March 2004 Archives

Reading Over the Shoulder of the Future at the Library of Congress

Interesting though ponderous essay about what we can divine from the future by observing the LoC. A postmodern look at the future of information.

“I am unsure what marks off knowledge in the digital age from an earlier, Gutenberg-era episteme. Is there a difference in how we know? Is sifting through a bunker of diverse materials heaped on a desk so terrible different than linking together multimedia resources through hypertext? How?” [thanks robert]

with apologies to kelis

Posted on 18Mar04 by jessamyn

Speaking of categories, I don’t even have one for “humor” what does that tell you…? The livejournal hydra has sprouted another interesting librarian group [that I found because they are hotlinking to all my naked librarian pictures] which brings us this parody.

I can see you’re on the OPAC,
you want me to teach thee,
boolean techniques that freak these boys,

it can’t be bought,
just know the operators can be used,
in parentheses.

tell a library story

Posted on 17Mar04 by jessamyn

I had a friend who had a tattoo that was a hobo sign for “tell pitiful story” Today I found a site that shows you how to tell a library story [I was looking for library-themed computer wallapaper and settled on this]. Here’s hoping your library stories aren’t pitiful.

hi – 16mar

Posted on 16Mar04 by jessamyn

Hi. Back from New York. I learned a lot of neat stuff at Columbia and I really really hope that they will make the talks available online at the same time as I really really doubt they will do so. Crossing fingers…

WTF WiFi?

Posted on 16Mar04 by jessamyn

Technobiblio is more polite than I am so I will just say this: charging $25/day per user for wireless Internet access at ALA is total bullshit. Not that I am such a junkie that I will whine and complain that I can’t get my fix, but it is out of scale for a) the actual cost per user of providing this service and b) what other equivalent vendors charge. I don’t need wireless throughout the whole center [though it would be nice and far from impossible technologically] I’d just like a few hotspots where I can sit with my laptop and check my email. Shorter lines at the Internet cafes [where one well-placed wireless router could accomplish all of this for $99 for everyone forever] and happier people who can use their own software. It’s astonishing that this is such an impossible endeavor to do well, or even to approach realistically.