NPR's Top SciFi Reads: Now in Flowchart Form!

Are you a sci-fi or fantasy fan on the lookout for something new to read?  Never fear - NPR and SFSignal are here to help!

Back in 2011, NPR asked its readers to vote on the greatest science fiction and fantasy novels of all time.  The resulting list hit a wide range of books, from graphic novels like The Watchmen to classics like Frankenstein. 

Don't feel like weeding through a list of 100 books to find your next read?  Use this handy flowchart from SFSignal to find what you need!

Get through finals week with these handy web tools!

Finals stress getting you down?  You don't have to go it alone - you can find tons of free software on the web to help you organize, research and spice up your final projects.  Here's a sampling of some of what's out there.

Workflowy: Organize Your Brain
Website: https://workflowy.com/

What is it?: Workflowy is a fantastic tool for the scatterbrained and for list-lovers.  It has a simple interface that lets you organize your to-do list and keep your life on track.




Write or Die
Website: writeordie.com

What is it?: If you need that extra push to keep you writing, Write or Die gives the ultimate threat - if you don't keep writing, it'll start deleting everything you've typed, one word at a time.  A great website for last-minute papers.

Prezi
Website: http://prezi.com/

What is it?: A cleaner, cooler, jazzier way to do powerpoints.  Prezi has an easy to use interface that lets you make beautiful presentations and save them online.  For an example, check out this video the SCTC Libraries made using Prezi:



NoodleTools
Website: SCTC Portal to NoodleTools

What is it?: Citations! Need help pulling together a bibliography?  Type your information into NoodleTools, select what style you want your citation to be in, and NoodleTools will generate a bibliography for you.  Using NoodleTools requires a log-in - get in touch with your library staff for the password!

Crash Course: Biology and History made easy

Cramming for a bio test?  Need a quick refresher on World War I?  The VlogBrothers John and Hank Green are here to help!

Crash Course: Biology and History take the basics of each subject and divide them into quick, digestible 10-minute chunks.  From the skeletal system, to ancient Egypt, to the basic working of plant cells, these videos make bio and history fun and easy to process.

Check it out for yourself!  Below you'll find one of my favorite episodes, 12 straight minutes of Alexander the Great!


    

Technology Tuesday: Time Magazine's Top 50 Websites of 2012

Time Magazine has come out with their annual list of the top 50 websites that still might not have pinged your radar.  Ranging from music reviewer Pitchfork to educational sites like Learnist, this list of sites can help you uncover some of the internet's best kept secrets.

Check out the list here on the Time Magazine website!

Technology Tuesday: Looking for Jobs on Twitter

At first glance, Twitter can seem like little more than a way to tell your friends what you had for breakfast.  In reality, though, Twitter can be a powerful searching tool, connecting you to possible employers and giving you a wider range of options than you might find on a traditional job search website.

We've collected a list of websites that will help you sift through Twitter to find the best job postings for you.

Tweet My Jobs
http://www.tweetmyjobs.com/
Search for jobs by position, industry and location.  Tweet My Jobs is one of the best Twitter job filters out there, with connections to large companies like Starbucks and Geico that pay to get their job openings featured.

Tweet My Jobs for Veterans
http://veterans.tweetmyjobs.com/
Receive instant updates from employers in your field specifically looking to hire veterans.

JobTweet.me
http://jobtweet.de/en/
A simple search like "LPN Atlanta" will pull links to job postings that have the keywords you're looking for.

TwitJobSearch
http://www.twitjobsearch.com/
A keyword search will pull up results and map out exactly where the postings are coming from on a Googlemap. 

Technology Tuesday: The Library on Youtube

Learn more about what you can do through the Southern Crescent Technical College Libraries with our new Youtube page!  You can take a virtual tour of GALILEO, get a crash course in our library website, or browse some of the links we've liked on Youtube.

Our channel is still a work in progress, so if you have any ideas of videos or tutorials you'd want to see from the library, let us know!

Technology Tuesday: Finding Medical Information Online

Finding Medical information online can be tricky.  You want reliable, trustworthy information - but often enough, the more trustworthy websites like WebMD can get too technical and hard to understand.

We've gathered a group of health-related websites you can rely on, without having to worry about knowing all the scientific lingo.  The next time you're worried about that scratchy throat, or want to learn more about a loved one's condition, these sites are a great starting point for looking up medical information.

The Mayo Clinic
Website: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health-information/
What's it like?:  Recognized by Consumer Reports for excellence, the Mayo Clinic website is easy to navigate and links to information on diseases and conditions, symptoms, drugs and procedures.  This page was designed with the public in mind and is easy to browse and read through.

