Doing the Hulu

Recently, I discovered Hulu.com, as an online place to view my favorite tv shows and movies.  You have to go through a fairly elaborate sign-up process and endure some ads, but viewing is completely free. Yesterday,  I was able to watch a few episodes of the Dick Van Dyke show and quite a bit of the classic film, Easy Rider. I don't think that I will be giving up my cable subscription anytime soon, but I definitely think sites like these are our future.

Hulu gives the user the opportunity to subscribe to particular channels and RSS feeds of your favorite searches. If you are interested in classic films for instance, you could subscribe to that particular RSS feed and be notified of updates to the Hulu catalog.  I would write more, but I have to get back to viewing my favorite shows and movies!

There's Always Hope :-) - Computer Hope that is!

Recently, we have been encountering a few computer issues here at the DCL. Now René will tell you that she and I know the technology, but even the best of us have difficult moments.

We pore through our computer manuals and instructions, but on occasion, frustration sets in. Sometimes, it might be a bad hard drive or power supply and at other times, it might be that an old reliable machine needs more RAM. Whatever the reason, this site - http://www.computerhope.com/ can help make our lives a lot easier.

Free computer support! Who doesn't love that? In addition, they include forum discussion boards,  links to free drivers, company contact info., a computer dictionary, and all sorts of other neat tech. stuff. I love this site!

Internet Archive

We have been using Internet Archive to host our podcasts for a number of years. I guess what first drew me to this fantastic site was the fact that podcast hosting was free! There are other great features of course, and they include: the Wayback Machine ( a searchable database of over 150 million websites dating back to 1996),  full-text of scanned books, free downloadable software, music and movies.

I would probably recommend this site for the free hosting alone, but there is so much more!

Record Your Screen

CamStudio is an open source (free!) program that allows users to record video of what is happening on their computer screen. Videos are saved in .AVI format, but they can easily be converted to Flash (SWF) files.In addition to video, CamStudio captures audio from the computer, so descriptions and commentary can easily be added to completed productions.

Recently, I did a post on our bookstore style categories and used CamStudio to record a video that I uploaded to YouTube. So far, it hasn't generated much interest, but perhaps a video on basic computer instruction would. Right now, our computer classes are limited by the amount of computers we own and seating space. CamStudio offers the ability to overcome those obstacles and allow patrons to access our classes from home.

Twitterfeed.com

A few years ago, I set-up a Twitter account for the library to disseminate information about our programs to interested patrons. I enjoyed trying to devise a little announcement within the 140 character allotment, but finding the time to publicize our numerous programs was becoming more and more difficult. Recently, I came across a website called, Twitterfeed that makes this process a whole lot easier.

Twitterfeed can take any RSS feed and send it out to those following you on Twitter. Our online events calendar has an RSS feed, so I was able to send out any event that was loaded on that page as a tweet. I did the same with this blog and some of the other library blogs. If I want to add any more of my personal tweets, I can still do that, but Twitterfeed takes the pressure off. In addition, Twitterfeed allows users to determine the frequency of their tweets. I have set ours to update every hour.

Revolution Health

RevolutionHealth contains many features of a conventional health website. If you are looking for articles on particular diseases or ailments, Revolution Health has an ample supply. There are also links to help find nearby hospitals, doctors, dentists, and evening senior housing. What makes Revolution Health different from other sites, however, is its Web2.0 component.

With an account, users can join groups and discuss medical topics that interest them. If they have a particular question that is bothering them about care that they received or treatment options, they can post it to a forum and wait for a response.There are discussion groups on just about every conceivable topic and sometimes, medical professionals provide an answer. RevolutionHealth is a great place to find health information and support from unexpected sources.

iLike - Music

iLike is a social music website that allows users to share music with others through the Internet. With an account, you can search for artists and bands that you enjoy or develop a list to keep track of new releases, concerts, and recommendations from users with similar interests. In addition, you can listen to samples of new and popular artists and even purchase songs.

I especially enjoy the related artists feature, as it has helped me immensely as I slowly attempt to move beyond my core group of songs and bands. I love iLike!