Steampunk Gypsy

I am in love with the Corpus ("Chronophage") Clock ! Isn't that gorgeous? Links! Libraries, Books, Writers, & Suchlike Pitt library songbook key to lawsuit over ‘Happy Birthday’ rights  Hurrah for Special Collections!  A British Owl Got a Library Card Because He's Great at Being an Owl   Scribes Abroad: The Influence of Tocqueville’s ‘Democracy in America’   July 30, 1818:  Emily Bronte’s birthday   After parent outcry, West Ashley High pulls novel from summer reading list   I Learned More about Slavery from Fiction than Public Education  And this right here is why it's important to get kids to read books about tough subjects!  How to... write a literature review   CISA/CISPA CISA: the dirty deal between Google and the NSA that no one is talking about  "One of the things that civil liberties activists like to lament about is that the general public seems to care more about Google and Facebook using their ...

Links! Libraries, Books, Writers, & Suchlike FASTR Zooms Out of Senate Committee   "'FASTR would require federal departments and agencies with an annual extramural research budget of $100 million to develop a policy to ensure that researchers submit an electronic copy of the final manuscript accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Additionally, the bill would also require that each taxpayer-funded manuscript be made available to the public online and without cost, no later than twelve months after the article has been published in a peer-reviewed journal.'" If the taxpayers pay for it, the taxpayers ought to be able to read it! Hurrah!  Boy Who Couldn’t Afford Books Asks Mailman For Junk Mail To Read; Mailman Responds Spectacularly   How 'A Wrinkle in Time' Changed Sci-Fi Forever   Authors tweet hilarious advice on what NOT to say to a writer  “I thought you were dead” Heh.  Health, Science, Net & Tech Happy Birthday, NASA! J...

It's not often that I'll choose a giveaway contest  to be my primary post of the day, but I adore Ben Hatke's work, I've loved every single Little Robot comic he's posted, and, even though I haven't read the book yet, I recommend getting it for someone special in your life. Maybe someone who loves robots, or someone who loves graphic novels. I'm getting a copy for myself, of course, and I think it's an especially wonderful gift for any little girls you might know who are interested in tech! Jolly Raffle Giveaway Contest: Little Robot! Links! Libraries, Books, Writers, & Suchlike 311 Reasons to Celebrate Banned Books Week  "According to the American Library Association, which provides the only national statistics, there were 311 reported attempts to remove or restrict materials from school curricula and library bookshelves in 2014–2015.[...] But statistics do not give a full picture of what is going on. The reality is that censors...

Despite repeated public outcry against CISA/CISPA, Congress just won't let it die! The argument is that spying on the American citizenry's Internet activity, gathering and going through your private information, will keep the nation safer - but, according to security experts , that's just not true. Moreover, we've seen time and again that the NSA, the FBI, and other intelligence-gathering agencies will take and abuse such powers for domestic surveillance  rather than cybersecurity. Do you remember how hard we fought to let Section 215 of the Patriot Act die? CISA is how intelligence agencies plan to get those broad powers back , so they can continue to spy on the American people. Congress isn't listening to our emails and online petitions; Congress isn't listening to technologists and security experts , either. Maybe the problem is that they don't understand our newfangled contraptions - so let's use older technology. Let's fax them letters, ex...

Tonight, DH and I attended the Bernie Sanders rally in Kenner, just outside New Orleans and not more than a 15 minute drive from our house.Seriously, we spent more time waiting in line to get in to the Pontchartrain Center than we did driving there! It was great! He spoke about income inequality, the need for paid family and medical leave, destructive trade policies, the Citizens United travesty, and much more. Sure, there are things I disagree with him on - er, at least one, anyway - but he's saner than any other candidate out there right now, and, moreover, I trust him to try to accomplish the goals he's set out. He has shown time and again, through his fundraising efforts, his voting record, and his rational approach to finding solutions, that he actually cares about the American people. Anyway, my pictures were all pretty terrible, but I found a better one from someone else: [ Source ] Anyway! I'm glad I went. If you're still not sure who you're voting...

Today, the Special Olympics World Games  begin! This year, they're being held in Los Angeles. Google has a really nifty Doodle for the day: Links! Libraries, Books, Writers, & Suchlike The University of Iowa Brings Fanzines To The Digital World  "It’s no small task: the Rusty Hevelin collection contains over 10,000 individual items." Wow!  Trump campaign bars Iowa paper from Iowa event after critical editorial  I suppose that's a pretty strong indicator for how he values the fourth estate , which is distressing to see in a presidential candidate. As President, I suspect, he'd hand out similar ultimatums - "Print what I want out there, don't print anything negative, or you'll be shut out entirely." It's a terrible attack on the freedom of the press and an obvious tactic to prevent the citizenry from getting all the information we need. July 25, 1897:  Jack London sails for the Klondike  "Jack London leaves for the Klondi...

That's right:  Senate GOP whip hopes to act on cyber bill in early August . What you need to know: CISPA is Back!  "CIS(P)A is coming back soon for the fifth time. And this time Obama says he’ll sign it." Obama, no!! "The bill gives legal immunity to companies that share personal data with the government in the name of cyber security. In reality, the government would use the data they receive under the bill in a scheme to justify warrantless mass surveillance of domestic Internet traffic. It’s purely a surveillance bill -- nothing in it is actually designed to improve security.  The NSA and members of Congress want to pass CISA so badly, they’re using the recent hack of the Office of Personnel Management as justification for bringing this back up and rushing it through. In reality, the OPM hack just shows that the government is not a good steward of sensitive data. The truth is that CISA could not have prevented the OPM hack, and no Senator could explain how ...

