Author: MarieMartino

Don’t have Microsoft Office on your home computer, but need it to complete your assignments? MVCC uses Windows Live Hotmail for its student email account provider.  Through  one’s student account, which is powered by Hotmail, students have access to the online version of Office where you can create, view, edit, and share Word, Excel, PowerPoint,… Continue reading Skydrive: Free Microsoft Resources for You!

Today, July 20th, marks the anniversary of the historic Apollo 11 mission in which we landed on the moon 42 years ago. Check out the book How Apollo Flew to the Moon from your friendly, neighborhood MVCC Library!  Or visit these websites to learn more: Apollo 11 Mission Apollo 11 Apollo: Humankind’s First Steps On… Continue reading July 20, 1969: One Giant Leap For Mankind

Today, July 18th, is the 93rd birthday of Nobel Peace Prize winner Nelson Mandela.  Jailed for 27 years, Mandela is known for leading the the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa and becoming the country’s first black president.  He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993  “for [his] work for the peaceful termination of the apartheid… Continue reading Happy Birthday, Nelson Mandela!

As much as we LOVE to have students working in the MVCC Library, students may want or need to work from home.  Not everyone has access to MS Office on their laptops, netbooks, or desktop computers.  Furthermore, the electronic file formats that instructors use on Blackboard or other teaching and learning technologies may vary, and… Continue reading Free Software Solutions

Yesterday, the F.D.A. said sunscreens must protect people from both UVB and UVA, to receive the designation  of “broad spectrum” protection, in effort to sort out some of the confusing advertising claims made by sunscreens manufacturers.  These rules will go into effect a year from now.  For more information, read the whole NYT’s story here.

Visit the Library of Congress’ recently released National Jukebox website to listen to historical sound recordings. Currently there are 10,000+ recordings (AND GROWING!) from 1901 through 1925 in the collection that span across various genres, including classical, popular, religious, and spoken word. Upon each visit you can choose from sampler playlists or create your own!

The New York Times and NPR have partnered to create The Guantanamo Docket, an interactive database that contains original government documents and analysis provided by these 2 news agencies. Learn about the current situation surrounding Guantanamo and the detainees by exploring these links: The Guantanamo Docket The Guantanamo Files Military Documents Detail Life At Guantanamo… Continue reading Guantanamo Docket

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month! Stay focused, keep your hands on the wheel, and learn all about the risks of driving while distracted. Wat 2 Do Abt Txt’n & Drv’n (aka: What to do About the Problem of Texting While Driving?) Statistics and Facts About Distracted Driving Should Texting While Driving Be Banned? Texting… Continue reading Gearing Up for Distracted Driving Awareness Month

Do you play video games or watch sci-fi with CGI-ed human characters?  You have probably wandered into the “Uncanny Valley.”  I have long been fascinated with the concept of the Uncanny Valley, a term coined by Japanese roboticist, Masahiro Mori, in 1970.  In recent years, technology has come a long way from the super-pixelated, 2-D… Continue reading Traversing the Uncanny Valley

Recently, we had a student ask us what she would need to do to use Microsoft Word to type in German.  Well, this is what we found out . . . First, go to the Start Menu and click on the Control Panel. Then open the Regional Language Options. Select the Language Tab  >> Details… Continue reading Using MS Word to Type in a Foreign Language