julieland

From today’s NYTimes Circuits newsletter

Tip of the Week: Look Up Books at Your Library From Home

By J. D. BIERSDORFER

Summer is a great time to catch up on your reading. You might even be able to look up books available at your library with the WorldCat database.

This is news? Even dinky libraries have online catalogs these days. I guess I should be glad they’ve even mentioned libraries, but it seems a little silly. WorldCat can’t tell you if the book is checked out, can’t place a hold, etc. But if folks click on their closest library, they should be transported to their library’s catalog, and maybe they’ll learn something!

Our boy is six years old! Here’s the proof of his forthcoming trading card to give to the kids at Brenner’s Children’s Hospital:

So ever since we have been digging ROCK BAND (see photo gallery), we have been using Microsoft Points to buy new songs, and also to rent movies and a couple of TV episodes from channels we don’t get. To add to our points online, we can put in a credit card either on the website, or through the xbox. Insty-gratification makes this waaay too easy to buy new songs on the fly, or order up something to watch. However, just try to gift someone else with points - there is no way to do this online!! I checked with Xbox Customer Support, who said

I regret to inform you that it is not possible to buy MS Points for someone else via website or Xbox Live, as you need to sign in and make purchases with your profile in order to do so. The only way to buy MS Points for your husband would be via MS Points cards. I apologize once again for this.

How stoopid! You have to purchase a physical card and mail it. And not in an envelope, that would be too easy. The points cards are encased in a clamshell that requires a box.

On Saturday, for Artie’s birthday, we went to Carolina Ziplines in Stokes County - reminded me of some of the shenanigans my daredevil older brother used to set up in the backyard . . . only this was safer, I think!

I was resisting yet another browser plugin, Microsoft’s Silverlight, but it’s worth it to browse the Hard Rock Memorabilia site. Now you can gawk at John Lennon’s handwritten lyrics, Bo Diddley’s homemade guitar,  and the Beatles’ Magical Mystery tour bus without having to endure gobs of tourists and crappy food.

p.s. Silverlight works in Firefox!

“How can a state send both Republican conservative Jesse Helms and Democratic populist John Edwards to the U.S. Senate?”

- Rob Christensen’s opinion piece on washingtonpost.com

Oddball politics makes for good entertainment!

my feed is here - where’s yours?

Cool artist themes for your iGoogle page! A nice diverse selection that includes Dale Chihuly, Akira Isogawa, Todd Oldham, Tory Burch, Anne Geddes, and, oddly enough, the Beastie Boys, Lance Armstrong, and The Wiggles !?!

Alternet item on the endangered species of woman referred to as broads, “You know, those larger-than-life women who swore like sailors, threw back shots of whiskey, sounded like they’d swallowed whole packs of cigarettes, and aged without apology.”

Something I have aspired to, surely, in the tradition of Mae West and Ann Richards. But I’m surprised by the disqualifications and suspect that “broads don’t blog” was a flippant way to eliminate Rosie O’Donnell. I definitely don’t blog in haiku. I dislike haiku.

I do meet several of the criteria, including:” . . . not the librarian with glasses and her hair in a bun who then tosses her glasses and shakes out her hair to lure a man. She’s the librarian. Period.”

[original post at popmatters]

I have been threatening to cut back my overgrown boxwoods for years, and finally started the scalping today. I was about 3/4 of the way through the right side when I discovered a very small bird’s next with SIX eggs in it. My bushes will have to look stupid for a while!! As I write this, the mama has returned to the nest and is fussing over it.

I believe it is a SPARROW - she looks like this. She’s not happy about any of this, so I’ll stop trying to take her picture and leave her alone.