Category Archives: News

The benefits of eBorrowing from your local library

As some of you might know I’m a bibliophile who is addicted to both print and ebooks.  I’m also a tech geek so I have an Amazon Kindle, an Asus Netbook, an Apple iPad, and a Sony Pocket eReader.  Though I love the smell, feel and look of real books, I am quite fond of the portability of electronic books.  The best part of having a Sony eReader is the fact that I can electronically check out a book from my local library.  Right now the selection is a bit limited, but I’m hoping as more and more people get eReaders, electronic borrowing from libraries will become more popular.  I particularly like the fact that with eborrowing I don’t have to get a library book that somebody abused.  I don’t know how many library books I have checked out that were stained, reeked of cigarette smoke, were falling apart, missing pages or were just plain nasty.  No such thing with eborrowing.

Another great thing about eborrowing is that you can get some of the latest bestsellers without having to pay for them, just like you would checking out the latest paperback from your local library (free is not exactly true because your taxes are paying for it, but you get what I’m trying to say, right?).  My local library, the Decatur Public Library, is part of the LibraryOnTheGo system.  This system allows library patrons to use their library card to check out ebooks for one or two weeks.  After that the books are no longer viewable on your electronic reader.  You can “check out” up to three books at a time, and just like a regular library book, you have the option of returning the books before your due date.  Returning ebooks electronically is a really neat feature because then you’re not stuck with having to wait to borrow a new book.

Eborrowing is very convenient.  If it’s pouring down rain outside and you don’t feel like trekking down to the library, it’s comforting to know that you can just borrow the latest bestseller from the confines of your own home and curl up on your sofa.  This is also very useful for people with mobility problems.  The LibraryOnTheGo also allows library patrons to download audiobooks and other media with their library card.  Pretty neat if you ask me.

If you don’t have a library card you can always find free ebooks online.  I visit the MobileRead Forums every day for book tips, news about electronic readers, and for suggestions of where to find free ebooks.  I suggest you check them out.  Happy reading!

Laws Governing Volcanoes

In future we would like to see,
Some consideration Mr. V,
We have our own lives you know,
So tell us when you’re going to blow,
It’s unacceptable bravada,
To suddenly spew ash and lava,
As if we’ve naught better to do,
Then rearrange our plans for you,
We’re impressed by your awesome power,
But before your next ashy shower,
Please provide notice if you can,
So we can change a travel plan,
Let us know if you’ll blow your top,
Hey, what’re you doing?
No, not now, STOP!

Quoth the Rapture

He’s coming,
He’s come once before,
He’s coming,
His followers are sure,
They’re dressed and waiting at the door,
Quoth the Rapture, evermore,

He’s coming this time,
Wait and see,
This time,
It will truly be,
Not like in 1993,
Quoth the Rapture, evermore,

On Sunday,
When they’re still with us,
There’ll be excuses,
A little fuss,
They’ll go back to the abacus,
Quoth the Rapture,
Nevermore.

“USA! USA!” is the wrong response

By David Sirota via Salon

There is ample reason to feel relief that Osama bin Laden is no longer a threat to the world, and I say that not just because I was among the many congressional staffers told to flee the U.S. Capitol on 9/11. I say that because he was clearly an evil person who celebrated violence against all who he deemed “enemies” — and the world needs less of such zealotry, not more.

However, somber relief was not the dominant emotion presented to America when bin Laden’s death was announced. Instead, the Washington press corps — helped by a wild-eyed throng outside the White House — insisted that unbridled euphoria is the appropriate response. And in this we see bin Laden’s more enduring victory — a victory that will unfortunately last far beyond his passing.

For decades, we have held in contempt those who actively celebrate death. When we’ve seen video footage of foreigners cheering terrorist attacks against America, we have ignored their insistence that they are celebrating merely because we have occupied their nations and killed their people. Instead, we have been rightly disgusted — not only because they are lauding the death of our innocents, but because, more fundamentally, they are celebrating death itself. That latter part had been anathema to a nation built on the presumption that life is an “unalienable right.”

But in the years since 9/11, we have begun vaguely mimicking those we say we despise, sometimes celebrating bloodshed against those we see as Bad Guys just as vigorously as our enemies celebrate bloodshed against innocent Americans they (wrongly) deem as Bad Guys. Indeed, an America that once carefully refrained from flaunting gruesome pictures of our victims for fear of engaging in ugly death euphoria now ogles pictures of Uday and Qusay’s corpses, rejoices over images of Saddam Hussein’s hanging and throws a party at news that bin Laden was shot in the head.

…more…

…bin laden’s dirt nap

Hoo.  Hah.  Bin Laden is dead.

Oddly enough, it doesn’t seem to lessen the loss, horror and complete nightmare that is 09.11.  It’s not revenge.  There is no retribution.  How could there be retribution for the worst attack against our country?

There are three things that bother me right now:

  1. It took us over 10 years to do it.
  2. A bullshit war that destroyed all credibility in the arena of American foreign policy is still going on.
  3. Haters still gonna hate.

While the American attention span is not much greater than that of the ordinary house-fly, I have a distinct feeling that the blind hatred of Muslims will still be pervasive in our society.  I fear that we will never move beyond our xenophobic ways and still target the innocent.  I will be tremendously embarrassed by chest-thumping and flag waving of my fellow citizens as this is not an achievement.  An achievement would be smiting him in 2001.  An achievement would be getting our enemy without destroying other countries.

While it’s nice to see the evil dispatched to the gates of a non-existent hell, it is also nice to conduct oneself with a bit of humility. This admonishment is addressed directly towards the segment of American society that is now blasting Toby Keith at the top volume of its dated boombox.

Humility, folks.  Humility.  Think about it for a second before you rush to the streets screaming about our greatness.