I've decided to give this anti-theft software a try. It's expensive... but from everything I've read on their site and 3rd party testimonials, without being an actual Black Hatter it feels nearly unbeatable.
Undercover saves student's laptop in Ann Arbor, MI (with tweets) · wintrek · Storify
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Friday, December 11, 2009
Tanka
After having done my final project for collection development: choosing books of Japanese poetry for a library collection, I'm starting to really miss reading it. Today I made a tanka... it's not bad (can't remember for sure if it's my first). Somehow it's actually easier to be personal and reflective in Japanese than it is in English. Let me what you think.
果てしのない配管のゴツンで口火何処気丈夫想起遊具とサッム
果てしのない配管のゴツンで口火何処気丈夫想起遊具とサッム
Saturday, August 22, 2009
偽り
真実の反対はうそという
I spent a couple hours today looking through my parents' photo albums (which, because we have no such illusions about such things, is nothing more than a few boxes full of unmarked, undated envelopes from the photolabs) and what i found was incredibly shocking.
Unfortunately for me, there probably is no secret past to be uncovered. But the more I looked, the less I recognized and the more I realized the past cannot be true for more than one person. Events that I remember so clearly and vividly were not the events my parents or my brothers remembered. Events they remembered clearly occupied no space in my mind. During my childhood I was almost inseparable from my younger brother but we hardly share a single memory. I know one or the other of my parents or my nurse was present for many of my early memories but those moments passed as nothing that might have created a memory for them.
One set of pictures really opened my eyes: a single day trip through parts of Vermont, the only time I'd ever visited it. I think I must have been thirteen or fourteen. But of that trip i remember nothing aside from a storefront for a marble factory. I never thought much about it but when i looked at those pictures... i realized it wasn't that i hadn't remembered it, it was that it couldn't have been remembered. The entire landscape was covered in incredibly dense fog. There was really nothing to be seen.
Are memories formed by what we see or what we don't see? Is a past a thing that can be shared? Or is a random convergence of two sentient beings' hazy memories with imagined gap-filling enough to say an event actually occurred at all? Philosophy is a bitch.
I spent a couple hours today looking through my parents' photo albums (which, because we have no such illusions about such things, is nothing more than a few boxes full of unmarked, undated envelopes from the photolabs) and what i found was incredibly shocking.
Unfortunately for me, there probably is no secret past to be uncovered. But the more I looked, the less I recognized and the more I realized the past cannot be true for more than one person. Events that I remember so clearly and vividly were not the events my parents or my brothers remembered. Events they remembered clearly occupied no space in my mind. During my childhood I was almost inseparable from my younger brother but we hardly share a single memory. I know one or the other of my parents or my nurse was present for many of my early memories but those moments passed as nothing that might have created a memory for them.
One set of pictures really opened my eyes: a single day trip through parts of Vermont, the only time I'd ever visited it. I think I must have been thirteen or fourteen. But of that trip i remember nothing aside from a storefront for a marble factory. I never thought much about it but when i looked at those pictures... i realized it wasn't that i hadn't remembered it, it was that it couldn't have been remembered. The entire landscape was covered in incredibly dense fog. There was really nothing to be seen.
Are memories formed by what we see or what we don't see? Is a past a thing that can be shared? Or is a random convergence of two sentient beings' hazy memories with imagined gap-filling enough to say an event actually occurred at all? Philosophy is a bitch.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Supporting Fans Who Happen to be Artists
A comment on the Okazu blog recently reminded me of how conflicted I often feel at cons. I have a friend (used to be a close friend) who is an artist and makes money wholly by selling her clothing at anime cons (currently she has countdowns for 5 on her Facebook...). The problem i've always had in supporting her is that when I proudly wear her pink beanie with panda-ears and drawstring, I am incapable of taking myself seriously and am opening myself up to ridicule by a culture at large that finds "cute" to be morally objectionable/wholly inappropriate in males.
In the past I have tried to support as many artists as there are who make buttons that say "i [heart] yuri" which i can easily put on my messenger bag and have no one be the wiser. Yet, there are many more artists who only make yaoi-inspired art (i have no where i can conveniently put it where my sexuality is not brought into question) or furry art (far worse to possess no matter the gender). i guess in those instances, i will simply not support the artist, but is that favoritism?
The question I know pose is as follows: Is supporting a starving artist (i know too well how it feels) even when their merchandize is wholly impractical/an eyesore, intelligent? If I support a yaoi-artist, despite having no way to display yaoi art (thus a waste of money), am I encouraging them to create more impractical art? I want these kids to earn enough money to get into a good art school and make for themselves... but my contribution is so small that it hardly makes a dent in such a tuition. My friend Jarrod had a novel idea for supporting our mutual hat-making friend, buy joint partnership in her business. In so doing, you can take pride in their work, without needing to necessarily buy impractical art... but, i think at that point you stop being an art connoisseur and start being a business person. I want to be an art connoisseur AND a good friend. Is there are happy medium?
In the past I have tried to support as many artists as there are who make buttons that say "i [heart] yuri" which i can easily put on my messenger bag and have no one be the wiser. Yet, there are many more artists who only make yaoi-inspired art (i have no where i can conveniently put it where my sexuality is not brought into question) or furry art (far worse to possess no matter the gender). i guess in those instances, i will simply not support the artist, but is that favoritism?
