Technology

Enjoy your Thanksgiving break!

/ dwakimoto

Hello, dear readers! I hope you are doing well and are easing into the Thanksgiving break if you are in the United States without too much stress. I just have a few things to share with you that you may like to take a look at while you are digesting your large meal tomorrow and don’t feel like moving too much.

First, go check out Lifehacker’s article on the top 10 gadgets for your go bag. There’s some great stuff there and some would make great holiday presents, just saying…

If you just want to stare at beautiful things while digesting your Thanksgiving feast, check out the latest post on I Love Typography. It is beautiful as usual. I really do love typography.

If you are are able to focus on something more serious for a moment over the long weekend, I highly suggest reading all about the SOPA bill that’s going to cripple your internet on Lifehacker. Then, go and actually make your voice heard so the SOPA bill gets stopped.

If you want more information about copyright, Protect IP, and SOPA, check out Hank’s video (he’s one half of the Vlogbrothers):

Also, if you have some energy and feel like being techie, check out Lifehacker’s top 10 ways to customize your technology. Customization is always fun. I actually need to re-customize some stuff that got stripped out a few weeks ago with the latest Chrome updates.

Oh, and because it is the holiday time of year, which to me means baking, I have to share that the Joy the Baker Cookbook is available for pre-order! I’m so excited, although we have to wait until February for the book, because I love her recipes!

Luckily, in time for even Thanksgiving, if you need a quick, not-too-sweet dessert or a nice breakfast bread, check out vegan pumpkin walnut bread from the aforementioned Joy the Baker. It is so good and makes two loaves! Even your non-vegan friends and family members will love it.

Take care, dear readers. Have a lovely Thanksgiving, for those of you in the states, and a lovely weekend for everyone else everywhere. Allons-y!

Upgrades and Friday Fun

/ dwakimoto

Happy Friday, dear readers! I hope that you are having a lovely day and have a relaxing weekend planned. I’m about ready to collapse in a heap at the end of the workday as it was the first week I taught my classes this quarter and it was a crazy-busy week. I love teaching, but it surely does take it out of me the first week. But enough about me, let’s get into today’s tips on upgrading and fun.

First, let’s talk about cats. I love cats and have a cat who has pretty much taken over my apartment. If you have cats or know people who have cats, you’ll want to direct them to Lifehacker’s article on the top 10 ways to upgrade your cat’s life. Then you’ll want to direct them to ThinkGeek’s cat toys.

But if you don’t have a cat or don’t need to upgrade your cat’s life, you’ll probably want to check out another Lifehacker article on how to
upgrade to a new Android phone and take everything with you. I was excited to see this post as I’ll be upgrading to a new Android phone fairly soon. If anyone has any suggestions on new Android phones that will be coming out in the next few months, I’d love to hear about them in comments.

Also, I feel that everyone should read this post by Seth Godin: Run Your Own Race. It’s a fantastic reminder to not judge ourselves against others and be ourself in our work and life.

Finally, for your lazy, relaxing weekend, check out Joy the Baker’s recipe for banana walnut waffles.

It definitely feels like autumn in the Bay Area, after a week or so of crazy warm weather, which makes me think of rain. So I leave you this week with another lovely photograph from Beautiful Portals.

Photo from Whimsical Raindrop Cottage

Photo from Whimsical Raindrop Cottage

Have a lovely weekend full of good food, good friends, and good reading. I’ll be back next week with some updates from the archives and some thoughts on the beginning of the quarter. Allons-y!

Old and New in Technology

/ dwakimoto

Happy Friday, dear readers! I hope you have a lovely weekend planned. Before you head out of the office to start enjoying your weekend, I wanted to share some cool articles (and an infographic) about old and new technology with you. So let’s get into the tech tips and then get you ready to enjoy your weekend.

So, this 100 things your kids may never know about list got me thinking about technology obsolescence. Combined with this infographic: evolution of storage, all I could think about was how many different recording and storage technologies there have been over the centuries and how they are only obsolete for most people. If you are an archivist, historian, conservator, or any other professional who deals with the past, these technologies are sometimes headache-inducing, but they’re not obsolete in terms of being of use or value. However, it is becoming more and more difficult to retrieve the data from storage formats such as U-matic tapes, open reel films, and floppy disks.