Medify
Website: https://www.medify.com/
What's it like?: Medify breaks down different medical conditions into easy-to-navigate pages, linking to the most recent research in treatments.  You can narrow down search results by picking articles that relate specifically to your age group, gender and interest.

MedlinePlus
Website: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/
What's it like?:  Developed by the National Library of Medicine, MedlinePlus is a great starting point for research.  When you search for conditions, medical terms or treatments, MedlinePlus pulls results from trustworthy sites across the web.  For general information, this is a great place to start.


Where do you turn for medical information on the web?  Share with us in the comments section!

Counting Down to the Hunger Games

Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket

The wait is almost over!  It's March 22nd, and The Hunger Games will finally hit theaters at 12.00 tonight.  But what will you do to while away those long hours between now and midnight?

Here at Southern Crescent, your staff of Hunger Games-fanatic librarians have come up with a list of fantastic websites - fan-created and official - to distract you from the long wait and get you amped up for midnight!


Capitol Couture (link)
Your official source for Capitol fashion, news and exclusive interviews!  This official tumblr for the Hunger Games movies features profiles of such Capitol noteworthies as Seneca Crane, President Snow and District 12 stylist Cinna, as well as fashion advice from the always polished Effie Trinket.

The Hunger Games Soundtrack on Rdio (link)
Listen to the full Hunger Games soundtrack streaming by creating a free account on Rdio.  No matter your music tastes - whether you like blues, folk, hip hop or indie rock - you'll find something to like here.  The soundtrack features artists like Arcade Fire, Kid Cudi, Maroon 5 and Taylor Swift.

The Hunger Games Trilogy Fansite (link)
This fan-created website has fantastic links to actor interviews, sneak previews and behind-the-scenes gossip for the movie.  Also includes links to fan-created videos and tributes.

Rotten Tomatoes (link)
How's the movie look so far, according to critics?  Rotten Tomatoes can fill all your movie review needs by bringing together user-generated as well as professional write-ups.  As of this writing, the Hunger Games are certified fresh, with 90% positive reviews.

Review in Tweets: The Hunger Games (link)
This intrepid teacher promised his class he'd read all of The Hunger Games in one sitting - and tweet his reactions as he went.  The results are sarcastic, insightful and hilarious.


What are your Hunger Games plans?  Let us know in the comments!

Technology Tuesday: StoryCorps

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tinfoilraccoon/4854143197/ 

Everyone's story is worth telling.


This is the idea behind StoryCorps, an online audio and video collection of more than 40,000 life stories.  All this nonprofit asks of its storytellers is to find a recorder and an interviewer - anyone who wants to sit down with them for five minutes and help to spin their story.

The results are fascinatingly diverse. From the customer who interviews the war vet who gives free haircuts in the VA Hospital parking lot, to a mother interviewing her cancer-stricken son, these interviews give voice to the American experience.  And most of all, they show the power of lending a willing ear.

Want to learn more?

• Watch StoryCorps animated shorts here
• Listen to quick audio clips of interviews here
• Follow the NPR StoryCorps podcasts here

Want to record your own story?

• Follow the instructions on the StoryCorps website here
• Download free audio recording software here

Technology Tuesday: Will Facebook get you hired or fired?

What's on your Facebook page?  Or more importantly - who?

Now more than ever, employers are researching job candidates online.  Employers look to sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to find out more about you - not only your work background, but also your personality, your behavior and how you present yourself online.

So what exactly are employers looking for when they check out your profile?  According to a recent study by social media monitor Reppler, employers might hire - or fire - you based on:

• Photo albums and tags
• Pictures or mentions of alcohol or drug abuse
• Poor communication skills
• Inappropriate or discriminatory comments or posts
• Complaining about previous employers

To learn more about who's checking out your profile - and what they're looking for - check out this article on Mashable: How Recruiters Use Social Networks to Screen Candidates [Infographic]

Black History Month: Monumental Speeches

We're starting off Black History Month one day early, by highlighting a series of powerful speeches in African American history.  Ranging from the historic words of Sojourner Truth up to the present day with President Barack Obama, this selection features speakers who through their bravery, charisma and conviction helped shape the course of American history and civil rights.

Speeches are available in audio, video and text forms.

Sojourner Truth
Speech: Ain't I a Woman? (1851)

Jackie Robinson "This I Believe..."

