Tooling Around

Wolfram|Alpha: Hot or Not?

2009-05-29T17:09:00.000-04:00

I've been playing around with a new ~~search engine~~ "computational knowledge engine" from British author/physicist Stephen Wolfram called Wolfram|Alpha and I'm not sure where I stand on it just yet. The trick with W|A is that you have to keep in mind that it's not a search engine. It is not going to give you results like Google, so don't even try to compare them.

Wolfram|Alpha's long-term goal is to make all systematic knowledge immediately computable and accessible to everyone. We aim to collect and curate all objective data; implement every known model, method, and algorithm; and make it possible to compute whatever can be computed about anything. Our goal is to build on the achievements of science and other systematizations of knowledge to provide a single source that can be relied on by everyone for definitive answers to factual queries.

Wolfram|Alpha uses Mathematica, a software piece that smart guys like scientists and engineers go ga-ga over. I think of it as a giant textbook or a giant brain that knows lots of math. And the math part is key, because Wolfram|Alpha doesn't seem to be as strong in other fields, such as pop culture or history, as it is in the sciences. But W|A is still in its early stages and has said that they are working to add more source information for topics such as cars, sports and food. So what do you think? Some of the comments I've seen in the Internet World are all over the place, some praising it, other condemning it. You can plug complex equations into it to get some pretty powerful results (just try "integrate (x^2)*sin(x)" and see what you get), but when I type in "British Columbia," Wolfram|Alpha FAIL. Will I use it? I'm not sure. I think I can get the results I need from Google and Wikipedia, but like the fact that there's a strong scientific background. Play around with it and let me know what you think of Wolfram|Alpha. Is it the next big thing?

Chat with Us!

2009-01-12T10:30:00.002-05:00

Got a burning question that you need to ask but can't get to a phone? Sounds like you need to help us test out our new Instant Message (IM) service. We want your feedback!

CML has launched a new chat reference service. As you know, IM is a way to communicate over the Internet on your computer or PDA. You can even text us from your cell phone and we can reply to your phone using the IM service. You don't need an existing IM account in order to use the service, just start typing in the chat box and submit your question that way! We need you to try it out and tell us what you think. Send us your feedback by replying to this blog post!

The great thing about our IM chat service is that it's available all hours when the library is open. The service will be available Monday through Thursday 9 AM to 9 PM, Friday and Saturday 9 AM to 6 PM, and Sunday 1-5 PM. Give it a try... and then give us your thoughts!

Seriously... why is Firefox such a great browser?

2008-11-25T11:25:00.000-05:00

While I'd love to wax exponentially about how great of a web browser Firefox is, I'm going to try and give it to you in a nutshell. A very easy-to-crack nutshell, that is...

Gotta love that tabbed browsing! Firefox came up with it first, folks, so accept no imitations! A simple "Ctrl + T" will open a new tab for you instantly.
A session-restore feature that rocks my world. If you get interrupted by a power outage or something like that while you're working in Firefox, it will restore your session when you open it up again. What's great is that it restores things to the exact pages you were working in.
It's the little things that mean so much: a built-in spell checker, search suggestions, a pop-up blocker, easy RSS feed-management, the ability to clear your private data after every session, automatic updates, protection from spyware and phishing, and DHTML accessibility. Plus, there's an integrated search bar that comes pre-loaded with Google, Yahoo!, Amazon, eBay, Answers.com, and Creative Commons search engines so, no matter where you are on the web, you can easily search one of these sites without ever opening a new tab or leaving the page you are on. And you can add more engines! I like to add the IMDB, Wikipedia, del.icio.us, Flickr tags, and Webster's dictionary. I use this search engine feature all the time! AND...what's great is that now you can add the CML catalog as a search in Firefox! You never have to leave the page you're on to search the library's catalog again!
Finally, one of the things I really like best about Firefox, is that you can do some serious pimpin' and personalizin' to this browser. Firefox calls them "add-ons," but I call them little rays of sunshine that make the browser mine. These add-ons tweak the browser in such a way that you control what it does, what it searches and what it looks like. For example, say you want to search a bookmark in del.icio.us quickly. Instead of logging in to del.icio.us, add the del.icio.us extension to the Firefox browser and you can do it all with one click. The list of recommended extensions is awesome. You can also change the look of the browser overall by installing a theme from the myriad of choices they have. I promise you you'll have fun with this! I often choose more than one theme to download at a time and then I can switch back and forth between them, just to mix it up a little. Hey, it's YOUR browser, make it look and feel and function the way YOU want it to!

But don't take my word on how great Firefox is. Download it today and start playing around with it. Did you know it is the best browser to use when searching the library catalog? Use it for all your searching. Take advantage of all the things it can do for you and it will change the way you use the Web... in a very good way!

Any dedicated or long-time users of Firefox out there? What do you like best about it?

Top Five Reasons to Use Gmail

2008-09-02T12:22:00.004-04:00

Google may be taking over the world, but have you let the search engine beast take over your email yet? Here are five tempting reasons to make the switch to Gmail!

1. It's Free! We can probably leave at just that, huh? But let's go on...

2. The chat interface is AWESOME! Chat right inside Gmail. Whenever you're checking your email, you're automatically logged in to chat. Download the fantastic Google Talk application for an even better chat and email management experience!

