Steampunk Gypsy

I'm just going to leave this here for you. It's short and thorough. Enjoy. Links! Libraries, Books, Writers, & Suchlike Carson City Library first in nation to offer manufacturing training program   'Little free libraries' sprout around the New River Valley   No hook for Nook sends Barnes & Noble stock soaring   Sorry, Ebooks. These 9 Studies Show Why Print Is Better   The Anti-Information Age: How governments are reinventing censorship in the 21st century   Science & Health Uninsured Ex-Sheriff Who Fought O-care Struggles To Pay Medical Bills   Maine weighs revoking seat belt law days after 75-car pileup   Indiana may allow 'baby boxes' for surrendering newborns   Winter Storm Thor Will Bring Snow, Ice From Southwest to Northeast   Other Vacant Lot In Wyoming To Become One Of World’s First Vertical Farms   Building the First Slavery Museum in America  

Links! Libraries, Books, Writers, & Suchlike Leonard Nimoy, Spock of ‘Star Trek,’ Dies at 83  When I was a kid, I wanted to be like Spock. Now I'm all grown up, and I still want to be like Spock.  400 Year Old Stolen Books Found In Bay Area   Jon Stewart Pulls Out The Big Guns, Unveils '50 Fox News Lies In 6 Seconds'  I think it's important to remember that The Daily Show is a news comedy show , unlike Fox News, which bills itself as "real" news. The fact that TDS can be entertaining and more reliable as an actual news source than Fox News is hilarious and very, very shameful for Fox. Related:  50 Fox News 'lies' in 6 seconds, from 'The Daily Show'   Net & Tech Verizon and big cable lash out at net neutrality rules – using morse code  How ridiculous. If you need a refresher on why yesterday's net neutrality ruling is good for you:  What does Title II actually mean for the future of the internet?  "What does this mean ...

Historic victory on Net Neutrality FCC Approves Net Neutrality Rules For 'Open Internet'   FCC votes to protect the internet with Title II regulation It's not over quite yet, folks. Predictably, the ISPs are not happy with this decision, and will be working hard to get Congress to overthrow it.  House Republicans are already calling for a vote to block net neutrality rules . Learn more about how to fight for the future of your Internet!   (Bonus:  5 things you should know about ‘net neutrality’ ) _______________________________________________________________________________ Links! Libraries, Books, Writers, & Suchlike Books on Wheels programs delivers books to Meals on Wheels clients at their homes   Los Angeles Unified School District reopening libraries after recession closings   School officials reject issue with book   Letters unravel mystery of the death of Oscar Wilde’s wife   When T.S. Eliot Invented ...

Privacy is at a crossroads. Choose wisely. Links! Libraries, Books, Writers, & Suchlike We Need Libraries As Much As Maker Spaces  I'd argue we need libraries more. Prosecutors: UIC student charged with assault said he was re-enacting 'Fifty Shades of Grey'  Okay, look, I don't like the book - it's a terrible representation of BDSM, in addition to just being a terrible plot and badly written - but I really don't buy the "I thought we were roleplaying" line. At all. What a load of [expletive deleted].  Saved from Islamic extremists, Mali manuscripts face damage in new home   ISIS burns Mosul library: Why terrorists target books  "...[B]ooks represent a people's culture, history, and pride, and provide militants a concrete way to attempt to wipe clean a region's identity." Hitler's 'Mein Kampf' to be published in Germany for first time since WWII   Whips, chains and capitalism: What ‘Fifty Shades of Gre...

Today, I'm home sick, so, of course, I'm spending a lot of time on the Internet, before finishing the books I've got here. (If I knew I was going to be sick, I'd have brought more books home. Ah, well...) I ran across a book giveaway post from Zack Hunt, whose blog has long been on my RSS feed. I love book giveaways, obviously, but this one especially caught my eye. It's the true story of a young man who leaves everything behind to do missions work in Africa, and what happens when he can't find God there. Here's an excerpt from the book: One of the last memories I have before boarding the plane to Africa is standing in front of the painted-on chalkboard that spans an entire wall of my bedroom. This wall bore no literary quotes or Bible verses; it was blank except for a countdown tally that read: days till Africa. It was the night before my departure, and the tally needed updating. I erased the previous number, scribbled on the day before, and drew...

