Our Adult Technology Classes at 35 Leroy Avenue have come to an end with the completion of our final fall 2008 class "BlackBerry Boot Camp." Taught by Instructor Pam Barnet of Barnet Associates LLC, Wilton, Conn., this class was a first for the Darien Library and attracted a broad cross-section of students. Each student came with his/her own BlackBerry and Pam covered topics relevant to all and specifics for each.

In the 7 years since the Darien Technology Foundation Center at the Darien Library opened, on November 7, 2001, we have offered almost 900 programs and classes with over 7,000 participants. The early years saw lots of basic email and Internet search classes, but as our patrons became more tech savvy, we kept pace with classes such as "Photo-Sharing on the Web," "craigslist for Beginners," "Your Pod or Mine? (An Introduction to Podcasting)," and, of course, "Blackberry Boot Camp." It's been a wonderful experience sharing hot technologies with our library patrons. Our new library, set to open on January 10, 2009, will be the setting for a whole new set of adult technology education classes. If you have an idea or suggestion for a new class, let me know! We look forward to seeing you all in the new library!

Last week I was stuck in the mother of all non-holiday traffic jams-- Tuesday night repaving on I-95 northbound. For better or for worse, I entertained myself for an hour and a half by listening to the second presidential debate. Not a bad way to pass the time, but not what I expected to do during a trip that usually takes about 11 minutes.

The cause of all this craziness? Merging down from three lanes to one. You’d think by now folks would know how to do that in an organized, timely manner, but no. To find out why normally thoughtful, rational people are incapable of this simple maneuver, check out the latest by Tom Vanderbilt-- Traffic: Why We Drive The Way We Do (And What It Says About Us). In a recent interview he summed it up quite nicely:

Merging is the most stressful single activity we face in everyday driving, according to a survey by the Texas Transportation Institute. People who have done studies at highway construction work zones have also told me of extraordinarily bad behavior, triggered by this simple act of trying to get two lanes of traffic into one. Sometimes, it’s simply the difficult mechanics of driving — trying to enter a stream of traffic flowing at a higher speed than you are, for example.

Drivers, to quote a physicist who was actually talking about grains, are objects ‘who do not easily interact.’ But I also think there’s something about the forward flow of traffic that makes us register progress only by our own unimpeded movement; as in life, we seem to register losses more powerfully than gains, and registering these losses boosts stress.

Wow. If his theory sounds familiar, check out the financial headlines from last week.

So what did I learn from all this? The next time I hit 95, I’m checking the Connecticut DOT website before I head out. You know all of those cameras along the roadway? They record what the highway action is like in real time. No waiting for traffic info on the 8’s or 10’s (and praying they will say something—anything!—about the Connecticut roads), just live pictures of headlights and tail-lights moving right along. 

Another option is to check out the Tom Tom One GPS system, a great resource for finding those less traveled alternate routes.  Either way, you can bet I won't be listening to tonight's debate from my car!

To help you get the most out of the Darien Library's new and improved web site, we invite you to attend one of these workshops. We'll show you how to sign up for an account, search the online catalog, find out what items you have checked out and/or on hold, renew checked out items, and conduct research from home. Register by calling Judy at 655-1234 x136 or by sending an email to jsgammato@darienlibrary.org. We look forward to seeing you!

• Thursday, September 11, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. - 8 seats
• Friday, September 19, 10 a.m. to 12 noon - 12 seats
• Monday, October 6, 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. - 11 seats
• Wednesday, October 15, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. - 11 seats

The Fall 2008 Adult Technology Registration Lottery closed at 9 p.m. on Friday, August 29. We thank all of you who participated in the online lottery.

All registrants will be notified of their registration status by Friday, September 5, and classes begin the week of September 8.

For a list of classes being offered this fall, take a look at the registration brochure.

For more information on the Darien Library's Fall 2008 Adult Technology Classes, including post-lottery registration, please contact Judy Sgammato at 655-1234 x136 or send an email to jsgammato@darienlibrary.org.