Research Beyong Google - 56 Authoritative, Invisible and Comprehensive Resources

Hi All,

The title says it all - lots of great (authoritative, invisible, comprehensive) resources for the inner research geek in all of us...click here for a bit of information about evaluating resources on the web.
Click on this link to learn about how to search the invisible web...sounds mysterious - its not though...
The site is OEDb - aka the Open Education Database.

Topics covered in the article include Deep Web Search Engines, Art, Books Online, Business, Consumer, Economic and Job Data, Finance and Investing, General Research, Government Data, International, Law and Politics, Library of Congress, Medical and Health, STEM and Transportation.
Quite a wide variety of topics that's for sure. 

Next to each link there is a very brief - about 1-2 sentences - summary of the resource.  Then a direct link to the site.  Quick and easy and no muss and no fuss. 

One thing - the page was generated in 2013 so be aware that some - probably not very many though - sites are not working.  Most are...but still.  Your mileage might vary but the resources are well worth the time you'll spend finding the information elsewhere.

Now...go search and check out these great resources.

Regards,
Stu

New Year's Resolutions

Hi All,

Well the end of the year is almost upon us.  Instead of writing an entry about what New Year's resolutions you should make, I'm going to blog about how to make those resolutions - whatever they are - stick and become lifelong habits....

So...how did New Year's resolutions start...click on this link from Wikipedia for an interesting, fun and enlightening entry about resolutions.

The next bunch of links are from sites that will help you make those resolutions stick and become habits.

Huffington Post - New Year's Resolutions Are Bound to Fail. Try This Instead

WebMD - 10 Ways to Make Your New Year's Resolutions Stick

APA - Making Your New Year's Resolutions Stick 

Forbes - Most Powerful Way to Set New Year's Resolutions That Stick 

DailyMail.com -  How to Achieve Your New Year's Resolutions

Entrepreneur - 8 Ways You Can Use Science to Make Your New Year's Resolutions Stick 

New York Times - How To Stick to Your New Year's Resolutions 

LifeHacker - Top 10 Strategies For Making Your New Year's Resolution Stick 

USA Today - 6 Ways to Make Your New Year's Resolutions Stick 

Shape.com - Top 10 Reasons You Don't Stick to Your Resolutions  

Enjoy the links and here's to resolutions and making them stick for the new year!

Regards,
Stu 

Best of 2016

Hi All,

As the year 2016 comes to a close many, many, many websites generate 'best of' lists...forthwith a whole bunch of them on a wide variety of topics!  Enjoy 'em...

Time Magazine - Top 10 of Everything of 2016 

AllMusic.com - Best of 2016 

National Geographic - Best Photos of 2016

Android Central - Best Tech of 2016

NPR Music - Best Music of 2016 

Rolling Stone - 20 Best Lists of 2016

Life Hacker - 25 Best Movies of 2016 and Where to Watch Them 

Gamespot - Best TV Shows of 2016 

School Library Journal - Best Books of 2016 

Washington Post - 10 Best Books of 2016

Publisher's Weekly - 20 Best Books of 2016

New York Times Critics - Top Books of 2016

Techradar -  Best Phone 2016 - The Top 10 Smartphones We've Tested

Car and Driver -  Best Cars, Trucks, SUVs, and More For 2016 - Editors' Choice Awards

Beer and Brewing Magazine -  Best in Beer 2016: Readers' Choice & Editors' Picks

Winemag.com - Top 100 Best Buys 2016 

...and the list could go on and on and on....

So, you might ask how I found all these lists?  Great question.  Just type in the phrase 'best of 2016' in Google.  Make sure to put a topic after the 2016 - for example, 'best of 2016 movie' or 'best of 2016 newspaper writing' or 'best of 2016 scientific discovery'...you'll get dozens of results of which you'll have hours and hours of reading/viewing ahead of you.

Enjoy the sites and the links.  And, of course, Happy New Year!  Here's to a great 2017.

Regards,
Stu 

Long Island Hurricane History

Hi All,

Hurricane season is traditionally from June 1st to November 30th in the Northern Atlantic Ocean.  And now that the hurricane season has past - and now that we can breathe a bit easier....we can take a quick look-see at an interesting hurricane related website...Wikipedia has a great article to learn more about the Atlantic Hurricane season.

Click here for a table from Wikipedia which lists the number of hurricanes by year.  

But what's really interesting is the link to a site called Long Island Hurricane History.... the site has tables of powerful hurricanes, videos, a list of significant weather events (hurricanes, blizzards, strong wind storms, Nor'Easters, etc), satellite and radar imagery links, historical weather maps, evacuation roots, tidal surge maps and much more on the site.  Click on this link for more information about flood zones on Long Island...