BP loses bid to cut maximum $13.7 billion Gulf spill fine Links! Libraries, Books, Writers, & Suchlike Feb 23, 1868: W.E.B. DuBois is born   What the Best Schools Don’t Do   7 Theories About the Recent Manuscript Discoveries  I think it's aliens. Maya Angelou stamp to be released by U.S. Postal Service   'The Autobiography of Malcolm X' to be released as e-book   What’s life like for a man who tastes words?   Science & Health Coal Giant Dumped Waste Directly Into Rivers, Now Faces Criminal Charges   Bad batch of drug "Molly" sends 11 Wesleyan students to the hospital   Thanks a lot, Obamacare - Off Goes My Arm   Deeper Ties to Corporate Cash for Doubtful Climate Researcher  "...Wei-Hock Soon, known as Willie, a scientist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics...claims that variations in the sun’s energy can largely explain recent global warming. He has often appeared on conservative news program...

My marriage has made double digits! That's pretty good. A lot has changed in the last ten years; I wonder what'll happen in the next ten! Links! Libraries, Books, Writers, & Suchlike Self-Censorship   Someone Is Trying to Save You From Awful Books at the Boston Public Library  "Noluckboston....[is] tagging books based off the 'Awful Library Books' blog, which two public librarians in Michigan have been running since 2009." Related:  Awful Library Books  It's been on my RSS feed for a long time! First Look Inside The Boston Library's Astonishing, Colorful Renovation   San Jose: Public library gets $35k for online privacy literacy prototype   Feb 22, 1892: Edna St. Vincent Millay is born   Net & Tech Five ways open data can boost democracy around the world  "Want fairer taxes, less corporate lobbying and more open politicians? Here’s how open data can help" Hyping Mythical Internet Taxes, New York Times Legitimizes A ...

I know it's fun to see the kiddos playing outside in the snow. But snow is deceptive. It's glittery and fun and absolutely deadly. Two recent stories have made the dangers for littles perfectly clear. Six-year-old Alyvia was bundled up and only played outside with her friend for about half an hour, but snow got packed down into her boots and she ended up in the hospital with severe frostbite. Many parents are aware that kids playing outside in the heat often don't recognize they are overheating or becoming dehydrated; snow and cold has a similar problem, in that kids suffering from frostbite don't actually feel any pain in the damaged areas. If you let your kids play outside in the snow, make sure they change clothes immediately when they come in, and check to make sure they're physically okay. And, honestly, if you think it's too cold for you to be outside, keep the kids in! Luckily, Alyvia will be okay. Three-year-old Elijah , however, was found dead outsi...

Links! Libraries, Books, Writer, & Suchlike Glendale panels to issue recommendations on proposed Foothills library sale, relocation   US Libraries Begin Offering Free 3D Printing to Public Amidst Learning Curves and Legal Questions   Invader Zim is Coming Back in a New Comic-Book Series   Lost Sherlock Holmes story discovered in man's attic   It’s Jenny on the book! J Lo inspires hunt for ‘first editions’ of Homer’s Iliad   Two Killed in Copenhagen Attacks on Free Speech Panel and Synagogue   Indian Cartoonist Talks About the Increase in Self-Censorship   Net & Tech Lenovo Is Breaking HTTPS Security on its Recent Laptops  This is really not good, guys. "Lenovo has been shipping laptops with a horrifically dangerous piece of software called Superfish, which tampers with Windows' cryptographic security to perform man-in-the-middle attacks against the user's browsing. This is done in order to inject advertising into secure HTTP...

So, Ranga has been spending some time outside, playing around and chattering at the birds - which, rather maddeningly, in his opinion, remain well outside his range. He likes it outside, and, on warm days, will spend hours lounging in the sunlight, soaking up the heat. Sadly, it's been a bit chilly (even in Louisiana, folks), so he only goes out for an hour or so before he's ready to come inside. Look how big he's gotten! In other news, Happy Chinese New Year! It's the Year of the Ram! Or goat, or sheep, or antelope, or whatever. The Chinese word is ambiguous.  But the Google Doodle is awfully cute! Links! Libraries, Books, Writers, & Suchlike The Healing Power of Libraries   Mac Barnett: Why a good book is a secret door   Images From Famous Books Hide In The Secret Compartments Of These Rings   Digitising the hidden treasures of the Natural History Museum, London   Health & Science This Is What Niagara Falls Looks Like Wh...

Links! Libraries, Books, Writers, & Suchlike Icons of Knowledge: Architecture and Symbolism in National Libraries   The three most desirable jobs in Britain are author, librarian and academic   Newly Revealed Records Detail 2013 Decision to Remove Persepolis from CPS Classrooms   Happy birthday,  Toni Morrison ! Feb 18, 1885: Twain publishes The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn   New Dr. Seuss book 'What Pet Should I Get?' coming this summer  "The publisher also plans for at least two more books from materials discovered in the late author's La Jolla home in 2013." How exciting! The Gorgeous Typeface That Drove Men Mad and Sparked a 100-Year Mystery   Net & Tech There's No #BlackLivesMatter Without Net Neutrality   Science Happy birthday, Alessandro Volta! There is a  Google Doodle  for him, although it doesn't tell the story quite right . It is really very pretty, though! DNA Hard Drive Could Store Data For Mil...