Frederick Douglass 
Speech: What to the Slave is the 4th of July? (1852)

W.E.B. Dubois
Speech: Niagra Movement Speech (1905)

Jackie Robinson
Speech: This I Believe... (no date)

Martin Luther King Jr.
Speech: I Have a Dream (1963)

Malcolm X
Speech: Speaking Out on Race (1964)

Shirley Chisolm
Speech: For the Equal Rights Amendment (1970)

Barack Obama
Speech: Inaugural Address (2008)

Technology Tuesday: Online Audiobook Libraries

As a child of the eighties, I still slip up from time to time when I'm talking about "books on tape."  Of course, there's now a huge variety of ways to hear a book without having to drag our your old cassette player - and it's getting easier to get your hands on audio books every day!

First - and most recently - we have Audiobooks.com, who as of today are rolling out a new service that will let you access as many audio books as you want - out of their collection of 11,000 - for a fixed monthly fee.  This is new in the online world of audio books - usually there's a cap in how many recordings you can tap into each month.  For anyone with a long commute - this could be a lifesaver!  Read more about it on Mashable.

For those of you who want the audio book experience for free, there are alternatives!  Books with expired copyright can be recorded and shared online without charge.  Ranging from Sherlock Holmes books to stories by Edgar Allan Poe, you might be surprised by what you can find here.  For some quality book and short story recordings, you can check out LibriVox (where you can both record and listen to audio books), Verako, or the Telltale Weekly.

LibriVox: http://librivox.org/
Verako: http://verkaro.org/
Telltale Weekly: http://alexwilson.com/telltale/catalog/


Are you an audio book fan?  Where do you go to download your favorite books?

Finding gold in GALILEO

Welcome to the second day of classes!  Now that you have your class syllabi in hand, you may be eyeing up a research project or two that you have in your future.  Different instructors want different things, but almost every research paper stresses the same need: sources!  

This is where GALILEO can step in to help you out.  You may have heard of GALILEO as a great resource for scholarly articles, but it's also more than that.  Scratch a little beneath the surface, and you'll find some fascinating video, image, and historical document collections.  Here's just a sampling of some unexpected collections you might find on GALILEO!

C-SPAN Visual Library (Link)
Through GALILEO, you have full access to up-to-date C-SPAN videos on topics ranging from the federal budget, to climate change policy, to U.S. health care.  As an election year, 2012 should be especially eventful for the C-SPAN library - check out Q&A and campaign events with presidential hopefuls!  Browse by subject or date, or search for a specific video.

Arts of the United States (Link)
This database includes more than 4,000 examples of high-quality artworks by American artists, dating back to the 17th century.  These images can be sorted into groups and emailed in bulk.  Ranging from classic American painters like Thomas Eakins to architects like Frank Lloyd Wright, this site is a fantastic resource for anyone interested in art!

The New York Times (Link)
You can browse both new and classic New York Times issues through GALILEO, but we're linking to the more recent articles, because - crosswords!  Current events!  Movie, book, fashion, and music reviews!  There's nothing like having a reliable, interesting news source at your fingertips.

Georgia Stories (Link)
Georgia Stories takes you back in time through Georgia's history with its in-depth collection of videos, biographies and podcasts.  This is a great resource for learning about Georgia's past, and its series of 107 videos ranges from early Native American history to the present day.

December 1: World AIDS Day

Today is World AIDS Day, a day to remember the victims of HIV and to encourage education on this virus.

To learn more, check out the World AIDS Day display at the Griffin Campus Library for a great selection of DVDs and both fiction and non-fiction books.

You can also learn more through some of the fantastic AIDS education resources online.  Here's a list to get you started:

A Timeline of AIDS
This timeline does a great job of showing the development of the AIDS epidemic, year by year.  Starting with 1981, each year has its own blurb and series of relevant links to news and issues of that time.

Southern AIDS Living Quilt
This site focuses on the stories of women in the South living with AIDS.  Watch these video testimonials, or consider contributing one of your own.

NAM AIDS Map
Find resources in your area supporting those with HIV/AIDS.

Kaiser State Health Facts
The Kaiser Foundation’s State Health Facts site allows users to begin their information search either through searching by category or by state.  The ‘state’ search is incredibly helpful for educators looking for grassroots-based initiatives in their local community to provide guest speakers or resources for students living with AIDS.  If searching by the ‘HIV/AIDS’ category, users will be taken to an incredibly comprehensive page of fact sheets, prevention programs and resources, funding sites, and drug assistance programs.

Peer Corps - Teen AIDS
As its title suggests, this site is primarily directed toward educating teens, as well as providing youths with HIV/AIDS with a creative and social outlet.  The site also encourages HIV+ teens to tell their own stories by submitting art, videos, written stories and surveys.

