Constitution Wednesdays – Article I, Section VIII

Posted on June 24th, 2009 in Constitution Wednesdays by Stacey Ewing

Constitution Wednesdays

Article I, Section VIII

The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States; but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

To borrow money on the credit of the United States;

To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian tribes;

To establish a uniform rule of naturalization, and uniform laws on the subject of bankruptcies throughout the United States;

To coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of foreign coin, and fix the standard of weights and measures;

To provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the securities and current coin of the United States;

To establish post offices and post roads;

To exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten miles square) as may, by cession of particular states, and the acceptance of Congress, become the seat of the government of the United States, and to exercise like authority over all places purchased by the consent of the legislature of the state in which the same shall be, for the erection of forts, magazines, arsenals, dockyards, and other needful buildings;–And the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries;

To constitute tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court;

To define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the high seas, and offenses against the law of nations;

To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules concerning captures on land and water;

To raise and support armies, but no appropriation of money to that use shall be for a longer term than two years;

To provide and maintain a navy;

To make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces;

To provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the union, suppress insurrections and repel invasions;

To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the militia, and for governing such part of them as may be employed in the service of the United States, reserving to the states respectively, the appointment of the officers, and the authority of training the militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;

To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the government of the United States, or in any department or officer thereof.

 

“Constitution Wednesday” was made possible by the Founding Fathers.

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Data.gov Apps for America Contest

Posted on June 18th, 2009 in Government Resources by Stacey Ewing

FIRST PRIZE = $10,000!!!

Apps for America

Programming savvy??  Bored and need something to keep you busy this summer before the Fall semester begins??

Why not create a client or web based application, or an application that uses the Adobe AIR platform, iPhone apps, Java applications (or whatever other kind of platform you’d like to write it in) to help users gain easy access to data from Data.gov!

About Apps for America:

Apps for America is a special contest to celebrate the release of Data.gov! They’re doing it alongside GoogleO’Reilly Media, and TechWeb and the winners will be announced at the Gov 2.0 Expo Showcase in Washington, DC at the end of the Summer.

Why They’re Holding This Contest:

Just as the federal government begins to provide data in Web developer-friendly formats, they’re organizing Apps for America 2: The Data.gov Challenge to demonstrate that when government makes data available, it makes itself more accountable and creates more trust and opportunity in its actions.

The contest submissions will also show the creativity of developers in designing compelling applications that provide easy access and understanding for the public, while also showing how open data can save the government tens of millions of dollars by engaging the development community in application development at far cheaper rates than traditional government contractors.

See the Apps for America Contest Website for Contest Rules and more details.  HURRY! SUBMISSION DEADLINE IS AUGUST 07, 2009!

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Constitution Wednesdays – Article I, Section VII

Posted on June 17th, 2009 in Constitution Wednesdays by Stacey Ewing

Constitution Wednesdays

Article I, Section VII

All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with amendments as on other Bills.

Every bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, shall, before it become a law, be presented to the President of the United States; if he approve he shall sign it, but if not he shall return it, with his objections to that House in which it shall have originated, who shall enter the objections at large on their journal, and proceed to reconsider it. If after such reconsideration two thirds of that House shall agree to pass the bill, it shall be sent, together with the objections, to the other House, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if approved by two thirds of that House, it shall become a law. But in all such cases the votes of both Houses shall be determined by yeas and nays, and the names of the persons voting for and against the bill shall be entered on the journal of each House respectively. If any bill shall not be returned by the President within ten days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the same shall be a law, in like manner as if he had signed it, unless the Congress by their adjournment prevent its return, in which case it shall not be a law.

Every order, resolution, or vote to which the concurrence of the Senate and House of Representatives may be necessary (except on a question of adjournment) shall be presented to the President of the United States; and before the same shall take effect, shall be approved by him, or being disapproved by him, shall be repassed by two thirds of the Senate and House of Representatives, according to the rules and limitations prescribed in the case of a bill.

 

“Constitution Wednesday” was made possible by the Founding Fathers.

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Wordnik – NOT a traditional dictionary

Posted on June 16th, 2009 in Uncategorized by Stacey Ewing

Wordnik

Wordnik is NOT a traditional dictionary.

