Wednesday, December 21, 2011

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

Monday, December 19, 2011

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!






Wednesday, December 7, 2011

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.

Monday, December 5, 2011

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