KCKPL

I forgot to take a picture of a sign in the men's room today so I'll just reproduce it here:

NO BATHING
IN THE
RESTROOM

True friend

I just got back from the bext restauraunt in Kansas City, The Majestic Steakhouse. Great food and great live Jazz. To make it even better my friend Louise came in to town to have dinner with me. Did I mention she lives in Des Moines, IA. Yes folks, Louise drove three hours for dinner, jazz, and conversation and is now on her way back home. If that isn't true friendship, I don't know what is. (And my dad once wondered how I could possibly ever consider driving two hours for a good dinner...)

Dig down deep

Baby let's go below the surface
See what we can find
There's no reason to be nervous
'Cause it happens all the time

I don't want to go up to the mountain
I don't need to go down to the sea
Gonna sit right here 'till we unravel
The mystery

While the lights of the city
Are shining below
Gonna hold onto you girl
And never let go
While everyone else is just walking around
In their sleep
Baby let's dig down
Dig down deep
I wanna dig down deep

And I don't wanna wait until tomorrow
'Cause the fortune said that "The time is now"
It's time to find out what we're doing
What we're doing anyhow

Let's go out in the moonlight
And walk for awhile
Maybe stay up all night and we could
Talk for awhile
Kick off your shoes
'Cause you've got nothing to lose
But your sleep
Baby let's dig down
Dig down deep
I wanna dig down deep

It's an open invitation
So baby don't you cry
It's a life long celebration
And I think we're right on time
It's a feeling in your heart
And a lump in the throat
It's a strange and lovely ride
Wanna dig down deep inside

While the lights of the city
Are shining below
Gonna hold onto you girl
And never let go
While everyone else is just walking around
In their sleep
Baby let's dig down
Dig down deep
I wanna dig down deep

Could you dig down deep
I wanna dig down deep

— Marc Cohn

Kansas city, ks

I"m here but missed my exit no fewer than three times. Let's just say that the combination of I70 and I670/ALT70 through KC is a bit confusing when all you want it I70. The fact that the rain coming down gave everyone about 10 feet of visibility didn't help.

I do have WiFi access here in KCkPL. The funny part is that when I mentioned to one staff person that I didn't need them to unsecure the trainer's computer since I was able to access their wireless service their response was "We have wireless?". Ah, I love tech departments.

Science fiction?

Turns out that Denver Public Library believes that the eBook version of Moby Dick is Sci Fi.

Lee's summit, mo

I'm finished in Lawrence and tomorrow I'm teaching two classes at the Kansas City, KS Public Library. I'm staying, quite accidently in Lee's Summitt, MO on the SE side of KC. (Actually I don't think I bothered to look at a map when picking the hotel.) Well some things are good, the hotel has free WiFi access. I'm going to start getting used to this.

NEKLS

I'm at the offices of the North-Eastern Kansas Library System for the day. This is the first lab I've ever seen with WindowsME. Luckily for the tech support class I can use my laptop since I have no experience with ME and its security features, or lack thereof...

The scenic route

I'm all packed and ready to head out from Dodge City to Lawrence. I've decided to take "the angle" (the scenic route.) Check it out on a map and you'll see what I mean.

Clarrification

It seems that the lyrics I posted the other day for the song Cactus is not original to David Bowie. The tune was orignally done by The Pixies on the album Surfer Rosa. I have not previously heard this version but will be looking to get my hands on shortly.

Which powerpuff girl is this blog?

This blog seems to be most like Buttercup. How about your blog?
(Sorry Louise, but if I'd ended up with Buttercup I'd have to put myself out of my misery.)
Thanks L

The coffee grounds are not the problem...

-----Original Message-----
From:
Sent: Monday, April 26, 2004 3:36 PM
To: All Employees
Subject: Kitchen Sink

The kitchen sink is no longer clogged. Please be sure when you dump your coffee that you don't throw the stir sticks down the drain. This is what was clogging up the sink.
Thank you

An interesting security "feature"

The computers in this lab are secured in many ways, most typical like no Control Pannel. Here's one I've never seen before: I tried to right-click on a button in the Windows toolbar to close a program and I can't. The right-clicking anywhere on the desktop has been disabled. If I every find out why I'll let you know. Suggestions as to why this might be policy are welcome in comments.

