American Libraries Direct: Getting Carried Away?

 

It's nice getting the American Libraries Direct newsletter but I have to wonder if they're not getting a bit too carried away with things.

This week under the heading "Tech Talk" (of all things), they've got a post on a laptop from Dell, a cell-phone for "Boomers" and a link to a review of "point-and-shoot cameras". The question is, do we need a discussion of consumer products coming from a publication of the American Library Association to its members? Would this be any more appropriate in American Libraries (i.e. the monthly print issue) -- and if not there, why here?

Editorial restraint should be observed whether online or in print. Publication of something like this shouldn't be the moment that you lose it all -- just because the thing's going out via email.

Leo's Limo

The world-famous limousine that shuttles Leo back and forth from work every day. (Also known at the #8 Halsted Bus -- chauffeur-driven service courtesy of the CTA).

Current Cites for May 2007

Current Cites for May 2007 is out! You can find the issue here...

NY Times: "Web logs"?

Time to update the NY Style Guide? From the today's paper:

"In February, a story and accompanying video by The New York Times reporter Damien Cave — and a photo taken by Robert Nickelsberg — that depicted the grievous wounding and eventual death of a soldier on Haifa Street, drew both praise and condemnation on Web logs and in the military about what constitutes appropriate imagery for the breakfast table." [Emphasis mine]

Diversey Harbor

I had lunch at my house with a couple of old friends. Afterwards we went out to Diversey Harbor. It truly was a beautify spring day.

Javascript is the 'Lingua Franca of the Web'

Jeff Atwood of Coding Horror composes a love song to the popular scripting language:

Despite all the pretenders to the throne, JavaScript isn't going away any time soon. JavaScript is the world's most ubiquitous computing runtime. It's time we learned to accept and embrace JavaScript rather than blindly fighting it. That doesn't mean we can't explore alternatives-- but the best way to transcend the limitations of JavaScript is to immerse yourself in those limitations. At least that way you know what you're fighting for, and what the alternatives really mean.

Read more here...

Total Bummer: Our Galaxy to Go Bust

As if we didn't have enough trouble:

"Scientists think galactic mergers are one of the primary ways galaxies form. Like heated wax in a lava lamp, two small galaxies can come together to form one larger one, or a blob of gas and stars might pinch off during a particularly messy galactic smash-up and, over cosmic time, the result evolves into a diminutive dwarf galaxy."

"Our own Milky Way galaxy is expected to collide and merge with its neighbor Andromeda in a few billion years to form a large elliptical galaxy some scientists jokingly call "Milkomeda" or "Andromeda Way." When that occurs, a black hole merger similar to that of NGC 6420 could occur." [Source: Merging Black Holes Observed in New Detail]

Podcasts on Drupal by Lullabot Hit 40

Lullabot.com celebrated their 40th Podcast appropriately enough by listing "Top 40 Projects" associated with Drupal.

Lullabot.com is a Drupal shop and if you're interested in getting into the thick of this content management system, these Podcasts are a lot of help. You can access all of their "broadcasts" by going to their Podcast page...

They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (Not in Illinois)

Mayor Daley has famously said that the law banning fois gras in Chicago is the "silliest ordinance that was ever passed".

I kind of look at the recent vote by the Illinois State Senate banning horse slaughter in the same light.

The head of the Illinois Department of Agriculture says horse slaughter "is inhumane because our society considers horses to be companion animals or pets".

That's one perspective.

My approach comes from the years I spent in Paris when they served it on a regular basis in the student university restaurants. I was short of money and this meal would literally be my only one of the day. Sometimes they'd serve something really gross like rognons, tripes or cerveaux fouettés which I was unable to eat no matter how hungry I was.

So you can imagine my relief when they'd have something like cheval which kind of resembled boeuf in color if not completely in texture. The truth is, I ate it with relish.

I haven't had the dish since then but it doesn't strike me as the end of Western Civilization to contemplate it being produced here and sent out to the four corners of the world. At least we've got something we can still export.

Illinois House Votes for Internet Filtering on Library Computers

The Illinois House just passed a law to require internet filtering on all computers in the public libraries.

From what I understand this would affect all public access computers -- not simply those used by children.

If that's the case this is really setting up the public library as a third rate service for adults who don't need government telling them what they can and cannot look up.

I'm not talking porn here -- I'm talking about the right of adults to unfettered access to the Net for legitimate purposes.

If there's an illegal site, fine, tell the FBI! But don't impose on us some fake watered-down version of the Net just because we're at the library and not at home or at Starbucks.

libSite: One Month Birthday!

I can remember it as if it were only last month... Actually it was last month, April 10 to be precise, when I announced to the world that LibSite was open and ready for business.

I've got a write-up of where the project stands and where I think it's heading in the first issue of LibSite News. You can read the online version by going here. (You can subscribe to LibSite News by going here...)

No Outside Influence in Hiring of Branch Library Managers

Columnist Eric Zorn of the Chicago Tribune has raised a fracas because CPL Commissioner Mary Demsey wasn't nice enough to him when he suggested a possible hire for Branch Library Manager.

He quotes on his blog the offending email from Demsey:

You suggest that outside individuals should be allowed to influence the city's hiring processes. You are wrong.

...

Your suggestions that outside influences such as community mobilization or aldermanic input should be involved in the particular situation about which you write are absolutely inappropriate.

Zorn of all people should realize how sensitive an issue this is. Opening up hiring decisions of people supposed to run branch libraries to outside pressure groups _is_ inappropriate.

You can imagine what a can of worms this would open up -- here in the city of Chicago.

It's not surprising then that Commissioner Demsey is so adamant in her reply. She's got 50 aldermen and a mayor who'd love to do the same thing (and that's just the elected officials).

UPDATE: Note, this might be the dumbest hiring decision ever made but if that's your 'beef' then argue it as such.

The notion that you're going to have outside pressure groups involved in the hiring of library branch managers is an administrative nightmare.

The Pots of Leo Klein

The Pots of Leo Klein: I knew there was a reason why I started this site: it's to show off my collection of All-Clad LTD pots!

Matt over at Signal vs. Noise wanted "Cookware advice" and that got me started! I see he went in for All-Clad Stainless but mon cher, it's LTD that separates the men from the boys!

You can't pull me out of a department store the moment I see these babies on the shelf. When I depart from this life (hopefully no time soon) I want them buried with me!

Mayor Daley Speaking at UIC Forum

Mayor Daley Speaking at the UIC Forum: Mayor Daley was the first speaker yesterday at a UIC Forum named after his father, "Richard J. Daley Urban Forum". This year's theme was "Visions of a Future City". For more info, see the Forum's Page...

My Gift to UMICH Libraries

I happened upon the University of Michigan Libraries Website today and the icons it uses for RSS Feeds made me wince.

I mean I'm not a purist or anything but you'd figure an institution with those kind of resources ought to be sporting something finer -- especially for a link to something that's increasingly as important as RSS.

So out of the generosity of my heart, I spent all of five minutes (or roughly 1 sec./pixel) to put together the following kickaZZ 24x12 icon to be shared by the entire University of Michigan community.

Yes, I know, generosity abounding.