Cinephile Femme

Task #10 (and, in the end, the love you take is equal to a gift card)

2012-01-02T14:55:00.000-08:00

This new website is an improvement on pretty much every level. My favorite change, is that the library blog (for which I write) is now very prominent, though I don't so much like that no credit seems to be given to the individual writer (of which I am one).

Seriously, though, this design is great, and much more user-friendly.

Task #9 (The Feng Shui in here is wiggy)

2011-11-28T16:01:00.000-08:00

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome.

Top 5 Theoretical Courses

1. Bartending and Mixology 101
2. Humor Writing 101
3. Feng Shui 101
4. Handwriting Analysis Basics
5. Fashion Design 101

Wait List

Abnormal Psychology 101
Haunted Places 101

Task #8 (Yo no hablo español)

2011-10-20T13:50:00.000-07:00

I answered two questions wrong on the quiz. I won't specify which ones, except that they included counting (no surprise that I work in a library).

On another note, this Spanish LibGuide rocks! Kudos to you, Grace. I think this will prove most helpful to someone like myself, who took one year of Spanish, once upon a time, and now can pronounce just about anything in Spanish, but understands just about zero.

Task #7 (Is it real, or is it Memorex?)

2011-09-23T16:26:00.000-07:00

I've been aware of Google Docs for a good long while, and though I have not gotten around to using it myself, I have recommended it to patrons who are without Microsoft Office -- it's free and it works, so what's the problem (aside from a possible lack of security, but, hey, what's life without risk)?
Dropbox was a new concept for me, and what can I say? It's awesome, surprising, and a little creepy, like I'm living in 1984 again.

Task #6 (Helping Patrons, or "that thing I frequently forget I'm here to do")

2011-08-12T16:34:00.000-07:00

I'm pleased to note that I am not below the bar, and got 100% of the answers correct -- I'm pretty sure that this is due to the multiple choice options, however, which demonstrated great judgement in their humor.

A patron asks you which title is number two of the Twilight series. You...

A. ... tell them that New Moon is number two, Eclipse is number three, and Breaking Dawn is four, then wonder why this is committed to your memory.

B. ... Google it!

C. ... look it up on NoveList Plus or KDL's What's Next.

D. ... show our patron how they can look it up through our website, at NoveList Plus and/or KDL's What's Next.

Extra Credit 2 (A Google a day keeps the patience away)

2011-08-02T10:27:00.000-07:00

I like the idea of a different Google question every day, but today's question -- If Paul Revere had ridden a bike to Lexington on today's bike paths (including the Minuteman Commuter Bikeway), about how many minutes would his famous ride have taken from his starting point? -- sent me on a wild goose chase. I guess that's the point, but after several attempts, I did not come up with their answer (67 minutes), and I was left wondering how they could even calculate this. Did they factor in the amount of weight Paul Revere could bench press, or what?

Anyway, since I failed in getting the right answer, I probably don't deserve credit, but I will take an extra entry for the gift certificate, if you please.

Task #5 (No more Chilton blues.)

2011-07-11T14:51:00.000-07:00

It was crazy easy to use Chilton -- I don't know why anyone would want to slog through those massive books taking up space on our shelves. Unfortunately, though, it seems the only help for my sad, slouching passenger side mirror is to continue to ignore its presence, as I did long before it started threatening to drop off.

BTW...

2011-06-17T15:57:00.001-07:00

... I am now writing for the library's own blog, Checked Out -- one more reason to read something that everyone is already following... right?

Task #4 (Take a bite.)

2011-06-11T15:14:00.000-07:00

If I were in the market for an eReader, I would probably go with the iPad, for a few simple reasons: 1) I love me some Apple (suck it, Bill Gates!). 2) I am powerless against all the purrrty cover options. 3)The iPad is good for a bunch of things other than eReading, and eReading is at the bottom of my to-do list.

Now, with my fictitious iPad, observe as I download Overdrive from the App Store, add Marmot Library Network as a website, and find myself a book.

Task #3 (Truly, truly, truly outrageous!)

2011-05-13T10:32:00.000-07:00

Even with the video, my navigation through this useful resource was about as clear as a muddied lake.

Still, I managed to find an article titled "Best (buzz word!) Phones and Plans", dated January 2011.