3. Seemingly unlimited storage space I'm at 7094 MB and counting

4. Label & search, don't sort! No need to create clunky folders when you can star and label emails. Searching for a particular email is just as seamless as a regular Google search.

5. An address book and mail management system that works for you, not the other way around. Don't bother looking up someone's email in your address book, just begin typing in any part of their name or email address to watch Gmail magically identify the address for you! And instead of 10+ "re:friday night" emails in your inbox, all emails pertaining to the same conversation are collapsed into one email that you can click on and expand.

So, what are you waiting for? Give Gmail a trial today! You won't regret it.

More compelling reasons to use Gmail.

Get plugged in!

2008-08-14T16:18:00.003-04:00

It's here! Check out our new catalog plugin! It will sit in your browser and be available for you to easily search the CML catalog, no matter what site you are on. It works with both Firefox and Internet Explorer and installation is as easy as a couple of clicks. Try it out and let us know what you think!

Feeling Lively?

2008-07-09T13:22:00.001-04:00

Take your chats to a whole new level with Lively, the latest product from Google. According to their blog, Lively allows you to create your own room, personalize an avatar, and chat with up to 20 people at once. You can design your room however you want it to look, and even fill it with furniture or post YouTube videos on the walls! Lively makes your chat three-dimensional, and reminds me a lot of Second Life, except that it is web-based. What do you think of it?

What widgets do you want?

2008-06-11T13:55:00.002-04:00

Here at the library, we will soon begin work on creating resources that allow customers to embed widgets into their personal space. We want you to be able to take valuable libraries tools along with you. We want you to be able to embed useful products (and advertising for us!), on your blogs, Facebook and Myspace pages, etc. You love the library, so why not let it show! Some things we're considering:

Catalog & Premium Resources search box
"I love the library" badges
A ticker of items you have checked out
A My Account box to keep you updated on due dates, etc.

What else would you like to see? Widgets are so cool... they save time and they look fab. What's not to love?

A Highlighter Worth Highlighting

2008-05-07T19:01:00.000-04:00

We hope you are enjoying the new library toolbar. If you haven't had a chance to download it yet, you're missing out! One of the coolest things about the library toolbar, imho, is the highlight feature. Using the toolbar in conjunction with a site such as Amazon.com makes for fantastic results. Let's say you're browsing through Amazon and come across a book or CD that strikes your fancy. Highlight the title and voila! The text you highlighted automatically appears in the toolbar search box ready and waiting to be searched in the library's catalog. What will we think of next!? Now, get out there and start using the library toolbar!

The Library Toolbar

2008-04-10T11:32:00.022-04:00

We hope you've had a chance to try out the new Library Toolbar by now. I want to take a few minutes to explain the functionality and the different parts of it, so that you can use it to its full advantage. So, starting from left to right, let me break it down for you:

The first button has the library logo on it. Just clicking once on this logo button will take you to the Columbus Metropolitan Library's homepage.
This logo button is also a drop-down menu. If you click on the small arrow to the right of the logo, you'll see the full menu: CML Homepage, Contact Us, Help, Privacy, About, Tell a Friend, Refresh Toolbar, Clear Search History, Upgrade, and Toolbar Options.
Next is the Search Box. The default search is a Google search, but you can use the drop-down menu just to the right of the arrow to access other search features. Catalog Search will search the library's catalog, and Premium Resources will search our online subscription databases. There are other search functions here that will allow you to do basic Dictionary, Encyclopedia, Image and Weather searches.
The next part of the toolbar is the drop-down menu for the search box. This allows you to go through and see your previous toolbar searches. You can clear this by clicking on Clear Search History in the logo drop-down menu.
The Go button will execute the search commands you have specified.
The My Account link opens the My Account window so you can check your library card.
The next button is a drop-down menu for all the available eMedia resources the library offers. These resources are from the Mid-Ohio Library Digital Initiative, where you can download eBooks, Audio Books, eFlicks and music!
The Events link will take you to the online library events calendar.
Then we come to the New Items button. These are RSS feeds for the latest items added to our catalog. Please note that this functionality is still a work-in-progress, so enhancements will continue.
The next two links, Kids and Teens, offer direct access to the library's Kids and Teens web sites.

I encourage you to play around with the new features of the toolbar! Remember that, no matter where you are online, you have one-click access to many helpful library features. In the coming weeks, we will highlight more toolbar features and talk about some of the links on the Power Tools page. Feel free to let us know what you think. We will use your suggestions to develop more tools and discover more cool sites!

Tools and Technology!

2008-02-19T11:25:00.003-05:00

Welcome to "Tooling Around!" This is where we blend all things wonderful about the library with all things cool about technology. We'll discuss web-based tools, Web 2.0, and new technology and we encourage you to share your tech ideas and suggestions. How do you use the web? What web technology experiences do you want to share? Let's see what we can discover together!

And don't forget to download the Library Toolbar to your browser! We're going to be looking into creating more down-loadable applications that will enable you to take the library with you wherever you go on the Web. And with your feedback, we can make sure we develop the ones YOU want.