The question I know pose is as follows: Is supporting a starving artist (i know too well how it feels) even when their merchandize is wholly impractical/an eyesore, intelligent? If I support a yaoi-artist, despite having no way to display yaoi art (thus a waste of money), am I encouraging them to create more impractical art? I want these kids to earn enough money to get into a good art school and make for themselves... but my contribution is so small that it hardly makes a dent in such a tuition. My friend Jarrod had a novel idea for supporting our mutual hat-making friend, buy joint partnership in her business. In so doing, you can take pride in their work, without needing to necessarily buy impractical art... but, i think at that point you stop being an art connoisseur and start being a business person. I want to be an art connoisseur AND a good friend. Is there are happy medium?
Thursday, April 23, 2009
A Few Yuri Reviews
Today i convinced myself to start making some reviews of my more obscure books, starting with my yuri manga collection. I wrote them for LibraryThing but then copied them into Amazon and Amazon.co.jp. Here are some of the highlights, in no particular order because I am too tired to think (note: Castle of Dreams is not yuri, i don't know why i did that one). Oh and just so you know, the stars are ratings out of five stars.
Gokujo Drops - A light yuri story that centers around dorm life at a prestigious, debutant-esque girl's school. The protagonist is not the main character, who exists as an unassuming common place type girl in a sea of eccentric, aloof rich and beautiful girls. Not bad, but not necessarily one of my top ten favorites. Contains sexual content but i wouldn't call it explicit.
The story: a new transfer student Komari is inducted into the prestigious Ootori all girl's school. She is somewhat awkward but seemingly strong-willed. After a period of stress over where to live, she is offered a place in the most exclusive dorm on campus, provided that she become the personal attendant of a bijin ojousama. Romantic entanglements ensues as this girl sees Komari as more of a sexual slave/toy than a true friend.
Characters: Komari is so typical that it puts you to sleep. I'm not sure if she has will of her own but whatever there is of it is quickly subverted. She obviously has feelings for Yukio (? can't find a pronunciation for her name) but other than that she's content to be bullied or abused as her betters see fit. Yukio is controlling though simultaneously protecting/nurturing soul. She loves Komari but refuses to demonstrate it, preferring instead to use Komari sexually and adorn herself with Komari as the latest fad/a fashionable accessory. Other characters: interesting and somewhat vibrant. They seem to be lacking in development so far, beyond one sordid sexual encounter. Many of the characters are gay or bi, and do not hesitate to come on to Komari.
The art: under-par. Does contain one colored page. Mikuni-sensei chose to adorn his/her characters with large, empty, manhwa like eyes... but their bodies look like they belong in CLAMP. Seriously I can't find anything unique about it, or even that much bad about. It is thoroughly generic.
Overall: 2 1/2 stars
Hayate X Blade 2 (English translation) - The second installment in Hayashiya Shizuru's fun and engrossing not-yuri-but-should-have-been/could-easily-be-taken-to-be-yuri manga. Unlike Sister Red or Strawberry Shake Sweet, HxB is actually very funny.
The story: our heroine is one of a pair of twins from orphanage who enters a private elite girl's school to raise money for the orphanage. The student body at this school are encouraged to fight each with bouken in order to determine.... (okay yeah, i seriously have no idea, fill in the blank). Oh and, did I mention it's pseudo-yuri? Oh the angst. It is a thing of beauty.
Characters: Brilliant, if a little trying at times. The antagonists are a little two-dimensional but Hayashiya-sensei manages to their respective arcs with them all learning something. My favorite character? Nagi. She is 100% absent but still manages to be a character in the story.
Art: a joy to read. There is always the detractor of its size (smaller than standard but still quite readable), and desaturated pages, but those would really only be icing on the cake. I'm just happy it hasn't been dropped yet, an unfortunate conclusion to most Seven Seas purchases. This project was a joint Tor/Seven Seas so we're hopeful it'll be continued for a while.
Translation: I own volumes 3-6 in Japanese and I must say the translation works well in most cases. As it's billed as a comedy there are some culturally specific jokes that Adrienne Beck has done an adequate job of reworking into English and made notes in the appropriate (but thankfully few).
Overall: 4 stars
Castle of Dreams - Brilliant insightful work, a must have for any fan of Kare Kano (彼氏彼女の事情）.
Through a handful of short standalone stories that feature exotic locales and time periods, Tsuda eloquently connects all of human history in a web of suffering. Though her intentions were definitely not Buddhist in nature, most of these stories do focus on struggling to survive (or die trying) and making a name for oneself. Of course, they all share the patented Masami Tsuda shoujo romance (though not all the stories feature women) ethic.
The art is breathtaking; it's obvious to me that Tsuda-sensei really did her homework with on the locale and history that each story takes place in. The characters may be fictional, but the stories are history and folk lore.
My only regret is a lack of color, but that's typical (and sad) for TokyoPop. Trans was good (amazingly), but it's always hard to tell how they've managed to corrupt it if I don't have the original tankoubon in my hand.
