Kiwi...

My favorite color green and my favorite friut.

CooL Tree House...

I would have loved to have a tree house like this when I was a boy. This one was built for the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland by the TreeHouseCompany. Location: Alnwick Gardens, England.

I Hate When This Happens...

Here is something we can all relate to__smashing our super car on the way to work.

Accommodations..

The librarian always seeks out modest accommodations when abroad. The Bibury Court Hotel.

Supersized Espresso Cup__Photography Via iPhone 4s

Seems to me this espresso cup is a bit large. Normal serving size is 1 Fl. oz. This cup looks like a 10oz. shot, which would give you a whopping 750mg jolt of caffeine. Ye-ha! Angelo Moriondo, by the way, was the first person to patent an espresso machine in 1884. Patent no. 33/256. A simple reference number any librarian keeps in their head and is often used for excitement purposes when two librarians mate.

Fashion Moment...

This librarian[sic] dresses for a typical day at the reference desk.

Typical Rhino Child...

Epic Fail...

Kim Possible! What A Gal...

Kim is a confident and assertive just like your typical librarian [sic]. A person whose awareness of her own abilities is reflected well by her motto "I can do anything". Her typical state of mind is to be bright and cheerful, and she has a kind and caring heart that compels her to help others and to put their well being above her own, although she can be arrogant at times. Is she librarian material or what.[sic]

Biking In The Italian Dolomites

The librarian cannot be seen in this pic.

Apple Makes A Big Splash

The Bananna Phone...

My new phone! Contract required.

Cool Headphones...

Landscapes...

Uh-Oh!

Wonder Who Lives Here?

Immortal Bridge China

The Librarian's Is Now Driving A Midget...

Books: Lost in Shangri-La

Margaret Hastings, survivor

If you are a WWII buff and if you have run out of WWII books to read, Michael Zuckoff’s, Lost in Shangri-La: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II, may be just what you’re looking for. Zuckoff managed to find an exciting WWII story that up until now has never been well documented and has turned it into a book that is quite a page-turner. This book is hard to put down and what’s all the more remarkable is that the story is entirely true. Hollywood could not have cast and written a better script: It is 1945. A plane load of 24 sightseers crash in a cannibal invested jungle of New Guinea. Twenty-one are killed on impact. Only 3 survive, two men and a beautiful woman. All are dazed, injured and without anyway to communicate their position. They have no food and their wounds are severe. There biggest fear is Japanese snipers that may be hiding in the hidden jungle valley and the jungle is dense and dangerous. Zuckoff writes, they have “crash-landed in a world that time didn’t forget. Time never knew it existed.” They are soon found by members of the Dani tribe. The Dani have never seen metal and have not yet invented the wheel. They wear gourds to cover their private parts. They believe the Americans are white spirits who have descended on a vine from heaven. They think their clothing is “removable skin.” The Americans fear they are going to be skewered and eaten. At this point Zuckoff skillfully describes the often tense and sometimes comical cultural collision. Eventually American airman parachute in to rescue them. However, the airmen set up camp right in the middle of the warring Dani tribes. The Dani happen to be fighting their own war unaware of the global war that rages around them. The Dani are perturbed to say the least… [I’ll leave the ending for the reader]. However the book includes a lot of other characters other than the Dani and the survivors..Zuckoff does a good job filling in the gaps with background and even some politics. Even so the book flows nicely and is a pleasure to read. This is a story that has it all, adventure, war, tragedy, comedy, and a beautiful heroine. If you are looking for part adventure and part war story, that just happens to be true, this is it. Recommended.

The Librarian Ate Too Many Of These Last Night And Now Feels Ill...

Welcome Summer!

The librarian can be seen 27th person from the left, 8th row.

