Go Away, Read Some Books!

Muppet King Arthur (Muppet Graphic Novels) #BookReview

2017-11-23T07:00:00.000-05:00

muppet-king-arthur by Christopher Jimenez

Bibliographic Info

FROM WORLDCAT
Title: Muppet King Arthur
Author: Paul Benjamin; Dave Alvarez; Patrick Storck; James Silvani
Publisher: Los Angeles, CA : Boom Studios, 2010.
Edition/Format: Print book : Graphic : Fiction : Juvenile audience
Genre/Form: Graphic novels, Fiction, Juvenile works, Juvenile fiction
Material Type: Fiction, Graphic, Juvenile audience
Document Type: eBook
All Authors / Contributors: Paul Benjamin; Dave Alvarez; Patrick Storck; James Silvani
ISBN: 1608865568 9781608865567 9781608865550 160886555X
OCLC Number: 875958645
Description: 1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations
Responsibility: writers Paul Benjamin and Patrick Storck ; artists Dave Alvarez (issue 1) ; James Silvani (issues 2-4).
Subjects:
Arthur, -- King -- Juvenile fiction.
Arthur, -- King.
Muppets (Fictitious characters) -- Juvenile fiction.

Background

I love The Muppets. I love everything Muppets. Real quick: Muppet Movie, Muppet Christmas Carol, Muppet Treasure Island, Muppets From Space, The Muppets; all classics. The latest Muppet movie sucked. I saw it, I enjoyed it for what it was... but it was not a classic.

So I was browsing Hoopla again, looking at whatever they had and I saw this Muppet King Arthur graphic novel. I knew that I had to experience the graphic novel series. So I borrowed this from my public library and downloaded the ebook to my phone.

NOTE: The bibliographic info is for the physical edition. I got lazy and didn't locate the e-edition. But don't worry, you can use this info to get it yourself, no problem!

Review

Of course, our lovable green frog friend is the protagonist of this story. Arthur is propelled onto the throne when, as a squire tasked with fetching a sword for Sam of Eagle, the lady of the lake directs him to Excalibur. Arthur the Frog pulls the sword from the stone and is destined to rule all of England.

Sam of Eagle is the main antagonist who is determined to follow the American Democratic process rather than some mystic monarchy. So Arthur is aided by Merlin to assemble his knights by hosting a talent show. They proceed to battle Sam of Eagle, go on a quest and bring civility to England.

As a big fan of the franchise, my expectations might have been too high. I felt that the jokes got a little annoying. I know, the jokes are corny and they are supposed to be corny. But it just felt a little more forced than farce and that is an easy pitfall for this kind of humor.

It was an entertaining read for an afternoon or two, but it's not exactly a "must-add" to my library.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program,

an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees

by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

1776 #bookreview

2017-11-20T07:30:00.000-05:00

Bibliographic Info

From WorldCat
Title: 1776
Author: David G McCullough; Recorded Books, LLC.
Publisher: Prince Frederick, Md. : Recorded Books ; [Prince Frederick, Md.] : [Distributed by] OneClick Digital, 2011, ℗2005.
Edition/Format: eAudiobook : English : Unabridged
Material Type: Audio book, etc., Sound recording, Internet resource
Document Type: Internet Resource, Computer File, Sound Recording
All Authors / Contributors: David G McCullough; Recorded Books, LLC.
ISBN: 9781449869854 1449869858
OCLC Number: 867115097
Performer(s): Narrated by the author.
Subjects: United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783.

Background

Honestly, who hasn't read 1776 by David McCullough? More than that, who hasn't read something by the great biographer? You know, he also wrote about John Adams and The American Spirit... Well, me; sadly, shockingly even! (Although I did watch the John Adams miniseries with Paul Giamatti on Amazon Prime. It is excellent and I heartily recommend it.) This has been on my reading list for far too long and as I browsed my public library's Hoopla offerings, I saw 1776 and decided to check it out and give it a listen.

As Liaison to the History department, I feel I should at least be familiar with the accessible popular biographies of authors like Chernow & McCullough, even if they are somewhat looked down on by serious academics. At least they provide a baseline of general knowledge that can be improved. But alas, there's only a limited number of hours in the day.

Review

It took a while for me to get into this audio title. I like to read history books on the page (physical or digital) so I can dwell on the details. I found myself wanting to dig into certain phrases when the narrator, David McCullough himself, kept moving on. That is no fault of the writer, it is a personal preference of the reader. Still, it is something of which to beware.

On the subject of the audiobook. While McCullough absolutely did a marvelous job of researching and writing, I did not particularly like his reading of the text. It also threw me when some random lady read random chapters. I assume this is because McCullough read the book initially, and then for the unabridged portions someone else took over. Her voice wasn't bad, it was just a jarring transition at times.

1776 covers the first year of the American Revolution (duh, it's in the title). David McCullough includes details from the highest ranks to the lowest. Eventually, though, he focuses more on General Washingon's tactical decisions which allow the Americans to survive that first year of the war when their cause could have been squashed if the British had made different decisions.

I heartily endorse this book for anyone interested in Early American History. It is eminently accessible and audiobooks are a really convenient medium.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program,

an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees

by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Star Wars: Verily, A New Hope #bookreview

2017-11-03T16:39:00.000-04:00

Bibliographic Info

From WorldCat
Title: William Shakespeare's Star Wars: verily, a new hope.
Author: Ian Doescher; Daniel Davis; Jonathan Davis, (Narrator); January LaVoy; Marc Thompson;
Publisher: New York : Books on Tape, 2013.
Edition/Format: Audiobook : Fiction : English
Genre/Form: Adaptations, Parodies, imitations, etc
Material Type: Fiction, Audio book, etc.
Document Type: Sound Recording
ISBN: 9780804191807 0804191808
OCLC Number: 869549899
Duration: 3 hr., 29 min.
Performer(s): Read by Daniel Davis, Jonathan Davis, January LaVoy and Marc Thompson.
Subjects:
Shakespeare, William, -- 1564-1616 -- Parodies, imitations, etc.
Star wars (Motion picture) -- Adaptations.
Star Wars fiction.

Background

Being a good librarian who's always looking to improve, I attended the American Library Association's (ALA) Annual conference last summer (2017) in Chicago. It was an absolute blast! It was also my first ALA Annual since I didn't exactly have the means to attend before this past summer. While I heard my colleagues tell stories of the grand buffet of books to be consumed, I really was not ready for it.

Some of these stories include an instance when a colleague packed boxes for the books they intended to pick up at the conference. These boxes were not going to fly back with her, they were headed back to Miami via the UPS store. Now that's what I call planning for a conference.

Opening night at the exhibition hall is like turning children loose in a candy store or turning teenagers loose at a Cici's pizza. Free books for librarians, uh-YES! As luck would have it, I saw this set of William Shakespeare's Star Wars audiobooks as I was about to plunge into the children's section. I probably tripped a few fellow bibliophiles and momentarily lost a colleague, but I scored this impressive tome.

It was not until later on that I inspected the cover at my hostel. (Yes, I stayed in a hostel in Chicago for 5 days this past summer.) This was not just a single title, but a trilogy--the original (IV, V & VI) Trilogy at that! What a score! Three titles in one relatively compact case. I knew this would be awesome!

Review

If the first thing that popped into your mind was, Wow! The Star Wars saga set to glorious iambic pentameter, sweet! You will NOT be disappointed by this audiobook. Ian Doescher marvelously converts the movie script into about 3,000 lines of Shakespearian verse and language, the chorus, fie and anon included.

Verily, a new hope is presented on five discs, representing the 5 acts of the play, naturally. Doescher also claims that Shakespeare and George Lucas are connected by Joseph Campbell. Lucas claims that he rewrote the Star Wars screenplay to align with Campbell's The Hero With A Thousand Faces, making Star Wars one of the first motion pictures to do so explicitly. Many of Campbell's archetypes ( a term actually coined by Carl Jung when he wrote about the Collective Unconscious) are clear in Shakespeare's plays. Well, more accurately, these archetypes are seen in most good literature from all over.

So there you have it! Shakespeare leads to Campbell then leads to Star Wars. Sort of... It's fun anyways!

It is fun to change the format of a beloved work and see to what kinds of interpretations it leads. When a film is represented as a novel, details must be added. When the format changes to a graphic novel, image stills take the lead. It is fascinating to observe the details required to transpose the movie into a play. But when you think about it, a screenplay is very similar to a play. So what we are reading (or hearing) is the script itself.

There are a few interpretive licenses taken with character development. I felt that Leia took on a bit of a flattened role. C3PO received a bit of an insult to his intelligence. And R2D2 received more credit for its role in orchestrating the entire saga.

Notwithstanding, this is an excellent piece to add to any Star Wars fanatic's library; particularly a literary fan. I can't wait to listen to The Empire Striketh Back and The Jedi Doth Return.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Facebook for News. A Rant

2016-11-18T11:06:00.001-05:00

A Little Rant

Do you go to Facebook for news? One of the big stories that keeps clogging my email feeds is the controversy that Facebook is now engulfed in regarding fake news that influenced this years election. Never mind the whole "Silicon Valley is Anti-Trump" line that would actually imply that they would have used their influence to push the election in the other direction if that's what they intended to do.

Here's the thing, why would you go to Facebook for news? I understand that the sharing of links can be helpful. I also understand that trending topics can help keep people informed of what others are saying and doing, but c'mon, man! Facebook for news?

I don't even trust that my friend's photos aren't doctored/filtered/posed to high heavens. Why would you trust Facebook friends for news during an election when so many emotions run high and everyone is divided into one of two camps. (Although you could argue for four camps: 1) For Him, 2) For Her, 3) Against Him, 4) Against Her) Everybody is pushing some agenda.

Curated Content

Is Facebook to blame? We are more likely to blame. Remember that Facebook is a business. While I don't understand everything about how it works, I know that they sell advertisements curated to your interests.

Their algorithm is not something I claim to know, but I do know that I get ads based on my posts, my searches and my friend's activity--particularly friends I interact with a lot. It makes sense that my news feed reflects the views of my peeps.

