From Geri's Brain

The Hobbit comes to the movies

2011-12-22T12:44:00.001-05:00

Ten years ago this week, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring was released. Peter Jackson made a pretty faithful adaptation of JRR Tolkien's book. Now, this week, Mr. Jackson just released the trailer for the movie version of The Hobbit. (The movie itself won't be out for another year.) Returning to Middle Earth looks like fun!

You kids are always so clever!

2011-08-09T21:01:00.000-04:00

Hello. Bet you thought I was dead. Nope, just inundated with Summer Reading Program madness.
Anyway, this story was enough make me sit up, take notice, and want to share it with you! A 10 year old girl attended DefCon in Las Vegas last week and gave a great presentation. DefCon is a White Hat hackers conference, and this little girl showed how she hacked an online social game. (You know, like Farmville.) She was fed up with how slow it was, so she disconnected her phone from WiFi, sped up the phone's internal clock, reconnected to the game, and since it thought more time passed, the game played more quickly. Clever girl!

Teens - they are people too!

2011-06-21T19:47:00.001-04:00

According to the National Science Foundation, teenagers experience stress differently that adults. Do you realize what this means? Teens are not the moody, overly emotional, scary people TV & movies make them out to be! :-) Seriously, though, this is interesting stuff and useful to show your parents and teachers.
photo by Flickr user Psycholabs

50 years of video games

2011-05-04T15:15:00.000-04:00

This is a fun little video I found on Engadget. Some folks in Germany created a visual history of video games. If you are a gamer, you will recognize many of these consoles. But part of the fun in this is seeing unfamiliar hardware, and trying to determine what the American contemporary console would be. Power! Courage! Wisdom!

Yet another reason to read

2011-04-23T10:53:00.001-04:00

...if you read as a teen, you may well get a better job as an adult. At least that's according to a long-term study done by Oxford University. In 1986, sociologists asked a group of teens how they spent their free time. Then, in 2003, they checked in with those same people, to see what kinds of jobs they had. The folks who spent time as teens reading had better jobs!
photo by Flickr user Adam Crowe

We are all alike

2011-04-13T14:57:00.000-04:00

Yes, every person is an individual, but we are all humans, and we are all more alike than we realize. Photographer Rania Matar's latest project, A Girl and Her Room, makes this very clear. Matar photographed teens from the US and the Middle East, in their rooms. Unless you read the caption on each photo, it's hard to tell who is a US citizen, and who is Israeli, or who is Lebanese. It's fascinating, in both a sociological and a voyeuristic way.
photo from Flickr user herwordskill

Potter Postage

2011-04-06T14:04:00.000-04:00

The Royal Mail has issued new stamps celebrating British Fantasy figures. There are Narnia characters, Discworld denizens, several Arthurian characters, and of course everyone's favorite headmaster and evil lord: Dumbledore and Voldemort. The dark lord and Albus are portrayed as actors Michael Gambon and Ralph Fiennes. The other figures on the other stamps are just paintings. Told you Harry Potter is real.

Check out that dog!

2011-04-03T14:01:00.001-04:00

No, really, check him out. If you are a Yale law student, chances are you get stressed. The Yale Law Library understands; they are there for you. You may have heard that petting a dog can lower blood pressure. Well the Yale Law Library is letting students check out a small dog for 30 minute intervals. Monty is a trained therapy dog; he is very calm and friendly.
Image Courtesy of Lillian Goldman Law Library

OMG! The OED can be your BFF!

2011-03-26T11:22:00.001-04:00

The Oxford English Dictionary (the OED), one of the most distinguished, prestigious works in English, has chosen to add several online abbreviations to its lexicon.LOL, OMG, BFF, IMHO, and TMI have all been added to the dictionary. Of course the OED checks on the background of words - did you know that OMG was first used in a letter back in 1917? OMG!

Upside down library

2011-03-18T15:10:00.000-04:00

Check out the photos of the Vasconcelos Library in Mexico City. It is gorgeous! And, it is confusing! As one of the Gizmodo editors notes in his tiny article on it, your brain and your eyes don't want to agree on what you are seeing. It looks upside down, but it is right side up.

Books You Must Read

2011-03-17T13:38:00.000-04:00

People are always making lists - the top 10 this, the best 20 that. Lists provide great fodder for late night arguments. So here's another contribution to help you stay up late, discussing literature with friends. (What? You don't do that? Yes you do; admit it.) This is a nice word cloud made up of 100 books "everyone must read." They are books that have made it onto many top 100 lists across the English speaking world. Check it out and start discussing!
image CC from Flickr user kristykay22

Just something cool

2011-02-15T18:52:00.000-05:00

This is not book related, or even library related really; I just thought this was cool. Take a look at twenty-one monuments under construction. See the Statue of Liberty with scaffolding around it, Mount Rushmore without all the faces, and the Empire State Building when it was only two stories tall.
photo by murphydean

Do you E Read?

2011-02-10T12:05:00.000-05:00

This past holiday season, e-readers were a popular gift. Sales of e-books are on the rise, and check-outs of e-books are increasing at the Ridgefield Library. (Yes, we have e-books you can borrow!) This article from the NY Times, talks about e-readers increasing in popularity with teens. Here at the Library, we've not seen this yet. Almost all our e-reader fans are adults. What about you? Are you a secret e-reader? Drop me a note & let me know!

Write a Killer App @ The Library

2011-02-09T12:13:00.000-05:00

A teen in Utah learned how to code apps by checking out library books. Then he downloaded some iPhone software development kits on Library computers, and spent time there, writing his app. It's called Bubble Ball & it was the most downloaded free app for the month of January. It even knocked Angry Birds out of the top spot! Come to the library - learn how to code! You might create the next killer app.

