Browsing My World

There's a (relatively) new browser in town... Flock.

Why flock to Flock? First, Netscape Navigator is being discontinued as of March 1, 2008. To find out more, click here. For many of you, this doesn't matter, but for those who like to use a variety of browsers, losing Netscape is sad. In its heyday, Netscape was the innovator in web browsing. Second, the internet is maturing. Web 2.0 is all the buzz, and social networking is the way of the future, or should I say, the way of the now: del.icio.us, Twitter, YouTube, blogging, photo posts, Facebook, etc. are common tools for many of us. Flock brings together many aspects of social networking all under a tab labeled "My World" and let's you modify your "world" accordingly. No longer do you have to add to my favorites, and add to del.icio.us separately, but with one click you can do both functions at the same time. Click an icon for RSS feeds, media bar, people - all conveniently located. I won't begin to say I am an expert at Flock - I downloaded it yesterday, but it does have my attention. So give it a go, it's open source, free for the using: http://www.flock.com/get-ready-to-flock/

Help Desk Services

EXPANDED HELP DESK SERVICES AVAILABLE FOR STUDENTS

A help desk for students is now up and running in the lobby of the Orcutt Student Services Building.

Any students who need help in logging into myDCC, or getting their grades online can drop by the help desk in the SSB lobby to receive assistance by student workers trained to provide these services as well as others pertaining to accessing and utilizing the College’s various electronic resources.

The hours of operation for the Student Help Desk are Monday through Thursday 9 am to 7 pm and Fridays 10 am to 1 pm. The location is the Lobby of the Orcutt Student Services Building.

Information in this blog post came from Campus email, dated Wed. 2/27/08 11:09am.

Got green?

Do you have old CDs, DVDs, video cassettes, cell phones, chargers lying around? How about old computers, computer monitors, batteries? Don't want to fill up a landfill with this stuff, but not sure what to do with it? If so, check out www.gcycle.org. It's a cute website which provides recycling information at your fingertips. Type in your zip code, hit compute, and away you go to a list of locations which accept various electronic equipment donations. Then flip on over to Earth 911, for more comprehensive information on recycling and reuse.
Gycle is powered by Earth 911, an environmentally conscientious website.

Steal this Byte!!!

Concerned that you may be committing plagiarism without knowing it? Click on the link below to test your knowledge on what constitutues cheating:

Plagiarism Test

Online digitization project

Click the logo above to take a look at the great initiative that Dutchess Community College is involved with! Hudson River Valley Heritage presents to the public a collection of digitized photos, memos, objects, and oral contributions covering the history of the Hudson River Valley area. More materials are being posted daily!

Local libraries, historical societies, colleges and organizations have all joined together in contributing to this collaborative effort of documenting the history of the Hudson River Valley through images. This online, unlimited access digitization project is being spearheaded by Southeastern New York Library Resources Council (SENYLRC) and the Francis U. and Mary F. Ritz Library is proud to be involved with digitizing 50 years of photos and documentation pertaining to the history of the community college and its contributions to the community.

Click here to link to DCC's historical images. Click here to view a list of all the collections that are available to access. Let us know what you think!

Black History Month

Celebrate Black History Month

Anniversary of Little Rock Nine

Visit the Francis U. and Mary F. Ritz Library Display Case
3rd Floor
Hudson Hall

Usage Dictionaries

Oftentimes, in the midst of composing a paper, you’ll find that your spell check just doesn’t help (of all those suggestions in the drop-down box which one is right?) and only later do you discover, when your paper comes back, that you should have used effect instead of affect, or that you have erroneously substituted the word discreet for its nearly identical counterpart discrete. In any case, to avoid the scourge of red pen, students should refer to a Usage Dictionary when they have any doubts concerning the proper use of a word. What, you might ask, is a Usage Dictionary? Well, a Usage Dictionary differs from normal dictionaries in that it gives explanations instead of definitions, and shows specific examples of proper use. Paul Brians is a Professor at Washington State University and has created a handy little website called Common Errors in English Usage that is much like a usage dictionary. For those looking for fuller treatments on particular words nothing can beat the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage where a typical entry spans half a page. We also have a collection of others here!

So whether you lean more toward the descriptive side of the linguistics debate or tend to be one those who insist on using King’s English even in Instant Messages, consider that Professors and Employers appreciate attention to detail in all matters and you can certainly convey that in your written work.