Back from the so called dead

Hi everyone,

 Wookieboy's back on the air...after 5 fracking years.

 Now let's see where to begin? Okay:

1) I'm an uncle now. Out of respect for my niece, sister and brother-in-law, I won't be giving out many details here on the blog. If you know who I am irl, contact me, and I'll fill you in on the cuteness.

2) Job status: still hunting. If you're an employer reading this through my LinkedIn profile, I look forward to hearing from you.

 3) Relationship status: <redacted>

 4) Location: Still in Exile on Main Street

"This is one boring honking post,Wookie!" I hear you saying. "Liven it friggin' up, already." My response: "Please, give me a little bit! I'm rustier than the Titanic over here!"  I jest, of course. Hopefully things'll be back flowing again soon.

Roar at ya later,

Woox

Update 4/1/2009

Hi Everyone...

...Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's been a year, I know.

This have been a tad chaotic for me. I've left the Skokie Library and am currently job search in my new home of Youngstown, Ohio. All I can say is: I'm determined to find a library job!!!!

Yes, I admit it, I'm a book addict. One Step down, eleven left to go.

On an unrelated note, Cornflicker was supposed to hit the fan today. Yeah, and Y2K was the apocalypse... :(


...it's the old "I'll believe it when I see it" complex.

Well, gotta run. I've got a secret project to get back to.

-Wookieboy

Rise of the Machines


Yep, I'm back with more weirdness....

...The Skynet Funding Bill is passed. The system goes on-line August 4th, 1997. Human decisions are removed from strategic defense. Skynet begins to learn at a geometric rate. It becomes self-aware at 2:14 a.m. Eastern time, August 29th. In a panic, they try to pull the plug....

...For those that don't recognise the above quote, it's from the movie Terminator 2: Judgment Day. If you read the article it links to, you'll see why I chose the quote. :(

Roar at you more later. :)

-WookieBoy

If you want my body...


Hi Everybody,

Yep, 1st post of '08.

Just as a heads up, I've added new link off to the right. It's marked "Newbie Nudes", and IT'S NOT WORK SAFE. In other words, don't click on it if you're under 18, at work, or otherwise not looking for anything puriant. If you do want to take a lookie-loo, and aren't covered by any of the afore mentioned clauses, by all means, go right ahead and enjoy. ;)

In other news, sorry I've been away for a while. Things have been a smidge chaotic for me. I'm not at liberty to say much out of respect for some of the people involved, but basicly the old rule of "bad things happening in 3s" was in effect for me. :( If you're in my "inner circle" you know about things, otherwise, things are copacetic now. :)

Well, were to the part of the show where I post the "wacky and wicked cool" websites...

The first up is The 80's Movie Rewind. It's a great retro themed website that covers all the '80s movies us Gen-Xers remember so fondly...an IMDB of '80s goodness if you will. :)

Next up is the first in a series of Bert and Ernie parodies an YouTube. Be warned, it's not kid safe, but it's hilarious! The rest of the series can be found here. Viagra Milk, anyone... ;)

Unfortunatly, I need to scoot. I'm dead tired and am desperate need of some shut-eye. Trust me, you don't want to see a cranky Wookie...

Roar at you again soon. :)

-Wookie

Updates and Trifles

Hi everyone, sorry I've been away for a while. Life just gets in the way, sometimes. :(

Well, just as a heads up, my dad's just retired from his job. That means that there might be some changes for me. So don't be too surprised if my listed local changes.

In other news, I've found a great web comic called Two Lumps. All you cat owners out there will really appreciate it.

Also, for the Disney fan out there...check this out! Bet you didn't know about that... ;)

Well, gotta run for now. Nature calls and such.

-Wookie Boy

Wookx and Workx

Well, here we are again. I guess it must be fate. ;)

I was doing my daily reading of C-Net News and found an interesting reference in one their articles. The article was about a gent that collected old computers. He in turn decided to show off his collection on his website. Said website can be found here and is just a touch scary. I say "scary" because it's a bit painful to see how primitive some of what we all used back in the '70s & '80s was. Believe it or not, most of the computers on the earlier side of things didn't use floppies...but instead used cassette tapes! Creepy stuff, huh?

