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We should do this with Help Desk requests!

In light of Meebo (NOT Google Reader, ahem) biting the dust, Becky Yoose meditates on having contingency plans. Doing occasional third-party application audits is a good idea.

A video about the EDUCE project to scan and read the scrolls from the Villa of the Papyri at Herculaneum. Herculaneum was the second and lesser known city that was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79. The scrolls were in what is probably the only library from antiquity to survive "intact," but the volcanic ash carbonized the scrolls so they are essentially charcoal. Some have been "read" by unwrapping the scroll in segments and scanning in ultraviolet light detect the ink, this is the first time the scanning has been done non-invasively to read the scroll without destroying it.

Oracle is suing Google over the use of their Java API's in Android. This should be an interesting case. Google argues that while you can copyright a finished product, you shouldn't be able to copyright the computer language used to build the product - just like a novelist can copyright a book but nobody can copyright English. Oracle disagrees and says that if the language is unique enough, then it should be protected. They cite Klingon as an example. I read through Oracle's filing and it actually looks pretty strong. I didn't bother reading Google's because it's pretty clear that Google is missing the point that Oracle isn't upset that they used Java, but that they bundled all the extra API's. I really feel for the judge and jury having to hear this case. Oracle's brief isn't exactly light on the technical details...

An interesting read even if it is the familiar territory of user surveys. Some results that stood out is 85% of users were consider "light" technology users. Also, Facebook time during study crunches is more like a yawn or break than anything facilitating networking. Another concerning result was that only about 11% used scholarly research databases.

I find the "Hour of Power" concept a little new-agey, but I support the ideas of not checking your email in the first hour (Help Desk'ers excepted) and "eat the frog" first thing.

I was amused by the ignoring email in one breath and recommending customer service in the other; was the author not aware of how customer service works these days? Like Christopher, I did like the "eat the frog" concept, though. I also tried a 10 minute version of the "Hour of Power" this morning (light exercise, repeating things I'm grateful for, revving self up for the day), and it has been good for my mood.

Well, he does say "most of us with jobs that don't require constant on-call awareness can trade e-mail for organization and single-focus work," so it doesn't necessarily apply to everyone. I've heard of the doing the hard tasks first concept, but never called "eat the frog"--that makes it sound a little lighter, somehow!

This Super Mario Bros.-themed lamp (which cha-chings when punched) was one of many ideas featured at the recent ALA Virtual Conference, where the topic of makerspaces was discussed. The Mario-themed, cube-shaped lamp cha-chings when punched. "That light was awesome," said a Texas participant in the online chat sidebar.

Can we get that lamp for the office?

I was thinking the same thing! It would look great in the living room.