The Director’s Chair
by Jim Blanton
When I first started out as a librarian, I envisioned a future of providing reference service and assisting patrons with locating books and information. While that certainly comprised a significant part of my job duties, almost from the word go I was drawn into the area of library programming. Unfortunately programming was a subject that was notably absent in my graduate school program. I vividly remember during the orientation week of my first professional position, sitting in a board room with other new librarians, and being told we would be responsible for coordinating two programs a year. At the time I had no idea what that would entail, but I dutifully nodded and figured I would work it all out later. Boy did I ever! Over the course of 12 years in Chesapeake, Virginia, I became well known in the community for doing large scale programming, 3 of which ended up winning statewide awards.
One of those award winners was a program called Fantasmo Cult Cinema Explosion. The program was concocted by me and a dedicated library volunteer named Rob Floyd. Both lovers of B-movies, we thought it would be cool to do a monthly series in which we would screen a double-feature of thematically similar, really bad movies. Added to that foundation we would also bring in guest speakers, and “enhance” the films with gimmicks employed from the days of old when all B-movies were accompanied by outrageous ballyhoo. The show proved to be a huge hit right out of the gate, and is still running to this day.
Beyond the pure fun of hosting Fantasmo, the most rewarding part of the program was seeing folks from the community interact with each other. Residents from all walks of life came out to the library on Friday nights. Parents and teens, teachers and college professors, local celebrities, elected officials (even the mayor) – and they all had a blast together! Folks would usually show up an hour before the movies just to talk about all things cinema related, and then for about 3-4 hours enjoy our antics and hoot and holler at the screen as the outrageously bad films played on. It was truly something to behold, and just one of the programs that taught me what an amazing place a library can be for bringing folks together (many who otherwise would never have met).
Upon arriving at the Daviess County Public Library, one of my primary goals was to start up programs that would pull in the community in a similar fashion. While doing a movie program at some point was on my radar, I was surprised when barely into my first full month I was approached by a local filmmaker, PJ Starks, about putting together a series. The concept was to bring in local filmmakers to screen and discuss their works across a wide variety of genres. Needless to say I was excited by the possibilities, as the concept added that important layer of community by screening films made by folks from the area. Long story short we held our first round of Unscripted over 6 weeks in January and February and received a fantastic response. Over two hundred movie lovers attended and the local PBS affiliate even came out to capture the proceedings.
Most importantly, those who came to Unscripted were engaged in the same way I had experienced with Fantasmo and other programs I had coordinated back in Chesapeake. They were talking with each other and connecting in a meaningful way. Better still we had many participants who were not regular library users, and some visiting for the first time. That was always a thrill for me in Chesapeake, especially when I would see program participants coming back to the library to read and hang out, check out materials, or attend other programs. It just took the right hook to get them interested and aware of all the great things the library can be. With Unscripted I had staff members coming up and excitedly pointing out to me how there were so many folks they had never seen before in the library. My response to that observation was – this is only the beginning!
As for Unscripted, we will shortly be holding our second series, again with a diverse range of films. But that’s not all! We think it’s important to keep the community informed about the artists working locally more than just a couple of times a year, so to that end we’re launching an Unscripted page here on the web site which will feature interviews, blogs, trailers, and more. We hope you’ll keep visiting the site and checking out the latest and greatest indie films, and of course join us live for our shows. See you at the movies!
FREE Text
by Wesley Johnson
A text message is made up of a very small amount of data. That fact has caused many to wonder over the years why it costs so much to send one. Search the internet and you’ll find many in depth articles attempting to find the reason behind the cost. Despite all the effort, though, no one has arrived at a logical conclusion. A few years ago, the always on the rise price of text messaging inspired me to drop my plan and seek an alternate method of using my phone to communicate with friends without having to actually talk to them. My quest eventually led me to the greatness that is Google Voice.
Before I explain to you what Google Voice is, allow me to tell you what it was: GrandCentral. This service, created in the early 2000s by a company bearing the same name, granted its users the ability to use one telephone number on multiple devices – cell phones, land lines, PCs, etcetera. Their slogan was “one phone number for all your phones, for life.” Google, apparently keen on the idea of one number to rule them all, purchased the company for approximately $50 million in 2007. Google quietly retooled GrandCentral over the next two years and rereleased it in 2009 as Google Voice.
