Tag: Lists

Easy, Interactive Grocery Lists a Zip with ZipList!

Although shopping for groceries is not necessarily a library or research function, the iBraryGuy team recently came across a resource that was too good not to share with our professional colleagues.  Besides, we know that you all take your shopping seriously and that, as a whole, librarians are an uber-organized bunch.  Thus, today's review and recommendation – ZipList.
 
ZipList is a hot, new set of tools designed to make the task of creating a grocery list not just easy, but also interactive.  Create lists online, using a free account, and then share them with friends and family via the web, e-mail, and even text messaging.  They can then add things to your list or even do some shopping for you.  Your list is accessible on the go from your laptop or smartphone browser.  An iPhone app is on the way!
 
There is much more to ZipList than just making and sharing lists, however.  It is literally designed to make list creation easy, help you plan meals, and even save you money at the store!  It comes with thousands of recipes already built in.  Add them your online "recipe box" or just have ZipList create a shopping list directly from the recipe.  Don't like the recipes they offer or want to add in some of your own?  ZipList has a recipe clipping function that will import recipes from other web pages!  Other awesome features include the ability to designate the stores from which you want the items, setting item priorities, adding reminders to items for which you have coupons, and even filtering your lists by stores or priority.  AND . . . if that is not enough to win you over, ZipList is an intelligent solution . . . it learns!  It remembers your lists, allowing you to add favorite items, and will even warn you when you add something to the list that you recently purchased.  ZipList can help you reduce waste and expenses!
 
We may be librarians, but we cannot live by our books alone.  We have to eat and we have to shop (we are human after all . . . ok, superhuman maybe).  Using ZipList, we can take a little of our library know-how and put it to some really practical use!  Enjoy!

iBraryGuy’s Best of the Best 09: Best Inventions Lists

Another year is quickly drawing to a close.  It is that time of the year during which all those “Best of” lists begin popping up.  From books to music to movies and even moments, everyone has an opinion on what were the best of 2009.  We at iBraryGuy are no different. However, with so many available “best of”  lists out there, we decided to decline the chance to reinvent the wheel and publish our own lists on specific topics.  Instead, we thought we would help our readers find some of the best of the “best ofs”.  Between now and the end of the year, we will be sharing them with you.

Best of the Best of 2009:  Inventions

Innovation, where would our lives be without it?  We certainly would not be reading blogs like this via the internet on our lightning fast computers!  The capacity for people to dream up and make real things designed to make life and work better is limitless.  Each year, thousands of new inventions are unveiled.  Some have immediate impact, while others take quite a bit of time to catch on.  Today, we are featuring lists of some the most revolutionary new inventions born in 2009.  Here they are, in no particular order:

  • Time’s 50 Best Inventions of 2009:   We have featured quite a few of Time Magazine’s lists in our “Best of the Best Lists” for 2009.  Their editors have certainly been busy compiling them and we have been duly impressed with their quality and breadth.  Time certainly has one of the best inventions lists we have seen so far.  You can enjoy it here.
  • Popular Science  The venerable, and dare we say “ever popular”, Popular Science magazine announced the winners of its 2009 Invention Awards back in May.  If you have not yet seen the list, there is no time like the present.  PS’s Invention Awards celebrate the backyard scientists and garage inventors who not only dream the big dreams, but have the determination to make them happen . . . with their own bare hands and few spare parts!  You can explore the winners here.  

iBraryGuy’s Best of the Best 09: Best Web Sites Lists

Another year is quickly drawing to a close.  It is that time of the year during which all those “Best of” lists begin popping up.  From books to music to movies and even moments, everyone has an opinion on what were the best of 2009.  We at iBraryGuy are no different. However, with so many available “best of”  lists out there, we decided to decline the chance to reinvent the wheel and publish our own lists on specific topics.  Instead, we thought we would help our readers find some of the best of the “best ofs”.  Between now and the end of the year, we will be sharing them with you.

Best of the Best of 2009:  Web Sites

Web sites, web sites everywhere!  It seems like no matter what the interest, question, or need, there is a web site or hundred dedicated to it.  There are the good, the bad, and the ugly and more of each than we can count.  Web sites are literally a dime a dozen.  So too are lists of the best web sites.  Here at iBraryGuy, we have looked at a lot of those lists this year. Here are some of our favorite best web sites lists for 2009, in no particular order:

