Teen Tech Week @ CADL

It’s Teen Tech Week, and our libraries are celebrating with a variety of events just for teens. Come check these out!

After School Game Time (Ages 11-18)
Wednesday, March 10, 24
3-4:30 pm
Have fun playing Wii, Guitar Hero and other videogames, or relax with board games and cards. Snacks provided.
Webberville Library

Tween Night (Ages 10-13)
Thursday, March 11
6-7:30 pm
Join us for fun for ages 10-13.
South Lansing Library

Wii Game Night
Friday, March 12
4:30 pm
Visit the library to play Wii, have some pizza and hang out with friends on a Friday afternoon. Registration required by calling (517) 694-9351 ext. 3.
Holt-Delhi Library

Teen Gaming Day
Saturday, March 13
10 am–2 pm
It’s Teen Tech Week! Come in to the library for Wii and Guitar Hero games.
Dansville Library

My Bags are Packed

Right about now you should be feeling it; that knotting up in the pit of your stomach, that slight clamminess all over the palms of your hands. Or maybe you’re one of those people who breaks out in a cold sweat, little beads of perspiration all over your brow. Don’t worry, the symptoms will pass once you recognize the diagnosis. And it’s only slightly contagious. No really, stop worrying, this isn’t the Health Blog after all. You just have Spring Fever.

Right about now you should be experiencing Twitchy Finger, where nice phalanges that usually do their typing at work with speed and accuracy suddenly go all wonky and obstinate. They would rather be touching wild Bougainvillea that grow on the fences in California, Hawaii, or Bellinzona, Switzerland. They would rather be exploring the bark of a coconut tree in the South Pacific, or the thick skin of a Yucca plant in Mexico. And your nose might be getting an attitude as well. Stuck indoors all winter, up to here with the smell of rusty shovels and gas-powered snow blowers. Your nose would much rather smell the salty air of the Pacific Ocean, or the sun-tan-lotion-infused air of Miami beach. If you’re lucky, you can take off a week or two and reawaken your senses with a nice Spring Break somewhere exotic and beautiful. If you’re like a lot of us, Spring Break this year might only mean renting movies like Weekend at Bernie’s and pretending you get to go somewhere.

Whichever group you fall into, you’ll be able to enjoy Spring Break this year thanks to Trip Advisor, a fabulous travel tool connecting you to everything you need for a fabulous vacation … or a virtual one. Go online to http://www.tripadvisor.com to utilize Trip Advisor’s offerings, or just add the “Cities I’ve Visited” application to your Facebook account. Visit friends on Facebook who have this application and see where in the world they have gone. Look up their recommendations for restaurants, clubs and hotels. Or scroll through endless amounts of star ratings put up by other travelers that have been there and done that. Place “pins” in all the cities you’ve explored, creating your own travel diary for others to view. And if your budget this year is making Spring Break more of a fantasy than a reality, scroll through the gorgeous pictures posted on the site, and dream of sandy beaches in your future.

-Denelle H., CADL Processing Clerk

Inner Peace in the City

While waiting for our slow elevator to decide which floor it will visit next, I have often commented that a nice big flat screen TV would be helpful. I’d be able to catch up on the news, find out about the weather, maybe even squeeze in a whole episode of Lie To Me while I am trying to get from the library mezzanine to the third floor. It’s a lengthy ride. I should just take the stairs.

But I know I’m not the only one with an entertainment addiction. Every day I see people talking on their phones as they walk to their cars, reading their emails as they stand in line at the store, or checking to see if Brett Favre will retire again this year as they get the mail from their mailbox. Where did all this activity come from? I could swear I used to see people just out WALKING, with no wiry appendages or electronic attachments. People used to actually walk for the sake of walking, and interact with other humans on occasion. Some strange people used to even enjoy sitting on a park bench just to savor a delicious moment in fall. Somewhere along the way our lives have changed drastically; sped up tremendously.

In our Jetsons age of widgets, tweeting and cyberspace, is it possible for the savvy modern man to still maintain inner peace? Or has modern technology control-alt-deleted our spiritual drive?

If you are worried that cyber life is killing our sacred lives, check out these sites for a pick me up. These time crunching web links instantly connect you to your choice of bliss, be it the soul soothing asanas of the Yogis, a positive affirmation to get your mind focused, or a New Age massive scale experiment to heal the earth. Click, breathe, smile. Repeat.

http://www.yogajournal.com/ click  here for yoga poses, tips, and more

http://www.theintentionexperiment.com/ take part in the largest positive thinking experiment in the world

http://www.louisehay.com/affirmation.php click here for a new affirmation every day

-Denelle H., CADL Processing Clerk

South Lansing Library Classes for Book Lovers and Photo Enthusiasts

If you love books as much as we do at CADL, or you have been mesmerized by how quickly our CADL staff can find the book that you have been seeking, please join us at the South Lansing Library for a hands-on computer class.  Web Tools for Book Lovers can show you how to find the great new novel you never knew existed!  Just in time for National Reading Month, this class will teach you how to keep track of what you read and find great new books using tools on the internet.  Participants should be able to use a mouse and navigate the internet.  This class will be held on March 3 (tomorrow) at 6 pm. Registration is required by calling 272-9840.