I repeat, Facebook is a social network, not a non-partisan news outlet. People share what they want and it's up to users to determine whether this content is legitimate or not. I, for one, do not want Facebook to determine what news links should or should not be shared.

More importantly, people need to be aware of who is curating the content for them and whether or not their friends are giving them a balanced view of the world. The best article I have read regarding this election was posted on Facebook by a friend. The article described the phenomenon of living in a social media echo-chamber. That's a real problem. When your echo chamber is limited to your own views, it does not reflect the world at large.

Read this: Dear Democrats, Read This If You Do Not Understand Why Trump Won and be educated.
Good day.
Rant over.

Whiteboard Wisdom #1

2016-06-13T06:51:00.000-04:00

Here's something I'd like to try. I'll review my whiteboard every Friday and post a pic of the weekly quote on Instagram. Then I'll follow up with a Monday post. I'll use the hashtag #whiteboardwisdom on the pic. Feel free to join the conversation with your own words of whiteboard wisdom!

My first #whiteboardwisdom quote. "An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered." -- G. K. Chesterton #librarylife #happyfriday

A photo posted by Christopher Jimenez (@cjmnz8) on Jun 10, 2016 at 11:49am PDT

A Month in the Library Life

2016-06-12T18:48:00.000-04:00

I haven't been posting much on blogger, but I have on Instagram! Here's a month of work in a few pictures. Enjoy!

Good morning @fiuinstagram

A photo posted by Christopher Jimenez (@cjmnz8) on May 18, 2016 at 5:06am PDT

Not the best shot...but still, see the paw, fear the claw, #amiright

A photo posted by Christopher Jimenez (@cjmnz8) on May 19, 2016 at 1:13pm PDT

Just playing a little with #adobespark

A video posted by Christopher Jimenez (@cjmnz8) on May 19, 2016 at 7:03pm PDT

A New Job!!

2016-05-21T03:05:00.000-04:00

Moving Along

I have an old announcement to make: I have taken a new position with the Florida International University Libraries. I am the new Web Services Librarian with the Information & Research Services Department.

I say this is an old announcement because if you know me personally, you already know this info. It has also been updated on all my Social Media profiles, so if you're following me then this might be old news. But it is news I am still super excited about.

Here's a picture of my office decor:

A few tchotchkes have been set up in the office. I might be official now... #fiulibraries #librarylife

A photo posted by Christopher Jimenez (@cjmnz8) on May 16, 2016 at 1:33pm PDT

Here's an interesting little factoid: FIU was recently named the second-best place to work in Florida behind Publix by Forbes Magazine.

A History Lesson

While I am new to the position, I am not new to FIU Libraries.

My first gig was in a computer lab in the Reference department (before its name was changed to I&RS). I also worked in the Juvenile Collection/Curriculum Lab. After a few organizational changes I ended up working full-time for the Division of IT at FIU—that's how I was able to put myself through graduate school (that & my wife who also worked at FIU which brought income and a discount for Family health coverage).

It was at FIU that I decided to become a librarian. I observed the librarians in Reference. I was impressed with their vast knowledge (especially at the age of 19, but still, it's vast). I knew that this was something I wanted to do some day.

All in all, I spent nine (9) working years at FIU before leaving for Fort Myers. And now I am back! And FIU has welcomed me back with wide open arms. (In my two weeks on the job, I've been officially welcomed 3 times in front of various groups and countless times on a personal level.)

Where I Was

By definition, no two places could possibly be exactly the same. There are a lot of differences between the Fort Myers Beach Free Public Library and the Florida International University Libraries. In fact, they are completely different from one another. Just the sheer size of each institution can account for these differences.

Please note that I do not intend to disparage FMBPL. Though I am not happy with how I was treated on the way out, I am grateful for the opportunity they afforded me when nobody else offered me employment. I worked hard for them and feel like my contributions both technically and pedagogically left the place better and more enriched than when I started. I certainly am a better librarian today than I was on day 1.

I suppose the takeaway here is that work environment is a critical part of the job search. You can make more money, but if the environment does not suit your disposition then it may not be a good fit. You may not be happy if going to work is a drag. When I took the position at FMB, I knew the Public library was not my first choice. I respect the public library. I believe it is a critical component of civic health. I also now know that it is not somewhere that I fit in, personally.

Where I Am Headed

I will be taking the year to get acclimated to my new position. It is new on many levels, not the least of which being university faculty as opposed to staff and the different responsibilities related to that position. During this period of time, I will be welcoming my third child into this world.

Sometime in 2017, I plan to begin my Ph.D. That will probably keep me occupied well into 2019/2020. By then, I'll have to figure out my future once again.

Of course, these are my plans and they are always subject to change...

"His Talon was Raised to Attack..."

2016-04-08T14:49:00.000-04:00

Could it be a spin-off on the Medieval Epic? #librarylife #shelfie

A photo posted by Christopher Jimenez (@cjmnz8) on Apr 8, 2016 at 10:45am PDT

Super Heroes & Wretched Ratchets

2016-03-02T07:00:00.000-05:00

What have I been up to these last 5 months? Let me show you!