Click here for a  list of hurricanes and nor'easters on Long Island.  Maximum strength, local impact of the event and the year of the event are listed in the table. Note that the table and the information come from Newsday.

Regards - and here's to having a moderately cool and somewhat snowy winter!

Stu



 

Help - Long Island 211

 Hi All,

Long Island 2-1-1 has, as its tagline, 'Get Connected, Get Answers' (Nassau and Suffolk Counties).  Boy does the site do that well - very well indeed. 

Essentially the mission of 2-1-1 Long Island is to provide all Long Islanders a comprehensive internet connection to human services on a day-to-day basis and in time of disaster.  2-1-1 Long Island is a free, non-emergency service that connects Long Island residents to health and human services they may need on a daily basis or during a disaster.

Available online, 2-1-1 Long Island provides users with detailed information on nearly 10,000 community resources for help and assistance in a range of areas.  Examples include:
•    job training opportunities
•    heating emergencies
•    financial or legal counseling
•    mortgage/rent assistance
•    health services
•    food assistance
•    substance abuse
•    education and training
•    child or elderly care 

The 2-1-1 database is managed by Middle Country Public Library and has been serving Long Island for many years, known as the Community Resource Database of Long Island.

Click here for a Directory of Services, here for Popular Searches, here for an FAQ, here to Contact 2-1-1, here for information on the Affordable Care Act, here for Health Emergency, here for Hurricane Sandy, here for Severe Weather and here for Transportation Issues.

Upon drilling down the site and finding a specific resource, users find general information about the service including a description of service, location and geographical area. Client information in the form of eligibility is included.  Contact information is provided in the form of names, addresses, phone numbers, fax numbers, email (where available) and web address (where available).  Information about the time the material was last updated is included as well.

Finally, affiliated agencies, programs and services are listed at the bottom of the page...

Whew - what a comprehensive site for Long Island assistance on variety of topics!

Regards,
Stu

Body Mass Index Calculation

Hi All,

The Body Mass Index is a great way to figure out where you fall on the weight spectrum.  Basically the Body Mass Index (BMI) is a measure of body fast based on height and weight. It applies to adult men and women - not children!

Click on this link and you'll go to a site from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute website.  You'll be able to enter your weight and height using standard or metric measures.  Click on 'compute BMI' and your BMI will appear below.

On the right side of the page you'll see BMI categories:
Underweight = <18 .5="" p="">Normal weight = 18.5-24.9
Overweight = 25.0-29.9
Obesity = BMI of 30.0 or greater

Users can also download the BMI calculator app on the site.

Click on these links for information on the limitations of the BMI, assessing your risk, controlling your weight and recipes to help you control your weight.

Hope the information helps and I hope the holidays don't torpedo your weight and health goals.

Regards,
Stu

Life Hacks part 2

Hi All,

Just a follow up on my last post that covered Life Hacks.  Users can type in the phrase 'life hacks' along with any other word in Google, Bing or any other search engine.

What you'll come up with is the particular topic you chose (cooking, cleaning, gardening, quilting, painting, photography, car repair, astronomy, fishing, etc...ANYTHING - and I mean any term can be used with the phrase 'life hack') and all sorts of 'hacks' that make that particular topic easier, faster, simpler, less-time consuming, more productive, less expensive, etc.

Its a great way to learn how to get things done faster, simpler and with less stress...
3 Examples:

holiday shopping life hacks - Google search results

holiday wrapping gifts - Google search results

cooking life hacks - Google search results

mortgage life hacks - Google search results

painting life hacks - Google search results

buying a house life hacks - Google search results

gardening life hacks - Google search results

You get the idea.....

Regards,

Stu

Hack the System

Hi All,

Many of us have heard the phrase 'to hack'...it's a computer term that means 'to modify (a computer program or electronic device) or write a program in a skillful or clever way. 

It also refers to a tip, trick or efficient method for doing or managing something - like hacking a chocolate chip cookie recipe...

In the context of this post though it refers to 'life hacks' that make your life easier' and problem free - or at least more problem free.

Click on this link from Lifehack.com to find an article titled '100 Life Hacks That Make Life Easier'.

From BoredPanda comes an article titled '40 Life Hacks That Will Change Your Life'. 

From 1000 Life Hacks comes an article titled (appropriately enough) '1000 Life Hacks'.

But wait...there's more. 

From TwistedSifter.com comes 'The 55 Most Useful Life Hacks Ever'.

And from James DIY on YouTube.com comes this 15 minute video titled '35 Amazing Life Hacks Everyone Should Know!'

