THE Ultimate Solitaire

Hooray, I just got the Mac OSX 3.0.1 version of Eric's Ultimate Solitaire! I had been using the free beta version for months and was thrilled to upgrade from version 1.0 for only $24.95.

The regular price is only $29.95.

If you haven't tried it, read the review from Inside Macintosh Shareware.

Magical Browser Home Page

Why not surprise someone with their own name or special message on a browser home page?

See my samples—Google and Yahoo

Make your own at Logo Maker.

Serendipitous Searching

Serendipitous searching happens when your quest for information on a particular topic leads you unexpectedly to find something interesting — whether or not the result is connected to your original query.

The Internet makes it much easier to experience this type of searching.

I decided to search for the phrase "serendipitous searching" to find out more about the topic and not only did I find definitions and examples, but also I found Banana Slug, a wonderful tool that promotes serendipitous surfing by adding a random word along with your search topic or phrase. I found the site mentioned in a boingboing entry. Boingboing bills itself as "a directory of wonderful things."

Cool Tool to Keep Track of Library Books

Mac OS X users can keep track of library books using Library Books by Harold Chu. Not only does the program connect to multiple library catalogues, download lists of books you have checked out at each and display them in your menu bar, but also can automatically add entries to iCal to remind you to return or renew them. You can also sync your Palm handheld or mobile and be reminded while on the move.

Some of My Favorite RSS Feeds

Here are some of my favorite RSS feeds:

43 Folders provides a wealth of tips in four areas: 1) productivity and time management, 2) Mac OS X programs and technologies, 3) ideas about modest ways to improve your life and reduce stress, and
4) cool or helpful shortcuts that makes life a bit easier

Ehow provides clear instructions on how to do (just about) everything

IT Conversations is a listener- and underwriter-supported network of high-end tech talk-radio interviews, discussions and presentations from major conferences delivered live and on-demand via the Internet.

Learning 2005 University provides video, audio and text segments to trigger conversations and dialogues in the learning field.

Songs of Love: a Wonderful Charity

Take a look at this wonderful video from a segment on 60 Minutes with Dan Rather.
I first heard about Songs of Love when it was featured on the Today Show in 1998 and have donated funds every year since.

Software Must Haves for Macintosh OSX Tiger

If you are a Macintosh Tiger user and haven't discovered these free or inexpensive items, be sure to check them out. The links take you to Versiontracker where you can read reviews and then download the software to try it.

iClip helps you save time and be more efficient with most everything you do on your Mac. Store various types of clippings in iClip's bins and access them whenever you need them. You'll improve your workflow and stay focused on what you're accomplishing.

KeyCue is a simple, unobtrusive utility application that helps you find, remember, and learn menu shortcuts. Just hold down the Command key for a while - KeyCue comes to help and shows a table of all currently available menu shortcuts. When you have found the desired shortcut in the KeyCue table, just type it and continue working as usual. The KeyCue window will disappear automatically. Over time, you will automatically remember frequently used shortcuts and become a power user of your favorite applications, working much more efficiently.

Quicksilver is an evolving framework for accessing and manipulating many forms of personal data. It creates a catalog of applications and some frequently used folders and documents. Activate it, and you can search for and open anything in its catalog instantly. The search is adaptive, so Quicksilver will recognize which items you are searching for based on previous experience. It also supports abbreviations, so you can type entire words, or just fragments of each. When not in use, Quicksilver vanishes, waiting for the next time you summon it.

Check Out Infoblog from Infopeople

As you can see from my previous post, I signed up at LibraryThing. That magical thing came to me by way of Sarah Houghton's post on another cool site, Infoblog from Infopeople.

Library Thing—Great Way to Share Book Recommendations

I Pledge to Keep on Track Using MarsEdit

Now that I have MarsEdit, "a weblog editor for Mac OS X that makes weblog writing like writing email—with spell-checking, drafts, multiple windows, and even AppleScript support," I hope to keep on track by entering my interesting thoughts and activities more frequently.

Thank goodness I used December to get ready for a full and varied travel schedule in January.

Two days before I was to drive to Modesto to present a workshop titled The Effective Trainer's Toolkit for the Great Valley Center I found out that I was a victim of online identity theft. For those interested in this topic you can read my article My Brush With Identity Theft for my computer user group, MacNexus.

My next trip was by Amtrak to San Francisco to attend the January 2005 MacWorld Conference & Expo where I fell in love with the iPod shuffle and Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger.

Then came a flight to snowy Boston for the American Library Association Midwinter Conference. The highlight of that trip was socializing at the American Library Association Players (ALAP) Midwinter 2005 Gala. As a result, I created the ALAP website.

My last trip in January was to the Cerritos Library for a brainstorming session on creating even more WOW services for children.

February brought me to Southern California again. This time I was in Pasadena at the Pacific Asia Museum, in preparation for designing a grant application on public library community partnerships.

In February I began teaching a six week online course, Effective Time Management for Library Staff, for Infopeople I love teaching this course because it revitalizes me. I started the class with this Randy Glasbergen cartoon. When I teach any class, I am always on the lookout for new resources and during the third week of my class, I took a teleclass full of helpful hints titled Non-Linear Time Management for Creatives offered by Lynn Cutts.

In March, after finishing up my time management class and my work on the partnerships grant application, I moved on to my next project—working on a May presentation for the Technology Training To Go Conference for Florida libraries made possible by funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and by a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant administered by the State Library & Archives of Florida. The event was managed by the Northeast Florida Library Information Network, Inc.

