Tweet Tweet

I'm sending out Tweets highlighting book goodness. You can follow me at Rainbook - and I'd love to follow you! I'm only sending Tweets about books, songs, articles or subjects of interest.

I'm mostly trying to get the hang of it so I can do it for work if I need to. I've found it is hard to write anything in 140 characters, especially for a person that is perhaps (harrumph) a bit too wordy. It is nice lesson in saying what you want to say in an extremely succinct fashion. I'm not the most uptight person about writing, but the grammar and lack of CAPS where they need to be sends me into a shudder.

I still haven't decided how I feel about it. I'll freely admit that though Twitter is interesting, it strikes me as a difficult medium because I have no interest in knowing what people are doing at any given second of the day. ("I'm baking cookies" or "Driving to the store" or "I've got this great new product.") I also find it annoying when somebody you are following sends out 20 messages a day. And there are a gracious plenty of folks trying to sell you things using Twitter.

Are you Tweeting? Do you like? How have you found it productive?

Nature Swap Shelf

Nature Swap Shelf, originally uploaded by rainbook101.

We love the new Hidden Oaks Nature Center in Bolingbrook. It is a "green" building, and serves as a fantastic demonstration for sustainable building practices. Even the walls are recycled!

Inside you will find a lovely area with a variety of small exhibits. Upstairs you can take a gander at a planted green rooftop and peek at where trails begin. The highlight was the "swap" shelf where kids can leave little treasures they find on their walk, and take one. My kids were on the prowl for something cool the entire time we were walking in the woods - and we HAD to come back so they could trade. Lukie even wrote a little ditty song about it......."So many things to choose!"

We had a nice afternoon here and at Hidden Lakes Trout Farm, lots of walking and a crunchy picnic of course. Even better - all free! Make sure you leave time for woods walking - that is the focal point of taking a few hours out to visit.

Super Digi-Cool, or, Preserving Our Past

I would have to say Kirtas won a high five from me with their super cool book scanning machine. You can visit their website for an overview on the product and a video demo of it in action. I was mesmerized watching the machine go about it's work.

The book scanning machine works with a series of tiny vacuums, page flippers, and amazing cameras. It automates the process of digitization while treating the book gently. This may be especially helpful if one is digitizing a text that is very worn or old.




They do have one style machine that lays the materials flat which is helpful for periodicals, documents or newspapers.




Scanned data is reviewed - and further work may be accomplished at this point.


The material may then be saved or rebound. Pictured here is a copy of a very old edition of Pinocchio - especially valuable for historical purposes - but not something that could be circulated. Now the reader may enjoy a duplication of the material.

Way to go Kirtas - and super digi-cool! This is one example of technology working to help our past as it aids or future.

Meet the Vegetal Pen

I first met Dialoc, a greener minded vendor at my ALA conference as I was standing in line for an overpriced sandwich at the McCormick center. A dynamic duo from the Netherlands struck up a conversation about products, offerings and the general chit- chat. Later as I cruised by their booth one gentlemen tried to entice me with the lure of a pen - (vendors give away lots of goodies to get you to stop and view their product information) - and I declined as I try not to take plastic items.

"It isn't real plastic" he said. That of course got me to stop dead in my tracks and turn around.

The pen pictured is from the new Vegetal line of eco-minded give aways. Created from corn - and at 80% bio-compostable, it is being marketed as an bit more eco-conscious give away. The information from the Ingli Sweden website lists:

Vegetal Pen is an environmentally safe ball point pen manufactured from maize which makes it to 80 % bio-compostable and able to break down in nature. This according to the process shown by the directives EN 13432, DIN V 54900-1 E ASTM D6400. The refill and ink is also certified according to ISO 9001 and 9002. Please observe that the pen must be kept below 48°C to prevent its distortion and damage.

I am a bit confused about the product - some sites list it as biodegradable, some say compostable, and if it is 80% corn than I'd like to know what the other 20% may be. All in all I found Wikipedia to have a nice article on Biodegradable Plastics - good information on what they are and how they may work. I cannot find information on whether the Vegetal must be composted 0r can simply go in a landfill, nor any info about how long it may take to dissolve. If you have info - please share!