Happily however, with technological obsolescence always comes shiny new toys to play with, or at least shiny ways of retrofitting old stuff to work in new ways. So if you need a project this weekend, check out Lifehacker’s article on how to turn an old computer into a networked backup, streaming, or torrenting machine with FreeNAS. You could also check out the article on how to run your home network like a coffee shop for easier guest access and family-friendly browsing. And finally, something to share with your family, friends, and library patrons who are confused about Wi-Fi routers: Lifehacker’s guide on which Wi-Fi router should I buy?.

So that’s our quick look at something old and something new in the world of technology this Friday. If all that technology talk makes you hungry, check out Joy the Baker’s lovely recipe for double chocolate indoor s’mores.

I hope you have a great rest of your day and a fantastic weekend. I’ll be away next week, but will be back the following week with more library, archives, and tech fun. Until then, be well, read fun books, and enjoy your summer. Allons-y!

Quick, Random Tips for a Wednesday

/ dwakimoto / 1 Comment

Happy Wednesday! I hope you are having a good day, dear readers. Many of you might be aware that it is the week in the life of the librarian (or something to that effect) this week. It’s kind of taking over Twitter (at least in the librarian bit) and the blogs. I don’t want to bore you with a recounting of my workdays, plus I don’t really have the time as I’m trying to get a lot of stuff done before being gone from the library for the first week of August. So today, I have a few very helpful links to share and then it’s back to work for me. So let’s get going.

First, as a small infographics redux, check out Stephen Abram’s Searching for and Making Infographics. I can’t wait to try out some of the infographic design tools. And who doesn’t like looking at well-designed infographics?

Then, if you’re like me and facing multiple piles (physical and digital) of stuff to do before the weekend, you’ll definitely want to check out Lifehacker’s article, Boost your Productivity, Cripple your Technology. It completely works. I got so much writing done this weekend by just shutting off my computer and getting out a notebook. I do need to go buy some more paper now, though…

For those of you who have completed spring cleaning and now have a pile of slides and negatives that need to be digitized on the cheap, check out an easy DIY option using cardstock instead of an expensive slide scanner.

Finally, when you need to figure out what to make for dinner, check out Punchfork. It’s another lovely recipe site, pulling in some of the best recipes from around the web.

Have a wonderful rest of your day and I’ll be back on Friday with more tech, library, and archives musing. In the meantime, don’t forget to read and submit your photos/recipes/etc. to League of Evil Baking Librarians. Allons-y!

Courage Redux and Social Media Infographics

/ dwakimoto

Happy Friday! I hope you are doing well, dear readers, and are getting ready for a wonderful weekend. Today I just have a few lovely infographics and some fun to get you into the weekend mood. So let’s get to it, shall we?

First, before getting into the tech tip links of the day, I want to turn your attention to this lovely little post by The Art of Non-Conformity on Legacy Projects and the Love of True Friends. This post is absolutely fantastic and true. Every time you step out of your comfort zone, every time you are courageous enough to do something that matters, there will be people who don’t get it and want to put you down. But, luckily, there will also be wonderful people who will support you and help you and make you feel like you are joining a community of people who actually care about making a difference. Read the post. Bookmark it. And come back to it anytime people are making you doubt yourself.

Now on to the tech stuff of the day. First there has been a lot of talk about Google+ lately and if you have an account, you’ll definitely want to check out Lifehacker’s How Do I Make the Most of Google+?. (Also, if you want an invite, let me know in the comments and I’ll be happy to send you one.) You may also want to check out Lifehacker’s What your IM status says about you.

There have been a lot of cool infographics making their way around Twitter and the blogs lately, so I thought I’d share just two of my favorites on social media. First there’s this great Periodic Table of the Social Web. And then there’s this great one that let’s you decide Do You Need a Social Media Detox? If you happen to need a social media detox, may I suggest going outside without your smartphone and enjoying a nice hike or pleasant stroll by the beach? You may also find making some blackberry pie bars and taking them over to a friend’s house for tea relaxing and social engaging without every touching a status update. Just saying.

