Saturday, December 8, 2007

Rollyo

An interesting concept, Rollyo. It takes the massive, broad-spectrum power of a search engine and narrows it down to meet the individual user's need. It could be extremely helpful when you're trying to write a research paper. You could put in all the sources and search for specific topics or concepts within those sites. It could also be useful in a Trivia Weekend situation, where time is of the essence -- you could enter in all the sites you use for general facts and search faster that way.

I had fun with Rollyo and I have a feeling it may actually be useful to me in the future.

NetLibrary

It's beginning to seem like in the near future, one might never have to leave the comfort of one's own dwelling.

It used to be that if you wanted a book, you had to go out to the library or bookstore and get a physical copy of the book. Having that physical copy would then require one to have enough free time to be able to sit around and read the book. These days, many people are hard pressed to find that kind of relaxation time when there are chores to be done, work to be completed, mouths to feed, and so on. The concept of an audio book seems to solve the issue of lack of time, as you can listen to the book while you cook or clean or work-out. But that still required you to have the time to go out and acquire said audiobook.

Now it seems NetLibrary has simplified the problem even more. Now you can download from the comfort of your own home a limited selection of audiobooks, ranging from Classic Literature to Non-Fiction to Young Adult Fiction. There selection isn't the greatest -- they have very few titles in any genre. But I imagine that with time, their catalog will continue to grow.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

LibraryThing

I am loving all these websites that let you catalog your favorite books, movies, and music that are starting to pop up everywhere. It makes it so much easier to remember your favorites, or to share new discoveries with friends and family. It's also a great way to make new friends who have similar interests as you. LibraryThing is one of those very sites.

Take a look at my virtual shelf.