Reddit has a whole set of Life Hack posts - check this link.

And, finally, Pinterest, everybody's favorite pinning board, comes this page of LifeHack pins.

Enjoy the links - hopefully they'll make your life simpler, easier and less stressful!

Regards,
Stu

Food Safety News

Hi All, 


I just came across a site called Food Safety News.  Link can be found by going here. 

And what exactly is Food Safety News? It is a daily news source for information about food recalls, food-borne illness outbreaks, food science, technology, food policy and more. Readers can use Food Safety News to be in the know about food safety.

There are links for Foodborne Illness Outbreaks, Food Recalls, For Foodies, Food Politics and a Directory (which lists businesses whose products and services contribute to the food supply safety net).  There is also a search box at the top right side of the homepage.  

Enjoy the site and the links - hopefully you won't need to use them!

Regards, 
Stu

Library and Reading Websites of Note...

Hi All,

Just a quick shout out to 20 Great Public Library websites link from MattAnderson.org...what an interesting way to display library sites!!!

From Reddit, click here for a link to Best Library Websites Wiki...

From Scribendi comes this link to The 16 Best Book Blogs to Read in 2016.

From the well-known source, Reader's Digest comes this link to 7 Websites For Book Lovers.

From a site called Popsugar comes this link to 10 of the Best Apps For Book-Lovers.

Enjoy the book links and the reading sites!

Stu

House Cleaning Tricks

Hi All,

Slow blog day today - as you'll see...but I did come up with an interesting idea for an entry.

Especially since the holiday season is right around the corner and we all (mostly) try to keep a neat/clean house....

From the PennyHoarder comes an article titled 13 Simple House Cleaning Hacks to Save You Time and Money.  Who knew that vinegar and onions and rubbing alcohol were so useful!

From the traditional publication GoodHousekeeping comes this article - 50 Cleaning Tips and Tricks.

And from Listotic comes 55 Must-Read Cleaning Tips & Tricks.

And from WomansDay comes 30 Spring Cleaning Tips - Quick & Easy House Cleaning Ideas.

Finally, click on this link from MarthaStewart.com for an article titled 10 Clever Cleaning Tricks.

Enjoy the links and the article - and here's to keeping a cleaner, neater home in the future!  Cheers.

Regards,
Stu

Gizmo's Freeware

Hi All,

If users want to review and rate the best free software a good site to visit would be Gizmo's Freeware. 

Click on this 'About' link to learn more about Gizmo's Freeware....note that the site is composed of a non-commercial community of users and the site is staffed by volunteers.

The site has links for freeware on a multitude of topics including Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, Online Apps, eBooks and Resources.

For example, when a user chooses the Windows option listed above another page of options appears.  All Windows desktop freeware is listed by category.  Some of the more relevant categories include Audio & Video, Cleanup & Tuning, Disk & File, Games, Photos & Graphics and Security & Privacy.

Another click on the topic that is needed brings the user to another page.  This page has a narrative about the specific freeware in question.  Note that a time stamp is included in the article.  In addition, the author of the article is listed. The site gives users the ability to track particular author's articles - and view them.

The site is much different than PCWorld or Cnet since its focuses completely on freeware.  The other sites deal with news, video, How-To and have software downloads...

Enjoy the links!

Regards,
Stu

Periodic Table of the Elements, in Pictures and Words - NOT BORING

Hi All,

When you think of the Periodic Table of the Elements - if you think of it all that is... - you probably think of this chart.

Well think of that chart no more - unless of course you are in a high school chemistry class - in which case you darn well should think of this chart!!!!

Searching on the web earlier today, I found this Periodic Table of the Elements - only this time it is in Pictures and Words...which makes the whole darn chart much more approachable.  For example, check out Hydrogen (sun and stars) or Boron (sports equipment) or Sulfur (egg yolks)...and so on.

Basically the chart shows you what elements various natural objects and/or man-made object are made out of...talk about interesting. 

For example, did you know that airplanes are made out of aluminum? Or that toothpaste is made out flourine and that batteries are made out of lithium? Its true - check it out on the site!

Enjoy the links!

Regards,
Stu

The Fun Entry

 Hi All,

Amazon.com is known as the place to find, well, everything. Its also known as the place where people buy goods and products - and then review them.

Some of these reviews are downright funny. Okay..I'm not being realistic - some of the reviews are downright hysterical.  Read on for very, very funny product reviews by Amazon.com customers.

Funniest Amazon.com Reviews - from Amazon.com itself. And More Funny Amazon.com Reviews.

From BGR - a technology website.  Funniest Amazon Product Reviews. 

