Find your Family History using DNA

So, you have been thinking about those that came before you and you are wondering about who you might be related to. Are you related to Thomas Jefferson? Maybe you are related to someone else famous in history or maybe just some regular folks from a distant land. Well now you can begin the investigation by using Genetic Genealogy. To begin, just sign up and send in your DNA. So let the adventure begin!


Genetic Genealogy

Please give a warm welcome to the newest member of the cblounge...

I would like to introduce Lucie, the newest member in the cblounge household:

Lucie arrived 3 weeks ago and is doing well during the transitional period. Janice is also doing well.

What they think about when you are out.

Great Joy of Tech about our pets.

Cats in Sinks

Cats in Sinks......nothing else to say.

"Everything is Miscellaneous" Tech Talk from Google

Check out this wonderful presentation by David Weinberger regarding classification/categorization of information and "stuff". David's presentation is from his new book, Everything is Miscellaneous.

Being a Librarian is now Sexy

Times are changing. And Librarians are finally getting their "props". I recently ran across yet another news item about how cool and hip it is to be a librarian. All I have to say is, duh!

According to Conntact, "A Dowdy Profession Turns Hip"

When someone mentions a trendy or sexy career, does librarian come to mind? Maybe fashion designer, race car driver or even software engineer, but definitely not librarian - that is, until now.

Read it here

Some of you may have read the article in the New York Times last month about the hipster librarians. If you were not so lucky, here you are.

Updates from WWDC: More of Leoprard Reveiled, Safari 3.0 (even for Windows)

Apple announced some juicy tid bits at this years WWDC. First off (and most exciting in my opinion), Jobs announced a new version of Safari, v3 (beta). And what is so exciting is there is a Windows version! So, when you are away from your mac and on a Windows machine (like so many of us when we are at work), you can have a little more Apple in your life.

Jobs also gave us some more features to drool over in the next OS, Leopard. I can't wait until it is out!

Watch the keynote here.

Leopard Screen Shots

We are all saddened by the recent news that Apple has delayed the release of Leopard again (according to the rumors this is because of the iPhone's development - which sucks - I have no plans on buying the iPhone, but I will be upgrading to Leopard as soon as it is available). What is even worst is that I read today the iPhone may also get delayed as well. So, today I bring you something that will help turn the frown upside down - screen shots from the latest build of Leopard. Apple better be adding additional goodies to Leopard since they are making use wait. So take a look at what they are holding back from us for now.

eMusic tops 300k users, now 2nd to iTunes

Reported on tuaw.com:

eMusic announced today that its subscriber base has now topped 300,000 users. This makes it the second largest online music service after iTunes according to this Sys-Con report. The eMusic catalog contains 2.5 million tracks from over 13,000 labels which are distributed in MP3 format without DRM. eMusic specializes in independent labels, providing many artists and tracks not available on iTunes.

I have been a subscriber to eMusic since early 2005 and I must say it is really awesome! I love the fact that you can keep your music (you download it, you own it) and that it is DRM-free. It works with any mp3 software and player (iPod included). With eMusic and iTunes, you can get the music you want for the price you want. If you have not checked it out yet, you must!

Happy Birthday Apple II !

Yesterday was the 30th anniversary of the Apple II computer, the little beige box that changed the world. It did some pretty amazing things in it's time. And it is one of the longer lasting computing devices to date. I have some real fond memories of the Apple II, especially the Apple IIe. Read all the juicy details. Don't forget to view the slide show.

How Important are Libraries? Will the Future Change This?

Are libraries becoming obsolete? Is the internet going to replace the library? I ran across this great post about the importance of libraries and librarians and contrary to popular belief, libraries are here to stay. This is very encouraging since I am about to embark on the first step to becoming a librarian myself. Not that I needed this information to make the decision to go to library school, but it does include some very good points:

• Not everything is available on the internet
• Digital libraries are not the internet
• The internet complements libraries, but it doesn’t replace them
• Digitization Doesn’t Mean Destruction
• In fact, digitization means survival
• Digitization is going to take a while. A long while.
• Libraries aren’t just books
• Library attendance isn’t falling – it’s just more virtual now
• Like businesses, digital libraries still need human staffing
• Physical libraries can adapt to cultural change
• Physical libraries are adapting to cultural change
• Eliminating libraries would cut short an important process of cultural evolution
• Wisdom of crowds is untrustworthy, because of the tipping point
• Librarians are the irreplaceable counterparts to web moderators
• Unlike moderators, librarians must straddle the line between libraries and the internet
• The internet is a mess
• The internet is subject to manipulation
• Libraries’ collections employ a well-formulated system of citation
• Libraries can preserve the book experience
• Libraries are stable while the web is transient
• Libraries can be surprisingly helpful for news collections and archives
• Libraries are a stopgap to anti-intellectualism
• Old books are valuable

Read the full list and details.

Is Beer the new Religion?

I recently ran across a "new" religion. Well not really new, but the idea is sort of a new to me. It brings me back to my college days in Lubbock. I am referring to the Beer Church. We use to have daily meetings back then, but nothing as organized as this one. Check out their web site, www.beerchurch.com for more information and a list of chapters all over the world. You can even start your own local chapter. Cheers!

"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."
~Ben Franklin~

Author Kurt Vonnegut dies at 84

Author K. Vonnegut died Wednesday at age 84. Read more>>>.


Update: Here is a (reprinted) interview with Kurt Vonnegut from April 15, 1973 in Library Journal.

Library 2.0 - 23 Things, 2 at a Time

I read about this neat idea and approach to learning the "2.0" technologies. Basically there are 23 "2.0 things" to learn/do and you will be become familiar, if not an expert of library/web 2.0. So, what are you waiting for? Take 2 this week, 2 the next and so on. Read the posts here.

Jobs - "Thoughts on Music"

With the recent announcement from Apple to offer DRM-Free downloads, I am reminded of the recent post from Steve Jobs on his "Thoughts on Music". Pretty interesting if you ask me.

Surprise ad for Apple TV begins airing on networks

To follow up with my last posts on Apple stuff, I bring you today an item on a new TV ad for the new Apple TV. Has anyone seen the ad yet? If so, what do you think? More importantly, has anyone purchased an Apple TV? What do you think? I am considering getting one, but not sure at this point. I have seen the emergence of hacks for this product, but I think the HD is way too small. Anyways, here is the lowdown on the new ad (on AppleInsider).

The iPod: 100 Million Strong and iPods across Iraq

In an effort to keep my blog updated, I bring you 2 somewhat related stories.

First, Apple iPod sales top 100 million. And there are still people out there who think that there is an option when buying a music player? All I can say is denial. Read the details here.

And the second item is a little piece of news I ran across regarding iPods in war. It focuses on one soldier who was shot in the iPod! His name is Kevin Garrad and he was involved in a fight and was shot. He made it, his iPod did not.

Read more here.

See the pictures here.

Gypsy Tea Room Closes in Dallas, Another Sad Day for Deep Ellum

Last weekend was the last weekend for live music at the Gypsy Tea Room in Deep Ellum (Dallas, TX). The doors are now shut and it is quiet inside. I was sad and even shed a tear or two when I heard the news. Sure it is not the best live venue, but it sure had some great shows. I saw some great Hip Hop shows there such as the Roots, Eric Parish, Guru, Biz Markie and Scarface. Even a rock show or two. I feel in love with my newest favorite band in the Tea Room (Camera Obscura). Some great memories over the years. Deep Ellum was heading downhill before this, but now I really do not have much reason to go down there. All the great places for music are gone (Trees, Deep Ellum Live, Gypsy Tea Room). Okay, enough being sad. Read the Dallas Morning News article about the closing.

Optimized Firefox 2.0.0.3 for G4, G5, and Intel Macs

Get your optimized version of the world's greatest browser, FireFox. These optimized versions for mac (choose your processor) are available thanks to BeatnikPad. Many Thanks!

Get yours here.

Leopard in June?

According to reports, Apple will be releasing Leopard this June following or at the Worldwide Developers Conference. It seems that Apple decided to push the release date from this March to June in order to include even more goodies. More interaction with the iWork and iLife suites (Leopard only versions) seem to be on the ticket. Read more on Think Secret.