CFP: IUG 2010 (Chicago)

CFP: IUG 2010 (Chicago)

Just a reminder about our call for program and forum proposals for the Annual Innovative Users Group 2010 Conference to be held in Chicago, Illinois from Sunday, April 18th through Wednesday, April 21, 2010. The deadline to submit program proposals is Friday, November 13, 2009; only 17 days away!

To submit a program and/or forum proposal, go to the Conference webpage listed below. When prompted, login with your own personal MyIUG login; do not use your institutional credentials. If you don't already have one, go to http://www.innovativeusers.org/sitemember-register-form
to create your account.

Important URLs for IUG 2010
---------------------------------
IUG 2010 Conference Main Page: http://www.innovativeusers.org/iug-conferences
IUG 2010 Suggested Topics Page: http://www.innovativeusers.org/iug-2010-suggested-topics
IUG 2010 Conference Guidelines: http://www.innovativeusers.org/conference-guidelines
IUG 2010 Proposal Form: http://www.innovativeusers.org/sitemember-app?goto=http://conferences.innovativeusers.org/index.php/IUG2010/IUG2010/user

If you would like to present a program or forum (or two), but do not know what might be of interest to colleagues from other Innovative libraries, take a look at the Suggested Topics Page that has been compiled over the past few years; included in this list are a multitude of responses submitted to the IUG 2009 Conference survey in Anaheim, CA.

We aim for a variety of programs: basic to advanced, every library type, how you use various Innovative modules, and how you use other programs in conjunction with Innovative software. The topics list is not meant to be exhaustive. Some topics have been duplicated (as appropriate) under separate categories for your convenience. If you have an idea of your own and don't see it listed, please submit a proposal anyway; you just may find that you have the experience and ideas to share!

You may also be interested in coordinating a panel discussion, but don't have all of the presenters lined up. It's perfectly fine to have some TBA's at this stage. The Program Committee can work with you to help identify potential co-presenters.

If you have presented or coordinated at past IUG programs, please consider resubmitting a proposal for this year. Many comments from recent IUG conferences attest to the fact that it is impossible to attend every program that our users would like to hear; having another chance to see popular programs is always appreciated.

There are also a large number of regional user group meetings taking place this fall that offer an excellent variety of programs. If you are presenting in one of these regional conferences, please consider repeating your program at the annual meeting, so many more colleagues can learn from your experiences.

Again, the deadline for submitting program and forum proposals is Friday, November 13, 2009. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions and/or comments; we welcome ALL feedback about the program process. We look forward to seeing all of your fantastic proposals!

Best - Pat

IUG 2010 Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect
IUG 2010 Program Committee Chair
_______________________________________
Access Services Librarian
Douglas and Judith Krupp Library
Bryant University : HELIN Consortium
1150 Douglas Pike : Smithfield, RI 02917
Office/Voice 401-232-6000 x20414
pcrawfor@bryant.edu

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CFP: IUG at ALA Midwinter (Boston, 2010)

CFP: IUG at ALA Midwinter (Boston, 2010)

http://www.innovativeusers.org

Are you attending ALA Midwinter in Boston? Each year at ALA Midwinter IUG holds an afternoon meeting for IUG members. Our next meeting is January 15, 2010, 2-5pm in Boston, MA.

I am still looking for two more presenters. Please let me know as soon as possible if you would like to present at this meeting. We're a friendly crowd.

Would you like to do a group presentation? Or one by yourself? It can be 30 minutes or an hour. This is a great time to share something innovative you are doing with your Innovative system. Doing something new and different you would like to share? Web 2.0? Breaking out of a mold? Encore? AirPAC? Technology planning?

If you are local to the Boston area, all the better. We like to showcase local talent.

There is no cost for the meeting and you do not need to register for ALA to attend or present at our meeting.

Carol
Chair, IUG Steering Committee

Carol Gyger
Systems Administrator
Poudre River Public Library District
201 Peterson St.
Fort Collins CO 80524
(970)221-6716
cgyger@poudrelibraries.org
http://poudrelibraries.org/

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Vizio VF551XVT

Vizio VF551XVT's big screen LCD looks unassuming for the most part, with the standard glossy black frame surrounding the picture area. But the nondetachable speaker bar along the bottom, with its silver coloring, reflective supports, bulbous shape and see through panel exposing the wall behind the TV, assumes a bit too much, and we predict you'll either love it or hate it. We fall into the latter camp. The only external difference between Vizio VF551XVT and Vizio VF550XVT is the former's addition of an illuminated row of "tech logos" on the left hand side.

There's a menu item that promises to disable the illumination, but it didn't work on our review sample. The 55 inch Vizio VF551XVT measures 51.5 inches wide by 36 inches tall by 13.5 inches deep and weighs a svelte 90.2 pounds with stand attached. Remove the nonswiveling stand and its dimensions become 51.5 by 33.9 by 5 inches and its weight 78 pounds. We liked Vizio's large remote, with its oversize chrome colored cursor pad surrounded by well spaced, easily differentiated, yellow backlit keys.

Highlights include a section that offers direct access to different input types, "A, B, C, and D" keys for other devices, such as cable boxes, that double as picture in picture controls, and the capability to command three other devices. Many of the keys double up, but the remote handles these well we appreciate that the oft used key to control aspect ratio shares the bright red "record" key, for example.

The menu system for the XVT models squeezes onto the left side of the screen, and it's hard to mistake the bare bones graphics for a Samsung or Sony menu. We found ourselves annoyed at the fact that you can only see one parameter at a time and that too much scrolling is required to access all of the settings. On the plus side we liked the text explanations of various menu items.

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Panasonic TC-P50V10

Panasonic TC-P50V10 is one sleek plasma. Its main external differentiator is what the company calls "one sheet of glass" design, where a pane of glass extends beyond the edge of the screen and over the bezel itself, leading to a seamless look that's even more impressive in person than in pictures. (It's worth noting that only the 50 and 54 inch models feature the one sheet design; the larger members of the series have the more traditional, visually separate bezel around the screen).

Panasonic TC-P50V10 series eschews the relatively bright silver fade along the bottom of the frame seen on the company's step down TC-PG10 models, instead opting for a much subtler silver accent that arcs slightly upward in the middle. We think Panasonic TC-P50V10 looks more attractive and sophisticated than the G10, and indeed it's one of the coolest looking TV designs we've seen this year. The black frame around the screen is a bit wider than that of the G10 series, leading to Panasonic TC-P50V10's slightly larger height and width dimensions (0.2 and 0.9 inch larger, respectively, on the 50 incher, for example).

The panels' depth dimension, on the other hand, is just 3.3 inches not quite as thin as Samsung's 850 series plasmas or Panasonic's own Z1, but thinner than the 4.2 inches of the G10 models. If you're keeping track, the 50 inch Panasonic TC-P50V10 also weighs 4.4 pounds more than the 50 inch G10, which is probably due to that big pane of glass. We also appreciated that the 50 inch Panasonic TC-P50V10 model's stand includes a swivel, an extra not found on less expensive Panasonic plasmas nor on the larger members of the series.

Beyond the panels and stands, the V10 models are pretty much identical in design to the G10s. The remote differs from the one found on less expensive Panasonic plasmas, and in general we liked it. Panasonic's marketing guys got to the button designers, however, and apparently mandated that an unnecessarily prominent trio of keys Viera Link, VieraCast and VieraTools appear above the central cursor control.

Each provides direct access to functions we'll warrant most users won't access as frequently as the Menu key, and the trio relegates that button to an easily overlooked spot near the top of the clicker. We still like the feel of the keys, and appreciate the size, color and shape differentiation that helps us forget that only the huge volume and channel buttons are illuminated. The remote cannot control other devices via infrared (IR) commands, but it does allow some control of compatible HDMI devices connected to the TV via Viera Link (a.k.a. HDMI-CEC).

Panasonic tweaked its menu design for 2009. The same yellow on blue color scheme is in evidence (albeit a lighter shade of blue), and navigation is basically unchanged, but the main menu actually has a couple of icons now. Overall it's still one of the more straightforward, basic looking menus on the mainstream market, but we still wish the company would see fit to include on screen explanations of selections. A new Tools menu showcases some of the TV's functions, including THX mode, Digital Cinema Color, and VieraCast.

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CALL FOR SPEAKERS - CUBL Breakfast @ SLA 2010 in New Orleans

CALL FOR SPEAKERS - CUBL Breakfast @ SLA 2010 in New Orleans

We are currently planning the annual College and University Business Libraries (CUBL) Section breakfast for next year's SLA Annual Conference in New Orleans and are looking for three (3) people interested in sharing their experiences or research with their colleagues. We had an
incredible turnout for our breakfast in Washington, D.C. last year and expect even more people to attend in New Orleans. Do you want to share your ideas and experiences? If so, then read on.

This year's breakfast theme will be "Advancing within the Academy: Moving on Up."

The CUBL breakfast will feature a panel discussion on advancement and promotion issues within college and university libraries, including scholarly publishing by academic librarians, tenure versus non-tenure positions and a wide range of other promotion and advancement topics.