Want to be a librarian? There's an app for that.

2011-01-20T12:40:00.001-05:00

OK, not really; but there is an app to help you learn how to shelve books and to shelve them quickly! It's a new game called "Shelved" and the goal is to put books in order. Sound simple? It's not. There are three different ways of organizing books: alphabetical, Dewey Decimal, and Library of Congress. You'd better be on top of your game if you want to work in a library!

Lil' Severus and Scorpius

2011-01-03T12:37:00.000-05:00

Harry Potter Casting News! According to SlashFilm.com, two young actors have been hired to play the young Snape and Draco Malfoy's son. The actors are Bertie Gilbert and Benedict Clarke; and from the headshots on the website, they look PERFECT for their roles. (be sure to scroll down on the website to see their photos.) Are you getting excited about HP 7 Part 2?

Daniel Radcliffe reads!

2010-12-29T16:27:00.000-05:00

Not that that is so surprising; he seems like a smart guy...But here is an interview that the American Library Association did with the actor when he took the time to pose for one of their "READ" posters. (BTW, the Ridgefield Library has a copy of this poster, along with ones for Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, and Alan Rickman, hanging up in the stairwell. Look for them next time you visit.)

Harry Potter spreadsheet

2010-12-23T15:30:00.000-05:00

Have you seen this? It's a couple months old. Actually, it is a couple of years old. How on earth did I miss it? "It" is one of JK Rowling's hand-drawn plot spreadsheets for the Harry Potter saga. She used good old fashioned paper and pen to draw a grid and plan out plots and characterizations. It's a little hard to read her writing, but it's really neat to get a "behind the scenes" look at how she planned out her ginormous plot.

Hunger Games and letting things go

2010-12-16T10:36:00.000-05:00

If you are a Hunger Games fan, you know that the film version of the first book is due to hit theaters in 2012. Did you also know that author Suzanne Collins wrote the first draft of the screenplay? And that she's done this before? (Written screenplays, that is.) Ms. Collins has been named an "entertainer of the year" and in this small interview, she talks about the difference between novels and movies and what you simply have to accept when your written word is changed into visual art.

HMU if you want to talk about trends

2010-12-14T20:06:00.001-05:00

Facebook has released it's report on the top status trends of 2010. Heaven help us, Justin Bieber was indeed in the top 10, but the number one spot? HMU. That acronym didn't even exist in January 2010, but by summer, it was on the rise and by fall, it skyrocketed over the Chilean miners, Haiti, the i Pad and the Bieb.

Even MORE Captain Jack

2010-12-04T09:37:00.001-05:00

Do you love Johnny Depp? Do you love Captain Jack Sparrow? Then here's some cheerful news on a Saturday morning: Disney is filming two more Pirates of the Caribbean films. That's two more on top of the one they just finished filming, making for a total of six "Pirates" films. Get your hair beads and heavy
eyeliner ready!
Creative Commons licensed photo by Gekoam

Facebook damage control

2010-11-12T16:05:00.002-05:00

You crazy teens, you never fail to amaze me with your inventiveness and creativity. Especially when it comes social networking. You know that Facebook can create drama (with your friends and with the adults in your life). You also know that Facebook is pretty darn essential for staying in touch with people. Can't live with it, can't live without it. So some teens have come up with simple, effective ways to use FB's own settings to eliminate drama: Whitewalling and Super-Logoffs. Whitewalling is erasing everything on your wall, only posting things for a day or so before wiping them out & starting over. Super-Logoffs means you deactivate your account instead of just logging off. Then no one can search for you, see you, or post things on your wall unless you are logged on. Smart, simple ways to avoid drama.

Note: broom does not fly

2010-10-29T17:46:00.002-04:00

CC JohnAlanHall

Quidditch is real. Well, sort of. It seems that some college age muggles love HP so much, that they have started running around with brooms between their legs, throwing balls at mounted hula hoops, and calling themselves Quidditch teams. Then some other college age muggles heard about this and liked it so much that they started doing the same thing. And now so many college age muggles are doing this in an organized fashion, there is an Official Quidditch World Cup and, Quidditch may soon be recognized by the NCAA as an official sport. I am both amused and appalled.

The end of snow days

2010-10-26T20:53:00.000-04:00

No, not because of global warming (though that is a possibility), but because of technology. Some students in Ohio are facing the possibility of losing their snow days. When it snows too much to be safe to go into school, their school board wants them to turn on their computers and do schoolwork virtually. This makes me sad. A snow day is one of life's simple joys. Of course, having to add on school days at the end of the year, in late June is sad too...
Photo by Flickr user TooFarNorth CC

3, 339

2010-10-20T12:43:00.001-04:00

That's how many texts, on average, teens send every month. That works out to be about six texts every hour you are awake. This is all according to a new Neilsen Company study that was released on Monday. Girls text more than boys; texting, not talking, is why people are buying cell phones now; and actually using a cell phone to talk has decreased by 14%. Let your fingers do the talking, indeed.

Don't be mean.

2010-10-03T13:45:00.000-04:00

There is never good reason to be mean. Ellen Degeneres makes a lot of sense and offers some good resources to help you if folks have been mean. Please remember to always be kind, and also remember, if you've been getting crap lately, that it does get better.

Video Killed the (Live) Radio Star

2010-09-30T12:55:00.001-04:00

When you go to a concert, do you take photos? What about video? Do you record yourself, your friends and the performer? Did you know that many singers and groups are unhappy with that? They are not worried about people pirating their music - that's already happened and they know it. They find camera phones, video recorders and digital cameras distracting. And they think you should focus on being there live instead of recording it for later use. They may have a point. image from letsgodigital

Will there be a new Harry Potter book?

2010-09-28T14:37:00.001-04:00

No, I've not heard anything specific, but JK will be on Oprah this Friday (October 1) and there are rumors buzzing around concerning what she'll be chatting about. One of those rumors is the possibility of a new Harry Potter book. Does this mean a new novel? Or a new related book (like The Tales of Beedle the Bard)? Or is it all just wishful thinking? Set the DVR/watch Oprah to find out. Or, ya know, just wait until 5pm Friday after Oprah airs and check out the Internet.

New HP and the Deathly Hallows trailer

2010-09-23T17:34:00.000-04:00

The new Harry Potter trailer is here!
The new Harry Potter trailer is here!
That is all.

You Crazy No-Good Teens!

2010-09-10T14:35:00.000-04:00

A sociological study based in Chicago finds that when teens hang out unsupervised by adults and in an unstructured environment, violence breaks out! No, really, violence. I will be keeping my eyes out for a follow up and / or additional research on this, since I find it hard to believe. When I was your age, we spent a lot of our time hanging out in each others rooms, listening to records. No violence every broke out. We also spent a lot of time wandering the mall, watching videos, and playing video games. The only violence was in the video games. This bears watching...

Kanye...Ima let you finish

2010-09-08T11:21:00.001-04:00

Last weekend, Kanye West went on a multi-hour Twitter rampage of love. He vented, ranted, exorcised his demons and, in the end, apologized to Taylor Swift for interrupting her last year at the MTV VMAs. His timing is interesting - the 2010 VMAs are fast approaching. And you'd be forgiven for assuming that his long string of Tweets was just another publicity stunt. But YPulse's Meg Reid has a different take: he's honestly sorry and wanted to apologize to Taylor. Check out her thoughtful interpretation of Kanye's Twitter-storm. She makes some good points.

Zombies and Libraries

2010-08-26T12:09:00.000-04:00

OK, so the title of this post is a bit misleading. But it does involve a library and BRAINS!
The Yale University Medical Library has discovered a collection of 500 brains, in glass jars! They were collected by Dr. Harvey Cushing, who was one of America’s first neurosurgeons. Librarians have begun to sort and catalog the collection (which makes me very, very glad I do not work at Yale) and it can be viewed by the public. So if you are hankering to see some brains, head to New Haven.

What a great, unquiet library!

2010-08-23T16:30:00.001-04:00

When you think "Georgia"...OK, when I think "Georgia", I think: peaches, hot weather, the worst airport in the world, and The Braves. (What? I like baseball!) One thing I do not think about is cool libraries. But the media center at Creekview High School in Georgia has the coolest library I've heard of in a long time. The librarians there have students text answers to a smartboard; there's a coffeeshop, gaming, and poetry readings. If all that does not convince you that this library is cool, know this: the library has more Facebook fans than the football team.

Your mother's right...

2010-08-14T12:02:00.000-04:00

...you are not getting enough sleep. And it is all your phone's fault. Or maybe your Xbox's. Or that darned laptop. And article in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine cites studies that show that teens are not getting enough sleep, only 6 or 7 hour per night, when you really need 9, and it is because of technology. Teens are gaming, texting, FBing and Skyping until the sun rises. Really, just put down the phone/controller/mouse and go to bed!

Twilight in 8 bits

2010-07-03T11:18:00.000-04:00

It does not matter whether you love Twlight or hate it, you must play the Twilight 8-Bit game. It is a "choose your own adventure" style game where you can decide what Bella does. My favorite moment is when Bella rejects Edward and he turns into a bat & flies away!

Katniss' author coming to a bookstore near you!

2010-07-01T19:44:00.000-04:00

OK, I don't know exactly where Suzanne Collins will be coming, but you will know if you read about Scholastic Announces 'Mockingjay' Print Run, Tour Details. Scholastic, the publisher of The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and, of course, the upcoming Mockingjay, will print morethan 1 million copies of the third book about Katniss, and is sending the author on a 12 city book tour. Connecticut has been announced as one of the states Ms. Collins will visit.

Everything old is new again

2010-06-25T11:43:00.001-04:00

Do you want to dress like it's 1984? Do you think Madonna is the greatest thing since Lady Gaga? Do you want to wear scarves in yoru hair and 756 rubber bracelets on your wrist? Well, starting in August, Macy's will help you make all your dreams come true. Madonna and her 13 year old daughter have collaborated on a clothing line that will be sold at Macy's. It is very similar to how Madonna dressed in the 1980's - short skirts, many layers of jewelry, corsets for tops. What goes around, comes around.

Do exactly as we tell you and no one gets hurt.

2010-06-10T14:02:00.000-04:00

Well, no one except your ego and self-confidence, maybe.

Do you read magazines? Do you take what those magazines say to heart? (I hope you don't.) This young woman decided to read the June/July issue of Seventeen magazine and DO EXACTLY WHAT IT TOLD HER. Then, she blogged about it. She's very smart, very snarky and it is a great examination of media and how it tries to manipulate you.

Get some sleep!

2010-06-09T18:34:00.002-04:00

You know how bad you feel when you don't get enough sleep? Well, that feeling is legit. And it can be really, really bad for you. A new study shows that sleep deprived teens are more likely to be depressed than kids who get enough sleep. So, please, try very hard to hit the hay early tonight, OK? I worry.