Super-librarian!!! This was a nice note on a rough day. #librarylife #instagood #happythoughts

A photo posted by Christopher Jimenez (@cjmnz8) on Nov 12, 2015 at 11:54am PST

Went with the Star Wars bow tie for Children's Story Hour & socks b/c of the bow tie. #happyhalloween 👻🎃👻🎃

A photo posted by Christopher Jimenez (@cjmnz8) on Oct 28, 2015 at 10:14am PDT

Tools of the trade. #librarylife #letsgetdirty #wretchedratchet

A photo posted by Christopher Jimenez (@cjmnz8) on Oct 26, 2015 at 8:18am PDT

Just closing the library. #sunset #beachlife #saltlife #librarylife #nofilter #skyblue #fb

A photo posted by Christopher Jimenez (@cjmnz8) on Sep 30, 2015 at 4:01pm PDT

My thanks to the library friends. And it smells amazing! #librarylife #sublime #limegreen

A photo posted by Christopher Jimenez (@cjmnz8) on Sep 29, 2015 at 9:06am PDT

Which Literary Monster are You?

2015-10-30T09:32:00.000-04:00

Dr, Frankenstein's Monster - My result from this quiz

I don't always do these, but when I do I enjoy them. Happy Halloween!

When You Take a Toddler to the Bookstore

2015-09-21T06:00:00.000-04:00

If you take a toddler to the bookstore...

A video posted by Erin 🎀 (@storybookerin) on Sep 15, 2015 at 8:02am PDT

Carpe Dime: Seize the Coin

2015-09-18T06:30:00.000-04:00

These pictures summarize my librarian summer.
Enjoy!

Happy Monday, welcome back to work! #librarianproblems #moneygram #technicaldifficulties #fb

A photo posted by Christopher Jimenez (@cjmnz8) on Sep 14, 2015 at 6:31am PDT

What you find when you clean out the reference desk for the first time ever (potentially). #librarianproblems #librarylife #fb

A photo posted by Christopher Jimenez (@cjmnz8) on Aug 25, 2015 at 6:11am PDT

Will teach ebooks for Ferrero bonbons #everyday #librarylife #librarianproblems

A photo posted by Christopher Jimenez (@cjmnz8) on Aug 19, 2015 at 9:23am PDT

Feed the fish. Last duty as #saturdaylibrarian #librarylife

A photo posted by Christopher Jimenez (@cjmnz8) on Aug 29, 2015 at 10:01am PDT

Thinking of family during my lunch break.

A photo posted by Christopher Jimenez (@cjmnz8) on Jul 20, 2015 at 10:18am PDT

Someone just said I looked "Cute" like "a young Elvis Costello" Thank you Mr. Patron. But it's still a little creepy. #librarylife #illtakeit

A photo posted by Christopher Jimenez (@cjmnz8) on May 28, 2015 at 7:26am PDT

Librarian. My profession. Day 2 @fmbeachlibrary #libchat #inaljchat #tuesdaylibrarian

A photo posted by Christopher Jimenez (@cjmnz8) on May 12, 2015 at 10:28am PDT

How to send ebooks straight from Gutenberg to Kindle

2015-08-18T11:18:00.000-04:00

Intro

Every librarian loves/hates Project Gutenberg. It's an incredible resource which has offers way more pros than cons. However, some warranted feedback on the site has to do with its cumbersome nature. Books have to be found, downloaded, and then sideloaded. It's much quicker and easier to just click on a magic Amazon button and have it magically whisper-synched to your device. I've found a way to do just that!

What you will need

DROPBOX - You can get it here.
IFTTT - The big workhorse
GMAIL - You might be able to use another email provider on IFTTT's list (Yahoo?) but this is the one I used.
KINDLE EMAIL - You can find it in your Amazon settings, it's going to be username@kindle.com. Also, make sure your Gmail is authorized to send attachments to your Kindle.

The basic concept

We are going to use Dropbox and IFTTT to automate the process of loading the .mobi file into your Kindle via email. The Gutenberg website has Dropbox functionality baked into it. Kindles allow you to email files from an authorized account. IFTTT will bring these two processes together.

NOTE: you will need to set up the following before going through these steps. Call them your pre-requisites, if you will.

Make sure your Gmail is an authorized sender to your Kindle.
Make sure your Dropbox and Gmail channels are activated in IFTTT.

Step by Step

Log into IFTTT and make a new recipe.
Start with Dropbox. Fire this recipe off with IF a new file is uploaded. Note that the folder is/will be: Apps/gutenberg.
THEN we will trigger GMAIL to send an email with the attachment. The attachment will be sent to your Kindle email address. The recipe is now created. and should look like this:

What the IFTTT Recipe should look like

Go to Gutenberg and find an ebook that you would like to read. You will have the option to save the .mobi (Kindle) to Dropbox / Drive / OneDrive. Choose Dropbox.
You will be taken to Dropbox, where Gutenberg will install as an app. This will create the Apps/gutenberg directory. Your ebook will be saved there.
IFTTT should take over and automatically email the file from Dropbox to your Kindle using your own email address.
Your Kindle should automatically download the file, making it instantly available for reading.

