Good News!

Hi All,


Find some good news sites in this blog entry!

GoodNewsNetwork - has topics on news, culture and uplifting subjects.

MSN - good news links

Positive News -  constructive journalism magazine that offers independent reporting on progress and possibility.

Huff Post - more good news links


Sunny Skyz - has topics on fun/amazing news, inspirational stories, videos, pictures, jokes and more.

Enjoy the good news!

Regards,
Stu

 

How Stuff Works?

Hi All, 

A very interesting, useful, practical - and somewhat fun - website is 'How Stuff Works?'.

Basically its a site that explains to readers 'how stuff works'.  Hence the name of the site.

There are categories on the site.  For example, there are sections on Health, Science, Home/Garden,
Auto, Tech, Culture, Money, Lifestyle, Entertainment, Adventure, Animals and more!

Ultimately the site yields an article that lets the reader learn how 'stuff' works.  For example, I drilled down to an article titled 'Are married couples genetically similar?'  The article is about 2 pages long and includes details about the topic.  Related content is available to link to from the bottom of the page. 

How Stuff Works? also has videos and podcasts

Readers can subscribe to the How Stuff Works? newsletter by entering their email address at the bottom of the page. Readers will get the latest How Stuff Works? podcasts, tours, latest news and more from the site. 

Enjoy learning How Stuff Works?!!!

Regards,
Stu

YouTube - videos

Hi All,

Pretty much most everyone knows that YouTube has millions of videos of cats playing, drag races, fun videos and much, much, much, much more. Right?

But did you know that there are lots of educational videos on the site?  Yep - just do a bunch of searches for Windows 10 or iPad or baseball highlights or making ice cream or United States History or introduction to geometry or Android smartphones and you'll see videos galore on the topic that you searched for.

But there's more...did you know that the Associated Press and British Movietone just added more than a million minutes of the last centuries' most iconic events on to the site?  Nope, didn't think so.  Click here for the link that discusses the additions to YouTube. 

This link goes to the AP Archive on YouTube. 

This link goes to the British Movietone Archive on YouTube.

Enjoy the videos and the links!

Regards,
Stu

What is Your Car Worth?

Hi All,

In the library world, one of the more popular and useful Reference Desk resources is the ever-popular (and well-used) Kelley Blue Book! Users have access to a whole multitude of resources on the KBB.com website - click here for the link. And, too boot, the site is free!  Read on for more information about the resources and tools available on the site.

On the sites' homepage, users can Price New/Used Cars, Check Your Own Cars' Value and See Reviews and Ratings of cars.

There are also links for Cars For Sale, Links to Car Awards and Top 10 Lists and a link with Research Tools For Prospective Car Buyers.

One of the best features of the site is the Car Review section. Users need to enter the zip code so that KBB can personalize the information they present - but once that is done users face a very helpful part of the KBB site. At the top of the page is an article titled (at least for now), 'Class of 2016: New Cars Ready to Roll'. Toward the bottom of the article, users see pictures of various cars - which are linked to an article and (sometimes) video of the car chosen.

Beyond that feature though, users can find cars that meet their specifications by using a set of drop-down menus.  Options on these menus include the 'Make', 'Model', and 'Year' (limited to either 2014 or 2015 at this time) of the car they are interested in.

Once the user finds a car of interest, various car topics are displayed. In the narrative are sections titled, 'You Might Like This Car If...' and 'You Might Not Like This Car If...' and 'What's New In 2015?'.  Interesting and clever way to present the information.

On the side of the page are tabs for the user to learn more about the car.  Tabs include 'Pricing', Compare Car with Other Cars, Photos/Videos, 5 Year Cost to Own, Specifications, KBB Expert Review, Consumer Reviews, Ratings and Rebates/Incentives.

Whew...that's a lot of information to digest!

So there you have it...an unbiased website dedicated to new and used cars...and the information is free, timely and the site is easy to get around!  Awesome!!

Finally, we have the hard copy of the Kelley Blue Book at the Reference Desk.  We keep the last few months or so of the books so users can see the price change (if any) of a particular car over the several months or so.

Good luck finding your new or previously owned car!

Regards,
Stu

It's All Good (News)

Hi All,

Have you ever watched the news on tv (CNN, ABC, CBS or NBC or any other news outlet) or listened to the radio news and been completely disgusted with all the crime, negative news, corruption, depressing stories of war, death and more?

Well...today is your lucky day, because todays' blog entry is all about good news.  The site is called AmazingNews.org and bills itself as presenting 'positively pleasant news'.  Awwww...that it sweet.  And an interesting (and contrarian) take on the news treadmill that traditional media outlets put forth.