Links! Libraries, Books, Writers, & Suchlike The State of America’s Libraries 2015   How the NY Public Library Crowdsources Digital Innovation   Judges Revive Claim that AT&T Overcharged Schools for Internet Service  "For seven years, a Wisconsin telecom consultant has waged an unsuccessful legal fight against AT&T, alleging that the company long defrauded a federal program by overcharging the nation’s schools and libraries for Internet and telephone services.  Now an appeals court in the District of Columbia has given new life to his case."  July 23, 1888:  Raymond Chandler is born  "He published only seven novels, among them Farewell My Lovely (1946) and The Long Goodbye (1953), all featuring tough, cynical Detective Philip Marlowe. William Faulkner wrote the screen version of The Big Sleep, which starred Humphrey Bogart as Marlowe.  Chandler also wrote Hollywood screenplays in the 1940s and early 1950s, including Double Indem...

Links! Libraries, Books, Writers, & Suchlike Long-lost Dr. Seuss book hits stores next week  Related:  Dr. Seuss Book: Yes, They Found It in a Box   A Novel Idea: Fostering Literacy by Eliminating Book Deserts   The 10 Most Expensive Books in the World   University In U.K. Finds Muhammad-Era Quran Pages Among Its Possessions   Woman gets library card approved 73 years later   Net & Tech The Web We Have to Save  "The rich, diverse, free web that I loved — and spent years in an Iranian jail for — is dying. Why is nobody stopping it?" IRS "releases" CD of encrypted, completely redacted documents  Trolls gotta troll, I guess?  Why the Agriculture Department is giving out tens of millions of dollars for Internet access   Health & Science Poverty's most insidious damage is to a child's brain   Santa Barbara to spend $55 million on desalination plant as drought 'last resort'   Education Charter ...

On this day in 1899, Ernest Hemingway was born. There's no Google Doodle, sadly. If I was designing one, I'd have Hemingway as the titular old man out fishing. Maybe a few seconds of nothing - and then he'd get a fish, and smile, and be happy, which he probably wasn't very often in real life, but I'd like him to be, anyway. Hemingway and I share a love for polydactyl (a.k.a. gypsy, six-toed, and Hemingway) cats . I would love to visit the  Hemingway Home , mostly to pet the cats. And if anyone wants to get me a Hemingway kitten, that's nifty, too! Links! Libraries, Books, Writers, & Suchlike As we (or, at least, I ) gear up for Banned Books Week  (this year's theme:  Young Adult Books !), let's take a look at  the most banned and challenged books of 2014 . "Well, I'm sure people had good reasons for asking for the books to be banned."  5 Books Banned for the Most Absurd Reasons   Speaking of banning books absurdly:  Child...

Links! Libraries, Books, Writers, & Suchlike All Those techies Who Predicted the Demise of the Public Library Were Wrong  "Americans still love libraries more than any other public institution." Selecting The Next Librarian of Congress: What librarians would like to see in the #nextLoC   Adults Are More Likely To Believe There Are Books That Should Be Banned Than Movies, Television Shows, or Video Games  No, no, just...no, people... Students Learn Better When Schools Keep Libraries  Related:  The calamity of the disappearing school libraries   Sculptures of Kids Made From Books to Bring Librarians Back Into Libraries  "We carry our childhood books with us to adulthood: the morals, the lessons, the values. In fact, 'books shape who we are' has become a commonplace saying. Such so that a new campaign in Japan to bring librarians back in to libraries interprets the saying literally." CA College Student Challenges Graphic Novel Syllabus...

Excellent article:  Texting: Ppl, Srsly, It’s OK 2 Uz TxtSpk Sumtimz  Pay special attention to the video - watch it all the way through. Very thought provoking, arguing that texting is not a form of writing but an entirely new language in development (and touches on what language is, really). Here, I'll just post the video here: [ Source - TED Talk: Txtng is killing language. JK!!! ] The article  itself gives excellent guidelines for when and how text-speak can be used appropriately in written communication. If I was a teacher and a student turned in a formal paper written in text-speak, I suppose I wouldn't tell them they weren't writing the paper correctly, then - just as I wouldn't if a student turned in a paper in Vietnamese. I guess I'd just ask them to rewrite it in English. Links! Libraries, Books, Writers, & Suchlike Literary treasures from the Harry Ransom Center – in pictures  Related:  Project REVEAL   Journalists Alan...

This post is especially for my step-dad, who loves storms: Links! Net & Tech Apple may check your credit card balance to show you products you can afford  I don't know about you, but I think that's private information Apple doesn't really need to know. Education Why Emotional Learning May Be As Important As The ABCs   The Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Improves  "America is doubling down on a losing hand. Education reform policy is destined to fail because it is based on a fundamentally flawed understanding of human motivation." Testing Revolt In Washington State Brings Feds Into Uncharted Waters  "On top of the mandate that schools and districts test their students, No Child Left Behind (NCLB) requires states to ensure 95 percent of students take the tests. In Washington, so many juniors skipped that the state's overall K-12 testing rate dipped below that threshold, to around 90 percent.  This is likely the first time a state h...