The Wolf Pack of San Antonio

2010-06-02T10:52:00.000-04:00

You know how cliquey high school is. You've got the brains, the nerds, the jocks, the goths, the wolves, the cheerleaders...wait. The wolves? Sure. At least you've got them if you live in San Antonio, Texas. Check out this wolf pack at the local high school.

FB gets simple

2010-05-27T17:30:00.000-04:00

Hello. Bet you thought I died. Nope, just been busy trying to make my Facebook profile more secure. The privacy settings are so incredibly complicated! And you have to click through so many layers to get to...what? They've changed the privacy settings again?! You mean they've made them even more obscure and less user friendly? Oh. They have done just the opposite? Things are simple now? Well I guess danah boyd was right (again): the best way to change unfair practices is not to simply quit, but to critique and make noise.

Fauxting, when you can't be bothered to be social.

2010-05-05T14:08:00.000-04:00

Can't be bothered, as in reality. Sure, you are social - you Facebook, text, Skype, perhaps even chat online with friends. But in person? In meatspace? Hmmmm. Have you ever pretended to text when you saw someone approaching you, someone you'd rather not talk to? Then you have fauxted. Yes, there's a trendy name for this avoidance behavior. And you have committed this transgressive act. Yes you have. Don't deny it.

The father of our country was a thief!

2010-05-01T15:41:00.000-04:00

George Washington: founding father, patriot, general, spymaster, thief. OK, maybe thief is overstating things, but evidence has come to light showing that our first President borrowed some books from the New York Society Library in 1789 and never returned them! Calculating overdue fines and adjustments for inflation, this means that Washington would owe nearly $100,000 in over due fees! Not to be outdone by Washington, his Vice President, John Adams, also appears to have borrowed books from the same library without returning them!

OMG it's OMLG!

2010-04-28T18:30:00.000-04:00

This is wonderful. Well, it is wonderful if you like Lady Gaga. And I do. OMLG (Oh My Lady Gaga) has replaced OMG as the go to acronym for surprise and delight among Chinese teens. This is a case where less is not more. Adding that one extra letter makes this exponentially better. Rah-rah-ah-ah-ah

Come study at the Library

2010-04-26T17:19:00.000-04:00

Although I do not often link to the Ridgefield Library's events here, I wanted to cover all bases and let you know that: the Ridgefield Library will have open study space for Ridgefield High School AP students next week. Bring your study group, books, notes and covered beverages to the Dayton Program Room and we'll provide tables, chairs and a librarian. The times are as follows:
May 2nd 1-5pm
May 3rd 6-10pm
May 5th 6-10pm
May 8th 10am-5pm
May 9th 1-5pm

Get a degree in Bella-ology

2010-04-12T16:21:00.002-04:00

Or maybe in Edwardianism. Or sparkliness. OK, it's actually Vampire Lit. Yes, a college is offering a master's degree in Vampire Literature. The University of Hertfordshire in the UK will soon offer this degree program. This is after the Open Graves, Open Minds: Vampires and the Undead in Modern Culture conference that runs this weekend. While you may know well my distaste for sparkly vampires, this would be something I'd attend. I'd love to figure out why people are so obsessed with this meme.

Poetry on the go

2010-04-01T17:11:00.000-04:00

April is National Poetry Month and to celebrate, perhaps you'd like to have some poems to carry with you all month. What's that? You don't want to have crumply pieces of paper in your pockets? Well do you have a smart phone? Then you can have poems, neat and clean and ready to read at a moment's notice. Mobile Poetry is offered from Poets.org, a site of the American Academy of Poets. You can also download a poetry flow app, if you are so inclined. How nice to have more than 2,500 poems at th tip of your fingers. Happy National Poetry Month! (And a tip o'the hat to Mary Beth for sending this my way!)

Octopus Cam

2010-03-31T12:26:00.001-04:00

Sometimes you need something to brighten up your day. Just a little something out of the ordinary to take your mind off its usual paths and give yourself a smile. With that in mind, I invite you to visit the National Zoo's Octopus Cam at 11am or 3pm daily. That's when they feed the baby octopus. That's when you have the best chance of seeing him. And whose day wouldn't be imrpoved by seeing a cephalopod eat?

Phone phollies

2010-03-27T16:30:00.000-04:00

I am posting this for no other reason than it was interesting. Like most people I know, I have a cell phone. But I remember a time before cell phones. When there were phone booths. A time before touch tone phones. (Yes, I am old.) This is a fun timeline of phones. From tin cans, to the candlestick phone to the Droid, take a look at how far phones have come.

No Facebook stalking.

2010-03-26T16:36:00.001-04:00

Despite what you may read, there are no apps on FB that actually allow you to see who visits your profile the most. In fact, many of those apps are really fronts for malware that can harm your computer. Facebook is "aggressively disabling" many of those apps in an attempt to offer some protection for its users. Think of it as an anti-virus sweep the FB sysadmins are running just for you.

We All Want To Be Like Johnny Depp

2010-03-22T17:24:00.002-04:00

Or do we? That is the opinion of Agnete Haaland, the head of International Actors Federation. She feels that calling copyright infringement "piracy" gives it the illusion of sexiness and makes you think of Johnny Depp. She feels that people who rip CDs and DVDs to their computers are putting 1.2 million people out of work and she wants folks who do that to think twice. Do you rip CDs? Have you torrented a movie? Do you think of yourself as Captain Jack Sparrow while doing that?

Have you played Chatroulette?

