The Methods Section

I have compiled a list of my favorite apps for the iPad.  These are the apps I use daily for work, reading, and entertainment.  Since I do not own my iPad, I’ve been loathe to purchase any apps for it, so freebies make up most of my list!  I’ll be posting my list over time, 4 apps at a time, so let’s get to it:

1. Dropbox (download here)

Dropbox is a FREE web-based file hosting service.  By saving your documents in a Dropbox account, you can access them from any computer or mobile device.  It’s an example of cloud computing; no for USB drives – everything lives online.  Any changes you make to a document in Dropbox is saved there as well, so no matter where or when you access a document, it should be synced up with your last edits.  You can allow others to share your folders or specific documents too.

There are a lot of these cloud-based file hosting services out there right now, but I prefer Dropbox over the others I’ve tried.  The interface on the desktop, iPad, and online are very easy to navigate.  Dropbox has also been integrated with many mobile editing apps, so it’s a good choice for iPad/iPhone users.  Plus you get 2GB of free storage per account, and there are various ways to increase your storage space, including paying a fee.

Pros: Easy to use, syncing is fast, integrated with most mobile editing apps

Cons: 2GB might not be enough for some people, no private key encryption

2. IM + (download here)

We do chat reference at my library, and this app lets me help out whoever is scheduled for reference that day, even if I’m away from the office.  IM+ is an all-in-one messenger that works with MSN, Google, Twitter, Facebook, AIM, Yahoo, Jabber, and more!  We subscribe to LibraryH3lp and use it with Pidgin for our chat reference.  However, Pidgin does not yet make an app for iPad use.  IM+ has been working great for me!  I was easily able to get all of my personal and work accounts up and running in no time.

It’s not perfect.  Opening the app can log you in automatically, which is not always helpful.  Also, the interface is not labeled, and the icons are not particularly descriptive.  It took me a little bit to remember what they all did!  This app is FREE, but there is a pay version without ads and Skype integration.

Pros: Easy to set up quickly, works with most chat services, FREE

Cons: Ads, interface icons are not intuitive

3. Feeddler RSS (download here)

Feeddler is my favorite FREE RSS reader for the iPad.  It syncs with Google Reader – so if you already have an account there, you’re all set to use the app.  I really do not have a lot to say about this app – it works great, syncs quickly, and crashes a lot less frequently than most of the other free RSS readers out there.  You can also get a pay version which adds some compatibility bells and whistles but overall seems unnecessary. If you want to pay for a premium RSS reader, go with NewsRack.

Pros: Free with unobtrusive ads; easy to navigate; plays nice with Google Reader; shows the full post (when possible)

Cons: Some updates were less reliable and crashed often, but that seems to have been corrected in the last update; basics functionality only (but it’s free, so that’s less of a con)

Note: I also use and love Flipboard but it can be annoying for reading blog posts.  I like to be able to read the whole blog post right in the app, and with a Flipboard/GoogleReader combo, you have to go through a few clicks to read an entire post.  I use Flipboard for getting my many science blog feeds in magazine format, since I can’t possibly read them all and would rather browse.

4. Desktop Connect by Antecea (download here)

Desktop Connect was the first premium ($10.99) app I purchased.  This app allows you to quickly set up a VNC or remote desktop connection with almost any computer.  Mac, Linux, Windows – it doesn’t matter.  The app basically turns your iPad into a monitor, and you are viewing the desktop of whatever computer you wish!  The connection is encrypted and secure.  Plus, the app can find and connect to any of your computers by using your Google account!

Pros: Access everything on your home/work computer on the iPad; use flash

Cons: If you use the Google account connection, you must install the product Easy Connect on your other computer.  This program crashes a lot, and if it does, you cannot access your computer remotely.  However, if you set up the VPN yourself, it works like a charm!

I should hate the iPad.  Freedom of information, open access, ending censorship – the iPad stomps all over these issues.  Apple keeps all content sold in iTunes under its close surveillance, often refusing to allow certain apps to be sold based on content alone.  No flash? No ‘adult content’ in apps? These kinds of limiters on a product would usually make me wrinkle my nose in disdain.

But I love it.  Oh how I love it…

Now, to be fair, I did not purchase my iPad myself. While my love for it grows stronger everyday, my pocketbook remains the same.  There is no way in hell I would spend $600 on a glorified iTouch.  I was given an iPad through the IT department at my university.  One of the biology professors is piloting iPads in her Animal Behavior course, and as the Science Librarian, I support that course.  Much of the online content in the course lives on a LibGuide I built with our Digital Resources librarian.