And now for something completely different...to quote Monty Python.

Have you ever wondered if that weird old roadside tourist trap from family vacations long past is still around? If you do wonder than you might want to check out Roadside America. It's a good travelog of all of those kitschy "roadside attractions" of family car trips and vacation odysseys. One of the easier ways to navigate the site is to go to the top of the page and click on the "U.S. Map" link. There you can go state by state and experience the goofiness. For example here in Illinois there's :

A Popeye statue in Chester
Arcola's Hippie Memorial
The McDonald's Museum over in Des Plaines
Downstate, the city of Metropolis has declared itself "The Hometown of Superman"
Gays has a double decker outhouse
There's a golden pyramid in Wadsworth
And I can't go without mentioning the Leaning Tower YMCA up the street in Niles

And that just a sampling from Illinois. You should see some of the stuff from other parts of the country. (Try here and here for two examples)...

Well, gotta run. It's just about time for me to go to lunch.

Roar at ya again soon,

Wookie Boy

Ten Things - Part Three

Thing Nine

I played with Google Docs a while and am underwhelmed. The biggest advantage I can see with it id the fact that any spreadsheet or document you create with it can be accessed anywhere there's a net connection. Otherwise, it's an over glorified e-mail program. I personally prefer BBEdit. It may be offline, but it's scads more powerful. In addition to text editing, it also handles web development, command line, and is also a programing environment. It's the type of thing I wish I had 20 odd years ago, when I was a snot nosed hacker. ;)

I also had a chance to play with Google SMS when it rolled out a while . It's a nice idea, but a pain in the butt to use with the cell phone key pad. If I wanted web browsing on my cell, I'd buy an IPhone. ;)



Thing Ten

The library does have an excellent web presence. If you look over on the right side of my blog you'll notice it's one of my links. In fact, I recommend our site as a good place to start when people ask me where to start looking for something (the other site I mention is Google). In all honesty, I think our site's one of the best around. :)

On the Digital Books thing I've downloaded one or two of the tech books in the past. It's a pretty good idea. Unfotunatly, I'm a bit of a Luddite when it comes to books. I prefer to have a dead tree version in my hand rather than two digital copies on my computer. Plus who brings their laptop with them to read books? To use the Internet, play games, or get work done certainly. But to read books? Come now, that foolishness. ;)

Digital audiobooks are a very good idea. Rent or buy, they can be a major help in getting through a book one's been itching to read. For auidobooks, I prefer to actually buy the CDs, but I know a good amount of people that buy them off of ITunes (for example) or check them out from our digital collection. All the feedback I've heard is positive.

Well that's officially it. All 10 things. As John McClane one said: "Yippie-ki-yay, (bad word deleted) !" ;)

Have fun and I'll be roaring at you again soon,

Wookie

Thing 5:





Canfield, Ohio library - front, originally uploaded by theskokieten.

Well this is the front of the Canfield, Ohio library. The pic doesn't do justice to how small the thing is.

It's a good library though. :) It helped me get through many a boring summer during my teen years. Just so you know, I have family in Canfield, which is why I go there.

Believe you me, I prefer Photobucket to Flickr any day of the week, mainly due to the fact that a good amount of websites I use take it and not Flickr.

Thing Six:

Well I went on del.icio.us and posted one of my favorite websites: Snopes ! Snopes has been a great help to me when family and friends try and spread the latest and greatest Urban Legend. I just run it though Snopes' search tool and as they said on the Sopranos "Bada-boom Bada-bing". Just one warning, though. Every so often some form of urban legend with a really gross or disturbing picture turns up. Snopes marks it with something to the effect of "Warning! Graphic content!", but it can occasionally be easy to miss.

Thing Seven:

I prefer not to use my blog to keep track of my podcasts. Since I'm a Mac user, I use ITunes to do what's described in Thing Seven.