04.27.04 Update:
Seems that the answer to this is that "it's a Gates thing." i.e. The Gates computers come set up that way and the folks here don't understand it either.

Of course they're not here

Well, no books for my Word and Excel class. For some unknown reason they never arrived here...

Dodge city public library

I know I've been here before but I don't remember the inside of the building, just the outside. Tha lab is one of those fishbowls so I'm sure I'll be stared at by patrons all day. (Pics on the photoblog.) The good news is that it's wireless so I'm at a full 11Mbps WiFi connection right now. Who would have thought that Dodge City, KS was such a wireless town...

The coffee grounds are not the problem...

-----Original Message-----
From:
Sent: Monday, April 26, 2004 3:36 PM
To: All Employees
Subject: Kitchen Sink

The kitchen sink is no longer clogged. Please be sure when you dump your coffee that you don't throw the stir sticks down the drain. This is what was clogging up the sink.
Thank you

Two quotes

"How long since someone had thanked her? Someone who had mattered."

"Was there ever a trap to match the trap of love?"

— Stephen King, The Gunslinger

Dodge city, ks

I'm here. Seems that there's free broadband Net access in this hotel but before I went back down to the desk to ask for a network cable (I don't carry one with me,) I booted up the computer and tried to find WiFi anyway. Seems that this is an unadvertised featre of this hotel. I've only gog 5.5Mbps but that's more than enough for blogging and checking my e-mail. Now, as for a place to eat dinner...

Oh, and on the way out here I say the following sign along I70 that I'd not noticed before:

FOOD
HOSPITAL
NEXT RIGHT

This just struck me as funny...

Yoda has died, Princess Leia mourns.

You think I'm kidding? Read this article.

Surprise, filters still overblock

This time everyone is pointing to the filters built into search engines including the big 'G'.

I will not take these things for granted

one part of me just wants to tell you everything
one part just needs the quiet
and if i'm lonely here, i'm lonely here
and on the telephone
you offer reassurance

i will not take these things for granted

how can i hold the part of me that only you can carry
it needs a strength i haven't found
but if it's frightening, i'll bear the cold
and on the telephone
you offer warm asylum

i'm listening
flowers in the garden
laughter in the hall
children in the park
i will not take these things for granted
anymore

to crawl inside the wire and feel something near me
to feel this accepting
that it is lonely here, but not alone
and on the telephone
you offer visions dancing

i'm listening
music in the bedroom
laughter in the hall
dive into the ocean
singing by the fire
running through the forest
and standing in the wind
in rolling canyons

i will not take these things for granted

— Toad the Wet Sprocket

Cactus

Sitting here
wishing on a cement floor
Just wishing that
i had just something you wore
I put it on when I go lonely
Will you take off your dress
and send it to me?

I miss your kissin'
and i miss your head
And a letter in your writing
doesn't mean you're not dead

Just run outside in the desert heat
Make your dress all wet
and send it to me
I miss your soup and I miss your bread
And a letter in your writing
doesn't mean you're not dead
So spill your breakfast
and drip your wine
Just wear that dress when you dine

D-A-V-I-D

So, sitting here wishing
on a cement floor
Just wishing that i had just something

Unclear on the concept

I've edited the following so as to not incriminate the guilty…

We've discovered that when you are using the browser version of [the program], if you double-click on any button or command, [the program] registers the action twice. Technically, the second click should cancel out the first click, and you should not notice any difference. However, in almost all cases, [the program] currently tries to complete both requests, causing a delay of over a minute to respond to you, and, in some cases, causing the record to be invalidated and the system to return error messages that are not useful.

When using the [the program] browser, it is best to avoid double-clicking and to wait for a system response before sending the next command.

