Best of 2015

Hi All,

With the year 2015 drawing to a close, now is the time to check all the various 'best of 'lists that are coming out from various news sources, magazines, website, blogs and more.

Enjoy the links and the lists! Happy New Year.

Best 9 Instagram Pictures of 2015 

Best TV shows of 2015 

Best Movies of 2015

Best of the Best of 2015 List From Around the Web

Year in Search 2015

Top 10 Business Stories of 2015 - CBS News

Top 10 Business Stories of 2015 - MSN

Best 11 minutes in sports from 2015

Best weather bloopers of 2015

Best Books of 2015 - Amazon 

Best Books of 2015 - Publisher's Weekly 

Best Photos of 2015 - New York Times 

25 Best Albums of 2015 - Billboard 


Regards,
Stu

The Party's Over....

Hi All,

The end of the year is well nigh upon us.  With just about 61 hours left in 2015 its time to start thinking about New Year's Eve, champagne, parties and resolutions.

For a great summary of the year in computer searching, click on this link from Google Trends - its called A Year in Search 2015. 

For things to do on Long Island for New Year's Eve 2015 click on this link: Long Island.com 2015 New Year's Eve Entertainment Guide and  MommyPoppins - New Year's Eve 2015 Celebrations on Long Island For Kids and Families. 

What's a New Year's Eve celebration without champagne? Indeed, click here for some information about buying champagne and the types of champagne for your drinking pleasure.
Wikipedia - Champagne
Wine.com - Champagne
New York Times article on Champagne
Basic Wine Knowledge - Champagne

Finally, what's a New Year's eve without resolutions and thoughts of changing ones' life in the upcoming year. Click on the next few links to learn all about New Years Eve resolutions.
Time Magazine - How to Keep Your New Years Eve Resolutions
Health - Top 10 Healthiest New Years Eve Resolutions
Bembu - 100 New Years Resolutions - ambitious!
About.com Travel - Top Ten New Years Resolutions
Gaiam Life - 10 Tips To Help Keep Your New Years Resolutions

Enjoy the links - happy new year and enjoy the festivities!

Regards,
Stu

Money for 2016

Hi All,

Well, the end of the year is almost here!  What better time to look at your finances than the end of the year?  Its a good time to evaluate how your finances did during the year - and how to prepare for the coming year...forthwith a few good sites to help you with your money issues!

10 Money Apps to Use in 2016 

Mint - syncs all your accounts to give you a comprehensive picture of how much you're saving and spending throughout the year.  

GoodBudget - uses the envelope budgeting method to help you track your money

Level Money - is a budgeting and tracking app that is designed for those who prefer visual representations of our money rather than straight numbers...links to your bank accounts and shows you what is safely spendable and tracks expenses...

RetailMeNot - aggregates coupons for your favorite stores

Enjoy the links and here's to a profitable 2016!

Regards,
Stu

Ten Things...from TechRepublic

Hi All,

TechRepublic is an information technology news aggregator for computer and technology users.  TechRepublic features blogs, community forums, webcasts, research and more for information technology enthusiasts, professionals and others to utilize.

Okay..with all that jargon out of the way, TechRepublic covers cloud computing, big data, computer and network security and much, much more for computer users and professionals.

For the purpose of this blog entry though, I want to focus on an entry called '10 Things'.  Basically these are key facts on a wide range of technologies, techniques, strategies, and skills in the form of a  concise, easy-to-read, lists.   Read on for more examples!

10 Cost-effective ways to quickly beef up your company security.
10 tips for spotting a phishing email
10 legal areas that IT managers should know about 
10 ways Microsoft Office 2016 could improve your productivity
10 of the best pieces of IT advice I ever heard
10 things you should never do on your resume
10 ways to get the most bang for your buck with an Android device
10 easy ways to punch up your presentations
10 web-based tools to maximize productivity
10 free Android apps that are worth checking out 

Enjoy the links!

Regards,
Stu

Even More Numbers

Hi All,

In keeping with the last post of titled "What About That Number?" todays' blog entry deals with numbers.  Specifically big, big, big numbers.

The link to the '10 Enormous Numbers' come from Listverse back in 2012.  The publish date might be old but the content is not!  Numbers like a googol, googolplex and Skewe's number.

Some links to other large numbers:
Wikipedia - Astronomically Large Numbers 
Knuth's up-arrow notation 
Wolfram MathWorld - Large Numbers

Enjoy,
Stu 

What About That Number?

Hi All,

Its all about numbers today - lots of numbers. Numberempire.com is a site that can help you learn about the various mathematical characteristics of a particular number. 



For example, on the site you can:

1. find divisors
2. number of divisors
3. find out if the number is a prime number
4. find out if the number is a Fibonacci number
5. Whether or not the number is a perfect number
6. What the binary and octal equivalent of the number is
7. What the square root of the number is
8. What the sine, cosine and tangent of the number is

So now that you've visited the site, you probably realize that its more of a reference type site than a site you visit on a daily basis for pleasure...pass it along to the math whiz in our family or somebody who just likes to play around with numbers. 

Enjoy the site and the numbers....

Regards,
Stu

Books-Houses-Reading-Smart Kids

Hi All,

Back on December 5th, the New York Times published an article in the Fashion & Style section titled, 'Our (Bare) Shelves, Our Selves'.  Readers can read the article by clicking on this link. 

The basic premise of this well-written article is that the more books a house has - the higher the reading performance of the children.  Specifically, 'After G.N.P., the quantity of books in one's home was the most important predictor of reading performance....The implications are clear: Owning books in the home is one of the best things you can do for your children academically.  It helps, of course, if parents are reading to their children and reading themselves, not simply buying books by the yard as decor.'.  So there you have it.  Read books and keep them in the house for the children if you want them to get better grades in school.

And with that said...click on these 3 links that will absolutely, positively make you want to read tonight.  And you'll want to read to kids as well!

33 Classic Books That Will Make You Forget Your Smartphone - Realsimple.com

Your Holiday Reading List: 58 Books Recommended By TED Speakers - ideas.ted.com

13 "100 Best Books" Lists Combined & Condensed Into One Master Best Books List  -alistofbooks.com 

Enjoy the lists!

Regards,
Stu




 

Can I Stream It? (CISI)

Hi All,

CanIStream.It is a free service created by Urban Pixels that allows you to search across the most popular streaming, rental, and purchase services to find where a movie is available.

If the movie you're looking for is not available users can sign-up and then set a reminder.  An email is sent to you when your chosen service makes the movie available. It's simple and fast.

Services on CanIStream.It are broken down into five services: Instant Streaming, Streaming Rental, Digital Purchase, DVD/Bluray and XFinity Subscribers.

Note that in some cases users will have to pay for the streaming or the digital purchase or the digital rental.

Note also that the library has a vast number of DVD's and Bluray for free!  In addition, in some cases we can inter-library loan material from other Nassau County public library.

Readers can click here for the library card catalog so you can search for DVD's in the Farmingdale Public Library. 

Regards,
Stu

When Is...?

Hi All,

Let's keep it simple today!  When-Is is a website that gives the user the dates of religious and civil holidays around the world

There are links for American, Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Hindu and Buddhist holidays on the site.  This first link gives the user the date for when Thanksgiving falls in 2015 (Thursday, November 26th by the way).

Other American holidays of 2015 include:
Martin Luther King day
President's Day
Armed Forces Day
Memorial Day
Flag Day
Independence Day
Labor Day
Columbus Day
Election Day
Veteran's Day
Thanksgiving
Valentine's Day and more.

Simple and easy to use, When-Is should be on your 'short-list' for holiday websites!

Enjoy,
Stu

. 

Disaster Checklists

Hi All,

We get an AAA publication at the library called C&T (Car and Travel). Its a free publications that we put out for patrons to leaf through and/or read at their leisure. Its a fun, travel oriented magazine that has lots of interesting articles.

One of those interesting articles appeared in the September/October 2015 issue.  It was - sorry for the depressing topic - called 'Disaster Checklist'.  The article subtitle was 'Create an emergency preparedness kit for your home'.  Good stuff.  Interesting and useful - quite the double play.