  • Time’s 50 Best Sites of 2009:   Time Magazine’s list of the best 50 sites of 2009 was by far our favorite.  With sites to educate, entertain, and make you more productive, Time’s list truly has something for everyone.  It includes many of the most popular Web destinations as well as some of which you probably have never heard.  You can see it here.
  • The Webby Awards:  For an amazing 13 years running, the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences has been unveiling its list of best sites on the web.  Annually, thousands of sites are nominated.  Few, however, are the chosen.  It is quite a list and quite an honor to be recognized on it.  The Webbies are nicely divided by category and the Academy’s very user-friendly site.  You can explore the winners here.  
  • RUSA’s Best Free Research Sites: RUSA is the Reference and User Services Association.  A division of the American Library Association, RUSA too offers and annual list of the best.  The focus of their list, however, is research . . . specifically free research.  We all like free research sites, so long as they are good.  RUSA’s list is invaluable for separating the proverbial wheat from the chaff in the world of free online research.  You can get your fill here.
Web sites come and go.  It is quality, utility, and popularity that set the winners apart from the losers – those who are here to stay from those who will be gone tomorrow.  The lists above are chock full of sites that, in some cases, have and in others may withstand the tests of time and taste.  Did your favorites make the lists?  We any left out?  Let us know with your comments!

iBraryGuy’s Best of the Best 09: Best Scandals Lists

Another year is quickly drawing to a close.  It is that time of the year during which all those “Best of” lists begin popping up.  From books to music to movies and even moments, everyone has an opinion on what were the best of 2009.  We at iBraryGuy are no different. However, with so many available “best of”  lists out there, we decided to decline the chance to reinvent the wheel and publish our own lists on specific topics.  Instead, we thought we would help our readers find some of the best of the “best ofs”.  Between now and the end of the year, we will be sharing them with you.

Best of the Best of 2009:  Scandals

Oh la la (as our French friends say), what would a year be without its scandals!  They shock us, amuse us, and sometimes horrify us.  No matter how bad they get though, it doesn’t seem to stop them from happening year after year.  And where would our media be without the juicy, sensational stories to balance out the real news that matters?  😉  Face it, without the scandals, lunch breaks and standing in line at the grocery story would just not be the same!  Here are some of the best scandals lists for 2009, in no particular order:

  • The Week:   The Week is one of our favorite news magazines here in iBraryGuyland.  It’s news summaries from around the world just cannot be beat.  One of its strongest points is the way in which it presents various views on a topic.  This year, The Week is offering a month by month look at the 12 biggest controversies that shaped public opinion.  You can get an eyeful here.
  • CREW:  CREW is the acronym of the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a non-partisan group promiting ethics in the American government.  They have published a rather impressive report in PDF of the top scandals in Washington this year.  It is quite a read and an admirable effort!  You can find their report here.  
  • Time Magazine: Time Magazine is offering a whole bunch of Top 10 lists this year.  Their list of lists is rather extensive!  One of our favorites is their list of the top 10 scandals of 2009.  You may feel the need for a shower after reading this one here.
Ah scandals!  We love them.  We hate them.  We love to hate them.  They bring the high and mighty back down to earth and sometimes even make celebrities out of unknowns.  This year certainly had its share.  We can bet that 2010 will be no different!

iBraryGuy’s Best of the Best 09: Best “Best Headlines” Lists

Another year is quickly drawing to a close.  It is that time of the year during which all those “Best of” lists begin popping up.  From books to music to movies and even moments, everyone has an opinion on what were the best of 2009.  We at iBraryGuy are no different. However, with so many available “best of”  lists out there, we decided to decline the chance to reinvent the wheel and publish our own lists on specific topics.  Instead, we thought we would help our readers find some of the best of the “best ofs”.  Between now and the end of the year, we will be sharing them with you.

Best of the Best of 2009:  Headlines

Wow, how exactly does one create a list of the best headlines from a year?  Do you choose the most shocking?  Or is the the most hopeful that people want to see?  Perhaps, one could focus on the funniest or most off the wall.  No matter how you approach it, creating a list of the best headlines of 2009 has to be daunting task. There was just so much, good and bad AND bizarre, going on!  Today, we featuring lists composed by sources who were up to the task.  Truly, these are some interesting reads!  Here are some of the best “Best Headlines” lists for 2009, in no particular order:

