Your Brain on Computers

The New York Times recently published a series of articles (Your Brain on Computers) discussing the effect computers appear to have on our brains. The comments "highlights" are worth reading for the different perspectives.

It is food for thought. Technology is a wonderful tool, but it is worth a moment to think about how and why we use the technology that we do.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Legal Twitter

This is a list of the top 100 legal Twitter feeds, some of which are very useful and informative. Depending on your interests, you may choose to follow one or two of the people listed here on Twitter.


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

the Kindle in Colleges

Think it would be great to have all your textbooks in Kindle format? It seems like a great idea, but apparently, the Kindle has not yet gained favor in college campuses. Read this for an interesting discussion.


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

You have the right to remain silent

We are all familiar with the Miranda Warning from television. Today the U.S. Supreme Court handed down an opinion (Berguis v. Thompkins) that tilted the warnings procedure towards the police. Criminal suspects must explicitly invoke their right to remain silent. Check out the SCOTUSwiki for the background of the case with supporting documents; and SCOTUSblog for an initial analysis of the deicison.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

The Environmental Impact of Google Searches

Although internet searches may not appear to have any environmental impact, they require servers, which require electricity. You may have even heard the rumor that every Google search uses as much energy as a 100 watt light bulb uses in one hour. This is not true. The Slaw blog outlines how much energy Google searches actually require--Google has tried to limit this energy consumption for both environmental and cost-saving reasons.


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Global News on the Go

Summer is here, and unless you are taking the Bar exam, study or travel abroad may be in your immediate future. Take a few minutes to become familiar with two very different, but complementary, online news sources before you take off on international adventures. These can keep you in the know and up to the minute with news and culture from and about every region and major city across the globe.

World News Network brings you actual news pages from publications and blogs worldwide, gathering the news from over 500 sources in 49 languages. Organized by region, city, and topic, the site is searchable and has an archive feature making it easy to see relevant stories from any date going back to 2003. Global Post was founded in January 2009 by an American journalist and an entrepreneur with a mission to "redefine international news for the digital age." Global Post is a totally online, independent news source with its own correspondents living on every continent and dedicated to covering international news well, without partisan bias. They find newsworthy stories on topics--including cultural trends and sports--that you won't see elsewhere. When you travel abroad this summer, take WN Network and Global Post along.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Enjoy the weekend!!!

I for one am looking forward to a nice long weekend and many cat naps. We will be open Saturday and Sunday but will be closed on Monday.

For a little fun over the weekend, check out wackyuses.com . You can great tips here like using plain yogurt to sooth the sunburn you get if you plan to get to the beach on this unofficial start of summer.

Whatever you do, have fun!!

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

New Spider Species Discovered In Sand Dune

Last week, we alerted Summer sojourners to the beginning of the common “creepy-crawly” season with some interesting insect macro-photography.

This week, take a look at a very uncommon creeper, a prettily-colored new species of spider that was recently discovered in the Sands of Samar in Israel.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Sunscreen

This coming weekend marks the official beginning of Summer and many of us will hit the beach or spend times outdoors with our barbecues. So this is a reminder that while enjoying the great outdoors, you should use sunscreen. However, sunscreens are not equal and some are clearly more effective than others. This recent article "Group Calls Some Sunscreens 'Snake Oil'" reviews the sunscreen guide of the Environmental Working Group.

Take care of your skin and enjoy your time in the sun!
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

New U.S. Courts Website

The federal judiciary has a new, redesigned website. It is much easier to use than the old U.S. courts website, however you will find that the websites for the individual courts have not changed (although the Supreme Court did recently update its website).

The separation of powers apparently does not extend to web design. The new U.S. Courts website looks very similar to the White House website, which is very similar to the website used for President Obama's 2008 campaign, which took a number of its cues from Facebook.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat