Whenever somebody asks me about learning HTML, CSS, JavaScript, etc.  I refer them to a few places.  The computer book section in the Library (online and print), websites the library subscribe to such as Lynda.com, and w3schools.

w3schools is a storehouse of tutorials on learning about all sorts of technologies from HTML to SQL to PHP to XML.  The best part of w3schools, in my opinion, is the Try it Editor. The Try it Editor allows you to manipulate relatively simple code to see what breaks it, changes it and fixes it.  I found this hugely useful when learning how to design websites.

I have used other website tutorials but find myself returning to w3schools time and time again.  Do you have a favorite website for learning web design technologies?

Cross-posted from the Answer.

We now have Lynda.com, which means, if you have a Skokie Library card, you have Lynda.com!

The official description of it is “Lynda.com Online Learning Library provides users with access to over 800 video training courses in computer related topics such as Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Word, iMovie, or Twitter.”

I have been using it nearly nonstop since we got the subscription. It is an outstanding resource for anybody wanting to learn through videos/screencasts.

Be aware that Lynda.com does not work well with Internet Explorer, use Firefox, Google Chrome or another browser to view the videos.

Be sure to take advantage of this resource as well as all our technology books, online and off.

How to Burn a CD or DVD Disc Using CDBurnXP

Below are the steps on how to burn a cd or dvd using CD Burn XP. CD Burn XP is FREE program the library has installed on it’s

Step 1:  Insert the disc that you want a copy of into the CD/DVD drive, you will see the following windows after a few seconds:

a.)  Let this run until complete, once completed, it will disappear.

b.)  For this window, click Cancel

Step 2:  Click the Start button

Step 3:  Click All Programs – Click Utilities – Click CDBurnXP

Step 4:  Click Copy disc

Step 5:  Click either Copy Audio or Copy Data, this depends on what you want to do

Step 6:  Click Copy disc

Step 7: You will see the following window, it shows that it is gathering (or extracting) your items from your disc, this will take a few seconds to minutes depending on the quantity of items you want to copy from your original disc

Step 8:  After Step 7 is completed, your CD/DVD drive will eject automatically, and a window will ask you to put the blank writable disc in the CD/DVD drive.

Step 9:  Put a blank writable disc in the CD/DVD drive and the burning process will automatically begin, this will take a few seconds to minutes depending on the quantity of items you want to copy from your original disc

Step 11:  Click Close

Step 12:  Click Exit and don’t forget to retrieve your discs

CD Burn url: http://www.cdburnerxp.se/

The new computer game Xbox 360 “Kinect” camera/sensor, due out this Fall, is supposed to have a sophisticated infrared reader that detects body movements without use of a controller device (such as the Nintendo Wii remote). This new Kinect sensor, formerly called “Project Natal,” will supposedly free up body movements and allow for more natural motions and reactions. In all likelihood, this gaming device will increase the sophistication of interactive gaming and “avatars!”

Chicago Red Eye GameSmith review of the new device

Xbox Kinect website

A colleague of mine just sent me a link to this great BoingBoing post about digitization and preservation efforts at the Library of Congress.

The Library of Congress has nearly 150 million items in its collection, including at least 21 million books, 5 million maps, 12.5 million photos and 100,000 posters. The largest library in the world, it pioneers both preservation of the oldest artifacts and digitization of the most recent–so that all of it remains available to future generations.

Strangely, I also came across this Lifehacker article today about how to digitize your personal life. We all have documents, photos, old analog video tapes, and more that we’d like to preserve, but it can be difficult to figure out how to go about doing that. The Lifehacker article gives you some great first steps to consider.

Also, if you don’t already know, we have flatbed scanners in both the 2nd floor computer lab and the 1st floor Digital Media Lab. We also have an analog-to-digital converter to help you convert your old home movies on VHS (or other analog video) to digital files. Stop by the 2nd floor adult computer lab and let us know if you’re interested in learning more. Or complete an online instruction request form to schedule a 1-on-1 appointment in the Digital Media Lab.

If you’ve grown tired of the same old way to search for images on Google you might want to try Google Image Swirl. It is part of Google Labs - a place where you can check out the different experiments being developed by Google’s engineers. When you search for an image with Google Image Swirl the results are based on their visual similarity and they are presented in a much more intuitive way. I find it easier to sort through the results and find what I need and it’s kind of fun!

Think the Amazon Kindle is the only e-reader on the market? Think again. The industry has exploded with new e-ink products for your reading entertainment…

click to view Engadget e-ink results page>>>

YouTube, the world’s most popular website to view and share videos, just celebrated its fifth birthday! Here are some recent statistics about the site:

• 2 Billion views a day
• 3rd most visited website (Alexa)
• Localized in 23 countries across 24 different languages
• 15: The average number of minutes people spend on the site each day
• 24 Hours of video uploaded to YouTube every minute
• 70% of YouTube traffic comes from outside the U.S.
• 1700 Years it would take you to watch the hundreds of millions of videos on YouTube

Read more about YouTube’s birthday at TechCrunch. To learn more about YouTube, check out some of these books from our collection or register for our “Understanding YouTube” class on July 6. And don’t forget to check out the Library’s YouTube videos!

Here’s one of my (and millions of others) favorite YouTube videos of all time. What are some of your favorites?

We sat down and recorded video interviews with the top six finishers in our recent Teen Photography Contest. Check them out!

Read the rest of this entry »

Worried about phishing and spam? Well, if not you should be! Phishing scams are all over, and many are very difficult to detect. Don’t believe me? Try the SonicWALL Phishing and Spam IQ Quiz. I got 8 out of 10 correct.

How will you do? Let me know in the comments.

Cross posted from The Answer.