MP3GAIN

MP3GAIN is a program that we have used numerous times to increase the volume of our MP3 sound files. For years, we have used our digital camera to make short films and the sound quality is not always the greatest, so this program comes in very handy.

MP3GAIN is a freeware program that can analyze tracks and increase the sound without distortion. Taking only seconds to complete a task, I have yet to find anything that compares to it. If interested, you can purchase MP3GAIN Pro which allows the user to improve the sound volume and quality of individual tracks. So for instance, if you find that a song's volume seems quieter in the middle, you can adjust the volume for just that section.

Wikihow

During our computer classes, René often mentions a website named Wikihow. Similar in design to Wikipedia, you can find all sorts of how-to information on this site and even develop an account to contribute some of your own helpful tips.

Currently, Wikihow has over 80,000 articles listed and includes photos and even some video instruction.
After having trouble accomplishing even the simplest tasks at home, I find some very useful! For years, I have owned older cars that eventually develop rust and I usually end up trying to do something myself, before stopping after I have created a complete disaster. I am hoping that some of the simple information that I have discovered here will be of help.

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.