Overall: 4 1/2 stars
Maka Maka 2 - Exceptional yuri art. Fantastic characterization. Wonderful slice of life story. No logical reasonable plot or story. Basically the artist is only interested in drawing the emotionally intense moments in a lesbian's life... and lesbian sex scenes. Far more of the latter than the former."
Overall: 2 stars
Clover - A fun read. The characters actually resemble high school girls, unlike other josei manga. No real adult themes but the story is still engrossing. Very much a yuri manga.
The story: a multi-generational story of a sort. The main characters are in high school but the story also includes their older sisters. No serious drama but the pacing is good.
Characters: Fun and believable, though sometimes suffering from the author's imposed Butch/Femme dissonance. Sorry, I don't have a favorite.
Art: One watercolor image, the rest is desaturated. I tend to enjoy the way Otsu-sensei draws faces, but... she has this extremely odd tendency to switch between shoujo and SD to express different emotional states/humorous events.
I was impressed with the binding of this book: not your typical plasticy-construction tankoubon that Yuri Hime uses for its other books.
Overall: 3 1/2 stars
Octave - An engrossing yuri manga. I particularly enjoyed the art and the characater tensions. Does contain adult themes and explicit sexual content.
The story: an ex-idol pop singer has just moved to Tokyo from the country. She distrusts herself and others and is loath to let anyone get too close. Enter the mature girl next door who, in extremely short order, puts the moves on the heroine (if you can call her that). So full of angst.
Characters: maintain a spark of life in an otherwise gray world. I'm not too fond of the male character they have as the love-interest's brother but I guess he's harmless. The "protagonist" and i use the term loosely, Yukino, is about as depressing and angsty as you can get. She basically lives in her memories and develops a complex for her girlfriend, Setsuko. In contrast, the love-interest, Setsuko, is very comfortable in her own skin. She sees the person Yukino is capable of being and wants to draw her out. She is provocative, but doesn't get her own section in this book so it's difficult to see who she really is.
Art: Contains some color pages! At last! Several explicit sex scenes, but they're not necessarily hard on the eyes. I am particularly fond of the cover art.
Overall: 3 1/2 stars
Hanjuku Joshi - First plot-like device: The story involves two sweet high school girls who are best friends and their emotional involvement that leads to sexual partnership (note: this is not necessarily an indicator of an actual lesbian relationship... but it is yuri). Second plot-like device: A third character eventually and inappropriately inserts herself into the story who seems to be bisexual (but it's never confirmed) and who enjoys taking advantage of older women.
Overall: 3 stars
Girl Friends 2 - Volume 2 specific comments: slightly more nudity, with the adult theme of premarital sex
First of all, as evidenced by the lack of any furigana and any content that could or would be misconstrued as adult, I think this book is being mis-marketed as seinen when it should be shounen or shoujo. If for no better reason than because there's no nudity and damnit, it's annoying that i can read everything but the kanji. Props to Youko for correcting me, I had originally thought it was josei, but I geuss everything from Comic High is marketed to men.
Now that that is out of the way, I liked this volume. Unlike other mangaka I can think of , Morinaga Milk has a keen sense of characterization. Mariko ungoes a transformation throughout the story, and this volume in particular highlights that quite nicely. Sadly... Akko's character is barely sketched out in this book (it's until when the audience gets a chapter or two from her perspective that we start to rationalize who she is).
In addition, the art is quite nice and would have been fabulous if they had printed in B4 size and left the colored pages colorized. As it is, they desaturated them, and if I thought that was annoying when seen in Tokyopop or Viz, it's doubly so as seen in a real tankoubon. But still, there are some panels that are attractive enough to be passable.
The story is... probably its biggest drawback. In addition to the almost outlandish use of product advertising (I know for a fact there are a plethora of Real Simple-wannabe mags in Japan where they'd be more appropriate), and the truly sad way in which Mari is incapable of thinking for herself, the pacing is also quite trying. It seems that for every step forward the protagonist makes toward independence and emotional maturity, there are between 2 and 4 steps back in self-esteem. Also, as it's introduced in this book, the audience is incapable of understanding what Akko sees in Mari, besides being a My-Size Barbie. I do like Sugi and Tamami and I think they bring a much needed comic relief to the story, but of course they don't get their own stories.
Overall: 3 1/2 stars
Gokujo Drops - A light yuri story that centers around dorm life at a prestigious, debutant-esque girl's school. The protagonist is not the main character, who exists as an unassuming common place type girl in a sea of eccentric, aloof rich and beautiful girls. Not bad, but not necessarily one of my top ten favorites. Contains sexual content but i wouldn't call it explicit.
The story: a new transfer student Komari is inducted into the prestigious Ootori all girl's school. She is somewhat awkward but seemingly strong-willed. After a period of stress over where to live, she is offered a place in the most exclusive dorm on campus, provided that she become the personal attendant of a bijin ojousama. Romantic entanglements ensues as this girl sees Komari as more of a sexual slave/toy than a true friend.
Characters: Komari is so typical that it puts you to sleep. I'm not sure if she has will of her own but whatever there is of it is quickly subverted. She obviously has feelings for Yukio (? can't find a pronunciation for her name) but other than that she's content to be bullied or abused as her betters see fit. Yukio is controlling though simultaneously protecting/nurturing soul. She loves Komari but refuses to demonstrate it, preferring instead to use Komari sexually and adorn herself with Komari as the latest fad/a fashionable accessory. Other characters: interesting and somewhat vibrant. They seem to be lacking in development so far, beyond one sordid sexual encounter. Many of the characters are gay or bi, and do not hesitate to come on to Komari.