Now that you’ve had your history lesson, let’s talk features. Google Voice offers the following: one number for calling & texting on multiple devices (note: calls use your data plan in lieu of phone minutes), text plan-free texting (note: texting uses your data plan, too), insanely cheap international calling rates, transcripts of voice mails emailed and/or texted to you, and more! Unfortunately, that impressive list of pros comes with one big con: porting your current number to the service will require you to pay a $20 fee, break your current cell phone contract (another, larger fee) and start another with a different number. If you elect not to port, you’ll be asked to pick from a list of alternate numbers that use your area code. The one you chose and your old number will ring through to your device; however, the Google Voice features will only apply to your new number. The service is officially compatible with Android, iOS (iPads, iPhones, and iPod Touch devices); it is accessible on Windows Phone 8 via third-party apps like MetroTalk, GoVoice and Free Talk (Google’s web-based app works as well). Sidebar: I used GoVoice during my brief time with Windows Phone 7 and it worked pretty well. Have I piqued your interest? If so, visit voice.google.com to give it a go yourself.
Several other, less-robust apps exist that allow free-to-cheap texting on mobile devices. Apple has cornered the market on this with iMessage. Introduced with iOS 6.0, iMessage allows for free texting between Apple iDevices. Using Google Voice in tandem with Google Voice works quite well for me. I do fear that when I ask people if they have an iPhone after they give me their number will think I’m a snob, though. In the future, perhaps I’ll pass new friends a copy of this article so that they understand.
Here are three of the aforementioned less-robust free-to-cheap text/instant messaging mobile apps with a brief description.
Text Plus
Text Plus offers free texting & calling through a randomly assigned number. Unlike Google Voice, it allows you to send photos and use it as a walkie talkie. Here’s the negative: its advertisement supported and the number you’re given doesn’t use your area code. The later may cause those you call to mistake you as a telemarketer and ignore your call. Those two negative factors aside, Text Plus offers a fairly enjoyable user experience.
KaKao Talk
(Android, iOS, Blackberry and Windows Phone)
This well-designed app is actually a cleverly disguised instant messenger program for your phone. Your phone number acts as your screen name; you may call and text (videos & photos, too) anyone on your buddy list for free. Features include humorous voice filters, walkie-talkie functionality and animated emoticons (this probably isn’t your thing, but your kids will love it). The big disadvantage to KaKao Talk is that the people you converse with must be on the service.
IMO
(Android, iOS, Blackberry, Nokia)
Like KaKao Talk, IMO is essentially an instant messaging program for your phone (when you think about it, texts and IMs are like distant cousins). It’s unique in that it pulls multiple social & IM contacts – Facebook, Google Talk, Yahoo, Skype and more – into the app and allows you to message them on the go. There’s an IMO exclusive messaging service, too. This is all presented to you in a clean and easy to use interface
Searching your app store of choice for the phrase “free text messaging” will present to you many more options than the ones I’ve highlighted here. I trust these three apps. No matter if you try one of these apps or decide to seek out another, be sure to closely pay attention while setting them up. Not every app store is curated; therefore, there’s a slim danger that something nefarious could find its way to your phone. Better to be safe than sorry.
Apps: The One I Can’t Live Without!
by Brian Lashbrook
When people ask me what is the one app I cannot live without, I don’t have to even think about it. The fact that nobody ever asks me that question doesn’t stop me from volunteering the answer. The answer is…wait… let me look it up in Evernote. Oh yeah, the answer is “Evernote”!
A few years ago I was tasked with finding a Mac alternative to Microsoft’s OneNote application. The company I was with at the time was considering a switch from PC to Mac, and several employees had collected vast reams of notes in OneNote. While most Microsoft Office applications are available on the PC and the Mac, OneNote was relatively new and therefore exclusive to Windows. Microsoft used OneNote as leverage to keep customers from doing exactly what we were planning to do, switch to Mac.