If books aren’t your style and you prefer a more visual experience, the South Lansing Library  is holding a Digital Photo Editing Workshop that teaches the basics of digital photograph editing.  Bring a portable media device with your digital pictures on it, and we’ll show you how to use free software that will make those pictures perfect to share with your family and friends.  You just need to know how to use Windows and a mouse. This class will be held on March 15 at 6 pm. Registration is required by calling 272-9840.

Sign up today – our classes fill up fast!

-Abby B., Library Assistant @ South Lansing Library

Mac Versus PC

It is a question that I hear from patrons during computer class or while staffing the Computer Center desk at the Downtown Lansing Library. What should I buy, a Mac or a PC? My answer is the same and does not answer the question. What do you want to do with the computer? The conversation winds from Internet surfing, playing music, viewing photos to sending email. You can do all of that on both. It boils down to preference. The security or safety question of Mac or PC is a tougher one answer. There is a recent informal survey of security on Macs versus PCs called In Their Words that attempts to answer this age-old question.

I think the best advice to anyone buying a computer is to use common sense when browsing the Internet. If something seems to good to be true, it probably is. If you want to read more on Internet safety please check out some of the following titles:

Internet Safety by Hayley Mitchell Haugen

Me Myspace and I by Larry Rosen

Cyber Rules by Joanie Gillipsie

You can also check out these websites: safekids.com, wiredsaftey.org or kidshealth.org (search forInternet safety). These sites provide good tips on how to surf, protecting your computer from malware and phishing scams as well as other problems.

-Matt P., CADL Technology Librarian, Downtown Lansing Library

Haitian Relief Effort

Times have been hard for a lot of us lately. We struggle with the economy. We struggle with the job market. We struggle just to make ends meet. And while we are dealing with setbacks and cutbacks that many of us haven’t seen the likes of before, we still haven’t been hit as hard as Haiti.

Haiti has a beautiful, tropical landscape, when it hasn’t been devastated by earthquakes. The trees are gorgeous, the air is warm and intoxicating, and the water in some parts is breathtakingly beautiful. I know; I’ve been there.

My Time in Haiti

When I was eighteen I had the rare opportunity of traveling to Haiti on a trip with several students from my high school. Just days after graduation I boarded a plane with five other students and one of our teachers, the only adult on this trip. We’d all been vaccinated weeks before, had our traveling papers in hand, and were raring to go. We were going on a mission trip, and were excited about the adventures ahead of us.

While in Haiti we assisted in the construction of buildings, helped doctors administer health care to their patients, put on puppet shows to teach local Haitians about disease, and organized a children’s library in a small outreach facility. We washed clothes, visited churches and saw children playing games identical to the ones played in the states, but with different words and objects. There were no name brand sneakers and fancy soccer balls on these fields, but the competition was just as stiff in their games of football.

And despite war crimes, drugs, and poverty; despite tremendously devastating earthquakes, and people stealing away with Haitian children; despite decades of woes in a country full of strife, there are still those who have hope that it all can be made better, and still those that are willing to help.

Fast-Forward to Today: Make a Donation to Earthquake Victims

Our financial times here in the states are tough right now, but if you have any bit to spare, there are many ways you can reach out and help those hit hardest by the earthquakes in Haiti.

You can always go to your local Red Cross and donate money to the relief fund, or donate to the Red Cross online.
Many TV stations have been broadcasting numbers to call as you watch your favorite sporting events, or numbers to text in. These hotlines help you donate money to the Haitian relief fund while you are in your own home, doing what you like, and the donation shows up on your phone bill.

And Coke is helping in an unexpected, fabulous gesture of goodwill. If you regularly buy Coke, you might be familiar with their My Coke Rewards program. Little numbers are printed on packages and bottles of Coke, and you can go to mycokerewards.com and use these points to get goodies. But now, you can also donate your Coke points toward the Haitian relief fund, by simply selecting that choice instead of free magazines or whatever else you might normally get. Coke acknowledges these points as money, and will match your donation. You can contribute without spending more than you normally spend, and Coke donates as well.

It’s like the old commercial says; “I’d like to teach the world to sing, in perfect harmony. I’d like to buy the world a Coke, and keep it company”.

-Denelle H., CADL Processing Clerk

My Brain is Full

If you’re anything like me, you’ve already used up all the available space in your brain’s hard drive retaining terribly important information like the theme song to Laverne and Shirley or memorizing the episodes of all five seasons of the original Twilight Zone series. Lately I find there is very little room for any more information, unless it pertains to said Twilight Zone episodes, or some other little thing I need to keep track of, like what time I’m supposed to show up at work.
Luckily for you and me there are several nifty tips for our over loaded brains that can be found on the web, and they come in the form of word games.

