Go ahead, ask

[altivo]

After that last one, where I did what amounted to prying into private thoughts (or so it seemed to me at times) I feel as if I should give you all a chance to get even. I don't think I've done this one, though I've seen others try it.

Ask me anything. No holds barred, though in a few cases I might answer in private rather than here. I will try to answer anything honestly if you want to ask.

In other news, rain, rain, rain. Power has gone out twice today. The first time it took down the network at the library. Or at least, they thought it did and called me. I was puzzled at first because it was a short outage, under ten minutes, so everything with UPS protection should have just stayed up through it.

Turned out that the local name servers had shut down on UPS command, after five minutes. Once they do that, the UPS is supposed to kill the power. When the power comes back on, they restart themselves. Well, the power came back on before the UPS itself shut off, but after the servers had closed. Consequently, neither one woke back up. The network connection was live, but everyone there thought it was dead because everything they did to test it depended on getting a DNS response first. I'm going to have to hard code an external IP for an alternate server on some machines to get around this. I've given up on getting anyone else to actually understand the distinction and diagnose it without my help.

Comments

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

cock length? *falls over in giggles* Sorry I had to say it :) Seriously though, how do you see the future of printed literature?

[altivo.livejournal.com]

If it's important enough for you to need to ask, then not big enough to satisfy you. ;p

Printed books are going to be with us for a good long time yet. The technology by which they are produced and distributed is changing rapidly, but they are still coming off the press. For instance, the "print on demand" systems like Lulu, iUniverse, or FurPlanet are growing rapidly. It is practical to produce books, even bound hardcover books, to order and for a small audience yet still do so for a reasonable price. The large publishers who produce best selling titles are changing their production methods as well. They can no longer afford to hold large inventories of back titles, and must produce smaller runs more frequently. Fortunately, electronic typesetting and assembly-line machinery that prints, folds, and binds all in a single run have made this much more practical.

Yes, digital books that are read from a computer screen or a handheld device like the Kindle or the eBookwise-1150 are growing in popularity, but I believe they have a self-limiting audience. I'm more concerned about the overall decline in reading and literacy, which is accelerating rapidly in the US and I suspect similar patterns in other developed countries.

As for libraries, they are going to be with us for a long, long time. Too many paper books to digitize, Google notwithstanding, and much too costly to convert.

[flamekist.livejournal.com]

If it's important enough for you to need to ask, then not big enough to satisfy you.

This is my new favorite answer to that question!

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Being nothing but ordinary in that department, I do tend to get irritated by the obsession some folks have. ;p

Playing with... words :P

[gabrielhorse.livejournal.com]

Forgive them- they have the idea reinforced from so many outside sources, they think it's important ^_^ My favorite answer to that question is "Everything is relative"; everyone's own perspective determines what is "normal" or bigger or smaller.