Oh, The Places You’ll Go!

For those of you who recognize this as the title of a fantastic Dr. Seuss book, congratulations! This week on the BRAIN_blog, the places you�ll go (well, we�re hoping you will!) are straight to these amazingly cool sites on the web! You’ll find a little bit of everything in this edition of the blog and…

There�s so much to share here, so let us begin!
New tools and new websites you can take for a spin!
Excitement galore at the BRAIN_blog and so….
If you like what you see…well, please let us know!

1) JYBE Talkin�

Have you ever been surfing the web and come across a great site you just know a colleague needs to check out? How do you handle this? Do you cut & paste the URL into an email message, send it off to them and wait for a reply, hoping that they�re online and will be able to decipher the lengthy URL in order to visit the site?** Well, that technique is SO last year….now there is >JYBE (Join Your Browser with Everyone)! JYBE is a great and free tool that enables you to co-browse any website you want � what a revelation! With JYBE your browser is turned into a collaboration tool, and yes, you can have more than one user join your session � JYBE is perfect for group work, group research, and anything else you can think of! Register to download the tool � it�s quick and easy to do. The one catch (if you can even call it a catch) is that the person you want to co-surf with must also have the JYBE software installed � but other than that, it�s a snap!

**more to come on dealing with lengthy URLs � keep reading!

2) Big Fun With DigBig!

Websites can be fantastic resources (as if we all didn�t know that already!) and when we find a fantastic resource, we often want to share it with others. While we just talked about JYBE and co-surfing as being the next big thing in website sharing, sometimes you still DO need to cut and paste those URLs, attach them in an email with a note saying something like, �a website I thought you�d be interested in seeing…�. But what about those super-ultra-long URLs that you sometimes see? You know the ones I mean � they have lots of characters, letters, #s, %s, etc. making them look like bad comic book expletives! Sometimes links can get broken, some characters don�t get cut or pasted, and the link you�re trying to send goes nowhere. Fortunately, >DigBig to the rescue! When you do run across one of those giant URLs, simply open a new browser and point it at >www.digbig.com – cut and paste the lengthy URL into the box at the top of the DigBig page, click �Go DigBig� and in a few seconds you will receive a brand new, and considerably shorter URL! Even handier is the DigBig button, which, once you download it, means you�ll always have DigBig at your fingertips. Click on �Button� at the top of the page, follow the instructions to add the DigBig button to your links toolbar, and then it�s just a matter of dragging and dropping the offending URL to the button � it�s simple, effective, and you�ll never miss a % sign again!

3) Track It! with Bloglines

A nice little feature for all you >Bloglines fans and subscribers � and I know you�re out there! You can now get updates in your news feeds on the status of packages being shipped to you via FedEx, UPS or the United States Postal Service. Pretty nifty indeed, and simple to do too � on the left side of the page under �My Feeds� click �Add� then click �Package Tracking� on the right � enter the tracking number in the appropriate box and click �Track It!�, then click �Subscribe�. When the status of your shipment changes, you will receive an updated notice in your feeds. Handy!

4) UPDATE: Google Adds Satellite Images!

In >February the BRAIN_blog brought you the scoop about >Google Maps. Well this month let us be the first to tell you about the new and improved Google Maps � complete with satellite images! Yes, it�s Google from space, and oh you can have lots of fun with this! Enter the location you want to find (address, city, etc.) click �Search� and then click �Satellite� (hint: top right-hand corner of the screen). You will be brought to a satellite image of your location. Zoom in or out using the �+� and �-� symbols on the scale on the left side of the page for more detailed images. You can also drag the image around, to find what you need. For instance, I searched Hamilton, Ontario, but I dragged the photo around until I found what I was looking for…our very own Mohawk College from the air! Give it a try – talk about fun!

And while we�re talking Google satellite images, why not check out
>Google Sightseeing! This guys responsible for this fantastic blog do the image searching for you and put lots of interesting photos up for you to browse. Organized by category – everything from Buildings and Natural Landmarks, to one collection known simply as Weirdness – this site includes some amazing images! Comments are welcome, and you can also suggest sites for them to post. Who knew photos from the air could be SO much fun!

5) More from Google � this time a Behind-the-Scenes Look!

An Interview with Google Engineer Jeff Dean

Jeff Dean has the title of Distinguished Engineer at Google. Recently, he gave a talk at the University of Washington in which he discussed some of the challenges that face the world�s most popular and biggest search engine. Dean talked about what goes on behind the scenes at Google, about the technology Google uses to produce the search results, and about some insights the company has gleaned from all the data it gathers. Dean�s talk can be seen at the >UWTV site, where you can stream the presentation in Windows Media or QuickTime.

Thanks to Gaye for this link!

6) UPDATE: IM continues!

We�ve had tremendous response to the e-Library�s instant messaging pilot project � so much so that it�s still in action! Yes, you�re not too late to contact friendly e-Library staff via MSN, Yahoo! or ICQ with your burning questions. Reach us at librarymohawk for MSN, librarymohawk for Yahoo!, and 198032612 for ICQ. We�re standing by from 8:30am-9:00pm Monday through Friday and 8:30am-5:00pm on Saturday and Sunday. And just a little bit more about the amazing powers of IM…it is definitely the student�s communication method of choice these days, and more and more libraries are adopting instant messaging services for just that reason. Like any new-ish technology, there is bound to be debate over its use, relevance, etc. If you�re interested in learning a little more about library IM projects, or instant messaging in general, here are a few articles to check out:

>Instant Messaging: Friend or Foe of Student Writing? � interesting article about IM and academics.
>The Net Generation � quick overview of IM � the basics, suggestions for educational uses, and more.
>IM: Breaking Down Boundaries Instant Messaging in Libraries � a great presentation by two librarians for the Computers in Libraries Conference, March 2005. Loads of great information and IM stats.
>IM me � an article from Library Journal about the IM reference debate

So…what�s next for library IM services? Let�s just say the possibilities are endless!

See you next time on the BRAIN_blog!

Answers, and Customization, and Free Stuff…Oh My!

I’m very excited to be “guest blogger” for the month while Jenn is away! With help from Gaye, we hope to bring you the same great BRAIN_blog quality you’ve come to expect from Jenn. So read on…and always feel free to tell us what you think!

Yes Dorothy, it certainly seems as though we�re not in Kansas anymore…or winter either for that matter! Spring has finally sprung, and this week on the BRAIN_blog we have an abundance of sites and tips for you to check out! Spring is all about renewal, and taking a renewed interest in life, leisure and the pursuit of all things �e�…okay, so maybe that�s a bit of a stretch, but hey, let�s get motivated!

1) Feed your head!

Here at the BRAIN_blog we do enjoy those �brain-named� sites, and so when I came across Brainboost I just had to check it out! It�s a nifty little site (check out that grooooovy logo!) that calls itself an answer engine � not a search engine, an answer engine. How does it work? Well, type your question in the search…er…answer box, and Brainboost provides you with, well…an answer! Using natural language, I was able to find the answers to a number of burning questions, and pretty darn quick too! Samples? I asked Brainboost the following: �Where is Pikes Peak?� (Colorado Springs, Colorado) Where is the �Around the Bay Road Race run?� (Hamilton, Ontario) and, in keeping with our spring fling, �Why do birds suddenly appear?� Brainboost�s answers to your questions appear first, with what they call the �Regular Search Results� underneath. Naturally, Brainboost can�t answer every question, but they do give it a very, very good try. (I asked Brainboost �What�s it all about?� and received a polite message telling me they weren�t able to find an answer to that particular question. Ah well, I guess we all do need to figure that one out on our own). For other quick info type questions though, Brainboost is definitely worth a look. So why do birds suddenly appear? You�ll have to ask Brainboost yourself for that one!

2) Get help!

More answers to questions you might have � this time of a more technical nature! With free registration, Tech Support Guy answers many of your computer questions. Software and hardware, operating systems, internet issues � the site�s forums cover all this and more. The message board is well organized, friendly and informative � browse through the previously asked and answered questions, or register to ask a question of your own. What�s nice is that Tech Support Guy isn�t just for Windows users. Linux, Unix and Mac issues are discussed here as well. And did we mention it�s free? All in all this is a useful site to bookmark! Thanks to Gaye for the tip!

3) Have it your way!

Ah, Google…is there anything you can�t do? The latest from the Google camp is news customization…it�s easy to have it your way! Just head over to Google News and click on �Customize this Page� for options. You can drag the various sections around to make your page completely your own. Click each section to edit it or remove it completely if you like. You can even customize your customization, as Google allows you to create categories of your own. Under �Add a custom section�, just choose the keywords you want the news stories to contain, and voil�, you�ve created a unique news category that no one else has! Having the news that�s relevant to you right at your fingertips makes Google News one cool tool!

4) Celebrate with free stuff!

Here’s a heads-up about the upcoming National Library Week in the US. This year, it�s the week of April 10-16, and I say, why not celebrate along with our neighbours to the south!? There�s free stuff galore over at Gale during this special week. A list of the databases that will be available free of charge is now on the Gale website where they claim, �The 30 Thomson Gale databases that will be available cover a variety of topics, including those for students who need help with homework or who need to conduct research for assignments; history, biography and literature databases; business, organization and legal databases; and general knowledge, Spanish-language and health databases.� Some of the databases included are, �What Do I Read Next?�, �Times Digital Archive�, �Student Resource Center�, �Testing and Education Reference Center� and 26 others! So start spreading the good news about free Gale databases, and be sure to check them out during the week of April 10-16!

5) And speaking of free stuff…

A fantastic new e-book published by EDUCAUSE is available now on their website. Entitled Educating the Net Generation, it�s an in-depth look at the next generation of students, and the expectations they have when it comes to learning and education. Chapters such as �Using Technology as a Learning Tool, Not Just the Cool New Thing�, �Faculty Development for the Net Generation�, and �Preparing the Academy of Today for the Learner of Tomorrow� are extremely relevant and applicable, and force us to take a good look at the shape of things (or students!) to come! Find it through the link above, or check it out via Class Corner in Facultyspace on The BRAIN