The art: under-par. Does contain one colored page. Mikuni-sensei chose to adorn his/her characters with large, empty, manhwa like eyes... but their bodies look like they belong in CLAMP. Seriously I can't find anything unique about it, or even that much bad about. It is thoroughly generic.
Overall: 2 1/2 stars
Hayate X Blade 2 (English translation) - The second installment in Hayashiya Shizuru's fun and engrossing not-yuri-but-should-have-been/could-easily-be-taken-to-be-yuri manga. Unlike Sister Red or Strawberry Shake Sweet, HxB is actually very funny.
The story: our heroine is one of a pair of twins from orphanage who enters a private elite girl's school to raise money for the orphanage. The student body at this school are encouraged to fight each with bouken in order to determine.... (okay yeah, i seriously have no idea, fill in the blank). Oh and, did I mention it's pseudo-yuri? Oh the angst. It is a thing of beauty.
Characters: Brilliant, if a little trying at times. The antagonists are a little two-dimensional but Hayashiya-sensei manages to their respective arcs with them all learning something. My favorite character? Nagi. She is 100% absent but still manages to be a character in the story.
Art: a joy to read. There is always the detractor of its size (smaller than standard but still quite readable), and desaturated pages, but those would really only be icing on the cake. I'm just happy it hasn't been dropped yet, an unfortunate conclusion to most Seven Seas purchases. This project was a joint Tor/Seven Seas so we're hopeful it'll be continued for a while.
Translation: I own volumes 3-6 in Japanese and I must say the translation works well in most cases. As it's billed as a comedy there are some culturally specific jokes that Adrienne Beck has done an adequate job of reworking into English and made notes in the appropriate (but thankfully few).
Overall: 4 stars
Castle of Dreams - Brilliant insightful work, a must have for any fan of Kare Kano (彼氏彼女の事情）.
Through a handful of short standalone stories that feature exotic locales and time periods, Tsuda eloquently connects all of human history in a web of suffering. Though her intentions were definitely not Buddhist in nature, most of these stories do focus on struggling to survive (or die trying) and making a name for oneself. Of course, they all share the patented Masami Tsuda shoujo romance (though not all the stories feature women) ethic.
The art is breathtaking; it's obvious to me that Tsuda-sensei really did her homework with on the locale and history that each story takes place in. The characters may be fictional, but the stories are history and folk lore.
My only regret is a lack of color, but that's typical (and sad) for TokyoPop. Trans was good (amazingly), but it's always hard to tell how they've managed to corrupt it if I don't have the original tankoubon in my hand.
Overall: 4 1/2 stars
Maka Maka 2 - Exceptional yuri art. Fantastic characterization. Wonderful slice of life story. No logical reasonable plot or story. Basically the artist is only interested in drawing the emotionally intense moments in a lesbian's life... and lesbian sex scenes. Far more of the latter than the former."
Overall: 2 stars
Clover - A fun read. The characters actually resemble high school girls, unlike other josei manga. No real adult themes but the story is still engrossing. Very much a yuri manga.
The story: a multi-generational story of a sort. The main characters are in high school but the story also includes their older sisters. No serious drama but the pacing is good.
Characters: Fun and believable, though sometimes suffering from the author's imposed Butch/Femme dissonance. Sorry, I don't have a favorite.
Art: One watercolor image, the rest is desaturated. I tend to enjoy the way Otsu-sensei draws faces, but... she has this extremely odd tendency to switch between shoujo and SD to express different emotional states/humorous events.
I was impressed with the binding of this book: not your typical plasticy-construction tankoubon that Yuri Hime uses for its other books.
Overall: 3 1/2 stars
Octave - An engrossing yuri manga. I particularly enjoyed the art and the characater tensions. Does contain adult themes and explicit sexual content.
The story: an ex-idol pop singer has just moved to Tokyo from the country. She distrusts herself and others and is loath to let anyone get too close. Enter the mature girl next door who, in extremely short order, puts the moves on the heroine (if you can call her that). So full of angst.
Characters: maintain a spark of life in an otherwise gray world. I'm not too fond of the male character they have as the love-interest's brother but I guess he's harmless. The "protagonist" and i use the term loosely, Yukino, is about as depressing and angsty as you can get. She basically lives in her memories and develops a complex for her girlfriend, Setsuko. In contrast, the love-interest, Setsuko, is very comfortable in her own skin. She sees the person Yukino is capable of being and wants to draw her out. She is provocative, but doesn't get her own section in this book so it's difficult to see who she really is.
Art: Contains some color pages! At last! Several explicit sex scenes, but they're not necessarily hard on the eyes. I am particularly fond of the cover art.
Overall: 3 1/2 stars
Hanjuku Joshi - First plot-like device: The story involves two sweet high school girls who are best friends and their emotional involvement that leads to sexual partnership (note: this is not necessarily an indicator of an actual lesbian relationship... but it is yuri). Second plot-like device: A third character eventually and inappropriately inserts herself into the story who seems to be bisexual (but it's never confirmed) and who enjoys taking advantage of older women.