If you are interested in speaking (15 minutes or so) on any of these topics, or if there other topics you think may be of interest to CUBL members, please let me know. You'll have to come up with your own clever presentation title, though! Please contact me no later than next
Friday, November 6, 2009 if you are interested.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards,

Jeff Graveline
Chair, College and University Business Libraries Section

Jeffrey D. Graveline, J.D., M.L.I.S.
Reference Librarian for Business & Government Documents
Mervyn H. Sterne Library, University of Alabama at Birmingham
(205) 934-6364
Email: jgraveli@uab.edu
Blog: http://blogs.mhsl.uab.edu/business

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CFP: Encyclopedia of Virtual Worlds and Environments

CFP: Encyclopedia of Virtual Worlds and Environments

We would like to invite you to consider contributing your expertise to a forthcoming book edited by me and Prof. Harrison Yang of the State University of New York at Oswego, entitled Encyclopedia of Virtual Worlds and Environments. This encyclopedia will include a variety of contexts and cover anthropological, psychological, pedagogical, sociological, and so forth approaches from both empirical and theoretical works on virtual worlds and environments. It will serve as a research reference, a pedagogical/informational guide, and a primary source in the area of virtual environments.

The coverage topics include, but are NOT limited to, the following:

Conceptual and Theoretical Perspective (issues and trends of virtual environment theories; chronicle reviews; modeling, design and strategies; etc.).

Types of Virtual Worlds and Environments (Collaborative Virtual Environments (CVEs) and/or Multiuser Virtual Environments (MUVEs); Immersive Virtual Environments (IVEs); Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MORPGs); Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs) and/or Massively Multiplayer Online [Games] (MMOs); Multiuser Domains (MUDs); and MUD Object Oriented (MOOs); etc.).

Platforms/Sites/Products of Virtual Worlds and Environments (Active Worlds; Barbie Girls; Club Penguin; Forterra Systems; Gaia Online; Habbo Hotel, Kaneva; Neopets; Second Life; The Sims Online; Teen Second Life; There; Whyville Zwinktopia; etc.).

Interface and Hardware Aspect (visual; tracking; auditory; primary use input (such as glove, body suit, exoskeleton, track ball, and 3-D mouse inputs, etc.); tactile; kinesthetic; full-body motion; and olfactory interface technologies; etc.).

Virtual Communities (behavioral, psychological, and cognitive issues of online users; community of practice; personal relationships; social interaction and exchange; legal and ethical considerations; etc.).

Virtual Learning Environments and Worlds (asynchronous and synchronous activities; e-learning, m-learning and e-commerce programs; fully online and blended approaches; research and practices on ANGEL Learning, Apex Learning, ATutor, Blackboard/WebCT, Claroline, CyberExtension, Desire21Learn, Dokeos, eCollege, eFront, FirstClass, Frog, Fronter, Glow Learn, ILIAS, iWebfolio, LAMS - the Learning Activity Management System, Moodle, Pass-port, Sakai, SharePointLMS, TK20, WebEx, and new features in virtual learning environments including wikis, blogs, games, RSS, 3-D virtual learning spaces, etc.).

Best Practices and Case Studies (evaluation and implementation in multidisciplinary; applications and training; personal experiences; creativity and innovation of projects; anthropological, psychological, pedagogical, sociological works on virtual worlds and environments; etc.)

Global Virtual Worlds and Environments Development and Management (model, technologies, programs, issues).

Trends of Virtual Worlds and Environments.

All Other Related Issues in Virtual Worlds and Environments.

In addition, the Possible List of Topics/Categories for the Encyclopedia of Virtual Worlds and Environments is provided for consideration. For more information about the encyclopedia and the recommended topics, please visit the website at: http://book.yuen.us

Should you accept this invitation, we would like to kindly ask that, on or before November 30, 2009, you submit via e-mail a 2-3 page article proposal clearly explaining the mission and concern of your proposed article. Should your proposal be accepted, you will be notified by December 31, 2009. Full articles of 1,500-3,500 words are expected to be submitted by February 28, 2010. Authors are required to follow the Full Article Submission Instructions when preparing their full articles. All submitted articles will be reviewed on a double-blind review basis. Contributors may also be requested to serve as reviewers for this encyclopedia. The book is scheduled to be published by IGI Global, www.igi-global.com, publisher of the IGI Publishing, Information Science Publishing, IRM Press, CyberTech Publishing, Information Science Reference, and Medical Information Science Reference imprints.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. We appreciate your consideration of this invitation and hope to hear from you soon!

Best wishes,

Dr. Harrison Yang
Professor
State University of New York at Oswego
hyang2@oswego.edu

Dr. Steve C. Yuen
Professor
The University of Southern Mississippi
Steve.Yuen@usm.edu

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Amanda Linux backup utility

I highly recommend Amanda backup utility for linux. You can find more at http://www.amanda.org

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SQL2008 Cluster error. 'RequireKerberos is 1'

Hi

I am installing a SQL 2008 cluster in a 3 node guest cluster.

I had this error:
'RequireKerberos is 1'

I followed this Q to solve the problem
We need to stream SQL 2008 dVD with SP1
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/955392/en-us

sAntos

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Dual Boot Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2

Hi

two links very good

http://edge.technet.com/Media/Dual-Boot-from-VHD-with-Windows-7-and-Windows-Sever-2008-R2/

http://blogs.technet.com/keithcombs/archive/2009/10/15/using-hyper-v-without-re-installing-your-world.aspx

sAnTos

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Windows 2008 DC in Hyper-V

hi

We have the windows 2008 DC in Hyper-V
The DC gets the time from the host and sometimes the time is wrong.

This is the Q to change the regedit in the host machine to solve the problem:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/816042/en-us


sAnTos

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Computers for Windows 7

The long awaited Windows 7 operating system is here and rumor has it, Microsoft will soon announce several new computers that are designed specifically to run the new OS. However, several computer manufacturers have beat Microsoft to the punch by releasing information about their own new models that will feature Windows 7. Several of them are specially designed to use the OS's touch-screen features.

Hewlett-Packard has four new computers, all with touch-screens. The cheapest of the bunch is the TouchSmart 300, a 20 inch screen desktop that will retail around $900. Next is the TouchSmart 600, also a desktop, sporting a 23-inch screen, and that will sell for about $1,100 (though for $500 more, you can get the version that is able to show video at 1080p resolution). For those not looking for a desktop, there is the TouchSmart tx2 - a tablet computer that will start around $800. And if you happen to be looking for 42-inch touch screen, the $2,800 LD4200tm is your computer.

If you're looking for super-cheap, Compaq (owned by Hewlett-Packard) will be releasing the CQ61z laptop, a 15-inch screen notebook. It doesn't have a touchscreen but it will sell for $399 until right around Christmastime when the price is expected to rise to $499.

Toshiba will release two new Satellite laptops, both with touch-screens. The M505 has a 14-inch screen and should sell for around $950, while the U505 13-inch screen with a "textured finish" will sell for about $1,050.

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HP Mini 311

HP Mini 311 is what you would call an oversized netbook. It's about the same size as the ASUS EeePC 1101HA, Acer Aspire One (A0751h), and Gateway LT3103u in that they all have 11.6 inch widescreens. At 3.3 pounds, it's the heaviest among its peers, although the differences are small. HP Mini 311 is the prettiest though, as HP's signature imprints against a white background is delightful to look at. A black version is also available, though darker colors are usually a magnet for fingerprints and smudges.

Alternatively, the Toshiba NB205 and HP Mini 5101 use textures and metals, respectively, to enhance their looks, as well as repel unsightly smudges. HP Mini 311 is a bigger netbook than the Toshiba NB205 because it houses a bigger screen. Although 11.6 inch widescreens are building momentum in the netbook space, they, along with a 1.366 by 768 resolution, are still tough finds. Most 10 inch netbooks default to a lower, 1.024 by 768 resolution. Likewise, the Asus 1101HA, Gateway LT3103u, and Acer A0751h have matching screen sizes and resolutions.

They're not even the biggest netbooks screens. Both the Lenovo IdeaPad S12 and Samsung NC20 (21GBK) use 12 inch widescreens and 1.280 by 800 resolutions. What makes HP Mini 311 special is that it runs an Nvidia chipset instead of the Intel chipset found on every other netbook on the market. It still needs a CPU, though. The 1.66GHz Intel Atom N280 is a commonly used netbook processor, which means in terms of raw horsepower, the Mini 311 isn't that far ahead of other netbooks. Video encoding tests finished in 4 minutes 54 seconds, which is about as fast the Toshiba NB205 (4:45) and Lenovo S12 (4:40).

It's the fastest among its 11 inch peers, since the Asus 1101HA and Acer A0751h run on a more inferior Atom Z520 processor and the the Gateway LT3103u opts for an AMD low voltage CPU. HP Mini 311 has more oomph when it comes to graphics performance. The ION LE is basically a stripped down version of the Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics chipset the same chipset found in the Apple MacBook Air (Nvidia 9400GM). The "LE" portion means that support for Direct X is downgraded from 10 to 9.

Its scores on 3DMark06, which I ran just to see what the performance would be, were in the same ball park as the MacBook Air and annihilated those of its netbook counterparts. Despite these 3D benchmark scores, the combination of the Atom processor and lack of a Direct X 10 capable graphics chipset crippled games like World in Conflict and Crysis both of these games lagged to the point where they were unplayable. Games like World of Warcraft and Mini Ninjas, which have lower graphics requirements, were lag free and absolutely playable.

The gravy was supposed to be in high definition playback. I tested several HD movie clips on HP Mini 311, as well as playing them to the Samsung LN55A950 HDTV. It handled all of my 720p and 1080i (24 fps) clips with great color accuracy, good picture detail, and they didn't suffer from any lag. When playing 1080p (24fps) movie clips in H264 and WMV formats, however, there was noticeable lag. Let's just say it wasn't a smooth experience. And even though its 6 cell, 53Wh battery is roughly the same capacity as the one found in the Toshiba NB205 and HP 5101, its score of 5 hours 29 minutes on MobileMark 2007 is about 2 to 3 hours less than that of the competition.

Still, more than 5 hours of battery life is very respectable. By netbook standards, HP Mini 311 is reasonably priced and offers features most netbooks lack. You're paying a small premium for a netbook that has an HDMI port and can drive 1080p resolutions to a bigger display. Though it didn't deliver on 1080p playback, it handled 720p and 1080i videos better than netbooks with Intel based graphics. For those who were hoping to make a gaming netbook out of this, think again. High end 3D games are still best played on full fledged laptops.

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HP Envy 13

HP Envy 13 is crafted from aluminum and magnesium bonded materials, while the MacBook Pro does it from a thick slab of aluminum. Its metals are anodized several layers deep, so the Envy 13 is not only sleek, but durable, scratch resistant, and lightweight as well. Apple and HP aren't the only ultraportable manufacturers that use metals, though. The ASUS UL30A-A1 and Acer Aspire Timeline AS3810T (6415) have also experimented with aluminum metals in their frames, though only in the top cover HP Envy 13 uses metals throughout the entire chassis, which drives up costs. The designs are limitless as well.

HP Envy 13 sports a brownish tint and can be permanently etched with lasers in different patterns just like HP's current Pavilion line designs. The luxurious theme extends to its interior. Its 13.1 inch widescreen is one of the brightest in the industry, rated at 400 Nits (cd/m2), and covered in glass, too, which gives it the same clean look as that of the MacBook Pro 13 inch. Its 1.600 by 900 resolution is the highest and most eye popping thus far on a 13 inch screen, outclassing that of the MacBook Pro 13 inch (1.280 by 800), Acer 3935 (1.280 by 800), and ASUS UL30A-A1 (1.366 by 768).

It matches the resolution of the Dell Studio 14z great for multimedia tasks, but not so much for reading text, as higher resolutions tend to make fonts look tinier on a small screen. The full size keyboard is styled in the same way as that of the MacBook Pro 13 inch tiled, with plenty of spacing between each key. The Envy 13 lacks a back-lit option, though, which is inexcusable for a luxury line. In comparison, the MacBook Pro 13 inch and Studio 14z include illuminated keyboards for dark-lit rooms. The embedded mouse buttons also take their styling cues from Apple's design, as they're disguised by one huge touchpad.

They're slightly too resistant for my tastes, but otherwise responded well to various clicking commands. The touchpad, like the one found in the MacBook Pro, supports two finger gestures, which often times got in the way of navigating. You can turn these gestures off in the system's Control Panel. In terms of features, the Envy 13 takes a minimalist approach and that isn't always a good thing. This laptop is not intended for legacy users, since it doesn't come with an internal optical drive, a VGA port, or an Ethernet jack.

I think ridding these features from the system is acceptable, plus all of them are included in this configuration as external USB attachments. Unfortunately, though, you have only two USB ports to choose from. Unlike the Studio 14z, the Envy 13 includes a media card reader, which is still a vital feature for digital camera owners. An ExpressCard slot is not available, though, which would've been handy for adding an ExpressCard docking solution or 3G wireless, since both of these aren't sold as options and there are only two USB ports available. Taking the place of VGA Out is an HDMI port, which is the video out standard most laptops are leaning toward. In contrast, the Studio 14z includes both DisplayPort and HDMI technologies. The 250GB hard drive is a 1.8 inch spindle, but spins at 5400rpm.

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Getac 9213

Getac 9213 measures just 12.5 by 9 by 1 inches, and its 3.6 pound chassis offers plenty of relief to full time travelers. It's about a pound lighter than the Apple MacBook Pro 13 inch (4.5 pounds) and the HP Pavilion dv3z (4.6 pounds), but not nearly as cheap. More impressive, though, is that it weighs as little as the Acer Aspire Timeline AS3810T and still manages to incorporate an optical drive, unlike the latter.

Getac 9213's 13.3 inch widescreen clings to the old school aspect ratio (16:10), whereas most consumer laptops are moving to more movie friendly 16:9 displays as is common in HDTVs. As a result, Getac 9213's 1.280 by 800 resolution matches the one on the MacBook Pro 13 inch. It's a vibrant screen, at least more so than that of the Acer 3935 and the HP dv3z. The full size keyboard would've been perfect had it not been for one misplaced key the forward slash key, which is usually right next to the right Shift key, is placed beside the left Shift key here, thereby shrinking the latter to nearly half of its traditional size.

The rest of the keyboard is very responsive, and the touchpad and mouse buttons are tuned to perfection. Before you decide to try running Getac 9213 over with a truck, you'll need to understand the significance of the term "business rugged." A fully rugged laptop, like Getac B300, is completely certified under the MIL-SPEC 810F series, which means it was subject to more than 20 military tests involving vibrations, drops, shock, humidity you get the point.

A semi rugged laptop, like the Panasonic Toughbook CF-52, only has to endure a subset of these tests. Business rugged, meanwhile, is a loose interpretation of the MIL-SPEC series. Getac 9213's rugged qualities surviving 1.5 foot drops, water spills, and shock to its hard drive aren't nearly as tough, but it's tougher than the consumer products mentioned in this review and an incredible asset to have on the road. In order to achieve a thin, lightweight form factor, the 9213 opted for Intel's ultra low voltage (ULV) chipset.

The ULV platform eliminates clunky fans and has huge benefits in power savings. In speed, however, the Intel Core 2 Duo SU9400 (1.4 GHz) trails many of its consumer counterparts. Its equivalent to the processors found in the Lenovo Thinkpad X301 and the Acer AS3810T. Luckily, the 9213's 3GB of memory can help offset some of its performance woes. In video encoding tests, Getac 9213 finished in 1 minute, 48 seconds just 32 seconds behind the Acer 3935 (1:16) and the MacBook Pro 13 inch (1:16).

Cinebench R10 and Photoshop CS4 scores were more in line with the ULV-powered Lenovo X301 and Acer AS3810T. If you constantly work with huge resource suckers, like large Powerpoint, Excel, Photoshop, or video files, this laptop is probably not for you. The processor's power savings somewhat make up for its lack of speed. Even though Getac 9213's 58-Wh battery (6 cell) is average in capacity, the system accrued 5 hours, 4 minutes worth of battery life in MobileMark 2007 tests.

That's more both than the MacBook Pro 13 inch (4:44) and the Acer 3935 (4:50). Against the AS3810T (8:40) and the X301 (5:37), however, Getac 9213 had some trouble keeping up. Rooted in the ruggedized way of life, Getac knows better than to rest on its laurels. Getac 9213 is an ultraportable that blends the company's strengths durability and an excellent user experience with a fashion statement based on current trends and some handy business features.

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Nord Electro 3 OS update v2.06

The Nord Electro 3 operating system has been updated to v2.06.

This update addresses a few issues, some of which have been discovered by Electro 3 users. As always, we are very grateful for the reports that are sent in.

More information:
http://www.soundtech.co.uk/nord/news/keyboards/electro-3-2_06-os-update

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Propellerhead Record wins Guitarist Choice

“With its streamlined approach, Record gets straight to the nub of what recording your music should be all about – it just lets you get on with it.”

Propellerhead’s new audio-recording package ‘Record’ was designed for musicians - not audio engineers. Continuing a stream of glittering reviews, this month Record is reviewed in Guitarist Magazine where it receives a 4.5 out of 5 rating and the magazine’s ‘Guitarist Choice’ award.

“What you get with Record is comprehensive self-contained package with a host of features that are optimized for guitarists and a learning curve that’s not daunting”.

More information:
http://www.soundtech.co.uk/propellerhead/news/propellerhead-record-awarded-guitarist-choice-award

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CFP: ALCTS CCS Cataloging and Classification Research and Publication (CCRP) Interest Group

CFP: ALCTS CCS Cataloging and Classification Research and Publication (CCRP) Interest Group

Call for Presenters
2010 ALA Annual Midwinter in Boston, MA, January 15-19, 2010


ALCTS CCS Cataloging and Classification Research (CCRP) Interest Group of the American Library Association (ALA) seeks proposals for its Research Forum at the 2010 ALA Midwinter Meeting in Boston, MA, January 15-19, 2010. The CCRP Interest Group welcomes submissions that address any aspects of the current issues, mechanisms for solving these issues and the significance of research findings in the broad area of information organization (e.g., cataloging and classification, metadata) especially in relation to digital environment. Proposals dealing with user-generated metadata such as social tagging are also welcome.

Both completed research and research in progress will be considered. All researchers, practitioners, students and other interested individuals engaged with cataloging and classification research are encouraged to submit proposals. Proposals are due on November 30, 2009. Each proposal must give the title, an abstract (up to 500 words) and the submitter's one-page vita. Also, please indicate whether the research is in-progress or completed. Proposals should include the following elements: a problem statement, a statement of significance, objectives, methods and conclusions (or tentative conclusions for works in progress).

From the submissions, the Committee of Cataloging and Classification Research and Publication Interest Group will select several proposals for presentation at the conference.

*DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS*: November 30, 2009

Please submit proposals and direct inquiries to:


Dr. Jung-ran Park
Chair, ALCTS CCS Cataloging and Classification Research and Publication Interest Group
Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Library Metadata, http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/title~db=all~content=t792306902~tab=submit~mode=paper_submission_instructions
Assistant Professor
The iSchool at Drexel
College of Information Science and Technology
Drexel University
Email: jung-ran.park@ischool.drexel.edu
Phone: 215-895-1669
Fax: 215-895-2494
Homepage: http://www.cis.drexel.edu/faculty/jpark/index.html

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Microsoft opens first retail store.

If you've been to any mall in the United States you've probably seen the Apple Store. A store full of every Apple product you can imagine. Well imagine that store only filled with Microsoft Products and color and you'll know what its like inside the new Microsoft Store in Scottsdale, AZ.

Microsoft feels the new store is giving customers a chance to "experience the best of Microsoft and its partners, the store offers customers a select line of laptops, netbooks, all-in-one PCs, Xbox consoles, Windows Mobile phones and one of the largest selections of third-party software titles in any store." A second store will be opening October 29, in Mission Viejo, California.

Microsoft decided a store dedicated to its products is what its customers were looking for and needed. Each store will have various sections and departments focusing on various Microsoft products and needs. You will be able to play with the technology and see how its uses can be utilized for maximum benefit.

The Scottsdale Microsoft Store has tables full of laptops, large screen tv's on the walls, and a vast collection of software and the design has been planned to maximize interaction between the customer, technology and the highly trained staff.

It will also feature a place to customize your products,“If you want to have Disney characters on your laptop or an NFL team on your Xbox, we’ll build a nice library of licensed products that you can use, or you also can bring in a picture of your dog or your family and make it custom,” said store manager, Cheryl Hibbard.

More customization features include a table to create your own ringtone for your Microsoft phone. A place to compare cell phone rates. More than just outer customization the customers can also customize their products from the inside. "Once a PC is purchased, store employees will offer a 15-minute session to help customers set up their passwords and networks, and tailor their browser, e-mail and other applications to their personal preferences. Customers can launch their computer from hibernate the minute they take it home,” she says. “With this set-up session, we’re taking the typical ‘ready to assemble’ PC ownership experience to ‘ready to run’.”

While its still fairly new and only one store, Microsoft feels confident that the stores will help with sales and customer experience with the products Microsoft and its partners have to offer. If it will compete with Apple in this arena, we will just have to wait and see.

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Sharp LC-52LE700UN

The glossy black finish of Sharp LC-52LE700UN series doesn't break any new ground design wise, and this Sharp keeps the angled edges of its predecessors like Sharp LC-46D85U. A silver fade along the bottom of the frame provides a very subtle accent while a blue-lit triangle, which reminded us of the emblems worn by the crew of the Enterprise, points toward the company logo in the middle of the bottom edge (the blue illumination can be disabled).

Sharp's matching glossy black stand doesn't allow the panel to swivel.Lest you see a Samsung ad and believe all LED-based LCDs are also ultrathin, Sharp's LC-LE700UN series is among the many sets that prove otherwise. It measures 3.7 inches deep sans stand, which is quite normal for a flat panel TV of any technology. Sharp has gone the longest of any TV maker we know since changing its remote. Sharp LC-46LE700UN's clicker is basically the same as the one that shipped with the 2006 LC-46D62U, which was a few years old itself at the time.

Our opinion of it hasn't changed, so we'll just quote that review : "Sharp's long remote will be familiar to anyone who's played with an Aquos set in the last couple of years. It has the ability to command four other pieces of gear, keys that are nicely spread out and well differentiated, and a generally logical button layout. We say 'generally' because the key controlling aspect ratio is stashed clear at the top of the long wand, the one for freezing the image is given an unduly important spot near the main directional keypad, and the one for changing picture modes is hidden beneath a flip up hatch."

Unfortunately, Sharp cut back on the backlighting of its remotes, so now only the volume and channel rockers, as well as four nearby keys, receive illumination. Sharp's menu system design is also basically the same as in previous years, and its blocky look seems dated compared with the slick menus available from Sony and Samsung. The pertinent information is all there, however, and we liked the text explanations that accompany various selections. LED backlighting tops the features list of Sharp LC-LE700UN, but it's unlike any other LED-backlit TV released so far. All of the other LED based LCDs fall into one of two camps : edge lit or local dimming.

However, the Sharp falls into neither category. Its LED elements are arranged behind the screen, as opposed to the edge, but they are incapable of dimming or brightening individually. Like a standard fluorescent backlit LCD, Sharp LC-52LE700UN's LED backlight must dim or brighten all at once. The main benefit of its LED backlight is simply reduced energy consumption. Sharp LC-LE700UN also sports a 120Hz refresh rate that provides improved motion resolution compared with standard LCDs although we suspect you'll be hard pressed to see any difference.

That refresh rate also allows the TV to display the proper cadence when fed 1080p/24 material. The two larger sizes in Sharp LC-LE700UN series, the 46 and 52 inch models, feature dejudder processing as well, while the two smaller 40 and 32 inch models do not. Dejudder is available in two strengths on the 46 and 52 inch models and doesn't need to be active to realize the antiblurring benefits of 120Hz.

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CFP: Patron-Initiated Collection Development (special issue of Collection Management)

CFP: Patron-Initiated Collection Development (special issue of Collection Management)

Call For Papers: Special Issue of Collection Management

Patron-Initiated Collection Development: Current Successes and Future Directions

To be published in v. 35, no. 3/4 of Collection Management in 2010. Seeking article proposals from colleagues at all kinds of libraries (all sizes of academic libraries, public libraries, and international libraries) about patron-initiated collection development, such as:

● interlibrary loan book purchase programs
● experiences with allowing patron use or selection to drive acquisition of electronic books
● consortial collection development plans with strong patron-driven acquisitions elements
● other innovative patron-initiated selection activities for materials in a variety of formats
● implications for the future roles of collection librarians in an environment of increased user-driven Acquisitions
● user discovery of patron-initiated collection development plans

The editors are particularly interested in proposals for articles that will that include evaluation/assessment/analysis.

Background

The special issue editors are members of the team that published the following article:

Anderson, Kristine J., Robert S. Freeman, Jean-Pierre V. M. Herubel, Lawrence J. Mykytiuk, Judith M. Nixon, and Suzanne M. Ward. 2002. “Buy, Don’t Borrow: Bibliographers’ Analysis of
Academic Library Collection Development through Interlibrary Loan Requests.” Collection
Management, 27(3/4): 1-11.

This article analyzed six subject areas for books purchased instead of borrowed as the result of interlibrary loan requests in 2000-2001. Now that ILL book purchases have been standard procedure at the Purdue University Libraries for ten years, the authors and their colleagues will
analyze this decade’s worth of information to explore the following topics in a series of four articles:

● Revisit the initial study by comparing earlier findings with more recent data
● Analyze the ILL book purchase program in relation to scientific/technical/medical (STM) titles ● Conduct in-depth statistical analysis across a decade of data, looking at issues such as patron status, subject areas as indicated by call number, subsequent circulation, comparison with similar subject area books acquired through traditional means, etc.
● Position paper on new roles for collection librarians. As user-initiated collection development frees time and effort from traditional collection duties and responsibilities, how will academic librarians develop and nurture emerging objectives and prerogatives, e.g. teaching, research?

The accepted articles from colleagues at other institutions will complement the four listed above.
Deadlines

November 13, 2009: Submit an abstract (maximum of one page) with the title and your proposed article idea. Your full contact information may appear on a separate page, but please include your name, institution, and email address on the abstract page.

December 4, 2009: The editors will notify authors whether their proposals have been accepted.

February 28, 2010: Submit completed article (10-25 double spaced pages).

