Tuesday, March 23, 2004

5 Planets

Don't forget if you have clear skies to check out Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn sharing the evening sky.

Wednesday, March 17, 2004

Exercise

I joined Curves for Women last week and it is awesome!

I've only had two workouts, but I'm hooked. You alternate between aerobic exercise and 12 different resistance machines. The aerobics is done on these little shock-absorbent squares. Most people, me included, just jog in place, although some add arm movements or a little twisting action. I'm lucky I can stay upright. The resistance machines alternate between legs and arms and I can usually get in 12-15 reps before changing stations.

It's fast-paced, the constant movement between stations means I don't get bored, and they've got CDs of upbeat music playing. The workout is over before I even know it and I'm sweating enough to create my own river.

Safety First: There is always a monitor in the room who has been trained to watch everyone and make sure you are using the machines properly. And once per circuit you are prompted to check your heartrate and compare it to a chart on the wall.

It's only $30/month, I can go as often as I want, and the monthly price is locked for 3 years!

This is going to be a very good thing....

IMLS Grants to Libraries

The Institute of Museum and Library Services has awarded over $157 Million to State Libraries.

Some of my favorite quotes from the press release:

"Libraries will use federal funds to create and sustain a nation of learners."

"Libraries...connect people to knowledge and ideas and enhance their ability to learn throughout life, adapt to change readily, and evaluate information critically."

"{These}...funds help state library agencies make library resources and services, which can be prohibitively expensive to the individual, readily available to an entire community."

Can we please have a round of applause for our libraries?

Friday, March 05, 2004

Space Sounds

I am VERY excited about this site!

Let the intro page of SpaceSounds.com run for a few minutes and you'll hear a short history of humanity's steps into space. The actual site (click on SpaceSounds logo) contains both natural and manmade sounds.

I've only been able to listen to some of the sounds available from this amazing site. The download times are long, but more than worth it....

Some sounds include:
Black Hole
Two pulsars that rotate at different speeds
Sputnik
Communications from Gemini, Mercury, Apollo, and Shuttle missions

Tell your friends, especially the teachers!

Weblog Found

Today I discovered the answer to the question "Is anyone outside of IfA aware of the IfA Library Weblog?" (That's the one I maintain for work. There's a link to it over there on the right.)

I haven't sent the URL to anyone not connected with IfA (except personal friends), but today through Steven Cohen's Library Stuff, I was led to the Blog Without a Library site and found IfA listed on the right under "libraries doing good things with blogs." Hooray!!

Now I need to find out if anyone at IfA is paying attention to it....

This has also led me to wonder who reads this personal weblog. If you do, please drop me a quick note. The address can be found by going to Amy's Bookshelf (link on the right). I'd put my email address here, but I'm trying to cut down on spam (nasty, unhealthy stuff....). I promise to try to remember to list some of the blogs I read since some of them are really, really good.

Tuesday, March 02, 2004

Meet the Nasalnaut

This is one of those things that you never think about, but that makes complete sense when you're confronted with it: There are folks at NASA whose job it is to smell everything that's going on the Shuttle or to the Space Station. If I were ever on "Inside the Actors Studio" I think this would have to be my job that I wouldn't want to try!

When Ed Lu was here last month, he did talk about the lack of odors on the ISS and how powerful that first whiff of Earth was when they popped the hatch. He likened it to that wonderful moment after the flight from the mainland when they open the airplane door at Honolulu International and you catch that mix of ocean and flowers and moist tropical air....

More books equal better brains

This Miami Herald article explains that students who attend schools with better media centers (the 21st century version of libraries) perform better on tests: "Even as education officials put more importance on high-stakes testing, studies show they frequently forget about one room on campus that can make a difference in student achievement."

Anyone surprised?

Anyone got any brilliant ideas for finally getting this notion the attention that it deserves? Librarians have been extoling the virtues of our organizations for decades, but we're still ignored. Except when they're taking more money away from us....

Water on Mars!

NASA story
CNN story

Mars Exploration Rover Mission Home Page