It’s very trendy right now to use iPads in higher education.  I know for  a fact there will be multiple iPad discussion groups and poster sessions at all of the up coming conferences regarding higher education, libraries, and pedagogy.  So far, our pilot group is enjoying the new dimension the iPad brings to the course, and I am excited to be a part of this new venture.  That said, I love my iPad for purely selfish reasons…

Ariel’s Reasons for iPad Love

1)  Mobility+Size:        I have never owned a laptop.  Whenever I would borrow one from a friend or work, I loved being able to work from anywhere.  However, laptops can be heavy and a pain to tote around an airport or city.  Not only that, but they get HOT.  You cannot comfortably use a laptop on your lap without breaking out in a sweat or having burn marks on your legs after an hour.  The iPad stays cool and weighs 1.5lbs.  Fits in a purse.  Heaven.

2)  Battery Life: This thing lasts forever.  I plug my iPad in maybe once ever 4 nights to recharge.  I have never had it die on me.  You could go to a weekend conference, forget your charger, and be totally fine.  Try that with a laptop.

3)  Intuitive Use: I love me some touchscreen.  It’s so natural feeling to just reach out and touch what I want to interact with on the screen.  Plus, the accuracy of touching is spot on.  I usually have difficulty getting most smart phones with touchscreens to recognize which link I am trying to touch.  You’d think tiny fingers would help with that (they really are stylus sized), but it’s always been an issue for me since the first iPhone.  No longer.  Now I find myself reaching out and touching my monitor at work! Now maybe that’s just me being obsessed, but I think it’s a sign that touch interaction in technology is far more intuitive than using a mouse.

4)  Information Retrieval: I am able to keep up with my favorite blogs, twitter feeds, and news sites so much easier with the iPad.  The variety of apps makes it quick to switch between different information sources.  I can curl up on the couch and read my blog feeds or articles I’ve saved to Dropbox, and it’s much more comfortable than sitting at my desk.  Comfort is huge;  I read more now that I have my iPad.

5)  Entertainment: Yes this counts too.  A happy librarian is a more productive librarian!  I have 2 games I am addicted to, but I’ll talk about them in my next post on apps.

However, there are a lot of reasons to not like the iPad.  Besides the issues I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I have a few less ideological complaints about this technology.

Ariel’s iPad Gripes (that don’t stop her from loving it)

1)  Cannot run multiple apps: Opening my email and clicking on a web link will close my email and open Safari.  To get back, I have to close Safari and reopen my email.  No, it doesn’t take much time to do that, but I’m used to having multiple programs open at once.

2)  No Inputs: While I do enjoy working in “the cloud,” sometimes I need to plug in a USB drive and save or upload something.  I try to use my iPad as my out-of-office office, but in some instances that just isn’t possible.  However, I believe the next iPad generation will have USB ports, so that’s a plus.

3)  Typing Takes Practice I had to relearn how to type on the iPad.  The keyboard is much easier to use in landscape mode, but the portrait orientation makes it so cramped.  Does anyone else find they hit the Shift key instead of A all the time? There is no wY it cN be just me!  I’d like to buy the wireless iPad keyboard they sell, but $60?! No thanks.

4) Charger cord is too short! OK that’s kind of picky, especially since you really shouldn’t have an issue with battery life and need it plugged in to use.  But it could happen, and that cord is short.  Of course, Apple offers a 6″ foot extension – Isn’t it great when companies charge for accessories that easily could have come with the product?

In my next post I’ll give a list of my favorite apps for productivity and entertainment.  I’ve only purchases 2 apps, so most will be freebies!

This week the EPA launched a “Bed Bug Information” site.  I couldn’t help but post about this resource – after all, I reviewed a book with included quite the history on these little pests.

Actually, the page is more of an information/ web portal site than a database.  There are some excellent photographic examples of bed bugs and how to spot them.  The site also explains how to avoid an infestation and how to best deal with one if its already too late.