Or, if that doesn’t work, you could always make like the Doctor and dance as part of your social media detox routine. Enjoy the video clip from “The Doctor Dances”:

Have a wonderful weekend full of friends, good food, great books, and lots of fun. I’ll be back next week with more. Allons-y!

Laptop and Life Tips

/ dwakimoto

Happy Friday! I hope you are having a lovely Friday, dear readers. Today I want to share a roundup of some tips on laptops and some hacks for life. Then I want to get you on your way to enjoying your weekend.

Does Lifehacker ever fail to bring us great tips to share? I think not. First, check out Lifehacker’s article on what to do if your laptop battery is not lasting as long as it used to. Then refer people over to Gizmodo’s article on the best back to school laptops if they are in the market for buying a laptop for school or for their kids or just want some information on laptop choices in general.

After you are done with the tips on laptops, take a read through Lifehacker’s Top 10 real world Easter Eggs and cheat codes. You’ll probably find at least one cheat code you can use to improve your efficiency in getting things done and decrease your annoyance with certain life tasks.

Now let’s turn to some fun stuff. Hopefully the weather has been nice where you live and you feel like having people over for dinner parties. If you are like me, sometimes you forget the ins-and-outs of correctly setting a table. Again, Lifehacker comes to the rescue with how to set the table properly.

If you need help on figuring out what to make for dinner (or lunch or tea time), you could always check out the lovely recipes on Joy the Baker or Gojee, which has some of the most gorgeous food photography I’ve seen. Both sites will make you hungry. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Finally, let’s get nostalgic for a moment, take a work break and watch this lovely video about the Tenth Doctor (credit to Seduff for the amazing video):

Have a fantastic weekend filled with good fun, wonderful friends, and yummy food (plus a good book and maybe a cup of tea, too). I’ll be back next week with more tips, tricks, and news. Allons-y!

Relaxing and Planning

/ dwakimoto

Happy Friday, dear readers! I hope your day is going splendidly and you have a wonderful weekend planned. Today I have a few tools and articles to share with you on relaxing and planning. So let’s just get into the tips so you can get on with planning your weekend.

Yes, I want to share some Lifehacker links on planning, just in case you missed them. I find thinking about planning things anxiety-producing, but actually making and executing a plan very relaxing. Yeah, I’m that kind of person. Anyway, if you haven’t thought about retirement planning, you should, and Lifehacker has a great guide to retirement planning. Sometimes, the Internet is wonderful and the online tools in the article are super-helpful. If you have any other tools you recommend, please share them in the comments.

Also good for planning is Lifehacker’s article on creating a master information kit. I’m totally finishing this kit this weekend and making sure the important people in my life know where to find it and how to access it. Being prepared is good. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Another cool tip is this one from Gizmodo on how to get rid of Google’s black bar. Share it with your friends, family members, and patrons who don’t like the new look of Google. They’ll think you are awesome, really. When I told some of my colleagues how to turn off threading in Gmail conversations, they thought it was wonderful. (I happen to love threading, but you know, different strokes for different folks.) Customization of your online experience= brilliant.

I hope you have the time to take a true vacation this summer. As you get ready for vacation, consider implementing danah boyd’s email sabbatical. This is truly a great idea to avoid having to check email while on vacation and also avoid the dreaded email avalanche when you get back to the office. I find breaks away from work email truly wonderful and plan on implementing an email sabbatical when I go on my next trip, which hopefully will be in the not too distant future (*fingers crossed*).

Finally, I want to leave you with another wonderful photograph from beautiful portals. I hope you have some place similar to curl up with a good book this weekend.

Stairs and Doorway

Stairs and Doorway

Have a lovely weekend, full of relaxation, good food and good company (also, a good book and a cup of tea are always nice, too). I’ll be back next week with more tech, archives, and library notes and news. Allons-y!

Dropbox and the Cloud

/ dwakimoto

Happy Friday! I hope you are having a lovely day, dear readers. Today I’m going to share some great links to secure your Dropbox account. These would be great to share with your patrons as more and more people are going to cloud storage. Dropbox is great. Being able to use Dropbox and still have your files secure is better.

