Otto's Library Blog

Game Night – February 26th

dmcclay — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 07:14:45 +0000

The library is planning a second game night on February 26th. That’s on Sunday from about 6 until 8. There will be everyone’s favorites: Monopoly, chess, Dutch Blitz, Pit, Uno, Life, Jenga, checkers, Battleship, a few other strategy games, and whatever is brought in by game night participants. There also might be snacks. Yay for snacks.

If you want to play a game that takes a little more time (Axis & Allies, Risk, etc) stop by the library earlier in the day.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

wpclibraryjeff — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 04:38:15 +0000

Today is Valentine’s Day.

If you are not a fan of Valentine’s Day (shame on you!) you might enjoy a story on the ultimate Valentine’s Day gift, precious gems. Here is a website on some of the largest precious stones. But these are cursed precious gems.

To bring a literary (and subsequently a library) angle to this topic. Lets look for books about diamonds, fictional books in this case, as I want to read a rousing yarn about diamonds. There are a lot of novels on famous expensive or stolen jewels I found using our library’s WorldCat Search Engine.

I found 11,194 fiction books that include the keyword “diamond’. I found a few oddities.
My favorite titles are The Diamond of Doom and Mrs. W’s Last Sandwich; a Romance. I have no idea what they are actually about. And I am not sure why Bridge to Terabithia (a book I have not read) and From Here to Eternity (which I have read, the movie is wonderful, the book less so) have to do with diamonds.

I had to write out the whole title to find the semi fictional story of the Koh I Noor (one of the cursed diamonds featured in the article above) which is for now my favorite book about a diamond, Flashman and the Mountain of Light. Flashman novels are known for being well documented historical fiction starring the greatest cad in literature.

Looking for the title “Diamond” gives you 106,337 hits. Diamonds are Forever does not come up until the second page, I would have thought it would be first, being a James Bond novel. The Moonstone fails to come up in the first few search pages as well, even though it is named for another cursed diamond and is important for being the first detective novel in English. Sometimes looking up books online, is not easy.Luckily for me, I know some librarians to ask for help in finding books.

Have a great Valentine’s Day.

Submit to Rocinante!

wpclibraryjeff — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 01:18:42 +0000

The arts journal for Warner is asking for submissions. Here is the Signpost article

and here is the Facebook page for the journal.

A Poem From One of our Students

wpclibraryjeff — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:57:46 +0000

Ninja

by Jessica Prouty

It likes to follow me around,

Never falling far behind.

It likes to sneak up, dressed in black,

Imitating how I act.

While I am unaware of it,
And not able to see it.

It follows me like a ninja,

On a top-secret mission.

Then it likes to switch positions,
Going up to walk to ahead.

At night it does not follow me,
And I never think to look.

But then the next day, there it is,
Still creeping up behind me

Data Privacy Day 2012 is January 28

wpclibraryjeff — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:53:45 +0000

Data security is a relatively new concern. I remember writing my Social security Number on all my checks, stores would not accept them otherwise. I recently got hit by a malware, XP-Security. A really nasty program that really messed up my computer.

Here is the page telling about the day, included are some tips they give to protect your computer and your personal information.

Here is a nice list of free security check ups. I have not heard of some of these. It is best to have more than one check up program, as one program will not get every single virus.

Welcome to the 21st century.

Be careful out there!

The Great Wikipedia Blackout.

wpclibraryjeff — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 02:45:57 +0000

On January 18th, Wikipedia and other sites blacked out to protest SOPA and PIPA.

We regret the effect that the absence of Wikipedia may have had on your term papers.

To prevent patrons from being forced to use the library database in the event of future politically inspired blackouts or zombie invasions, the library is looking into purchasing this…

Aurora Borealis

dmcclay — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 22:30:30 +0000

Ever wanted to see the aurora borealis? If you are like me, living in the Pacific Northwest, there are occasionally rare opportunities to due so. Either solar activity is too low or the sky is filled with clouds and rain.

Yesterday, solar activity was perfect for spotting the northern lights:

“A powerful solar eruption is expected to blast a stream of charged particles toward Earth tomorrow (Jan. 24), as the strongest radiation storm since 2005 rages on the sun.” -space.com.

Unfortunately the sky was still cloudy. When there is a forecast for clear skies and high solar activity, it might be a good night to stay up late and catch the northern lights. Oh yeah, almost forgot, to see the forecast for aurora borealis activity visit Geophysical Institute’s Aurora Forecast.

Armed Robbery on Campus

wpclibraryjeff — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 21:29:56 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Armed Robbery on the Campus of Warner Pacific College

Portland, Ore. – Three assailants broke into and robbed residents of a campus apartment
on the campus grounds of Warner Pacific College. Though the assailants were armed,
college officials indicate those in the apartment, as well as all other students, are safe.
With the college’s winter break beginning last Saturday, most students have returned
home for the holidays and the residence halls are empty.
College personnel are working closely with Portland Police to investigate the incident,
including sharing surveillance video with the investigating officers. Dr. Andrea P. Cook,
Warner Pacific President states that “our primary concern is for the safety of our students
and our campus community, as well as our surrounding neighborhoods.”

Media Contact:
Lani E. Faith
Executive Director of Marketing | College Relations
Warner Pacific College
2219 SE 68th Ave.
Portland, OR 97215
lfaith@warnerpacific.edu | 503.517.1369

Happy Thanksgiving!

wpclibraryjeff — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 05:42:23 +0000

We wish everyone to have a great Thanksgiving.

We will close the library at 5:00 PM on Wednesday and reopen at 2:00 PM on Sunday.

A prize will go to the first person to tell me what is the name of the most famous song that is supposedly about another holiday, but really is about Thanksgiving.

November is National Novel Writing Month!

wpclibraryjeff — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 01:54:12 +0000

Have you ever wanted to write a novel? Now is the perfect time! November is National Novel Writing Month. Jump in and join the literary madness at any time.
The goal of the challenge is to silence your inner editor and write a 50,000 novel in one month. At the end of November, you’ll have a novel that is both utter drivel and beautifully poignant. You may want to burn it, and you can. Or you may want to hold on to it and rework it into something great. There are no prizes. There are no judges. There are no readers, unless you choose to share. This isn’t a contest. This is just a crazy creative challenge that will push your imaginative boundaries and it’s open to the greatest of writers and the least. What are you waiting for? The worst thing that could happen is that you write a terrible first draft – and that’s how everyone else got started. So get writing!

–
Shawna Downes