The Travelin' Librarian

Bye bye Blogger. It was fun while it lasted.

msauers@travelinlibrarian.info (Michael) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 14:07:00 +0000

I’ve been using Blogger since before Google owned it. This blog has been published using Blogger since day one. Yesterday I found out the the geniuses at Google have decided to abandon the .5% of their user base that knows what they’re doing and using FTP to publish to their own domain. Guess what? This blog is part of that .5%.

So, with the help of Blake and Karen, this blog should be moving to WordPress in the next few weeks. How will you know when it happens, well, I’m sure I’ll announce it for those of you reading the feed, and the few of you that actually visit this site will see a completely new template. (Just using a new WP template is much easier on the conversion than to try and convert the Blogger template.) So, if you’ve got any template suggestions feel free to leave them in the comments.

(If you’re interested in the gory details as to why, start with this article from Quick Online Tips and follow the links for even more details.)

Oh, and this completely fracks up the Blogger chapter of the 2nd edition of my Blogging & RSS book which is currently with my editor. This should be fun to fix this late in the process.

Together we raised $20,000 for Haiti!

msauers@travelinlibrarian.info (Michael) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 16:34:00 +0000

Cliff, you’re beautiful man!

Another Boxee Box vid

msauers@travelinlibrarian.info (Michael) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 18:43:00 +0000

I'm in frame #7471

msauers@travelinlibrarian.info (Michael) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 17:05:00 +0000

The Boxee Box

msauers@travelinlibrarian.info (Michael) — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 14:48:00 +0000

I’ve been tweeting my serious want for this for a few days now. Here’s a short video about it. The moment this is out I’m getting one of these for the bedroom TV.

Hello Mr. Smith

msauers@travelinlibrarian.info (Michael) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:36:00 +0000

15 Thing About Me and Books

msauers@travelinlibrarian.info (Michael) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 23:24:00 +0000

Inspired by Steve Lawson who was inspired by John Scalzi.

I’ve only ever read three books from cover to cover on first reading: The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy, Disclosure by Michael Crichton, and The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco.
I have a very large collection of books about (and by) Richard Nixon and Watergate. (A few hundred titles, honest.)
I once waited several hours at a campus book sale because I was broke and at a certain time books went to $1/box. I really wanted the 1921 20-volume set of the complete 1001 Arabian Nights printed by the Burton Society and still have that set.
Sometimes I’m embarrassed to admit that I love the books of Edward Lee and Carlton Mellick III since most would not consider their work fit for “decent” people.
I once spent $1500 for a mint condition pornographic paperback written by Dean Koontz under a pseudonym.
I own a book bound in lizard. (Beast Child by Dean Koontz)
I have an extensive Dean Koontz collection. (In case you haven’t figured that out already.) It includes 15 unique editions of Intensity including two versions of the manuscript.
I can read a book and you’d never be able to tell it had ever been opened. I am extremely hesitant to loan any of my books to anyone and cringe at folded page corners and cracked spines.
All hard covers I purchase are immediately encased in archival-quality acid-free dust jacket covers from Bordart which I buy in 300 ft rolls.
According to my parents, my first full sentence was asking they why the bookstore we were driving by was only for adults. They answered that it had books kids wouldn’t be interested in and I accepted the answer.
In sixth grade I made a deal with my parents: I wouldn’t watch TV for a week and in exchange I’d get a paperback copy of Shogun by James Clavell. I think it took me months to read it. I still have that copy despite having log ago upgraded to a first edition hardcover.
An author has 100 pages to impress me. If I’m not convinced by the end of page 100, I’m not going to finish it.
I’m typically in the process of reading five or six books at a time.
I will typically intentionally avoid reading books that are currently in vogue. I have regretted this a few times but generally don’t mind waiting until the furor dies down.
I have thousands of books in my collection and more than 500 of them are autographed. (Living in Denver for a decade with all the authors that came to The Tattered Cover really helped.) Some of my favorite autographs include Kurt Vonnegut, Gene Simmons, Neil Gaiman, Neal Stephenson, and Bruce Campbell.

Reading statistics for 2009

msauers@travelinlibrarian.info (Michael) — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 22:24:00 +0000

I got 7.5 new roommates this year so the numbers are a bit lower than usual…

Titles: 110
Pages: 20981
Fiction: 81
Non-fiction: 31
Print books: 66
Graphic Novels: 5
eBooks: 5
Audio Books: 33
Male authors: 102
Female authors: 18

Google on Uncrawled URLs in search results

msauers@travelinlibrarian.info (Michael) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 13:45:00 +0000

Battlestar Rhapsody

msauers@travelinlibrarian.info (Michael) — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 17:06:00 +0000

Ricky Gervais Sings Elmo A Terrifying Lullaby

msauers@travelinlibrarian.info (Michael) — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 15:34:00 +0000

Muppets 12 Days of Christmas

msauers@travelinlibrarian.info (Michael) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 16:46:00 +0000

Being in my late 30s I’m more partial to the original version with John Denver but this one with Jimmy Fallon in a worthy successor.