Overall: 3 stars
Girl Friends 2 - Volume 2 specific comments: slightly more nudity, with the adult theme of premarital sex
First of all, as evidenced by the lack of any furigana and any content that could or would be misconstrued as adult, I think this book is being mis-marketed as seinen when it should be shounen or shoujo. If for no better reason than because there's no nudity and damnit, it's annoying that i can read everything but the kanji. Props to Youko for correcting me, I had originally thought it was josei, but I geuss everything from Comic High is marketed to men.
Now that that is out of the way, I liked this volume. Unlike other mangaka I can think of , Morinaga Milk has a keen sense of characterization. Mariko ungoes a transformation throughout the story, and this volume in particular highlights that quite nicely. Sadly... Akko's character is barely sketched out in this book (it's until when the audience gets a chapter or two from her perspective that we start to rationalize who she is).
In addition, the art is quite nice and would have been fabulous if they had printed in B4 size and left the colored pages colorized. As it is, they desaturated them, and if I thought that was annoying when seen in Tokyopop or Viz, it's doubly so as seen in a real tankoubon. But still, there are some panels that are attractive enough to be passable.
The story is... probably its biggest drawback. In addition to the almost outlandish use of product advertising (I know for a fact there are a plethora of Real Simple-wannabe mags in Japan where they'd be more appropriate), and the truly sad way in which Mari is incapable of thinking for herself, the pacing is also quite trying. It seems that for every step forward the protagonist makes toward independence and emotional maturity, there are between 2 and 4 steps back in self-esteem. Also, as it's introduced in this book, the audience is incapable of understanding what Akko sees in Mari, besides being a My-Size Barbie. I do like Sugi and Tamami and I think they bring a much needed comic relief to the story, but of course they don't get their own stories.
Overall: 3 1/2 stars
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Matsuri Kohime's Day Out
Hi! I thought It'd be smarter to post some of my Second Life exploits here, rather than start a new blog (I already have too many that aren't being used) So without further ado, I give you a Second Life Travelogue.
So my avatar's name is Matsuri Kohime (袴媛抹狸, which means "the princess who wore hakama" "a touch of evil genius". She's a sweet little thing who loves to play dress up. On occasion she has been known to pole dance, like two nights ago when she won the October Country Anime Costume Contest (the prize was a 1000 ld). Here's a picture from that crazy event -
Yes the bowl of ramen was a avatar costume. And yes, he won for the males.
Here's a pic of my winning costume -
Basically I dressed as Shimazu Yoshino from Maria-sama ga Miteru, holding a bokken. I couldn't find a shinai, but a bokken will do in a pinch. You might wonder why I'm hanging upside? Well, that's because October Country is known for its vampires.
I liked this spot so I thought I'd take a few more pics. Here I am in my vampire garb -
A snapshot I took of myself in the same general vicinity (this one became my newest profile image) -
Aww, I just love kimono. I tried to do an upside hanging kimono shot but I had rather poor results because my yuna was flying all over the place.
As luck would have it, Sweetaholic shop recently made a pair of hakama available (consisting of a chihaya and a hakui) and thanks to my recently won 1000 ld, I jumped for it. I just love miko, and afterall, my name has the words "hakama" in it. Here's a pic of the chihaya worn without any hakui coverings -
Thank you Flanagan's pub for providing me this ultra-cute cherry blossom tree to stand in front of. Now I wasn't 100% sure if the himo can only be worn with the chihaya or the hakui or both... oh well.
It occured to me that I could make for a very ghost-like appearence with this getup, so I journeyed back to October Country and snapped a shot off on the wharf of Innsmouth -
But I wasn't quite ready to thrust myself into the murky abyss just yet. Afterwards I felt icky all over and decided I needed to purify myself of the spirits I had been walking amongst at a shrine. But there are so many shrines in Second Life, I couldn't easily choose. Also, it's tradition to visit a shrine after New Years and since I haven't been to any in RL I thought this might be neat. This is my pilgrimage. Here I am doing water purification at Niseko Jinja in Hokkaido -
This was such a cute shrine, I snapped off a few more shots -
Well this was only an itty-bitty shrine, and I didn't really feel like I'd had the whole experience yet (plus doesn't it just look awfully too cold be traipsing about in hakama here?) so I continued on my journey. Suddenly it occured to me that there was another shrine in Little Kyoto so I hopped on over -
Unfortunately, this one wasn't nearly as exciting. Kind of a weird commerical place. BUT! They did have a four-story pagoda and I just couldn't resist doing what I had wanted to do that last time I was in Japan -
If you can't see it, I'm floating on the upper-most roof. It's quite a drop from the top floor, let me assure you. Let's see... where did I go next? Oh yes, I visited the Amaterasu Grand Shrine and Shinto School. Such a gorgeous place. Here I am doing omairi (you can sort of see my fingertips touching the floor) -
They had a very serene wetland here, so I thought I would stop and bask in my youthful miko beauty -
Oh my goddess, you'll never believe what else I found here. What shinto or temple is complete without an omikuji box? And furthermore, what omikuji box is complete without cute miko?
