You are looking at posts that were written in the month of June in the year 2005.
Posted on June 9th, 2005 by longestnow.
Categories: fly-by-wire.
The biggest lapse in the recent Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galazy film wasn’t its disconnection, unbelievable romance, or score. It was Marvin, who the director, like trillions of others before him, didn’t understand. Marvin didn’t annoy merely with his voice and his sarcasm; he was a master of timing, annoying by waiting exactly the right number of milliseconds before responding or doing anything.
It is remarkable, how much meaning one can put into a pause, or a well timed step, look, twitch, or breath. Life can be lost or thrown out of joint by less. I’m not sure that hell is full of pain and suffering and lack of freedom. Worse would be the constant promise of freedom, curtailed by a stream of mishaps or reality shifts outside one’s control; I imagine Sisyphus’ unlife as complicated to the point that he can never be sure that success is truly outside his control.
For instance, for the last two weeks, ‘net access has been flaky. Not bad enough that Verizon techs can catch it when I call, but bad enough to cut me off a few times a day and interrupt a half-dozen important conversations. (We need to develop the network equivalent of a UPS for stateless services…) So I have to decide each night whether to go down to the campus lab to work, or stay home. Or to go to the theater across the street with superb wireless.
So that’s where I went yesterday night. There were too many people everywhere; I needed to get away. What a great atmosphere a movie theatre has for doing work. I could have camped out there all night, but I don’t think they would have approved. Maybe they should consider opening a side business after hours.
Posted on June 5th, 2005 by longestnow.
Categories: %a la mod.
New trends in librarianship in the newslib rooms, came up in the pre-SLA conference sessions back in June. Somehow this post slipped through the cracks…
Posted on June 3rd, 2005 by longestnow.
Categories: fly-by-wire.
Thanks to greyhound racing and long-past temporary insanity, I will be antilaxing at a lavish de villa tomorrow, or in some sort of canadian bishopric, with a small casket of librarians.
I tried to put a positive spin on this, but rura quickly shot me down.
No, you won't be special. you're not a librarian.
Gnaaaaaah. I certainly hope the Europeans are there over the weekend, or I will feel silly about the whole thing.
Posted on June 3rd, 2005 by longestnow.
Categories: SJ.
Both first and last on my list. First, because you have been on it for a decade; were its founding member. I have long owed you the impossible, or at least a calligraphed letter to that effect. Last, for celebrating less warmly than deserved your liberation from the far side of the pond.
It held plumb, level, solid, square and true for that one great moment… The key to Dugan’s lucidity is that it is really hard to nail even one hand to a crosspiece yourself, whether or not you are a carpenter. Those asking a great deal have often sacrificed a great deal first. Thankfully, by that point it rarely feels like sacrifice.
Posted on June 2nd, 2005 by longestnow.
Categories: %a la mod.
And somehow I missed its blowhardy goodness at the time. I like Paul Graham and Dave Winer, but I love that essay. The world needs more art and literature nerds renouncing a life of easy lays for software geekdom.
Also, an even older root-mean-square gem, for elle.