I’m doing a presentation for Northern Waters Library Service in Ashland, Wisconsin on Monday.  Normally, I post my slides on SlideShare for anyone interested to take a look, but I’ve changed my style of slides for this presentation.

I noticed that the programs I liked most at ALA and PLA were ones where photographs were used to promote understanding and there were few to no words on the slides themselves.  So I’ve gone to that style.  It’s a bit like losing your security blanket or net, not having words to refer to on the screen.  But I hope that it will make for a more engaging presentation.  Perhaps it’s just the sense of tightrope walking that will make it more energized!  LOL

One thing that I do have to offer is my list of 2.0 services that I am highlighting on Monday.  I’ve put them on del.icio.us rather than a handout in the hopes that my audience will try out that service if nothing else.  You can check out the resources here.

After my presentation I am off for the rest of the week on vacation.  Expect more updates after Labor Day.  Have a wonderful holiday weekend!

It took me several days, but I finally got this controversial new magazine site to load.  Now it seems to be more stable.

Mygazines has scans of almost all of the top magazines, including brand new volumes.  I don’t expect the site to last long because publishers are sure to be circling to defend their copyrights.  But it is a fascinating look at what could be possible.

Hit Me Later is a fascinating idea for an online service.  Forward any email to 24@hitmelater.com and they will resend it to you 24 hours later.  You can change the 24 to any number of hours you want or any day like Tuesday and back it comes then. 

No registration needed, no fuss, no spam.  I know that sometimes I have an email that I really need to handle, but can’t do it right then and this might just be a solution to that problem.  It brings it to the top of the pile and to my attention again.  Now if they just had an easy button to press to snooze again and again and again…

NPR is doing a remarkable series called Crime in the City that follows mystery writers through the cities that inspire them.  The latest author is Jason Goodwin who takes us through Istanbul.  What a great series to point your mystery lovers to!

Yahoo just released a new service called Fire Eagle which allows you to pinpoint your personal location and share it on several different apps.  At this point, I don’t see my favorite social networking sites listed as apps, but that’s sure to change.  In any event, it is one more way to make your life more accessible online. 

As my older son heads to middle school this fall, I worry about many things.  One of the smaller worries is that there is going to be no way that I can keep up with his advanced math class. 

Enter Mathway where you can put in a math problem and not just receive the answer, but receive an explanation of how the problem was solved, step by step.  The site covers basic math, algebra, trigonometry, and calculus.  Click on one of the example problems to see how it works, or enter one of your own. 

This would be a handy link for reference desks as well as parents.

OK, I admit it, I’m a social network junkie. I have two services to tell you about that I just discovered.

Socialmedian is a service that offers news networks centered on specific topics for you to subscribe to.  Don’t see the one you want?  Create it!  There are the usual technology networks, but wonderfully there are also all sorts of other topics.  I know lots of people who don’t understand RSS feeds and don’t want to, and this is a quick and easy way to get them reading blogs and staying up-to-date. 

SecondBrain gathers all of your social network content into one place.  You can import your YouTube, FriendFeed, Twitter, RSS feeds, Delicious and much more.  This is a place for veteran social network users who are looking for a single spot to find all of their online networks.  I am more of a fan of FriendFeed than SecondBrain, but for some it may be the right service. 

Fuelly is a site that lest you monitor your gas mileage and compare it with others.  Check out how your mileage compares with the EPA estimates, how others who drive the same make and model compare, and how your changes in your driving to conserve fuel are paying off. 

Culture Crossing is a site that lets you explore cultures from across the globe.  If you are traveling, you can learn greetings and gestures.  Wonderfully, they also cover personal space, eye contact, gender roles and how the culture views time.  All critical things to have a good experience abroad. 

You can add to the guide, join the community, view recommended online resources, ask questions, and much more.  The site also has a blog where you can read articles and make comments. 

My post about library directorship being Mission Impossible has been picked up by other blogs. And now wonderfully, it has been added to Palinet in their leadership section.   You can check out Impossible positions and bad decisions for the full scoop, plus a lot more articles and takes on leadership and management. 

Huge thanks to Walt Crawford for asking to include my little rant.