Arthur C. Clarke 1917-2008

Arthur C. Clarke has died at the age of 90.

A day in the Life (it is March break, so it was a slow day)

* Plug in and boot up computer
* Fix settings and monitors
* Review work email for important messages - found 1 for immediate
action
* Review Google reader for interesting information - found 1 for
redistribution/posting
* Call from shipping re boxes returned by CBEC. They have gone out
of business and our shipment was returned. Will think and call him back
later.
* Plug in cell phone to recharge
* Called my manager to tell him I was in (I have a knee brace from
a knee injury on February 23 - hopping around on crutches - been working
from home since)
* Visit from manager
* Automatic patent search found one to download
* Download patent viewing software and save patent
* Start search requested by email - patents first
* Spill coffee on pants
* Continue search with lexis nexis
* Format and edit patent info
* Send to requester - receive back more to search
* Review personal email for messages about a meeting tonight.
o note to self - find out what is going on
o IM from someone else re meeting tonight - she has not
heard anything either
o Email secretary and president asking for minutes and
agenda for tonight's meeting
* Questions from assistant:
o journal subscriptions
o suggest meeting attendee for meeting in New York NY as I
cannot attend
o discussed fate of books/journals in shipping
* Bathroom break
* Lunch at desk
* Call home to make sure children are doing chores and homework
* Print agenda and minutes for tonight's meeting
* Issued new lab notebook to scientist and explained how to use it
in conjunction with e-notebook
* Download and install "automatic wallpaper changer" software.
VISTA version.
* Try to install oracle 10g client. It would not run remotely from
home.
* Modified library submission to newsletter to include e-notebook
instructions and clarifications
* Checked FaceBook - joined new group "Engineering Information
Resources Awareness"
* Set up meetings for later in week
* Email to Powell's re selling of weeded books
* Tested Powell's online book selling system to see how much books
are
* Reviewed incoming paper mail - most mail recycled
* Book ads read for collection development purposes
* Updated training database with info from mail
* Printed some reading material
* Packed up
* Went home early - tired knee

Closing of Operations at the Canadian Book Exchange Centre

The Government of Canada has introduced a new expenditure management system as part of an ongoing commitment to sound management of government spending. The new system is focused on managing results and on the ongoing assessment of all direct program spending, or strategic review, to ensure efficiency, effectiveness and value for money.

Library and Archives Canada's (LAC) strategic review concluded that the Canadian Book Exchange Centre (CBEC) program was not appropriately aligned with the priorities of Canadians and with core federal responsibilities.

LAC has come to the conclusion that it can no longer financially support the operations of CBEC. Consequently, effective immediately, CBEC will no longer accept publications from the private sector or from government and international organizations for redistribution among libraries. CBEC will shut its doors permanently effective June 30, 2008. For information, please contact: Alison Bullock at 613-992-1752 or email: cbecccel@lac-bac.gc.ca

Book shelves - what do yours look like

Read a post on "Blog around the clock" - http://scienceblogs.com/clock/2008/03/how_do_you_shelve_your_books.php -- on how people shelve their books.

We have many many books. When you have two engineers and two librarians rolled up as only two people, there are is a huge number of topics of interest. So here is how they are organized:

1. shelves in both children's rooms with their books
2. shelf in kitchen with cookbooks
3. shelf in kitchen with reference for homework and resolving dinnertime discussions
4. around bed is books in progress -- always more than one
5. shelf in hall is unread books and books for my mother to take home to read
6. shelf in living room with my husbands books -- mostly nonfiction
7. pile in front hall is library books leaving or arriving
8. historical collection -- boxes in basement.

Now you might think the boxes in basement are lost books. Not for us. As each box was packed two moves ago, it was numbered and digitally photographed with the box number visible in each photo. Boxes with more than one layer were photographed multiple times.

We all know that we remember what the book looked like, sometimes better than what it was called. This way, to find a book, all we have to do is scan through the digital photos, find the number of the box, and pull the box.

Easy, efficient, and space saving.

New Ink Jet newsletter -- free for 2008

Toner Research Services has begun a new technical monthly newsletter that will provide information on just issued U.S. patents, patent applications, meeting announcements, product introductions, and technical developments in the jet ink industry.

For 2008 they are providing the publication free to any worldwide scientist working for a jet ink producer

John Cooper, the publisher, can be contacted at john@tonerandinkinfo.com

Facebook - a couple of things...

1. noticed today that FaceBook has removed the mandatory "is" in the status. Carolyne is... now says Carolyne...
I can have "Carolyne says" "Carolyne feels" "Carolyne hates" "Carolyne loves"... One more minor annoyance removed. Hooray!

2. An app i found the other day -- Nexus -- http://apps.facebook.com/_nexus_/
It takes your friends and compares their networks, friends, and creates an interesting graphic. Like Friend Wheel only different.

3. There is a limit on the number of email addresses you can add to your account. I have many more than the 5 that they allow.

Blogs in Plain English

Lee Lefever does it again.