10 Technologies That Will Change The World
Scroll through this list of technolgies that ABC News thinks will change the world. Are you ready? Do you have any of the items listed? Are you going to get one? Please give us your comments and let others know if your Wii or iphone is changing the world!!!!
Friday, September 28, 2007
Monday, September 24, 2007
Today in the News...
Two years ago Hurricane Rita slammed into the southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana coasts along the Gulf of Mexico. With over 100 fatalities in Texas and almost $11.3 billion in damage, this was the second punch of the 2005 hurricane season, hitting just 3 weeks after the devastation of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina. Find out how these areas have coped with the aftermath in news stories at http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/5158918.html or
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/09/24/national/main3290351.shtml
Check other news stories and events easily in the news databases made available to you by the library:
America's News Magazines
Dallas Morning News
New York Times
Newspaper Source
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/09/24/national/main3290351.shtml
Check other news stories and events easily in the news databases made available to you by the library:
America's News Magazines
Dallas Morning News
New York Times
Newspaper Source
Friday, September 21, 2007
New Casual Reading Corner at Dick Smith Library
Ravenous bibliophiles
Enjoy our Casual Reading Corner
And
Donate your old paperbacks to share!
Checkout our new Casual Reading Corner bookcase in the Dick Smith Library student lounge.
If you see a book you like... feel free to read it here or take it with you.
No due dates, no late fees, just fun reading!
Did you just finish a great paperback? Share it!
We are accepting donations of paperbacks (in good condition) at the Circulation Desk in the Dick Smith Library to add to the Casual Reading Corner.
Enjoy our Casual Reading Corner
And
Donate your old paperbacks to share!
Checkout our new Casual Reading Corner bookcase in the Dick Smith Library student lounge.
If you see a book you like... feel free to read it here or take it with you.
No due dates, no late fees, just fun reading!
Did you just finish a great paperback? Share it!
We are accepting donations of paperbacks (in good condition) at the Circulation Desk in the Dick Smith Library to add to the Casual Reading Corner.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Laptop ownership spikes among increasingly wired college students
Laptop ownership spikes among increasingly wired college students
Despite common wisdom about the poverty (and resulting legendary thriftiness) of students, American college kids are doing pretty well for themselves when it comes to gadgets. A new report from EDUCAUSE finds that nearly every college student in the US owns both a computer and a phone; 36 percent of students own two computers.
What type of computer do they favor? Laptops, of course. In only two years, laptop ownership on campus has surged from 52.8 percent of the student population to 75.8 percent, while desktop use peaked in 2006 and dropped to 62.8 percent this year.
If students no longer head off to campus without a computer, they also need a cell phone now. 86 percent of students say they own a simple one (without Web access), while another 12 percent have a smartphone. Though the report doesn't look into the matter, I for one would like to see some research into just why it is so difficult for students to silence their ringtones while in the campus library. My guess: the constant diet of pizza and Mountain Dew.
And then come the iPods. More students own an "electronic music/video device" (76 percent) than own a laptop. This has certainly cut down on the frequency of hard rock tunes blasting from an open dorm room window, but one sometimes wonders when these students find time to speak to each other. Between the allure of the little white headphones, the handset, and the computer screen (err, and the studying, of course), collegiate life is stuffed to the brim.
Students appear to take it all in stride, though. As the report notes, many students "have never known a world without personal access to information technologies, often take them for granted and integrate them seamlessly into their daily lives."
That integration takes plenty of time out of each week. The report found that engineering students spend an average of 21.9 hours a week doing online activities. The humanities are lower, at 18.7 hours, and education majors are at the bottom, spending only 15.9 hours a week online.
Disturbingly, a full six percent of those surveyed spent more than 40 hours a week online. That's either some serious dedication to learning or the result of a WoW addiction.
Despite common wisdom about the poverty (and resulting legendary thriftiness) of students, American college kids are doing pretty well for themselves when it comes to gadgets. A new report from EDUCAUSE finds that nearly every college student in the US owns both a computer and a phone; 36 percent of students own two computers.
What type of computer do they favor? Laptops, of course. In only two years, laptop ownership on campus has surged from 52.8 percent of the student population to 75.8 percent, while desktop use peaked in 2006 and dropped to 62.8 percent this year.
