Online Trends - What's Hot and What's Hotter

Hi All,

We all like to be 'trendy' and 'in-the-loop', right?  Well, some of us at least....now there is a way to follow what's hot in fashion, entertainment, music, news and much, much more.

Google has a site called Google Trends - click here to visit the site - that enables users to follow cocktails, Colleges and Universities and People. Other areas to find popular trends include DJ's, Dog Breeds, Foods, Games, Quick Service Restaurants, Reality Shows and much more.

At the top of the page, users can narrow down their search by year by using the drop down dialog box.  Searches go back to 2004 and can be searched by month or by the whole year.

On the initial Google Trends page, users can find charts in categories like Business & Politics, Entertainment, Lifestyle, Nature & Science, Shopping & Fashion, Sports and Travel & Leisure.

Clicking on this link lets users explore Google Trends. Users can add their own topics and terms and then those phrases can be explored even further.  Comparisons can be compared by location and by time period as well.

If you haven't realized it, Google Trends is a great way to conduct original research for term papers, graduate research or just for 'seeing what is popular'.

And Google Trends is free!!!

Enjoy the charts, tables, and searches and the vast amount of data generated!

Regards,
Stu

Reading...

Hi All,

I've come across two separate websites that are related to reading in different ways. 

The first article is from the NewYorker.  Entitled 'Being a Better Online Reader' the article discusses how to be a better reader.  Sections of the article discuss the physicality of the book vs the ephemerality of the screen, online distractions when you read, reading comprehension and how it differs when you read a book vs reading online with a monitor/screen/tablet and ways to increase reading comprehension when reading on a monitor/screen/tablet.

The second entry came via an article from the New York Times.  Entitled, 'With the Blessing of Bill Gates, an Unlikely Summertime Best Seller', the article discusses a business book that Bill Gates (one of Microsoft's founder) highly recommended.  The book in question is 'John Brooks'', 'Business Adventures'.- which was published back in 1969 - and has been out of print since then.  Because of Bill Gates' recommendation, the book is coming back in print and is a bestseller on Amazon.com.

The article discusses Bill Gates book blog - entitled GatesNotes - which is where he recommended the book.   Click here for the blog entry where Bill Gates recommends the book - along with five others that he recommends for summer reading.  Click on this link to read Bill Gates' full review of Business Adventures by John Brooks.

So, the real appeal here is that the reader can read book reviews by Bill Gates - of course from the books that he's read.  And what an eclectic reader he is!  Even a cursory look at the titles of the books he's read is breaktaking in its variety and scope!

Title/subject

Business Adventures/Business
Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism/History
Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History/Environment
Reinventing American Health Care/Health Care
Why Does College Cost So Much?/Higher Education
Most Powerful Idea in the World/history, steam engines, technology
World Until Yesterday/anthropology
Poor Numbers/economics,statistics

Enjoy the links - and if you click on any of the titles listed above, you'll go to that particular book review GatesNotes. 

Finally, click on this link to go to the online library card catalog to see if any of these books are available at the Farmingdale Public Library.

Enjoy!


Regards,
Stu

Optical Illusions - How Fun is That!!!

Hi All,

Just a quickie post for such a beautiful Friday afternoon in the middle of summer.  Topic is optical illusions.  Why?  Because they are fun and interesting and can get people talking no matter who the person is - optical illusions are that interesting.

Check this link from Wikipedia for a quick summary of optical illusions.  There are a few optical illusions on the side of the page for your viewing consternation. :)

And click on this link from Youtube on 'How to Make Optical Illusions for Kids'.  Click here to learn 'How to Draw an Impossible Pentagon'.

Click on the following links for various aspects of optical illusions.
25 Brilliant Optical Illusions for Kids - Slodive.com
Face Illusions - BrainDen.com
Optical Illusions For Kids - National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Optical Illusions - BrainBashers.com 
Endless Stairway
Optical Illusions via Google Image search - very cool!

Enjoy the links - more importantly, enjoy the weekend!

Regards,
Stu

(By the way, the circles at the top of the page ARE NOT MOVING....)

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hi All,

Quite possibly one of the best foods of childhood is the chocolate chip cookie.  Yum.  Just thinking about them makes me hungry - and don't forget the milk.

Click on this link from SeriousEats.com for a serious article on the 'Science of the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies'.  OMG, I'm hungry already! This is a very comprehensive article about exactly what happens when a chocolate chip cookies is made - complete with what happens to various ingredients (milk, egg, chocolate chip, batter and more).  The pictures are fantastic and make the cookies look delicious!

For an 'off-the-wall' article titled, '23 Life-Changing Ways to Eat Chocolate Chip Cookies' click on this article from Buzzfeed.com.  Silly, but fun - and you might like to try one of these ideas. Or not.

Click on any of these three links to find scrumptious recipes for great chocolate chip cookies.

Hershey's Kitchens - Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies`
Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies - from, believe it or not, Crisco.
Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe EVER! - SavorySweetLife
AllRecipes.com -  Another list of 'Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever'

Back in early March of this year, the New York Times reported on Chips Ahoy! Bringing Back the Familiar (Chocolate-Chip) Face in its advertising.  Click here for the article - and the reason why I'm writing this blog post.

For more timely information on Chips Ahoy! click on this link - you'll go to the Chips Ahoy! Facebook page.

Readers might want to click on this link to go to the Chips Ahoy! webpage from Nabisco.  At the bottom of the page is product information and at the top of the page you can play games (kids)...

Finally, readers might get a kick out of this page - a link from PopularCookieRecipes.com - which goes to National Chocolate Chip Day!!! Woohoo!

Enjoy the links, and more importantly, don't forget to stock up on the milk!

Regards,
Stu

How Well Did You Sleep Last Night?

Hi All,


Pardon me for asking this question, but....'How well did you sleep last night?'  Sleeping is darn important. It is so important that we are having a program on this topic at the Farmingdale Public Library. 

Sleep can refresh you, and keep your body physically stronger and healthier.  Click on this link for some affects of sleep deprivation - the link is from WebMD.  Click on this next link to find out how sleep loss can lead to weight gain! 

Click on this link from Wikipedia for the topic of sleep deprivation.
More information about the program is as follows:

On Tuesday, July 29th at 7-8pm, the Farmingdale Public Library is presenting a program titled 'Sleep Disturbances'.   The formal blurb for the program is 'Join Dr. Saul Rothenberg, who has been an integral part of the Sleep Disorders Center of the North Shore – LIJ Health System since 1995, as he talks about normal sleep, changes in sleep as we age, and about insomnia – what it is, what it does to people, and what can be done about it. Preference given to UFSD #22 residents.'. 

Online registration begins July 15th and the program will be held in Room C in the library basement.

Finally, click on this link from the online card catalog for the topic of 'sleep disorders'.  Note that the books in this list are titles that the Farmingdale Public Library own in our collection.  However, some of the books may or may not be on the shelf at the time you are looking for books on the topic.  Someone else might have taken out the book!

Regards - and I hope you sleep better tonight.

Stu