In April, I began work on another project, a session titled Stress-Free Library Program Planning to be presented at the American Library Association's First-Ever Conference Within a Conference entitled, Empowering Library Support Staff for the 21st Century. This special event was held in conjunction with the 2005 Annual Conference in Chicago.

In May, I traveled to Orlando for the Technology Training To Go Conference and enjoyed some fun time at Downtown Disney and Universal and in June to Chicago where I presented Stress-Free Library Program Planning with Judy Card; our handout is at my website. Once again I loved socializing at an ALAP Gala and added new photos to the website photo gallery upon my return home. I spent lots of fun time with my roommate, Barbara Rittinger, who works at the Arlington County Dept. of Libraries. We had signed up for the Chicago Greeter Service and had a wonderful time with our greeter, Gary, exploring Chicago neighborhoods, learning about architectural history and making the best use of public transportation. We also saw Second City's 91st mainstage comedy revue, Red Scare.

In July, I became involved in two new long term projects: implementation of the partnerships grant funded by an LSTA grant administered by the California State Librarian and becoming a project consultant for Infopeople. In my next entry, I will share my progress with these two projects.

Delicious Library Really is Delicious

If you are both a book collector and a Macintosh iSight camera owner, be sure to check out Delicious Library software at (http://www.delicious-monster.com). The software lets you enter your books into a database just by scanning the barcode using your iSight camera.

My Life is Full of Online Experiences

The last three months have been so full—teaching a five week online course, Effective Time Management for Library Staff, writing for and editing the CLENExchange, a quarterly newsletter of the Continuing Library Education and Networking Exchange Round Table of the American Library Association. Copies can be downloaded at (http://www.ala.org/ala/clenert/newsletter/newsletter.htm), taking an online course module on community analysis from Dalhousie University (Halifax, Canada), and preparing for the American Library Association Conference in Orlando.

For those who have struggled with weight and exercise programs, I highly recommend a website that has become a part of my daily life since November—Nutrawatch, (http://www.nutrawatch.com); it allows tracking of both exercise and diet. Not only have I lost 25 pounds, but for the first time I really feel I have a long term solution. When an injury prevented me from exercising, I once again found it difficult to keep my weight stable. I consulted a nutritionist and rehab chiropractor to help me set up a customized program I could follow. As usual, the best way to motivate oneself is to keep records of what you eat, what exercises you do and keep track of your results. NutraWatch provides an easy to use online solution.

March—What a Variety of Experiences

March really flew by. On the 12th, I coordinated a staff day for the Sonoma County Library at the San Francisco Public Library. I took Amtrak from Sacramento to San Francisco. I got off the connecting bus at the San Francisco Center, home of Nordstrom's and stopped in at one of my favorite travel stores, Going In Style (see the website at http://www.goinginstyle.com). After a great customer service experience, I transferred my belongings to a new suitcase, left my old one for disposal and continued on my way to my hotel. I even had time to visit the new Apple Computer store; what a fantastic place (see photos at http://www.apple.com/retail/sanfrancisco/gallery2.html).

On the 23rd, I coordinated a workshop entitled Reenergize Your Library’s Service Environment attended by seventy nine participants from ten states (see http://infopeople.org/WS/workshop/Workshop/155). The focus of the first half was the FISH! philosophy (see http://www.charthouse.com/product_film_fp.asp). The second half featured staff of the fantastic Cerritos Library (see photos at http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/library/photos/library.html).

The rest of the month I was hard at work at a variety of projects. A major new experience I am engrossed in is the design of my first online course, Effective Time Management for Library Staff. It is a five week course that begins April 20 (see the description at http://infopeople.org/WS/workshop/Workshop/153).

Public Library Association Conference in Seattle

I frequently attend library association conferences. The most recent one was sponsored by the Public Library Association from February 24-28 and held in Seattle. What a wonderful time I had—seeing the city (including the Pike Place Market Fish Company of the FISH! Philosophy fame), learning new things and spending time with old and new friends in the library field. One of my new friends is Michael Porter, creator of http://www.libraryman.com/blog

Video Chatting

Tonight brought another fun Macintosh computer experience. Bob Seigel, a friend who lives in Graettinger, Iowa and I used our iSight cameras and iChat software to view and talk with each other.

MacNexus—Sacramento's Macintosh Users Group

What a wonderful experience I had today at a computer user group workshop. I am one of the founders of MacNexus, the Sacramento Macintosh users group and I am always amazed at how willing people are to volunteer their time to help others become more computer literate.

Today, my first stop was Triage (the computer repair service), where I got answers to both hardware and software questions. My second stop was a class on understanding features of Microsoft Word for OS X.

Then I taught a class on how to use search engines to find information on the Internet; questions included finding downloadable karaoke music, what weather to expect when visiting Beijing during specific months and information about ministers of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S. in the 1800s!

To get an overview of what is available from a user group, see http://www.macnexus.org/

Detachable Feet for Laptops

One of my favorite computer related purchases of 2003 is the Postworx Speed Ball detachable feet for laptops.

I bought mine for $9.95 from one of my favorite vendors, Small Dog Electronics.

You can see them at http://www.smalldog.com/product/12653064

Introduction to Gail McGovern's Magical Things

My name is Gail McGovern. I am an independent consultant based in Sacramento, California. I specialize in planning and training for nonprofit organizations. My business card title is Planning and Training Wizard and my goal is to empower people to succeed.

This blog will describe anything I think may be useful or fun.

For more information about me, see my website at http://www.gailmcgovern.info