Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Strangest phone call ever
I was away for a few days last week. One of the many messages on voice mail was from a person looking for work in the library. First thing this morning she calls back.
"Are you the librarian" she demands.
"Yes, I am, how may I help you?" I say in my best librarian voice.
She then goes on to ask if I got the message. I don't remember, I get a lot of messages. If they are not requests for information from my people and don't sound too urgent, I save them for later.
"Well, did you get the message or do I have to explain all over again" she demands. Now I vaguely remember a message, but I repeat after a pause (surprise, dismay, umbrage) "How may I help you?" I repeat and then, get this, she replies with "I don't need this bulls**t" and hangs up on me.
I have her name, I have her number. She will not work here. EVER
I would love to add that name to this post, but ... Oh well. Remember people, the library community may seem large to those trying to get in, but it is really very very small. We know each other and we may even share stories. Don't burn your bridges!
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Canada just lost the hockey game
Russia just beat Team Canada in men's hockey. It would be an upset except that canada has not been playing well. Will Wayne be in charge next time?
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Canada Foundation for Innovation - Essays Online
Canada Foundation for Innovation - Essays Online: "Brimming with intelligence and insight, innov@tion2 is a collection of personal stories from eight of Canada�s best researchers working in the fields of physics, laser technology, virtual learning, molecular evolution, project management, communications and interactive media, and the visual arts. Together they provide vivid proof that Canada's research community is in touch with the vital issues of our time, and probing the deeper meaning of innovation.
Discover how innovation powers our lives and helps us understand our universe."
Friday, February 17, 2006
PatentMatic patent downloader
PatentMatic patent downloader: "Welcome to the PatentMatic website. Here you can download European (EP), United States (US), 'World' (PCT/WO) or Japanese (JP) patents as multi-page Pdf documents.
Although freely available from the various patent offices they are often only available as single pages (from the USPTO as Tiff files which require installation of viewing software).
Also here is a categorised list of the weeks' US patent applications, information on patent numbering/kind codes and some useful links including all (or at least most) patent offices worldwide. "
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Your Ultimate Sci-Fi Profile II: which sci-fi crew would you best fit in?
 | You scored as Serenity (Firefly). You like to live your own way and don't enjoy when anyone but a friend tries to tell you should do different. Now if only the Reavers would quit trying to skin you. Your Ultimate Sci-Fi Profile II: which sci-fi crew would you best fit in? (pics) created with QuizFarm.com Friday, February 10, 2006
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Friday, February 10, 2006
Scientific American Magazine podcasts
Scientific American Magazine: The latest science news and science articles: "Join host Steve Mirsky each week as he explores the latest developments in science and technology through interviews with leading scientists and journalists.
FEBRUARY 08, 2006
Episode 1
In this episode, Scientific American editor-in-chief John Rennie reflects on the Korean stem cell debacle; the National Inventors Hall of Fame announces this year's inductees; and evolution defender Eugenie Scott discusses the importance of the decision in the recent Dover evolution trial. Also: hear outtakes from the CSI show you're never going to see on TV. "
Tuesday, February 7, 2006
Communities of Practice Learning Center
Communities of Practice Learning Center: "Welcome to the Communities of Practice Learning Center.
Dedicated to the study of Communities of Practice by promoting and supporting scholarly research and discussion, the CoPLC was created through the communal efforts of University of Maryland College of Information Studies students"
found on Christina's LIS Rant -- http://christinaslibraryrant.blogspot.com/2006/02/communities-of-practice-learning.html
Monday, February 6, 2006
Pity the Scientist Who Discovers the Discovered - New York Times
Pity the Scientist Who Discovers the Discovered - New York Times: "It may seem odd that scientists in the Internet age spend years on a line of research, even bet their careers on it, without having first determined that their mountain had not already been climbed. But Dr. Stigler said that scientists often are ignorant of the work being done by others in their field, and searches of scientific literature can be hard to conduct."
Friday, February 3, 2006
Explore Polymers - Chemical Heritage Foundation
Explore Polymers - Chemical Heritage Foundation: "
Polymers are macromolecules�in other words, they are really big molecules, and they are all around us. But as big as they are in the molecular world, we can�t actually see individual polymers with the naked eye, but we can see all the things made of polymers.
Some polymers occur naturally, such as starch, protein, and cellulose. Starch, as you know, is found in many foods (who can resist the beloved starchy potato?). Cotton and wood are made of cellulose. And your silk dress or tie? Protein.
A real cultural and commercial revolution came when chemists began to synthesize polymers in the lab. These polymers, appropriately called synthetic polymers, can be found in everything from plastic bags to rubber tires, from water-proof fabrics to cell phones. If you�ve heard of nylon, rayon, vinyl, Teflon, or Tupperware, then you�ve heard of polymers."
How Products Are Made
How Products Are Made: "How Products Are Made explains and details the manufacturing process of a wide variety of products, from daily household items to complicated electronic equipment and heavy machinery. The site provides step by step descriptions of the assembly and the manufacturing process (complemented with illustrations and diagrams) Each product also has related information such as the background, how the item works, who invented the product, raw materials that were used, product applications, by-products that are generated, possible future developments, quality control procedures, etc.
For example, you can find here descriptions of Air Bag, Air Conditioner, Artificial Snow, Automobile, Battery, Blue Jeans, Chewing Gum, Coin, Compact Disc, Credit Card, DVD Player, Fireworks, Hologram, Jet Engine, Laser Pointer, Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), Nuclear Submarine, Paint, Popcorn, Refrigerator, Telephone, Television, Temporary Tattoo, Vaccine, Vacuum Cleaner or Watch.
This searchable site is suited for a general audience and the descriptive language of this reference material is easy to understand and to follow. So go ahead we invite you to learn about How Products Are Made! "
Thursday, February 2, 2006
The end of an era
Western Union Telegrams | Send a Telegram | Birthday Telegrams | Sympathy Telegrams | Get Well Telegrams: "Effective January 27, 2006, Western Union will discontinue all Telegram and Commercial Messaging services. We regret any inconvenience this may cause you, and we thank you for your loyal patronage.
I remember getting telegrams in university (do I date myself) telling me I had a job interview.
Wednesday, February 1, 2006
As seen on CHMINFO-L -- cas has blog
We are happy to inform you that CAS has released a basic RSS feed from the www.cas.org web site.
This will initially be a single feed that will encompass all news and updates from CAS. Additional feeds, perhaps on specific topics, might be offered in the future depending on feedback and user requests.
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