Books: The Greater Journey

Americans in Paris? No not the lost generation. Think before WWI, before Hemingway. Hmm.. David McCullough’s new book, The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris, covers the years roughly between 1830 and 1900 and those famous Americans who lived in and were influenced by Paris during that time. The group included: Thomas Jefferson, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Mark Twain, Samuel Morse Ralph Waldo Emerson, John Singer Sargent, Mary Cassatt and Harriet Beecher Stowe. But I think McCullough’s greater point here is to show just how that Parisian influence was transferred back through these people to American society, directly effecting American art, medicine, writing, science, and politics. And the influence was profound. And that is the originality this book offers. McCullough doesn’t merely offer a biographical sketch, but takes it a step further showing just how much Paris affected America. This fresh approach makes this book a pleasure to read. And McCullough’s enthusiasm for is topic is contagious. It’s obvious that McCullough believes that history is much more than politics and battles. It seems to him that history is more a symphony of all that is human: music, art, literature, poetry, theatre and science. You will love to getting into the details this book offers, especially if you are interested in Paris or are going there soon. One note however, I read this book in electronic format others have told me the print edition is fabulous because of the quality of the binding and the fine paper used. Recommended.

Sustenance!

A Feast Awaits!

Time Travel: London 1949

Another pic of London circa 1949. Cool huh!

The Ischia Island Mushroom..

Planning a trip here someday.

iPad Apps Recommendations

My iPad

A couple of you have emailed me and asked me what apps I have on my iPad and what do I recommend. Well, here the list of the ones I use the most and why:

The first three are newsreaders:

• Zite This is my favorite app and I can’t live without out it. Really. It’s the easiest way for me to know what is going on in the world. At least what’s important to me. Zite can do that because you can customize it in a big way. You can literally build your own personalized magazine. It’s actually an “intelligent magazine,” and it actually gets smarter as you use it. It notes what type of stories you read, remembers them and then feeds you more. Setting it up is easy. You can choose from predetermined categories, such as: World News, Business, Film etc or you can enter your own category of interest and Zite will search the internet and populate a page with related stories. Say for instance you are interested in Quantum Physics, as I know most of you are. All you do is type it in to the search box and click Done. Now you have a pages of articles that are constantly updated. Some of my categories are: Arts & Culture, Business, Gadgets, Mac, Politics, Science, Technology, Information Literacy, Literature, Reading and World News. I have more, but that kind of gives you an idea of the breadth of a magazine you can create for yourself. The best part is it’s free.
• Flipboard My second favorite app. It’s another “personalized magazine” just as good as Zite, but in a different way. Actually it’s even better in some aspects. First it has a different interface__ look that is. It too searches the Internet for stories that you want to read and it does that in what seems a miraculous way. It’s that Good. (I think this app was picked by Apple as the iPad app of the year). Adding sections to your “smart mag” or “flipboard” as the company calls it is simple. Just click: “Add a Section.” From here you can search a list of topics that interest you and add them to your flipboard.. What makes Flipboard different is that you can have feeds from Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and Google Reader or whatever other blog that interests you. Maybe like this one.[Hint] Flipboard is also free.
• Pulse Again Pulse does a similar job of gathering news stories from around the web that are of personal interest to you. In Pulse though you can choose “specific sources” to add within broader sections. For example: if you set up a “Tech Section” you can specifically chose what feeds you want to see, such as: CNET, All Things Digital, Fortune Tech, Gizmodo, Techcrunch, MacWorld, Slashgear, Ars Technica, Macrumors, Boing Boing, and Digital Trends. Actually these are the feeds that I read everyday under my Tech Section. I also have sections set up for: Top News, News, and Business. So again you can see you can create a magazine with quite a breadth of sources. And the great part about it is that each section is updated constantly. Again Pulse is also free.

You might ask, why do you read three different news readers? I don’t know. But I’m harmless.

• iBooks and Kindle App I have both, but prefer iBooks. I like the interface better. On the other hand Amazon at this point has many more books. But iBooks is catching up. iBooks is a bit more expensive if you purchase a book, but offers a more generous preview, sometimes as many as 150 “iPad pages.” So far I have read about 20 books since I got my iPad. Most out of copyright books are free and this is good for me because I like to read a lot of old stuff. But I have issues. Some of the electronic books I have read include: The Greater Journey, hope to review this soon, John Adams, iWoz, Life of Johnson, The Secret Life of Oscar Wilde, The Case for Books, and Stanley:The Impossible Life. iBooks and the Kindle app are free.

