chores--LOL!
I think that RSS feeds can be use to publish any announcement from the library web site on activities, exhibitions, promotions and new library resources, especially databases. Also, it could be used to generate various kinds of book lists.
And Oh---I found it very hard to find out exactly what the initials "RSS" mean but I finally found it- it means Rich Site Summary-which now makes a lot of sense!
Another tid- bit of info I found in this article was that Google now gets more searches in 3 days than all libraries combined globally get in 1 year.

Saturday, October 13, 2007

BEAT THE BLUES WITH EXERCISE

Exercise is clearly associated with mental-health benefits. And moderate exercisers show lowered blood-pressure levels and a resultant positive mood. The key is moderate exercise, performed a minimum of 30 minutes, three or four times a week. Brisk walking, swimming, lifting weights, and bicycling - all achieve good results.
Walking is one of the best exercises. It helps the total circulation of blood throughout the body, and thus has a direct effect on your overall feeling of health. There are things such a aerobics, jogging, swimming and many other exercises which will benefit a person both physically and mentally. Exercise helps to ease anxiety and lift spirits. So get out there and enjoy the weather with a walk a day!

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

NUTRITION RULES TO LIVE BY

1. COME BACK TO EARTH!!! Try to choose the least processed forms of food. Fruits, veggies, and whole grains.
2. Eat BREAKFAST every day!
3. Eat smaller portions more often, spread evenly across the day.
4. Stay HYDRATED (.6 x body weight = ounces of water per day) by drinking only non-caloric beverages (water/green tea).
5. Include a LEAN protein source with each meal.
6. Choose foods, especially carbs, rich in FIBER (25-35g/day).
7. Eat fruits or vegetables with each meal. Green vegetables are key!!!
8. Exercise! Keep moving. It is important both physically and mentally.
9. Last, but not least. Get some rest. The body recovers and repairs when it is sleeping.

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Hi,
I am just starting to learn how to blog. I named my blog healthy living because I have acquired a new attitude in healthy living that encompasses the whole body experience that I would like to share with people and also I would like encouragment from people in my efforts along the way.