At the same time, I desired a universal note-taking application for my own use. I had just acquired my first smartphone, and decided to make a valiant effort to shake off the bonds of pen and paper. One of my job duties was to research database products for storing and sharing content, and the amount of information I amassed was growing exponentially. I had handwritten notes in my scattered notebooks, website bookmarks in my browser, files stored to an array of USB drives, Post-It notes stuck to every flat surface, pictures and video on my smartphone, stacks of printouts stacked yonder and fore and jammed in binders and folders, and myriad emails-to-self infesting my Inbox. To make matters more difficult, I was collecting this information on two PC’s, a MacBook, and a Linux server, as the different operating systems were a vital part of my research. In the infomercial dramatization of my plight, the actor playing me would twist his face in frustration and throw fistfuls of paper and electronics in the air and shout “Serenity Now!” In the viral video version, a large elephant’s foot would flatten my character and a serious voice would intone “Evernote! Remember Everything.” as the green and black logo was stamped upon the screen.
“What is Evernote”, you ask? Evernote is a cloud-based note taking and organizing application. “Cloud-based” simply means your notes are stored on the Internet, across multiple web servers. You never have to worry about backing them up or losing them. As long as you can access the Internet, you can access your notes. You can create, edit, search notes using any web browser or the Windows or Mac OS application. However, the real power of Evernote is unleashed on your smartphone or tablet. Armed with the Evernote app and your smartphone’s camera and microphone, you can literally accomplish Evernote’s slogan “Remember Everything.” Let me give you some real-life examples of how I use Evernote.
Say I’m attending Conference XYZ in Anywhere USA. I’m staying in the same hotel as the conference hall, and I carry my laptop to my morning conference. Using Evernote.com or the Evernote application, I diligently type notes. I’ll create a Notebook in Evernote specifically for Conference XYZ to organize my notes. The speaker informs us that the PowerPoint presentation she’s using is on her web site. I browse to her web site, download the presentation, and attach it to my note. I add “tags” to the note to help me find it later. Tags are keywords that help you categorize notes by subject or content. I add tags that have meaning to me. For instance, I might call Conference XYZ the “XYZ fest”. No one else knows what I mean by XYZ fest, but that’s the first term that pops into my head when I think of the conference. So I add the tags “Conference”, “XYZ”, and “fest”. Now in the future when I can only recall “XYZ” or “XYZ fest”, or I can only remember it was “that conference”, I’ll be able to locate the correct notes using my custom tags. Not only that, Evernote will add a location tag including the street address. If the only thing I remember from the XYZ conference is that it was in Anywhere USA, I can search for all notes created in Anywhere USA.
The next day of the conference, we are going on a field trip. Instead of lugging my laptop around, I rely on the Evernote app on my smartphone to record notes. If you text very often, you should find it easy to take notes with your thumbs. Luckily (or perhaps unluckily) we are presented with another PowerPoint slideshow. I use Evernote to snap pictures of the slides and type a few brief notes when necessary. Later I will be able to search the text of the slides because Evernote recognizes words in pictures and makes them searchable. Cool, huh? Now the presenter is answering a question that is not covered in the slideshow and my thumbs are too slow to capture everything. I have a couple of options: I can record the presenter’s voice in Evernote, or I can take old-fashioned pen and paper notes. I opt for taking notes on paper. After the presentation, I use Evernote to snap a picture of my notes. Evernote even recognizes my sloppy handwriting! Later, I will be able to search my handwritten notes in Evernote as easily as I search my typed notes.
The third and final day of the conference, I happen to have acquired the company tablet. The tablet Evernote app has all the perks of the smartphone app – camera, microphone, and portability – with the added bonus of a large screen. I can still record audio and snap pictures, but now I have a larger keyboard. However, there is a stylus with this tablet. Goodbye, paper and pen! So long, awkward glass keyboard! I’m going to handwrite my note directly into Evernote! This tablet is already loaded with a couple of apps for doing just that – Evernote’s Penultimate and MyScript Notes Mobile. MyScript Notes Mobile is enticing because it will convert my handwritten notes into text before placing them into Evernote. This would save me time if I had to re-type my notes for sharing. I’m a doodler and these notes are for my eyes only, so I choose Penultimate. I like the way it smoothes out my writing like a nice ballpoint pen. So I write directly on the tablet’s surface, letting Penultimate capture my words and doodles as if I were writing in a notebook. Evernote will allow me to search through the text of my notes later.
