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January 30, 2007
Spring Adult Tech Ed Registration Begins
Spring starts officially on March 21st, but you don't have to wait that long to register for the Darien Library's Spring 2007 Adult Technology Classes. The registration lottery opens at 9 a.m. on Friday, February 16, and runs until 9 p.m. on Tuesday, February 27. To enter the lottery, just visit the registration page on the Library's website. Submit your name for as many classes as you want. Although we can't guarantee you a seat, we will try our best to accommodate everyone who registers. Along with our popular introductory classes on Word and Excel, we've added a class on Outlook, Microsoft's email software. Also new this year are a class on Flickr.com, a photo-sharing website, and another on downloading music online. As always, the Library's technology classes are offered free of charge to Darien residents, those who work full time in Darien, and non-residents who contribute $300 or more per year to the Library. If you have any questions about our spring technology classes, give Judy a call at 655-1234 x136. You can also send an email to sgammato@darienlibrary.org, or just post a comment to this blog. Ready, set, sign up!
Posted by JudyS at 02:04 PM | Comments (0)
January 22, 2007
Netflix Announces Instant Viewing
Netflix, Inc., the popular online movie rental service, announced this week that by the end of June, subscribers will have the option of immediately watching movie and television series on their personal computers. The instant-viewing feature will initially offer about 1,000 movies and TV series. The new feature will use real-time playback technology, avoiding lengthy downloads of large video files. After installation of a browser applet (a small piece of software), most movies will begin to play in 10-15 seconds. Movies may be paused and bookmarked for later viewing. Instant viewing will require an Internet connection with a minimum of one megabit per second of bandwidth. The greater the bandwidth, the higher the quality of video displayed. (DVD quality requires a three-megabit-per-second connection.) Monthly viewing hours will be based on the subscriber's monthly plan: Entry-level subscribers ($5.99 plan) will have 6 hours/month, while unlimited subscribers ($17.99 plan) will have up to 18 hours/month.
Posted by JudyS at 04:39 PM | Comments (0)
January 15, 2007
Take Our iPod Out for a Spin!
The Apple iPod is one of the most popular electronic consumer items ever launched. If you’re curious to see how it works, but don’t feel like laying out $250 for the privilege, here's your chance. The Darien Library has just added an Apple iPod to its arsenal of circulating MP3 players. Darien residents, those who work full time in Darien, and annual Contributors to the Library at the $300 level may check out our iPod for a period of 3 weeks. We will download an Audible audiobook of your choice prior to checkout and show you the ropes to get you going. Interested? Don't delay. Since we only have one right now, the waiting list is sure to grow. To reserve our iPod, click here. For more information, send a comment to this blog by clicking on the Comments link, below.
Posted by JudyS at 08:43 PM | Comments (0)
January 13, 2007
2007 International Consumer Electronics Show Wraps Up
The Consumer Electronics Association's 40th Anniversary International Consumer Electronics Show took place this week in Las Vegas, Nevada.
From Microsoft's Vista to a DVD player capable of playing both HD DVD and Blu-ray discs, the show provided a sneak peek at a wide variety of consumer products. Here's CNET's list of Best in Show :
| Cameras and camcorders | Sony HDR-HC7 |
| Car tech | Dash Navigation Dash Express |
| Cell phones, smart phones, PDAs | Verizon Wireless V Cast TV |
| Computers and hardware | Microsoft Windows Vista |
| Emerging tech | Powercast |
| Gaming | Alienware Area 51 m9750 |
| Home audio | Philips HTS8100 SoundBar |
| Home video | LG BH100 |
| MP3 and portable audio | SanDisk Sansa Connect |
| TVs | Samsung FP-T5894W |
Posted by JudyS at 02:25 PM | Comments (0)
New Members of Our Technology Team
Joe Finley Chris Gutierrez
If you've visited the Library over the last few weeks, you may have noticed two new faces among our technology staff. The Darien Library is very pleased to have two interns from the Academy of Information Technology (AIT), located in Stamford. Joseph Finley and Christopher Gutierrez, both Juniors at AIT, joined us just before Christmas and have already become an important part of our technology team. Joe and Chris will both work two evenings and one weekend day each week, assisting patrons with desktop applications. Please join us in welcoming these fine young men to our staff!
Posted by JudyS at 01:02 PM | Comments (3)