BONUS: Grab the Dropbox email (no-reply@dropboxcom) and add it to your Kindle approved senders list. Then, you can resend the ebook file to your Kindle by clicking on share. You could just do this and forget about IFTTT, but it won't be automated.

DOUBLE BONUS: I have made this recipe public so you can just go the lazy route and just take it from my IFTTT profile.

Conclusion

And that's it! You can freely browse the treasure trove of literature that is Project Gutenberg and know that any title on there can be auto-delivered to your Kindle. I would love to read your comments below. Suggestions for improvement or other recipes are appreciated.

Saving Mr. Banks - Film Review

2015-08-15T21:30:00.000-04:00

Intro

Disney's Saving Mr. Banks

Saving Mr. Banks came out in 2013. It tells the story of the making of Disney's transcendent classic: Mary Poppins. This film casts Emma Thompson as P.L. Travers and Tom Hanks as Walt Disney.

What I Will Not Talk About

The Plot — You can look that up on IMDB. (I linked to it above) Here's a hint: In the end, Disney makes the movie Mary Poppins. Should I have said "spoiler alert"?
Whether the movie's events actually happened in real life. Briefly: they didn't. That's not the point.
How grumpy British people are. I don't know. I've met pleasant people. I've met grumpy people. Whatever.
How great Emma Thompson is at playing a writer — please tell me you haven't forgotten Stranger Than Fiction...

Film Adaptions

What really fascinated me about this film is the process of translating the pages of a good book onto the silver screen. There are a lot of things that go into a movie adaption of a book — as one can easily imagine. A work of fantasy can be interpreted multiple ways. But a movie only shows one interpretation. This inevitably leads to disappointment.

As a librarian, people always seem to ask me what I think of this film adaption or that one. (The Hobbit, Narnia, Game of Thrones...) Each time, I respond the same way: film is an art form that stands alone and has its own merits. This is technically correct (remember Library School?) but when people ask that question, they seem to want to commiserate more than actually listen to a gracious opinion.

This particular film brings several aspects to the fore wich go beyond technical problems and generic filmmaker interpretations. These aspects are as follows:

The Author's Relationship with their work.
P.L. Travers consistently refers to the characters in Mary Poppins as family. Consider the hardships of writing a piece of fiction and pouring yourself into character and plot development. Imagine how hard it must be to go through the process of having your creative work critiqued by friends, family and complete strangers. Then imagine success. Could anyone other than you really know those characters intimately?
The Author's Second chance to make things right.
At one point, P.L. Travers made changes to the characters. One specific point that she tried (unsuccessfully) to change was Mr. Banks' facial hair. She (in the movie) mentioned that she pushed for Mr. Banks to be clean shaven in the books, but the publisher insisted on giving him a mustache. Could it be that an author might see a film adaptation as an opportunity to seize back some creative control that a publisher snatched from them? I am in no position to say how often this actually happens, but it does not seem like a far-fetched scenario.
The Filmmaker's passion.
Finally, we are given a name, a face and a reason why the filmmaker pushed their interpretation onto the film. Specifically, Walt Disney insisting on Mr. Banks retaining his mustache and making the film into a musical (with animated penguins). Filmmakers (contrary to popular belief) probably do not make changes with the intent of ruining a story. Filmmakers are artists at heart. They want to use their creativity to tell stories and have reasons behind their decision-making. You have the right to disagree with their decisions, but they are people too.

Conclusion

I really liked Saving Mr. Banks a lot. It helped me to place a few of the thoughts that I have had concerning film adaptations and why they can still be good even if they don't adhere to the original books. I recommend this movie.

Pixar Rankings Revealed

2015-08-05T09:08:00.000-04:00

The Wait is Over

See the gallery below for the final, authoritative Pixar Rankings List. Ok, ok, maybe not so final or authoritative. But I had fun collecting responses anyway. Thanks for humoring me. I've learned a few things. For instance, my wife's opinions are more right than mine. Shocker! LOL.

My comments/reactions are embedded in the gallery. I'll keep the survey up for a week or two if someone new wants to add their opinion to the mix. I might have to create an updated list.

...

My Pixar Ranking

2015-07-29T09:30:00.000-04:00

1A-1O

So, I am very generous when ranking these movies. All these movies are fun. I know this. I created and took my own survey to ensure that I answered as truthfully as possible. There were a few ties, I just picked the one I fancied that I liked better. I'm sure there's a scientific tie-breaker, but I didn't bother to look it up.

Remember, these are MY rankings. Though I tried my best to make it scientific, it's still just one guy's opinion. Enough methodology, here's the ranking!

...

I am surprised at my results. I didn't think either of the Monsters movies would rank as high as they did. Also, Ratatouille is outside of my top-ten! Crazy.

If you want to take my survey find it below. If I get enough responses, I'll post results right here! Thanks for reading.