Some of the highlights of this brief article included having the following on hand:

• one gallon of water per person, per day
• a two week supply of non-perishable food
• a battery powered radio and extra batteries
• a first aide kit with bandages, gauze and tape
• wrenches, pliers and other tools
• solar cell phone charger or power inverter
• garbage bags
• copies of insurance policies and bank records
• sleeping bags, blankets and changes of clothing
• personal hygiene items such as toothbrushes, soap, wash cloths'
• disposable plates , cups and eating utensils
• 7 day supply of prescription medications
• extra cash in case ATM's are unavailable

Click on this link for more information from AAA.com. 

And, click on this next link for even more information on how to create a 'Go Kit' in order to prepare for emergency evacuations from hurricanes, floods, etc...and you can also click on this link from the American Red Cross on How to Create Emergency Go-Kits.

Regards,
Hope you never need to use this list or the sites.

Stu

CamelCamelCamel

Hi All,

It's Friday and I'm going to take it real simple and easy....
CamelCamelCamel.com is a free Amazon.com price tracker. It monitors  millions of products and alerts you when prices drop - which helps you decide when to buy.

CamelCamelCamel has a link for Amazon Price Drop Alerts - basically these are price watches you can get alerts via email and Twitter when prices drop.

There are also Amazon Price History Charts where users can view the price history of over 18 million Amazon products.

Users can also add the CamelCamelCamel Add-On to their internet browser.  There is an Add-On available for Mozilla Firefox and for Google Chrome.

Users can use this link to find Top Amazon Price Drops - very helpful.

Finally, this CamelCamelCamel page of tools has something very unique - Amazon.com Wishlist Synchronization.  This link will automatically create price watches for all of the unpurchased items on your Amazon.com Wishlist...awesome!

But before you can use the 'advanced features' on CamelCamelCamel, users will need to create a free CamelCamelCamel account - which you can do by clicking on this link.

Click on any of these three links to find reviews and comments about CamelCamelCamel...
1. Lifehacker - Five Best Price Tracking Tools
2. Square Pennies - Money Saving Tool: CamelCamelCamel
3. PC World - Tack Amazon Price Drops With CamelCamelCamel 

Enjoy the links - and let the savings roll in!

Regards,
Stu

Hi All,

Lots of folks want to be in the know - at least with respect to fire fighting, ambulances, police departments and in general, emergencies...

If that's your interest than you definitely want to visit Broadcastify.com.  The sie lets users listen to police, fire, EMS, aviation and rail audio feeds from around the world.  Links lead to new, official, and top feeds.  FYI, this is the database behind most police scanner apps.

At the top of the page are links to Listen, Broadcast and to Broadcastify's Premium version.

Note that not all public safety agences provide feeds to Broadcastify!!!  For example, I was only able to find selected (Fulton, Rockland, St. Lawrence, Wayne and Yates' counties) feeds on this page.  No, neither Nassau nor Suffolk county had feeds as of 11/6/15.  That might change. Or not.

Click on this link for learn a bit more about Broadcastify.com.

Enjoy the site.

Regards,
Stu

Voting and Elections

Hi All,

There is a general elections tomorrow - Tuesday, November 3rd, 2015.  Click on this link from the Nassau County Board of Elections to learn more about the voting 

Topics on the page include: How to Register to Vote,  Voting by Absentee Ballot, Voter Registration Search, Frequently Asked Questions, New Voting Machine Instructions, and more.

The link on the page that I thought would be most relevant is the Voter Registration Search page.   Only registered voters of New York State can access the information on this page.  When the user enters the last name, first name, date of birth, county and zip code on the page, the regular polling place information is found.

Users have the option to get directions from this page as well.  Also, voter district information is found. For example, election district, senate district, congressional district, war, county legislative district, assembly district and town information is given.  All in all its a very useful page for voters to look at before the election.

Finally, click on this link for books at the Farmingdale Public Library that deal with voting and elections. 

Enjoy the links and remember to vote!

Regards,
Stu 

Halloween Part I

Hi All,

Just a few links to 'things related to Halloween' today...I might have a part II entry if this one is popular enough....or not.  But remember, Halloween is this Saturday - so get your costumes and candy ready.  The trick-or-treaters will be coming to score the loot!!!!

Want to Know if Your Halloween Costume is Unoriginal? Just Ask Google.

Halloween movies that just aren't scary.

Halloween movies that are scary. No seriously...

Halloween movies for kids....awww...how cute.

