Wicked Cool

Goodbye, Wicked Cool -- and Hello, TechBits

Wicked Cool has covered a lot of technology (and a lot of wacky websites!) since it started in 2005, but we'd like to do better. We'd like to offer more coverage of new technologies and share more of our knowledge and experience. That's why we're retiring Wicked Cool and starting TechBits, a new blog by SCLS staff.

TechBits will include more technology tips & tricks, more emerging trends and ideas, and more wacky fun with technology from a great team of writers at SCLS. You can follow the blog by visiting the website or subscribing via e-mail or RSS. We're welcoming everyone to the new blog with a contest to win a great tech-related prize, so come check it out!

How to Embed Almost Anything in Your Website

This article has already gotten some librarian link-love, but a little more can't hurt (especially when it's full of quality advice). Here's a straight-to-the-point rundown of How to Embed Almost Anything in Your Website, from Digital Inspiration.

You'll see some familiar services making all this embedding possible (like Meebo Me and various Google services), but you may find reasons to take some new ones out for a spin too (like Issuu, Zoho, and Scribd).

Thanks to Cheryl for the tip!

Special Keyboard Key to Activate Right-Click Menu

Here's another tip for getting to know the right-click menu better. Hiding in plain view on the standard Windows keyboard is a special "Menu" key to activate the right-click menu for whatever is currently selected. It has the symbol for a menu and pointer, like so:

Try it out! Learning a few special keystrokes and keyboard key tricks can help you get work done faster, and it can be a life-saver if you ever have mouse problems. (Mice might work poorly when they get dirty, wireless mice can have their batteries die, and sometimes laptop touchpads are hard to control... so it doesn't hurt to know how to navigate with a keyboard as a backup.)

Brain Snack: Blogs & RSS Readers, Friday, January 16 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

The "Brain Snack" Webinar "Blogs & RSS Readers" will be held Friday, January 16 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Register now.

Blogs and RSS are the new email and are here to stay. SCLS is using blogs to communicate to you, our members. Online Update, Wicked Cool, Know More, and Get in the Van are just a few of the blogs produced by SCLS staff for our member libraries. Join SCLS staff for an informative session on blogs and RSS readers – and maybe even start your own!

Blogs and RSS Readers were a part of the first semester of Project Play. If you want to get a head start on these topics, check out weeks 2 and 3 of Semester 1 at http://projectplay.owlsweb.info/. The short videos by Common Craft are excellent introductions to these topics and you are encouraged to view these before the Brain Snack and come with any questions you may have.

Technology Trends, Predictions & "Best of" Roundup

Before we're too far into 2009, here's a roundup of technology-related lists that popped up for the end of 2008:

• 2008 WLA MATS Webbies Awards
• PCWorld's 100 Best Products of 2008
• Lifehacker's Most Popular Free Windows Downloads of 2008
• ReadWriteWeb's 2009 Web Predictions
• Top 100 Lamest Excuses for Not Innovating in 2009
• ITI NewsLink's Review of the Year 2008 and Trends to Watch in 2009
• Business Week's Tech Trends to Expect in 2009

Update:  One more list:  Ten Trends & Technologies for 2009 by Michael Stephens.  Big ideas!

And one more:  10 Resolutions to Green Your Technology.

Share your favorite 2008 technology trends and 2009 predictions/wishes in the comments!