Housecleaning isn't just a physical activity anymore - now, I find I have to take the time to clear out my virtual detritus every once in awhile too. So here are some links and articles I've had kicking around for awhile waiting for a good time to post.
Amazon: New & Future Book Releases Librarians talk a lot about making our online services more like Amazon and Google but this is at least one place where (at least some) libraries have the online services beat. Amazon just announced an e-newsletter of new & future book releases but doesn't provide any additional customization at all.
So, unlike the NextReads subscriptions I still get from London Public Library which allows me to choose to receive news about Fiction books (or Pop Culture or Health & Body or Biography & Memoir or about a dozen or so other categories), it's all or nothing with the Amazon subscription. Still, that could be useful if you're doing collection development work and you don't have access to a niche list. But why not take advantage of their extensive categorization system and provide subscriptions right down to the micro-level? ("There is one new book published this month in the area of New Guinea architecture. Click here to buy from Amazon.com")
BabyCenter's Top 10 Baby Names for 2007 Sophia for girls, Aiden for boys and not a Pace to be found. Trends include multi-syllabic names and unique spellings - again, not a Pace to be found. (Whew!)
Genetic Social Networks? (via Julie M.) If the wife of one of Google co-founders is right, the next frontier in social networking could be based on your DNA. You do a swab (for a couple hundred bucks) then the sites link you to people who are genetically similar tot you (ie. distant relatives you never knew you had.)
How Breastfeeding Benefits Add Up I think everybody knows (okay, should know) the benefits of breastfeeding over formula. But I like how this article Shea sent me shows the benefits at different stages of a baby's development.
Amazon's New E-Book Reader, The Kindle, Discussed on MetaFilter I admit, I haven't even read the whole thread yet. But what I saw so far covers a lot of the debate - positive and negative - about both e-books and the future of publishing so it's worth reading if you're interested in that sort of thing.
Lakota Indians Declare Independence From USA I'm not sure how serious this is and how much is political grandstanding. But if it's real...wow...another country for Bush to invade...without even having to go overseas!
the
fact is, the record is a smash, but not using your traditional
measurement, i.e. sales and airplay. However, consider the new
measurement tools, i.e. those that actually track what people listen to
and play, and the radiohead album is by far the biggest release this
year.
On Last.fm, last week, Radiohead occupied slots One to
Ten on the Popular Track Top Ten! And we’re not talking small numbers -
this is a site that measures tens of thousands of music fans listening
preferences…. it may be sitting unplayed on your ipod, but evidently
there are millions of people playing it….I’m sorry, but how do you
define a ’smash’?????"
Viral Videos Similar to YouTube's Top Video charts but taking in other sources as well, a good way to see which clips are popular today, this week, this month and all-time.
I follow US Presidential politics and this year is shaping up to be one of the most interesting elections in a long time - because of the Iraq War, because of the razor-thin margins (and resulting controversy) of the last two elections in 2000 and 2004, because the Democrats made a stunning comeback in the 2006 mid-term elections in both Congress and the Senate but have been largely ineffectual since (with many commentators speculating that the Dems don't want to risk doing anything drastic or controversial - ie. impeachment - that might damage what looks like a sure victory in 2008.)
For the Republicans, the current front runners are Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney (interestingly, two men with a history of being more liberal than conservative) and for the Democrats, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
There are a number of interesting stories that can or will come out of this election. Hillary Clinton could be the first female President, Barack Obama could be the first African-American President, Bill Richardson (who's polling around 4th for the Democrats in most places) would be the first Hispanic President if he somehow managed to win, Mitt Romney would be the first Mormon President, Giuliani would be the first cross-dressingPresident.
In addition, if Hillary Clinton wins, that would mean an uninterrupted twenty-five year stretch of Clintons and Bushes in the White House going back to the George H. Bush Vice-Presidency in 1981! (I thought monarchies were why the United States had a revolution against England?)
Barack Obama echoes of John Kennedy in his youth and charisma, bursting onto the scene with a mesmerizing speech at the 2004 Democratic convention.
Nothing is likely to come of it but perhaps the most interesting element to me is the groundswell of support (especially online) for two unique candidates - one from each party.
Ron Paul is a Texas Congressman and physician who once ran for President as a Libertarian and is the only Republican candidate that favours leaving Iraq. He is against the War on Drugs, the Patriot Act and even the US having a federal income tax. These qualities match up closely with the beliefs of many of the technorati who are highly active online. These people have responded by giving Paul (who is a distant fourth or further, in most polls of Republican candidates) a record for single-day fundraising efforts, fittingly on November 5 (Guy Fawkes Day which commemorates a thwarted plot to overthrow the English Parliament). Unlike the other candidates for both parties, this fundraising isn't being coordinated by the campaign but is happening spontaneously as Ron Paul supporters plan "moneybomb" days which raise millions via thousands of small, direct donations.
The other unique candidate is Dennis Kucinich who is so liberal by American standards, he's practically a Canadian. But when polls are conducted in the US to match a cross-section of American respondents to see who best matches their own beliefs without naming candidates, Kucinich is always the winner (sorry can't find the reference for this statement but I did read it somewhere.)
Kucinich even broached the idea of a cross-party ticket of these two Internet favourites to bridge the red-blue divide in the US but was rebuffed by Ron Paul. Still the idea of two candidates - one from each end of the political spectrum - who have the support of real people rather than corporations and lobbyists and who believe in principles rather than profits makes you wonder what might have been since you know it will never have a chance to be.
