RSS

I was able to add some news feeds to my bloglines account. It will definitely make accessing the news a lot easier than opening up different websites. I would probably add feeds such as the weather and movie theatres. I attempted to add a traffic feed but the sites I went to did not have feeds.

Google Universe

I guess the first thing I think of when I see all of the available tools on Google is that a person could be tied to their computer all day long; playing, experimenting, drawing, translating, reading, creating... It could take you away from human interaction altogether.
Some of the tools and lab tools I have used and are using: others - I think are a waste of time.
One I was not aware of and could not get to work was the "City Tours" lab. I think it would be a great resource to have when traveling, but it did not work for me.
The other thing I noted is that many of the books listed under Google Books were older publications. I did not find anything recent or new & notable. It was helpful in terms of finding Classics when copies in the Library are all checked out.
The Google Scholar site is noteworthy, and I will mention it to students who are looking for resources and want to steer away from Wikipedia.

Facebook

I have had a Facebook account for a few years - probably since my oldest daughter went away to France to go to university. It was a great way to keep in touch without having to phone or write emails. We did still write a lot of emails, but for short notes and posting photos, it became our lifeline to her. Now that our younger daughter is away at university, we use facebook to keep in touch with her and see her photos. Also, if she goes on a trip with friends or gets together with friends, I can access photos through her friends' sites. I've also kept in touch with someone through Facebook who used to work at our branch and is now away at university. It's great for getting in touch quickly or sending short notes, sending short notes to a lot of people. My daughter's boyfriend held a surprise party for our daughter, and he posted it on Facebook so that her friends could see but not her. They were able to RSVP and make plans, without him having to get all of their email addresses. It can be quite a far reaching and efficient way of communicating.

Wikipedia

I spent a lot of time searching in Wikipedia. I really liked how each subject was linked to another so that you could keep on investigating without having to put in new search terms. I didn't find any areas that needed editing, so I played around in the "sandbox" and found out how to edit. I do like the easiness of searching in Wikipedia, while at the same time, also realize that it is not authoritative.

I finished reading Little Bee by Chris Cleave, as well as Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. I don't think I can wait until August for "Mockingjay" to be released. It is such a great trilogy.