2010-03-16T20:13:00.001-04:00

If you have, then you know it can be a scary, even creepy place. But according to danah boyd, a researcher who studies social networking, it is not as scary as it is made out to be. Sure you may end up face to groin with a creeper, but you may also end up face to face with someone half-way around the world, someone who really wants to just chat. And as Ms. boyd points out, on Chatroulette, the creepers cannot hide behind a fake indentity. There are no "15 year old girls" on Chatroulette who are not, in fact, 15 year old girls. While this doesn't make the whole site any more wholesome, it does at least, offer it a veneer of honesty.

Scenes from a convention

2010-03-15T12:59:00.002-04:00

Remember a few months ago, I posted about Twilight conventions that would be happening in the spring? Well, the East Coast one is yet to come, but the Los Angeles one has already happened and you can see video from it here. Photo ops, meeting the stars, panel discussions of werewolves v. vampires, sneak peak screenings...all that I understand. But meeting the hand model who held the apple on the book's cover? Really? People stood in line for that? This phenomenon continues to confound me.

Did your dad friend you?

2010-03-11T15:22:00.000-05:00

Because a new study shows that adults (ages 35 to 44) make up for than a quartet of all people on social networking sites. That's twice as many as teens (people up to age 17)! So while some folks in the media keep crying about how we can't get you pesky kids off Teh Interwebs, it is more acurate to decry how much time wasting adults are doing online! Does this ring true to you? Do yuo see your parents online more than ever?

Willy Wonka in Real life

2010-03-08T17:39:00.001-05:00

I know many of you are fans of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Or of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Did you know that you can pretend to be a real life Charlie Bucket? Wonka Candy (yes, there is a company by that name and yes, they make chocolate bars) has announced a contest where there are ten golden tickets hidden in some of their candy bars. The ticket holders get to take three friends on round-the-world trips! Complete with $12,500 in spending money! I've never seen a Wonka Bar, but if you do - let me know where so I can buy one and try for the golden ticket!

Gorgeous Libraries

2010-03-08T14:42:00.001-05:00

I know I am prejudiced, but these are some jaw droppingly gorgeous libraries. Click through and see if you are not soon daydreaming about being in there, reading, thinking, dreaming...>>sigh<<

Is it OK to steal if you are a teen?

2010-03-01T16:09:00.002-05:00

Because a 17 year old author (and I use the term "author" loosely) thinks so. She wrote a best selling book, but large passages of her book were lifted from another book. She claims that she's not stealing or plagiarizing, but rather "remixing" the material, much like rappers do with musical samples. She's not even in real trouble for this! In fact, her novel is up for a major prize at the Leipzig Book Fair. There is discussion that she's not stealing because people her age remix all the time and no one should be hurt or upset by it. Discuss.

"Breaking Dawn" shall be broken...

2010-02-24T11:43:00.000-05:00

...into two movies. Like the final film in the Harry Potter saga (is Twilight trying to emulate that franchise exactly?), the final film in the Twilight series will be broken in two and made into two separate films. Breaking Dawn is the longest book in Stephenie Meyer's ouevre and it is not surprising that Summet Entertainment, the filmmakers, would try to get more bang for their buck. Filming of both movies is scheduled to start this October.

A school spies on its students

2010-02-18T16:36:00.000-05:00

A high school in Pennsylvania gave its students laptops with webcams. Then it used those webams to spy on the students both when they were in school and at home! A parent is suing the school district for invasion of privacy and theft of private information. How completely creepy. A computer meant for school work becomes a closed circuit television station for school administrators to watch their students 24/7. Beware technology, indeed!

Get published! Well, maybe...

2010-02-17T17:08:00.000-05:00

HarperCollins, the publisher, has launched a website called inkpop. It is a community site where teens (ages 13 & older) can submit novels, short stories, poetry and essays. An editorial board of Harper editors will review the top five member selections each month and offer feedback on that work. They also say that, potentially, those writers could get published. While there are no guarantees, you might want to check out the site if you are an aspiring writer.

Even more Enchanted

2010-02-15T11:28:00.001-05:00

I know many of you are fans of the movie "Enchanted;" where a Disney princess comes to life in New York City. (I also know many of you wish you were Disney princesses, but that's another story.) Well, I'm here to give you the good news that there will be a sequel to "Enchanted." Disney will again be the film studio; and the producers will stay the same, but the Mouse House has not committed to the casting yet. Here's hoping they get that nice Amy Adams back again in the role that broke her out!

Alice In Wonderland

2010-02-08T11:27:00.000-05:00

Did you read Alice in Wonderland when you were a child? Or perhaps someone read it to you? Well no matter if you've read it or not, you are probably aware of the new Tim Burton movie of the book, coming out in March from Disney. The studio has produced Alice In Wonderland Mini-Featurette: World Building. This very short video gives you a glimpse into Alice's world and has teen sound bites from various actors, including everybody's favorite: Johnny Depp.

What does Facebook taste like?

2010-02-01T12:14:00.001-05:00

If you ever wondered what Facebook tasted like, next month, your curiousity will be answered. Vitamin Water is coming out with a Facebook water, called "Connect." This is the result of an online contest the Vitamin Water conducted on its Facebook page overthe past few months. The flavor is described as "cherry-lime with caffeine and nutrients." Somehow I never associated Facebook with cherry-lime. Caffeine, yes. Fruit, no. And ceratinly no nurtrients. What do you think? Will you try it?

Braces as a deadly fashion statement

2010-01-26T19:52:00.001-05:00

Do you think your braces are cute? Would you like more metal in your mouth? If you lived in Thailand, you might be asking your orthodonist for more and bigger metalworks. In that country, braces are considered a cute fashion statement and girls are dying for them. Literally, dying. If they do not need braces, an orthodontist will not fit them, so fashion-desperate girls are going to open air street dentists and getting fashion braces. These dental stall are not sterile and several girls have died from infections. It is astonighing the things people will do for fashion.