Halloween parties on Long Island

Best Halloween Events on Long Island for Kids 

Halloween Party Checklist

How to Plan the Perfect Halloween Party

Top 10 Halloween Candy - List I
America's Favorite Halloween Candy - List II
And America's Favorite Halloween Candy - List III - because I'm really, really thorough!  :)

Enjoy the links!

Regards,
Stu

Money, Money, Money....

Hi All,

I've got a riddle for you.  What is green, everybody wants more of it, some people have a lot of it, and some people don't have a lot of it?   Take a guess...

It's money.  Yep - we all need it to get by in this life and world.  And even though I've shied away from blogging about websites that discuss or cover money over the first few years of this blog...I've recently been writing about it a bit more. 

Today's entry is a poorly named site - Rockstar Finance - but it has lots of good, quality, useful and interesting money/finance/saving related articles.  Rockstar Finance bills itself as 'a collection of awesome money articles'. Basically it finds money and investing and budgeting articles from other blogs and sites from around the web and publishes them...interesting.  And its a good place to find lots of useful and timely money related articles.

There really isn't any index or summary on the site - just a long page of interesting, timely money related articles arranged chronologically. 

There is a category section beneath the top mast of the page though. It has 17 or so categories.  Highlights of these categories include budgeting, building wealth, debt, early retirement, frugality, home ownership, minimalism and retirement.

Examples of the types of articles on the site under the 'budgeting' category include:
Why Car Payments Suck
Everything We Know About Money on Index Cards
The Power of Not Budgeting
20 Things I'd Tell My 20-Year-Old-Self
How MacArthur Geniuses Handle Their Windfalls
3 Tricks I Use to Spend Less....
My 12 Year Old's Secrets to Saving Money

Enjoy the sites and hopefully the advice and ideas will pay off - or at least you'll find the articles interesting and useful.

Regards,
Stu

Civil Service Job Assistance

Hi All,

Some folks might be preparing for local civil service examinations and need assistance in studying for the test.  Welcome (and thank you) New York State Department of Civil Service!  This link has test guides and resource booklets for local examinations.

Examples of jobs on the page - as of 10/20/15 at least - included the following:

• Account/Audit Clerical Series(263KB)
• Caseworker Series(271KB)
• Clerical/Steno/Typist Series, Entry-Level(274KB)
• Correction Officer Series, Entry-Level(337KB)
• Custodians and Janitors Series, Entry-Level(229KB)
• Custodians and Janitors Series, High-Level(253KB)
• Director of Facilities Series(918KB)
• Fire Chief/Assistant Fire Chief Series(398KB)
• Firefighter Series(136KB)
• Higher Level Account Clerical Series(423KB)
• Investigator Series(168KB)
• Local Civil Deputy Series(305KB)
• Local Court Security Series(344KB)
• Police Chief/Assistant Police Chief Series(204KB)
• Police Officer, Entry-Level(87KB)
• Police Officer/Deputy Sheriff Exam - Frequently Asked Questions
• Police Supervisors/Investigators Series(404KB)
• Second- and Third-Line Police Supervisors Series(299KB)
• Public Health Technician Series(84KB)
• Safety and Security Series(439KB)
• Senior Stenographer/Senior Typist Series(347KB)
• Social Welfare Examiner Series(289KB)
• State and Local Identification Series(275KB)
• Toll Collector Series(1.04MB)
• Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator/Trainee Series(224KB)

Some of the job titles might be helpful to you - others not so much.  Note also that the documents open in Adobe Acrobat - the number in parentheses is the size of the document.  Also not that test guide are made available to the public on this site 60 days prior to the date of the written test.

Also note that they (civil service) suggest going back to the site each week to see if any new job announcements are posted.  It changes from week-to-week.

For a quick look at the Nassau County Civil Service website, click here.

On this site users can find examination announcements, a section of Frequently Asked Questions, Physical Fitness Requirements,  information on Section 85 A/B Civil Service law and links to the main Nassau County website.

Hope the links and the sites help you secure the job that you want!

Regards,
Stu

Funny Amazon.com Reviews

Hi All,

Amazon.com is - as many of you know - a huge online retailer. Of everything.  From books, to motorcycles to diapers to deodorant to car parts and much, much more. It sells everything - and fast. 

What's more, it allows customers to review products that they have purchased.

