Xbox Oblique 1 by catatronic

Netflix, the company that changed the way we think about watching DVDs is at it again.  Reports are stating that Netflix will begin a offering a stand alone streaming only service, possibly in 2010.  Currently, Netflix offers it’s 10 million subscribers the option of receiving DVDs in the mail, or streamed directly to their television for as little as $9.00 dollars a month.  Customers who choose streaming as their method of watching video, currently have significantly fewer choices than customers who use the tried and true DVD.  Netflix offers over 100,000 titles as DVD, but only 12,000 are available as a streaming video.  Video can be either watched on a PC or Mac, or streamed directly to your tv if you have an Xbox 360 or other “Netflix compatible device“.

If this plan takes off, and given Netflix’s track record it seems a distinct possibility it will, there are some questions for libraries to think about.

• How ready is the public for streaming video?
• How long will DVDs be around as a format?
• Should libraries begin loaning Blu-ray discs?  Or is Blu-ray a transitional format?
• Where does the library fit in the streaming video picture?

I’ll end by saying that the average consumer is probably more ready for this than they realize.  On demand movies, DVRs that allow us to watch television on our schedules, rather than  the networks’ are something most of us take for granted.  And if you’ve had an opportunity to hook up a high def tv in prep for the digital switchover it surely didn’t escape your attention that the cords connecting your television is a USB cord.  All of this makes me think that maybe we’ll all be streaming video into our homes a lot sooner than we realize.

By the way I’m more interested in your answers to the questions above, than talking to myself, please share your thoughts.

posting by jim

New Adult Nonfiction – 000-399

Annotations from Baker & Taylor

 

 

 

Fifty Is the New Fifty

Levine, Suzanne Braun

A follow-up to Inventing the Rest of Our Lives outlines ten lessons for maximizing creativity and personal satisfaction after the age of fifty, in an anecdotal guide that shares counsel on such topics as confronting change, renegotiating one’s relationships, and setting boundaries.

 

Busted: Life Inside the Great Mortgage Meltdown

Andrews, Edmund L.

A New York Times economics reporter, Andrews shouldn’t have fallen for an easy mortgage pitch. Now his personal story is everyone’s.

 

Growing Up Again: Confronting My Diabetes

Moore, Mary Tyler

The actress describes her forty-year battle with Type-1 diabetes, an effort that was influenced by alcoholism, her career, and her personal and professional relationships.

 

Madoff: Corruptions, Deceit, and the Making of the Worlds’ Most Notorious Ponzi Scheme

Sander, Peter

In the first comprehensive account of this epic scandal, Peter Sander traces Madoff’s rise from schoolboy to Wall Street trader, from money maker to money manager.  Sandler asks: How did Madoff convince so many sophisticated investors to part with their fortunes without asking questions? How did he elude regulators for years?

 

The Narcissism Epidemic: America in the Age of Entitlement

Twenge, Jean M., PhD. / Campbell, Keith

Citing a rise in such factors as cosmetic surgery, status-related debt, and misrepresented Facebook profiles, a cautionary report on the increase of unhealthy ego-related behaviors examines its actual cost to families, organizations, and societies.

 

The Philosopher and the Wolf: Lessons in Love, Death, and Happiness

Rowlands, Mark

A young philosophy professor describes his adoption of a wolf cub who came to impact every facet of the author’s life from his home and career to his activities and personal outlook, in an account that describes how his wolf companion prompted the author’s reevaluation of his attitudes toward relationships, nature, and emotions.

 

The Power of Premonitions: How Knowing the Future Can Shape Our Lives

Dossey, Larry

When a series of premonitions came true during his first year in medical practice, Dossey began a scientific study of foreknowledge he’s already hinted at in his best-selling Healing Words.

 

Stepmonster: A New Look at Why Real Stepmothers Think, Feel, and Act the Way We Do

Martin, Wednesday

Analyzes the perspectives of stepmothers to offer insight into the dynamics that typically mark relationships between stepmoms and their step-children, in a report that draws on examples in literature, psychology, and anthropology while outlining five step-parenting dilemmas that create conflict.

 

Posted by Becky

it’s in the mail

the Kindle 2 has shipped.  in yesterday’s New York Times, David Pogue fairly examines this next generation Kindle, dubbing it “Kindle 1.1.” Says Pogue, “The Kindle is the most successful electronic book-reading tablet so far, but that’s not saying much; Silicon Valley is littered with the corpses of e-book reader projects.”  Not envisioning the ebook as the replacement for the book, Pogue identifies the Kindle and its brethren as just another tool for reading with the Kindle bringing the ebook one step closer to making it a pleasurable experience.

