Month: July 2015

Uncle Sam wants YOU to read ‘popular’ scholarly books – The Washington Post

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The Public Scholar program, a major new initiative from the National Endowment for the Humanities, is designed to promote the publication of scholarly nonfiction books for a general audience, and the first round of grants has just been announced: a total of $1.7 million to 36 writers across a broad collection of disciplines. The grants range from $25,200 to $50,400. (Full list at bottom.)

via Uncle Sam wants YOU to read ‘popular’ scholarly books – The Washington Post.

 

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What Do We Want From the Next Librarian of Congress? | Electronic Frontier Foundation

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What Do We Want From the Next Librarian of Congress?

There’s a reason “librarians everywhere” were singled out for an EFF Pioneer award in 2000. Time and again, in fights against censorship and intrusive surveillance laws, librarians have been allies of the public, serving as the institutional representation of the ideals of intellectual freedom, unfettered speech, and reader privacy.

via What Do We Want From the Next Librarian of Congress? | Electronic Frontier Foundation.

 

8 Weird Facts From the History of the Library

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Flavorwire

“The hallmark of public libraries — the printed book, bound by covers and centuries of page-turning — is being shoved aside by digital doppelgangers,” the Washington Postwrote this month. It’s true. And because of the recent incineration of hundreds of thousands of printed volumes across the Western world, libraries are of increasing interest to the “general intellect.”

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With grace and sly charm, Garrison Keillor prepares to exit ‘Prairie Home Companion’ – LA Times

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Whispery and wise and flecked with eccentric humor, Garrison Keillor’s baritone has long seeped across a nation that, despite its perpetual restiveness and cravings for trends, has found comfort in his brand of Midwestern pragmatism, schmaltz and slow-motion charm.

via With grace and sly charm, Garrison Keillor prepares to exit ‘Prairie Home Companion’ – LA Times.

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At Comic-Con, Bring Out Your Fantasy and Fuel the Culture – The New York Times

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SAN DIEGO — A critic at Comic-Con International feels less like a fish out of water than like an excluded middleman. The local currency is not skepticism but enthusiasm, and though there is plenty of room in the cavernous halls of the convention center for disappointment and disagreement, irony is thoroughly banished.

via At Comic-Con, Bring Out Your Fantasy and Fuel the Culture – The New York Times.

San Diego Comic-Con International

San Diego Comic-Con International (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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TT: Jack McDevitt: Guide to Cosmic Wonder

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Jane Lindskold: Wednesday Wanderings

ALAN: Recently I came across Cryptic, a collection of short stories by Jack McDevitt. It was a bit of a surprise – I think of him more as a novelist rather than as a short story writer, and I’m not sure I’ve even seen any of his short stories before. He’s a friend of yours, isn’t he?

JANE: I’d like to think so.  We met Jack when he was GOH at Bubonicon back in, I think, 1999.  He had such a good time, he came back a year or so later.  Then we spent time together when I was GOH at Oasis in Florida back in 2005.  I think those may be the only time we’ve met in person, but we stay in touch.

But then, as you and I know, physical proximity is no longer a requirement for friendship!

ALAN: Oh, indeed. In my opinion, physical proximity is…

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The New Horizons Probe Has Made Its Closest Approach to Pluto | Science | Smithsonian

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Mission scientists are now waiting for the confirmation signal that the pre-programmed event went as planned and the craft is healthy

via The New Horizons Probe Has Made Its Closest Approach to Pluto | Science | Smithsonian.

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Celebrating ‘The Big Chill’ on Its 30th Anniversary | Flavorwire

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Those of us who were born in the early ’80s (and even those a few years older than us) might know The Big Chill best because of its soundtrack. The film, released 30 years ago tomorrow, spawned two records (my parents, inexplicably, had two copies of both on vinyl), including songs by The Temptations, The Four Tops, Aretha Franklin, Three Dog Night, The Band, et al — songs were popular during the mid- to late ’60s, the time during which the characters in the film attended the University of Michigan together. The film is about nostalgia, and was one of the first to incite the Baby Boomers to look fondly, if a bit narcissistically, at their own Good Old Days.

via Celebrating ‘The Big Chill’ on Its 30th Anniversary | Flavorwire.

 

Where are the books? Libraries under fire as they shift from print to digital. – The Washington Post

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The hallmark of public libraries — the printed book, bound by covers and centuries of page-turning — is being shoved aside by digital doppelgangers.

via Where are the books? Libraries under fire as they shift from print to digital. – The Washington Post.

 

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