IRRASSHAIMASEE~ I thought it might be cuter and more appropriate if I wore hakui for this shot. Since this was a miko school there was another smaller shrine adjescent to the main building -
This is a different form of omiari you do standing up. See my dilligent gasshou? In the backgroud you can see another Sakura, well... i'm a sucker for Sakura and I just had to hop the fence and steal a shot. Whoa... how cute it turned out -
Kawaii~ I might have to make this my next profile shot. Oh yeah, and when I was taking this photo I noticed something very peculiar in the next lot over. On closer inspection, it was exactly what I thought it must have been from afar...
A stargate... (or cha'pa iee if you perfer) complete with dialing device. Curioser and curisor... I of course tried to dial out but i forgot the first rule of SG-1: you can never dial a random address and expect to hit a functioning gate.
I really wanted to visit the Neko Jinja again, but I understand it's been recently taken down due to funding issues. It might be back up soon. I do have a couple pics from there though. It's a shrine devoted to channeling cat kami. Here is my friend Vera and I currled up in a wicker basket -
Well that's all for today. I leave you with a pic of the now defunct Lillian campus (sorry you can't see Mariazou in this shot, I'll have to throw one up from the Christmas Mass) and one from inside the Bara no Yakata. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, that's quite all right. Ta Ta.
So my avatar's name is Matsuri Kohime (袴媛抹狸, which means "the princess who wore hakama" "a touch of evil genius". She's a sweet little thing who loves to play dress up. On occasion she has been known to pole dance, like two nights ago when she won the October Country Anime Costume Contest (the prize was a 1000 ld). Here's a picture from that crazy event -
Yes the bowl of ramen was a avatar costume. And yes, he won for the males.
Here's a pic of my winning costume -
Basically I dressed as Shimazu Yoshino from Maria-sama ga Miteru, holding a bokken. I couldn't find a shinai, but a bokken will do in a pinch. You might wonder why I'm hanging upside? Well, that's because October Country is known for its vampires.
I liked this spot so I thought I'd take a few more pics. Here I am in my vampire garb -
A snapshot I took of myself in the same general vicinity (this one became my newest profile image) -
Aww, I just love kimono. I tried to do an upside hanging kimono shot but I had rather poor results because my yuna was flying all over the place.
As luck would have it, Sweetaholic shop recently made a pair of hakama available (consisting of a chihaya and a hakui) and thanks to my recently won 1000 ld, I jumped for it. I just love miko, and afterall, my name has the words "hakama" in it. Here's a pic of the chihaya worn without any hakui coverings -
Thank you Flanagan's pub for providing me this ultra-cute cherry blossom tree to stand in front of. Now I wasn't 100% sure if the himo can only be worn with the chihaya or the hakui or both... oh well.
It occured to me that I could make for a very ghost-like appearence with this getup, so I journeyed back to October Country and snapped a shot off on the wharf of Innsmouth -
But I wasn't quite ready to thrust myself into the murky abyss just yet. Afterwards I felt icky all over and decided I needed to purify myself of the spirits I had been walking amongst at a shrine. But there are so many shrines in Second Life, I couldn't easily choose. Also, it's tradition to visit a shrine after New Years and since I haven't been to any in RL I thought this might be neat. This is my pilgrimage. Here I am doing water purification at Niseko Jinja in Hokkaido -
This was such a cute shrine, I snapped off a few more shots -
Well this was only an itty-bitty shrine, and I didn't really feel like I'd had the whole experience yet (plus doesn't it just look awfully too cold be traipsing about in hakama here?) so I continued on my journey. Suddenly it occured to me that there was another shrine in Little Kyoto so I hopped on over -
Unfortunately, this one wasn't nearly as exciting. Kind of a weird commerical place. BUT! They did have a four-story pagoda and I just couldn't resist doing what I had wanted to do that last time I was in Japan -
If you can't see it, I'm floating on the upper-most roof. It's quite a drop from the top floor, let me assure you. Let's see... where did I go next? Oh yes, I visited the Amaterasu Grand Shrine and Shinto School. Such a gorgeous place. Here I am doing omairi (you can sort of see my fingertips touching the floor) -
They had a very serene wetland here, so I thought I would stop and bask in my youthful miko beauty -
Oh my goddess, you'll never believe what else I found here. What shinto or temple is complete without an omikuji box? And furthermore, what omikuji box is complete without cute miko?
IRRASSHAIMASEE~ I thought it might be cuter and more appropriate if I wore hakui for this shot. Since this was a miko school there was another smaller shrine adjescent to the main building -
This is a different form of omiari you do standing up. See my dilligent gasshou? In the backgroud you can see another Sakura, well... i'm a sucker for Sakura and I just had to hop the fence and steal a shot. Whoa... how cute it turned out -
Kawaii~ I might have to make this my next profile shot. Oh yeah, and when I was taking this photo I noticed something very peculiar in the next lot over. On closer inspection, it was exactly what I thought it must have been from afar...