Please submit abstracts and address correspondence to Judy Nixon ( jnixon@purdue.edu) with this subject line: CM article proposal.

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CFP: ACRL Programs for 2011 ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans

CFP: ACRL Programs for 2011 ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans

ACRL invites its committees, sections, and individual members to consider submitting a program proposal for the 2011 ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans.

There will be a virtual meeting on December 8, 2009, at 11:00 a.m. CST for ACRL units and members interested in submitting a proposal for a 2011 ALA Annual Conference Program. The purpose of this meeting is to provide potential conference program planners with an understanding of the Annual Conference program planning process, including budgets, timelines, and planning tips. Please note that the Annual Conference program planning process spans twenty months, until Annual 2011.

2011 ALA Annual Conference Program Proposal forms will be due May 3, 2010. The ACRL Professional Development Coordinating Committee will review and select 2011 Annual Conference programs, and notifications will be issued before the 2010 ALA Annual Conference.

More details about the Annual Conference program process are online at http://www.acrl.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/events/annualprogramsfaq.cfm.

Interested in participating in the virtual meeting on December 8? Please email Megan Griffin at mgriffin@ala.org. Once log-in instructions are available, you will be notified. These instructions will also be posted in ALA Connect, on the main ACRL page.

If you have any questions about the 2011 program process, please contact Megan Griffin at mgriffin@ala.org.

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CFP: NASIG 25th Annual Conference

CFP: NASIG 25th Annual Conference
An Oasis in Shifting Sands: NASIG at 25
June 3-6, 2010
Palm Springs, California

The North American Serials Interest Group (NASIG) 2010 Program Planning Committee (PPC) extends a second call for proposals and/or program ideas for pre-conference, vision, strategy, and tactics sessions. We welcome all proposals related to serials and electronic resources, and we are particularly interested in the following topics in order to provide a diverse conference program:
* Changes in the cataloging environment, particularly Resource Description and Access (RDA)
* Future directions for binding and other print-centered processes
* On-demand and patron-driven purchasing
* Programs reporting the findings of descriptive or experimental research on serials-related topics

The Program Planning Committee will review all submitted proposals for their content and timeliness, and reserves the right to combine or refocus proposals to maximize their relevance and to avoid duplication.

This Call for Proposals will close on November 6, 2009. PPC hopes to notify proposers in December 2009. Inquiries may be sent to the PPC co-chairs, Morag Boyd and Anne Mitchell
at: prog-plan@nasig.org

For additional details and to suggest a proposal or idea,
please complete the online form at:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=BSqVUMJpzvVcqWhMk1ok

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CFP: ALCTS Continuing Resources Section College and Research Interest Group

CFP: ALCTS Continuing Resources Section College and Research Interest Group

The ALCTS Continuing Resources Section College and Research Libraries Interest Group (CRS C&RL IG) requests presentation proposals for our Midwinter Meeting in Boston on Sunday, January 17, 2010 from 10:30am-12:00pm.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

- Pay per view pricing for journal articles
- Withdrawing print when libraries also have online access
- Regrouping after serials cancellations: have / how have your workflows changed?
- RDA and FRBR, as they pertain to serials
- MARC Format for Holdings Data
- KBART and knowledge base management
- Next generation OPACs and serial displays
- Other topics?

Each presentation should be approximately 20 minutes. There will be time for discussion.

Please e-mail proposals by to Beth Bernhardt, Beth_Bernhardt@uncg.edu

Please include in your proposal:

- Title of presentation
- Brief summary of proposed presentation
- Name(s) and position(s) of presenter(s)
- E-mail address(es) of presenter(s)

Many thanks. We hope to see you in Boston!

Sincerely,

Beth Bernhardt, Co-chair, ALCTS C&RL IG
Electronic Resources Librarian, Jackson Library
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Beth_Bernhardt@uncg.edu

Rebecca Kemp, Co-chair, ALCTS C&RL IG
Serials Coordinator Librarian, Randall Library
University of North Carolina Wilmington
kempr@uncw.edu

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Call for panelists - The Measurement, Assessment, and Evaluation Section (MAES) of LLAMA

Call for panelists - The Measurement, Assessment, and Evaluation Section (MAES) of LLAMA

The Measurement, Assessment, and Evaluation Section (MAES) of LLAMA is planning to host a panel program for ALA 2010 Conference in Washington DC, which will showcase how different libraries have used data to challenge library assumptions and long-held beliefs.

The program title is "Myth Busting: Using Data to Challenge Your Assumptions."

We want to include all types of libraries.

If you will be at ALA in 2010 and are interested in being on our program panel, please email Jan Sung (jansung@hawaii.edu) or Scott Britton (brittons@miami.edu) with a brief description of the data you have and how you found it "myth busting".

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Windows 7 Security is Better than Ever

While many Microsoft users had several complaints about Windows Vista, security wasn't usually one of them. Compared to past versions of Windows, Vista was very secure and it sounds like Windows 7 will be even more of an improvement. Based on user-feedback, Microsoft took extra care to ensure Windows 7 has strong, yet user-friendly security. Let's take a look at some of those features.


Core System Security: Just like with Vista, Windows 7 was developed according to the Security Development Lifecycle. It was built from scratch while retaining key security features from Vista including Kernel Patch Protection, Data Execution Prevention (DEP), Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR), and Mandatory Integrity Levels. These help protect against malicious software and other attacks.

Enhanced UAC : User Access Control (UAC) was introduced with Vista. It enforces least-privileged access and allows organizations to deploy the operating system without granting administrator access. The primary purpose of UAC was make software developers use better coding practices without being allowed access to sensitive areas of Windows but many people saw the feature as security. Many users associate UAC with access-consent prompts which had led to it becoming a source of negative feedback from Vista users.

However, in Windows 7, Microsoft reduced the number of applications and task that trigger the prompt. You can also adjust the the feature with a slider in the Control Panel under the heading "Change User Account Control Settings." The slider allows you to choose from four levels of protection ranging from "always notify" to "never notify." Obviously the decision is up to users and how much they are worried about security vs convenience. But either way, even when the slider is set to "Never Notify," UA is not completely disabled. Even though you no longer see the prompts, some of UAC's protections will remain, including Protected Mode Internet Explorer.

Integrated Fingerprint Scanner Support: Not activating the user name and password feature on your computer is basically like leaving your home with your doors unlocked. But even if you do take advantage, passwords can be figured out when an attacker is dedicated to its mission. As a matter of fact, experts have always suggested adding another layer of authentication to your computer for security purposes. This is why many computers, particularly laptops come with a built-in fingerprint scanner. Windows 7, however, takes fingerprint-scanning to a whole new level.

Windows 7 has better driver support which makes for more reliable fingerprint reading. To configure your fingerprint data reader with Windows 7, all you have to do is click on "Biometric Devices" inside your control panel and there you will have access to the console for enrolling and managing fingerprint data and customizing biometric-security settings. You can add scans of as many of your fingers as you'd like, but adding all ten is recommended. Simply choose the finger you want to scan and place your finger on your reader (or follow your hardware's guidelines for fingerprint scanning). Each finger will need to be scanned three times to be sure it is successful.

Protecting Data: If you aren't taking proper measures to protect or safeguard your computer, anyone who comes in contact with it can access any of your files or sensitive data. Considering thousands of computers are lost or stolen each year, this is definitely something computer users should be wary of. Vista made great waves in data-protection technology with Encrypting File System, and support for Active Directory Rights Management Services. Windows 7 not only updates some of the minor details of these features but it improves on Vista's Bitlocker drive encryption technology and adds BitLocker to Go for removable media such as USB flash drives.

Encrypting Drives with Bitlocker:
When BitLocker made its original debut with Vista, it could only encrypt the primary operating system but didn't allow encryption on removable or portable disks. Windows 7 has BitLocker to Go for that purpose - it allows you to protect data on portable drives while also sharing data with partners, customers, and other parties.

To use the BitLocker Drive Encryption, your disk volumes must be configured properly. When most people are setting up drive partitions, they don't realize that Windows requires a small, unencrypted partition for the core system files that begin the boot process. This is why Microsoft has created a tool that allows you to repartition the drive so that it's prepared for the BitLocker encryption. Once the drive is properly partitioned, you can encrypt it with BitLocker by finding it in the control panel. It will display the available drives and their current state. Next to any unencrypted drive, you will click on "Turn on BitLocker" to start the process of encryption. You will then need to assign a password or insert a smartcard. You will then have the opportunity to save the BitLocker Recovery Key as a file or a print-out (which is needed to unlock data ir your password or smartcard fails). Once the process is complete is you can click on "Manage BitLocker" to unlock encrypted drives automatically when you log into Windows.

Using BitLocker Without a TPM: Technically, BitLocker requires a TPM chip (Trusted Platform Module). Unfortunately, most computers don't have a TPM chip but Microsoft has included an option to use the BitLocker Drive Encryption without a compatible TPM. It's not an easy thing to do, but it is possible if you follow the following steps: click the start menu and type gpedit.msc in the "search programs and files' field. Under Computer Configuration, find "Administrative Templates, Windows Components, BitLocker Drive Encryption, Operating System Drives." Click on "Require additional authentication at startup." Choose the "Enabled" radio button and check the "Allow BitLocker without a compatible TPM" box. Click OK.