Jeff Bezos has made the rounds, pushing the Kindle 2.  for a couple of laughs, take a look at his immensely awkward appearance on The Daily Show and the resulting spoof of the Bezos maniacal laugh.

last week, i borrowed the old school Kindle and read Susan Elizabeth Phillips “What I did for Love.”  i figured the only way i could truly experience the Kindle was to read a book cover to cover, so to speak.   i am pleased that this latest version improved on some of the annoyances: slow page turning, overly large buttons that resulted in accidental page turning, and a somewhat weighty device.  holding the Kindle is rather awkward and i noticed very early that reading for more than 30 minutes resulted in cramped hands if it wasn’t resting on a table or countertop.  the E Ink is pretty amazing in appearance, very similar to the look of a mass market paperback.  the downloading is phenomenal , less than 30 seconds.   but at $359, the Kindle feels cheap*:  it feels like a child’s plaything and it’s just not pretty to look at.  as a recent convert to the 2nd generation iphone, a device that is certainly not perfect but beautifully combines form and function, i can’t help but think that Jeff Bezos and the Amazon crew could have pushed a little harder in product development to release a device that feels more luxurious.  it’s a quibble, to be sure, but at that kind of price tag, i want to be happy with my purchase.

*keep in mind, i haven’t held the Kindle 2

(via Shelf Awareness)

posting by marin

more about “Jeff Bezos | The Daily Show | Comedy …“, posted with vodpod

First Warwick Prize Announced

Naomi Klein’s The Shock Doctrine wins first Warwick Prize for Writing (c)

 Naomi Klein was announced as the winner of the first Warwick Prize for Writing at an evening awards ceremony held on 24 February 2009 in the Mead Gallery at the Warwick Arts Centre on Tuesday 24 February. Watch Naomi Klein’s full acceptance speech about the Prize and this year’s theme of complexity

 About the Book:

Based on breakthrough historical research and four years of on-the-ground reporting, Naomi Klein explores the theory that our world is increasingly in thrall to a little understood ideology that is conquering the globe by systematically exploiting moments of disaster and trauma. This is the shock doctrine. It is a strategy that has been evolving over the past thirty-five years. Constructed by the late Milton Friedman one of the most influential economists in the world, she argues, it has been developed by his powerful followers, many of whom have been at the highest levels of government including Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney.

Using detailed case studies from around the world, Klein explores how the shock doctrine uses moments of collective crisis – 9/11, the tsunami, Hurricane Katrina or the Falklands war for example – to usher in radical social and economic change beneficial to Wild West corporations when people are traumatised: effectively, when they are in a state of shock. Klein coins this phenomenon disaster capitalism.

Klein charts the rise of disaster capitalism from 1970s Latin America right up to the present day and, in particular, its devastating effect in Iraq where foreign investors are ultimately trying to create a model corporatist state in the Middle East.

The aim of The Shock Doctrine is to prepare us for the next shock. Once the mechanics of the doctrine are deeply and collectively understood, Klein believes whole communities become harder to take by surprise, more difficult to confuse. It is through information, she says, that we become shock resistant and it is time to arm ourselves.

About the Author:

 Naomi Klein is an award-winning journalist, author and filmmaker. Her first book, the international bestseller No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies, was translated into 28 languages and called “a movement bible” by The New York Times. She writes an internationally syndicated column for The Nation and The Guardian and reported from Iraq for Harper’s magazine. In 2004, she released The Take, a feature documentary about Argentina’s occupied factories, co-produced with director Avi Lewis. She is a former Miliband Fellow at the London School of Economics and holds an honorary Doctor of Civil Laws from the University of King’s College, Nova Scotia.

For more information, go to http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/cross_fac/prizeforwriting/thisyear/winner/

Posted by Becky

Titles added to the Professional Collection

The following titles have been ordered to the Professional Collection:

Martin: Serving Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Teens
Maurer: Why Don’t You Want What I Want?: How to Win Support for Your Ideas Without Any Hard Sell, Manipulation or Power Plays
Maurer: Beyond the Wall of Resistance: Unconventional Strategies That Build Support for Change
Mayo: Technology for Results
Mayo: Staffing for Results
Nelson: Managing for Results
Nelson: Implementing for Results
Simpson: Bringing Classes into the Public Library: A Handbook for Librarians

posted by Nancy Messenger

Books for a Better Life Announced

Chapter announces Books for a Better Life

 New York, NY – The New York City Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society awarded the best self-improvement books of 2008 at the 13th Annual Books for a Better Life Awards at a ceremony at the Millennium Broadway Hotel on February 23. 

The following are the 2008 Books for a Better Life:

Category: Audiobook
Hot, Flat, and Crowded by Thomas L. Friedman (Macmillan Audio)

Category: Childcare/Parenting
The Trouble with Boys by Peg Tyre (The Crown Publishing Group)

Category: First Book
The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan (Hyperion-Voice)

Category: Green
Made from Scratch by Jenna Woginrich (Storey Publishing)

Category: Inspirational Memoir
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow (Hyperion)

Category: Motivational
Learning from the Heart: Lessons on Living, Loving, and Listening by Daniel Gottlieb (Sterling
Publishing Co.)

Category: Psychology
My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor (Viking)

Category: Relationships
September Songs by Maggie Scarf (Riverhead Books)

Category: Spiritual
The Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology by Jack Kornfield (The Bantam Dell Publishing Group)

Category: Wellness
In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan (The Penguin Press)

For further information go to http://www.nationalmssociety.org/chapters/NYN/chapter-news/chapter-news-detail/index.aspx?nid=884

Posted by Becky

New Adult Nonfiction – 500-699

Annotation from Baker & Taylor

 

Adventures With Ari: Life As a Canine Naturalist

Miles, Kathryn

Traces the author’s forays into experiencing nature and promoting green agendas in accordance with a dog’s perspective, in an account that describes the rewards she enjoyed while exploring the natural world and seasons at the side of her free-spirited puppy.