If students no longer head off to campus without a computer, they also need a cell phone now. 86 percent of students say they own a simple one (without Web access), while another 12 percent have a smartphone. Though the report doesn't look into the matter, I for one would like to see some research into just why it is so difficult for students to silence their ringtones while in the campus library. My guess: the constant diet of pizza and Mountain Dew.
And then come the iPods. More students own an "electronic music/video device" (76 percent) than own a laptop. This has certainly cut down on the frequency of hard rock tunes blasting from an open dorm room window, but one sometimes wonders when these students find time to speak to each other. Between the allure of the little white headphones, the handset, and the computer screen (err, and the studying, of course), collegiate life is stuffed to the brim.
Students appear to take it all in stride, though. As the report notes, many students "have never known a world without personal access to information technologies, often take them for granted and integrate them seamlessly into their daily lives."
That integration takes plenty of time out of each week. The report found that engineering students spend an average of 21.9 hours a week doing online activities. The humanities are lower, at 18.7 hours, and education majors are at the bottom, spending only 15.9 hours a week online.
Disturbingly, a full six percent of those surveyed spent more than 40 hours a week online. That's either some serious dedication to learning or the result of a WoW addiction.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Constitution turns 220!
The U.S. Constitution is turning 220 years old, having been ratified at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia on Sept. 17, 1787.
Sept. 17 marks Constitution Day, a federal holiday that does not confer a day off from work, but does recognize the auspicious occasion brought forth by the Founding Fathers.
The Library of Congress Web site is rife with resources on the framing of the Constitution. A good place to start is the Law Library's Web presentation titled "A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates." The THOMAS legislative tracking system also has links to a number of Library sites about the Constitution, including lesson plans for teachers.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Advertising on cell phones -- what do you think?
Marketing Charts (a marketers' magazine) recently posted the article "College Students Growing More Receptive to Mobile Ads," which probably forecasts what will be "ringing in" to cell phones and other mobile devices very soon -- ads, ads, and more ads:
"According to a study conducted at Ball State University, "College students are growing increasingly receptive to receiving advertising via text messages on their cell phones and other mobile devices." Over half of the students surveyed "said they would accept ads if they were to get something free in return."
What do you think about receiving ads on your cell? Think we'll have a choice?
"According to a study conducted at Ball State University, "College students are growing increasingly receptive to receiving advertising via text messages on their cell phones and other mobile devices." Over half of the students surveyed "said they would accept ads if they were to get something free in return."
What do you think about receiving ads on your cell? Think we'll have a choice?
Monday, September 10, 2007
Putting An End To Thirsty Thursdays
What is your opinion? Do you think "thursday partying" effects your grades? Read the following article and tell us what you think!
Forget about "Thirsty Thursdays" kicking off three days of partying on some college campuses this school year. Some colleges are wresting Fridays back from the weekend's clutches, and warning students that skipping Friday classes will hurt their grades, and encouraging faculty members to schedule tests and have assignments due that day. Students and faculty are grumbling. Colleges have long scheduled fewer classes on Fridays, but groups, including a national task force on alcohol abuse, have been pressuring colleges to reinstate Friday classes to reduce student drinking. Read more at:
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/world_us/20070902_Some_colleges_reversing_TGI-Thursday_pattern.html
Friday, September 7, 2007
AHHH...Sweet Sleep
Your eyelids droop and your head starts to nod. Yawning becomes almost constant and your vision seems blurry. You blink hard, focus your eyes and suddenly realize that you’ve veered onto the shoulder or into oncoming traffic for a moment and quickly straighten the wheel. This time you were lucky; next time you could become the latest victim of the tragedy of drowsy driving.
According to the National Sleep Foundation’s Sleep in America poll, 60% of Americans have driven while feeling sleepy and 37% admit to actually having fallen asleep at the wheel in the past year. According to the NSF's 2005 Sleep in America poll, only half of adults can say they get a good night's sleep a few nights/week or more. Be aware that the person in the next car may be driving drowsy even if you are not.
Studies show that lack of sleep leads to problems completing a task, concentrating, making decisions and unsafe actions, none of which is conducive to being a successful college student! Though scientists are still learning about the concept of basal sleep need, one thing sleep research certainly has shown is that sleeping too little can not only inhibit your productivity and ability to remember and consolidate information (think: tests), but lack of sleep can also lead to serious health consequences and jeopardize your safety and the safety of individuals around you.