In Rolling Stone, 1992, I found an article about Michael Jackson, and how he named himself the King of Pop. Even so, people haven't seemed to mind referring to him that way, for all these years.

All in all, a pretty decent way to honor 80s day, here at the library.

An extra entry in to the gift certificate drawing would be totally rad, Cari.

Task #2 (The heat is on.)

2011-04-22T10:32:00.000-07:00

I scored a nine out of 10 for this little open-book test. I discovered that while Cari warned us of #10's difficulty, I found the answer in less than a minute. Meanwhile, #5 felt like a Kobayashi Maru.

Task #1 (Everything old is new again...)

2011-04-22T09:47:00.000-07:00

I already have a blog, so no need to create a new one. However, it is about time for a new design -- some spring cleaning, if you will.

P.S. I'll take that $100 gift certificate, Cari.

November Task (Head in the Clouds)

2010-12-23T15:40:00.000-08:00

Cloud computing sounds great for good ol' Lucy, and her lilies. That's assuming that it's really as secure as that guy in the video (who sounds suspiciously like Wes...) suggests.

September Task (Election Time or The Time of Year When You Never, Ever, Under Any Circumstances, Want to Answer Your Phone)

2010-10-07T14:11:00.000-07:00

Your overall percentage for this quiz was 100%

There's not much left to say (except that this is a valuable tool for library staff who might want to avoid a political discussion with patrons -- "Let me direct you to this website!")

August Task (where my birthday and salmonella collide)

2010-09-23T08:25:00.000-07:00

I will answer the pork question first, as salmonella is so much more interesting than history lessons. The answer is 160 degrees.

Okay, so when I was -4 years old, Richard Nixon was greeted by a large crowd in Saginaw, Michigan.
Um, we can do better than that, can't we?
At -9, a Sergeant Sewart was talking about duties of air traffic controller and radio maintenance men in Vietnam.
I guess the Moon landing and Woodstock are reserved for cooler folk than I.
-20: something about a golf-wizard in Florida...
Ah ha! On my birthdate, in 1929, Henry Ford and the Prince of Prussia stand outside of a building.
I am officially awesome.

July Task (Door #1 or #2?)

2010-08-18T10:41:00.000-07:00

Well, I have to admit that I was initially resistant to this new, Amazon-looking OPAC. After all, I know exactly how to maneuver my way though our current, deeply flawed catalogue. It's like a toxic relationship, through which one knows exactly how to navigate.

However, I sucked it up, and spent some time with the spanking new model.

Surprise, surprise, it won me over with its ability to find every season of Lost, without me having to find exactly the right words to zoom in on the season I want (this task usually takes me a fair amount of time, but it's so rewarding when I succeed -- and I always succeed). Those easy access icons, allowing me to sort out the books from AV are a Tech-send. I went ahead and requested Chloe and Greenberg, while I was at it, and then requested Season 1 of True Blood for a valued patron. My only complaint is that no less than three of these items were not in the new catalogue just yesterday, even though I know that they have been in poor old version 1.0 for a while now. This either means that the new OPAC is still being loaded up with items, or it's a moody b***h that I'm gonna have words with. I'm going to be uncharacteristically optimistic, and assume that it's the former.

June Task (Extra! Extra! Newspapers Do Still Exist!)

2010-08-05T08:43:00.001-07:00

I guess the Internet really is where it's at when you have to go online to read a newspaper. I don't know that this helps the future of print journalism any, but it's pretty nifty to be able to see what's front page news in most any given place.
I was pleased to see that The Daily Sentinel page didn't look quite as pathetic as I thought it would, when compared with the New York and L.A. Times. We even devoted a small section there to what was on the front of most every paper today. Even so, Junction's front page was the last one I thought of to check out. I did get a glimpse of the San Francisco Chronicle, because I'm such a Zodiac enthusiast.

May Task (more toying with a medium I have absolutely no interest in, but am game for, nonetheless)

2010-07-15T11:34:00.000-07:00

While I have no desire to read my literature from a screen, I think that all of these freebie sites are pretty great for those who do.