So, of course, people being people, some folks like to write funny, clever, interesting product or book reviews. It all makes for very interesting reading - if you have time.  So...here are a bunch of websites that combine 'funny Amazon.com product reviews'.  Enjoy the sites - but more to the point, enjoy the funny reviews from customers!

Funny Reviews - from the Amazon site
WordStream Version of Funniest Amazon.com Reviews
16 Hilariously Inappropriate Amazon Reviews 
The MarySue - 50 Funny Amazon Reviews 
TheKitchn - 5 Funniest Reviews 
Business Insider - 11 of the Most Hilarious Amazon Reviews

Enjoy the sites and the reviews.

Regards,
Stu

Saving Money Is Where It's At!

Hi All,

Back in December 2014, Yahoo Finance! published an article with the title '11 Websites That Will Make You Smarter About Money'. 11 websites were mentioned, but I want to discuss the first one - heck, I might even revisit the article in the future and discuss other sites mentioned in the article - or not...I'll see.

Anyway the site in question is Wise Bread. It bills itself as 'personal finance and frugal living forums'. It also bills itself as 'Living Large on a Small Budget' on the masthead of the website. So if you want to learn how to save money from everyday people, this is the place to go.  Wise Bread writers share both their own experiences and tips...so the site is really, really good for advice on the everyday challenges of spending less and saving more.

Wise Bread has sections on Credit Cards, Personal Finance, Frugal Living, Career, Life Hacks, Best Deals, Top PF Blogs and more.  Note also that the site has a search box at the top right side of the screen.  Discussing each of these sections in detail would result in far more than a simple blog post. It has the makings of a chapter of book.  So I'll discuss just one section of the Wise Bread website: Frugal Living.  Readers can click this link to go to the main Wise Bread page and peruse the rest of the site on his or her own...besides, isn't that half the fun of the web?

The Frugal Living section of Wise Bread is broken up into sub-channels: Budgeting, DIY, Entertainment, Food and Drink, Green Living, Health and Beauty, Home, Lifestyle, Shopping, Style and Travel.

Under the various sub-channels are popular articles and the latest articles in budgeting.  As of 10/14/15 the top 3 articles on budgeting were:
1. How Much Engagement Ring Can You Actually Afford?
2. These 5 Apps Will Help You Finally Organized Your Money?
3. Best Money tips: Common Mistakes in Your Family Budget

And the list has at least a dozen other articles that readers might do well to read.  Readers can make comments on the various articles, share them via Facebook, Tweet them via Twitter and Pin them via Pinterest.

Finally, readers can subscribe to the site by clicking on this link.  Content is powered by Feedburner and users can subscribe using a variety of web-based news readers. 

So if you are interested in saving money, or learning about personal finance or getting career information or getting the inside scoop on credit cards, you might want to visit Wise Bread!

Regards,
Stu

Easy Reading...

Hi All,

Introducing our new Easy Reading collection! Read on for more information on this new, exciting, modern collection of material for the easy reader in your life!



Who: For patrons who want or need easy reading books.

What: Easy Reading books are less complicated, interesting, current and modern fiction titles.

When: All the titles in the collection were published between 2013 and 2015.

Where: The collection is located in our Teacher's Center which next to the Quiet Reading room under the clock in the library on the first floor.

Why: Because we're a library and we want to help readers of all ages and abilities to well, read!

How: We bought a bunch of titles for the collection including:

The Boom Room - Rick Blechta
The Thirteenth Rose - Gail Bowen
The Artful Goddaughter - Melodie Campbell
The Goddaughters' Revenge - Melodie Campbell
Dirty Work - Reed Coleman
The Boardwalk (A Gulliver Dowd mystery) - Reed Coleman
The Night Thief - Barbara Fradkin
Beethoven's Tenth (A Frank Ryan mystery) - Brian Harvey
A Woman Scorned - James Heneghan
Just Gone - William Kowalski
Him Standing - Richard Wagamese

Enjoy the titles and if you have any questions about this new collection come back to the Reference Desk and ask a Reference librarian!

Regards,
Stu

Internet Speed Tests

Hi All,

It takes bandwidth - think lots of fiber optic cables and such - to get your videos, chats, pictures, Instagram stuff and more to your house.  But how fast is my computer you might be asking?

