Saying goodbye to a film critic icon

Posted by pdantis on 04.04.13

Today, at the age of 70, Roger Ebert passed away after a long battle with cancer. Ebert reviewed movies for the Chicago Sun-Times for 46 years and on TV for 31 years. Not only revered and respected in his hometown of Chicago, he was the first critic to win a Pulitzer Prize and be awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He even received a special achievement "Person of the Year" Webby Award in 2010 . Many know him from his and Gene Siskel's show At the Movies. Ebert wrote 17 books in total - not just collections of reviews, but also, a novel and a cookbook! He even wrote a few screenplays.

(Source: Chicago Sun-Times)

His keen eye, knowledge and wit will certainly be missed by moviegoers. Honor this Illinois native, influential film critic by checking out one of the books he wrote.

Life Itself: A Memoir (2011)

Ebert reflects on his life and career in this memoir.

Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2012 (2013)

A collection of Ebert's reviews originally published in the Chicago Sun-Times for the past 30 months.

Scorsese by Ebert (2008)

A chronicle of Scorsese's feature films, this book collects eleven interviews of an acclaimed director by a prominent film critic.

For more information about Roger Ebert, check out his website.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower: Book vs Movie

Posted by ason on 04.02.13

Ho hey! (Good song! But I definitely prefer the Chickeneers version!)

Have you watched the new The Perks of Being a Wallflower movie? It’s the one starring Logan Lerman, Ezra Miller, Nina Dobrev, and Emma Watson. It came out on DVD and Blu-Ray recently, and I just had the opportunity to watch it over the weekend. This may not sound like a big deal, but it was a big deal.

Like many movies that come out lately, this one is based on a book. The book is called (whaddyaknow) The Perks of Being a Wallflower written by Stephen Chbosky. Now why was it such a big deal to watch this movie based on this book? Well… it’s because I love this book. You know the feeling, right? If not, see below.

You love a book when:
1. You instantly click with the main character in the first few chapters.
2. You feel like you really know the people in the story by the middle.
3. You wonder what happens to them after you read the last page.

I love this book like that. And, I didn’t want questionable acting or crazy amounts of added action to ruin the story as it was. But since the film was written and directed by the author of the novel, I knew that there was a possibility that it would be ok. Just… maybe.

Verdict? The film did the book justice. Some scenes were changed, some scenes were taken out, and some scenes were exactly as I imagined them. If you go to high school in the suburbs, I think you’ll find certain sets like the football game and the cafeteria eerily accurate. And if your high school experience is like mine was, you'll definitely feel for Charlie as he tries to dance awkwardly at homecoming. All in all, the spirit of the film was spot-on with the spirit of the book. More than that, you could tell that making the film was a labor of love. And, as one would say here on the internet, “It gave me all the feels!”

So yeah, it's kind of a relief. I can live happily knowing that one of my favorite books has a great movie counterpart. Now I'll just have to worry about the The Fault in Our Stars movie!

April Fools Day - The Goofiest Day on the Internet!

Posted by amypelman on 04.01.13

Well? Did you fall for any of them? Did you think Google Nose was real and you could start sniffing stuff online? Would Twitter really to start charging us to twt vwlls? Did you believe youtube was an elaborate 8 year contest to find the best video ever? Nah. Me neither! No seriously though, I have fallen for online April Fools Day headlines in years past. Let's just say I truly understood the meaning of facepalm on those days.

Check out all the cool stuff http://www.thinkgeek.com/ has on sale today! Play-doh 3D printer anyone? Just try to buy one of those products... go ahead, I dare ya.

My favorite internet craziness is the Google Treasure Map layer! They went all out for this, even putting together this very elaborate video. Something tells me too much work went into this one just for an April Fools Day prank, so I think it should be around for a while. Go to Google maps and turn it on, search for places, zoom in and find all sorts of cool stuff! Can you find Gangnam Style? How about a Yeti? Search for Area 51! Try dialing this is in to the search box and see what happens: 79.74, 22.67

What kinds of April Fools stuff went down in your world?

DIY Peanut Butter Eggs

Posted by pdantis on 03.28.13

If you're anything like me, you can't get enough of Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs. Instead of dyeing hard boiled eggs for Easter, try making this easy recipe (via chicagoist) for yummy, homemade peanut butter eggs. Everyone will love a delectable, handmade treat in their Easter basket!

Ingredients:
4 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups natural peanut butter
1/4 cup butter, melted
3 Tbs 2% milk
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 Tbs butter

Directions:

First, combine the powdered sugar, peanut butter, and butter using an electric mixer. Next, slowly add the milk until it becomes a formable dough. Now, you're ready to form the eggs (or any shape - consider using cookie cutters if you want different shapes).

Place the formed dough on a wax paper-lined baking sheet and place in the freezer to harden for about a half hour.

Once you are ready to dip your dough in chocolate, melt the chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons butter in the microwave, warming and stirring in 30 second increments.

Next, coat each egg with chocolate and place back on the wax lined-baking sheet. Let the eggs set in the freezer or fridge and store in the fridge until you are ready to eat them.

Finally, enjoy the fruits of your labor!