This list is getting a bit long so I’ll shorten things up. Sorry.

• The Weather Channel I’m a weather buff and need to know it all the time. This app is still the best for weather, but does have annoying commercials that flash across the top and bottom and different times. Offers customized weather casts and videos. I also have Weather HD, but haven’t had that much time to play with it. The Weather Channel app is free.
• QuakeWatch I need to know where things are shaking. And this is the app. Incredible. Updates constantly every time the earth shakes. It’s amazing. It lists earth quakes by size and location then connects you to the USGS for a detailed report. Also include are tsunami warnings. I’m addicted to this thing. Free.
• Bing for iPad News, maps, movies, trends, finance. It’s all here in a fantastic interface. A Microsoft product that actually works. That’s amazing. Also free.
• Dictionary.com Sometimes I need to look up a word. Free.
• Pages Apple’s word processor for the iPad. Full featured and fantastic. Much better than Word. Perfect for the iPad.
• Economist When I feel like putting on “airs” I read this. Seriously though. It’s the best news magazine out there and the free app gives you a good selection from each weeks magazine. Real good. Free unless you want the whole “enchilada.”
• NASA Perfect app. Well done. Large wealth of information. Love this app also. Plan to review it separately. Free.
• Star Walk I love astronomy and this is the best astronomy app out there for regular people. Makes cool sounds when you push buttons. The information provided about the universe is unbelievable. Will review separately. Costs money. So be willing to pay up.
• Angry Birds Yes I play it. And enjoy it. And I’m not ashamed.

I have many more apps on my iPad, but these are the ones I use the most.

Dinner!

Whale Shark sizing up dinner off the Yucatan peninsula.

The Librarian Is Looking For Beach Front Property Like This. Let Me Know...

Podcast: re: Joyce

I came upon this podcast while browsing in iTunes. It’s been around for a while, but apparently I missed it. I tend to miss things, big things, but that’s another post. If you ever wanted to understand James Joyce’s Ulysses this is the podcast. It’s called: Frank Delaney’s Re: Joyce. The podcast by veteran broadcaster Delaney is meant to commemorate Joyce’s mighty novel. And mighty the novel is, if you ever read it, and also quite hard to understand__at least for me. But there is something about the language of Ulysses that is intoxicating and if you don’t understand all the arcane references and allusions used you sense you should. But is Ulysses worth the effort? Yes. And now Delaney makes it easy. Every week Delaney gives about a 5 to 10 minute essay and explains the book sentence by sentence. He claims he will take you through all 375,000 words if necessary. But why? According to Delaney, Ulysses has “diamond mines of references. It’s compassionate, tender, moving and funny.” And he means to show you the full brilliance of the novel. In case you’re worried he does not dumb things down. Every podcast is done with eloquence, understanding and humor. Also given is some background on the book and biographical information. Delaney says: “Ulysses is often called the world's most famous and most irritating novel - irritating because it's deemed so obscure and inaccessible. I maintain that it's none of those things.” Of course Delaney is also the author of the book: James Joyce's Odyssey: a Guide to the Dublin of Ulysses. Written in 1981. So he’s been doing this “Joyce thing” for a while. One thing to think about though before you commit, one critic called Joyce’s novel, “the foulest book that ever made its way into print”

Aww..Mother And Child...

These Two Galápagos Turtles Go For A Sunday Walk.

The Librarian's Dessert

Where Do These Stairs Go?