10+ Of the Most Hilarious Amazon Reviews...BoredPanda.com 

25 Insanely Funny Amazon Product Reviews - List25.com

7 Expensive Products With Hilarious Amazon Reviews - ABCNews.com 


However....all reviews are not created equal.  Check out these links:

Let's Talk About Amazon Reviews - How We Spot the Fakes - Wire Cutter

Amazon Lawsuit Shows That Fake Online Reviews are a Big Problem - Time.com

Consumer Affairs - Top 2,042 Complaints About Amazon.com Reviews

How Amazon Should Fix Its Reviews - Forbes.com


Enjoy the links.

Regards,
Stu

The Thanksgiving Post

Hi All,

One of the best holidays of the year is coming up.  I'm talking about Thanksgiving!  And all the trimmings!  What other holiday lets you eat, watch football, spend time with family and friends - and not have to buy gifts for everyone in attendance? Yep - Thanksgiving is the day!  Enjoy.

Click on this link from Wikipedia to learn more about Thanksgiving and the holiday. 

For some great Thanksgiving recipes - click on this link from CountryLiving.com. 
The FoodNetwork has a great site that has information on Thanksgiving Side Dishes.
Of course AllRecipes has a link to pages with Thanksgiving recipes.


 And hopefully you have guests that are fun, respectful, polite, fun and not silly.  Hopefully your guests will click on this link from TheKitchn.com titled '10 Tips For Being a Great Thanksgiving Dinner Guest'. 

And if you have kids at the Thanksgiving dinner, you might want to click on this link from Woman's Day - titled '16 Thanksgiving Games You Kids Will Obsess Over'. 


Enjoy the holiday and enjoy the time spent with family and friends.  And of course, enjoy the links!

Regards,
Stu

Cyberbullying

Hi All,

If you haven't heard of the term cyberbullying, you're about to in this post.  Click here to learn about just exactly what cyberbullying is about. 

Just what exactly is cyberbulling? It is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or  perceived power imbalance. 

Click on this link to learn about some of the effects of cyberbullying (think poor grades in school, lower self-esteem and unwillingness to go to school - among others).

As a parent you might say, 'my child isn't going to be cyberbullied...its rare.  Click on this link from the National Center for Education Statistics and Bureau of Justice Statistics to learn about the frequency of cyberbullying. 

So how do you stop cyberbullying when it happens?  Click on this link (Stopping Bullying on the Spot), and this link (What Happened?) , and this link (Be More Than a Bystander).

Readers also might like to visit this link (Support the Kids Involved).

Hopefully you won't need the links, but if you do, they are at the ready on this blog!

Regards,
Stu

 

Voting, Elections and the Electoral College

Hi All,

Well, today is the day...its time to vote...

Where do I vote you ask?  Click here to find out where you vote. 

To find out the answers to other voting questions click here.

What the heck is the electoral college?  Click here (How Stuff Works), here (Huffington Post), and here (Washington Post) to find out more about the electoral college and how it affects the vote!

How do you find out who wins the election?  Click here (Politico), here (Wall Street Journal) or here  (CNN) to get real-time information on election 2016.

Regards,
Stu

All About Voting

Hi All,

All about voting for the upcoming Presidential election!!!

Where do you vote? Click on this link from the Nassau County website.
Where do I learn about how to register to vote, change address and more.

Finally, learn more about the electoral system by clicking on this link. 

To learn more about the current Presidential election, click on this link which goes to 270 To Win...(as in 270 electoral college votes to win the election.)

270ToWin.com has lots of interactive features for the budding political scientist - you can change the map to represent if one or another candidate will win/lose a particular state...it lets you change the 'outcome' of the vote in various states to test whether or not a candidate will get the necessary 270 electoral college votes to win the election...

Regards,
Stu

Fun at the Library?

Hi All,

Fun at the library?  You bet!  Read on. (A list of fun things to do in the library...)

1000+ images about Library fun and ideas on Pinterest.

Fun activities @ you library! 

8 awesome ways libraries are making learning fun 

LibraryGames.com - making libraries fun!

Fun websites - Broome County Public Library

Fun and games at the library

Games for kids - Monroe County Public Library

Free to play games in Steam library

Games - NYPL Kids

Library Learning Games - Media Center

Enjoy the links.

Regards,
Stu

Battle of Leyte Gulf Anniversary - October 23rd

Hi All,

This blog entry is for World War II veterans and WWII naval buffs and historians alike.  Monday, October 23rd is the anniversary of the Battle of Leyte Gulf. 