Voxer: A Walkie Talkie App

Posted by ason on 03.26.13

Hi there! How is everyone’s spring break so far? This winter weather is seriously not conducive to spring breaking. I’m just going to go ahead and say it— Punxatawney Phil is a liar!

If you’re looking for a way to keep in touch with your friends during your week off, try out this new app called Voxer (http://www.voxer.com). It basically turns your phone into a walkie talkie by recording a snippet of audio and sending it to your contact in real time. Not only can you talk to your friends in walkie talkie fashion, but you can also send pictures and text through the app too.

The best news about the app is that you can use walkie talkie lingo ~~and pretend to be a pilot~~! Below are just a couple of walkie talkie codes you may want to use.

Breaker 1-9 I want to start a transmission
10-4 Okay
Big 10-4 Yes
Roger That Understood
Over and Out I’m done talking
Negatory No
Affirmative Yes
Do you copy? Can you hear me?
Copy that I heard you
What’s your handle? What’s your nickname?
Got your ears on? Are you on air and listening?
What’s your 20? Where are you?

The second best news about the app is that it’s free for both Apple and Android.

Also, while you’re here, make sure to vote on what you think is the best app! The poll can be found to the right of this post.

Over and out!

Source: http://www.classic-play.com/walkie-talkie-dictonary/

Twitter Book Giveaway!

Posted by amypelman on 03.25.13

I've got a beautiful stack of brand new books right next to me (some haven't even been published yet!) and I'd love to find a good home for them. Want to win one? Here's all you have to do. If you don't already follow us on Twitter: (https://twitter.com/HUB500) do that. Then tweet us the book you're currently reading. For instance, your tweet could look something like this: @hub500 I'm reading Legend by Marie Lu! Do I win a book? And I'll direct message you with how to pick up your prize!! Cool? Cool.

DIY: MaKey MaKey

Posted by mkrueger on 03.25.13

Teen Tech Week is every March and it gives libraries the opportunity to show Teens all new types of technology. With this week in mind, we ran a program that would be considered a little different from our "traditional" DIYs.

Behold the MaKey MaKey! An awesome little circuit board created by two MIT students that allows you to use almost any object as a key on the keyboard.

To use the MaKey MaKey you plug it into your computer and simply attach an alligator clip to one of the designated spots on the board, then attach the opposite end of the alligator clip onto anything that carries an electrical charge. Objects include keys, coins, aluminum foil, even bananas! Watch the video below for a demonstration.

Still interested? If you click the link below you will be directed to the MaKey MaKey's homepage where you can order your own MaKey MaKey.

MaKey MaKey Homepage

Voyage to the End of the Universe

Posted by pdantis on 03.21.13

In the late 70s, NASA launched two Voyager probes to explore the outer planets in our solar system. The spacecraft have been traveling on different paths and at different speeds for over 35 years. The Voyagers have explored the outer giant planets in our solar system: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. They have also examined 49 moons, and the systems of rings and magnetic fields the aforementioned planets possess. Both spacecraft continue to send information relating to their surroundings through NASA's Deep Space Network. They both also contain recorded messages on a gold phonographic record that contain images and sounds of Earth - complete with a diagram to show aliens how to play the record. Nearly 11 billion miles away from the sun, Voyager 1 is the farthest human-made thing from Earth. Scientists are speculating that Voyager 1 left our solar system yesterday. The probes will continue exploring interstellar space carrying our message to any extraterrestrials that might cross their paths!

Here's a NASA infographic that provides a timeline and describes how the Voyagers work. Want to learn more about the Voyager probes? Check out the NASA website or this article.

Find out how NASA's historic Voyager interplanetary probes worked in this SPACE.com infographic.

Source SPACE.com: All about our solar system, outer space and exploration

Uncovering Spy Stories!

Posted by amypelman on 03.21.13

Did you see Skyfall yet? It's pretty entertaining if you ask me. Did it make you want to see more James Bond flicks? How about reading a spy story or two? I've read one recently that I enjoyed. It's called Also Known As by Robin Benway. It's about a girl named Maggie who is a professional safecracker. She can break into any vault, door, safe, you name it. She's actually like one of the best in the world. When her family gets sent to New York City for Maggie's very first solo assignment, she is pretty excited about it. Too bad this assignment involves attending a high school and pretending to be a normal teenager. So far Maggie has been fine avoiding that kind of drama and isn't really looking to try her hand at the regular high school lifestyle. But in order to complete this very important assignment, she has to get close enough to Jesse Oliver to crack the case of his possibly corrupt father. Jesse Oliver is cute and probably annoying, but a job's a job and this may be the most important job ever!

Intrigued? I give more suggestions for fun spy books at YALSA's Hub. Take a look at it here: Not Undercover: Superb Spy Fiction.

Meet YOUR Staff!

Posted by amypelman on 03.20.13

Hey There!

How's it going? We are busy here behind the scenes planning stuff that is just for teens. Stuff like fun programs, contests and other amazing ways to stave off boredom and malaise. AND we're anxiously awaiting the completion of the new Hub space - which is going to be glorious. Right now, in case you don't know who "we" are (or even if you do), let us introduce ourselves!