Project Gutenberg was sort of a sad looking site (akin to its "almost namesake", Steve Guttenberg, post-80s). Google was typically easy, giving it all away, and looking great while doing it. I preferred ManyBooks, which seemed unassuming, but charming, and smoothly navigated.

I attempted to download The Metamorphosis, as it always reminds me that if I haven't woken up as a giant vermin, I'm ahead of the curve. Unfortunately, the downloading choices were just too numerous for one who really just wants to open a book. So, I went back to easy old Google, and downloaded with no problems. So much for a good personality.

April Task (This site is already saved in my bookmarks.)

2010-04-23T17:34:00.000-07:00

I have to say that this is a great resource, and one I was unaware of. This would be great for job-seeking patrons, and specifically those who just don't know where to begin, and/or haven't had much job searching experience. The on-line portfolio building was of great interest to me. When I attempted some job searching, however, I got zip. Just as well, I suppose... why would I ever want to leave my current occupation?

March Task (Printing Sam Rockwell)

2010-03-26T14:00:00.000-07:00

I was already plenty familiar with Print Preview, being awesome like that.

On more than one occasion, I have taken advantage of the Print Friendly link on assorted websites. If that is not available, however, this printfriendly.com comes in handy. I thought it would be a big pain to go to a whole other site for this, but it really wasn't. It was very easy, in fact, for me to go to imdb.com, copy the url for my Sam Rockwell article, and paste it in to printfriendly.com. This might be because it's truly that simple, or it might be because of my mad cutting/pasting skills. In any case, I took all the junk out of Sammy, and was left only with his lovely bio.

If you are unfamiliar with who I am speaking of, take a look to your upper right...
then take a look at the link below, and thank me later.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005377/

February Task (Practice makes... sort of okay)

2010-03-17T10:50:00.000-07:00

I've already recommended this fabulous database several times since taking a gander at this task. It's a great resource for all of those people who keep coming in to the Fruita Branch, looking for the one GED book that we can hardly keep on the shelf.

I took an ACT language arts practice exam, and found that even if you should be able to ace this thing --if you, say, have an English degree, or something -- it's probably a good idea to take this test in one stretch, as opposed to jamming 30 seconds in, between patrons, over a course of two days. Just saying...

January Task (It's Been So Long... and I've Been Putting Out the Fire With Gasoline)

2010-03-04T09:47:00.000-08:00

Yes, I should probably already know that Overdrive began carrying e-books... so, let's just say that I was totally in the know, and didn't think that the library was behind in this newest trend at all.

As it is March, I was fortunate enough to already have the software downloaded on to this computer, by some over-exuberant coworker, who did this task in January. I checked out "The Portable Edgar Allan Poe" -- because what else would I check out? -- and downloaded it without one problem.

I can see that this newest of technologies is convenient, and kind to the environment -- both of which I support. I'm an old-school kind of girl, though, when it comes to creativity. I like film. I like canisters and reels of film. I like seeing an image appear in a darkroom. I love my laptop, but I also love the sound of a typewriter. I write down everything before I type it on the computer (yes, I write, and by the way, have you checked out my articles at http://www.suite101.com/writer_articles.cfm/cinephilefemme ?). I like books. I like covers, and pages that I can flip through with my hand, as opposed to a mouse click.

I don't like audio books, either. You might have heard.

Task #23 (Epilogue)

2009-11-20T15:39:00.000-08:00

Thank you, Fruita, for being so dead today -- it's as if they knew that I was four tasks behind.

Well, I learned a lot (a.k.a. a couple of things) these past few months, like the fact that Novelist is not as useless as I initially thought and the book bags are more useless than I initially thought. The learning wasn't the best part, though, and neither was reading the charming ramblings of, say, a Lister, a Borders, or a Lush. No, the overwhelming majority of my Webolution joy came from the oodles of narcissism I've expelled on these pages.

So, to quote an all-time great comedienne, "I'm so glad we had this time together."

Task #22 (Sharing can be fun... as long as it's not my movie collection)

2009-11-20T14:29:00.000-08:00

How very kind of you all, to make this task so very easy and fun, as I hit the home stretch.
I liked the Gramophone site, as I am supportive of anything that supports indie artists. I'll check back with this site, I think.