Click on this link to find just exactly what AmazingNews is all about!

Click on the following links to find more Amazing News or Amazing Quotes or Amazing Videos.  

The main news link - Amazing News has some sub-categories that are very, very interesting in their own right: Charity, Environment, Featured News, Health, Science & Technology and Society & Entertainment are the major sub-categories.

Readers can subscribe to AmazingNews.org by clicking on this link and scrolling down the page.  The email sign-up box is on the right side of the screen toward the bottom of the page.

Finally, users can search for articles anywhere on the site.  There is a dialog box where users can input search terms (i.e. puppies, sunshine, babies, food, or whatever you want to search for) and articles are displayed.


Enjoy the site and the good news!

Regards,
Stu

Hi All, 

Good morning.  Today is the first day of the second full week of school for school kids in and around the Farmingdale area.  Some might have started later or earlier making this not exactly the first day of the second full week of school...but close enough.

Anyway, with school in session, brains are starting to go into overdrive and hum with reading, writing and arithmetic. Yep - the fall semester is underway and getting into full swing.

With that all said, I found an interesting website to help get those brain waves moving and jumping and hopping - all in the hopes that school will be easier. 

Introducing...Mental Floss...so, you ask...what exactly is Mental Floss?  Great question. The site bills itself as "an intelligent read, but not too intelligent. We're the sort of intelligent that you hang out with for a while, enjoy our company, laugh a little, smile a lot and then we part ways. Great times. And you only realize how much you learned from us after a little while. Like a couple days later when you're impressing your friends with all these intriguing facts and things you picked up from us, and they ask you how you know so much, and you think back on that great afternoon you spent with us and you smile."

If you really, really want to learn more about Mental Floss, click on this link which takes you to the 'About Us' page on the site. 

That all said, there are 5 links that appear on the top banner of the page.
1. Amazing Facts - the Amazing Fact generator generates, well, amazing facts...fun stuff. In a flash card sort of way.  

2. Big Questions - answer the 'big questions' in life like 'Why Do Shells Sound Like the Ocean?' and 'Why Are Baseball Seasons 162 Games Long?' and more...

3. Videos - lots of videos hosted by John Green...as the site proclaims, 'Join host John Green as he makes a rapid trek through everything you really need to know about science, pop culture, and history.  Check back every Wednesday for a new episode of the Mental Floss List Show!'

4. Lists - list for every occasion. Examples of lists include '30 of the Best Parents in Literature',

5. Quizzes - again, a quiz for every occasion.  Examples of quizzes include 'A Simpsons Guest Star Quiz', 'Ikea or Cheese?' or 'The Name Behind the Initial'.

So there you have it...a fun, tongue-in-cheek entertaining, pseudo-educational website.  Did I mention that Mental Floss is fun?   

Enjoy the site!

Regards, 
Stu

TED - Ideas plus Videos= Great Way to Learn Site

 Hi All,

Simply put: Click on this link to TED - no, not the person who's real name is Theodore...

TED is a website where viewers can see great lectures/talks/speeches and more by folks who have 'Ideas Worth Spreading'.  Amazing topics - amazing speakers.

And it is free.  
Users can view talks related to specific topics like technology, entertainment, design, business, science and global issues/geopolitics.

Great stuff - and you're the learning is fun!

Enjoy the site - and the weekend.
Stu

Fall Fun on Long Island

Hi All,

I don't know about you, but it seems like the seasons have subtly changed over the last week or so. Ever since we've experienced Hurricane Irene the weather has been different than before...it is much less tropical and while we still seem to have rain, it just doesn't seem to be the deluge type of rain and weather we had.

And that is all for the better - oh, how tired we are of rain and storms and flooding and wind...maybe we can enjoy a calm, storm free September!

That all being said...it is time for some fall fun on Long Island! There are so many things to do on Long Island at this time of year! Click on this link for a quick overview of local Long Island things to do.

The link comes from About.com and some of my favorite would be the apple picking option or the hiking through Long Island landscapes.

Long Island has many different ways to spend time - click on this link from the Long Island Convention and Visitors Bureau and Sports Commission website. On the left side of the screen you'll see links to Sports Events, Winter Festivals and Events, Spring Festivals and Events, Summer Festivals and Events, and Fall Festivals and Events - good stuff that's for sure.

You can also get a free travel guide by clicking on the link below these four choices on the page...additionally you can book your trip and make car rental reservations on the site as well. Finally there is a calendar on the homepage that will allow you to look for various festivals on a specific day...

Other options on the site include links to hotels and lodging, finding maps and getting transportation and there is a link to photos and videos.

Enjoy the site and enjoy the time off!
Regards,
Stu