A stargate... (or cha'pa iee if you perfer) complete with dialing device. Curioser and curisor... I of course tried to dial out but i forgot the first rule of SG-1: you can never dial a random address and expect to hit a functioning gate.I really wanted to visit the Neko Jinja again, but I understand it's been recently taken down due to funding issues. It might be back up soon. I do have a couple pics from there though. It's a shrine devoted to channeling cat kami. Here is my friend Vera and I currled up in a wicker basket -
Well that's all for today. I leave you with a pic of the now defunct Lillian campus (sorry you can't see Mariazou in this shot, I'll have to throw one up from the Christmas Mass) and one from inside the Bara no Yakata. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, that's quite all right. Ta Ta.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Crossroads
Once again I find myself at a major crossroads. No car, no job, still in grad school... but i hate it. I applied to do a second undergraduate degree in Japanese and ESL, but i haven't heard back from the school year (Eastern is bad with paperwork it seems). Obviously the biggest problem is simply my lack of a job. I still have an apartment to pay for (they don’t let you break the lease here unless you basically want to pay half what they’re going to get anywhere for the rest of your lease ^^;;) so I DO need a job, but… it’s not quite that simple. I left my last job without putting in my two weeks notice because I was so frustrated and could no longer commute due to my migraines. So that basically screws me whenever a job wants to run a background check (which is always). The first number they call they’re going to get a bad review. Although I did fine work there and probably would have eventually been able to switch to a less stressful job… it wasn’t going to be anytime in the immediate future. Sadly now I have to somehow get two jobs to pay for my apartment – way too many bills. Before I didn’t have enough energy to get a second job… now, since my first job (whatever that will be) very doubtfully will be the same as what I was making in my last job, I really need to have two. Only, my feet have been seriously killing me: I think I might have a bone spur. How I’m supposed to stay on my feet for two jobs straight isn’t very clear. Or, even, how I’m supposed to get those jobs.
Right now it seems that a lot of businesses are having a hiring freeze. Pretty much any retail job and half the restaurants. I do have skills, but
apartment.
This all adds up to basically to me losing my mind and probably is the reason for all my migraines. I’m not 100% sure of course, but it’s a safe bet. Migraines… make it hard to get a job (you have to be able to go outside when sun’s shining), and even harder to concentrate at work (note: this is why I lost my last job). I guess a lot of people don’t have it quite this bad, and others have it worse… but unfortunately I don’t have a spouse to turn to. My parents won’t bail me out, and even if they did, I would have an even harder time finding work way out in the country. I guess I need to get a better attitude and put things in perspective and all that. So… how does one do that?
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Very Odd
The other day i was shocked to discover i had to explain to my mother what narcolepsy is. she'd never heard of it. Even though she's been alive 33 years longer than I have. it was the first time in as far back as i could remember that i had to do explain something for her (that wasn't technology related). She is like a scrabble and trivia champion, it always blows my mind when I catch her on some bit of minutiae.
I guess it's not that important in the grand scheme of things if my mother knows about narcolepsy or not... But somehow i had always thought of her as this rock-solid reliable source of information (putting our religious and political differences aside). To have my paradigm cracked in this way is extremely disquieting. I guess in the end, nobody's perfect.
I guess it's not that important in the grand scheme of things if my mother knows about narcolepsy or not... But somehow i had always thought of her as this rock-solid reliable source of information (putting our religious and political differences aside). To have my paradigm cracked in this way is extremely disquieting. I guess in the end, nobody's perfect.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Stuck in the Shoals
Last night I had a date. At least, I want to believe it was. Of course nothing happened, and for that I have no one to blame but myself. I need to seriously ponder if I've matured at all since high school. I still make a far better supportive female friend than an interested male date. I know I've accumulated more street knowledge, and am slowly coming to terms with how to tell a joke or two, but in terms of actual social development it feels like I'm standing on the shore of a great sea of doubt and watching the waves of failure continually crash against me.
I don't think it's my appearance, though admittedly I still wear glasses. I try to exude an air of cool and hip, but appearances are only meaningful to the pathetically shallow. Maybe I am shallow... how would I know?
I brought her a dozen cute roses. She didn't give a shit. An obligation to put them in water. No need to display them somewhere. Perhaps this is a tradition that died decades before I was born and no one told me? Yet another example of having absolutely zero experience with these things. What did I seriously do in college? Aren't you supposed to learn how to be a real person in college?
I made it a case to take off my shirt to show her my tattoo. Nothing. I felt like a girl switching dresses with her friend. And the really sad part? I would love to do that. If I really do make a better girl, than what do I do with that? Certainly I have no lesbian waiting for me, as I lack the needed accouterments. Physically I'm short, but I need about ten more years of yoga before I can pass as female. And why would I seriously want that? Supposedly my friend Janine became a woman because she wanted to experience lesbian sex. I want to be a woman so I can, what? Fit in? What an oxymoron.
What is needed to be a successful man? Power, wealth, abuse of women, some other awful stereotype I'm not capable of? If I were to trace my history of masculinity back, I can't find the divergence. As soon as my brother was in middle school he was attracting the opposite sex. I was, what? Being awkward and inadequate. Both of my brothers are now happily married (mostly). There has to have been some critical stage in male development I never was presented with. Some test of manhood which decides if you sink or swim as a guy, and I got lost and never found the proctor.
This all of course negatively effects my self-image. If I thought I was god's gift to women, I probably would be. Instead I find myself on the road to loneliness and too many cats in my mid-twenties. WTF. Is there really anything that can be done at this point to feel comfortable in my own skin? For years I couldn't even look at myself, spare to shave. If I do so now it's as one might look disgusted upon Buffalo Bill.