Create your own user feedback survey

Ranking Pixar

2015-07-28T21:26:00.000-04:00

Inspiration

If you follow me on Twitter, you will note that I have been forwarding every Pixar Ranking that I've read. If you don't believe me—or you don't follow my micro-blog&mdashhere's a sampling of these posts:

Such a good movie. #insideout http://t.co/3HjV69pU8c pic.twitter.com/zQC7VFSw63
— Christopher Jimenez (@cjmnz8) July 4, 2015

What criteria would you use to rank the Pixar Movies? I'm thinking Story, Characters, Feels & Originality. Thoughts?
— Christopher Jimenez (@cjmnz8) July 24, 2015

Best list I've read. Even if not totally in line with my own. Every Pixar movie, ranked from worst to best http://t.co/ePLQPjib2I #fb
— Christopher Jimenez (@cjmnz8) July 23, 2015

British take. Meh. Inside Out: All 14 Pixar movies ranked from worst to best… http://t.co/wutTVhDPGa #fb
— Christopher Jimenez (@cjmnz8) July 24, 2015

Criteria

Clearly, the release and popularity of Pixar's Inside Out spawned these rankings and suckers like me click on them. That's fine, I enjoy it. Further, my disagreement with these rankings caused me to think—how do I quantify my own feelings towards these movies? Clearly, I appreciate Pixar's work. The company is out of this world! Ranking these movies is an exercise in hair-splitting.

Yet, the idea has been planted in my head. I must pursue it.

As you could see from my tweet, I ranked the 14 Pixar movies based on based on Story, Characters, Feels and Originality. What does that mean? I tell you:

Story
How was the plot? Did it leave the viewer satisfied? Is it a movie you could watch over and over again?
Characters
Did you get to know the characters? Did you feel love, admiration, symathy?
Feels
I laughed, I cried, it was wonderful! (Or maybe you didn't...)
Originality
Is this just another story? Did this movie revolutionize the industry?

Conclusion

Will I agree with my own personal rankings? I have a feeling I won't. I'll try to post my results tomorrow. In the meantime, I'll ask you to take my survey! If enough people respond, I'll post those results too!

Create your own user feedback survey

Bossypants - Book Review

2015-07-23T18:00:00.000-04:00

Book: Bossypants

Author: Tina Fey

This title is intriguing. At least, it drew me in. I am a fan of SNL and 30 Rock. Tina Fey played a large role in both. So why not?

Further, my previous boss teased me about this book without mercy. I remembered seeing someone whose look reminded me of Tina. (It's the classic librarian look, she says so in the book.) At the time, there was a huge display featuring Bossypants in Barnes & Noble. We got coffee every morning. So, of course, I got teased every morning.

So here's to my former boss. Thanks.

The Book

The prose was not great, so I'd have to give it 2.5 stars on my scale to 5. Right smack dab in the middle. A few grains of salt: I listened to the audiobook and did not read the traditional medium.

Yet, I don't think the format hurt my experience. In fact, I feel like it may have enhanced it. Tina writes in a conversational style. Though I assume editors made modifications to account for the medium. One liners. Jokes. Anecdotes. These all lend themselves to auditory medium.

Further, Tina Fey lent her voice talents to the production of this audiobook edition. Since the author was also the reader, the listener reaps the following benefits:

Timing was impeccable. Granted, this could have been due to editing/work in the studio. Listening to certain chapters of this book sometimes felt like watching an SNL skit.
Hearing the text read as the author would have it read. Again, directors could have changed the text for greater appeal. Please, leave me the pleasure of imagining that this is how she wanted it read.
Listening to it in the author's voice. I might have done this anyways (in my head), but it's actually reinforced. This is an autobiography after all!

The Review

It is always interesting to learn about the people, places and events that shaped the lives of public figures. Tina Fey describes er breakthrough experiences in Bossypants.

Being a man, sections of several chapters described things to which I cannot relate. I feel that I could react to these moments in one of two ways:

I could dismiss them and consider the book disappointing.
I could learn to empathize with and gain respect for women in society.

Either way, I did not have the option to simply laugh or read for pleasure. Gender colored some of the jokes. Perhaps a late 20-year-old, professional man was not the target audience of this book.

Chapters of note were those dealing with Tina Fey's early experiences with Christianity, the cult following 30 Rock garnered, SNL (and Tina's relationship with Sarah Palin) and the description of Mr. Fey.

My favorite chapter was the last one described. Yes, the SNL/30 Rock chapters were fun and amusing. But the chapter on Tina Fey's dad was poignant and rich. Maybe I'm just being sentimental because I am a new father to two young girls. But it was nice to hear of the love shared between a daughter and her father--even with an imperfect relationship.

Bossypants was an easy listen. I suggest you pick it up and give it a try.

George R. R. Martin's Character Development

2015-07-16T06:00:00.000-04:00

Book: A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire #1)
Book: A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire #2)
Author: George R. R. Martin

A Quick Observation

This is not a full review. I plan to read these books and watch the HBO series and write a review on the entire saga once I have finished. However, after book two I needed to pause and express a bit of praise for a particular literary quality.