Reading Aloud: Not Just For Little Kids Anymore

2010-01-21T16:40:00.003-05:00

When you think of a teacher reading aloud to a classroom, you probably picture a kindergarten teacher, sitting on a low stool, reading to a group of 5 year olds. Well, according to an article in Education Weekly, reading aloud is happening more & more in high schools and middle schools and it is turning out to be very helpful to students. Not only does it model good reading abilities, but it can also help those who are aural learners absorb information better. Perhaps you cna suggest to your economics teacher that he read from the Wall Street Journal in class next week!

Still more Twilight

2010-01-21T16:29:00.002-05:00

Can't get enough Twilight? How about a graphic novel version? In mid-March, Yen Press will publish Twilight: The Graphic Novel, Volume 1 with "selected text" from Stephenie Meyer's novel. There will be a second volume coming out later with the rest of the story (those books are long...). Ms. Meyer seems pleased with the outcome of the books and had input on every panel.

Literary Crushes

2010-01-09T10:33:00.001-05:00

Who is your crush? Don't want to tell me? OK, I'll go first if it makes you less self-conscious. I have a crush on Athos. You know, Athos from The Three Musketeers? He's swashbuckling, handsome, and has a tragic past; perfect crush material. Yes, I am talking about crushes on imaginary beings, but I am not the only person who does this. Kristen Cashore, the author of Graceling and Fire confesses to her literary crushes in her blog. Check it out when you have a moment. Then leave a comment telling who your literary crush is. C'mon, you know you have one.

The Twelve Books of Christmas

2009-12-23T11:11:00.001-05:00

You know the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas?" The one with all the leaping lords, milking maids and messy geese and french hens? Well, a YA Librarian in the Southwest has improved the song by turning it into the YA Books of Christmas. I've only read 26 of them! I'd better get cracking. Perhaps during the holiday break I can read more. How many have you read? Happy holidays to all!

Facebook becoming more diverse

2009-12-22T20:19:00.000-05:00

At least that is what it looks like, according to the Facebook blog. FB does not ask users to specify their ethnicity, but by comparing US users surnames with US Census Bureau data, FB claims to have made a reasonable estimation. And in their estimation, they are growing more diverse by the day.

Tis the season for giving

2009-12-10T17:20:00.001-05:00

No matter what winter holiday you celebrate, I bet most of you give gifts. There are many gift lists out there in the pop culture world, and this one struck me as actually containing gifts that people would enjoy getting. Joyous Christmahannukwanzikaa!

Chuck Bass will play Heathcliff as inspired Edward Cullen

2009-12-07T16:31:00.000-05:00

The popularity of the Twilight saga is affecting many other entertainment properties. There are three new movies in the works, all based on the Bronte sisters (either them personally or their writings). A version of Bella Swan's favorite book, Wuthering Heights, starring Ed Westwick, will start filming in the spring. A cinematic Jane Eyre will also start production then. And there is a third movie coming out that focuses on the Bronte sisters themselves as imaginative teenagers. Thanks to Stephenie Meyer's books, Gothic Romance is making a comeback.

Chat Rooms Are Good For Your Writing

2009-12-04T10:30:00.001-05:00

Here is more fodder for your arguments about being online: a study by Britain's National Literacy Trust has found that children aged nine to sixteen who blog, text or use social networking sites are more confident about their writing skills and end up with stronger core literacy skills. So go ahead, play on Facebook, FTW!

STOP THAT!

2009-11-25T13:00:00.001-05:00

A new study by Pew Internet and American Life Project reports that half of all US teens who can drive say that they have texted while driving. And half of all Americans aged 12-17 say that they have been a passenger in a car where the driver was texting. Texting is not like listening to the radio, or having a conversation with a passenger in the car. Using a cell phone to either speak or text someone is highly dangerous. Your concentration is too diverted from the road and you will have an accident. If you do this: STOP IT!

It is not an emergency. Really.

2009-11-23T15:36:00.002-05:00

A 15 year old in Illinois got in trouble with his parents. To punish him, they took his Xbox away. So he did what any kid would do. He called 911. Really. He asked the police if his parents had the right to do such a thing. Please, please, please - if you get into trouble with your parents, so not tie up emergency lines like 911 by phoning the police like this kid did. He is lucky the cops didn't arrest him for calling 911 under false pretenses.

Not banned, but restricted.

2009-11-20T11:55:00.001-05:00

Many people have checked out Stephen Chbosky's novel The Perks of Being A Wallflower from the Ridgefield Library. I wonder what all those people think about a high school in Virginia restricting it from freshmen and sophomores? A father of a student at William Byrd High School tried to get the book banned from the school's library. He said he became suspicious of it after he noticed his son engrossed in reading. A panel of librarians from the school board moved to restrict the book to upper classmen only.

Judge a book by its cover

2009-11-11T12:33:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking about book covers a lot lately; wondering why some are more appealing than others. Although you should not judge a book by its cover, it is hard not to. Then I ran across the art of M.S. Corley. He is an illustrator and graphic designer who, just for fun and self-promotion, redesigned the covers to the Harry Potter series. They look amazing and if you have read all the books, you will find his covers to be full of meaning.

Guitar Hero taken to a geekier level

2009-11-10T20:45:00.001-05:00

You know it has happened to you. You are sitting there, minding your own business, when the urge to ROCK overpowers you. And yet, you cannot act on it because you do not have your guitar with you. Fear not! You can now wear your guitar - a compnay called ThinkGeek has made an electronic guitar t-shirt. The buttons on the guitar's neck are each a major chord and the whole thing is strummable. The video is pretty amusing, but watch out for the monkey decapitation at the end.

Books that rock

2009-11-04T17:40:00.001-05:00

Music and books go together like, well, two things that go together really well. I know many of you listen to music while you read. And I know that many of you simply love to listen to music all the time. Music plays a big role in some books (think Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist), as well as in your life. With that in mind, the Los Angeles Times asked YA author Cecil Castellucci to come up with a list of books that she thinks rock. Take a peek and see if you agree with her. You just might find something new to read; and something new to listen to.

She's 35 years old!!

2009-11-03T15:36:00.001-05:00

Who is 35 years old? Hello Kitty! Everyone's favorite mouthless wonder cat! If you know me at all, you know I adore Kitty. In fact, a few years ago, the YA Critics Book Club at the Library bought me a Hello Kitty toaster for my birthday. The book clubs still use that toaster - we enjoy toast with Kitty's little face on it when we meet. Kitty is everywhere; you can find her in books, on toasters, purses, clothing, in cartoons and at her own theme park. It's Kitty's world; we just live in it.

OMG! Texting can be OK!

2009-10-30T17:42:00.000-04:00

Despite what some may think, not all teen writing will be destroyed by texting. Not every teen forgets how to properly structure a sentence because they have spent time typing with their thumbs. In North Carolina in fact, some teachers think that incorporating texting into class work actually helps students with comprehension and expression. OMG! FTW!

Best. Title. Ever.

2009-10-29T20:05:00.000-04:00

The Daily Show's producer, Josh Lieb, has just written a YA novel. It has the best title I've ever heard of. I Am A Genius Of Unspeakable Evil And I Want To Be Your Class President. Is that not divine? Also, the book's website is very intricate and very silly. You should check it out. No, I've no idea if the book is any good, it has not been reviewed yet. But with that title, how can it be bad?

The joy of pictures

2009-10-28T17:34:00.000-04:00

Do you have fond memories of having piture books read to you? Do you read them to your little brother or sister now? Do you appreciate good art? If any of these things are true, you may enjoy taking a trip to the Society of Illustrators in New York to view their latest exhibit: The Fine Art of Children's Book Illustration. It runs until November 25 - hie thee to Manhattan and appreciate some fine art! (Thanks to Mary Beth for this great idea!)

Write a novel. In a month.

2009-10-27T20:53:00.000-04:00

That's the idea behind NaNoWriMo, also known as National Novel Writing Month. Most people who want to write a novel get off to a good start, but get bogged down in the middle and never finish. During the month of November, writers of all ages are encouraged to start and finish a novel. If you join in at the website, you will have a community to turn to for encouragement and support in reaching your goal: 50,000 words by the end of the month. Always wanted to write a novel? Do it, next month!

Teens Top Ten Books

2009-10-26T17:08:00.003-04:00

Hello! Bet you thought I was dead. Nope. Just on vacation. But I am back just in time to announce the American Library Association's Teen Top Ten! These are the top ten books that teenagers across the USA voted on as being their favorites over the past year. They are all fiction titles and all YA novels. Some are realistic, some are fantasy, some are historial fiction and some science fiction. In theory, there are titles for all reading tastes. Take a look at the list, read one or two, then leave a comment telling me what you thought of them!

Paper Towns by John Green

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

Identical by Ellen Hopkins

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Wake by Lisa McMann

Untamed by P.C. and Kristin Cast

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Kindle or textbook - which would you choose?

2009-10-14T17:16:00.001-04:00

Amazon.com has given out more than 200 Kindle eBook readers to college students this fall. The idea is that these devices will replace textbooks. How is this experiment working? Not as well as Amazon thought it would. It turns out students LIKE paper. They like being able to make notes in the margins and put sticky notes on the pages. Sure, you can annotate electronically with a Kindle, but getting to those notes requires some button pushing. Getting to a sticky note requires flipping open a page. Which would you prefer?

Do you Tweet?

2009-10-12T12:17:00.002-04:00

Twitter is very popular with authors, movie stars, politicians and other people who have something to promote. I do not know too many people who personally Tweet, but I do know a fair number who follow other, usually more famous, people's Twitter streams. You may want to think about Tweeting if you are an aspiring writer. At least Tweeting in the short term. Starting tomorrow (October 13), writer Neil Gaiman will begin a crowd-sourcing short story, via Twitter. He'll write the first line, other Twitterers will continue the story, and the whole thing will be recorded by the BBC for an audiobook. Start your Tweets!

Vampires as computer nerds

2009-10-08T20:25:00.001-04:00

Although many bloggers and Live Journalers have already posted "Twilight" parodies, there is now an "official" one: the Harvard Lampoon will publish "Nightlight" on November 3. In this book, Belle Goose falls for computer nerd Edward Mullen and she just KNOWS he's a vampire. Why else would he leave his Tater TotsTM uneaten at lunch? And how else could he save her from that flying snowball? The Lampoon has not published a parody in 40 years, so you know that Ms. Meyer's series has made an impact.

Mickey Mouse in World of Warcraft?

2009-10-07T10:27:00.001-04:00

OK, the title of this post is not precisely true. But there is a new game coming from the House of Mouse that places Mickey firmly in the slightly scary, very graphically cool world of an online role playing game. Disney's Epic Mickey will place the mouse in a scary/cool world where familiar landscapes have been altered to the point of destruction. Mickey must go around this world, recreating the bright, colorful vistas with tools and, perhaps, helpers. Not much more is known about the game, but GameInformer has some amazing looking production art to whet your appetite.