Ironically, I've been listing to Podcasts since at least 2003. Some of the Podcasts I really enjoy are Hometown Tales (Because every town has one), Off The Hook (which is a radio show from WBAI in New York in Podcast form), and WebbAlert (This is a great tech roundup, plus Morgan Webb's wit is just dead on). In terms of library useage, I can see how it has a place for disseminating information, especially to patrons that would otherwise not be served or would normally have little interest in library goings on.


Thing Eight:

Ok, I've made an entry or two on the 10 things wiki. Please excuse my goofiness over there, I can't help it.

Wikis are yet another thing I've had experience with. I'm already on Wikipedia under the username "Twycross", and have done some editing on the "Battletech" article. I'm also on the Battletech Wiki (again under Twycross). From using both wikis I've noticed that the Battletech wiki is more cohesive and less fractious than Wikipedia. There are fewer flame wars and less defacement of articles. I guess that could be considered a definition of "irony" - a wiki about a wargame being peaceful.

10 Things Post 1


Hi to everyone @ Skokie Public Library reading my blog!

Thing 1 - Blogging:

As you can see, I've been blogging for quite a while. It's a fun way to get out your thoughts and viewpoints. It's also a method of keeping friends and loved ones updated on your goings on.

There no real format you have to follow when blogging. You can be as formal or as free as you want. It's up to you. :) Just remember to have fun and talk about things you want.

One warning, though. You need to remember that once you've hit the "Publish Post" button, your words are irrevocably out in the open. Places like The Internet Archive's Wayback Machine archive just about everything. That means that even if you revise or delete a blog post, there's still a copy of it.

Yes, dear blogger, there is such a thing as a permanente record. :(


Thing 2 - RSS Feeds:

Believe it or not, I do read RSS Feeds. I just don't link to them via Google. I use a dedicated "Feed Reader", which is also called an Aggregator. I normally have it set to check the Chicago Tribune, C-Net News, the BBC, and CNN among other places. This is how I keep up with the news when I don't get a chance to watch it at 10 P.M. on TV. Plus, it comes to me instead of me going to it.

Also, I've attached an RSS feed to my blog in case anyone's intereested.

Thing 3 - Instant Messaging:

Believe it or not, I was doing this back in the early '90s. IMing (which is shorthand for Instant Messaging) first appeared on the Internet scene back then as part of the America Online package, which I was (foolishly) using back then. I immediately dove in feet first and ended racking up a $500 phone bill (there was no such thing as "high speed internet" in those days, everything Internet was done via dialup). Needless to say, that phone bill hurt. I've since sworn off any and all forms of IMing, but I can do it if needed. If you want to look for me, I still have an AOL account (twicross@aol.com) and I still pop up on AIM when I log in to check my mail there.

Thing 4 - Socal Networking:

Yep, I'm already on MySpace as well. You can find me here. MySpace is interesting, mainly because it started out as a site designed for musicians, promoters, and record labels to link up and hob-knob. When those of use music fans found out about it, we started signing up as well. One thing led to another, and as they said on the Sopranos "Bada-Boom, Bada-Bing", a phenomena was born.


I'm also on Librarything as well. You can find me here and here.


Well gotta run for now. You know...the whole "duty calls" thing. :)

-Wookie Boy

Hello to the early-bird SPL crowd!


To those that haven't read my blog before, let me introduce myself. I'm Josh "Wookie Boy" Ellis...yes..the Adult Services computer lab geek that looks like a short, pudgy Chewbaca.

I'm posting now to welcome all of those that have started to read my blog early, and to check the ATOM & RSS features I just added.

Also, I found one or two goofy websites everyone might get a laugh out of:

1) Think Geek. It's a site filled with all sorts of goofy and somewhat nerdy goodies. Caffinated soap anyone?

2) American Science and Surplus. For those that have never heard of the local gem, it's a place the sells everything from educational toys, through military surplus, to all sorts of electronic odds and ends. It's one of those places you might wonder weather or not might actually ever visit, but one you're there, it's a real kick.

3) The Internet Archive. Have you ever wondered what Yahoo looked like back when it first started? Do you wonder how Enron's website looked like on the company closed forever? You can the answers to both questions, and much more, on The Internet Archive. They have snapshots of old web pages as well as audio, video, and text archives. It's amazing what you can find on here. And it's now considered a library.