To the library, no doubt

Books: The Indian Clerk

Thanks Paul for recommending the Indian Clerk, by David Leavitt. This is not a book I would have chosen on my own as math terrified me when I was in school. The right side of my brain never worked properly. I even picked a major in college, journalism that is purposely designed for “math idiots.” And I’m proud to say I knew quite a few. And for you math lovers, I know, “math is beautiful.” So I approached the Indian Clerk ready to put it down as soon as I encountered a quadratic equation: ax^2+bx+c=0. But I actually made it through right to the last word. I kind of glanced and glared over the equation parts and I’m sure I missed a lot, but I think I got the gist of the story, at least the important parts, the relational parts, the tension between the true life characters of British mathematician G.H. Hardy and Indian genius and mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan. In 1913 Cambridge don Hardy receives a letter from Ramanujan filled with 9 pages of equations. Fascinated Hardy and his colleague J.E. Littlwood, conclude Ramanujan must be a genius and plead with him to come to Cambridge to work with them. Ramanujan arrives and the story proceeds from here told entirely through Hardy’s perspective. Through it all we see their relationship moved along by brilliant mathematical triumphs, illnesses, honors, sexual repression and emotional distress. This book has much to offer, especially to gay readers, but it also has quite a few faults. I think the problem is that David Leavitt had a tremendous amount of interesting material to work with; a power relationship, suppressed homosexuality, racial prejudice, the vestiges of British imperialism in Indian, etc, but Leavitt just couldn’t make it all gel enough to move the story along at a reasonable pace. And this is where the book falters. I think all the good ingredients of the recipe [plot] weren’t given the proper emphasis and weren’t put in at the right time__ if I may posit a bad analogy. Don’t get me wrong. I think this book is worth reading. Leavitt does a wonderful job recreating the rarified world of WWI era Cambridge. It’s just I thought it could have been better. This was difficult material to work with. The characters had an intense inner life, but a dull outer appearance. However, couldn’t help but chuckle at some of the dialogue in the book: When Ramanujan lay dying, G.H. Hardy tells him that that the taxi he rode over in was number 1729, "a rather dull number." Not so, responded Ramanujan, it's the smallest number expressible as the sum of two cubes in two different ways.” Wow is that romantic or what?

Back In The Day When Librarians Could Wear Cool Hair...

Wow when I saw this guys hairdo I knew he had to be a librarian__but seriously Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz was an immense intellectual force in the 17^th century, a mathematician, a scientist, an engineer, a lawyer, a philologist, a philosopher, a logician, a historian, an acquaintance to nobility and yes a librarian. Librarians commanded a bit more respect back then. A similar regard can be seen for Johann Winckelmann founder of modern archaeology, influential art historian and also a librarian. But Leibniz was a true polymath with a mind similar in character to Isaac Newton. Both are given credit for independently developing infinitesimal calculus. [This is a type of advanced ciphering done by librarians.] Leibniz also made contributions to metaphysical philosophy where he developed the idea of “monads,” According to Leibniz, monads are "substantial forms of being" which are eternal, indecomposable, individual and subject to their own laws. The ontological essence of a monad is its irreducible simplicity. [Librarians often have a lot of time to ponder such things.] He also developed the idea of mv², an idea similar to kinetic energy. He was a profound moralist and devoted considerable intellectual and diplomatic effort to healing the breach in the Church caused by the Reformation. But most dear to librarians is Leibniz’s work in library science. He was a librarian at the ducal libraries in Hanover and Wolfenbuettell. To house the 100,000 volume collection Leibnitz helped build what is considered the first building explicitly designed to be a library. Because he developed the ideas for an empirical database and an indexing system he is considered one of the founders of modern information science. No librarian nor philosopher for that matter has had as much influence on the laws of state, ethics and politics. Leibniz ideas and theories are spread throughout a vast array of publications, most of which are written in scholastic Latin, French and German. Quite a guy__but the main point of this rambling post is that librarians used to get a lot of respect. I only need to emphasize this because it is unfathomable to the modern mind that a librarian could have any respect. But in regard to respect__ that hairdo…

Aspirations...

The Barista Told Me This Was Good For My Health. Hmm...

Monks Take their Libraries Seriously...

The stunning library of Admont Abbey in Austria which is the largest monastic library in the world. Thirty monks have the privilege of holding a library card. Built in 1776 the library contains 70,000 volumes. The ceiling consists of seven cupolas, decorated with frescoes by Bartolomeo Altomonte showing the stages of human knowledge up to the point of Divine Revelation. Light is provided by 48 windows reflected through gold and white. No fluorescent bulbs here.