We will be resolving this problem in the future, but for the time being, please avoid double-clicking in the [the program] browser.

Or, people could just realize that there is no need whatsoever to double-click, ever within a browser. Instead the company feels that they need to fix a problem at their end, when it really is a user problem.

Bad timing

L tells me that her company decided to swap out a server this week. Some genius decided this needed to be done at 2pm on Tuesday afternoon. (BCR will be swapping ISPs this week. This is a simple five minute job and we're still doing it after 5pm on Friday, just in case something goes wrong.) Everything was back up sometime mid Wednesday in essescence killing a full day's work for at least one employee, the company accountant and head of HR.

Foreboding

This search for bookstores in Dodge City, KS does not bode well.

Michael, oh michael

According to this Drudge Report Michael Moore's Web site is designed and hosted by Canadian companies.

Starts with a 'G' and ends with an 'e'

Here is a list of things that can't be found there.
Thanks Louise

You are a librarian

Yes you are. Reload for confirmation…
Thanks Louise

LCC@Home

I'm not sure I'm ready to use LC classification to organize my personal entertainment collections just yet.

Ah, lawyers

It seems that at some point there was a class action lawsuit against a company that formerly helf the mortgage on my house. I vaguely recall signing up as part of the class but honestly I don't remember what the whole thing was about. Well, today I received my settlement check. The amount? A whopping $2.41! Hell, I got more than that from the CD pricing settlement.

On css-d today…

"I swear, reading the W3C specs is sometimes right up there with reading Thomas Aquinas. It all makes perfect sense . . . *after* someone explains it!"
Skip Knox, Boise State University

Down in the underground

No one can blame you for walking away

But too much protection
no love rejection.
Life can be easy
it's not always well

Don't tell me truth hurts little girl
'cause it hurts like hell.

But down in the underground you'll find someone true

Down in the underground
a land serene and crystal.
It's only forever
not long at all

Lost and lonely - that's underground
underground!

— David Bowie

Quiz

Which Nigerian Spammer Are You?
Thanks Lisa

Tell me are you a christian child

Kirk Cameron wants to know.

Pandas

A panda walks into a restaurant, sits down and orders a sandwich.

The panda is brought his sandwich and promptly eats it.

When done eating the panda gets up, pulls out a gun, blows six holes in the walls and starts to leave.

The owner of the restaurant shouts to the panda as he's walking out the door. "Why, oh why, did you do that."

The panda, stops and turns back to the owner. The panda pulls a wildlife guide out of his bag and starts to read out loud.

"Pandas. Native to China. Black and white fur. Eats, shoots and leaves,"

Bigger and bigger

Sixteen years ago, in 1988, I was given my first IBM PC by my parents. At the time it was quite an amazing machine, an upgrade from my Atari XL, for one particular reason, it had a hard drive. This hard drive was a whopping 10MB. Today, I just bought a second hard drive to add to my current desktop computer. It's size, 160GB. Yes, 16 years and this new drive has 16,000 times the storage capactiy of my first hard drive.

I like ike

I'm currently at the Eisenhower Center in Abilene, KS. Pics on the photo blog.

The litttle apple

Well, I'm in Manhattan, KS and it's Easter Sunday. It was a nice drive but the holiday significantly limited my dinner choices. Ended up with Chinese buffet, the first since the food poisioning incident in Boisie almost two years ago. I feel fine so far...

I knew I shoud have brought my bike. The weather is perfect and there's some sweet trails right behind my hotel. Oh well, walking is almost as fun. (Check out the photo blog for pics.)

Love mac? hate mac?

Just check out this guy's opinion.
Thanks Lisa!

Miscrosoft security, kinda like jumbo shrimp

I've been covering how to create goos passwords in one of my newest classes so I was interested when a Microsoft newsletter can across my desk with a link to an article entitled Creating stronger passwords. One of their suggestions is "don't use 'remember my password' features on the web." If they believe this is good advice, why does Internet Explorer have this feature?