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Lexicon® Offers Pro Tools 8 Compatibility With Software Updates To The PCM96 And PCM96 Surround

Lexicon® recently updated the software to the PCM96 and PCM96 Surround to make them compatible with both Pro Tools 8 as well as Mac OS X 10.5.7. In addition, software version 3.2.0.1 represents a major effort towards the improvement of streaming audio and control functionality of both systems.

Featuring a wide array of rich, complex reverb algorithms with related delays and effects, the single rack-space PCM96 and PCM96 Surround processors integrate seamlessly into the modern studio as a control-only DAW insert or FireWire streaming hardware plug-in. The updated software for both the PCM96 and PCM96 Surround has been optimized to be less processor intensive when using the hardware plug-in functionality, and the Configuration display has been upgraded to handle multiple PCM96 and PCM96 Surround processors.

“As a daily user of the PCM96, I can tell you that it is a dramatic improvement,” said one Beta user. “I have noticed that the load time for the PCM96 plug-in is lightning fast, the latency is greatly decreased, and the overall burden on my system is greatly diminished.”

For more information on the software update, visit the downloads section of Lexicon’s website and sign up for the software update notification at

http://www.lexiconpro.com/downloads.php

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Call for Submissions and Nominations for PRIMO

Call for Submissions and Nominations for PRIMO

The Peer Reviewed Instructional Materials Online (PRIMO) Committee of the ACRL Instruction Section invites you to submit your online information literacy tutorial, virtual tour, or other online library instruction project for review and possible inclusion in PRIMO: Peer-Reviewed Instructional Materials Online.

***Deadlines for Fall 2009***
Nominations: October 31
Submissions: November 14

Additional information about PRIMO, as well as the submission and nomination forms, is available from the following link:

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/about/sections/is/projpubs/primo/index.cfm

Site submissions for PRIMO are accepted continually, but are reviewed for possible inclusion twice per year. For further information, please contact committee co-chairs Ken Burhanna at kburhann@kent.edu and Carol Spector at carolsusanspector@hotmail.com.
.

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Call for Presentations - 16th Reference Research Forum, 2010

Call for Presentations - 16th Reference Research Forum, 2010

CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS

The Research and Statistics Committee of the Reference Services Section of RUSA invites the submission of research projects for presentation at the 16th Reference Research Forum at the 2010 American Library Association Annual Conference in Washington, D.C.

The Reference Research Forum continues to be one of the most popular and valuable programs during the ALA Annual Conference, where attendees can learn about notable research projects conducted in the broad area of reference services such as user behavior, electronic services, reference effectiveness and assessment, and organizational structure and personnel. All researchers, including reference practitioners from all types of libraries, library school faculty and students, and other interested individuals, are encouraged to submit a proposal.

For examples of projects presented at past Forums, please see the Committee’s website:
http://tinyurl.com/rssresearchstatistics

The Committee employs a blind review process to select three projects for 20 minute presentations, followed by open discussion. Winning submissions must be presented in person at the Forum in Washington, D.C.

Criteria for selection:
• Quality and creativity of the research design and methodologies;
• Significance of the study for improving the quality of reference service;
• Potential for research to fill a gap in reference knowledge or to build on previous studies;
• Research projects may be in-progress or completed;
• Previously published research or research accepted for publication will not be accepted

Proposals are due by Monday, January 4, 2010. Notification of acceptance will be made by Monday, February 8, 2010. The submission must not exceed two pages. Please include:

1. A cover sheet including your name(s), title(s), institutional affiliation(s), mailing address(es), fax number(s) and email address(es).
2. The second page should NOT show your name, any personal information, or the name of your institution. Instead, it must include:
a. Title of the project;
b. Explicit statement of the research problem;
c. Description of the research design and methodologies used, and preliminary findings if any;
d. Brief discussion of the unique contribution, potential impact, and significance of the research

Please send submissions by email to:
Liane Luckman
Chair, RUSA RSS Research and Statistics Committee
lluckman@txstate.edu

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Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot C905

Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot C905a has a very sharp and sleek style that really highlights its Cyber-shot namesake. In fact, from the back, the phone looks more like a point and shoot camera thanks to the sliding camera lens cover. Measuring 4.1 inches long by 1.9 inches wide by 0.7 inch thick, the C905a is quite bulky. It's curved at the top and the bottom, has sharp corners, and is wrapped in a matte silver chassis with hints of dark gray. Weighing in at 4.8 ounces, it has a nice heft when held in the hand.

The sliding mechanism feels solid as well, and engages in a satisfying click each time you slide it up or down. The 2.4 inch scratch resistant display on Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot C905a is absolutely stunning. It supports around 262.000 colors, which results in great looking images and is especially helpful when using the display as a camera viewfinder. It has a simple menu interface similar to other AT&T phones, and can be organized in grid, rotating, or single icon view.

You can adjust the size of the clock on the home screen and the brightness of the display, but not the backlight time. Underneath the display is the navigation array, which consists of two soft keys, a Send and End and Power key, an Activity menu key, the Clear key, and a square navigation toggle with a center selection key. When pressed, the Activity menu key brings up a pop-up menu of four tabs, each of which list new events, currently running applications, application shortcuts, and Internet shortcuts, respectively.

The square toggle doubles as four user defined shortcuts and the middle key leads to AT&T's Media Net browser in standby mode. In camera mode, the toggle lights up in blue, which illuminates four camera function icons they correspond to the exposure setting, the flash setting, the self timer, and the focus mode. Directly above the display are two keys, one on the upper left and one on the upper right. In standby mode, the left key corresponds to the last picture or video in the album, while the right key leads to the camera album itself.

In camera mode, the left key is a shortcut to the shoot mode settings while the right key lets you change the scene mode options. In between the two keys are a light sensor plus the speaker. Slide the phone up and you'll reveal the number keypad. The keypad is quite roomy, and there's a raised line between each row for additional texture. We wish there was more delineation between each key and that the keypad didn't have such high side walls, but as we had no problems dialing or texting, it's a pretty decent keypad on the whole.

On the left side of the phone are the charger and headset jack and memory card slot, which takes Sony's proprietary Memory Stick Micro (M2) format. We were disappointed that Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot C905a doesn't come with a 3.5mm headset jack. Though the recent Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot W995a was the first ever Sony Ericsson phone to have a 3.5mm headset jack, we just wished Sony Ericsson would roll that design out to all of its phones.

On the right side are the volume controls, which also double as zoom controls in camera mode, a camera album shortcut, a camera mode key that switches between camera and video, and the camera shutter key. The shutter key can be pressed halfway to focus in on the subject. On the back of the phone is, of course, the camera lens, complete with the sliding lens cover. When you slide the cover down, you'll automatically put the phone in camera mode. There's a very bright LED flash above the lens, and a tiny self-portrait mirror to the side of it as well.

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TOGO.TV is free television in your mobile

TOGO.TV is free television in your mobile. Jokes, short films, cartoons and more - at the screen of your mobile.

Free Download: here

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Call for Contributors: Beyond Austerity; Facing Recession, Massive Reductions in Funding and Personnel-Librarians Plan for Fiscal Survival

Call for Contributors: Beyond Austerity; Facing Recession, Massive Reductions in Funding and Personnel-Librarians Plan for Fiscal Survival

Beyond Austerity; Facing Recession, Massive Reductions in Funding and Personnel-Librarians Plan for Fiscal Survival

Publisher: major, long established, in the library field

Editor: Carol Smallwood, MLS. Writing and Publishing: The Librarian's Handbook, American Library Association 2010; Librarians as Community Partners: An Outreach Handbook, American Library Association, 2010; Thinking Outside the Book, McFarland 2008. Some others are Peter Lang, Libraries Unlimited, Linworth, Scarecrow

Foreword: Dr. Ann Riedling, Associate Professor, University of South Florida; An Educator’s Guide to Information Literacy, Libraries Unlimited, 2007; Writing and Publishing: Contributor, The Librarian's Handbook, American Library Association, 2010. A two-time Fulbright Scholar included in Contemporary Authors

Afterword: Dr. Loriene Roy, Professor in the School of Information, the University of Texas at Austin, Past President of the American Library Association, Director/ Founder, If I Can Read, I Can Do Anything Reading Club.
Contributor, Librarians as Community Partners: An Outreach Handbook, American Library Association, 2010

Articles sought by practicing academic, public, school, special librarians sharing their experiences on how librarians are handling the recession. Concise, how-to articles using bullets, headings, by librarians in the trenches using creativity and innovation

No previously published, simultaneously submitted material. One article sharing the range of your experience, 2100-2300 words total. If you must use citations, use MLA style faithfully. Articles welcomed by one librarian, or co-authored by two