My on-line BIBLE is imdb.com (the Internet Movie Database). Big surprise, I know, but it's seriously the bomb. My off-line BIBLE is a not- so- little book by the not-so-little name of the VideoHound Golden Movie Retriever. Not just a place to look up movies, but also actors, directors, writers, and everything they've starred in/directed/written. Also, lists of award winners and nominees, dating back to the beginning.

Task #21 (I took a picture without ever picking up a camera...)

2009-11-20T11:13:00.000-08:00

...but it's too small to read the writing.

Task #20 (a dull post, because I'm so very behind on Webolution, and this task is so very dull... er, informative)

2009-11-20T10:31:00.000-08:00

I went to the government website, but could not find my place of residence, as it cannot be mapped. I think this site would be useful, however, when buying or selling a home.

I'll bet that the Netfile link on the State of Colorado site is highly used.

I looked in to that patent/trademark site, which will be useful when I come up with the idea that will set me up for life.

Task #19 (Another day, another quiz)

2009-11-06T16:22:00.000-08:00

Well, this time I looked up all the answers with no assistance... and I got 100%. A perfect score when I relied only on myself, and not the falsehood of others.

Not a lot of witty banter in this post, or probably from here on out, as life in Fruita leaves little time for leisure (I know, it came as a surprise to me, as well).

Task #18 (Hangin' with tiny URL)

2009-10-29T14:23:00.000-07:00

Tiny URL is a pretty awesome fellow. My own tiny URL is below -- a link to the greatest biography I've ever read (Bosworth is killer):

http://tinyurl.com/yhdo87u

I went to Zamzar and converted a YouTube clip -- a lovely little moment between Monty Clift and Elizabeth Taylor, from "A Place in the Sun" -- but I haven't received the e-mail, soooooo here's a tiny URL for that:

http://tinyurl.com/ygf75tr

Task #17 (NY, Cali, and alien babies)

2009-10-22T16:35:00.000-07:00

I first clicked on the

Library Job Postings on the Internet

link, and looked at jobs in New York or California, because I'm always interested in ways that I could find my way to New York or California. I then clicked on the

Information Wants To Be Free

link, because the title is very cool. However, little of the info, free or not, was of much interest to me. While scrolling down, I was assaulted by a large and terrifying baby picture, simply there to make my day it seems.

Task #16 (Microsoft Lite)

2009-10-17T10:14:00.000-07:00

I was previously unaware of Open Office, but I think it's a good idea. However, since our public computers also have MS Word available, I'm not sure that anyone is going to choose the poor man's version.

Task #15 (How I'm capitalizing on WTWTA week, to get you to watch one of the best music videos of all time -- they used to play music videos on MTV)

2009-10-14T14:47:00.000-07:00

So, this Friday a little movie called Where the Wild Things Are is coming out. It's directed by Spike Jonze, who also directed Being John Malkovich and Adaptation. He also happens to have a resume full of music videos. If you have not seen this one... well, you really should. It stars Christopher Walken, who got his start in theatre, and is more than a voice to imitate (have you seen The Deer Hunter, for which he won an Oscar?).

............Unfortunately, after all that buildup, I am experiencing some technical difficulties in bringing you this video.

TBC..................

Okay, so I'm just going to do this the old fashioned way. The quality of this video is better than the one Clipmarks was going to let me use anyway. Follow the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7Ky5R-vxns

Task #14 (Still clueless, after all these audio book instructions)

2009-10-12T07:48:00.000-07:00

I'm not a fan of audio books. I think they're helpful for a whole lot of patrons, but I just don't like listening to books. I like reading books.

Anyway, I went to Overdrive, because I liked the fact that I only needed my card number to use it. I looked through the music and decided on an album from the group, Bayside (yes, because of the "Saved By the Bell" reference). I sampled a song called "Hey Shitty", which ended up being pretty apt. I put the item in my book bag and proceeded to checkout. When I tried to download, however, the album was saved as a word document -- which is kind of cool, but completely useless to me. Ironic, since reading is all I really wanted to do in the first place.