4) Gethuman. This is a website that can be very helpful in actually getting a warm body on the phone when calling a telephone help line. It has a compilation of major companies help lines and how to actually get to a person instead of jumping through all the hoops that are placed in our way.

Well, gotta run for now. I'll be posting again soon. :)

-Wookie Boy

Hello out there!


Hi everyone. I know, I know...yet another long jump between posts. I've just been a bit busy is all.

For those regular readers, my co-workers at the Skokie Library will be joining in the fun shortly. We're all on a journey of "Internet discovery" as part of a collective drive toward technological savvy, after all.

Ok, to strip away all the Dilbert-ian bueracratesse, were all being shown how to use the more popular aspects of the Internet so we can help our patrons better.

For all my fellow SPL-ers, you're free to read everything I've posted. Mi blog es su material de la lectura. :)

Just so you know, my Spanish is horrible. I got the above Spanish translated from English in the Babblefish function in AltaVista. AltaVista is a lesser known competitor of Yahoo and Google. It's strong suites are language translation and searching for music or sound.

Well, gotta run. Dinner's ready.

-Wookie Boy

I'm BAAAAAAAACK!


Hi Everyone,

Sorry 'bout being absent for so long. Long story, short blog. ;)

I've found a new hobby in my absence, lock picking.

Yep, you heard me correctly. Lock picking.

No, I haven't gone all criminal or anything. It's been a hobby in the hacker community for ages, and it's gaining popularity as a general thing. It's truly interesting, and more than a little scary, to see how easily locks can be popped open with a little skill. Just as a heads up, there are areas of the country where if you're caught with lock picks, you're screwed. It all depends on what you're state law is.

Trust your old Uncle Wookie, it's fun stuff.

OK, now for a few unadorned and unadulterated links:

Manufacturers:
SouthOrd - The type of picks I'm using. Great quality & reasonable prices.
Peterson International - Higher end picks. Also higher prices, but you get what you pay for.
HPC - Don't have too much info on these guys, but am including them for completeness.

Locksport Communities:
Lock Picking 101 - A community forum devoted to Locksmithing and Locksport.
Toool - Based in the Netherland. Toool is a premier Locksport community
Locksport International - The name says it all! :)

For the Chicago and Florida crowd :
USpy Store - A place that sells picks. Is associated with a P.I. agency and will not sell picks to anyone not legally entitled to buy them. (Hi Ray! :) )

Just as a legal disclaimer: I DO NOT advocate unauthorized entry, use of lock picks for illegal or nefarious purposes, ownership of lock picks where it is explicity illegal, or any other form of criminal or illegal activities. I do not condone any form illegal behavior, and do not assume any liability for how the information presented is used. I present it purely for informational purposes only!!!!!!!

Talk to you all soon!

-Wookie

Pork, Sclock, and Urban Legends

Hi Everyone,

There's a fun (read: gross) new/old urban legend floating around out there. It's a reprise of the old "let's-pour-Coke-on-pork-and-watch-trichinosis-worms-scurry-out" tale. This time there's a video attached to it. G4 tv's Attack Of The Show even featured said video. The catch is the video's a complete hoax. Snopes has an article completely shooting it down.

Just thought y'alled like to know.

-Wookie

Damn Strait!


Wookie Boy here again.

I've found yet another website y'all might like. It's called Damn Interesting, and it has some of the more facinating (yet often overlooked) item in history, society, etc. listed. I initally found it in regards to an old incident video pirate incident here in the Skokieland area, but found the rest of the content interesting as well.

Have fun. ;)

-Woox

Yet another reson to hate Macrosloth


Hi Everybody,

Just a quick post today.

Check this out: Yet another to hate Microsoft

Yep, the Macrosloth mororns are going to let you clean install Vista. Geez. Can I slap these boneheads yet?

-Wookie Boy

Deep Roaring
by Wookie Boy

I hate working while sick. I hate it so much it's sick... (ba-d00m-boom)

Not that I should be gripping. I've got a good job, work with good people, and enjoy it 99.99999% of the time. It's the .00001% of the time that bugs me (mostly stuff of my own making). For example, my stupid decision to work whilst not feeling 100%. Oh well. My bad. Et. Al.