What was Leyte Gulf you ask?  It was only the biggest naval battle of WWII.  Click here to learn more about it - from Wikipedia. 

Also, click here for a link to the Encyclopedia Britannica for an entry about the Battle of Leyte Gulf - and here for an entry fro Encyclopedia.com.

A website called CombinedFleet.com has this extensive summary of the campaign.

History.com has this summary of the Battle of Leyte Gulf as well.  Lastly, from the US army comes this extensive entry - and long - about the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

28 Battle of Leyte Gulf Pictures - WarHistoryOnline.com
Battle of Leyte Gulf - Getty Images

Finally, click on this link to find books that the Farmingdale Public Library owns on the topic of the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

Happy reading about an amazing World War II battle.

Regards,
Stu

I Wish My Teacher Knew...

Hi All,

I just heard about the on the radio and decided to follow up on it...

"One day, third-grade teacher Kyle Schwartz asked her students to fill in the blank in this sentence: "I wish my teacher knew______________."

"Some answers were funny, others were heartbreaking.    All were profoundly moving and enlightening. The results opened her eyes to the need for educators to understand the unique realities their students face in order to create an open, safe, and supportive classroom environment. When Kyle shared her experience online, teachers around the globe began sharing their own contributions to #IWishMyTeacherKnew."

There is an image gallery on the I Wish My Teacher Knew website! 

Here are a few news articles about the site.
CBS News
New York Times 
Washington Post 
Scary Mommy


Enjoy the links and the comments.

Regards,
Stu

AAA Gas Prices

Hi All,

With all the ups and downs of the price of gasoline recently, I thought it would be interesting to post about gas prices...click here for a chart of gas prices for the last 5 years.  Info is from Zfacts.com.

More to the point is the current price of gas...click here for a map of gas prices across the United States. 

Note that on the left side of the page is a big red circle that says, 'Today's AAA National Average $2.251 - prices updated as of 10/14/16 3:38am ET'.  Wow - talk about timely information.

Note also that on the map you can hover over a particular state and you'll get the average price of gas for that state. Interesting.  But wait, there's more.  The map is color coded where the redder the state, the more expensive the gas.  The bluer the state, the less expensive the gas. 

Also on the page is a Gas Cost Calculator, News, Top Trends and a search box.

The Top Trends option needs a bit of explaining. Users can filter average price of gasoline by  the current day average, yesterday's average, a week ago average or a year ago average.  Users can further filter the information by region (option is either state or metro).

Finally users can filter by most expensive, least expensive, biggest change or smallest change of the price of gasoline.

Enjoy the site.

Regards,
Stu

Long Island Breweries

Hi All,

It's Fall - the weather is finally starting to cool and there is just a hint of 'winter' in the air.  Get ready for the cold weather - but before that....get warm with a brew or two.

Did you know the craft brewing has been getting more and more popular for at least 20 years? It has and here are just a few of the many,  many articles that discuss the popularity of the craft brew industry. 
Fortune - Craft Beer Sales Rise
LA Times - Craft Brews Are In Great Demand, and So Are the Breweries
USA Today - Battle Between Big Beer and Craft Beer Escalates 
ShortList - Rise and Rise of Craft Beer

Click on this link from LongIsland.com.  It's a list of breweries on Long Island - replete with links to the various breweries.  How many of these breweries have you been to? Blue Point Brewing, Fire Island Beer Company, Long Ireland Beer Company?

Click on this link from Wikipedia to learn more about microbreweries - it has extensive links to microbrewery information for the United States and for other countries. 

For a deep dive into the details of craft brewing, click on this next link which goes to the Brewers Association (a passionate voice for craft brewers). 

Finally, click on the link to what some folks is the granddaddy of all craft beers - Samuel Adams. 

Enjoy the links - and remember, drink responsibly.

Regards,
Stu

2016 Farmingdale Fair

 Hi All,

Did you know?  That the Farmingdale Street Fair is this weekend.  Actually it started on Thursday - yesterday - and runs through Monday (which is Columbus Day). 

For more information, click on this link from FairsandFestivals.net - the site bills itself as being where art and fun mean business.  Click on this link for directions to the fair. 

So...what does the fair include?  You guessed it... there will be great food, great vendors, pickles, lemonade, pony rides, inflatables, flowers, plants, toys, and more. Fun for the whole family.

Hours:
Thursday: Carnival - 5pm-10pm
Friday: Carnival - 5pm-11pm
Saturday: Street Fair - All Day. Carnival - 12noon -11pm
Sunday: Street Fair - All Day. Carnival - 12noon -11pm, Parade 6pm, Fireworks 9pm
Monday: Carnival - 12noon-10pm

Enjoy the fun!

