Internet Librarians

We've take over Monterey! Thousands of Internet Librarians are gathered this week for the Internet Librarian conference. This year's theme is "Net initiatives for tough times." I try to attend every year, and due to the aforesaid tough times, I'm attending on my own dime. Three other librarians from Sacramento Public Library are also attending. I got in yesterday at noon via Amtrak, and expect to fill the next four days with much learning!

Climbing the Walls

A couple of years ago on my way to Hawaii, I met Dierdre on the plane - we shared a row and discovered similar interests. We returned to Sacramento on the same flight, as well, and we've kept in touch.

She invited me and Marty to last night's pre-release screening of the 2009 Reel Rock Tour at the Pipeworks climbing gym, featuring a National Geographic Society video about her son, Alex Honnold, the world's best free solo climber (that means without ropes or safety gear, folks.) He's about Pat's age, but has spent the last 6 or 7 years climbing sheer walls like Yosemite's Half-Dome using nothing but his fingers and toes. The photography was awesome, and the audience whistled and cheered when Dierdre appeared onscreen during the interview at her home.

Dierdre's no wimp, either: she's completed numerous marathons and has been an avid runner. Now she's climbing, too! All that energy from the crowd last night has re-ignited my dream to walk a half-marathon. So I'm starting over. No climbing, though. I like my feet firmly planted.
Kurokaze204's photo used with permission.

Flipped Out

I spotted it in Staples a couple of weeks ago and couldn't resist the low price - very deeply discounted from its original list because a newer edition is on the market now. It gets rave reviews from librarians, teachers, and Computer World magazine for its ease of use, so I decided to get one for myself: the Flip Video Camera. I've been taking it everywhere with me, and have a dozen 20-second shorts now. Here's one:



I'm taking it with me to Internet Librarian in Monterey next weekend, and plan to post a few videos from the conference here and on my work blog.