The art of sorrow

Here's a photomosaic of George W. Bush made up of US soldiers that have dies in Iraq.

The library underground

This blog has been listed on the page of Librarians' Home Pages. I realy like the description Chris gave my site.

Recluce site update

Lee's new Recluce novel, The Wellspring of Chaos came out on Tuesday. I've updated the site accordingly.

Gmail as big brother

Anyone thinking about using Google's forthcoming free e-mail service needs to read this article first. If you're still wanting to use it please come around so I may give you a swat about the head.

Grammar joke. (Contains mild language.)

Two busty coeds—a Southern belle and a New England yankee—are in Florida on spring break. The belle turns to the yankee and asks, “So, where y'all from?”

The yankee turns up her nose and says, “I’m from a school where we don’t end sentences with prepositions.”

Without missing a beat, the belle replies, “So, where y'all from, bitch?”

Thanks Mark

Blast from the past

Want to see what folks like me were treaching folks about the Internet back in 1996? If so, check out The Internet Roadmap '96.

Fish!

It seems that my photo of a Goldfish got posted as an 'editor's pick' on the moblog homepage. (Chances are, by the time you read this, it won't be there any more.)

Laugh or cry, this is still funny

Right-wing eye
Thanks Louise

The ultimate lego kit

I want one of these!

Beware what fiction you write

According to this article "New American Library, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA), was going to reprint Sisters, a historical romance published in 1981 that includes brothels, attempted rapes and a lesbian love affair... 'If there is a serious demand for this 25-year-old book, I am confident that America's used bookstores will be able to satisfy it,' Barnett said."

Web deisgn book update

Chapter 9 (Frames) has been written.

Day off

I've taken the day off but don't think I'm just sleeping. (Don't I wish) I'm working on the Web design book and I've just finished Chapter 10: Metadata.

The first twelve

With a high of 66 today, I had no excuse not to get out on my bike for the first time. Actually, I'd been waiting for this day for a while now. I just remeber this time last year when there was no way I could envision a 12 mile ride. Today, didn't even think about it. Granted, I when I got back a took a three-hour nap but I think thats more from the travel than the ride.

Koontz book update

Information on Life Expectancy and listings of articles for the upcoming Frankenstein TV series were added today. (Seems that Parker Posey has landed a lead role. Cool.) Still no word back from Dean yet on the ms.

Never thought...

i'd wake up and be happy its a gray and rainy day.

Unclear on the concept

The guy behind me in line at Starbucks just ordered the same drink as hus friend but "with one equal sugar" in it.

What in tarnation?

Wow, we're actually experienceing a real-live thunder and lightning storm and all the rain and wind that goes along with it right now and boy has it been a while since that's happened around here.

Should I go see the passion or dawn of the dead?

Today's Boondocks settles that issue.

The O'Franken Factor

Al Franken's radio show has begun. Unless you in one of the six lucky cities you'll need to listen online.

Google

Did you notice that Google mad some slight changes last week? Well, Iliad did in this comic and in this one.

National Debt

Here's what the current national debt is to the penny according to the US Teasury Department.

Lumped in with the young ones

Here's a interesting survey of what 18- to 34-year-olds are doing online. (.pdf)

SF museum

Looks like the Science Fiction Museum is opening this summer in Seattle, WA. Also looks like I'll be out that way sometime this Fall. Hey, something to look forward to.

Koontz (not book) update

Dean's going to be at this summer's LA Times Festival of Books. Me, I'll be in Kansas.

Powerpoint

The Pledge of Allegiance in Powerpoint.

Language fun

Here's two for Laura: 100 Most Often Mispronounced Words and Phrases in English and What is Your Grammar Aptitude? (According to this test I'm a "grammar nazi" so it must be very easy.)

Spam proof

Here's how much spam I had waiting for me in my work account from the past two weeks:

MPAA ratings and libraries

I was told this was available on the ILA Web site but I couldn't find it so I've posted it here as sent to the Alaska Library Association e-list.