Regards,
Stu

Best Second-Screen Apps For Watching Baseball

Hi All,

TechHive.com has come out with an article titled 'Best Second Screen Apps For Watching Baseball on Your Phone'.

The article lists and discuses the seven best second-screen apps that you can use on your smartphone or tablet to watch baseball - well, to watch the baseball post-season now that the regular season ended.

Note that each 'review' on the site is fairly in-depth.  Pro's, con's and major features on the apps are discussed. 

The seven apps (with links) are MLB At Bat, MiLB First Pitch, ESPN's App, ESPN Fantasy Baseball, iScore Baseball, Bleacher Report, OwnersBox,

Enjoy the MLB post-season!

Regards,
Stu

Cleanup Entry

Hi All,

From time to time I post an entry filled with topics that really don't fit neatly into any categories.  Today we have one such entry - I call them clean up entries....Enjoy the myriad sites and links.

33 Classic Books That Will Make You Forget Your Smartphone

How to Prepare For Hurricane Season

10 Money Apps To Help You Conquer Your Finances in the New Year

The Internet Mystery That Has the World Baffled

FedStats - Your Window Into U.S. Federal Statistics

National Forecast Maps

Skyscanner - Cheap Flights 

Arts & Letters Daily

What Good is Information?

How to Meditate? 

Disaster Preparedness Checklist - Tips For Keeping You and Your Family Safe

Seven of the Best Salary Information Websites For Negotiation


Enjoy the links!

Stu

Nassau County Community Policing Center Temporarily Moves To Farmingdale

 Hi All,

Just a quickie post today.  The above mentioned title says it all...the Nassau County Community Policing Center is temporarily moving to Farmingdale.  Click on this link to see the article from the Farmingdale Patch. 

The center will relocate while the original location will undergo construction starting this week - September 13, 2016.  The new address is the site of the South Farmingdale Fire Department Station on 44 Beverly Road in Farmingdale.

Other helpful services of the Second Precinct include: 

Phone Number: 516-573-6200 

Obtain a copy of an accident report

Pistol License Renewal

Public Information Office

Strat-com - Uniform Crime Report

Bullying Guide For Parents

Bullying Guide For Teens

Safeguard Your Car

Safety Tips For Seniors

Hope the links help and are useful!

Regards,
Stu

Only In Your State

Hi All,

Travel tip ahead - watch out!

Click on this link - for a state-by-state guide to unique accommodations, waterfront and rooftop restaurants, hot springs, swimming holes, little known islands, covered bridges, swinging bridges and even haunted houses and much, much more on 'OnlyInYourState.com'.

Users can click on tabs at the top of the page on topics like food, attractions, news, life, community and more to find more attractions listed on the site.

Once you find an attractions or spot of interest an article with pictures describes the venue and the attraction. Directions to the location are given as well.

What a great way to learn about lesser known spots of interest in New York state - or any state for that matter!

Enjoy the vacation spots and the trips you'll take!

Regards,
Stu

Free Ebooks

Hi All,

The library has a fantastic product for downloading ebooks and audiobooks called Overdrive - its free by the way.  Click here for the link.

Using just your library card you can download current fiction, current non-fiction and audiobooks to your iPad, Kindle and other Android devices.

But wait...there's more. Other websites give users access to even more free ebooks and free audiobooks.

Readers can visit Gutenberg.org to download free contemporary fiction and non-fiction ebooks to your devices.  Users must use the Kindle free app or have an Amazon kindle device

However, users can also use HundredZeros to download free and discounted (these cost money)  ebooks that match your interests.  Link to HundredZeros is here.

Finally users can try BookBub.com for even more downloadable books. (Users must register for BookBub though.  BookBub is free to join and you can read on any device. Also, the books are yours to own.

Enjoy the sites and the free ebooks!  Happy reading.

Regards, 
Stu

Voting and Elections

Hi All,

Here's another election post - short and sweet!  Click on the links below to get the various pieces of information needed!  All your elections and voting needs are now in one place!

Decide Who to Vote For


Find Your State or Local Election Office Website

How to Vote 

Presidential Election Process

Voter Registration, Requirements, and Deadlines

Voting and Election Laws and History

Remember that the election is on Tuesday, November 8th, 2016!!!

Regards,
Stu

Medical Identity Theft

Hi All,

Its a fact of life - we live...and we sometimes get sick.  And its a very unfortunate fact of life some people try to take advantage of those very same sick people.

As a result there is such a thing as medical identity theft. 