That night Conference XYZ winds up with a big networking blowout at Chef Boy O’ Dee’s Cuisine in downtown Anywhere. The meal is so delicious, I use the Evernote Food app on my smartphone to remember it. I meet new friends and capture their contact information in the Evernote Hello app.
Later that evening, I check my email. My boss wants me to recap the conference at next week’s staff meeting. I forward his email to my Evernote address. I open Evernote and move the email from the Inbox to the “Conference XYZ” notebook. All of my notes are there, from the laptop, smartphone, and tablet. I create a new note, a to-do list complete with checkboxes, for next week’s meeting. I go to sleep without worries, knowing Evernote has remembered everything for me.
Check out Evernote.com or Evernote in the App Store or Google Play Store for more details. Evernote plays well with numerous apps and devices. Evernote is “freemium” software, meaning you can use it for free or access additional features for a small fee.
Would you like to try Evernote, but don’t have a smartphone or even a phone of average intelligence? No problem! At the Daviess County Public Library you can check out an iPad — yes, an iPad! — for up to three hours a day. You can test drive many of the apps mentioned in the SmartPhone Companion. Not only that, you can use the iPads to surf the Internet, play games, stay in touch with friends, and much, much more.
Private Eyes Watching You?
by Wesley Johnson
Are you guilty of online vanity searching? No, I don’t mean looking for bathroom furniture; a “vanity search” is dropping your name, age and hometown into your search engine of choice to gauge how popular you are online. I’ve done this numerous times and the results I’m given often evoke feelings of disappointment and rage. Disappointment due to the lack of forum posts about my rugged good looks & majestic head of hair; rage due to there being other Wesley Johnsons (presumably with less-rugged good looks and hair that’s only somewhat majestic) and personal information aggregators. The latter topic will be the focus of this article.
A personal information aggregator is essentially a social network you’re signed up for without permission. These sites scrape personal information you’ve left on various websites (i.e. Facebook, Friendster, MySpace, Twitter) and compile it into one profile. A portion of this profile is viewable to any member of the public that searches “your name, your age and your town.” Super sensitive details tend to be kept behind a paywall (paywall: (noun) a virtual gate only a paid subscriber may pass); interested parties, to the best of my knowledge, don’t have to meet any criteria to access the information provided they have the cash. To many, including my friend Joseph M of Greenville, KY who’s in the Federal Witness Protection Program, sites like these are a problem. Oh! Sorry about that, Joe; I guess you’ll be moving again. Please let me know your new address once you’ve settled in.
One of my many self-Googles led me to a profile created for me on MyLife.com (you’ve probably noticed their “See Who’s Googling You!” advertisements). Here’s the information it listed: name, age, living history and immediate family (their ages, too). It was almost one-hundred percent accurate! This, I’m sure, can be blamed on my active online life (not to mention my father’s obsession with spilling details on various high school & college reunion websites). Even though I’m attention-starved and desperate for friends, this didn’t sit well with me. I put a bit of research into removing myself from the site and found that I had three options –emailing them, “officially” signing up to determine what details are publicly viewable, or calling them (a “service fee” may apply). After unsuccessfully trying the first two, I dialed their call center and spoke with a customer service representative. A few moments later, my profile was pulled from the site and I wasn’t charged a thing. Good job, MyLife.com; you all win the Wesley Seal of Approval for quickness and understanding.
Removing yourself from these types of sites can be a cumbersome affair. It’s generally thought that some sites in this category overcomplicate the removal process in hopes of inspiring people to give up. I suggest that everyone reading this do a self-Google (or drop your details into any other search engine) and see what sites have cobbled together a profile for you. If you find an un-wanted listing (or any gossip-y message board chatter), look at the site in question’s F.A.Q. (Frequently Asked Questions) page for information on how to expunge yourself from it. A few businesses – TrueRep.com, ReputationChanger.com, and Reputation.com – have cropped up in recent years to help protect your online identity. Even MyLife.com offers a “personal record remover” that will extract your information from some personal information aggregators. Make sure you thoroughly research any sort of reputation protection company before signing on with them to ensure their integrity is sound.
No matter what you call it – vanity searching, ego-surfing, self-Googling, braggadocio-Binging (shout out to Thesaurus.com) – it’s smart to be aware of what people are saying about you online. You don’t want potential employers acquiring misinformation tweeted by an ex-best friend or posted Topix.com.