Technology Tip #22: Online Weight Loss Tools

Times magazine wrote that one of the top New Year's Resolution to be broken is to "Lose Weight and Get Fit". As we herald in the New Year I thought it would be fun to share some free online tools that can help you try to maintain that resolution.

A lot of fitness websites will have a ton of features including ways to track your calorie intake, free exercise routines, blogging space, and a social networking capability. Let's face it...some websites do some things better. Based on my own experience and some online reviews here are some of the most popular websites for your fitness goals this 2012.

My Fitness Pal / www.myfitnesspal.com

I found this website easy to use and I even got a few friends to join with me. This is a community based website that allows you to track your food, exercising, and create a online profile to interact with friends. You can post updates directly to your Facebook from their website and there is a app that you can download for your smart phone. It will help you set fitness, calorie, and weight goals. Keep your friends up to date while blogging about your trials and tribulations. The best part is that everything is free.

Livestrong / www.livestrong.com

I used to use this website and I would recommend it for people that are serious about their fitness goals. It offers more tools than Fitness Pal and a far more comprehensive food tracking system called the Daily Plate. I suggest this for people that really want to track their nutrition intake and accurately track every calorie burned. Another tool I really loved was their tool called "LOOP" for directly tracking the route you took on a walk, run, bike, etc. This way you don't have to drive the car around your path for mileage. Most of the features on Livestrong are free but for some of the more advanced options you will have to pay a membership fee.

My Food Diary / www.myfooddiary.com

This website is easy to use and popular. Unlike My Fitness Pal it is not completely free and some of the options require a membership. You can still access a food diary, exercise log, and a weight loss forum so you can look for inspiration and support from other users.

Women's Fitness / www.fitnessmagazine.com

If you are just looking for quick workouts Women's Fitness magazine offers one page printable workouts. This is free but you will have to give them your e-mail address. These workouts are awesome and lately they have been providing quick 15 minute workouts that torch calories.

Do you have any fitness websites you suggest?

Technology Tip #21: Call Santa or Have a Fun Holiday Voicemail Message

From Gmail Blog, December 16th

Ho-ho-hold the phone: Santa’s on the line
Posted by Trevor Claiborne, Product Marketing Manager


Last year, Santa got his very own Google Voice number, and people around the U.S. received a special personalized holiday phone call from Santa Claus.

This year, Santa wants you to reach out to him (after all, reindeer are only so-so conversationalists). If you or your family members have a special request for Santa, you can call him right from Gmail* and leave him a message at his Google Voice number: 855-34-SANTA. Santa won't be able to return messages himself—it’s a busy time of year for him—but he's promised to keep us up to date on happenings in the North Pole day by day.

You also can create and send a unique, customized phone call from Santa to anyone you know, from your nieces and nephews to old college friends, over the phone (to U.S. numbers only). Listen to a sample phone call, and send a message of your own from SendaCallFromSanta.com.

Of course, Santa is never one to fall behind the technological times (word on the street is that Rudolph’s nose was recently upgraded to an energy-efficient LED). So while the red suit may never go out of style, this year Santa has come up with an extra special way to spread the holiday cheer. But you’ll have to wait until it’s closer to Christmas to find out what it is. So no peeking—but keep checking the site!

Happy Holidays from your friends at Gmail.

*Calls from Gmail are free for U.S. and Canadian users, but will cost people outside those areas $.01/minute (plus any applicable VATs).

Cross-posted on the Official Google Blog

Uncommone Genre 2: Historical Cookbooks

Marie Antoinette said "Let them eat cake!". I want to know what cake tasted like to Marie Antoinette in the 1700s. Since I definitely don't want to find cake that was made in the 1700s (ewwww), my best bet is to find a recipe from the 1700s and make it myself. So today I want to do a little research on a uncommon genre of books, historical cookbooks.

I can just do a web search for "1700s cake recipe" and get thousands of finds. If you use one of these recipes there is no guarantee it is authentic. Just because the person who posted it on the internet swears it has been in the family since the Colonial does not make it authentic. So today's post is going to focus on authentic resources that we can validate as being time period correct.