We’ve all heard about Dropbox accounts being unlocked for 4 hours, right? And if that isn’t enough to make you want to use encrypted zip file to secure files in Dropbox, I don’t know what will. I love cloud storage and being able to collaborate via the cloud, but I don’t like the thought of my data being unsecured. So take a break from the backyard barbecue this weekend and secure your data.

Lifehacker has had a ton of good articles about security and Dropbox including how to add a second layer of encryption. (Have you sensed an encryption theme in today’s post?) Once you’ve secured your data, you might want to also check out the article on how to free up disk space by deleting files in the hidden Dropbox cache folder. More disk space is handy.

Also, as we go forth into the cloud, you should check out Gizmodo’s article on bandwidth caps around the world. This may become an even bigger issue as more and more people start uploading their data to the cloud and streaming media from the cloud. If nothing else, it will give you something to talk about during your barbecue this weekend.

And while not technically about the cloud and Dropbox, AccountKiller is something you may want to check out if you need help deleting some of your unused accounts online.

Now for the Friday fun bits. If you are in the United States, today marks the start of the long 4th of July weekend. For those hosting/going to a barbecue, you may want to check out Joy the Baker’s bourbon orange coriander barbecue sauce. Also, you should really try strawberry balsamic flatbread. It’s delicious.

Finally, for a work break to make you smile. Check out this lovely Tangled video by Seduff. I just finally saw this movie on my birthday and loved it. Now I feel like I need a coloring changing chameleon from ThinkGeek.

Have a lovely rest of your day, a fabulous (relaxing) weekend, and I’ll be back next week with more tech, library, and archives tips and news. Allons-y!

Privacy and Security Checks

/ dwakimoto

Happy Wednesday! I hope you are having a lovely day. For today’s post, I want to share a few links that should be useful for checking on the security of your passwords, searching, and data. Then let’s finish up with some helpful tips for summer cooking.

Lifehacker, Gizmodo, and other techie websites have shared a bunch of great resources for increasing the security of your browsing, passwords, and checking for security compromises to your various online accounts in the past week or so. A few that you might want to share with your patrons are: Should I Change My Password? (super-easy to use, just type in your email account to see if it may have been hacked); Panopticlick (checks how “unique and trackable your browser is,” plus EFF provides information on how to make your browser less trackable); and web worker security: how to keep your data safe at a distance (great for anyone who travels a lot and/or telecommutes). Hopefully these tools will help you and your patrons, plus they are a great way to start raising awareness about privacy and security issues online. (Then you can go into the wonders of Google 2-step authentication and maybe even file encryption.)

After you’ve helped secure your patrons online accounts, find some great books, articles, and/or movies, they might also be thinking about lunch/snack/dinner. Luckily, we’ve got you covered for that stuff, too. Point them to Lifehacker’s guide on how to select fresh ripe produce so they are armed with knowledge the next time they go to the grocery store or farmer’s market. You might also want to suggest this delicious sounding recipe for grilled corn salad. Enjoy.

That’s it for today. I’m off now to the reference desk. Have a wonderful rest of your day. I’ll be back on Friday with some more news and tech tips to share. Allons-y!

An Apology and An Introduction

/ dwakimoto

Happy Friday, dear readers! I hope you are having a lovely day and have a relaxing weekend planned. Today’s post will be very short. I have two things to share and a cute video to leave you with today. Regularly scheduled blogging will resume shortly.

First, an apology for lack of posts the last few weeks. I’ve been ill and not up to doing much of anything other than sleeping. Luckily, I’m on the mend so there will be more regular posts on The Waki Librarian going forward, as per usual. But I just wanted to let you know the reason behind my silence on my blog and Twitter. Illness: so inconvenient for getting anything done.

Anyway, now on to the fun announcement/introduction. My friend, Jesse, has started blogging! You should check out her blog over at Low Tech Librarian. It’s also a great blog to share with those you know who might be a little more reticent to dive into the wild world of digital, online, crazy tech tools, programming, coding, etc.. And, although, I’m probably more than a little biased, I think it’s a lovely blog. Jesse updates it once a week. So go on over and give a new blogger a welcome the the librarian/archivist blogosphere.

Finally, to end, enjoy a study/work break with Simon’s Cat:

Have a wonderful rest of your day and a glorious weekend. I’ll be back next week with more archives, libraries, and tech news. Allons-y!