Wellington City Libraries

Te Matapihi Ki Te Ao Nui

Search options

Teen Blog

Reading, Wellington, and whatever else – teenblog@wcl.govt.nz

Month: September 2008

Internet Public Library

The Internet Public Library logoThe Internet Public Library is “the first public library of and for the Internet community”, linking to many sites on nearly any subject you can think of. They have an excellent Teenspace, with articles, links, and pages specifically for teens. They have a FAQ of embarrassing questions and a rather cool Poetry Wiki. Take a gander! They don’t charge overdue fees.

Newest DVDs and a New CD

A few new DVDs (and one CD/DVD) have arrived:

» Disposable Hero (M) – This is a documentary about Brian Deegan, a freestyle motorcyclist who has won the most awards in his sport. He’s also lost several organs in the process.
» Futurama : The Beast with a Billion Backs (PG) – The second feature-length Futurama DVD. (Rather than reviving the television series, a total of four films will be made.)
» Batman : Gothic Knight (M) – These six episodes of the animated television series form, taken  together, form one complete film.
» My Chemical Romance : Things That Make You Go Mmmm! (M) – A documentary about My Chemical Romance, featuring interviews with the band and people close to them, shot in New Jersey where the band began. Also …
» The Black Parade is Dead : My Chemical Romance – This is a CD and a DVD; the CD is a recording of a live concert in Mexico City, and the DVD a concert in Mexico and Hoboken, New Jersey, in the U. S. of A.

 

New CDs

Remember: all YA CDs are free to issue on a YA card and you can have them for an week. This week’s list includes some audio books, which are issued for four weeks. Perfect for long car trips, or flights, or even ocean cruises.

» Now That’s What I Call Music Vol. 27 – Various. This has 18 ‘massive hits’, including The Ting Tings, Rihanna, and Duffy. This is the second Now That’s What I Call Music released this year; the first one came out in 1997, and had hits from Chumbawumba, Hanson, and the Spice Girls. Interestingly, the UK has just released Now That’s What I Call Music Vol. 70.
» Voice of the Young PeopleLil Mama. This came out a few months ago now, but here it is. Lil Mama is an 18-year-old pop rapper.
» Jordin Sparks – Jordin Sparks. Jordin won the 2007 American Idol, for what it’s worth. Unlike other Idol winners, she’s had two top-ten singles from her first album. She is also a plus-size model and is touring in NZ in December (with Alicia Keys).
» The Moonlit Road and Other Stories. This double-CD has five ghost stories, all from the nineteenth-century.
» Classic Ghost Stories. This is another double-CD collection of five Victorian ghost tales, including Charles Dickens’ The Signal-Man and Rats, by M. R. James, both of  which creeped me out when I was a kid.
» And finally, Classic Ghost Stories. This is a double-CD collection as well, but not the same as the previously mentioned CD (although it does share a few of the same stories). This has seven stories on it.

Boo!

Flash 2

Here’s a new list of online Flash games. Perfect for a rainy weekend. Or a sunny weekend – either way. A previous list may be found here.

Maze Stopper 2 – you must reach the flag before the computer. You can stop time! And build obstacles!
Switch – your magnetic ball must collect all the balls of the same colour – you can change colour whenever you like, but don’t touch the other colour. Or else it’s all over.
Defender – you need to protect the planet from aliens. I think (I haven’t played this one yet).
Foolyu – you must fight weird three-eyed monsters. It’s really cool! It’s all in Japanese (apart for ‘game over!’), but pretty easy to work out.
SWFRoads – pilot your spaceship (?) at mad speeds through am obstacle course – in space! Highly addictive.
Samorast – this is a puzzle. Quite a hard puzzle! Very atmospheric.

It came from the CD

Two new audio-books are in: The Dark Worlds of H. P. Lovecraft volume 1, and The Dark Worlds of H. P. Lovecraft volume 2. H. P. Lovecraft was an early 20th-century American writer, whose stories are notoriously chilling. When read aloud in a voice that sounds like it’s coming from inside a tomb (as these stories are), you will won’t want to listen to them at night with all the lights off. 

Animated photos

Animoto.com is a very cool site that allows users to upload photos, set some music, and create a dynamic slideshow. The site somehow analyses your images and sets it to the music selected. It’s free if you just want to make brief clip, and there is a lot of music to choose from.

Here’s one we made using photos taken during the SubText08 events – it only took about ten minutes to create:

Free-running championships

More free-running news!

The world’s first free-running championships took place in London last Wednesday. Contestants had to complete a course (and provide their own soundtrack) and were judged for their ‘flow’ by other free-runners. The BBC have a brief video interview with the organiser of the event. The winner was American Gabe Nunez (who can be seen in this 3 Doors Down music video), while second and third places were won by Britons.

I don’t think the 2012 London Olympics have a demonstration sport picked out yet …

Reinforced leather

GoComics is a website run by the company who distribute Garfield, Calvin and Hobbes, and a loads more daily comic strips. You get to select the kinds of strips you like and then spend all morning reading them – although there is only so much Garfield you can take.

I’m still laughing at this one. (And this one.)

New CDs

Not many new CDs and no new DVDs doesn’t allow for a very long post. Sorry!

Solid GroundThe Black Seeds. Perfect summer music (weather permitting). This is the Wellington group’s fourth album, and would have been #1 if the Mama Mia soundtrack hadn’t been so popular with people who normally don’t listen to music. Don’t get me started!

Clubbers’ YearbookVarious. “30 dance remixes of this year’s biggest tracks on 2 CDs,” states the cover. It features Rihanna, The Killers, Mika, Klaxons, and many others.

5 Years Get Physical – Various. Get Physical has become one of the world’s top dance labels, and this 2-CD album collects new tracks and remixes of their top artists.

Part-time library work

Would you like to work in the central library and you know the alphabet, you might want to apply for the collection maintenance* position that’s currently vacant. Details are here. You have until the 12th of September to apply for it.

*Shelving books and CDs

Jump, spider, jump

Play with spider! You can feed it, make it jump (if you turn on user control) and grow freakishly large – and then drag it around by one of its creepy, hairy legs. I’m screaming with terror as I type this!

I put a spell on you

The previously-mentioned online game, Wizard101, is now up and running. Your character is studying to be a wizard at Ravenwood School of Magical Arts. You can level your character, choose a school of magic and cast spells, duel other wizards, explore far-off worlds, and collect magic cards. The trial is free (and doesn’t expire); otherwise, the monthly subscription is US$9.99.

Craft a draft for Re-Draft

Every year Re-Draft runs a competition for writers aged between 13-19. Your entry can be of any genre – poetry, a story, a script, or a song. You can enter up to three times. The deadline is the 30th of September. If you’re chosen as one of the best writers of the year you will be included in the 2008 anthology, published next year. We have the previous years’ anthologies in the library – check them out.

Unfortunately we don’t yet have the latest Re-Draft anthology, The Polar Bear Ward, which has the entry form for this year’s Re-Draft. Copies of the entry form can be collected from the central library, or downloaded as a .PDF.

Keep on moving

If you read our post on parkour and free running last month and are keen to further your interest, check out Parkour New Zealand, the NZ Parkour portal. It has videos taken around the country, and a forum for like-minded people. The Wellington subforum has the most posts, which is a good sign!