Wordnik aims ‘to be a place for all words and everything about them.’ So not only does Wordnik provide the definition of a word but it also gives:

  • An example of the word used in a sentence.
  • Etymology if available.
  • Related words – synonyms and antonyms as well as other words used in the same context.
  • Images related to the word from Flickr.
  • Statistics on the internet usage of particular words.
  • Audio pronunciation with the ability to record your own.
  • Ability for users to contribute links about a word.
  • Fun & Games section that gives anagrams, Scrabble point values, & crossword puzzle hints.
  • In some cases, Twitter feed is available for popular words (this week, “Tehran” is a good example).

Currently Wordnik has 1.7 million words in their growing database.   Visit their FAQ page here:  http://www.wordnik.com/pages/faq or simply give it a whirl here:  http://www.wordnik.com

Constitution Wednesdays – Article I, Section VI

Posted on June 10th, 2009 in Constitution Wednesdays by Stacey Ewing

Constitution Wednesdays

Article I, Section VI

The Senators and Representatives shall receive a compensation for their services, to be ascertained by law, and paid out of the treasury of the United States. They shall in all cases, except treason, felony and breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest during their attendance at the session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any speech or debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other place.

No Senator or Representative shall, during the time for which he was elected, be appointed to any civil office under the authority of the United States, which shall have been created, or the emoluments whereof shall have been increased during such time: and no person holding any office under the United States, shall be a member of either House during his continuance in office.

 

“Constitution Wednesday” was made possible by the Founding Fathers.

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Followup Post to “Reading eBooks…”

Posted on June 8th, 2009 in Books, Mobile Tech by Stacey Ewing

Eucalyptus

Last Thursday, I posted a list of apps for reading eBooks on your iPhone or Blackberry.   I received a few emails about other applications and this one stood out from the bunch:

Eucalyptus: http://th.ingsmadeoutofotherthin.gs/eucalyptus/

  • Available for:  iPhone and iPod Touch only
  • 20,000 classics at your command (they pay 20% royalty to Project Gutenberg)
  • turn the pages with a flick of a finger.
  • use Library of Congress Subject headings
  • organizes books like iTunes organizes songs and albums
  • text resizing with just a finger pinch
  • several font choices
  • remembers the last page you were reading.
  • bookshelf of recommended reads from Eucalyptus staff.
Thanks Michelle N.!  :D
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Now Open – Chinese Artifacts Exhibit

Posted on June 7th, 2009 in Announcements, Events - Smathers Libraries by Stacey Ewing

Head of Guanyin

“Smathers Libraries Chinese Artifacts – Literary and Otherwise”

This beautiful exhibition of Chinese Artifacts opened on June 4th and will be on display in the Smathers Library Second Floor Gallery through July 30, 2009.

The centerpiece of this exhibit (depicted in the above image) is the gorgeous 13th century Head of Guanyin, Goddess of Mercy and Compassion, Protector of children.   Don’t miss seeing this beautiful work of art in person!

The exhibit is free and open to the public.  The gallery is open Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.

Full Event Description Here.

New Release: YouTube XL

Posted on June 5th, 2009 in New Tech by Stacey Ewing

YouTube XL

Released This Week: YouTube XL

On Tuesday, YouTube unveiled YouTube.com/XL,  a revamped version of YouTube.com/TV that works on any web browser that can be connected to a Television.  It doesn’t matter if it’s a PC, game console, or another device with web browsing capabilities.

This new, clean design makes for easier searching and viewing.   It’s intended for viewing on a television or large display panel, so it works great for watching high-def videos in full-screen mode.

Now your favorites are even bigger and better:      ;)

Dramatic Chipmunk

Friday Fun – Munsell Hue Test

Posted on June 5th, 2009 in Fun|Create|Play by Stacey Ewing

Munsell Hue Test

Think you’re good with colors?