Books: Storm Of War

This is a fabulous book. And I’m not even done reading it yet! I found it on a random browse through B&N. My shelves are already sagging with too many WWII books, so I am usually circumspect when purchasing these days, but after one glance at the, Storm of War, by Andrew Robert’s, I knew it was a must have. Why? I’ve always liked the way Andrew’s writes, he seems to be able to get at the heart of “military things” better than anyone else writing today. And he is especially perceptive when it comes to WWII. The Economist, has called him one of Britain’s finest military historian. I think I agree, even though some of the Brits get pretty good when it comes to writing history. Storm of War is a comprehensive and vivid history. Andrew’s depth of research is immediately apparent from the insights he infers from the course of the war as well as the actions of its participants. Andrew has the benefit of time on his side and takes the thoughtful long view of history that only many years can provide. Which is a benefit as it makes his analysis of events superb. All the major theaters are covered even the oft-neglected Burma campaign__my favorite. Remember the, Bridge on the River Kwai? Oh yeah! The main thrust of Andrew’s thesis, the “New History of WWII,” as he calls it, is that the Allies did not so much win the war as Hitler lost it, mostly because Hitler’s decisions were based on intuition and blind ideology rather than sound military judgment. Too prove his point Andrew’s fills his book with all sorts of juicy details to the delight of WWII aficionados. For example, why did Hitler declare war on the US after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, he was under no treaty obligations? Why did he wait to late June to invade Russia? And why didn’t he eject the allies from North Africa before invading Russia? Surely his generals advised otherwise. But then you didn’t disagree with the Fuhrer. And why did Hitler have an obsession to rid Europe of the Jews? It served no military or strategic advantage, but instead drained Germany of valuable resources and manpower. Again blind ideology. Andrew’s is especially skillful in assessing these types of motives, both of Hitler and Churchill. This was also the subject of his previous book, Hitler and Churchill: Secrets of Leadership. But even if you are not particularly interested in the psychological factors surrounding the wars leadership, all the battle details and facts are here, presented clearly and comprehensively. And when you’re done reading this book you can use it as a boat anchor. Well not quite, but it is 768 pages.

Hmm...

Why do I think driving this would engender hostility from other people on the road, anyway where would the librarian keep all his books?

Random Post Of A Hoplite Battle...

BOOKS: The Leopard

From Luchiano Visconti's film version of The Leopard.

Ever try do save something good, something that’s disappearing__like a relationship or a situation. But as hard as you try nothing that you do will prevent it from slipping away. There is a certain sadness at that point, a pause in life, a sobering moment, a realization of how temporary life is. The Japanese call it mono no aware, which means an empathy for the ephemeral nature of life. A similar notion is at the heart of Guiseppe Lampedusa’s, The Leopard, a beautifully written novel about the waning days of Sicilian nobility during the Italian Risorgimento of the 1860’s. Sounds boring, but give it a chance. The Leopard is a breathtakingly evocative novel. Lampedusa takes the idea of the fleeting nature of “things” and puts it into a plot that doesn’t move much, but instead lingers on the sadness of this passing moment; which in this case is the passing away of a genteel aristocracy and its gracious and vibrant lifestyle. The main character is the refined and erudite, Fabrizio, Prince of Salina and the plot follows the events that surround his life. When Fabrizio enters a room the reader follows his every thought as he takes in the details of his surroundings, learning about the history of the objects before him. As such the reader can feel the pang of regret that such things will disappear and no longer be appreciated, but forgotten. Lampedusa through his plot and dialogue is able to communicate a strong sense of the Sicilian character. When a representative of Italy’s new government asks Fabrizio to join the newly formed Italian Senate he declines and when pressed further by the representative who describes all the new improvements coming to Sicily, Fabrizio responds that Sicilians “don’t want improvements.” He continues, "They are coming to teach us good manners...But they won't succeed because we think we are gods." Interestingly, Fabrizio is based on one of Lampedusa’s ancestors. This novel is one of modern Italy's greatest literary achievements and beautifully rendered in the original Italian. Archibald Colquhoun's lyrical English translation is a fine one and does the original justice. Recommended.

Welcome International Visitors..

Judging from the emails I'm receiving, I'm getting a lot of international visitors. Welcome and thanks for reading. Also thanks for the compliments and invitation Carlos. If ever I get to Spain I will visit you.

Librarian Paradise...

