I Brake for Library Sciences

It’s the Holiday Season, which means new stuff in the Librarian Avengers Store.
eurosticker.jpg
I’m pimpin’ some new oval stickers this year. They look just like those European country abbreviation stickers that folks have on their Toyotas. Only these are cooler, because they signal that you are secretly a member of the United Nation of Librarianship!

Yep, there’s lots of new products, posters, shirts, and stuff sitting around the store, just waiting for you to order. So if you are a librarian, know a librarian, or love a librarian, consider giving them a thoughtful Librarian Avengers product this year. Or hell, just give them the money. They probably need it.

This thing cost five bucks and just saved my butt

I have an iPod shuffle that I use for running, trains, dull waits, and creep avoidance.

I misplaced the charger a few weeks ago and missed it terribly. The solution? This thing. It plugs into your shuffle on one end, and into a USB port on the other.

I like it better than the original charger because it takes up zero room and since it was $5, I don’t feel bad about just tossing it in my bag. It’s an older USB standard, so it’s slower, fyi. Still. Five bucks. Come on.

New Librarian Gifts! Happy Festivus!

librariansxxx.pngYeah. I couldn’t resist. You know how we’ve had all of this discussion lately about, er… attractive librarians and the Halloween costumes that celebrate them? So I was thinking, what would REALLY bring those reluctant readers in to the library?

Imagine a neon sign buzzing, zapping and blinking: “Librarians! Librarians! Librarians!” The library lights up outside with lurid pinks and greens. Imagine the untapped audiences of potential patrons! Imagine the circulation statistics! Imagine the improved wages once people start tipping.

Of course, a sign like this might keep away the homeschoolers, but you can’t make everyone happy, right?

Right. Hope you enjoy these ever-so-tasteful librarian t-shirts, heat-printed on a black cotton shirt.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! If you’re in town, stop by for spanokopeta and yamfries!

Amazon customer reviews: Bananas

I spent the afternoon poking around the more obscure areas of Amazon.com (It’s snowing, I’m lazy) and I came across a distributor that sells fresh groceries.

amazonfruit.jpgThe page layout is the same as any other Amazon product, the content is just a bit…different.

I love reading what other people think about something before I buy it. The Amazon customer reviews for bananas, however, are just a bit silly.

There is some hilarious writing lodged in the crevasses of online consumer reviews. I can’t help wondering if the Internet caused these folks to burst from their creative shells, or if they might be writing actual books instead of, say, posting on their weblogs.

Just in case you were wondering, Amazon directly sells bulk drygoods groceries through their beta site Amazon Grocery. They have some good organic stuff that might be difficult to find outside of Hippieville, USA where I live.

Full disclosure: I do not work for Amazon.com. They aren’t paying me to be nice to them. But they should. Amazon: Call me!

Primates and their tools.

Fellow library workers, let me engage you in a thought experiment.

Say you are changing the oxygen sensor in your aged vehicle with your friend Brian, and it is getting dark and has started raining and in spite of your best efforts you can’t get the old part off. As a librarian would you know enough NOT to stand in the rain and scrape your knuckles trying to remove the heat shield from your exhaust manifold?

As research professionals, I’m sure you would quickly wash your hands, search the web, and discover that the auto parts store sells a tool clearly labeled “Oxygen Sensor Socket Wrench” which will remove the old part posthaste.

At least this is what you would do if you were not me.