I found myself rooting for Renly Baratheon.
I found myself supporting Robb Stark.
I found myself backing Danaerys Targaryen.
Everyone hates Joffrey Baratheon.

I was engrossed in their stories and motives. I wanted them to succeed. Then I realized something, each of those characters are enemies of one another. For just one of them to succeed, the other two would have to fail. They even outright threaten each other.

Though they stood in direct opposition, I still hoped the best for them. It is an interesting dynamic that I have never felt while reading a novel before. Kudos to Mr. Martin for great writing!

Librarian Problem No. 562: Read the fine print

2015-07-14T18:30:00.000-04:00

I have been a librarian for about two and a half months now, and I have solved several problems. From reference questions, to directional assistance to technical aid, I have done quite a lot under the motto, "All in a day's work." However, this one really had me going.

The Case of the Rogue Access Point

So I was asked if we could extend the library's WIFI for inventory purposes. The stacks are a dead zone and our fancy RFID Wand doesn't work too well back there. The only other solution involved moving Access Points (AP's) around and the whole plugging/unplugging thing scared everyone.

So I, the Electronics Librarian (touch me twice), gave my professional advice. I said, "We should be able to buy a couple cheap routers and set them up as AP's. We will place them strategically on the second floor to extend coverage." Piece of cake! I looked it up and everything! Just turn off DHCP and set the AP up with the same SSID/Password and you should be good. I sent the quote off to my Director and he approved the purchase of a couple lovely Linksys E1200s. Woohoo!

So I get these AP's sooner than expected. Awesome! I was busy at the moment and there was no rush, so I scheduled a day to work on them. The day comes and I unbox the first AP. Sweet! This looks just like the AP we have set up already, I'll just mimic the settings and everything will be hunky-dory.

It worked!
Alright!
Score!
Success!
I am a techno-wizard!

I even took it out to the stacks for verification. I connected with no problem. (In retrospect, I probably should have tested more intensively to ensure that the network stayed up. But, in my mind I was done.) This second one will be cake!

The second one would not work.

Oh, I could get it to work in my office. I could see it. My devices would connect to it. It would load web pages. But when I took it upstairs, I got no connectivity. I must have set this thing up 8 different times which felt like 60 times over. What could be wrong? I set this AP up exactly the same. I change the static IP to one in the range. Why won't you work?

I ended that week in frustration. I got one working, but not the other. Ugh! Now let's add some pressure. The Director walks into my office and asks for an ETA on the AP setup. I tell him it should be up by the end of the week. (After all, I am Electronics Librarian and should be able to do these things.) He asks why it would take so long, so we end up with Wednesday as a fair compromise. I have three days before I'm exposed as a fraud.

Monday is all about figuring out what the heck could possibly be the problem. I looked at my network map, I looked at information from Linksys, I looked at my horoscope;mdash&anything that might give me an answer! I was resetting, reconfiguring, testing in my office, running upstairs to test, then repeating the process. Sometimes it would work, once, then stop working. Sometimes it refused to work at all. Always, the AP was frustrating me, mocking me, letting me know how much better it was than me. How I wanted to kick it in the face, but it was busy kicking my butt. Why would it work in my office but not in the stacks? Why, oh why?

Then, two minutes before the end of the day, I found it; I found the last possible solution.

On the aforementioned network map, in the middle of 6 footnotes. MAC locking port security is enabled on the switch that the network ports connect to in the stacks. Only one MAC address is allowed access to the internet from those ports! If I log into the router and change this setting, could it resolve my problem?

Yes! The answer is yes! Oh, thank God, YES! I change the setting and my AP's are allowing all devices to access the internet from all over the library all day and through the rest of the week and into this current week. I finished my project ahead of schedule (technically) and inventory is progressing and everyone is happy.

And all librarians everywhere should know better than to skip over the fine print.

Tweeting Poetry

2015-06-05T23:00:00.000-04:00

For you geeks who like word clouds and the like, you should check out Poet Tweet. Once you enter your twitter handle, it asks what kind of poem you would like to create (Sonnet FTW!) and then it parses your tweets to compose said poetry. It's interesting to say the least and certain to entertain for at least 3 minutes.

Here's my sonnet, "The Cost":

"The cost" by Christopher Jimenez. #poetweet Thanks @skylarkk for the link. http://t.co/qUOhYVx1tV
— Christopher Jimenez (@cjmnz8) June 2, 2015

Announcement: Got a Job #librarylife

2015-05-19T18:30:00.000-04:00

This is my announcement that I have taken the position of Electronic Systems Librarian at the Fort Myers Beach Public Library. I'll be taking care of the technology at this library and providing reference assistance among other duties as assigned. My family has been moved out to the area and I am ready to work in my profession. I have been here for a week already and everything is pretty awesome.

I'm excited to see where the next chapter in my journey leads me.

A short list of things I have done in the past week:

Web Design
Photo Editing
Video Editing
Book Return Cleaning
Malware Removal
Wireless Troubleshooting
Hardware Repair
Media Presentation Setup
Social Media Management

ABC Animal Books Quiz (Sporcle)

2015-03-30T16:53:00.000-04:00

Fun Times

Sporcle is a fun site with a bunch of quizzes you can take if that's something you're into. I'm kinda geeked out about it. One of the featured quizzes has to do with Children's Literature. Take the quiz to see how well you know how animals are described in children's books!

Most Common Animals (ABC Books) - Sporcle Games & Trivia

Nerd Battle

2015-02-01T00:21:00.001-05:00

So, I got into a full fledged war at an auto parts store. We have English grammar to blame for the blood shed.

I was picking up some oil, and saw a sign that read: Oil X or Oil Y and Filter Z $Price A. I glanced over the ad and emphasized the OR, assuming (surprisingly) that I could get the good price without buying the filter. Not logical, but that's how I read it!

My purchase rang up full price. I asked about the promotion. We walked over to check out the sign. She said I needed to buy the filter. I was convinced that I didn't. I was also ready to fight for my savings.

The salesperson did not have a commanding grasp of the English language. As a result, I got her so confused that she sounded like she was agreeing with me, reading the sign with the emphases I was placing on OR. However, she insisted that I did not qualify for the promotion. I kindly asked for a supervisor.

The supervisor, clearly a native English speaker, read the sign as intended. He emphasized the AND part of the advertisement. Immediately, it clicked in my brain and I was ashamed to have made a scene at the auto parts store. However, I would make the following revision to the sign in order to increase clarity: Filter Z and either Oil X or Oil Y for $Price A. By placing the AND in a preeminent position, it removes most of the ambiguity in the signage.

The original saleswoman was a saint who tried to return the oil filter I had purchased online and replace it with the one featured in the promotion. However, they did not have it in stock.

So I loudly apologized for acting like a child and loudly thanked them for all their help. They were clearly right and I was clearly confused.

I blame grammar. That's my story. Im sticking to it.

Book Review: The Sorcerer's Stone

2014-10-16T13:46:00.001-04:00

The Book

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
J. K. Rowling

I nabbed this title on audiobook from overdrive. Score! I have, admittedly already seen the movies. But I wanted to experience the book as written by J. K. Rowling, even if by listening to the audiobook it technically means I still have not read the novel. Shocker I've never read a single Harry Potter book. Shame on me, I know. But now I have read it. And here is my review.

Side Note: In my Children's Literature class, I had to read a bunch of books and write reviews (which I published on this blog because, well, why not?). Students were allowed to read and review the Harry Potter books, but the professor discouraged it, alleging that the chances were slim that we have not been influenced one way or another regarding the text. She made a great point, as this book has been hotly debated as long as I can remember.

The Review

Technically speaking, this was not the most poetic or ingenious piece of writing. Honestly, it was formulaic. However, the formula works for the genre and drives the action along nicely. I found myself enjoying the flow of the story. It was masterfully told and really lends itself to the spoken word.

The story is about a young wizard (Harry Potter), an orphan raised by non-magical people (muggles). Once he becomes of age, he receives an invitation to wizarding school at Hogwarts. As one can imagine, this comes as a shock to the lad. The pressure on Harry escalates as he realizes that he is already a famous wizard who has somehow defeated a powerful wizard (Voldemort) as an infant.

Harry Potter balances friendships, enemies, schoolwork, sports, and evil wizards during his first year at Hogwarts.

The Conclusion

This is an entertaining book and the beginning of a long series of adventures. I recommend this adventure classic (yes, it's a modern classic) to fans of adventure/fantasy books. The movies are pretty good, too.

Go Away, Read Some Books!

Muppet King Arthur (Muppet Graphic Novels) #BookReview

Bibliographic Info

Background

Review

1776 #bookreview

Bibliographic Info

Background

Review

Star Wars: Verily, A New Hope #bookreview

Bibliographic Info

Background

Review

Facebook for News. A Rant

A Little Rant

Curated Content

Whiteboard Wisdom #1

A Month in the Library Life

A New Job!!

Moving Along

A History Lesson

Where I Was

Where I Am Headed

"His Talon was Raised to Attack..."

Super Heroes & Wretched Ratchets

Which Literary Monster are You?

When You Take a Toddler to the Bookstore

Carpe Dime: Seize the Coin

How to send ebooks straight from Gutenberg to Kindle

Intro

What you will need

The basic concept

Step by Step

Conclusion

Saving Mr. Banks - Film Review

Intro Disney's Saving Mr. Banks

What I Will Not Talk About

Film Adaptions

The Author's Relationship with their work.

The Author's Second chance to make things right.

The Filmmaker's passion.

Conclusion

Pixar Rankings Revealed

The Wait is Over

My Pixar Ranking

1A-1O

Ranking Pixar

Inspiration

Criteria

Conclusion

Bossypants - Book Review

The Book

The Review

George R. R. Martin's Character Development

A Quick Observation

Librarian Problem No. 562: Read the fine print

The Case of the Rogue Access Point

Tweeting Poetry

Announcement: Got a Job #librarylife

ABC Animal Books Quiz (Sporcle)

Fun Times

Nerd Battle

Book Review: The Sorcerer's Stone

The Book

The Review

The Conclusion

Intro

Disney's Saving Mr. Banks