Alice in InfoLand - Check it outBloghttp://www.aliceinfo.org/blog/2010-04-13T15:24:29ZSquarespaceWeb 2.0 explainedhttp://www.aliceinfo.org/blog/web-20-explained.htmlAlice2008-08-14T14:51:30Z2008-08-14T14:51:30ZThe best ever — and simplest — explanation of what web 2.0 and social networking is all about:
http://indexed.blogspot.com/2008/08/this-is-what-20-means.html
And if you have never explored the brilliance of Indexed, go there now!!

]]>Harry Potter rides againhttp://www.aliceinfo.org/blog/harry-potter-rides-again.htmlAlice2008-08-01T06:35:28Z2008-08-01T06:35:28Zjust-released trailer, it looks like the darkest episode yet, with flashbacks to young Tom Riddle's early days. I'll be curious to see whether this movie pulls in the same crowds as the previous ones... has Harry's appeal diminished since the last book was published?
]]>Friendshipshttp://www.aliceinfo.org/blog/friendships.htmlAlice2008-07-24T16:39:57Z2008-07-24T16:39:57ZIn this age of instant online connections, don’t forget the folks who have been present in your real life over the years. George Heymont’s Best Friends Forever explores the real meaning of social networking. (confession: George is my brother… and is my best friend forever!)

]]>SLJ's Learning 2.0 programhttp://www.aliceinfo.org/blog/sljs-learning-20-program.htmlAlice2008-07-21T15:49:33Z2008-07-21T15:49:33ZCheck out All Together Now: Learning 2.0, led by Michael Stephens and sponsored by SLJ. It’s an opportunity to work with SLs all over the world, as we — jointly — explore 12 “Read/Write” web tools and figure out how to use them with(in) our library communities.
I’m signing up: I may be retired, but I’m never too old to learn…and play with some new toys!

]]>Did YOU back up your work today?http://www.aliceinfo.org/blog/did-you-back-up-your-work-today.htmlAlice2007-08-06T00:43:16Z2007-08-06T00:43:16Z*Breaking News: All Online Data Lost After Internet Crash* — a news report from The Onion.
(found via The Committed Sardine)

]]>Disney (not quite) explains Fair Usehttp://www.aliceinfo.org/blog/disney-not-quite-explains-fair-use.htmlAlice2007-05-23T20:35:30Z2007-05-23T20:35:30Zas per the 5/18/07 article by Mat Homan on Wired: *Hijacked Disney Characters Explain Copyright: “Disney lawyers’ heads must be spinning over this one. A movie posted on Stanford University’s site called “A Fair(y) Use Tale*” mashes up all your Disney favorites to humorously and effectively explain copyright law. The ten minute movie, directed by Eric Faden, came out of Stanford University’s Fair Use Project Documentary Film Program. Stanford’s Fair Use Project—to which Stanford Law professor, Copyright guru, Creative Commons advocate and Wired writer Lawrence Lessig contributes—was founded last year to “support to a range of projects designed to clarify, and extend, the boundaries of fair use in order to enhance creative freedom.” And, well, the movie is damn sure creative, and certainly seems to take the boundaries of fair use about as far as they can go.”
FYI: Eric Faden teaches Film Studies at Bucknell University.This 10 minute video can be viewed online at Stanford Law School’s Center for Internet and Society or YouTube , and is also available on DVD from The Media Education Foundation

Ironically, the video is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License, which must be driving the Disney lawyers nuts, since the Walt Disney Company is extremely protective (to the point of ridiculousness) about allowing anyone (like, say, a library) to use any of their images anywhere (on a program flyer or mural, perhaps) without prior permission and payment. (BTDT, can you tell?)

]]>Bembo's Zoohttp://www.aliceinfo.org/blog/bembos-zoo.htmlAlice2007-04-04T16:09:13Z2007-04-04T16:09:13ZEnjoy and share: Bembo’s Zoo — “an abecedary of animals made entirely from Bembo letterforms and punctuation marks — nothing else” — created by deVicq de Cumptich.

(found via Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project)

]]>Did You Know -- Shift Happenshttp://www.aliceinfo.org/blog/did-you-know-shift-happens.htmlAlice2007-03-02T17:17:30Z2007-03-02T17:17:30ZWow! Share this intriguing video with everyone you know!
The original presentation was created by Karl Fisch, Director of Technology at Arapahoe High School in Colorado: http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com/2006/08/did-you-know.html,
then re-mixed by Scott McLeod, a professor in Minnesota: http://scottmcleod.typepad.com/dangerouslyirrelevant/2007/01/gone_fischin.html
And definitely read the comments at both posts for more background info!

also cross-posted at the AASL blog

]]>Searching hither and yonhttp://www.aliceinfo.org/blog/searching-hither-and-yon.htmlAlice2007-02-26T04:34:27Z2007-02-26T04:34:27ZI’ve put together an introduction to online search tools at http://aliceyucht.pbwiki.com/SearchTools to help novice info-seekers find their way.
Let me know if you find this list useful in any way… AND any additions you would recommend!

]]>The Power of Lucky Scrotumshttp://www.aliceinfo.org/blog/the-power-of-lucky-scrotums.htmlAlice2007-02-25T16:26:16Z2007-02-25T16:26:16ZThere’s been major harrumphing in the biblioblogosphere and then the MSM about a discussion on LM_Net re the 2007 Newbery Award winner:
Susan Patron’s The Higher Power of Lucky.

FWIW, the definitive response to the whole brouhaha is Kristen Mclean’s Thoughts on the Great Scrotum Kerfuffle of 2007.  As Liz B on Pop Goes the Library says of Mclean’s exposition: “It’s thoughtful, it’s well documented, it covers all sides.  And it has a scientific illustration!”

My comment to all those who’ve dismissed the book without even reading it — Judge not, lest ye be judged.

Addendum:  read Susan Patron’s excellent article in the L.A. Times, responding to all the criticism.  As she points out:

The problem with “scrotum,” evidently, is discomfort among adults who do not wish to see references to body parts in children’s literature. Also, fear of giggling. What if the teacher or librarian loses control of a class of kids, however briefly, while reading the book aloud? …

Of course, adults are right to fear a word in a book, although not, as in this instance, because it names a body part. They are right in the implied assumption that books have enormous power and influence. Children who read widely understand more about the world; they have a foundation for making better decisions. …

There are Newberys for every taste and for a range of reading ability and developmental levels. …Certain winning titles introduce concepts such as child abuse, racism, animal neglect, the Holocaust, slavery, abandonment. Why burden children with these heavy subjects? Because they live in the same world we do. They perceive much more than we may want to recognize. Well-written books that respect a child’s intelligence enable readers to identify with the protagonist’s mental and physical struggles. This helps them to see different perspectives and shades of gray, rather than a world of absolutes.

Granville Hicks said it best:  “A censor is a man who knows more than he thinks you ought to.”

tags: Newbery, censorship

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