Basically it goes like this: 'A thief may use your name or health insurance numbers to see a doctor, get prescription drugs, file claims with your insurance provider, or get other care. If the thief's health information is mixed with yours, your treatment, insurance and payment records, and credit report may be affected'.  

If you see signs of medical identity theft, visit Identity Theft.gov to report and recover from identity theft.

Click on the following links to learn more about detecting medical identity theft, correcting mistakes in your medical records, protecting your medical information and checking for other identity theft  problems.

For more information on extended fraud alerts and credit freezes, click this link.
To learn how to keep your personal information secure, click here.  

Hopefully you won't need these links, but if you do I hope they help!

Regards,

Stu

Just Do It - Yourself

 Hi All,

I just heard about yet another 'Do It Yourself' website called 'Do It Yourself.com'. Click here for the link.  So what makes this site different than other sites?  Well, its easily navigated, quick to load and has loads of tutorials.

How To articles are well written and organized in many cases organized in a 'step-by-step' basis.

How To's explanations are organized by topic. 
Topics include:
- Design Center
- Cars/Trucks/Boats
- Decorating/Painting
- Electrical/Electronics
- Exterior Home Improvement
- From Our Workshop
- Games/Rec Room
- Green Home/Green Living
- Hardware/Tools/Woodworking
- Household/Cleaning
- Interior Home Improvement
- Lifestyle/Crafts/Recreation,
- Personal Finance/Legal Matters
- Plumbing/HVAC
- Real Estate.

Whew - that's quite a list!

There is also a list of Your Projects on the top ribbon on the homepage. 
Projects include:
- Automotive Projects
- Bathroom Projects
- Bedroom Projects
- Decorating Projects
- Dining Room Projects,
- Electrical and Electronic Projects
- Exterior Projects
- Game Room /Rec Projects
- Garage Projects,
- Green Projects
- Holiday Decoration Projects
- Home Office Projects
- Kitchen Projects
- Landscaping Projects
- Living Room Projects
- Patio/Deck Projects
- Room Addition Projects
- Work Projects and other projects.

Furthermore, each category has more sub-categories once you click a link.  For example, the Your Project tab for Decorating/Painting has further links to Designing With Color, Decorating For Kids, Design By Room, Designers & Ideas, Exterior Painting, Furnishings and much more.

The site also has a forums - click here for the links to them - which are heavily used by readers. 
Use this link if you would like to sign up for any of the Do-It-Yourself newsletters.

Clicking on the search box at the upper right side of the page for the term 'replacing an outlet' gave these results.

From the results given, I would suspect that this is one of the better answers.
This article has a list of 'what tools you'll need to complete the projects', a step-by-step written narrative of how to complete the project, and links at the bottom of the page to other similar, but different projects.

All in all this is a helpful, comprehensive, user friendly 'how-to fix things' website.

Enjoy the projects and the links above!

Regards,

Stu
 

Rent.com

Hi All,

Have you heard?  Of.  Rent.com?  Its a website where you can rent your next apartment. Users can find an apartment using zip code and/or the name of the town or city and the state.  Its really easy to use. Rent.com uses Legit-A-Master to help make the site more authoritative and useful.

What's Legit-a-Master? It collects 3D floor plans, photos, virtual tours and finds certified resident reviews for the apartments on the site.

Site listings have floor plans, a list of amenities that come with the apartment, property details and neighborhood information. Contact information is included as well.

Other useful parts of the site include a Moving Center, Rent.com's Blog and a way to personalize your apartment searches using My Rent.

Enjoy the site.  Good luck finding your new place to live!

Regards,
Stu

Encyclopedia of Life (EOL)

Hi All,

I just came across a very educational, interesting and useful website. Its called the Encyclopedia of Life (EOL hereafter).  Simply put the site is "part of a massive effort to gather scientific knowledge about all animal and plant life using pictures, information, facts, and more."  In another words the site gives users global access to knowledge about life on earth - quite a large and ambitious agenda!!!

EOL's vision is: Global access to knowledge about life on Earth.

EOL's mission is: To increase awareness and understanding of living nature through an Encyclopedia of Life that gathers, generates, and shares knowledge in an open, freely accessible and trusted digital resource.

EOL is supported by Harvard University, New Library of Alexandria, Marine Biological Laboratory and the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History among others. 

The site is comprehensive, easy to navigate and authoritative. Click on this link to learn more about the educational components of EOL.  

Click here to learn more about EOL Tools/Applications, Biodiversity articles, podcasts, lessons and activities and resources/tutorials.

Enjoy the site and the links!

Regards,
Stu

Its Smart - Smart911.

 Hi All,

I recently received an advertisement at home explaining Smart911.  Basically the website allows citizens to create a free safety profile for their household using the site, Smart911.com.