Barter Books, Alnwick Station, England

Destination: Taormina Italy

Many librarians flock here for respite.

This Performance Seems A Bit Wooden To Me

Casa Malaparte... The Isle Of Capri Italy

Built in 1938 by Curzio Malaparte, Italian journalist and diplomat, the house sits 323 feet on a dangerous cliff overlooking the Gulf of Salerno. The house can be accessed only by an hour and a half walk across the island or by sea via a stone staircase cut into the rocks of the cliff. Sea access is only on calm days as the waves are cast upon treacherous rocks. The house was renovated in the 1990's and still contains the sunken marble tube Malaporte built for his mistress and Malaparte's book lined library.

Here Is The Vatican Library...

And Here Are The Rules.... (Love it!)

• Readers admitted to the Library are required to observe strict silence not only in the reading rooms, but within the entire premises, conversing only in the courtyard or in the
• Library bar. It is forbidden to disturb the study and work of other readers, e.g. by talking out loud or by using any kind of noisy equipment.
• Readers must wear attire appropriate to the dignity of an ancient institution of culture and study.
• Mobile phones must be turned off at the entrance. It is absolutely forbidden to use any electronic means of communication within the Library.
• All readers are required to conduct themselves in a manner befitting the decorum of the Library. Behavior by individuals or groups which is inappropriate to the dignity of the institution is forbidden.
• It is not permitted to take photographs, films, sound recordings, or any other type of reproduction. It is absolutely forbidden to bring any kind of photographic or filming equipment, portable telephones with digital camera features, recorders, Dictaphones, digital scanners and other devices which would allow reproduction of the Library’s materials, environment or structures.
• It is strictly forbidden to bring or to use scissors, knives, razor blades, razors, matches, adhesive paper, adhesive tape, glue, bottles of ink, correction fluids, and any type of liquid or other object or substance which could damage the collections of the Library.
• Readers admitted to the Library are obliged to comply with the instructions of Library staff without discussion.
• Smoking, food and beverages are not permitted in any part of the Library. Smoking is allowed in the courtyard; food and beverages may be consumed only in the Library bar.
• Access to the manuscript stacks and other stacks where books are stored is prohibited to the public. In addition, it is not allowed to enter any area where there are staff offices, unless such access is explicitly granted; or to use equipment or materials belonging to Library staff. Finally, in order to access the Secret Archives from the Library, or vice versa, the main entrance of each of the two Institutions must be used.

Now This Can Ruin The Picnic...

Sandstorm, Kuwait

Travels: The Librarian Once Again Seeks Adventure On The isle Of Ischia

Ischia, Convent Harbour

The Digital Public Library

Umm has anyone heard of “copyright?” Seems to me that copyright is the monkey wrench that impedes the whole “Digital Public Library” movement. Seems obvious, but apparently not to some. The proponents optimism that copyright restrictions can be overcome without paying anyone anything is the most puzzling. A Federal Court said just that when it ruled against Google’s project to digitize books. In essence the ruling said no to a previous settlement between publishers and Google that allowed Google to set up a “Universal Digital Library and bookstore. The court said that the previous ruling turned copyright law on its head by giving Google the default right to profit on a book unless a publisher or author objected. And this brought to the fore the problem of “orphaned books,” out of print titles whose authors or publishers that can be not easily found. Since no one else could obtain rights for these books it would give Google a monopoly on millions of titles. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not against a universal digital library, but I think all attempts at such a library are going to face the same copyright problem.__there’s just to many interested parties and conflicting financial interests involved. In the meantime backers are lobbying Congress to make it easier to digitize orphan books. But how can US Law affect foreign publishers titles? Still others remain optimistic seeing the ruling against Google as an opportunity to create a new model called the “Digital Public Library of American,” that has backers such as, the Library of Congress, the National Archives and major universities. However this plan as yet remains in infancy. So far six works groups have been created to solve all the legal and financial issues. But this project seems to me to bring even more disparate and competing interests to the table. Is all the trouble and hassle worth it? I think yes. Just think of its potential. It’s enough to make any librarian glaze over.

This Wise Old Librarian Gets A Bath...