Did you know there was a National Bed Bug Summit in 2009? Of course you did, but for those missed out, the EPA is planning another one for 2010.  Dates have yet to be announced, but the summit will most likely be in or around the D.C. area.  Politicians and government officials will debate the EPA’s controversial 2007 decision to ban certain pesticides used to eliminate and prevent bed bug infestations.  Environmental groups are pushing for the ban to remain in effect, but many believe the rise in the bed bug population is directly linked to the ban.

While the EPA’s summit will focus on pesticide regulations and other political issues, another bed bug summit was recently held that catered to those affected by the bed bug resurgence.  Hotel owners, office managers, and custodial personnel attended the Bed  Bug University North American Summit in Chicago, IL this past September.  Chicago was listed as one of the top five cities with the most bed bug infestations in a recent Terminix survey.  New York, Philadelphia, Detroit, and Cincinnati were also on the list.

So are YOU at risk? Bed bugs have been found living in mattresses, airline seating, department store furniture, and even electrical outlets.  There is certainly a chance that you could be exposed to bed bugs when using any sort of public furniture, including hotel beds.  However, the main thing to remember is that while bed bugs are disgusting, they have never been shown to cause disease.

A bed bug... GROSS

Nobody wants to be a sleeping buffet for these insects, but unlike many of their other blood sucking cousins, they do not spread disease.

Still, next time I stay in a hotel you better believe I’ll be lifting up the mattress…

Now that I’ve been regularly walking in the evenings, I’ve been getting sick of the same songs on my iPod.  Enter the Radiolab podcasts.  I dread the day when I run out of their archived episodes!

NPR has been playing in my car for years, but I had never caught an episode of Radiolab.  There is no set schedule for this program – they come out when they come out.  I’ve heard the promos for Radiolab many times, and I always wanted to listen to it.  I love Science Fridays on NPR, and I knew this program would be right up my alley.

I am officially addicted.  The research stories and anecdotes are well produced and extremely entertaining.  I find myself laughing out loud often, usually startling some birds, on my walks.  Some of the topics on the show will almost certainly be discussed in this blog – many are just too interesting not investigate further.  For example, the short episode “Strangers in the Mirror” detailed the lives of two people with Facial Blindness. These people are incapable of identifying individuals by their faces.  After listing, I went online and found the “Famous Faces” test they discussed during the show.  That test is part of a collection of many on the Test My Brain site from Harvard University.  I ended up spending a few hours testing my brain!

The sound quality on Radiolab is unreal.  The show seamlessly integrates sound effects and music into its interview/reporting style format.  During some segments, the background audio is just as important as the interview.  Honestly, I feel more immersed in the stories when I listen to Radiolab than when I watch TV.

New episodes are posted sporadically on the show’s website and can be heard on your local NPR channel.

STIFF: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers / Mary Roach (2003)

Why I chose this book: Sitting in the Denver airport, I realized that my knitting project was not going to last for the entire flight.  The cover of this book was what first got my attention as I scanned the nonfiction section in the airport bookstore.  The book looked shockingly funny and extremely interesting -  what more could one want for a three hour flight?!

Why I finished it: This book is hilarious.  Sure, you might need to have a slightly morbid sense of humor, but I truly think  that anyone but the most squeamish of people would enjoy this title.  Mary Roach travels to some places you’d expect from a book about cadavers (mortuary, anatomy class) and a lot of places you’d never guess would be using dead bodies.  My favorite chapter involved Roach visiting a lab where the scientists use cadavers instead of dummies in crash testing.  I had no idea that was common practice, but apparently whole bodies and severed appendages have been getting battered by scientists for years in collision testing.

Roach tells the stories of these cadavers and the living people who work with them in an extremely respectful manner; the humor usually stems from her own inner monologue and awkwardness (and a fondness for puns).  She begins the book by immediately distinguishing you from the cadaver you will eventually leave behind.  What happens to you when you die is not in question here – just what can happen to your physical shell once you bid it adieu.  Once that distinction is made, Roach is allowed to freely discuss the bizarre, often disgusting, but always intriguing journeys of human cadavers without offending the people they once were or those who loved them.  You’ll discover the variety of uses for cadavers once they have been donated to science, and maybe even decide to try a new environmentally friendly form of ‘burial’ yourself.  Human compost anyone?

Overall Rating: 4.5   I would have loved to read more about the different experiments using cadavers.  Some of the history chapters, while short, seemed to drag on and felt out of place.  They did not really subtract from my enjoyment of the work, but I cannot see giving it a perfect 5 for that reason.  Regardless, this title is highly recommended!

