Now, for a little perspective...

A Virtual Library Cat knows that exams can make law students wish for a quick escape to another planet, or at least to a galaxy far, far away. Well, there is a way to clear your mind for a few minutes, and place yourself in a universe without the law at the center of gravity. Try taking a study break with the thematically arranged breathtaking space photos at the National Space Science Data Center Photo Gallery. Select from views of the planets, of the earth and moon, and of galaxies and comets, collected from the NASA space missions. This site is worth book marking for return visits throughout the year.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Travel to, from and in NYC

For those of you traveling to, from or within the City, here are some sources of information regarding any NYC transit strike. As of this writing the two formerly private bus lines - Jamaica and Triborough have plans to strike, but a city-wide transit strike is delayed until at least 12:01am Tuesday. For more up-to-date information and contingency plans, go to:

nyc.gov Alternative Transportation Information Center
MTA Strike Contingency Plan
TWU Local 100 (Transport Workers Union)
constantly updated news websites - New York Times , Newsday

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Pepys Diary In Blog Form

As a break from all things law- and exam-related, perhaps you'd like to escape into 17th-Century London for a little while. The famous diary of man-about-town Samuel Pepys (pronounced "peeps") has been cleverly posted in Web log format for your enjoyment.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Puzzle

If you have not noticed a puzzle is set out on a table outside the Main Level Computer Lab. Completion of the puzzle is a community effort. Take a few minutes to work on the puzzle whenever you get a chance. It is an easy way to get a quick break and clear your mind of studies for a little while.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Revised Library Hours for Fall 2005 Exam Period

Due to this year's increased early morning traffic, we will open
the library one hour early, Monday - Friday, for the remainder of the
exam period. During the 7:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. hour, there will be
access only; no services (e.g. circulation, reference) will be
available. Please remember that you need to show your Hofstra ID to
enter.

Wednesday, December 14 - Wednesday, December 21
Monday - Friday: 7 A.M. - 2 A.M.
Saturday & Sunday: 10 A.M. - 2 A.M.

Thursday, December 22 : 7 A.M. - 11 P.M.

Again, good luck on exams!

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Refdesk.com

If you are looking for a website that you can use as a portal for almost everything that you do on the web, refdesk.com might be it. Although it is a very busy page, if you are willing to look around you will find some of everything. There are links to search engines, reference resources, news sources, facts sites, help and advice, reference tools, and much more including fun links such as Letterman's Top Ten, Addicting Games.com and Astronomy Picture of the Day.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Podcast Search

The world of podcast search is exploding! There are a number of search engines which seek to give order to finding podcasts, much the way that services like Technorati have made it possible to locate blog postings. These engines allow users to search podcasts by keyword. For example, Podzinger and blinkx search audio content for keywords by translating the audio into text and creating an index for quick searching. This is really powerful technology. Usually, an audio search engine would just be searching the title and a short descriptive summary of a broadcast.

Another innovation can be found at Podscope. This search engines allows users to set up keyword-based RSS feeds and receive alerts when certain words are spoken in a podcast or other types of audio or video programs.

Stay tuned... I strongly suspect there will be much more to report as this medium continues to grow.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat