Highlights

Links I Love Friday

“Best Free Reference Web Sites 2009, Eleventh Annual List, RUSA Machine-Assisted Reference Section”:* (Whew, that’s a long title!)

It’s a yearly list of outstanding reference web sites. If you like these sites, you might want to take a look at the combined list for 1999-2008.

If I had to pick one favorite from the list, it would be UrbanRail.Net, but then again I also like this book.

*You suggested this site. Thank You!

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“The Top 50 Proprietary Programs that Drive You Crazy and Their Open Source Alternatives” on Web Hosting Database:*

These may not be the best choices for everyone, but it’s seldom bad to learn about all your options.

*Seen during a workshop presented by the librarian behind web2learning.net.

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“Libraries and Readers Wade into Digital Learning” by Motoko Rich on NYTimes.com:

You2 sent me this—thanks, You2, who know who you are!—because I’m involved with the Sarasota County Libraries’ downloadable audiobooks project.

I think I’ll always love (and prefer) books on paper, but digital formats have their charms, too.

As the article says, “The idea is to capture borrowers who might not otherwise use the library, as well as to give existing customers the opportunity to try new formats.”

If you haven’t tried our downloadable audibooks, why not?
Visit ecat.lib.overdrive.com and give it a try!

Sarasota County Libraries eCAT via kwout

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Yes, it’s a very special “Links I Love Friday” with not the usual three but four, count ‘em four, links.

“Kramer’s Entrance,” on YouTube:*

*Seen here on axinomancy.tumblr.com.

If you liked “Seinfeld,” too, try searching SUNCAT for the title “Seinfeld.”

Links I Love Friday

Craft in America, website for the PBS series:

My husband saw this series in the television schedule on Wednesday night and made me watch. What a great series!

I just put the companion book on hold, but I’ll let you have first dibs on the DVD of the first season.

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Read.gov Explore New worlds. Read.

“The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress invites people of all ages to discover the fascinating people, places and events that await you whenever you read.”

Read my colleague’s description of Read.gov on Sclibs E-Gov.

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“What Are You Reading on the Subway? The Results” from NYTimes.com:

Of course, we don’t have a subway here, but don’t you love articles all about what people are reading? (I’m very nosy in general and like to know what other people are doing/reading/thinking.)

What do you read on your commute?
If you’re the driver, do you listen to audiobooks?
If you’re a rider, do you read books, magazines or newspapers?

On my bus trip to work, I often read a newspaper. On the trip home, I usually read a book. My current bus book is “Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture” by Ellen Ruppel Shell. I’ve seen several fellow passengers reading mysteries. My previous bus book was a spy thriller, “The Increment” by David Ignatius.

Links I Love Friday

Today I offer a themed Links I Love Friday: all the links relate to movies.

I’m surprised I’ve never had a movie theme before. Thanks to my spouse, I watch a lot of movies. Repeated screenings of The Godfather Trilogy and movies that prominently feature airplanes* are especially popular at my house, but I digress. Now on to the links!

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“How Netflix gets your movies to your mailbox so fast,” by Christopher Borrelli from ChicagoTribune.com:**

I thought it would be completely automated, but it’s not.

Learning how Netflix does this is like staring through the glass window at Krispy Kreme and seeing how the doughnuts are made.

**Seen on axinomancy.tumblr.com.

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This next site includes strong language within some reviews and especially in its comments. Please don’t click through if you think you might be offended.

The Hunt For The Worst Movie Of All Time on Videogum via kwout:

“After watching Death Sentence, a terrible movie starring Kevin Bacon as a father in search of vigilante justice directed by Saw’s James Wan, Gabe embarked on The Hunt For The Worst Movie of All Time. This is his sad journey.”

How do I go about getting Gabe’s job?

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Rotten Tomatoes’ Best Reviewed Movies of All Time:

Really bad movies can be fun to watch, but I can only take so many at a time.

Is your favorite movie on this list?

(You know “The Godfather” is on it.)

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*If you like movies with airplanes, the documentary “One Six Right: The Romance of Flying” is interesting and beautifully shot.

Worst of the Worst? Or Best of the Worst?

I came across Rotten Tomatoes’ “Worst of the Worst: Counting down the worst reviewed movies of the last ten years” guide last night. 

Since one man’s trash is another man’s treasure and I think really bad movies are sometimes good because they are so bad,* I’ve searched SUNCAT for titles from the bottom 20 worst movies.

The library doesn’t own all of the bottom…er….top….20 worst movies. I can’t decide if that’s good or bad. Enjoy?:

20. Crossover
18. The Master of Disguise
17. Twisted
16. Daddy Day Camp
13. Constellation
11. Merci Docteur Rey
10. Witless Protection
9. Redline
6. Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2
5. National Lampoon’s Gold Diggers
3. Pinocchio(Roberto Benigni version)
2. One Missed Call

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*Consider the case of ”Plan 9 from Outer Space.”

The National Parks

Are you watching “The National Parks” on PBS?

I’ll admit that I’m waiting for the re-running of it, but I’m currently enjoying the extensive companion website: http://www.pbs.org/nationalparks/.

You can also search SUNCAT for more information on our national parks:

Search by subject for “National Parks and Reserves—[insert state name here]” or search for the name of a particular park as the subject. For instance, “National Parks and Reserves—Wyoming” and “Yellowstone National Park.”

Links I Love Friday

The Top 100 Web Sites of 2009 from PC Magazine:*

Some of these sites you probably already know, but I found many I’d never heard of….maybe you will, too.

*Seen on Librarian in Black Blog.

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Awkward Family Photos.com - Spreading the Awkwardness:

Who hasn’t been the subject of family photos just as awkward as these? It’s like peeking inside my own family’s photo albums!

This one is from the list of Top 100, but I didn’t want you to miss it. I think it’s just replaced LOLcats as my daily obsession.

And so you never again take a photo that could qualify for AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com, search SUNCAT for the subject “Photography of families —Amateurs’ manuals.”

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“Got a Burning Question? Ask the Net” by David Pogue on NYTimes.com:*

Do you use the Internet to find answers to your questions?
Googling questions or using a service like answers.yahoo.com?

I’ll admit I do that, too, but hey, why aren’t we—especially me!—using Ask a Librarian?

It rather stings that the article’s author didn’t even mention the library as the place for answers to all your burning questions.

*The Library Link of the Day on Sept. 14, 2009.