Part of the process of finding authentic books is actually being able to see the original book yourself. I do this by searching the internet for visual images of these older books. If you want to try browsing for them go to Google Books, look for cookbooks, and in the right hand side change the publish date to the desired years. Here are a few authentic resource examples.

---

American

American Cookery by Amelia Simmons (1798)

This is the first known American cookbook that used American ingredients. The book is available for purchase by several vendors but since it is not protected by copyright you can peruse digital images of the book at Michigan State University by clicking on the title.

If you would like to view 75 other cookbooks from 1798 through the late 1900s check out all of Michigan State University's project called Feeding America. There are images available all similar to American Cookery.

European

Early European cookbooks are harder to find because they are usually in the original language and not translated. If you are serious about finding them I thought I would at least give you a starting point. This book does not have any recipes but it lists all of the original print dates and titles of European cookbooks from that era. I recommend this only for serious culinary patrons because it is not available through Wisconsin lenders and it can be pricey.

Printed Cookbooks in Europe: 1470-1700: A Bibliography of Early Modern Culinary Literature. by Henry Notaker (2010).

Happy Cooking!

Technology Tip #20:YouTube Holiday Hellos!

Ah, the infamous Holiday Newsletter. Depending on the author it can be a instrument of entertainment or terror. You can still send traditional ink, but engage your family with a Holiday Video and post it on YouTube.

Holiday Video:

Step 1: Use a recording device like your digital camera, a web cam with microphone on your computer, etc and work with your family to make a short two minute video saying hello to everyone for the holidays. You can have fun with this by wearing your favorite holiday sweater and showing off your Christmas decorations.

Step 2: Go to www.youtube.com and upload your video. YouTube will generate a link that you can share with people. (Click here to be brought to the YouTube help page.)

Step 3: Send an e-mail to friends and family with the link to your Holiday Video.

Making the video is part of the fun and is a bonding opportunity with family members or unfortunate pets. It may not be a masterpiece but you will stand out from the ink newsletters. To give you a little courage check out Bob's family holiday video.

UnCommon Genre Week 1: Historical Military Westerns

Western sub-genres generally include the following categories which reflect the interests of western. One such sub genre is Historical Military Westerns. In this genre you read to Western novel fictions that have accurate details of the historical events. This helps you as a reader be entertained with a quick pace adventure and learn something with the detailed description of the action and events.

Try Reading:

Terry C. Johnston, The Plainsmen series
Will Henry
Cynthia Haseloff, The Kiowa Verdict: A Western Story
Don Coldsmith, The Trail of the Spanish Bit

Ashes of Heaven. Terry C. Johnston. A Plainsmen Novel, Book XIII.1998. 432p.
The Plainsmen series chronicles the final battles of the war against the indigenous peoples, as seen through the eyes of Seamus Donegan, a likeable and experienced soldier and scout out of Fort Laramie, Dakota Territory. Sent “to finish a long and bloody war”, the quick-paced, action-packed novel tells the story of the vain efforts of some to negotiate a humane end to the conflicts, which instead led to the Lame Deer Fight of 1877 and brought the once-mighty Sioux to their knees.

I, Tom Horn. Will Henry. 1975. 339p.
“Just him and the wind and the wolf, lone three. Out there! Out there!”
The recreated autobiography of Tom Horn, who left home at 14 after enduring his father’s last beating, to begin a life of adventure in the West. Recounted as his sat awaiting his hanging after having been sentenced by a jury that included men he had once arrested for cattle rustling, Tom tells the story of the unfortunate series of events that led up to his execution.

Riders of the Purple Sage. Zane Grey. 1912. 335p.
A young Morman woman, heir to her father’s extensive ranch, dares to defy the Mormon church elders and befriends a young man who is a Gentile, and is threatened and bullied by them. Out of the dust, just in time to save the day, rides the mysterious stranger who wil teach the brutal religious extremists a lesson they won't forget.

