Why are some new technologies "Blue" and others just "Blu"?

The task is to write about a new technology. I did quite an extensive search for anything that has been written about the introduction of "self serve" or RFID to libraries and its effect on library staff and patrons but I couldn't find anything very useful. I couldn't find any websites or blogs that looked at the introduction of RFID in an extensive, critical or objective way.

So...what other new technology could I try and find out something about? What is something that is being mentioned all the time in advertising, and so on, and I don't really know what it is or how it works ?

The 2 terms I came up with are Bluetooth and Blu-ray. What are they, and why are they blue?

Okay, so Bluetooth is a wireless way of exchanging data over short distances from fixed and mobile devices. It allows you to exchange information between devices such as mobile phones, laptops, PCs, printers, GPSs, digital cameras and game consoles without needing any wires or cables. The difference between Bluetooth and Wi-Fi is that, while both are versions of wireless technology, Wi-Fi provides higher throughput and can cover greater distances than Bluetooth. However, Wi-Fi requires more expensive hardware and usually consumes more power than Bluetooth. Bluetooth can be used as a replacement for cabling in a variety of small-scale applications.

Bluetooth began to be developed by 2 guys in 1994. One of the guys was from the Netherlands and the other was from Sweden. Bluetooth was named after a tenth-century king, Harald Bluetooth, King of Denmark and Norway, who was known for his unification of previously warring tribes from Denmark (including now Swedish Scania, where the Bluetooth technology was invented), and Norway. Bluetooth likewise has been developed to unify different technologies such as PCs, mobile phones, and so on. How poetic and imaginative is that for a couple of technology boffins? A bit corny, but kind of sweet. The logo merges Germanic runes.

Blu-ray is the name of the next generation optical disc format. It offers five times the storage capacity of traditional DVDs and this extra capacity enables recording, rewriting and playback of high definition video. Normal DVDs use a red laser to read and write data while Blu-ray uses a blue-violet laser instead, hence the name Blu-ray. A blue-violet laser has a shorter wavelength than a red laser which makes it possible to focus the laser spot with greater precision. This allows data to be packed more tightly and stored in less space so it's possible to fit more data on the same sized disc.

Both Blutooth & Blu-ray have cute logos. See below:

#5 Discover Flickr

Shelf of Graphic Novels .... and a Panda!!!

"Camera Wielding Library Staff

Out of Control"

I can't believe there were over 700 results when I did a search on Flickr for "graphic novels" + "library". How many library workers are there out there taking photos of their shelves of graphic novels and then publishing them on Flickr??? I placed a photo of a toy zebra sitting on a shelf in front of some graphic novels on this post but it will no longer display so I took a photo of our library's graphic novel shelves. Don't want our library to be left out. Here's the result!

My favourite photo on Flickr is of a doll named Luna sitting on a shelf with some graphic novels. It's called "Chilling with the manga" and if you do a search on Flickr for graphic novels + library it's on page 12 of the results. Luna is wearing amazing boots!

#4 Register Your Blog

OMG, (text speak for Oh My Goddess), it is only week 2 of this training and already I am falling behind my super organised and super efficient colleagues. I feel like I am stuck between a ragnarok and a hard place. I only just managed to find the time to listen to the week 1 podcast, let alone the week 2 podcast, and I did it at the expense of checking in books from the branch run and the out of hours chute yesterday. Sorry about the mess the branch is in guys! My head was starting to feel like it was being squeezed in a CLAMP as the pressure to come up with a witty name and a witty entry for my blog was so great.

I have to try to find the time to continue to R. all my work mate’s blog entries O. D. Hope I complete this training before my sanity has escaflowne away with the boys over the flowers. I feel like such a FLCL, (graphic novel speak for fooly cooly). If I persevere with this Web 2.0 stuff will I gainax some vital skills and stop feeling quite so much like an old .hack// when it comes to new technology?