Everyday I read something new about how more and more Americans are putting the car in the garage and walking or biking to work.  It really is a win/win situation: less pollution in the air, less money on gas, less fat on you!  Now that summer has finally arrived in Chicago, I think I am ready to try some ‘green commuting.’  I have a bike, but honestly, I do not think my cycling skills are where they need to be to safely ride the 3.5 miles to work on a busy street.  For starters, I’ll be walking.

After planning my route (I used Google Maps street view to check for sidewalks), I did my first walking commute yesterday.  While I really enjoyed it, I have a few tips for any new green commuters out there!

1. Bring clean work clothes to work the day before!  — Until I’m up to walking everyday, I’ll be driving a few days a week.  Carrying my work shoes and clothes with me on the walk was not comfortable at all.
2. It will be hotter than you think!  — Do not wear your work clothes!  You will sweat, even if it is under 70 degrees.
3. Wear sun protection!  — My arms and cheeks are very pink after my walk. I figured it was early enough to beat the harsher rays, but next time I’ll be wearing sunscreen and sun glasses.
4. Try to only carry your keys, wallet, phone, and a drink!  — Carrying more = more sweat. My commute is 3.5 miles, and near the end I was wishing I had brought my water bottle.
5. If you listen to music while you walk, keep the volume low!  — You need to be able to hear emergency vehicles and traffic to stay safe.
6. Using the sidewalk does not make you invincible! — Watch out for cars turning into driveways and side streets.

Do you have any other good advice for a new walking commuter? I’m really looking forward to making this a part of my daily routine.  Anything that keeps me off the treadmill is a bonus in my book.  Happy walking!

For the first time in a long time (ie. no longer a student), I have been reading for pleasure.  Over the past two years or so I’ve kept a list of titles I really wanted to read but just didn’t have the time or energy.  My entire list is nonfiction.  I’m not a fiction reader; I used to be, but to be completely honest, Harry Potter killed it for me.  Those books were not that great, but I couldn’t stop reading them! And don’t get me started on the ending… could it be any more saccharine?  I want those hours back!

Anyway…back to the list… almost all of the books on it are what one might call Popular Science.  I think a good popular science book should include the following:

• humor (when appropriate, which it almost always is)
• the assumption that the reader has some scientific knowledge, but isn’t a specialist
• an interesting story, history, or problem to discuss (I want to learn AND be entertained)
• be memorable enough that if I put the book down for a week, I won’t have to reread past chapters to remember all the science that came before)

This summer I plan on reviewing every book I read.  Hopefully, that will amount to about 10 or more titles. We’ll see.  I used to have an aversion to ‘quitting’ on a book, even if every second reading it made me want to hurl it across the room.  Since deciding on criteria for a good pop sci book, I’m going to try giving myself the freedom to walk away from a dud.  Once again, we’ll see.

Book 1: Dark Banquet by Bill Schutt (2008)

Why I chose this book:  This was on several ‘Best of 2008′ lists, but really its the sub-title that hooked me.  A book all about blood feeding creatures? I’m sold.

Why I finished it: Schutt combines his witty, at times sarcastic tone for describing personal anecdotes and history lessons with extremely clear and informative scientific sections. The best stories were the author’s own experiences capturing and studying bats in the wild.  Actually, all of the chapters dealing with bats were the most fascinating.  Of the 1,110 species of bats, only three are vampires, and all are native to the Americas.  They are also extremely cute ( its worth noting here that Patricia Wynne’s sketches in the book are really terrific.)  Many sections contained graphic descriptions of bats feeding, and many readers may have a hard time getting through those sections.  However, you shouldn’t sugar coat nature, and I think Schutt has done his bats a great service by telling their story to general audience.

Why it was difficult to finish: No more bats after the first couple chapters (less than half the book).  This would not have been a problem except that the rest of the chapters were at best disjointed and at worst boring.  Schutt is a bat man.  He knows bats better than almost anyone else.  He makes it quite clear that the research he did on leeches, bed bugs, etc. was done solely for this publication, and that’s the problem.  His stories about bats come alive because they are written with the passion of a man who loves these animals and has lived these experience.  Anyone could go interview some entomologists, read a few papers, and write his chapters about the other sanguivores.  The latter half of the book just is not genuine.  I wish Schutt had collected more material about vampire bats, even if that meant including more science and upping the reading level.