I'd like to give a shout out to Dialoc Technologies (RFID, Video, Labels) for going the extra mile to try to be Greener in their ALA efforts. One of their reps also mentioned that biodegradable plastic Library cards are coming - and a hooray for that one! Libraries across the nation give away millions of cards a year, and I for one think it would be fantastic to have options along this line.

Pardon Me While I ALA

I've had a fun filled week at ALA, also known as the American Library Association Conference. It is a conference held twice a year, with the summer one being the biggest. I've gotten some fantastic ideas, been to some nice programs, been to a snoozer or two and most of all saw new products and technology.

Stay tuned this week for a little blogging action on gadgets I found interesting - including a veggie pen! Exciting stuff! Pictured above is Big Cozy Books, maker of charming furniture for libraries and stores. Each piece is a durable, quality piece of furniture that can withstands of public patron traffic. In the event of wear or damage you can replace sections of the furniture as opposed to the entire unit - making it a "greener" selection in my books. And who can resist something that creates a cozy corner for reading. Good job!

Barak Obama - Superhero!

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Loving it! P.S. For those Obama nay sayers - our economy was created by 8 years of Bush and a trillon buck war - not a President that has been in office about 6 months. Add in some very bad Republican decisions and a prior stimulus that only stimulated a few and you've got yourself a nice kettle of fish.

I do also believe that it is going to get much worse before it gets better. You cannot turn the Titanic around in just a few months - not without a reinvention of many of our ways and means. But Obama my man, I want you do DO what we put you in office to do.

Happy Fourth

Happy belated Fourth! We cranked out the Hillbilly Hotel and went camping for a long weekend. Unfortunately the weather did not agree with us and we spent a day and a half in chilly mud.


I did spend a nice relaxing bit staring at a tree, sitting in a comfy chair, reading a good book, and napping. The rain is very nice to listen to as it plink, plinks down on my awning. This weekend we saw a magic show, took a hayride, played mini-golf, went swimming and danced to Thriller at a dance. The kids had a blast - though it was insanely busy to camp on a holiday weekend. By mid-Sunday and Monday we had a nice quiet campground back which was a relief.

When I'm at a campground I'm always struck by how tribal one suddenly feels. I like people that camp.......they wave and say hello, and we each have to go about our business knowing what our neighbor is doing next to us. I also ponder what I really need to live as suddenly your life becomes about one room, food prep and a dry place to sleep. I rather liken the camper to a temporary tepee - though an infinitely less skilled design I know.

Camping does give me a reminder that many times we don't need all the trappings that we surround ourselves with, and my kids are actually joyously happy to camp and share a close snuggle with us. The weekend away was sorely needed - just a brief respite from the daily grind. Hope you had a good Fourth too!

Be a Bookworm and Jellystone Camping

It's my review week at the Blogging Bookworm. Stop by to see a review for The Ten Trusts by Jane Goodall and Marc Bekoff - and be sure to leave some comment love! We are interested in reviewing and promoting books for Green readers of all styles - so be sure to contribute in the Monday Roundup where we call our for titles that are on your shelf.

I'm also getting my wish with a brief camping trip this weekend. No, I'm not going to be scaling a mountain somewhere or gettin' real crunchy like on a trail - but I will be OUT OF THE HOUSE and not worrying about all that I have to do, or isn't done. We are going for a couple of days to a Jellystone Park and get our freak on with Yogi Bear. The kids will have a blast and I may get to hole up with some point with a good book, a lawn chair, a cold one and no house to pack.

And hey, it is a nice and thrifty get away! Lots of activities already there for you, we have the Hillbilly Hotel (our camper) and a good grill. Fun without the pocketbook rape of your standard vacation - and I'm just throwing shorts in the camper tonight with some sunscreen and calling it a day.

I hope everybody gets a good few days away, a nice vacation, a little Fourth goodness and maybe you can sneak a book or two in. Happy Fourth!

And does anybody find it weird that I'm talking about Jane Goodall and Yogi Bear in the same post? Just kinda tickled me.