A bear of very small brain

2009-10-05T15:45:00.002-04:00

The estate of A.A. Milne has approved a new Pooh book. British author David Benedictus and illustrator Mark Burgess have created RETURN TO THE HUNDRED ACRE WOOD a sequel to the beloved Winnie the Pooh books. I'm not sure how I feel about this. Does the world need more than WINNIE THE POOH and THE HOUSE ON POOH CORNER? They've added a new character as well - an otter. Hmmm... How do YOU feel about this? Do you like it when beloved childhood icons are "improved upon" or "added to?"

These are banned books! Do not read them!

2009-10-02T07:07:00.001-04:00

Although Banned Book Week ends tomorrow, this will be my last post about it. I hope my repeated efforts have shown you that no one (except your parents) has the right to tell you what you can or cannot read.
The last book I wanted to share with you made the American Library Association's most challenged list last year: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini includes what the would-be-banners thought was offensive language and sexually explicit scenes that were inappropriate. I know many high schoolers have read this book, but if the book banners had their way, you may not have been able to. Fight for your right to read freely.

Are you really still reading?

2009-10-02T06:55:00.001-04:00

Banned Books Week is reaching its end. Remember, no one should have the right to tell you what you can or cannot read (except perhaps your parents). But that doesn't stop people from trying. People have tried to ban the Gossip Girl series written by Cecily von Ziegsesar because they think no one should read what they call "its sexually explicit content or offensive language." I wonder if anyone has tried to ban the television show for the same reasons?

These books have been banned! Stop reading them!

2009-09-30T10:34:00.002-04:00

This week is Banned Books Week and I am sharing with you some of the top ten most challenged books in America.
Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower was challenged by people who thought that its mentions of drugs, homosexuality, explicit language, violence and sexuality should not be read by anyone. The American Library Association does not want to tell you what to read, but also thinks that no one (except your parents) should be able to tell you what not to read. You, and every American, have the right to read whatever you want.

I mean it! Do not read this!

2009-09-29T14:52:00.006-04:00

As I mentioned yesterday this week is Banned Books Week and I want to share with you some of the top ten most challenged books in America.
TTYL, TTFN, & L8R G8R
Some folks have challenged Lauren Myracle's books (because of offensive language and sexually explicit content). Other folks think they are revealing and innovative. If you want to, read them and form your own opinion.

Don't You Dare Read This

2009-09-28T16:28:00.006-04:00

This week is Banned Books Week. The American Library Association wants to draw your attention to the fact that some people want to remove books from libraries. No one, except maybe your parents, should tell you what to read or what not to read. And if a book is removed from a library's collection, no one visiting the library would be able to read it. This week I want to share some of the top ten most challenged books in America.
His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman
Some folks have challenged The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass (because of political viewpoint, religious viewpoint and violence). Other folks think the trilogy is literature of a high order. Read it and form your own opinion.

A look at the past through the veils of time

2009-09-28T11:36:00.000-04:00

Or, you know, just a great black and white photograph of the Brooklyn Public Library's Children's Room circa 1941. I would have posted an image of the 1941 Brooklyn Public Library's Teen Room, but there wasn't such a room at that time. Teen Services in libraries is a post 1970's kind of thing. Back to this photo: I love the guy on the couch, casually reading while looking snappy in his sweater-vest.

A library for your neck

2009-09-25T10:29:00.000-04:00

This Etsy creator has fashioned miniature books out of scrap leather and hand-torn acid-free paper, then strung them from chains to make necklaces worthy of a true bibliophile. The best part, in my opinion, is that the books can be written or drawn in! A usable, wearable, library!

900,000 students disappear from Facebook

2009-09-23T17:08:00.005-04:00

And that's just high school students. More than 1.5 million college students have vanished as well. No, people have not given up using the site, but they have stopped identifying themselves with their school network. Since Facebook usage has exploded among all ages, it seems that millions of FB users are "hiding" from parents, teachers and family members by tightening up their privacy settings. Are you among those millions?

YA novels getting longer?

2009-09-22T19:25:00.002-04:00

Have you ever chosen a book to read based on its length? Sometimes you just want to lose yourself in a nice, fat novel. Well, if you read YA novels, you are in luck! The average length of a YA novel has grown more than 200 pages in the past thirty years. Yes, a lot of this is due to fat fantasy novels, but realistic fiction, historical romances, mysteries...all genres of YA literature have grown longer and longer and longer...

Soda, the new tobacco

2009-09-21T16:45:00.005-04:00

You know that soda is not the best choice of drink. (Heavy with sugar, or with artificial sweetners that may melt your brain, you can do better than soda to quench your thirst.) Now, some states are contemplating taxing soda, just as they tax cigarettes; high school students in Los Angeles have created a public service website to fight obesity; and New York state is launching a public awareness campaign to remind you that soda makes you fat. The images they are using are enough to gross-out even the most dedicated soda drinker.

You are being marketed to...

2009-09-18T12:32:00.001-04:00

...but you already knew that, didn't you? People are trying to get you to part with your money. Always remember that line from The Princess Bride:

"Life is pain, Princess, and anyone who tells you differently is selling something."

There is a new book out - Gen Buy: How Tweens, Teens, and Twenty-somethings Are Revolutionizing Retail; it is meant for adults who are interested in advertising and marketing, but this interview with the author is much shorter than the book, and, more importantly, may give you insight into how companies see you: as a walking wallet.