  • Newsweek:    Newsweek’s list is a wonderful rundown of some the wierdest and wildest headlines of the year.  Someone had some fun gathering these!  From stoned wallabies to half-naked santas, this list is not to be missed.  You can grab a few good laughs here.
  • Yahoo!:   Dedicated to more than just headlines, Yahoo!’s annual “Year in Review” site endeavors to capture the biggest news and trends of the year.  The 2009 site has everything from the first African American President of the USA to Susan Boyle’s jump from unkown to best-selling recording artist.  You can catch up on everything you missed (or need to be reminded of) here.  
  • Foreign Policy: Foreign Policy Magazine has a unique best of list when it comes to the news.  They have a list of 10 top stories that they bet you missed last year.  They even tell you why these overlooked stories are so important.  Want to know what you missed this year?  Find out here.
In a world where news, really well-written and unbiased news, is at a premium and the airwaves are jammed with all kinds of information, sorting out the best and biggest is a real labor.  If those who fail to remember the past are doomed to repeat it, then we have our work cut out for us in revisiting the lessons of 2009.  Hopefully, today’s “best of” sites are a good start in memorializing the year that was!

iBraryGuy’s Best of the Best 09: Best Companies

Another year is quickly drawing to a close.  It is that time of the year during which all those “Best of” lists begin popping up.  From books to music to movies and even moments, everyone has an opinion on what were the best of 2009.  We at iBraryGuy are no different.  However, with so many available “best of”  lists out there, we decided to decline the chance to reinvent the wheel and publish our own lists on specific topics.  Instead, we thought we would help our readers find some of the best of the “best ofs”.  Between now and the end of the year, we will be sharing them with you.

Best of the Best of 2009:  Companies

Best Companies lists are another annual favorite and they too come in many, many flavors.  From the “greenest” to the most socially responsible to those that have the happiest employees . . . there is no one way to rank the big companies.  Whether focused on a particular industry or geographically-restricted, the iBraryGuy editors tend to find them all fascinating!  Here are some of our favorite Best Companies lists for 2009, in no particular order:

  • ReadWriteWeb’s Best BigCo of 2009:  It should surprise no one that one of our favorite web news outlets provides one of our most favorite Best Companies lists.  RWW’s list is dedicated to internet companies that have made an impact over the last 12 months.  This is their sixth year offering the Best BigCo list and, in our humble opinion, they are again spot on!  You can find it here.
  • Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For:  The release of Fortune Magazine’s Best Companies to Work For is almost like an event each year.  People eagerly wait to see where the jobs are most plentiful, the best perks are, and the employees are happiest.  Fortune really looks at the various angles in putting its list together.  You can find their top 100 here.  
  • Business Week’s Global Champions: Last but not least is the Global Champions list created by Business Week and the consultants at A.T. Kearney is based on sales growth and value creation.  An impressive list indeed, it consists of those companies that managed to flourish during what was a challenging last 12 months!  You can read about the survivors here.

Whether you are interested in seeing which companies weathered the recession best or are hoping for some greener pastures in which to anchor your plow, these lists above should prove very enlightening!

iBraryGuy’s Best of the Best 09: Best “Best Gadgets” Lists

Another year is quickly drawing to a close.  It is that time of the year during which all those “Best of” lists begin popping up.  From books to music to movies and even moments, everyone has an opinion on what were the best of 2009.  We at iBraryGuy are no different. However, with so many available “best of”  lists out there, we decided to decline the chance to reinvent the wheel and publish our own lists on specific topics.  Instead, we thought we would help our readers find some of the best of the “best ofs”.  Between now and the end of the year, we will be sharing them with you.

Best of the Best of 2009:  Gadgets

We had initially expected, especially with the biggest buying holiday of the year just days away, that lists of Best Gadgets would be a dime a dozen.  The surprise was on us!  There were not as many as we had hoped and many of the ones we found were written early in the year as predictions of the months ahead.  You can bet that many of the folks who penned those predictive lists are now wondering what they were thinking!  Here are some of the best “Best Gadgets” lists for 2009, in no particular order, and sans crystal ball:

  • T3’s Best Tech 2009:    For gadget lovers, T3 is one of the best sites out there.  These guys live and breathe technology!  Their reviews and insights are always interesting.  Their round up of the year’s best tech toys was one of the best we cold find.  You can read it here.
  • Huffington Post’s 15 Best Gadgets:  The Huffington Post has taken a much different approach to it’s best gadgets list. Their list is all about the best geadgets to get and give during the holidays.  Talk about some fun suggestions!  Are you done with your holiday shopping?  You can check out their list here.  
  • Gizmodo’s Best Gadgets: The good folks at Gizmodo are constantly updating their list of the year’s best gadgets.  So what you see is really rather fresh and fantastic!  From phones to computers, it is a gift list for the true tech afficianado!  You can the Gizmodo gallery of best tech toys here.

The world of technology is always in rapid and exciting flux.  From tools to make us more productive to toys designed to take our minds off of work and responsibility, there is always something new on the gadget front.  Of course, we all know that technology makes great gifts.  So whether shopping for yourself or someone special . . . or even just pining for a new toy . . . we hope these lists help you figure out what’s hot!