Western sub-genres generally include the following categories which reflect the interests of western reader’s advisory at my library:

Historical/ Military Westerns: Read to gain an accurate understanding of the real events and people that shaped the West, preferably related in a well-written adventurous tale that moves along at a fairly quick pace, with lots of detailed action.
Terry C. Johnston, The Plainsmen series
Will Henry
Cynthia Haseloff, The Kiowa Verdict: A Western Story
Don Coldsmith, The Trail of the Spanish Bit

Ashes of Heaven. Terry C. Johnston. A Plainsmen Novel, Book XIII.1998. 432p.
The Plainsmen series chronicles the final battles of the war against the indigenous peoples, as seen through the eyes of Seamus Donegan, a likeable and experienced soldier and scout out of Fort Laramie, Dakota Territory. Sent “to finish a long and bloody war”, the quick-paced, action-packed novel tells the story of the vain efforts of some to negotiate a humane end to the conflicts, which instead led to the Lame Deer Fight of 1877 and brought the once-mighty Sioux to their knees.

I, Tom Horn. Will Henry. 1975. 339p.
“Just him and the wind and the wolf, lone three. Out there! Out there!”
The recreated autobiography of Tom Horn, who left home at 14 after enduring his father’s last beating, to begin a life of adventure in the West. Recounted as his sat awaiting his hanging after having been sentenced by a jury that included men he had once arrested for cattle rustling, Tom tells the story of the unfortunate series of events that led up to his execution.

Riders of the Purple Sage. Zane Grey. 1912. 335p.
A young Morman woman, heir to her father’s extensive ranch, dares to defy the Mormon church elders and befriends a young man who is a Gentile, and is threatened and bullied by them. Out of the dust, just in time to save the day, rides the mysterious stranger who wil teach the brutal religious extremists a lesson they won't forget.

Compiled by Cathy Marciniak in August of 2004

Reader Advisory - Thoughts on Reading

Betty Rosenberg is an idol of mine. She was not a First Lady or an inventor. She was a wickedly clever librarian employed by UCLA who had a shock of white hair and chain smoked cigarettes. Her written words always have a ring of reverent wisdom and truth and my favorite Rosenberg quote is: "Never apologize for your reading tastes".

I agree wholeheartedly with that quote and believed in its meaning before I heard about it from Betty. I grew up in a family that loved to read, but every single one of us had an entirely different taste. My Mother is a fervent reader and can always be found reading romance novels, anything about UFOs, and Soap Opera Digest. As if to prove how much my Father loves reading he built in magazine/book racks into the toilet paper dispensers at our house so he could keep his Science Fiction novels near. My Grandfather was more of a literary reader and taught me appreciation of Shakespeare, Steinbeck, and the beauty of poetry. The point being....each one of these people loved to read something different. When it comes to reading for enjoyment I believe that UFOs are just as important as Steinbeck. Read what you love and sometimes try reading what other people love.

With that in mind I would like to provide some reader advisory tools for some genres that don't get as much appreciation as they should. Every month I will try to provide some reader advisory tools for a specific genre. So look for that blog post titles with "Reader Advisory". Our first blog will come next week. If you have any suggestions please comment! Thank you!

Technology Tip 19: Getter Better Gifts

It is that time of year where the media jollily reminds us how many days we have left until Christmas. (25 in case you were wondering). Be prepared this year and use the library to help you pick the best quality gifts.

If you are thinking about a particular item, anything from an e-book reader, digital camera, snow tires, or washing machine, Consumer Reports has probably reviewed it and can make some suggestions.

Call us at 262-363-6411, e-mail us at mukref@gmail.com, or stop in and we can help you find these rating.

Expansion Photos Nineteen

Oooh... the big day is almost here. This week the shelves are being finished and the new furniture is being delivered and installed. While it won't all be done until we actually move back, nearly everything that isn't at our temporary home is now at our gorgeous, new home. Here are some photos from earlier today:

Here is a portion of the children's area, with new shelving on the left (without the wood end caps which will be installed by Friday, Dec. 2), the four children's computer stations (center), and the board book bin (right) all in place.

Our new meeting room, now with tables and chairs! They are surprisingly comfortable chairs for multi-purpose, meeting room, stackable chairs.

These "not quite ready for prime time" booths that will be part of the Young Adult area. When complete and properly installed, these will make a nice seating area for our teen and college-aged patrons.