Now back to the irregularly scheduled blog.

Now lets see, where was I? Oh yeah, kevetching about being sick while working. At least this is only a a cold...

Well, I'd better crawl back under the rock I squirmed out from.

Roar at y'all again soon,

Wookie Boy

Auld Lang Syne



Well, it's officially 2k7

In the year past we saw:

Snakes On A Plane ("There are motherf*ing snakes on this motherf*ing plane!")
CBGB closes (20-20-24 hours to go...I Wanna Be Sedated!)
6/6/06
the hick twins, Brittney & K-Fed, get divorced (Like we didn't see this coming a mile away...)
the whacko twins, Tom Cruise & Katie Holmes, get married (I thought she was hot until this happened)
Hollywood icons putting thier feet in thier mouths (Kramer & Mel Gibson)
Saddam "hangs around"
Steve Iriwn dies at the hands of a stingray (Kroiky! We knew this was bound to happen)
Kim-Jong-Il takes N. Korea nuclear (Will someone please nuke Pyongyang already?)
Ken Lay lives out the old Blue Oyster Cult standerd, "Don't Fear The Reaper"
more choas in Iraq
more stupidity on TV (American Idol, Survivor, et. al.)
more stuipidity at the movies (Borat, Death Of A President, et. al.)
more stuipdity in government (the Mark Folley scandel, Nancy Peosi putting her foot in her mouth, et. al.)
more death (James Brown, Geral Ford, et. al.)
more taxes (don't get me started...)
and more...

Heck of a year, that '06.

It all most makes me long for the '80s

-Wookie Boy

Happy-Happy Holi-Days!!


Hi!!! Sorry 'bout the hiatus, just got busy with work.

Things have been busy here in library-land. Can't go into many details, but it's been a slice. I've still found some goodies though.

First and formost is the Thundersnake Blog. It's where I find so many of my more off beat sites. You do have to wade through some porn, but the gems to be found are well worth the trip.

Next is a pair of sites: CinemaTour & CinemaTreasures. Both are dedicated to preserving the movie houses of the past. They're really cool if you're looking for a throwback to your childhood.

Then comes Wierd New Jersey. I know seems wierd that a wookie in Skokie world be interested in Jersey, but these guys know thier stuff. They also are in cahoots with the Barnes & Noble chain to put out a series of books covering each of the States. They're also on The History Channel doing a show called Wierd America. Trust me, it's worth a stop. :)

Lastly, there's Deadmalls.com. This a cool site that documents the decline and fall of many an iconic suburban locus - places known as shopping malls. It's a wee bit eerie to see how some of these once mighty powerhouses of economic uplift have fallen into disuse, disrepair, and delapidation. Again, it's worth a stop ot two.

Well, gotta run for now. Cya soon!

-Wookie Boy

Gabba-Gabba, Hey!


Hello, again. Wookie Boy here.

As it stands right now, all's been fairly quiet on the proverbial western front. I just hope I haven't spoken too soon.

Just wanted to post my MySpace page so that anyone reading this can find me on there.

Also, anyone reading this that's a Chicago resident (past or presant), might want to check out Chicago Media Action. They're a local media reform group that's active in a number of issues, including trying to open up "public television" and "public radio" to the actual public, instead of just small boards of directors.

Have to run for now. Peace out!

-Wookie Boy

All you ever wanted to know about Skokie, Illinois


Hello from the ether!

Just wanted to give everyone a heads up about a pair of interesting websites.

The first is called Skokietalk (http://www.skokietalk.info/). It's a website to give an Internet voice to the people of Skokie, Illinois. People can post their stories, memories, or similar things, about Skokie or things going on (or have gone on) there. Pretty much, it's a meeting place for all ages to have thier voices heard by a large audience.

