TOW (Answer)...

Let's answer the week's question ---> what is the conducting system?

To answer this week's question you had to pay attention to the framework of the question as well as the question itself, in other words, it probably helped if you noticed that the question came to us from the realm of anatomy.  So in anatomy, the conducting system refers to the pathways air travels through to reach the lungs.  Included in this system are the nasal cavity, pharynx, larynx, trachea and bronchi.

Find this question (and answer) as well as a ton of other anatomical information - and really, cool, very detailed illustrations in The World's Best Anatomical Charts.  The book is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins and is copyrighted 2000.  I found the information on page 6.

History of Highland Park...

Here is a report titled “Uptown” Los AngelesThrough the Years: A History of Highland Park by Evelyn Byard.  Written in 1979 it is exactly as described by its title. 

Websites I Use...

A question I’ll get at the reference desk, particularly in Term Paper Season, revolves around how to format paper citations in the format requested by the teacher.  The site I like in reference to this particular question is The Purdue Online Writing Lab (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/).  This site is dedicated to helping you with your writing skills generally --- but it particularly goes into a wealth of detail about the major citation styles.  From the main page, for example, click into APA Formatting and Style Guide (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/) to find everything you need to know about formatting a paper in this style.  The site covers APA, MLA, and Chicago Manual.

Of course you can also use its many other parts to brush up your writing skills.

Celebrate Citizenship Week (the week of 9/17)…

One of the most important rights of citizenship is the right to vote.  Exercise your right!

Join us for a Voter Registration Drive on September 18th from 4:00-7:00

• If you’re not registered stop by & get registered. We’ll provide help if needed
• If you are registered pick up some forms to give to friends & neighbors who aren’t registered.
• Go vote in November!

Tubes

The book Tubes: A Journey to the Center of the Internet by Andrew Blum is an exploration of the physical Internet.  In this book Blum makes a pilgrimage to the actual physical things that make the Internet we all use and love work.  This book is a fascinating, if very basic look at the Internet’s infrastructure.  It is definitely aimed at the beginner though, I found myself wishing for a few more details and a little less gossipy chat.

So if you’re looking for a non-fiction book that would make a good arm-chair read this is the book for you.

Trivia of the Week....

The question for this week comes to us from the realm of anatomy --->

What is the conducting system?

TOW (Anwser)...

Today we are answering the question ---> what is a redshift?  Allow me to quote from the reference book in question:

The nineteenth-century discovery of emission and absorption lines in the spectra of gases revolutionized observational astronomy, allowing astronomers to determine for the first time the chemical composition of the gas emitting the light.  But the spectral lines also had another use.  Doppler shifts in the expected wavelength of the lines allowed astronomers to measure the velocity of the source along the line of sight. [...] Astronomers use the symbol z to designate the change in a wavelength [...] The shift z is called a redshift when the object is moving away and a blueshift (or a negative redshift) when the object is moving towards the observer.

The question (and answer) were taken from the book The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Universe edited by Ian Ridpath and published by Watson-Guptill Publications in 2001.  I opened to page 124.

Events for the Week of September 10…

Things going on at the library this week include:

• Teen Council Meeting (featuring Loteria) on Tuesday (9/11) at 4:00
• Baby & Toddler Storytime on Wednesday (9/12) at 10:30
• LACMA Art Class for Teens also on Wednesday at 4:00
• LACMA Art Class for Kids and Families on Thursday (9/13) at 4:00
• The Drop in Computer Lab on Friday (9/14) at 3:30
• Computer Basics Class on Saturday (9/15) at 2:00

You can always check the searchable calendar of events on our website to keep abreast of programming at any of the branches of the Los Angeles Public Library.

History of Highland Park…

Check out this draft Historic Context Statement of the Northeast Los Angeles Subregional Planning Area prepared by the Historical Resources Group for the Los Angeles Conservancy in February of 1990.  It is a 24 page document that looks at

• geographic boundaries & natural features
• history of development
• economic development
• residential development
• development of civic, religious, cultural, and social institutions
• etc.

An interesting perspective on the history of the area.

Losers in Space...

I recently read the book Losers in Space  by John Barnes.  Although aimed at the YA market this book will appeal to anyone who likes a good science fiction yarn.  The author went to great pains to write science fiction by which I mean that everything that happens could happen (the science allows it).  Interestingly the author would write asides periodically to explain the science behind the scene that had just happened.  He styled them as asides so the uninterested could skip over them and follow the story while the interested could learn something.

So, then, what is the book actually about?  It is set 117 years in the future in a world that has enough capacity (via robots etc) so that no one has to work and there is no poverty, starvation, etc.  In this world entertainment is what consumes most people’s time and energy.  The consequence of both these things is that one of the few ways to rise above the pack (be important in some way) is to be a celebrity.  This book then follows the story of a group of teens who seek to become celebrities by stowing away on a space craft.  Things go astonishingly wrong from here.

Trivia of the Week....

This week's trivia question comes to us from the realm of Astronomy...

What is a redshift? 

Websites I use….

I really like this online graphing calculator (https://www.desmos.com/calculator/).  It is a very cool thing to just play with.  Start with the example tab to get some insight into what you can do here and then venture off on your own.  If you’re still in school try running graphs on your homework even if you don’t think graphs are relevant to the topic you’re on…. you might be surprised.   

Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council….

The Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council finally has a website (http://highlandparknc.com/site/) or maybe it’s that I’ve finally found the website of the Historic Highland Park Neighborhood council.  In any event, check it out for all kinds of information. 

Events for the Week of September 3…

Things going on at the library this week include:

• Baby & Toddler Storytime on Wednesday (9/5) at 10:30
• LACMA Art Class for Teens also on Wednesday at 4:00
• LACMA Art Class for Kids and Families on Thursday (9/6) at 4:00
• Introduction to Library Web Tools & the Internet (a class) on Thursday at 6:30
• Real Estate Seminar on Thursday at 6:30
• The Drop in Computer Lab on Friday (9/7) at 3:30

You can always check the searchable calendar of events on our website to keep abreast of programming at any of the branches of the Los Angeles Public Library.