SLA Information Technology Division Blog

CryoFinders: Flight and weather information delivered in real time

I stumbled across a site that might be of interest to those who plan on flying anytime soon.  CryoFinders provides users with real time information about flight arrivals, departures, airport delays, security wait times, and weather information.  This is a nice tool for flyers as well as those responsible for picking them up at the airport. 

I wish I had known about this site last week.  With my recent stop into Chicago, violent storms closed the airport leaving passengers stranded for several hours.  For those waiting to pick up these people at their final destinations, it would've been nice to know that they could get real time updates on weather, flight, and delay information all at one site.   

Pluggd: Skip to the best parts of audio and video files

Pluggd.com, currently in beta, encourages users to skip to the juicy parts of their audio and video files.  Browse the millions of shows available on the site for content that you may be interested in.  Once you have located a file, type in the term that you are looking for within the player search bar.  You'll get a heat map providing you with points where the topic may be covered within the show.  Once you see your matches,  click to start the show at that specific point.  Interested?  Check out the demo here.

Free Group Calls with Lypp

A post on the Read Write blog details a free conference calling service that will launch in September.  Lypp goes beyond the regular conference call by calling the conference participants, thereby removing the usual reasons why people miss conference calls (copying down the wrong pin number, calling at the wrong time or dialing the wrong number, etc.)  If you're interested in participating in the site's private beta deployment, send your email address to: beta@lypp.com.

NASA media collection to be digitized

An article in Computer World notes that NASA's 50-year-old collection of photos, videos, and other media will be digitized through a partnership with the non-profit organization, Internet Archive.  With the abundance of assets available in the collection, the project is expected to take five years to complete. 

Jooce.com: Your private online desktop

Jooce.com allows the cyber-nomad to organize their digital life on a private online desktop.  Created by three friends, the site is targeted to those who access the Internet from computers other than their own.  Within your online space you can view and share files as well as bundle your email and chat accounts in order to create a one-stop communication tool.  With the site recently launched in private beta, Jooce is regulating the flow of beta testers onto the system in order to ensure its smooth operation. 

Cloudprint: Taking document printing mobile

A recent article in the New York Times describes H.P.'s introduction of a free mobile printing service that allows users to access, share, and print documents from just about anywhere.  Cloudprint requires users to first print their documents to H.P.'s servers connected to the Internet.  The system then assigns a code to the user allowing them to access and print their documents from locally available Windows-connected printers.  A directory service will allow people to view the location of publicly available printers on Google maps.

Gaming: Connecting with the new employee in the corporate environment

An interesting article and slide show in Business Week highlights the use of gaming in employee training and recruitment.  In a bid to connect with the new generation of employees, companies such as McKinsey & Co. and Johnson & Johnson are using games to recruit and train new talent as well as improve employee communications.  While some managers may question the validity of gaming within the work environment, many have found it to be a cost-effective tool that can help them succeed in their goals.

The compact disc turns 25

According to an article on Wired's Gadget Lab, the compact disc turns 25 on Friday.  Since the first production of the CD on Aug 17, 1982, there have been over 200 billion of them produced. 

Google Book Search Tips: A University of Michigan University Library Handout

©ollectanea wrote a nice blog post about this five-page handout noting that her eyes glazed over after a while.  (And if that happens to a librarian, what will happen when a user reads it?)  Looking at the positive aspects of the handout, Georgia Harper wrote:

...the document is really helpful as it shows in detail what features the book search provides, how to use it to best advantage, and if you're at UMich, how to double-check your results against Michigan's catalog, Mirlyn. I want to say right now that I think this is a really good thing. I've heard so many people say things that indicate that there's a lot of misunderstanding about what Google Book Search does and how it works. So clearly, this is needed and kudos to UMich for doing it...

Although this handout was created specifically for UMich, it would be useful to others who are using Google Book Search, which seems to need a lot of explanation for something that seems so simple. 