Far from just a leisurely Sunday morning activity, word games have been proven to keep your brain active and alert, and some researchers claim they may even help stave off symptoms of Alzheimer’s. Some of these games can be added on as apps to your Facebook account, or played right on your iPhone. Play the games alone, or challenge your friends to see who the dominant brainiac is.

-Denelle H., CADL Processing Clerk

March-May Computer Classes @ CADL

The new computer class schedule is now on the website on our events calendar. Go to www.cadl.org/events, and click “Tech Corner” under “Search by Event Type” to see a list of all CADL computer classes.

Want to learn how to blog? Well, sign-up for our Blogging Basics class in April. Did you get an MP3 player over the holidays and want to download audiobooks? We have 2 eMedia classes, March 12 and May 28th. we will teach you to search, checkout and load an audiobook on a MP3 player.

Lastly, the Computer Center has increased their open hours. Instead of opening at 10am Monday-Friday, the Computer Center now opens at 9 a.m.

- Matt P., CADL Technology Librarian

Tech and the One That Got Away

I love nature channels. Animal Planet can keep me occupied all weekend, with its real life rescue missions in the city, the big game photographers stalking their elite models in the African jungle, and of course the Dog Shows. I’m not real big on fishing shows, however. Slimy, stinky fish have never been long on my mind, and I certainly can’t understand sitting in a boat waiting for one of these guys to hook his face on my line. Still, when the fishermen start to talk about the one that got away, I have to admit I begin to feel a certain kinship.

Valentine’s Day is quickly setting upon us, and as it pokes its head around the corner I have to think of the one that got away from me. His big, beautiful hazel-green eyes. Those delicious, pouty lips. How did I not manage to hook him? How did I ever let him slip through my fingers? Well I was only thirteen at the time, and hadn’t yet heard all the instructional songs about holding on loose or clinging too tight, and so my early true love died out before it began. And certainly he wasn’t the only that left me holding the line. And I’m sure that’s true for many of us.

If you’re finding yourself suddenly single this Valentine’s, and kicking yourself for the things that could have been, kick no more! Why not try searching out your old flame via the internet? There are many sites that boast of reuniting old high school friends, college roommates, and yes, old lovers. Check out these different sites, but remember, some sites may require membership or personal information such as addresses, and some may even require financial contribution on your part, so look through all the legal mumbo jumbo before you sign up. But true love lost is definitely worth searching for again, so happy hunting, and Happy Valentine’s Day.

www.classmates.com

www.peoplefinders.com

www.myoldmate.net

www.oldflings.com

Or search for lovies on your Facebook or MySpace accounts.
(Results may vary. No guarantee of reunited love provided. CADL claims no responsibility for disastrous outcomes .)

-Denelle H., Processing Clerk @ CADL

Saving the World From the Comfort of Your Computer

Ahh winter. The first fall of snowflakes, when it is suddenly acceptable to be five years old again and stick your tongue out to catch a little frozen goodness. The trees all looking like they belong in a Norman Rockwell painting. Houses full of family members eating delicious meals, ripping open colorful packages, sharing meaningful experiences, or carrying on unique and long held traditions. We cheer, we make merry, we festivate. (hope you like that, it’s my very own word). And then comes the middle of January. And suddenly all of that good cheer is gone.

We’re tired. Too much staying up all night with the siblings to see who gets the best score on Assassin’s Creed. We’re sluggish. Too much of the sister’s amazing berry pie, and carrot soup, and ham with raisin sauce. We’ve survived a whole lot of happiness, and now we’re stuck with a whole lot of overcast days and cold frigid mornings. And between now and spring what do we have to look forward to but more bad weather?

Ok, so snap out of it. You are like everyone else in the Midwest … you have the post holiday doldrums. If you are too tired to go out and do something fun, hop on your computer and start helping others! You don’t even have to put on your winter parka. Just get on your Facebook account and sign up for these applications. A click here, a click there and you will be helping many others in many ways, without picking your rump up off the chair. You’ll help donate money to the St. Jude’s Children Hospital, help protect our oceans, and even save acres of rainforest! You may not be able to live up to all your New Year’s resolutions, so start small. Start with a click. You’ll feel good about yourself, and then you can go back to the couch for some much needed shut eye.

Add these apps to your Facebook account:

Willy’s Sweet Shop (helps the St. Jude’s Children’s Fund)
Lil Green Patch (helps save the rainforest)
Send Good Karma (a part of Jambool, offering financial grants to those in need)
African Safari (helps families in Africa protect against Malaria)
Sea Garden (helps protect the oceans)
Sponsors donate money to these efforts as you play with the applications, so visit them often!

-Denelle H., Processing Clerk @ CADL

PS: Click here to Fan CADL on Facebook