Movie Ratings Are Private, Not Public Policy
Deborah Caldwell-Stone, ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom

Over the years, questions have arisen concerning the application of the Library Bill of Rights principles to specific library practices. One of the first, a 1951 Peoria, Illinois, case involving films in the public library, required the American Library Association (ALA) to clarify the application of the Library Bill of Rights to nonprint materials. A recommendation by the ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee and the Audio-Visual Board resulted in the ALA Council's adding an Interpretive footnote explaining that the Library Bill of Rights applies to all materials and media of communication used or collected by libraries. More than fifty years later, these questions have resurfaced at the Cook Memorial Public Library District. Members of the library board proposed that the library use the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) movie rating system to restrict minors' access to movies. The following is an excerpt from Deborah Caldwell-Stone's recent presentation to that board on this issue. Deborah is deputy director of the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom.

Over the past several months, advocates claiming to advance "family values" and "community standards" have urged several local library boards to adopt policies restricting minor patrons' access to DVDs and videos rated R, or Restricted, by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). Adoption of the MPAA ratings system as a means of restricting minors' access to certain films or videos raises significant legal concerns for public libraries.

A Private and Voluntary Ratings System To understand the legal risks involved, it is important to understand the role of the MPAA and the nature of its ratings system. Despite public perception to the contrary, the MPAA is not a government entity, nor are its activities sanctioned by local, state, or federal government. It is a private trade association whose members produce and distribute motion pictures in theatres, on television, and by release on videotapes and DVDs. As one of its services on behalf of its members, the MPAA administers the Classification and Ratings Administration (CARA), the organization responsible for awarding ratings to motion pictures. The MPAA administers CARA as a means of giving parents advance information about a film, so the parents can decide whether a film is appropriate for their child.

A filmmaker who wants an MPAA rating affixed to his or her film submits the film to CARA, whose reviewers watch the film and decide which rating is appropriate - G, PG, PG-13, R, and NC-17. Ratings can be assigned based upon certain criteria - the number of expletives used in the dialogue, or the number of times a body part is exposed, or the number of murders or injuries that take place within the film. Ratings can also be assigned based on how the reviewer perceives the film as a whole. Whatever the rating, it is meant to serve only as an informative advisory for parents. An MPAA rating is not, and has never been, a legal determination that a particular motion picture is "obscene," or "obscene as to minors," or "harmful to minors." Only a court of law can make that determination.

The MPAA itself emphasizes that its ratings system is strictly voluntary and has no force of law. No law requires a filmmaker to submit a film for a rating, and no law requires a theatre or video dealer to follow the MPAA ratings guidelines when selling movie tickets or DVDs. Those who participate in the MPAA ratings system are doing so voluntarily to provide a service to parents.

The Library as Government Agency Public libraries, as government agencies, are bound by the requirements of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. In Board of Education of Island Trees v. Pico, the Supreme Court affirmed that the FirstAmendment protects the library user's right to receive information in the public library. 1

Public libraries cannot restrict a user's access to library materials on the grounds that the content of the materials is somehow objectionable or unsuitable. Rules and policies that restrict access to library materials because of their content create a presumption that the library is engaging in an unconstitutional prior restraint of constitutionally protected speech. This presumption arises even when the library user is a minor, for minors unquestionably possess First Amendment rights. As the Supreme Court noted in Erznoznik v. Jacksonville, "speech that is neither obscene as to youths nor subject to other legitimate proscription cannot be suppressed solely to protect the young from ideas or images a legislative body thinks unsuitable for them."2 In addition, restrictions on users' access based on the content of library materials must meet exacting requirements to pass constitutional muster. For adults, this means a court must find that a film is obscene under the test set out in Miller v. California.3

In the case of minors, such restrictions can only be enforced when a court of law determines that a movie is "obscene as to minors" or "harmful to minors" under Illinois law.4

When a library imposes restrictions on a user's access to a film before a court of law determines its legal status, the library, as a government agency, must provide a means and an opportunity for a hearing on the validity of the restriction at the earliest possible time.