For example, short sleep duration is linked with:
* Increased risk of motor vehicle accidents
* Increase in body mass index – a greater likelihood of obesity due to an increased appetite
caused by sleep deprivation
* Increased risk of diabetes and heart problems
* Increased risk for psychiatric conditions including depression and substance abuse
* Decreased ability to pay attention, react to signals or remember new information
How much sleep do you need? Adults need 7-9 hours sleep each night and teens need even more. Studies show that young people use their computers or televisions to wind down, but this simply contributes to sleep deprivation; 'Winding down' is not SLEEP.
This was taken from the National Sleep Foundation’s website. Visit http://www.sleepfoundation.org for more information, and leave the party early tonight, and get some sleep! Don’t be the next victim of sleep deprivation.
According to the National Sleep Foundation’s Sleep in America poll, 60% of Americans have driven while feeling sleepy and 37% admit to actually having fallen asleep at the wheel in the past year. According to the NSF's 2005 Sleep in America poll, only half of adults can say they get a good night's sleep a few nights/week or more. Be aware that the person in the next car may be driving drowsy even if you are not.
Studies show that lack of sleep leads to problems completing a task, concentrating, making decisions and unsafe actions, none of which is conducive to being a successful college student! Though scientists are still learning about the concept of basal sleep need, one thing sleep research certainly has shown is that sleeping too little can not only inhibit your productivity and ability to remember and consolidate information (think: tests), but lack of sleep can also lead to serious health consequences and jeopardize your safety and the safety of individuals around you.
For example, short sleep duration is linked with:
* Increased risk of motor vehicle accidents
* Increase in body mass index – a greater likelihood of obesity due to an increased appetite
caused by sleep deprivation
* Increased risk of diabetes and heart problems
* Increased risk for psychiatric conditions including depression and substance abuse
* Decreased ability to pay attention, react to signals or remember new information
How much sleep do you need? Adults need 7-9 hours sleep each night and teens need even more. Studies show that young people use their computers or televisions to wind down, but this simply contributes to sleep deprivation; 'Winding down' is not SLEEP.
This was taken from the National Sleep Foundation’s website. Visit http://www.sleepfoundation.org for more information, and leave the party early tonight, and get some sleep! Don’t be the next victim of sleep deprivation.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Meet Our Staff: Tracy Holtman
Assistant Director for Collection Management
254-968-9466
holtman@tarleton.edu
Dick Smith Library – Main Foor
Tracy supervises the library’s technical services departments: Acquisitions, Cataloging, Periodicals and Electronic Resources, and Systems.
Tracy has always wanted to be a librarian. She started working in her school library in fifth grade, and has had a library job ever since. She has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Lubbock Christian University, and her masters in library science from the University of North Texas. She spent 13 years at Lubbock Christian University, and has been at the Dick Smith Library for nine years, starting as a reference librarian and moving into the Systems Librarian position after seven months. She serves as the liaison to the Computer Information Systems Department as well as the Department of Accounting, Finance, and Economics.
Tracy has a twin sister named Stacy, and they are the youngest of six children. Tracy’s hobbies are her 24 nieces and nephews, reading, cross-stitch, travel and photography, and collecting “Coke stuff – I have a house full of it!”
[Edited to add: On February 28, 2008, Tracy was named Tarleton's Staff Council Employee of the Month for February 2008.]
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
The College Credit Scam - Beware!!
The credit card industry has made a profitable art of corralling consumers into ruinous interest rates and hidden penalties that keep even people who pay their bills permanently mired in debt. The companies are especially eager to target freshly minted college students, who are naïve in money matters and especially vulnerable to credit card offers that are too good to be true.
College students need to be told right off the bat about the dangers associated with the cards that the companies are going to throw at them once school starts. The students need to know that the penalties associated with delinquent debts will accrue. They should also be told that delinquent debts can cause their interest rates to soar not just on their credit cards, but on car loans and mortgages as well.
Read more from this New York Times Article...
College students need to be told right off the bat about the dangers associated with the cards that the companies are going to throw at them once school starts. The students need to know that the penalties associated with delinquent debts will accrue. They should also be told that delinquent debts can cause their interest rates to soar not just on their credit cards, but on car loans and mortgages as well.
Read more from this New York Times Article...
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