Possible topics: creative staffing, financial planning, grant writing, community donations, sharing facilities, cooperative buying, maximizing the media, legislative participation, workshops for job hunters

The deadline for completed articles (Call #1) is November 30, 2009. Contributors will receive an agreement to sign before publication. Compensation: a complimentary copy, discount on additional copies

To avoid duplication, please e-mail three topics each clearly proposed with three separate short paragraphs by October 31 along with a 75-85 word bio beginning with: your name, library of employment, employment title, awards, publications, and career highlights. If co-authored, each of the two librarian-writers will need to send a separate bio. You will be contacted as soon as possible telling you which one (if any) of your topics will work, inviting you to e-mail your article; an invitation doesn’t guarantee acceptance. Please place AUSTERITY/your name on the subject line to: smallwood@tm.net

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CFP: International Conference on Digital Libraries (ICDL)

CFP: International Conference on Digital Libraries (ICDL)

Shaping the Information Paradigm
New Delhi * 23 – 26 February 2010

http://www.teriin.org/events/icdl

Venue: *Conference at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi • 24–26 February 2010
*Tutorial at IGNOU, Convention Centre, New Delhi • 23 February 2010

Continuous capacity development and awareness programmes are necessary to
achieve the objective of transforming the novice into digital librarians of
future. The success of ICDL 2004 and ICDL 2006 has encouraged and motivated
TERI in partnership with IGNOU to conduct of the ICDL 2010 which will
provide yet another stimulating forum for DL professionals to share their
knowledge, experience and wisdom.

Highlights
Awards will be conferred for the "Best Paper" and "Best Poster"

Objectives

· Provide a platform and enable interaction among DL experts and researchers
· Facilitate creation adoption, implementation and utilization of DL‘s, and their future implications
· Bridging the digital divide through knowledge sharing

Who should participate?

· Information professionals
· IT and knowledge service providers
· Policy makers
· Academicians, students and distance learner
· E-publishers and virtual communities
· Other stake-holders

Call for papers

Original papers focusing on the theme of the conference—Digital Libraries: Shaping the Information Paradigm are invited for the conference poster and tutorial. Some of the topics are listed below:

· DL development, architecture, and management
· Contents management in DL
· Multi-linguality and interoperability issues
· Digital rights management
· Digital preservation and access management
· Semantic web
· KM (knowledge management) and organizational repositories
· E-learning and e-publishing
· DL standards and policy
· Open archives initiatives
· ODOL (Open distance online learning)
· Multimedia content
· Virtual support to distance learners
· E-resources management for distance learners
· Access management
· M-learning technology

Important dates

Submission of full papers 30 October 2009
Notification of acceptance of paper with comments 30 November 2009
Submission of the final paper after incorporating comments 30 December 2009

Contact: ICDL Secretariat, TERI (The Energy & Resources Institute),
Darbari Seth Block, IHC Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi
– 110003, India,
Telephone 24682138, 24682100, 41504900, Fax 24682144,
24682145
E-mail icdl@teri.res.in
Web www.teriin.org/events/icdl

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Samuel Lazerow Fellowship For Research in Collections and Technical Services in Academic and Research Libraries

Samuel Lazerow Fellowship For Research in Collections and Technical Services in Academic and Research Libraries

This award fosters advances in collections or technical services by providing fellowships to librarians for travel or writing in those fields. Research projects in the compilation of bibliographies will not be supported by this fellowship.

$1,000 cash and a citation donated by the Thomson Reuters.


*Submission Deadline: Friday, December 4, 2009*

The proposals will be judged with an emphasis on the following:

* Potential significance of the project to acquisitions or technical
services work
* Originality and creativity
* Clarity and completeness of the proposal
* Evidence of an interest in scholarship (previous publication record)

Applicants should submit a brief proposal (no more than five pages), double-spaced, which includes the following:

* Description of research, travel, or writing project
* Schedule for project
* Estimate of expenses (e.g., travel, faxing, data analysis,
computer time, photocopying, typing)
* An up-to-date curriculum vitae should accompany proposal

Recipients of the fellowship are required to submit a 6-10 page report of the results of their research to the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) within two months of the project's completion. A 500-word summary for possible publication in /C&RL News/ is also due at that time.


Submissions

Electronic submissions are required. E-mail the application to Megan Griffin at mgriffin@ala.org
. If sending multiple files,each file name must contain the applicant's name. Submissions will be acknowledged via e-mail.


Information & Assistance

If you have questions or need help in compiling an application, please contact the award committee chair, Brad Eden at eden@library.ucsb.edu, or Megan Griffin at mgriffin@ala.org.

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CFP: Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education (SITE)

CFP: Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education (SITE)

The Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education (SITE) is now accepting proposals for their 2010 Conference in San Diego, CA (March 29 – April 2). You may submit proposals for: full papers, brief papers, panels, roundtables, and posters. I am currently serving as Chair of the Information Literacy Special Interest Group and strongly encourage EBSS members to submit a proposal. This is a wonderful group that is extremely outgoing and friendly. There are multiple categories that you may submit proposals under, not just information literacy. For full details visit http://site.aace.org/conf/ , or feel free to contact me directly with questions. The deadline for proposals is Wednesday Oct. 21.
Take care and hope to see you in San Diego,
Vanessa Earp
Education Librarian
Kent State University
vearp@kent.edu

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Travel Grant: John Hope Franklin Research Center for African and African American History and Culture

The John Hope Franklin Research Center for African and African American History and Culture, part of the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library at Duke University, announces the availability of travel grants for research travel to our collections.

The John Hope Franklin Research Center seeks to collect, preserve, and promote the use of printed and manuscript materials bearing on the history of Africa and people of African descent.

Our travel grants are for undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and independent scholars conducting research using collections held by the John Hope Franklin Research Center. Grant money may be used for travel, photocopying, and living expenses while pursuing research at the Rare Book, Manuscript and Special Collections Library. Applicants must live outside of a 50-mile radius from Durham, NC. The maximum award per applicant is $1,000.

The deadline for application is January 29, 2010. Recipients will be announced in March 2010. For more information and to download a copy of the application form, please visit: http://library.duke.edu/specialcollections/services/grants/application.html

Applicants are encouraged to contact the Franklin Center’s research services intern before submitting:
David McIvor
franklin-collection@duke.edu
http://library.duke.edu/specialcollections/franklin/index.html

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Nintendo Wii

Nintendo Wii's biggest and most obvious appeal is the ability to use its motion sensing controller to play Nintendo Wii specific games. Nintendo Wii's release lineup includes the highly anticipated Legend of Zelda, Twilight Princess and the addictive pack in party game Wii Sports, as well as a variety of more traditional third party titles (many of which have been enhanced to use the Wiimote control). But while you're waiting for some more innovative Wii titles to arrive, there will still be plenty of games to play.

Nintendo Wii is fully backward compatible with the Nintendo GameCube and includes four built-in GameCube controller ports and two GameCube memory card slots for gamers who want to enjoy their last gen games. To play those older games, you'll need at least one GC controller (best choice : the wireless WaveBird) and (if you want to save your progress) a memory card. Truth be told, though, the list of truly great GameCube titles is short and sweet.

If Nintendo Wii and GameCube games aren't enough, Nintendo Wii also features Nintendo's Virtual Console, a library of games from the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Super NES, Nintendo 64, Sega Genesis, and Turbografix 16 systems. Games can be purchased and downloaded over Nintendo's online Wii Store, where they are stored on Nintendo Wii's system memory or SD card.

Virtual Console game purchases are tied to the Wii's network ID, so you can't pop your Virtual Console games onto an SD card and take them over to play them on a friend's Wii. On the bright side, Nintendo is pledging that already purchased games can be downloaded again free if you accidentally lose or delete your data. Games are purchased with Wii Points, which can be purchased via credit card or gift card (100 Wii Points equals one U.S. dollar) the system is essentially identical to Microsoft's tried and true Xbox Live Marketplace (Sony's fledgling PlayStation store will denominate purchases in real currency, but is functionally the same).

NES games will cost the equivalent of $5 (500 points), Turbografix 16 games $6, Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis games $8, and Nintendo 64 games $10. While Nintendo Wii's controller is very advanced and innovative, its processing power is not. The system uses a more powerful version of the Nintendo GameCube's processor, and it doesn't have nearly as much polygon pushing power as the Xbox 360 or the PlayStation 3.

While Microsoft's and Sony's consoles support high definition outputs of up to 1080p, Nintendo Wii can hit only the GameCube's ceiling of 480p, and even that mode can't be used with the Wii's included composite A/V cables. (Most if not all of the Wii's games will, however, be optimized for wide screen TVs.) Nintendo Wii also lacks advanced surround sound, instead sticking with the GameCube's Dolby Pro-Logic II matrixed surround (based on a stereo signal, not native 5.1). In other words, if you're looking for state of the art eye candy, you're going to want to opt for the PS3 or the Xbox 360 either of which will take a significantly larger chunk of your bank account.