The Second website is Skokienet (http://www.skokienet.org/). Skokienet can be considered a sister site (or parent site, depending on how you split your hairs). It's a site for the people & buisnesses of Skokie to get a presence on the Web without paying the arm & leg that some Internet providers demand. Skokienet works in conjunction with Northstarnet (http://www.northstarnet.org/), which is an agency that provides a similar service to Skokienet, but for the northern suburbs of Chicago.

A wonderful librarian named Frances Roehm runs both Skokietalk & Skokienet. She and a bevy of volunteers put in untold hours to make both websites function smoothly. They also make sure that the content is interesting, timely, and accurate. They all deserve so much more recognition than they sometimes get for the hard work they do. Thank to the Skokienet crew for all you do. :)

-Wookie Boy

P.S. Hi Fran!!!! :)

New and Interesting Weirdness


Hello Everybodyyyyyyyyyyyyy!

First and formost, I've really gotta get into rehab for my Super Grover addiction. ;)

To quote a famous dog about the above statement: "I kid! I kid!"

Now for the real reason for my post today. I've found some neat goodies on the 'Net for anyone out there reading this.

First, there's Zoho writer (http://www.zohowriter.com/login.sas). It's a word processing application (a-la Microsoft Word) on the Internet. A handly little thing to know about, especially of your traveling without a laptop.

Second, have you ever wondered what Yahoo or Google looked like when they first came out? Well then try the Internet Archives (http://www.archive.org/index.php). It has everything from the Internet Wayback Machine (where you can look up what webpages looked like way back when), through live music archives & text archives, to a movie archive. It's fun stuff. :)

Third, it's The Memory Hole (http://www.thememoryhole.org/). This organziation preserves a good amount our government's bad behavior, along with stuff that disappers from mainstream and governmental websites.

Have fun with the small chuck of goodness.

Wookie-Boy

Hey-ho!

Hi all, I'm oficially back from vacation.

Not much to report, besides that I'm now on MySpace.

You can find me here:

http://www.myspace.com/hookahworm

This is my primary blog-space, but MySpace is my emergency back-up (Just in case, ya know...).

I've managed one or two nice scores on MySpace friends wise. One is Morgan Webb. Yep, we're talking the exceedingly cute hostess of X-Play. Another is Marky Ramone, the drummer for the punk legends The Ramones.

Well, gotta run 4 now.

-Wookie Boy

More on crackpots and those that actually have a brain...


Hi Everyone,

Just doing a quick update from my vacation spot.

I just to mention a great website: http://rensewatch.blogspot.com/.

Mr. Paul Kimball, the blogs owner, is doing a great job of keeping track of the nutjob conspiracy thoerist and anti-semitic idiot named Jeff Rense (found @ http://www.rense.com/).

After having read Rense's wesite for a while, I realised that the guy was just full of it. Fortunatly, I found Rensewatch and, after some reading, became a fan.

Just wanted to give everyone the word on Mr. Kimballs execelent work.

Muchos kudos, Mr. Kimball!

-Wookie Boy

Ghost in the shell

Hey-ho! Lets go!

Just wanted to give everyone a heads up on a few things before I go on vacation for a week.

First, I've stubled across a great documentary about the Ramones. It's called End of the Century. It's really well done and actually has the blessing and involvement of the Ramones themselves. Trust me, it's great stuff. :)

Second, I've got a great website find. It's http://www.gethuman.com/. This website is a database of all the different methods of getting to a real live human on those annoying automated help lines that every company seems to have now. Again, great stuff.

Third, just wanted to give some friends of mine a plug. Grant & Debbi Hoover have been truly wonderful friends over the years and I just wanted to be sure that they got as many kudos as I could give them. They are truly an amazing as a couple and as individuals. I'm truly lucky to know them. :)

I wish I could go on, but I've probably embarassed them enough.

Plus I have to go, I have to head off desk.

Either way, Grease for Peace!

Wookie

Something Ickky This Way Comes

Psssstttt.....Hey you......yeah you.......wanna buy a geneticlly engineered pet? I've got 'em real cheap.

Hi again. It's your host, Wookie Boy, back with another dose of wierdness.

Yep, I've found a site that purports to sell genectically engineered pets.

No lie!

Check it out:

http://www.genpets.com/index.php

Scary, huh?

