Over The Edge

As usual, The Shifted Librarian just Gets It. Here’s part of her expansion on my idea: Or what about the library paying for a subscription to an online serial that makes it available to residents. Theoretically, a user with a valid library barcode would go to the library’s web site, enter the barcode, and be authenticated through to the full version. […]

Story in the Wall Street Journal earlier this week about plans to build a bridge between the Italian mainland and the island of Sicily. It’s been talked about since roughly the third century (A.D.), but Italian officials say now that this is the time. The suspension bridge will be two miles long — three times […]

Tried Vanilla Coke tonight. Not bad, actually, but don’t be expecting Coca-Cola. It looks like Coke, and even has Coke’s slightly citrus smell. But it tastes like a pretty good cream soda. Which is good, since that’s what a vanilla soda is supposed to taste like.  

The record industry is calling the radio business corrupt. I myself am shocked, shocked to hear that. Could it be remotely possible that the real problem with record sales isn’t that people are stealing music but that, with the Communications Act of 1996, Congress and the last two presidential administrations broke the promotional mechanism that drove both […]

I’m still working on my full answer to this, but Walter Cronkite gets at least some of the answer right: if you’re going to call yourself a journo, be prepared to be held to those standards — not that that’s saying much these days.