Is the Wii worth picking up? It all depends on what you're looking for. If you've been clamoring for an all purpose next generation multimedia box with blinding HD graphics, Nintendo Wii will be a disappointment. But Nintendo didn't intend to compete in that arena anyway Nintendo Wii is focused squarely on delivering fun and innovative gameplay, leaving Sony and Microsoft to battle it out at the high end.

The Wiimote and its motion sensing, pseudo virtual reality controls are the biggest draws of the console, and its online capabilities, Wii Channels, Virtual Console, and GameCube backward compatibility are just a thick, sweet layer of icing on an already tasty cake. Likewise, Nintendo Wii is the only home console that lets you play games featuring nostalgic Nintendo only franchises such as Mario, Zelda, and Metroid. With a price tag of just $250 far less than those of its competitors and the included Wii Sports disc that provides mindless fun out of the box, Nintendo Wii won't disappoint.

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Nintendo DSi

Nintendo DSi is the third iteration of the DS, which was originally released in November 2004. In June 2006, the company refreshed the system in the form of the DS Lite, which dramatically changed the device's overall design and vastly improved screen performance. Rumors of a second redesign proved to be a reality when Nintendo announced the most recent, and what we believe to be the final rehash of the system, Nintendo DSi. This upgrade adds two small resolution cameras to the portable, slightly larger screens, and an SD card slot.

The Game Boy Advance slot found in both previous versions has been removed. While current DS Lite owners may want to think twice about upgrading, Nintendo DSi does offer plenty of innovative media features and online functionality that may warrant a purchase. Those who still have the original DS should definitely consider the step up as well but if you've been holding out on a DS purchase up until now, Nintendo DSi is certainly the way go. If you own or have held a DS Lite, the first thing you'll notice about Nintendo DSi is its sturdiness.

It definitely feels more robust than Nintendo DSi Lite. That said, you'll find it isn't any heavier as both weigh just under half a pound. While Nintendo DSi Lite is coated in a shinny plastic, Nintendo DSi is covered in a matte, almost rubberized outer layer. While we didn't scuff it up during our testing, it appears this covering will be more prone to such cosmetic scratches. Size wise, Nintendo DSi is only about 4 millimeters thinner than the Lite and just 5 millimeters wider.

Side by side, you won't notice much of a different in appearance. The two LED lights found on the right hinge of the Lite are gone, replaced by a set of three on the left hinge of Nintendo DSi. They're also labeled this time around, with symbols for power, charging, and Wi-Fi activity. Every button on the system has been changed as Nintendo has opted for buttons that click more, as opposed to the softer experience had with the Lite. The X, A, B, and Y buttons aren't as deep, thus they require less of a pressing motion. The same can be said for the L and R rear buttons, too they are now much more springy, and require much less of an effort to engage.

Even the select and start buttons have gotten a similar treatment we found them especially difficult to press with Nintendo DSi Lite. Moving along to the D-pad, we experienced the same sort of click responsiveness. The DS Lite's D-pad, a carbon copy of the one found on a Wii remote, was a bit looser. The power button has been moved to the bottom left of the lower touch screen. A long tap will power the device on and off, while a short tap (when Nintendo DSi is on) with give you a soft reset, something you could not do on any other DS.

Microphone placement remains the same, although the internal camera is now centered with the mic just to its right. Nintendo DSi's two screens are noticeably larger, especially when switching back and forth between systems. That said, we could not really detect huge improvements in overall brightness and color performance. The unit's two stereo speakers, located on either side of the top screen, seem to have been lowered about half an inch. On the outside of Nintendo DSi you'll find a few more noticeable changes.

First off, the Game Boy Advance slot has been removed, so fans of that handheld platform are out of luck. While we believe this omission helped shrink the device's thickness, we wish it had survived the update. We'd gladly give up the 4 millimeters to be able to play any Game Boy Advance game. The headphone jack remains in the same spot, but the volume slider found on the Lite's front left edge has been moved and converted into a push button format on the left side.

We'll agree with the movement of the controls, but we definitely prefer a slider as opposed to buttons. It's much easier to mute the device by sliding your thumb compared with holding down a button for a few seconds. The device's SD card slot is located on the right edge. As mentioned earlier, Nintendo DSi has two 0.3 megapixel cameras : one located on the inner hinge, the other on the outside front cover. A pink LED light glows when the outer camera is active. The outer casing also abandons the vertical square DS logo modeled in the plastic found on the DS Lite. The included stylus is mounted in the same rear location as the DS Lite, and Nintendo supplies you with a spare.

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Sony PSP 3000

Sony PSP 3000 has the same slim dimensions (2.81 inches high by 6.63 inches wide by 0.63 inch deep) and lighter weight (just over 7 ounces or 200 grams with the battery, game disc, and Memory Stick on board) as its predecessor. The 4.3 inch LCD wide screen remains, and it's been tweaked. Sony says the new screen now delivers better color reproduction, reduced glare, and reduced "ghosting" on high motion scenes. When compared with the 2000, Sony PSP 3000 3000 does, indeed, deliver better color vibrancy (you can toggle between "wide" and "standard" color in the options to see the difference).

As for glare reduction we didn't find there to be a huge difference. Don't expect to play in direct sunlight, for instance. But you might have better luck with fewer distractions from indoor light sources. But in its effort to deal with the ghosting issue, Sony's cure may have been worse than the disease. By increasing the screen's refresh rate, the new PSP seems to introduce a variety of video artifacts onto the screen. They appear as scanlines or jaggies, as if the image is interlaced.

They're more apparent in high motion scenes in games and videos but that's most of the content on the PSP. The silver version of Sony PSP 3000 has a matte finish, as compared with the shiny piano black finish of the black one. As a result, the silver body is immune to fingerprints and smudges that so easily show up on the black one. Unfortunately, the screen is identical on both smooth and shiny and it remains a magnet for fingerprints.

As mentioned above, the lack of a clamshell design (as seen on the Nintendo DS and DSi) makes investing in a case as much a necessity for the PSP as it is for an iPod or iPhone. Aside from a few very minor cosmetic differences, button layout on Sony PSP 3000 is basically identical to the previous PSP as well. The screen is bordered by controls on its left, right, and bottom side, plus two shoulder buttons along the top edge. The button layout is based on the classic PlayStation controller layout the four way directional pad on the left, square, triangle, cross, and circle keys on the right so anyone who's used a Sony console over the last decade should be able to pick up and play.

The bottom left of the front face also houses an analog thumb stick, for more precise movement. (A second thumbstick on the right, mimicking the design of the PlayStation controller, would've been a welcome addition.) More mundane media controls line the bottom of the screen select, start, volume, brightness, and a "home" button. (Some of them are shaped a bit differently than the previous model, and the "home" button now brandishes the PlayStation emblem.) New to Sony PSP 3000 is the built-in microphone, located just below the screen.

It can be used for online communication, be it within a game or for the PSP's built-in Skype application. The advantage of having the mic integrated into the body is that you can use it with any standard pair of headphones. By contrast, Sony PSP 2000 required a special headset for communicating online. Sony PSP 3000 is designed to play games and movies off something called UMDs Universal Media Discs.

We're not sure where Sony got the "universal" part of the name, because the PSP is the only device that plays them. They're sort of a cross between a mini CD and an old MiniDisc, and they only hold about 2.2GB of data. They load into a snap open door on the PSP's backside. Sony seems to be moving the PSP to more of a downloadable model for games and video (see the PlayStation Store section, below), so we wouldn't be surprised to see the UMD become more of a legacy medium for the PSP.

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Microsoft's Readyboost

I finally get a chance to utilize Microsoft's Readyboost feature. - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Readyboost

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Sound Technology announces Larrivée Guitars tie-up with Mencap's Little Noise Sessions

Sound Technology Ltd is very proud to announce a Larrivée Guitars tie-up with one of the country's leading acoustic events. Curated by BBC Radio 1's Jo Whiley, Mencap's Little Noise Sessions at the Islington Union Chapel, 16 - 24 November 2009, is well-known as an extraordinary event in the music calendar.

‘Coveted’ doesn’t begin to describe tickets to Mencap’s Little Noise Sessions. For people really plugged into London’s music scene, they are easily the hottest ticket of the year. Over 10 musically eclectic nights, big names join new talent and the occasional surprise megastar (previous ‘secret’ performances from The Killers, U2 and Chris Martin) to play sell-out acoustic shows to an audience of 700 people in the incredibly intimate setting of Islington’s Union Chapel.

Mencap and BBC Radio 1 DJ Jo Whiley have been hard at work putting this year’s line-up together and, as always, they’re promising a few surprises in addition to what’s already on the bill. Confirmed acts include Editors, Alexandra Burke, Mika, Richard Hawley, Lost Prophets, Taio Cruz and Florence + The Machine.

Sound Technology will be providing Larrivée Guitars for the events, with signed models auctioned at the end of the Sessions for Mencap. A Larrivée competition to win tickets for the Sessions is also launching next week.

For more details please visit www.soundtech.co.uk/larrivee

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