Fortunatly, it's not real.

Check this out:

http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/genpets.asp

Snopes.com comes through again! Those chihuahua wanna-bes are actually foam latex sculptures with little motors inside to make them look alive.

From what I gather, the artist was trying to make a point on the way we're heading with the whole genetic manipulation idea. I hate to say it, but he does have a point.

There are thousands of cats, dogs, rabbits, and other animals that are put down every year due to a lack of people willing to adopt them. Why waste resources on artifical life when there are so many cuter animals already in need of homes?

Also, why in crap's name would anyone want one anyone want one of those ugly little bloated sacks of protoplasm? They're ugly as sin, creapy as that wierd uncle, and they make that epileptic siezure inducing lightning rat named Pikachu seem cuddly. The things make me want to hurl chuncks.

See you next time,

-Woox

Well, it's officially later.

I've decided NOT to post a rant on "crancky" patrons I was just wrote. Probably would have dug myself in deep with that one. Let's just say I've had one or two in the past hour or so.

On the lighter side of things, here are a few daily comics tokeep you going:

http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/getfuzzy/index.html - The online version of the Get Fuzzy comic strip. A guy, his clueless dog, and psychotic cat.

http://www.comics.com/comics/hedge/ -Over the Hedge...The comic strip that caused the movie.

http://www.youdamnkid.com/ydk.html - You Damn Kid...Think The Wonder Years or Malcom In The Middle, but a lot more screwed up.

http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/dilbert/ - Dilbert. 'nuff said.

http://www.cracked.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=272 - Alien Loves Preditor

TTFN

-Wookie-Boy

Dang, we're slow today! I'm sitting here and can count the patrons here in the computer lab on just about one hand. We have 15 computers here and 6 are being used.

OK....make that 7.

The rest of library is just as dead as far as I can tell.

Must be the wondefully cruddy weather. 40 Degrees and rainy as all get out. The weather prognosticators have even talked about snow.

Crap. It's May, and there's snow in the forecast. Well, I just hope that the old maxim those of here in Chicago have about local weather holds true: Give it 5 minautes, it'll change.

Well, gotta run 4 now. Hope to be back later on today.

-The Hairy Librarian Dude

Hello again,

Just sitting here @ work and surfing around the net. There's a general perception that working @ a library is either say "shhhh!" way too much or putting books back on shelves for hours on end. Those are just small bits of what goes on in libraries in the 21st century. A few examples of what goes on are:

1) Computer classes, computer classes, and more computer classes. I'm one of five dedicated teachers here @ the library that teach the very basic computer skills ("This is a mouse...no, it won't bite..."), as well as basic intro to the Internet, and a basic into to e-mail. The professional Librarians also do special topics, such as "How to do your taxes online" & "Ebay-ing for the non-Internet Savvy".

2) Cultural programs. I've seen my library host numerous language classes, introductions to cultures as diverse as Russian & Indian (the subcontinent, not the Native-American), as well as providing multi-lingual library support.

3) Community Outreach. The library provides free webhosting to start-ups & community organiztions through http://www.skokienet.org/ & http://www.northstarnet.org/. We also have supportfor persons with disablilties.

And that's just the tip of the iceburg.

-Josh

Welome to the Cabbages & Kings Blog!


I'm Wookie-boy & I'll be your host here.

A few intros are in order. I live in the Chicago area & am a library geek. Not much to go on, I know.

Now, down to bees-wax & brass tacks.

My first target, er, subject is all the kooks on the 'net. Lets hear it for all the fun little Charlie Sheen-ites & thier "off-beat" beliefs...

Here's a good site for viewing these wierdos in their natural habitat: http://www.crank.net/

Crack.net is a website that holds up those wackos among us & offers a sane alternative to their rhetoric.

Also, a little closer to home, there are Urban Legends. These are stories that happend to a friend of a friend of a friend and have little or no truth to them. Yet we have all heard them, and possibly believe some of them.

For us, there's http://www.snopes.com/snopes.asp

Snopes is a website that has a catalog of all the popular urban legends.

Gotta run 4 now

Peace!