Technology Tuesday: Google Games and Typing Sharks

Here on the blog we try to highlight fun, free and easy ways to sharpen your research and computer skills.  Today's Technology Tuesday tips are A Google A Day and Typer Shark, games that painlessly improve the way you type and search for information online.

A Google A Day

What: Google releases a new puzzle every day that puts your googling skills to the test.  Race against the clock to find answers to these daily questions, and improve your searching skills in the process!
Example: You just ordered “κρασί” from a menu in the southernmost country in Europe. What will be brought to your table?
Where: A Google A Day
How: Looking for search help, or want to work with other daily googlers?  Check out this online community where people try to crack A Google A Day together.


Typer Shark

What: No matter what your typing skills, this free online game is a fun and stress-free way to brush up on your speed and accuracy.  Even if you hardly ever touch a keyboard, the game has a tutorial mode that takes you step-by-step through new typing skills.  Once you master the tutorial, you move on to zapping sharks by typing the words spelled on their sides.  Too slow, and you're shark bait!
Where: Typer Shark!
How:  No download necessary; you can play this game directly online through the PopCap website.


Have any online learning games you'd like to recommend?  Let us know in the comments section!

Technology Tuesday: Conversations with Robots

Honda's ASIMO robot: http://www.fotopedia.com/items/flickr-3543338099 

Pop culture is filled with talking robots - from Star Wars' C-3P0 to Haley Joel Osment in A.I.  But while these chatty robots may seem like total science fiction, they may be closer to becoming reality than you'd think.  Some robotics software is so advanced, it tricks people into thinking it's human.

Meet Cleverbot, the software that talks back.  When visiting the Cleverbot website, you'll find an empty text field inviting you to chat.  You can enter a comment or question to start the conversation.

IMing Cleverbot can feel surreal, as the program 'learns' from past conversations and builds up knowledge. For example, check out this conversation I had with Cleverbot about Lady Gaga:

Cleverbot: I love music! 

User: What kind of music? 

Cleverbot: Pop/electro/dance. 

User: Like Lady Gaga? 

Cleverbot: Exactly like Lady Gaga. 

User: What's your favorite Gaga song? 

Cleverbot: Poker face. 

User: Good choice. 

This ability to 'learn' and adapt sets Cleverbot apart, and gives the program its human-like quality.  In fact, Cleverbot is so clever that it's passed the Turing Test, which was developed to identify humans from robots.  In a test in India, more than half of the test's participants thought they were speaking to a human when they were actually talking to a machine!

What do you think - would you have been fooled?  Drop by the Cleverbot website for a conversation to decide for yourself.

Snap Judgement

Ok bloggers, so this is my first blogging attempt but I think you'll like it. This video is a clip of Snap Judgement; it's story telling with a beat. Not so much about the music (although the band is epic too) these are people just like the rest of us, and they are simply telling a story with personal feeling and charisma that is all their own....


David Mayfield

Do You NaNo?: find out more about national writing month!

Calling all writing fans!  Whether you've been writing for years or just have some fantastic ideas for a story that you never had time to put on paper, here's some great motivation to sit down and plug out that novel you've always wanted to write.  November is National Novel Writing Month (or 'NaNoWriMo' for short), a time when writers across the world challenge themselves to come up with 50,000 words worth of a novel in the space of thirty days.



This may sound a bit crazy at first.  Fifty thousand words in thirty days is no slouch, especially if you're balancing school, a job, or any sort of life at all.  But what better way to make yourself finish a project than setting a deadline and sticking to it?  Many writers can tell you how hard it can be to find the motivation to not just start writing a novel, but plowing through the stress and self-doubt of actually finishing it.  Through NaNo's website, writers find a community of support where they can trade ideas, encouragement, and review each other's work.

Interested in signing up, or just checking out what all the fuss is about?  Check out their website here, take a look around and set up a free account!

Groupon: College Scholarships of the future?

If you've ever used Groupon, you know that it's a fantastic way to find local discounts and deals on restaurants and supplies.  What you may not know, though is that one Chicago university is now using Groupon to give away 60% discounts on tuition.

According to this article on Mashable, National Louis University is trying to attract students to its graduate teaching program with this deal, which cuts tuition for student teachers from $2,232 to $950.  The offer goes live today and is open to 25 lucky graduate candidates, so don't be surprised if Groupon is a little slow today.

What do you think?  Is this just a marketing gimmick to get the university's name out there, or do you think this could set a trend for other colleges and universities in the future?