Good question...there are lots of internet speed tests out there on the web.  Some might ask you to download software in order to perform the test...I prefer not to download software due to the spam/virus/malware threat that software downloads can create...

So...you might want to do an internet speed test using any of these free speed tests...
AT&T Speed Test
Test Your Broadband Speed
SpeakEasy Speed Test 
TestMy.net
Top Tips to Speed Up Your Internet Service

Enjoy the sites - hope your upload and download speed are really, really fast!

Regards,
Stu

SeniorNet - EAC Network - Computer classes

Hi All,

SeniorNet just sent the Farmingdale Public Library a very helpful pamphlet. Its filled with lots of information about the SeniorNet computer class program. 

EAC's SeniorNet Computer Learning Centers make learning easy and fund for seniors. So, what kinds of classes are offered?  Classes include computer basics, Windows 7, Microsoft Word, Internet Explorer, email, searching the internet, the iPad and more.

One time classes for busy folks are available on topics like smartphones, internet security, social media and Facebook.  But wait...there's more!

Classes are held at three locations on Long Island:

Town of North Hempstead Dept of Services for the Aging
470 Old Westbury Road, Roslyn Heights

William P. Bennett Hicksville Community Park
28 W. Carl Street, Hicksville

The Bristal Assisted Living @ North Hills
99 South Service Road, North Hills

SeniorNet computer clases are offered four times a year:
Winter classes begin in January
Spring classes begin in April
Summer classes begin in June
Fall classes begin in September

Registration for each session starts about one month before classes begin.  If you are interested call SeniorNet at 516-529-0150 ext 130.  If you need to leave a message there is voicemail.  A volunteer will return your call the same day.  Future students can download class forms by clicking on this link.  Click on SeniorNet under 'Opportunities For Seniors' for forms and mailing information.

Enjoy the programs and services - and enjoy your new found knowledge of computers!

Regards,
Stu

Old Farmer's Almanac

Hi All,

The Old Farmer's Almanac.  It's old - the first issue was published way back in 1792! And it is an almanac!  Click on this link to visit the The Old Farmer's Almanac website.

So, what does the site include you ask?  It has lots of juicy nuggets on topics as varies as tide tables, sunrise/sunset charts, recipes, forecasts and much, much more.

Click on the following links to learn more about TOFA take on that topic: Weather, Astronomy, Gardening, Calendar, Food, and Advice.

Best known for its weather advice and forecasts, the link to Weather enables users to enter a location by city, state or zip code. 

A four day weather forecast is also shown.  But wait, there's more! Complete 7 day weather forecasts are available as if the long range weather forecast.   Weather history is available - which is a rarity on the web these days.

Long Range weather information is available for various regions around the United States.  For example,  the weather report for the Atlantic Corridor can be found here.

Free newsletters are also available from the TOFA. Topics include the Almanac Weekly Companion, The Almanac.com General Store, Almanac Recipe Box  and the Great Almanac Giveaway. 

The TOFA Gardening link has a myriad of links and vital information for gardeners of all stripes.  For example there is a gardening question of the day, a planting calendar, a link to gardening articles, growing guides to vegetables and more, a section on garden pests and disease and links to gardening for beginners.  

What a site - now we know why The Old Farmer's Almanac has been around since 1792.  Its filled with useful, timely information!

Enjoy the site.

Regards,
Stu

Khan Academy - Educational site for Students

Hi All,

You might have heard about it, or read about it...its a very valuable, free, educational website for students from 1st grade to college!  What is it you ask?

Khan Academy. Khan Academy's mission is to provide a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere.  Now that's a broad, ambitious goal...but check out the site and the various topics they cover.  You'll be impressed with the coverage and broad array of topics available for study.

Subjects covered at the Khan Academy include Math, Science, Economics/Finance, Arts/Humanities, Computing, Tes Preparation, College Admissions and Coach resources. But wait, there's more.  Subjects are available for students from Kindergarten all the way up to the college level. 

Specific topics run the gamut of geometry, algebra, calculus, linear algebra, microeconomics, biology, chemistry, physics, art history basics, computer programming, SAT, MCAT, GMAT preparation and much,much more. 

Once users sign on to the site and choose the topic they navigate there way to videos that will explain the topic or the problem(s) that they are interested in.   Also, community questions are available for students to review and question answers are readily available for students.