Overall Rating: On a scale of 1 – 5 (where 1 is ‘Chuck it’, 5 is ‘Loved it’), this book gets a 3.5.  The sections on bats get a 5, but the rest of the book is more like a 2.  Still, I found the bat chapters interesting and entertaining enough to recommend this title.

I remotely attended the OpenSciNY conference last Friday and was extremely impressed with the creativity and care going into current open science projects and resources.  The third speaker, Jean-Claude Bradley, was especially impressive, and I came away with some new ideas for scientific literacy instruction.

First off, Bradley discussed open notebook science, and how his ultimate goal is to make scientific research as transparent and accessible as possible. His research notebooks, and those of the students he teaches, are all available online and updated in real time.  Raw data from the notebook can be seamlessly connected to experimental reports.   All results are kept in easily shared formats (Google Docs, Excel) so that others can quickly view, comment, and use them.

But why go through all of this?  How do open practices benefit scholarship as a whole?  Many will argue that having experimental results easily accessible online is a detriment to scholarship; who is vetting this material? Where is the security of peer review?

Bradley flatly stated that peer review cannot and does not equal infallible results.  Review is not proof, and scholarship is not peer review.  The term ‘peer review’ has no standard definition between publications.  In most cases, reviewers are anonymous; readers are not privy to their qualifications or experiences. Journals promising peer review rely on the reader’s interpretation and preconceived notions as to how that practice reflects on article quality.  Without any standardization, peer review becomes less of a practice to ensure quality and more of a marketing tactic for publishers.  In 2009, bloggers at the Scholarly Kitchen were able to get an extremely ridiculous article published in an open, “peer reviewed” electronic journal simply by paying for an Open Access fee.  Obviously, peer review does not equal quality.

Even the most trusted journals publish articles with extreme errors, and I’m not talking about grammatical mistakes.  Bradley used the Journal of the American Chemical Society as an example of a highly respected periodical that has let some very questionable articles slip through peer review unquestioned.  For a prime example, check out the NaH debacle here. (Link to the now withdrawn paper.)

Unfortunately, many librarians and instructors are supporting the illusion of peer review.  Professors require students to use only peer reviewed sources in their papers; librarians explain how peer reviewed sources are the only true ‘scholarly’ sources.  Students need to be able to critically evaluate research articles themselves.  Providing a list of criteria for scholarly articles (peer reviewed, many references, etc.) may be doing students a disservice.  Sure, seeing that an article cites no references is a good reason to be skeptical of its contents, but students need to understand why references are important.

Not only that, but science librarians need to address more research specific issues in classes.  The value of raw data cannot be overlooked, as it often is in many published articles.  When the raw data for any experiment is easily available to readers, the science behind the experiment becomes transparent, allowing readers to draw their own conclusions.  Bradley stressed this point during his presentation and discussed how open notebook science allows readers to quickly find raw data for all of his research.  I think many science librarians overlook this important issue; we tell students that the methods and materials section of a scholarly article needs to be clear and thorough.  One should be able to complete the experiments by using the methods section as a recipe.  However, if the author’s raw data is not available, it is impossible to know if there were any mistakes made in the results.

I think the biggest lesson I learned from attending OpenSciNY was that even though I was a working chemist 3 years ago, I was already out of the loop when it came to the current scientific research community.  If librarians want to be subject specialists, they must attend events and conferences outside the library realm.  I know how to search the literature and evaluate research, but before this conference, I had only heard of open science in passing.  I’ll be making it a point to skip some library conferences in favor of engaging with the scientific community this year.  Finding out the needs of working professionals can only help me better serve the next generation of scientists.

For more information on Dr. Bradley’s research check out his blog, Useful Chemistry, and the wiki/open lab notebook for his classes and research.

2,500 square miles of ocean… at least 200,000  gallons continuing to pour out each day… containment costs at over $6 million dollars per day…

These numbers cannot even begin to describe the enormity of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.  Now, however, thanks to Paul Rademacher and Google Earth, anyone can view the oil spill in relation to their own location.  Visitors can use the website to transpose an image of the spill over any place in the world.  What a fabulous use of Google Earth; this type of visualization is better than any analogy I’ve heard on the news (“It’s the size of Jamaica!”)

Here is a look from my location: Chicago, IL.  Yeah… that’s big.