Mental Graffiti
The Writings on the Wall. Tagging the Intellect!
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Setting up Chromecast
1. Change your TV source to the appropriate HDMI port and then this screen displays.
2. Visit google.com/chromecast/setup on a laptop, phone, or tablet and set things up.

4. Continue.
5. Input wireless credentials.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Everyone Should (Still) Be Concerned About Proposed Legislation (SOPA and PIPA)
Image source: http://goo.gl/un3nB |
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
“A New Hope for Books”
Friday, September 30, 2011
Is Instantaneous Access to Information Good?
![]() |
Find the needle in this haystack. |
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Will Amazon Offer Purchasing and/or Donation Options for Library-Owed E-Books?
Monday, September 12, 2011
Chad Mairn, CTO of Novare, publishes a chapter on Mobile-Optimized Library Resources and Services
Monday, February 28, 2011
It Is Time To Negotiate Change
![]() |
Photo by Maggie Smith |
There will be an “eBook Trends and Practices” track at the 2011 Computers in Libraries conference.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Mobile library website fits in your pocket!

Although the SPC Library website has been optimized for mobile users, the time has come to utilize innovative technologies for the new generation of touch screen mobile devices.
SPC Librarian Chad Mairn designed the library’s new mobile-optimized “touch” website interface to act much like an application for an iPhone or other mobile devices. But unlike most applications, the website is entirely web-based and no downloads or updates are required.
“The trend is moving more toward mobile, and once students know that a website is mobile-optimized, they’ll be using it more,” Mairn said. “If a site doesn’t look well on my mobil device, I just won’t use it.”
The new mobile-optimized website, designed for on-the-go users, includes:
To access the mobile library, visit www.spcollege.edu/central/libonline/touch on your mobile device or scan this QR code to gain instant access. For more information or to provide comments, please contact Chad Mairn. Special thanks to Yuka Takayama for helping code the mobile redirect script. |
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Abandon Ownership!
Monday, November 15, 2010
Handheld Librarian 4 Online Conference: Call for Program Proposals!
The Handheld Librarian 4 (HHLib4) conference will feature interactive, live online sessions and links to recorded events following the conference. HHLib4 is interested in a broad range of submissions that highlight current, evolving, and future issues in mobile library services. This year, HHLib4 will feature a program track with presentations by graduate library students. These include but are not limited to the following program tracks:
- ebooks
- location-based social networking
- augmented reality
- apps
- device and OS trends
- QR codes
- reference
- mobile trend spotting
- mobile technologies impacting society
- web/app development best practices
Proposal Submissions:
Submit your proposal by completing the webform at http://www.handheldlibrarian.org/submissions-form by December 1, 2010. Online presentations may be conducted in one of four formats:
- a 45-minute live online session (i.e. synchronous webcast)
- a 15 minute student presentation ***
- a 10 minute live online session or
- a pre-recorded presentation (i.e. narrated web tour or slides).
- Conduct your session using Adobe Connect (computer, Internet, mic required)
- Provide a digital photo of yourself for the conference website
- Respond to questions from attendees
- Attend an online 30-60 minute training on Adobe Connect prior to the conference
Thank you for considering submitting a proposal. If you have questions, please contact:
Lori Bell, lbell927@gmail.com
Tom Peters, TAP Information Services, tpeters@tapinformation.com
Susan Manning, LearningTimes, susan@ltgreenroom.org
Friday, November 12, 2010
Social Media Quick Guide
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Hello Android!
Hello Android!
Well, I finally made my decision to move away from Blackberry and to start using Android. My Blackberry was great the first year, but it really started to have issues the second year. For example, it would drop calls unpredictably and became pathetically slow even after multiple reinstalls. Regardless, I won’t dwell on my Blackberry woes because, for the most part, it was a good phone.
So, let’s rewind two weeks. I started exploring other cell phone carriers and then started reviewing the overwhelming world of smart phones. My wife and I looked at the 3 main carriers: Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. T-Mobile had the best deal for us (we have 5 phones on our plan) and we both were able to upgrade to Samsung Vibrant (Galaxy S) phones with the Android 2.1 operating system (Kernel version: 2.6.29). Playing with this phone in the store sold me instantly. I was, quite frankly, blown away by the speed, intuitive interface, the crisp high-definition screen that was flawlessly playing the preloaded ‘Avatar’ movie. Oh, and Swype texting is awesome. I don’t need a keyboard anymore. Okay, so I won’t go into all the technical specifications, but if you are interested visit http://galaxy-s.t-mobile.com/samsung-android-galaxy-phone for more information.
I did play with an iPhone and loved it too, but the Samsung phone seemed much smoother and quicker to me. Plus the screen is way better in my opinion.
So, I have had my Samsung phone for a little over 2 weeks and I am still in love. Here are some of my favorite apps so far:
A Online Radio – online radio plays MP3/M3U/PLS/AAC channels, shoutcast/icecast etc.
Aldiko – eBook Reader.
Barcode Scanner - scan product barcodes, Data Matrix and QR Codes. Also share your contacts, apps, and bookmarks via QR Code.
Congress – keep up with new legislation, contact info for legislators etc.
Dolphin Browser HD – an excellent browser that offers tabs, add-ons, and much more. My favorite add-on is the Dolphin Reader, which provides an “interference-free reading environment.”
Evernote – create notes, tag them, and sync from anywhere.
Fring – free video calls.
Google (Talk, Voice, Maps with Latitude, Google Goggles so you can use pictures to search the web).
Kindle – eBook reader.
Kobo - eBook reader.
Laputa – eBook reader.
Layar – Augmented reality with multiple layers.
mSpot – send 2 GBs of your music to the “cloud” and listen from your phone or any other connected device.
NetQFree – manage your Netflix queue and read reviews etc.
Nook – eBook Reader
News apps (NPR News, NYTimes, TechNews)
Pandora – free personalized radio.
PocketCloud – remotely access your desktop.
Rhapsody – listen to a huge collection of music anytime and from anywhere.
TaskOS – task manager.
TweetCaster – Twitter application.
TweetDeck – Twitter application.
YouTube – for mobile!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
The time is now for digital textbooks, http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/oreilly/radar/atom/~3/7fTVWn9thKI/punctuated-equilibrium-httpbit.html