Task #13 (We're halfway there, oh oh, livin' on a.... nope, can't do it)

2009-09-26T13:26:00.000-07:00

I used to have some nifty sound bites on my MAC. When I signed off, I had good old Bruce "Ash" Campbell saying, "Lady, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ask you to leave the store." When an error occurred, Hal, from 2001, would ask, "What are you doing, Dave?". The sound effects on SoundSnap weren't quite so involved, but I did manage to find a light sabre swinging. I'm a sucker for light sabres. I sure would prefer this kind of thing to some of the sounds we use around here to keep our eyes on the screen (a good use for sounds, though, I admit).

As far as music sites go, I liked Amie Street, because of the support for Indie artists, and because I think Amie Street is a cool name. I sampled a group called Vivian Girls because that makes me think of Vivien Leigh (despite the spelling variation). They are from Brooklyn, NY and are listed as Punk/Indie Rock. I think they sound like Hole and the Go-Go's mating.

Task #12 (The one that gets me entered for a gift certificate)

2009-09-21T11:48:00.000-07:00

After spending some quality time with Novelist Plus, I've decided that I have not been taking full advantage of this beautiful thing.

I usually just google a series, which works well, but Novelist works too, and a lot more quickly and efficiently than expected. I tried out three different series, and it rose to the challenge each time.

Now that I've tried out Author Read-alikes, I am pleased to report that I'm not the only one who sees the correlation between Kurt Vonnegut and Chuck Palahniuk. I've also been informed that I should be reading J.G. Ballard.

The Recommended Reads was a continuation in awesomeness, as I found that there are hundreds of John Lennon biographies available (I've read two).

This is all great for me, but also for patrons who'd like to know what other authors they'd like, in addition to Danielle Steel (something I'd be no help with at all).

Task #11 (From "ho hum" to "what fun!")

2009-09-18T10:48:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd enjoy the Book Report Network a whole lot more than I did. Informative stuff, though, when it comes to current/upcoming happenings. I liked the Books to Movies section, but didn't love it. I was disappointed in the author bibliographies. I couldn't find anyone that I was looking for. No Salinger, no Capote, no Palahniuk, no Joyce Carol Oates, etc., etc. Only "favorite authors" included, though I'm not sure who decided on that, as I couldn't even find Stephenie Meyer on this list -- a favorite of the masses, I believe.

Once again, Biography Resource Center saved the day. I looked up Tennessee Williams, expecting to find no info that I didn't already possess. However, I found that a lost play of his, about Jackson Pollock, is about to be produced. Terribly cool information.

Task #10 (Oscars, Monty, and, oh yea, EBSCO)

2009-09-18T08:46:00.000-07:00

In MasterFile Premier, I searched for articles on the Academy's recent -- and misguided -- decision to change the number of Best Picture nominees from five to ten. I found that by limiting the publication dates, and being more specific in my wording, I could get a list of ten articles, including exactly what I was looking for.

http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=42314272&site=ehost-live

http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=44003494&site=ehost-live

I had a little more fun in the Biography Resource Center. I looked up Montgomery Clift, and found three articles. Less than James Dean and Marlon Brando (which happens to be the subject of my own Monty article, which you will decidedly not find in BRC).

Task #9 (Weebly, where hast thou been all my life?)

2009-09-11T23:44:00.000-07:00

Go forth, to my website:

http://cinephilefemme.weebly.com/

Task #8 (To Boldly Go... to Creative Commons)

2009-09-08T11:52:00.000-07:00

As a devout Reznorite, I did know that NIN's The Slip, as well as Ghosts I-IV, were licensed under CC. I really wasn't terribly familiar with what CC was all about before, though. It's definitely an interesting concept, and I could see how it would be a stress-free endeavor to use images and such that you know you won't get sued over. On the other hand, most of the images I found were along the lines of, "Here is a photo of my framed Pulp Fiction poster", which looks like... a photo of a framed Pulp Fiction poster. I did get a giggle out of this photo of Star Trek Corn Flakes, however. Comes in handy for reminding everyone that the DVD release date for Star Trek is November 17th!

Task #7 (GoodReads... or, sort of okay)

2009-09-03T11:43:00.000-07:00

So, this task looked to be a good time, on paper.

I visited all of the sites, and eventually it came down to a choice between GoodReads and Shelfari. I was sold on GoodReads once I glanced at their Popular Lists page, and saw a listing for "Best Gay Romance Novel Covers". My excitement over that was quickly tempered by the addition of my favorite book, The Catcher in the Rye, to the "Most Disappointing Reads" list. This whole Popular Lists thing seems to be voted on by members -- the general reader. While this is valid, it seems about as beneficial to me as putting stock in a general movie going public who made Beverly Hills Chihuahua number one at the box office. None the less, if we had a GoodReads site, I'd be interested in contributing. I have no explanation for my contradictory nature.

Task #6 (Ohio, inspiring library staff and musical theatre)

2009-08-26T11:24:00.000-07:00

It's difficult to hear the word Ohio and not also think of the fictional town of Sweet Apple, and Ann Margaret singing in front of a blue screen. The look of the website held up the wholesome vibe. I'm finding it difficult to think of much to say about this site (especially with "One Last Kiss" running through my head), so I'm not going to fake it. I did find it interesting, however, that Ohio's confidentiality differs from our own:

Confidentiality Law (Section [149.43.2] 149.432 of the Ohio Revised Code), passed in 2000, provides that

"library records and patron information are confidential except if the parent, guardian, or custodian of a minor child requests a library record or patron information pertaining to that child and in certain other situations."

No mention of library card numbers...

Task #5 (The Black Hole At the Bottom of My Book Bag)

2009-08-20T14:39:00.000-07:00

I went on OPAC, in search of Prime Suspect, volumes 4-7.

<If you have not seen Prime Suspect, it is a very cool series of British television movies, that began in 1992, and concluded in 2006. Bonus: they star true broad, Helen Mirren, as a lushy detective.>

I requested volume 4 the old fashioned way, and could easily see that I was ordering a complete set, which was on the shelf. Then came the book bag...
I attempted to request 5, 6, and 7, by placing them all in my bag. When I went to check out, I found three annoying drop down boxes, asking which place I wanted to order from. But which ones would ship me the complete sets? Which ones are ON SHELF? Which ones will even lend to me? So many questions, my head is swimming -- and I'm not even a patron. Except, in this scenario I am, and I'm officially annoyed.

So, I can see how using the book bag would be very convenient when requesting multiple items for patrons. There are nine Sookie Stackhouse novels, and counting, and I had a patron who wanted every single one on hold, reading order be damned! Still, I became so flummoxed when trying to order my alcoholic-limey-cop-show, I ended up requesting them one by one.

Task #4 (Social networking leads to Oscars)

2009-08-19T11:51:00.000-07:00

I reluctantly joined Facebook a month or two ago, as it seemed the only means left to get in touch with a former coworker. That reconnection is still pending, but I ended up getting back in touch with a couple of old friends. That welcome and unforeseen side effect of joining is why I am still signed up. Why is everyone from the library to Coca Cola jumping on board? Because everyone and their grandmothers (but not Jordan) are on these social networking sites. Talk about exposure. I visited the Smithsonian site, and was awed by the fact that they have all four of Katharine Hepburn's Oscars on display. Bonus points if you can name all four films she won them for.

Task #3 (Quiz Me)

2009-08-18T16:09:00.000-07:00

So, I took this quiz in all its glory. I anxiously anticipated the notification of my perfect score. But then I was told that I had already taken the quiz, and could not take it again. Funny, I have no recollection of this.

Oh, well. In related news, I had not realized that patrons could put in purchase requests in more than one place, on-line. You learn something new every day.

... Okay, so one of my coworkers enlightened me as to how to get my score. I only missed one question. Yippee skippy!

Task #2 (Last FM takes on Pandora)

2009-08-18T11:41:00.000-07:00

I had never listened to Pandora before working at the library, but now listen in check-in, as most of us do. I enjoy the music, even though you can't skip many tracks, you can't get a specific song to play, and I'm pretty sure they are somehow in league with Radiohead.

I decided to give Last FM a try. I found that skipping tracks is not much of a problem. I also found that I could listen to a specific song, as links to YouTube come up. On the downside, because Last FM plays visual, in addition to audio, if your computer isn't tip-top (yes, I'm talking about you, check-in comp), then the whole thing glitches up. I plan on giving this one a shot for a while, to see what other positives and negatives I find.

Prologue

2009-08-14T13:35:00.000-07:00

Here comes my first blog entry ever... are you ready for it?

Here it is.

Thank you for your attention.