Gilmore Girls Creator’s new Show March 8, 2008

Amy Sherman-Palladino, the creator of Gilmore Girls, has a new Fox show called The Return of Jezebel James. Sarah Tompkins, played by Parker Posey, is a successful New Yorker with her own imprint at HarperCollins’ children’s division.  She has everything going right in her life except for the one thing she wants: a baby!  My second favorite Six Feet Under star, Lauren Ambrose, stars as Coco, Sarah’s younger sister. She’s much less focused and directed.  However, Sarah is desparate for a baby and proposes Coco carries it. It sounds like a lot of potential and hopefully Amy Sherman can create lovable characters like Lorelai and Rory Gilmore

.

Library Check- Out Card t-shirt December 13, 2007

I really want one of these t-shirts. The first batch sold out quite quickly. Maybe more will be printed if enough people request. http://www.threadless.com/product/1020/November_Was_A_Good_Month#zoom

W00t December 12, 2007

Merriam-Webster’s  word of 2007 is ‘w00t.’ Can you hear hardcore gamers organizing a party?

W00t,” a hybrid of letters and numbers used by gamers as an exclamation of happiness or triumph, topped all other terms in the Springfield-based dictionary publisher’s online poll for the word that best sums up 2007.

Smarty Pants December 2, 2007

When I first bought a Wii the game aisle at Target did not offer any surprises or unknown titles; however, tonight it seemed like so many surprises and fun games jumped out. I am most looking forward to playing Smarty Pants. I promised my students a Wii party later in the year; Smarty Pants will make a fine addition to our party.

Game Description:  

How smart are you? Do you know more than your Grandma about world history? Does your little sister know more than your Dad about sports? Find out in Smarty Pants! Smarty Pants finally levels the playing field for people of all ages, allowing simultaneous play using age-targeted trivia plus action-based gestures, making it a truly trans-generational game made exclusively for the Wii. Tailoring questions to the contestant’s age, gamers from eight to eighty can join in on the fun all at the same time. Exciting Wii gestures make everything a game, from spinning the category wheel and tug-of-wars over correct answers, to “dance-offs” for additional points. With both competitive and collaborative game modes and 20,000 questions in multiple categories, the fun is virtually endless

 

Papa John’s and Yale Text November 16, 2007

  

Just reading this article makes me want to text in a pizza! The last time I went to Birdland, the jazz corner of the world, I suggested to the server that there should be an option to text your order, because it’s nearly impossible to communicate. I read on Michael Stephen’s blog that the Yale University Library offers ”txt a science librarian.” How many places will follow suit?  Good for Papa John’s and Yale!   

Papa John’s International Inc. has launched a text messaging ordering option at all of its 2,700 U.S. locations.

Close to one in five of the Louisville based company’s orders are currently made online. Rivals such as Domino’s Pizza promote mobile orders with Web-enabled phones.

Papa John’sChief Executive Nigel Travis said the company is the first to offer text message ordering on such a large scale. “Text ordering will allow us to reach a different group of customers who prefer text over online and email,” Travis said.

To use the text service customers register online to create accounts. They can save four favorite orders, along with the delivery address and payment preference. Users can select “FAV1″, “FAV2″, “FAV3″, or FAV4,’ to text message orders. Papa John’s sends a reply and the customer has the option to change or confirm the order.

Unshelved’s Pimp my Bookcart November 15, 2007

The winner of the 2007 Pimp my Bookcart award goes to…

Go to Unshelved for more information about the contest.

Dumpr (so cool) November 14, 2007

Thank you to the LibrarianinBlack for her post about Dumpr. Dumpr allows you to turn photos into museum shots, Rubik’s cubes, jigsaw puzzles, legos, and many more. What a great way to showcase a book.  Here’s a picture of my favorite picture book character, Molly Lou Melon, at a museum and in a Rubik’s cube 

 

 

 

Ninja Words November 13, 2007

 

Ninja Words is a really fast dictionary that I’ve been using for about a month. Phil Crosby built it because he felt frustrated with what was out there. You can learn more about its history and usefulness at www.ninjawords.com.  

Why is this called Ninjawords?

Ninjas are three things:

1. They’re smart
2. They’re accurate
3. They’re really fast

Ninjawords is based on these principles. Plus everyone likes ninjas.

Some tips to use it even faster

You can compare definitions by looking up many words on the same page. Type them one by one and hit enter, or type them all at once in the search box, separated by commas.

Digital Learners November 11, 2007

 

 Video description: Since most of today’s students can appropriately be labeled as “Digital Learners”, why do so many teachers refuse to enter the digital age with their teaching practices?

This presentation was created in an effort to motivate teachers to more effectively use technology in their teaching.

Please see http://t4.jordandistrict.org/payatten… to learn how to become a better teacher.  (The link is to a school district that offers a lot of resources for transforming teaching through technology. Take a look!) 

StoryCorps November 8, 2007

 My mom is working on writing out all of her stories about family and friends. I cannot wait to suggest that she use Storycorps too.

Here’s Storycorps mission… 

Since 2003, almost 30,000 everyday people have shared life stories with family and friends in our StoryBooths. Each conversation is recorded on a free CD to share, and is preserved at the Library of Congress. Millions listen to our broadcasts on public radio and the web. StoryCorps is the largest oral history project of its kind.

http://www.storycorps.net/

Rip Away 1000 November 7, 2007

Such brilliant eight year old twins!

This will be everlasting love! :) November 6, 2007

The Schaumburg Township Public Library created an ingenious marketing tool…a YOUTUBE video modeled after E Harmony! Thanks to  Michael Stephens for the original post.

An interesting photoblog November 6, 2007

I just added Watchthisspace , a great photoblog, to my del.icio.us account.

Little Edie: A Visit to Grey Gardens November 6, 2007

Thank you Walter Newkirk for the info about Little Edie’s new CD! Yay!