A public library's use of MPAA ratings as a means of restricting minors' access to films fails to comply with any of these legal standards. The MPAA candidly admits that its reviewers make no use of the tests for obscenity imposed by state or federal law when they assign ratings to films.5

Instead, the reviewers employ imprecise, subjective, and frequently changing criteria that provide no notice to the filmmaker or the viewer regarding precisely what content is proscribed, or why. And when a public library adopts the MPAA ratings to restrict minors' access to certain films, there is no means at all for judicial review of the prohibition. The public library's restriction on films represents a presumptively unconstitutional prior restraint on speech. Public Institutions and Private Standards Don't Mix As a government agency, the public library is empowered to set policy and create rules for the operation of the library by the authority granted to the library's board by state and local laws. And as a government agency, its policies and implementation of rules are subject to review by the legislature and the courts.

But when a library uses MPAA ratings to restrict users' access to films, it is delegating its power to make rules for the operation of the library to a private, unregulated organization that is not subject to overview by a court or legislature. By giving over the library's authority to make policy to a private organization - authority reserved by Illinois state law to the library district and its board - the library can violate the Due Process Clause, which assures citizens that every act taken by a government entity is subject to proper checks and balances under the law.

Courts across the country have relied upon these constitutional standards to invalidate the use of MPAA ratings as a means of restricting access to films in a variety of contexts. Among the cases are Engdahl v. City of Kenosha, which invalidated a Kenosha, Wis., ordinance using MPAA ratings to prohibit minors from seeing certain films6 and Motion Picture Association of America v. Specter, which invalidated a criminal statute penalizing theatres that allowed minors to view films rated "not suitable for children" by the MPAA.7

More recently, federal courts in Chicago and St. Louis invalidated local ordinances that relied upon a private ratings system for video games to regulate minors' access to video arcades, reinforcing the principle it is unconstitutional for a government entity to use private ratings systems to restrict minors' access to protected expression.8

Thus, any library choosing to use or enforce the MPAA ratings as a means of restricting young people's access to videos or DVDs in its collection risks a significant constitutional challenge to their policy. Such challenges may consume staff and board members' time in court defending the policy. In addition, as a government agency, the library runs a financial risk in any lawsuit based upon the First Amendment and the Constitution. Should the library lose the legal challenge to its use of the MPAA ratings system, it can be required to pay the successful plaintiff an award of court costs and attorneys fees. Such awards are authorized by Section 1983, the federal law that grants citizens the right to sue the government when the government violates their civil rights.

Ethics and the Law Restricting young people's access to films, videos, and DVDs is not only a legal issue for libraries and librarians; it is an ethical issue, as well. Article V of the ALA's Library Bill of Rights unambiguously calls on libraries and librarians to support and defend the young person's right to freely access ideas and information in the public library. The ALA statement "Free Access to Libraries for Minors: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights," outlines the ethical obligations of the library and the librarian in regard to youth, parents, and access to library materials:

"Parents-and only parents-have the right and the responsibility to restrict the access of their children-and only their children-to library resources. Parents or legal guardians who do not want their children to have access to certain library services, materials, or facilities, should so advise their children. Librarians and governing bodies cannot assume the role of parents or the functions of parental authority in the private relationship between parent and child. Librarians and governing bodies have a public and professional obligation to provide equal access to all library resources for all library users."9

Libraries are not strangers to the controversy over the use of the MPAA ratings system to restrict access to films in a library's collection. In 1989, in response to this controversy, the ALA Council adopted the resolution, "Access for Children and Young People to Videotapes and Other Nonprint Formats: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights," to provide librarians with guidelines for addressing the issue:

"Policies which set minimum age limits for access to videotapes and/or other audiovisual materials and equipment, with or without parental permission, abridge library use for minors. Further, age limits based on the cost of the materials are unacceptable. Unless directly and specifically prohibited by law from circulating certain motion pictures and video productions to minors, librarians should apply the same standards to circulation of these materials as are applied to books And other materials.

