Internet searching trends
The first step to finding relevant information is to determine the appropriate questions. According to graduate schools in information or library science, the reference interview is the key. Librarians talk to their patrons and help them clarify their research problem, ideally keeping the questions narrow enough to avoid being deluged with too much information but broad enough to avoid “zero results.”
Far too many people flock to Google and type in extremely vague queries, only to be frustrated and uninformed after hours of searching. On the other hand, the 50+ year-old man at the joint use public/college library on Saturday was using much more specific queries – Alyssa Milano nude – and was apparently successful, until a fellow patron ratted him out to me (the reference librarian) and I had to go over and reiterate for the second time that day, “You can’t look at porn in the library.” The ironic thing was that the person who alerted me to the porn was a man, probably early twenties, and he was pretty aggravated at the idea that anyone would come into the library and use the computers for leisure activities like porn viewing, online poker, looking at matches on dating sites, etc. He had the idea that people should be (gasp) productive in the library – what a concept!
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OurFirstMarriage #76: Trying to forget
Sub-prime crisis discussion continued. Is it really as much of a crisis as the media would have you believe? How much should the government step in? Tom’s mini-review of Grand Theft Auto IV - many of you parents will be surprised at what he says. Read the rest of the review over at AV Rant. The “House of Horrors” in Austria is discussed. We are just as appalled as you are. The FLDS scandal is discussed. Is polygamy illegal in America? Is ignorance an excuse for not paying your taxes? Tom makes a case for polygamy. Thanks for listening and don’t forget to vote for us on Podcast Alley. Want to know more about Tanel, Tom, Punkalicious, or Captain Evil? Click here.
OurFirstMarriage #75: The Vegan Lobby
Happy Cinco de Mayo! Tanel starts off with a PSA. Being able to cook is not girly. Tom’s cooking is discussed. Check your tires. Tanel and Tom had guests over for dinner - it went well. Punkalicious is not into pretending. Turns out that town Tanel was trying to remember was Chihuahua. Tom has a speech impediment. Tanel is bi-lingually PC. Broccoli tastes like ass. Is meat important to our culture? Tom thinks so. Why are kids fat? Tom’s making friends on IHMMB.com. Not. All that just to make a geeky joke. Who would have known that sarcasm could engender this sort of reaction? The sub-prime mortgage “crisis” discussion is started. Look for more on that next time. Thanks for listening and don’t forget to vote for us on Podcast Alley. Want to know more about Tanel, Tom, Punkalicious, or Captain Evil? Click here.
Funny Cats Video
The kids were acting up last night and needed some distraction. After a few minutes of searching, Tom found this video. Punkalicious laughed so hard he almost threw-up. Enjoy.
OurFirstMarriage #74: Happy Coincident
Knowing what to look for in another person is hard - without experience. What to do when you’re single but looking. Jealousy is bad. Some mistakes are bound to happen in relationships - either you need to learn from your mistakes or from someone else’s. Truth is important to Tanel. A little more about Pat. Should you ignore your kids when they fight? Tom has a neurotic need to force his kids to get along. Is it a good idea? Even he doesn’t think so. Tom is hard to get along with. Americans DEFINTELY don’t like to travel. How much of an effect do you have over your children’s relationships with each other? Probably not much. How much genetic modification would you be comfortable with? Leave a comment and let us know. Fun fact about surrogate mothers. Tanel hated L.A. Thanks for listening and don’t forget to vote for us on Podcast Alley.
Gifted Education in Elementary School
To recap, my last post detailed my daughter’s initial screening for entry into her elementary school’s gifted program. Our county school district web page (in Florida) was not helpful. I did some Internet research and found the results to be informative, but extremely varied and contradictory. Here are a few web sites that I used for information gathering:
http://www.eric.ed.gov/
http://www.nagc.org/
http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/
http://giftedkids.about.com/
http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/pages/ed.gifted.html
After scanning numerous articles and book chapters with a variety of perspectives, I realized that many public school systems begin testing children for gifted programs in second or third grade, in spite of the fact that much of the professional literature advocates testing as early as ages five and six. Anecdotal evidence from teachers also seems to advocate early testing, particularly for girls. So I was pleased to learn that our elementary school takes a proactive approach by referring kindergartners for testing.
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