Give this Munsell Hue Test a Shot: http://www.spectralcolor.com/game/huetest_kiosk

Take a quick study break and try to drag and drop the colors in each row to arrange them by hue order.
Note: the first and last color chips are fixed.   Click  ”Score Test” when you’re done to see how well you do (then get back to work, after you finish posting the link and your score to your FB account).   :)

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Reading eBooks on your iPhone or Blackberry…

Posted on June 4th, 2009 in Books, Mobile Tech by Stacey Ewing

Mobile

Summer Time… and the Readin’s Easy…

Lots of ways to obtain and read eBooks on your mobile device these days.  Here are a few of the many available:

CLASSICS: http://www.classicsapp.com

  • Available for: iPhone and iPod Touch
  • Allows you to download and read some of the great literary classics in the world such as Call of the Wild, Huckleberry Finn, Pride and Prejudice, Treasure Island, and Paradise Lost.
  • Automatically remembers where you last finished reading and will flip to that page when you reopen the app.
  • Table of Contents available.

FICTIONWISE: http://www.fictionwise.com/help/ereader-overview.htm

  • Free App Available for:
    • iPhone & iPod Touch
    • Blackberry
    • Windows Mobile Smartphones
    • Palm Devices & Pocket PCs
  • http://www.fictionwise.com/help/readingDevicesFAQ.htm
  • over 50,000 book titles available for purchase at this site.
  • Built-in backlight for easy reading in low light situations

KINDLE APP FOR iPHONE: http://tinyurl.com/q7tbnc

  • Available for iPhone and iPod Touch.
  • No Kindle required.
  • Get the best reading experience available on your iPhone or iPod touch.
  • Access your Kindle books even if you don’t have your Kindle with you.
  • Automatically synchronizes your last page read between devices with Amazon Whispersync
  • Adjust the text size, add bookmarks, and view the annotations you created on your Kindle.
  • Access to over 285,000 books.
  • Buy a book from the Kindle Store optimized for Safari on your iPhone or iPod touch and get it auto-delivered wirelessly.
  • Read in portrait or landscape mode
  • Select alternate background and text colors to improve reading comfort in low light conditions
  • Tap on either side of the screen or flick to turn pages
  • Pinch to zoom images in books.

SHORT COVERS: http://shortcovers.com/mobile.html

  • Available for:
    •  iPhone and iPod Touch 
    • Blackberry Smartphones
    • Google Android enabled phones
  • Find your next great read: choose from tens of thousands of books, magazines, newspapers and blogs.
  • Purchase, download and read: right on your iPhone. No expensive eReader required.
  • Customize your reading experience: choose pagination options, adjust font size, styles and colours, and more.
  • Share and recommend: Connect over great reads and share via email, Twitter and coming soon, Facebook.
  • Try before you buy: read free samples, then purchase the eBook and coming soon, order the physical edition through our partners: Barnes & Noble or Chapters-Indigo

STANZA BY LEXCYCLE: http://www.lexcycle.com/

  • Available for: iPhone or iPod Touch
  • Online Catalog contains links to over 100,000 books, from classics to contemporary works
  • Move your existing books onto Stanza iPhone/iPod by using the free Stanza Desktop application for Mac & PC.
  • Customize font sizes and colors, portrait mode or landscape, justification, line spacing, and hyphenation.
  • Sort by title or author, or create custom collections to create reading lists and keep track of all your books.
  • Stanza always remembers where you last left off in the book, and also lets you bookmark your favorite parts.
  • built-in support for English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Danish, Portuguese, and Swedish.
  • Print-quality resolution, soft backlighting for nighttime reading, intuitive screen taps to turn pages.

 

COMING SOON: 

ICEBERG BY SCROLL MOTION: http://www.scrollmotion.com/iceberg.html 

  • http://www.scrollmotion.com/movies/Iceberg_Demo.m4v (video demo)
  • Each and every book exists as its own application right in iTunes.
  • Iceberg maintains pagination. This means that every one page in an Iceberg book is equivalent to a page in a print copy of a book.
  • Text can get bigger and smaller as readers pinch in and out.  Iceberg text reflows automatically so there’s no annoying scrolling across the page.
  • Readers can search text, take notes, and skim through pages via an organic and intuitive interface.
  • Each book acts as a gateway to other titles in the bookstore, which is located right inside of iTunes. Readers can buy books instantly, as soon as their interest is piqued.  They can get books when they want them, wherever they are – anytime, anywhere.
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