More than likely, users will get the best possible experience from the Khan Academy by logging in and creating a free account. ,

Khan Academy partners include Dartmough College, The Aspen Institute, MIT+K12, NASA, The Brookings Institution, Pixar in a Box and NOVA Labs. 

Finally, for more information, click on this link for the Khan Academy blog.

Enjoy the site - and I hope it helps you to get better grades in school!

Regards,
Stu

600....Posts

Hi All,

And for the 600th time I'm posting a new, interesting, enlightening, rewarding, educational, fun, insightful, eye-opening blog entry on this blog, Reference and You.

Wow - 600.  That's a big number.  For anything. Very few people work 600 days in a row.  Most baseball players don't get to the plate 600 times in a baseball season.  Its virtually unheard of to make $600/hour - unless you are an attorney, doctor, actor or athlete. 

Anyway, in honor of this, the 600th blog post, I'll discuss the significance of the number 600 in various fields and subjects of human endeavor!

In world history the following events occurred (roughly - it was a long time ago you know so dates might be a bit skewed): Venice continues as an independent realm...King Ingvar of Sweden invades Estonia but is killed by locals...Persians use windmills for irrigation. Pope Gregory the Great decreed 'God bless You' as the religiously correct response to a sneeze. Bhaskara I was born in India.

The number 600 has many different meanings in popular culture....

The New York Lottery has a game called Quick $600.

There is a Qualcomm processor called the Snapdragon 600...its really fast!

XTI Aircraft has a new type of plane - called te TriFan 600.  Very cool.

Local 600 is the International Cinematographers Guild.

There is a website called 600milliondogs.org - which claims to help find a cure for animal overpopulation.

S&P SmallCap 600 refers to an index of stocks by the Standard & Poor's.

WICC 600 is an AM radio station based in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Applebees has a menu for items that are under 600 calories.

The Coca-Cola 600 is a Sprint Cup series race held at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

and finally, how can I NOT end this post with this link...

600 Acres - a blog about cookies, food and well, the more wholesome things in life!

Enjoy the links.

Regards,
Stu

Fonts, Reading and Printing

Hi All,

Just a quickie post about fonts today.  What?  Yep - fonts.  Click on this link which goes to Google Fonts - which can be downloaded and use repeatedly.

Click here for a brief background about Google Fonts. 

Click this link to find the Google Fonts blog...

Users can preview how the text looks with the new font that they choose - just use the preview text box at the top of the page.  As a matter of fact, users can preview the text with just a single word, a single sentence, a paragraph or even a poster.

There are lots of customizable features. For example, users can:
1. Change the size of the font,
2. Sort the various fonts to choose from by popularity, date added to Google Fonts and which fonts are trending on Google Fonts. 
3.Fonts are customizable base on thickness, slant, width.
4. Scripts can also be change by language.  For example, Arabic, Greek, Latin and Thai among others can be used to see how the font looks using a different character set.
5. Finally uses can find still more scripts by clicking on this link.
6. Users can synchronize Google Fonts to their computer Desktop with SkyFonts.  Use this link to get more information on how to install Skyfonts and to browse Google Fonts.

Enjoy the site and the blog - here's to sprucing up the type-face in your document and on the web!

Regards,
Stu

Hi All,

Ten Things...if someone gave you an important list of '10 things' once a month for a long time, how much do you think you would learn?  Exactly!  You'd be a fountain of knowledge!  You'd have the inside scoop on a wide variety of topics!

But where can you find something like this?  Can you find it in a newspaper, magazine, book or on tv or the radio?  Probably so, but looking for this information would take time and effort.  And besides, life and all its vagaries gets in the way!

So just go to MarketWatch where you can see a whole slew of 'Ten Things' articles at a glance. It doesn't take much time - and certainly not much effort. 

Check out some of the titles of the entries - trust me - its good stuff. And useful and practical!

10 Things Marries Couples Won't Tell You 
10 Things Reporters Wont Tell You 
10 Things You Should Never Buy Again
10 Things Chipotle Wont Tell You 
10 Uncomfortable Truths About the Midlife Crisis
10 Things Telemarketers Won't Tell You
...and more...

Enjoy the insight from the articles - hope they make a difference in your everyday life and help you become more productive!

Regards,
Stu