"Recognizing that libraries cannot act in loco parentis, ALA acknowledges and supports the exercise by parents of their responsibility to guide their own children's reading and viewing. Published reviews of films and videotapes and/or reference works which provide information about the content, subject matter, and recommended audiences can be made available in conjunction with nonprint collections to assist parents in guiding their children without implicating the library in censorship."10

Use of the MPAA ratings system to restrict young people's access to films and videos is a violation of the Library Bill of Rights and an impermissible prior restraint on free expression. Public libraries considering the use of the MPAA ratings to restrict young people's access to videos and DVDs should instead turn to other, proven methods to guide young people's choices in the library. The library's professional staff can be asked to create collection development and usage policies that are consistent with both professional ethics and the law; acquire materials that provide parents with the resources and information they need to guide their child's choices; and develop programs and workshops for young people that teach them the critical viewing and thinking skills they need to make good judgments for a lifetime of reading and viewing.

Footnotes:

1. Board of Education v. Pico, 457 U.S. 853 (1982).
2. Erznoznik v. Jacksonville, 422 U.S. 205 (1975).
3. Miller v. California, 413 U.S. 15 (1973).
4. Ginsberg v. New York, 390 U.S. 629 (1968).
5. Benjamin Svetkey, "Why Movie Ratings Don't Work," Entertainment Weekly, November 25, 1994.
6. Enghahl v. City of Kenosha, 317 F. Supp. 1133 (E.D. Wis. 1970).
7. Motion Picture Association of America v. Specter, 315 F. Supp. 824 (E.D. Pa. 1970.) Other court decisions invalidating government entities' use of MPAA ratings include Swope v. Lubbers, 560 F.Supp. 1328 (W.D. Mich. 1983) and Rosen v. Budco, 10 Phila. 112 (1983).
8. American Amusement Machine Association v. Kendrick, 244 F.3d 954 (7th Cir. 2001); see also Interactive Digital Software Association v. St. Louis County, 329 F.3d 954 (8th Cir. 2003).
9. "Free Access to Libraries for Minors: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights," American Library Association, 1991.
10. "Access for Children and Young People to Videotapes and Other Nonprint Formats: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights," American Library Association, 1989.

Tightrope

"Tell me about her."

"She has wings and I do not. Have you known jealousy? That ache which seems so sweet, but pries with its little blades. The kiss is the keenest dagger."

"Do you wish you hadn't kissed her?"

"Would my life have been easier? I'd have pottered around my library perfectly contented till I died. But my heart would have never started beating. I can't wish myself unborn. Now I am in the world and there are so steps backward, as I have learned on the journey."

Solya nodded. "The first step onto a tightrope must carry you to the other side. There is no turning back."

The Book of Flying
Keith Miller

I knew it

I finally paid enough attention this time to catch the airline in the act. My flight from Rochester to Atlanta was scheduled to leave at 9:54 and land at 11:58, a total flight time of two hours and four minutes. Once on the plane the pilot came on, gave the obligatory welcome aboard, and then informed us of the "one hour and 42 minute flight time" to Atlanta. No wonder flights are now consistantly on time and many times "early". Lying on the schedule allows you to pull off the trick of no longer being constantly late.

Female coders need not worry, directly

Many of you know that I'm a big proponent of Web standards. Well today John Hopkins has announced one more reason why standards should be used when coding Web pages.

Heading home, eventually

The Rochester International Airport once again. Heading back to Denver (via Atlanta once again, go figure) but not quite heading home. I get to go straight fron DIA to the new branch of APL out int the Eastern boonies for the annual jonit dinner of the APL & FAPL boards. (Since I'm on both boards I have to be there twice.) Unfortunately, even though there's more than two hours between landing and the dinner, the branch is far enough away in the opposite direction from home that there's not enough time to stop home first. Of course, this will get me to the dinner about an hour early.