Information is entered and can be useful for 911 call takers in the event of an emergency.  Details can include the names and photos of all family members, medical conditions of various members, allergies, names of pets, and emergency contacts for family members.

For further information call 516-571-6000.   Click this link for an FAQ from the Smart911 website. Click on this link for resources near community that assist Smart911.

Finally, to sign up for Smart911 alerts.

Hopefully you won't need the site, but if you do have an emergency, Smart911 might be a good resource to use at home!

Regards,
Stu

Banned Books - Read Them When You Can!

Hi All,

Librarians love lists of banned books - we just want to help patrons get the right book to them at the right time and on the right topic!

Here's a list of banned book websites - and in some cases why the particular books were banned.

20 Beloved Books & Why They Were Banned - MSN Lifestyle

All About Banned Books Week 2016 - ALA website

Banned Books Week - from the Banned Books Week website

11 Books That Were Banned For Completely Ridiculous Reasons - Barnes & Noble

List of Books Banned By Governments - Wikipedia

Banned Books: Complete List of 144 Books and the Reasons Why They Were Outlawed - PostDesk

Common Reasons For Banning Books - Butler University

Banned Books That Shaped America - Banned Books Week.org

Banned Books With Reasons Why - The Book Escape

10 Beloved Children's Books Banned For the Stupid Reasons  - ListVerse

Enjoy the lists and books!

Regards,
Stu

Acronym Finder

Hi All,


Have you ever wondered what the acronym gif, or jpeg means? Or what about IMDB or LOL or MLS or IMHO or RBI or ROFL? 

Well, the one thing all these letters have in common is that they are acronyms.  They all stand for the letter of a word in the phrase.  For example...FBI stands for 'Federal Bureau of Investigation'.  And LOL stands for 'Laugh Out Loud' - usually in the context of a text message.  You get the idea.

So...with Acronym Finder you can find more than 1,000,000 human-edited definitions.  According to the site, Acronym Finder is the world's largest and most comprehensive dictionary of acronyms, abbreviations, and initialisms.  Combined with the Acronym Attic, Acronym Finder contains more than 5 million acronyms and abbreviations. 

The site is easy to search and loads quickly. 

Enjoy the site!

Regards,
Stu

All 50 States

 Hi All,

As you might have heard we are in the middle of an election year.  And what better time than now to learn about the fifty states in the union? Indeed, check 50states.com and learn all about the 50 states and their capitals.  Users can also get quick access to a variety of state specific facts and useful information.

There are also links to a United States Map, Fun Facts & Trivia, State Birds, State Songs, State Flowers, Study Tools and Famous People.

Click on this link to learn more about 50states.com and the various services they offer for classrooms.

Enjoy the links and the site,

Regards,
Stu

College Salary Report

Hi All,

Summer is starting to end...and with that school is right around the corner.  With that in mind college students would do well to take a look at the 2015-2016 PayScale College Salary Report.  

Want to make a smart decision about college?  Let PayScale help you do your homework.  Choose the degree and school that will set you up for the career of your dreams.  The 2015-2016 College Salary Report has college rankings for over 1,000 schools by salary potential.  Find the best college and majors to increase your earning potential.

There are links to 2-Year Colleges, Best Undergraduate Schools, Top Graduate Schools, and a list of Majors that Pay You Back.

For more information on PayScale click on the 'About Us' link.

Enjoy the links,

Regards,
Stu

Politics and Facts

Hi All,

Now that election season is starting to kick into high-gear, readers might want to check the facts that various candidates are talking about.  Forthwith, two unbiased, useful, and easy-to-use sites to separate the wheat from the chaff when politicians are talking.

RealClearPolitics
The 'About' page on the RealClearPolitics page says that it is 'the trusted, non-partisan, convener in a content-rich media environment; thoughtfully curating the best coverage from every angle of the day's most critical issues. As a destination for elected officials, opinion leaders and engaged citizens, RealClearPolitics provides a platform, elevating the best-of-the-best in journalism.'

There are links to Polls, Election 2016, Video, Articles and much, much more. 

FactCheck.org
The 'About Us' page on the FactCheck.org page says that it is 'a nonpartisan, nonprofit 'consumer advocate' for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics.  We monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases.  Our goal is to apply the best practices of both journalism and scholarship, and to increase public knowledge and understanding.'

There are links to Articles, Ask FactCheck, 2016 Elections, Viral Spiral, Archives and much, much more.  The link to 2016 Elections has a drop down menu with links to Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. 

Enjoy the sites and the information.

Regards,
Stu