Jack’s Old & Busted Blog

In the not-too-distant-future, when people are lamenting the demise of public libraries, I bet this guy gets a big mention. I also bet he says “Shush!” a thousand times a day.

Library Journal : It is obvious that the Blog People read what they want to read rather than what is in front of them and judge me to be wrong on the basis of what they think rather than what I actually wrote. Given the quality of the writing in the blogs I have seen, I doubt that many of the Blog People are in the habit of sustained reading of complex texts. It is entirely possible that their intellectual needs are met by an accumulation of random facts and paragraphs. In that case, their rejection of my view is quite understandable. (Michael Gorman, president-elect of the American Library Association)

I should mention that Fayetteville has a fantastic new library that really seems to “get it.” It has a little coffee shop and is very inviting as a public space. Of course, it does have a lot of computers, too.

They’ve just released Firefox 1.0.1. Make sure you upgrade today!

More on this fascinating concept.

(unt.edu): The most comprehensive example of the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi is found within the traditions of the tea ceremony. To understand Japanese aesthetics, it is necessary to understand the unique features of the Japanese tea ceremony, known as chanoyu, chado, or sado. The tea ceremony is the serving of tea, ritualized over time and rooted in Zen Buddhism. It symbolizes aesthetic simplicity and represents the fundamental Zen principles of harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility. The word chanoyu (chah-no-yoo) literally means “hot water for tea,” but its simple art is a synthesis of many Japanese arts which focus on preparing and serving a bowl of tea.

(monash.edu.au): “TWiki provides an intuitive way for people to meet and collaborate, that aspires to the Zen ideals known as WabiSabi. It finds beauty in the imperfect and ephemeral and constantly evolving. (When it comes down to it, that’s all you need.)”

Take a few minutes and fill out my Oscars Pool courtesy of DefectiveYeti. I included most of the major (and a few minor) categories, but if you have a strong opinion on sound editing, I’ll be glad to add it. Note that you can click on nominees to get more information. Winners will be announced in this space. Um, prize!

(chrisjdavis.org): In this tutorial we will cover the steps necessary to use WordPress as a CMS.

Sam is doing great following his recent toe-ectomy. He seems to be healing well and wants to go outside all the time, which probably won’t happen for a while. He goes back in Thursday for a checkup.

The replacement bird, Kiddo, also seems to be thriving, but I confess to be ignorant in these matters. I thought bird #1 was doing great, too. Kiddo likes to sit on my shoulder and is very curious, as most Budgies are. Smart little birds, they are. Kiddo’s cage is now hanging from the ceiling in a corner, which is probably better.