Highlights

Happy Fourth of July (even though today is the Third)!

I never get good photos of July 4th fireworks displays. Do you?

If your pictures turn out like mine—that is fuzzy, dark, blah—you might want to follow some of these tips I just found online:

• How to Photograph Fireworks, from Digital-Photography-School.com
• Shooting Fireworks Pictures, from About.com
• 11 Tips for Sparkling Fireworks Photos, from Photojojo

You can find inspiration for your fireworks photos in these photo pools on Flickr:

• Fireworks: http://flickr.com/groups/fireworks/pool/
• Fireworks-Just Fireworks: http://flickr.com/groups/skyfire/pool/

Have a Happy—and safe—July 4th!

2 Books and a Beach Towel: Part 2

One of you—there’s more than one of you, right?—emailed me your 2 Books for your Beach Towel.

This was the scenario from yesterday: You’re off to a desert island and only have room to take 2 books—1 favorite to reread and 1 book not yet read. What do you take?

Andrea from Sarasota wrote:

I would take “One Hundred Years of Solitude” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I read it years ago and was incredibly moved by the boundary free world he describes. A book I’ve always wanted to read again.

Choice two [the not yet read book] would be “The Best American Short Stories 2007” edited by Stephen King. As my attention span shortens, my love of short stories grows. This could keep me busy for days.

What are your 2 Books?

Email them to sclibs@yahoo.com, and I’ll post them with your permission.

The Name Game

ICANN (The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) just announced they’ve approved the use of more “top level domain names” on the Internet.

What does that mean for you and me?

Currently, Internet addresses consist of about 20 top level domains. (See the list on Wikipedia.org.) Allowing more top level domains means we may see a website address like http://nyc.nyc or http://drink.pepsi.

If you are ever looking for the definitions to computer or Internet terms, your local library will often have dictionaries devoted to Internet terms (subject search for Internet—dictionaries) and computer terms (subject search for Computers—dictionaries).

But, I must admit that when I am looking for an Internet- or computer-related term, I often turn to Wikipedia.org. Wikipedia is often maligned, but it has seldom let me down as a starting point for finding out more about the newest, more cutting-edge Internet concepts.

Reading up on Presidential campaigns

The November Presidential election has been in the news for months, if not years, already. But, what do you really know about the process of running for or electing the President of the United States?

Why not check SUNCAT for books on the subject?

You might start with these subject searches: Elections—United States, Presidents—United States—Election, Political campaigns—United States, and Campaign funds.

Here are three books that look good to me:
(Click the covers to search SUNCAT.)

Rest in Peace, George Carlin (1937-2008)

Comedian George Carlin died yesterday.

I’m too young to remember the George Carlin of seven dirty words fame. To me, Carlin was the comedian who riffed about having so much stuff he needed to get more stuff to take care of his stuff, and then, even more stuff to take care of the stuff he got to take care of his other stuff.

Did you have a favorite George Carlin routine?

You can find books Carlin wrote and movies he appeared in by searching the library catalog for him as an author: “Carlin, George.”

Today is the Summer Solstice (First Day of Summer)

Read more about the Summer Solstice in this InfoPlease website article.

I don’t mean to give the First Day of Summer short shrift, but…

You must know it wouldn’t be like me not to devote a post each week to gas prices or the benefits of riding the bus.

Luckily for all of us, this post from No Impact Man’s blog covers both of my favorite topics:

How to Live a $4 a Gallon Lifestyle in the Coming $5 a Gallon World.
(The post is interesting with lots of neat links, AND the comments are great, too.)

And, for everyone who doesn’t have or doesn’t choose the option of bus commuting, CNNMoney.com tells us

“6 Ways You’re Wasting Gas.”
(Not just you, of course; they mean me, too.)
That article isn’t as accusatory as the title suggests—we get tips how NOT to waste gas.