Tech Talk Winner for March - Jenny P!

It's a little late in the month to be announcing the Tech Talk winner for March, but I've had a few other things on my plate of late;) This month's winner is Jenny P. She got us talking and thinking about our ereaders and kept this and other conversations going on our blog. Thanks for asking thought-provoking questions, Jenny! Jenny's prize is a $10 gift card to Amazon.com. Congrats, Jenny!

This will mark the end of the monthly prize unless the new manager decides to continue the incentive. I know you don't need an incentive to talk to each other about the cool things you're learning as you explore the frontiers of technology. Keep it up!

Sign now

Usually, if we need to sign something (new hire documents, apartment leases, bank account documents, you name it) you have to print it, sign it in pen, then fax it (since many places won't accept things by email)

I've stumbled upon a site (which is legally legit) called SIGN NOW {www.signnow.com}

This site allows you to upload a document from your computer, electronically sign it (you can draw in your signature, or have the site pick a font), then you save it, and you can either email it to yourself or download it back to your computer. No lengthy registrations needed, just an email address/password.

If the receiving end needs you to fax it and you don't have a fax machine, you can use: http://faxzero.com/ for easy fax jobs.

Since a lot happens between library branches, this may come in handy! (Especially for staff at the Deer Trail branch!)

I understand this is a tech blog, but I leave you with some food for thought:
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/04/the-upsides-to-working-without-internet-access-for-80-days/255606/

Happy signing everyone!

Improve your cellphone photos with Instagram

I don't take many photos with my cellphone but if I did I think I would try out Instagram. This article about Instagram sounds like it would be a good app to use to improve photos that you take with your android/smartphone. http://www.techlicious.com/review/instagram-for-your-android-smartphone/

The Future of Libraries

If you are looking for a positive Monday morning pick-me-up, I advise against reading the article by Steve Coffman that appears in InformationToday.com. It is entitled "The Decline and Fall of the Library Empire". Basically, Coffman argues that all of the things libraries thought they could do to re-position themselves in the digital age have been a bust - including web directories, Library 2.0 (never caught on), virtual reference, intermediated searching, public access to computers (actually showing signs of decline due to rise of smartphones and ipad devices), and even e-books (too many publisher restrictions/not a good investment for libraries). He says "The Electric Library is here - it just isn't us. It is Amazon, Google, Apple and Barnes and Noble". Interestingly, he says our fallback is to embrace the tangible property we started with - our physical books, the thousands of buildings,and the millions of people who still walk through our doors. He offers hope that in a world where physical bookstores may become uneconomical, we'll need places where people can get together to listen to stories or discuss books and ideas.
So is he right? It does seem that ALD is doing a good job both of responding to the public's technological needs and repositioning itself in accordance with Coffman's vision that libraries should hang on to their physical presence in the community . Are there any other options?
http://www.infotoday.com/searcher/apr12/Coffman--The-Decline-and-Fall-of-the-Library-Empire.shtml

Harry Potter ebooks

The Pottermore standalone digital book store, which Christina mentioned in her blog, is taking an innovative approach in the battle between publishers, ebook providers like Amazon and Barnes and Noble, and libraries. Rowling is allowing the Potter books to be available on every platform, and providing unlimited check-outs. There is also the ability to download 8 copies of each book. Matthew Ingram gives a good run-down of what's happening at Pottermore in a GigaOm article. http://gigaom.com/2012/03/27/what-book-publishers-should-learn-from-harry-potter/

Harry Potter Now on Kindle!

If (like me) you are a huge Harry Potter fan and also happen to own a Kindle, you might be interested to know that the entire series is now available for purchase.

They are being advertised on the front page of Amazon but you actually need to sign up for an account with Pottermore, which can be found here: http://shop.pottermore.com/en_US. The books are compatible with all e-readers and foreign language translations are coming soon.

I Fix it

If you have ever wondered how to fix that broken electronic device yourself, your in luck. http://www.ifixit.com/ is an online repair community that has step by step repair guides and troubleshooting tips. Their mission is for everyone to have a free repair manual for everything they own! Fixing things keeps them out of landfills and working longer. Whether you use the site to fix it yourself or contribute a guide to help others. Take a minute to read their manifesto, and see if your not convinced that repair is the way to go!
http://www.ifixit.com/Manifesto