Tech Talk

My husband and I are studying Italian (again)! We last visited Italy in 2000 after taking a course at NYU and understanding the language (even on a limited basis) made the trip so much more fun. We are now taking private lessons and our teacher has introduced us to some online tools that make our studying experience much easier than it was in the past.

My favorite tool is the online dictionary at www.wordreference.com. In addition to Italian, they have Spanish, French, and Portuguese dictionaries. My favorite feature is looking up a particular verb form and being given the exact form of the verb (e.g., "parla" is the present tense third person singular form of the verb "parlare.").

We also subscribed to 24 hour Italian television through our cable service. We then found free Italian television that we can watch on our computer. There are many channels that include sports, news, local television from various cities, Vatican TV, music, and more. If you can't immerse yourself in the language by traveling to Italy, having Italian television around the clock is the next best thing! This television site also has access to stations in other languages from all over the world.

The Italian television station (RAI) also offers an interactive children's section that we enjoy exploring.

Don't forget that you can also find DVDs in Italian (as well as in other languages) here at the Wilton Library. La vita e bella!

Do you find that you never have the right phone book handy? Or, seaching the web doesn't give you the information you are looking for? Use your Wilton library card to enter the magical world of Reference USA.

The Residential section will give you phone numbers, addresses, listings of neighbors, maps and more for anyone you are looking for (as long as they are "listed").

The Business section gives you access to addresses, phone numbers, number of employees, sales volume, web addresses, toll free numbers, fax numbers, stock information, EDGAR filing information, business profiles, Competitors Reports, UCC filings, Management Directory, other lines of business and more.

The Health Care section gives you information about physicians and dentists, including age, gender, type of practice, state of license, board certification, primary specialty, medical school, year of graduation, patients per week, address, phone number, name of office manager, hospital affiliation, and more.

Wilton Library subscribes to Reference USA so that Wilton residents may access it for free from anywhere in the world. All you need is Internet access and your Wilton Library card.

If you have any questions or would like more information on how to use this database, please contact Mary Anne Mendola Franco, Head of Network Services, at 203-762-3950, Ext. 210.

It's almost time to make a decision on buying an HDTV. But, buying a new television is not as easy as it was in the past. Not only are there technical decisions to be made, there are decorating decisions to be made (do we hang it on the wall or put it on a new piece of furniture). It can also be a very expensive decision so it should be made with care. Cnet.com has a terrific section on "Everything you need to know about HDTV", including a section on how to save your old TV from a snowy death for about $20 or less.

If you'd like to know how HDTV works, visit Wikipedia for the technical details.

The Federal Communications Commission has a guide for consumers including a countdown to Digital TV Transition Day which is February 17, 2009.

Last night, David Pogue, personal technology columnist for The New York Times, appeared at Wilton Library to a packed house! He introduced us to free services many of us had not known about and it was wonderful to be in a room overflowing with both tekkies and wanna-be-tekkies!

Wilton Library has a number of his books that you can check out and we will soon be adding more of his titles!

You will want to check out David's website and his New York Times blog.

For news on other exciting upcoming programs, visit our Events page.

There's always something going on at Wilton Library!

Have you noticed the new machine temporarily living at the Circulation Desk? Come try out our new One Stop Self Check Station! Save time and avoid any lines. You may check out most items yourself and also pay late fees at the self check station with cash or credit card. Of course we are always available at the Circulation Desk to check out your items, settle fees, or just say hello. We're happy to demonstrate this wonderful new resource and if you have any questions or comments, please email or call me at 203-762-3950, Ext. 210.