Take a peek under the hood with Builtwith.com

Ever wonder what technology was used to create and deliver the content on your favorite site?  Builtwith.com allows users to peek under the hood and learn about the technology used in any site. Gary Brewer, Builtwith's founder, says that the goal of the site is to "...help developers, researchers and designers find out what technologies pages are using which may help them to decide what technologies to implement themselves."  Find out more by reading the FAQ page or the blog post on Read/WriteWeb.

I think that this would be a great tool for those librarians that are responsible for their organization's website.  If you're thinking about implementing technology changes for your site, use BuiltWith to find an example that can help your decision makers better understand the changes you are proposing.

Host your own show on BlogTalkRadio

A recent post on the Read/Write Web blog highlights BlogTalkRadio, an internet radio hosting service.  Founded one year ago, the site's goal is to provide a platform that will surpass the current limits of the written blog.  Delivering both written and audio content, the blogger is able to interact in real-time with the consumer. 

I think that this could provide librarians with one more way to deliver content to their clients.  One idea is to host a show to provide faculty and students with a review of important information resources within a discipline.  Actually, the University of Missouri provides an innovative example of the use of this technology.  The School of Information Science & Learning Technologies put together LiSRadio to present stimulating conversations with libraryland's movers and shakers.  It's an interesting concept and definitely worth a visit.   

New feature on Google News

Google News announced that it's providing a new experiential feature to their readers.  Individuals or organizations who are involved with a story will be able to post comments alongside it in order to share their perspectives on the situation.  You can learn more about it by visiting their FAQ page or checking out the commentary on the Read/WriteWeb blog.

Introducing HTML 5

With the last development of HTML occurring in 1999, HTML 5 introduces features that ease the creation of web-based applications.  Coming together to create the Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group (WhatWG), Apple, Opera, and the Mozilla Foundation worked to update the web's core language.  You can learn more by reading this article on IBM's web development page. 

Google CEO describes Web 3.0

A recent post on the Read/WriteWeb blog includes a video that provides viewers with a description of Web 3.0.  Eric Schmidt, Google's CEO, recently attended the Seoul Digital Forum and was asked by an attendee to define Web 3.0.  Describing Web 2.0 as based on Ajax, Eric goes on to say that Web 3.0 will be "applications that are pieced together".

A cost-effective solution for disaster recovery

An article in Network World details an innovative disaster recovery solution that Loyola Marymount University and Bowdoin college have teamed up to create.  In an effort to curb the high costs of disaster recovery, the schools' CIOs worked together to provide each school with a bicoastal hot site hosting solution for a fraction of the price normally charged by commercial providers.  The plan is expected to save the schools over $1 million annually. 

This sounds like an excellent idea for libraries who are interested in exploring cost- effective disaster recovery solutions. 

Indiana University partnering with Cha Cha

An article in the Indianapolis Star details a recent partnership between Indiana University and Cha Cha.   IU will install Cha Cha's software on every IU web site in order to provide users with advanced search tools.  IU plans to recruit their librarians and IT employees to become credentialed Cha Cha guides for the university's websites. 

Guarding your post: Content scraping

With a recent article on the CNET new site, readers can learn more about content scraping and get tips from a blogger who has come up with her own solutions to protect her content.  Lorelle VanFossen, the author of a popular blog, has seen her content copied on "scraper sites".  These sites utilize bots that can scrape content at the rate of thousands of posts per hour.  This content is then used to attract visitors to their site in order to generate ad revenue for the site owner.   

GENI: Network innovation is key

The Global Environment for Network Innovations (GENI) is an experimental facility that allows researchers to study, experiment, and create their own new versions of the net in an innovative way.  A recent article in the Guardian Unlimited takes a look at the proposed project and what it may mean for the future of the Internet. 

Ubuntu: A CIO's experience

An article in CIO takes a look at CareGroup's John Halamka's experience in testing out an open source operating system called Ubuntu.  As the CIO of the large organization, he was eager to find an alternative to the Windows operating system.  Providing an open source solution for laptops, desktops, and servers, Ubuntu can serve as a workaround for those interested in cutting licensing costs associated with using more popular software.