Nebraska is special

msauers@travelinlibrarian.info (Michael) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 15:24:00 +0000

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

At the end of Yonge St

msauers@travelinlibrarian.info (Michael) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 15:12:00 +0000

I grew up in Rochester, NY. The joke is that Toronto is 70 miles away but it takes 3.5 hours to get there. (Look at a map if you don’t get it.) Whenever I did get up to Toronto one of my favorite streets to hang out on was Yonge St. Vimeo user Fixinmytie has posted this amazing stop-motion video of him and a friend traveling from one end of Yonge St to the other. The trip took 14 hours but this video takes just a little more than three minutes.

At the End of Yonge St from Fixinmytie on Vimeo.

Bringing Nothing the the Party: True Confessions of a New Media Whore

msauers@travelinlibrarian.info (Michael) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 14:44:00 +0000

You can find more about this book at PaulCarr.com and the story behind this e-release on TechCrunch.

Paul Carr - Bringing Nothing To The Party -

Olbermann: Fox ’slime machine’ promotes Nebraska base closing rumor

msauers@travelinlibrarian.info (Michael) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:33:00 +0000

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Colbert: Corporations ready to take over Patriot Act

msauers@travelinlibrarian.info (Michael) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:53:00 +0000

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

The Word - Spyvate Sector

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor

U.S. Speedskating

An elegy for the book

msauers@travelinlibrarian.info (Michael) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:15:00 +0000

Read this transcript of a recent talk by Cory Doctorow. Seriously, read this! Here are a few choice excerpts.

…We are the people of the book. We love our books. We fill our houses with books. We treasure books we inherit from our parents, and we cherish the idea of passing those books on to our children. Indeed, how many of us started reading with a beloved book that belonged to one of our parents? We force worthy books on our friends, and we insist that they read them. We even feel a weird kinship for the people we see on buses or airplanes reading our books, the books that we claim. If anyone tries to take away our books—some oppressive government, some censor gone off the rails—we would defend them with everything that we have. We know our tribespeople when we visit their homes because every wall is lined with books. There are teetering piles of books beside the bed and on the floor; there are masses of swollen paperbacks in the bathroom. Our books are us. They are our outboard memory banks and they contain the moral, intellectual, and imaginative influences that make us the people we are today…

…Neil Gaiman, who I’m sure you’re all familiar with, is a wonderful and inspiring writer, has a lovely schtick that I’m going to do for you today. How many people here have a favourite writer? Put your hands up if you have a favourite writer. Keep your hand up if you paid for the first book you got by your favourite writer, put your hand down if you got it for free. About half of you got your first book by your favourite writer for free…

…Licenses that requires that librarians turn over their patrons’ reading habits? No librarian is going to do it, because we know that your behaviour changes when what you do is surveilled. We know that intellectual freedom requires a private space. So you guys that work in libraries, your collection acquisition people are really the suckers that every ebook publisher has square in their crosshairs, they really think that they can milk you for it, and that’s because many of you have bought these ridiculous subscriptions that disappear when you stop subscribing. They’ve got you marked for suckers. It’s time to stop being suckers. It’s time to start doing right by your collections and by your patrons…

Ok, now go read the whole thing!

The Ultimate Food Chain

msauers@travelinlibrarian.info (Michael) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:48:00 +0000

via Buzzfeed.com

Amazing Christmas Decoration

msauers@travelinlibrarian.info (Michael) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 14:26:00 +0000

"Good news is that I truly out did myself this year with my Christmas decorations. The bad news is that I had to take him down after 2 days. I had more people come screaming up to my house than ever.Great stories. But two things made me take it down.

First, the cops advised me that it would cause traffic accidents as they almost wrecked when they drove by.
Second, a 55 year old lady grabbed the 75 pound ladder almost killed herself putting it against my house and didn't realize it was fake until she climbed to the top (she was not happy). By the way, she was one of many people who attempted to do that. My yard couldn't take it either. I have more than a few tire tracks where people literally drove up my yard."

(This is being passed around via e-mail. (Thanks Dad!) I have no idea of the source. Will happily credit if someone can point me in the right direction.)

A morning e-mail from Facebook

msauers@travelinlibrarian.info (Michael) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:19:00 +0000

“Facebook is sending you this notice of a proposed class action settlement that may affect your legal rights as a Facebook member who may have used the Beacon program. This summary notice is being sent to you by Court Order so that you may understand your rights and remedies before the Court considers final approval of the proposed settlement on February 26, 2010.

“This is not an advertisement or attorney solicitation.

“This is not a settlement in which class members file claims to receive compensation. Under the proposed settlement, Facebook will terminate the Beacon program. In addition, Facebook will provide $9.5 million to establish an independent non-profit foundation that will identify and fund projects and initiatives that promote the cause of online privacy, safety, and security.

“For full details on the settlement and further instructions on what to do to opt out of, object to, or otherwise comment upon the proposed settlement, please go to http://www.BeaconClassSettlement.com.

“Please do not reply to this email.”

Skateboarding Dog Gets Served!

msauers@travelinlibrarian.info (Michael) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:02:00 +0000

The Beatles: A look back from the year 3000

msauers@travelinlibrarian.info (Michael) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:40:00 +0000

A virus walks into a bar…

msauers@travelinlibrarian.info (Michael) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:48:00 +0000

via Boing Boing

Librarians on Jimmy Kimmel Live

msauers@travelinlibrarian.info (Michael) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:02:00 +0000

This is their site: Awful Library Books.