Google Changes!

What's with the change?

Anyone who’s been on Google.com or any of their related websites recently know about their “big” change. It’s the devastating change that apparently avid internet users everywhere seem to be debating about. I have even heard several interesting and hilarious metaphoric comparisons on the internet to this vast metamorphosis ranging all the way from Bieber cutting his hair to Yoko Ono’s apparent “invasion” of the Beatles.

Yes. Google, the billion-dollar Company and search engine for millions, has changed their logo.

Though not everyone will remember, but Google has had some weird and wacky logos before the company took off. For example, before Google actually became “Google” it was actually a back rub research program that later became the high tech company and search engine we know and love today.

Yes, the above image really was their logo before the company actually became google. The next image was the logo that started it all.

For all the nonbelievers, you can google search it. The above image really is the original logo for when the company actually took on the name “Google.” No, we are not sure what they were thinking either. The general embodiment of the excesses and explanations the now ridiculously successful company has given over the years can be basically summed up into the phrase “Oh the nineties. LOL”

The logos just slowly evolved from there. My three-year-old self has fond memories of when the G in google was green back in 1997. Just look at that archaic Baskerville Bold.

It did not last very long however. Seriously, what was up with the exclamation point? Someone must have been excited during that company meeting.

Those were the days when google still posted random clip art pictures on their main page and it was considered innovative.

Let us take a moment of silence for days of past of elegant type and slow progression from the lies of imaginary shading. 

Awesome YA Reads!

Wondering what to read now that you've finished Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins? Here are some awesome young adult novels you might like if you devoured the second installment of the Hunger Games trilogy...



Mockingjay
by Suzanne Collins
YA SF Coll.S

Two-time Hunger Games survivor Katniss Everdeen is targeted by a vengeful Capitol that vows to make Katniss and all of District 12 pay for the current unrest.



Shovel Ready
by Adam Sternberg
MYS Ster.A

Working as a hit man on the ravaged streets of New York City after a dirty bomb is unleashed on Times Square, Spademan takes an assignment to kill the daughter of a powerful evangelist only to discover that his mark holds a shocking secret and that his client hides a more sinister agenda.



The Circle
by Dave Eggers
FIC Egge.D

Hired to work for the Circle, the world's most powerful Internet company, Mae HOlland begins to question her luck as life beyond her job grows distant, a strange encounter with a colleague leaves her shaken, and her role at the Circle becomes increasingly public.



Divergent
by Veronica Roth
YA SF Roth.V

In a future Chicago, sixteen-year-old Beatrice Prior must choose among five predetermined factions to define her identity for the rest of her life, a decision made more difficult when she discovers that she is an anomaly who does not fit into any one group, and that the society she lives in is not perfect after all.



The Book Thief
by Markus Zusak
YA FIC Zusa.M

Trying to make sense of the horrors of World War II, Death relates the story of Liesel, a young German girl whose book-stealing and story-telling talents help sustain her family and the Jewish man they are hiding, as well as their neighbors.

The Island of the Blue Dolphin

The Island of the Blue Dolphin
by Scott O'Dell

This book is based on the true story of an American Indian woman who lived alone on the island of San Nicholas off the coast of California for eighteen years. In this fictionalized account of her life, Karana learns to hunt (overcoming the fear instilled in her by her father that women should never use weapons), make shelters, fences, shelves, clothing etc. But most of all, she learns to cope with the enormous loneliness and fear. One way in which Karana copes with this is by developing an empathy for the animals around her, so much so that by the end of exile the only animals she eats are fish and shellfish. She even uses kelp rather than seal sinew to tie things together. Karana learns to love her beautiful but desolate home. When Karana is finally rescued at the end of the book, one actually feels sadness as well as joy for her, something special has come to an end. Scott O'Dell wrote this book when he was feeling despair over the treatment of the wildlife and environment ear his home in California. The result is a beautiful, moving book that has stood the test of time. This book is available in our juvenile fiction section.

Marian

The Witch of Blackbird Pond
by Elizabeth George Speare

This book is a classic children's novel, and for good reason. The author was a student of history and she carefully weaves a believable web of historical authenticity. The main character Kitty is a young woman who grew up with relative freedom and wealth on a Caribbean island. Circumstances leave her without money or relatives, save for an aunt and uncle she has in the Puritan colony of Connecticut. The novel follows her first year in the colony and her adaptation to her new environment. There is intrigue and romance and plenty of action, but also a lot of interior reflection which I did not find the least bit boring. The "witch" refers to an old Quaker woman who everyone thought of as a witch, but in whom Kitty finds a true and fast friend. Kitty is not only a likable protagonist, but also someone who grows in maturity and concern for others. This book is available in our juvenile fiction section.

Marian

Some Quick Computer Commands

Just a simple guide for some quick commands.

Generic Hot Keys

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Quick Printing: “Ctrl” + “P”

Copy: “Ctrl” + “C”

Cut: “Ctrl” + “X”

Paste: “Ctrl” + “V”

Undo:  “Ctrl” + “Z”

Open: “Ctrl” + “O”

Select All: “Ctrl” + “A”

System Menu: “Alt” + “Ctrl”

Move Forwards One Item: “Tab”

Move Backwards One Item: “Shift” + “Tab”

Hold “Shift” + “Right” or “Left” arrows to highlight one character or more in either specified direction.

Hold “Shift” + “Up” or “Down” arrows to highlight entire rows in either specified direction.

Hold “Ctrl” + “Right” or “Left” arrows to move quickly between words.

Hold “Ctrl” + “Up” or “Down” arrows to move to the beginning of the last or next paragraph.

Hold “Ctrl” to be able to highlight many individual things at once.

Hitting the “SPACE BAR” on any internet page is a quick way to scroll down without having to navigate with the mouse.

Chrome Hot Keys

New Window: “Ctrl” + “N”

Reload Page: “F5”

View History: “Ctrl” + “H”

View Downloads: “Ctrl” + “J”

Stop Page Loading: “Esc”

Find In Page Search Box: “Ctrl” + “F”

Make Text Larger: “Ctrl” + “+”

Make Text Smaller “Ctrl” + “-“

Fire in Martinsburg on September 16, 1912--Read all about it!

This Month in Local History, September 16, 1912

On September 16, 1912, Martinsburg publication “The Evening Journal” reported on the destruction of a local industry that occurred on the previous day.  West Virginia experienced the loss of the Stewart Vehicle Plant which is cited as one of the largest vehicle industries in this part of the country at that time.  The blaze destroyed hundreds of vehicles along with industrial materials that were stored in the facilities.  Firefighting tactics were described in their valiant attempts to contain the blaze, and the fire was reported to be visible from Hagerstown and surrounding areas.

This historic news story and many others can be accessed from the extensive local historic publications maintained at the Martinsburg Public Library.  This headline appears in the Martinsburg publication “The Evening Journal”, which began publication in 1907.  The Microfilm Collection includes newspapers of Berkeley, Jefferson, and Morgan Counties in West Virginia from 1791 to present. Copies may be printed from a microfilm reader at the cost of 10 cents per copy or page images may be transferred onto your own USB drive at no cost.