 

Flyaway: How a Wild Bird Rehabber Sought Adventure and Found Her Wings

Gilbert, Suzie

A bird rehabilitation specialist describes her experiences with assisting injured animals and the impact of her work on her family life, in an account that remembers the special birds she has helped and the life lessons she learned throughout the course of her career.

 

The Food of a Younger Land: A Portrait of American Food–Before the National Highway System, Before Chain Restaurants, and Before Frozen Food, when the Nation’s Food was Seasonal

Kurlansky, Mark

The author of Cod, Salt, and The Big Oyster, Kurlansky seems well placed to write this account of a Works Progress Administration project that sent writers like Eudora Welty and Nelson Algren out in the field to chronicle America’s eating habits.

 

How to Date Like a Grown-Up: Everything You Need to Know to Get Out There, Get Lucky, or Even Get Married in Your 40s, 50s, and Beyond

Daily, Lisa

By the time you hit forty, you have a pretty good idea of what you want when it comes to dating, love, and romance. But how do you get it? “How to Date  Like a Grown-up” will tell you everything you need to know to find the love you’re looking for (even after a long marriage or other dating hiatus), how to get married (if that’s what you’re after), or how to just get lucky.

 

In the Womb: Animals

Tallack, Peter

In the Womb: Animals follows the developmental path of three different mammals utilizing some of the most amazing technology available.  This resource is perfect for animal-lovers and inquisitive minds alike.

 

Living the Sweet Life in Paris: Adventures of an American Pastry Chef

Lebovitz, David

David Lebovitz moved to Paris in 2002 to start a new life. After cramming all his worldly belongings into three suitcases, he arrived, hopes high, at his new apartment near the Bastille. But as this career pastry chef and cookbook author would soon learn, it’s a different world en France.

 

Nature’s Great Events: The Pulse of the Planet

Bass, Karen (EDT) / Leith, Brian (INT)

“Nature’s Great Events” is the book companion to the Discovery Channel’s landmark wildlife documentary, “Seasons of Survival,” Using groundbreaking filming techniques and state-of-the-art scientific technologies, the book and the documentary on which it is based are epic in every sense, charting six seasonal events that transform entire ecosystems and the life experiences of the thousands of animals within them, from the largest mammals to the smallest microorganisms.

 

The Soul of Medicine

Nuland, Sherwin

Like all doctors, Sherwin Nuland collects stories, and over thirty years in the practice of surgery, he has collected a consider number of both his own stories as well as the stories of surgeons he has worked with and admires.  Doctors have peculiar ways of approaching certain kinds of problems, and many of those ways are captured with grace and elequence in The Soul of Medicine.

 

Who’s Got Your Back

Ferrazzi, Keith

The author of the bestselling Never Eat Alone offers the real secret to our career and personal success: the importance of developing a circle of trusted friends and advisors to help us achieve our fullest potential—the kind of support that is behind virtually every successful president, executive, and leader.

 

Posted by Becky

stop the insanity!

Variety alerted Jane Austen fans of a film in the works featuring aliens who crash land in Jane’s world, resulting in a bloodbath (not to be confused with the restorative waters of Bath).  titled “Pride and Predator,” the film will be directed by Will Clark.  says David Furnish, one of the film’s producers, “It felt like a fresh and funny way to blow apart the done-to-death Jane Austen genre by literally dropping this alien into the middle of a costume drama, where he stalks and slashes to horrific effect.”  i wonder if Keira Knightley is available?

(via Shelf Awareness)

posting by marin

NYT bestsellers list + Amazon reviews = awesome mashup

So what’s a mashup?  Let’s try Wikipedia:

Mashup (digital), a digital media file containing any or all of text, graphics, audio, video, and animation, which recombines and modifies existing digital works to create a derivative work.

Huh?  digital…derivative…whatever dude.

Well, maybe this will help remember those Reeses peanut butter cup commercials from the ’80s?   So a few days a go, John Herren took  peanut butter (NYT) and chocolate (Amazon) and combined them to form something wonderful called Reading Radar.

Want to know more about mashups, APIs and Reading Radar?  Check out the article on the always excellent,  Read Write Web

Joe spills the beans about the Bronx bombers

That fateful night at Ford’s Theatre

One of the thing’s that I was unable to do during my recent trip to Washington DC was to visit Ford’s Theatre, where President Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth on April 14th, 1865.    NPR interviewed James Swanson, who has written two books about Lincoln’s death,  Manhunt the 12 Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer 2006 and Chasing Lincoln’s Killer 2009.  Both titles are available for holds in CARL.

Lincoln has always been one of my heroes, and I’m not sure how I would have felt if I’d been able to visit the site of his death.  We were able to visit the Lincoln Memorial which moved me deeply.

on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial

The men in the picture are removing the stage where U2, Bruce Springsteen and others played earlier that week to celebrate the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

posting by jim