Links! Libraries, Books, Writers, & Suchlike Rare book collection worth $300 million largest gift ever to Princeton   How Long Would It Take to Read all Books Published in a Week  Wow... Pharrell's 'Happy' to be a children's book   Little Robot for Preorder  Yay! Net & Tech Apple CEO Tim Cook says privacy is a matter of “life and death”  Which is ironic, given  Apple Sued Over App Privacy Violations  and  Apple, Tim Cook and Others Sued Over Alleged NSA/PRISM Privacy Violations , but I do agree with the sentiment: privacy is a matter of life and death, and we should all be taking it much more seriously.  Science British astrophysics student wants to have 'first Martian baby'   Ocean Acidity Measured From Space   Highly Aggressive New Strain Of HIV Is Spreading Through Cuba   Penguins lost ability to taste fish   Australian mammals on brink of 'extinction calamity'   The FDA Is Hiding Scien...

Links! Libraries, Books, Writers, & Suchlike Happy birthday,  LeVar Burton ! Of course, he's best known right now for successfully reviving  Reading Rainbow , a program I think is awesome. Related:  LeVar Burton seeks to couple storytelling with education  Burton's first children's books,  The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm , looks like a great story; I'll have to get my hands on a copy! Children’s books are never just for children    6 Reasons You Need To Read 'The Princess Bride,' Because There's So Much More To The Story   Meet Daniel Reeve, calligrapher for The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings   Net & Tech The new  View-Master  looks really interesting.  Health & Science NASA Wants to Send a Submarine to Titan's Seas   Drinking Coffee Could Help Protect Your DNA From Damage   Education Growing number of parents "opt out" of new Common Core tests that they say damage their kids   Str...

It's so beautiful... [ Flow™ Hive ] Michael says we are absolutely not getting bees. Awwww... Links! Libraries, Books, Writers, & Suchlike Philip Levine dies at 87; former U.S. poet laureate, Pulitzer winner   The Strange Case of Harper Lee: A Look Back at Contested Manuscripts  Related:  Harper Lee and the Benefit of the Doubt   Books for Bibliophiles   Net & Tech Big Telecom tried to kill net neutrality before it was even a concept   Facebook Boots Native American Users For Having “Un-American” Names   Google's Vint Cerf warns of 'digital Dark Age'   The Wikipedia Ouroboros  "The online encyclopedia chews up and spits out bad facts, and its own policies are letting it happen." Science & Health 10 Space Myths We Need to Stop Believing   Geoengineering might work in a rational world … sadly we don’t live in one   Mega-Droughts Will Severely Threaten Western U.S. By 2100   New Handheld...

Today, I mostly was a cat: I didn't stare at any bugs, though. Also, I went to the international market and bought a lot of Indian food. And took the car to the shop because it's making really horrible noises. And did a few loads of laundry. Other than that, I was a cat. Because you should always be a cat if you get the chance to be a cat. Hence, the scarcity of links - but they're good ones, I promise. Links! Libraries, Books, Writers, & Suchlike The Little Library That Lent a Hand: Ferguson Municipal Public Library   Critical Literacy? Information!   Alan Turing Enigma papers found at Bletchley Park  "Top-secret documents that used the work of Alan Turing to break the German Enigma code have been discovered lining the walls of a World War Two codebreaking hut." Happy birthday,  Judy Blume ! Speaking of birthdays:  Shared Birthdays: Lincoln and Darwin   Net & Tech Tomorrow’s technology will lead to sweeping changes in society –...

I think I'm looking super-cute in my spiffy new skirt today: That is all. Links! Libraries, Books, Writers, & Suchlike Sleds join case books at Law Library   Best-Seller 'Station Eleven' Acquired by 'Jane Got a Gun' Producer   The origin and future of Paddington, in the words of his creator, Michael Bond   Pride, Prejudice, Prostitutes and Pickles: Scholars Unearth Two Letters Relating to Jane Austen   The House That Jon Stewart Built  "Al Franken’s combination of political satire and low-key activism led to a seat in the United States Senate. Maybe 'the most trusted man in America' will consider a similar path now too." Wouldn't that be interesting? Brian Williams Suspended From NBC for 6 Months Without Pay   Twitter abuse: Women journalists get more threats   Investigative journalists are pretty sure the U.S. government is watching them   Net & Tech A Smartly Designed Bike Whose Handlebars Become a Lock   G...