I make for a dutiful son, but what does that say? I'm sure I would make for just as dutiful a daughter.
Sometimes I think it would be easier if we've never developed sentience. If I didn't ever have to look at myself in the mirror. Maybe I'd be one of the jackles who waits in the wings for his time to pounce. Psychology doesn't work like that. If I don't take it upon myself to be interesting, witty, fun, drunk with life, sexy, miskept, whatever else there is that makes men attractive to women, how can I ever know what success feels like? I don't want to go my entire life hoping the right woman will come along. I'd rather know NOW that I'm a complete failure and should become a Buddhist monk.
I don't think it's my appearance, though admittedly I still wear glasses. I try to exude an air of cool and hip, but appearances are only meaningful to the pathetically shallow. Maybe I am shallow... how would I know?
I brought her a dozen cute roses. She didn't give a shit. An obligation to put them in water. No need to display them somewhere. Perhaps this is a tradition that died decades before I was born and no one told me? Yet another example of having absolutely zero experience with these things. What did I seriously do in college? Aren't you supposed to learn how to be a real person in college?
I made it a case to take off my shirt to show her my tattoo. Nothing. I felt like a girl switching dresses with her friend. And the really sad part? I would love to do that. If I really do make a better girl, than what do I do with that? Certainly I have no lesbian waiting for me, as I lack the needed accouterments. Physically I'm short, but I need about ten more years of yoga before I can pass as female. And why would I seriously want that? Supposedly my friend Janine became a woman because she wanted to experience lesbian sex. I want to be a woman so I can, what? Fit in? What an oxymoron.
What is needed to be a successful man? Power, wealth, abuse of women, some other awful stereotype I'm not capable of? If I were to trace my history of masculinity back, I can't find the divergence. As soon as my brother was in middle school he was attracting the opposite sex. I was, what? Being awkward and inadequate. Both of my brothers are now happily married (mostly). There has to have been some critical stage in male development I never was presented with. Some test of manhood which decides if you sink or swim as a guy, and I got lost and never found the proctor.
This all of course negatively effects my self-image. If I thought I was god's gift to women, I probably would be. Instead I find myself on the road to loneliness and too many cats in my mid-twenties. WTF. Is there really anything that can be done at this point to feel comfortable in my own skin? For years I couldn't even look at myself, spare to shave. If I do so now it's as one might look disgusted upon Buffalo Bill.
I make for a dutiful son, but what does that say? I'm sure I would make for just as dutiful a daughter.
Sometimes I think it would be easier if we've never developed sentience. If I didn't ever have to look at myself in the mirror. Maybe I'd be one of the jackles who waits in the wings for his time to pounce. Psychology doesn't work like that. If I don't take it upon myself to be interesting, witty, fun, drunk with life, sexy, miskept, whatever else there is that makes men attractive to women, how can I ever know what success feels like? I don't want to go my entire life hoping the right woman will come along. I'd rather know NOW that I'm a complete failure and should become a Buddhist monk.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
"Special Libraries Association does have a Read or Die sound to it"
Above quote is courtesy AndersH from #lililicious
I've decided to change internally to Library Science from Young Adult Library work (which ended up requiring far more energy and creativity than i am capable on any given day) to Asian Library work. I know, I know... it requires knowledge of 3-4 Asian languages and often a European Language as well. I'll pull it off somehow... or die trying?
I've decided to change internally to Library Science from Young Adult Library work (which ended up requiring far more energy and creativity than i am capable on any given day) to Asian Library work. I know, I know... it requires knowledge of 3-4 Asian languages and often a European Language as well. I'll pull it off somehow... or die trying?
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
"Angry avatars have taken virtual action."
That's right: the title is a quote. Although i wish i could take credit for such a cleverly devised statement, this time the cynicism is not my own.
As reported in American Libraries Direct (the digital monthly version of the not-so-digital monthly for-library publication), the Latimes has recently reported on the backsliding of "real world" commerce in Second Life in their article, "Virtual marketers have second thoughts about Second Life" (i apologize but viewing the essay requires registration by Latimes.com. But don't worry, you can always make up bogus demographics and give them a fake email addy).
Of particular note in this essay, "Ludlow (University of Toronto philosophy professor Peter Ludlow that is) isn't impressed. He said most firms were more interested in the publicity they received from their ties with Second Life than in the digital world itself. "It was a way to brand themselves as being leading-edge," he said." i have a real problem with this: namely, it isn't commerce--it's advertising. This reminds one clandestinely of bumper stickers of companies sponsoring a motorcyclist in some obscure off-road competition. For a bona fide Virtual Reality, which purports to having 8,000,000 members (of which one can expect to find only 30,000 unique users during peak hours), this sort of "commerce" is offensive.
It's like businesses have stopped taking Second Life seriously. In terms of Library 2.0, there's no doubt that Second Life posses a definite "emerging technology linking patrons and library service" (my words), but for businesses, that just doesn't cut it. Given the fact that "one of the most frequently purchased items in Second Life is genitalia." (qtd. in LA Times), and users often participate in furryism and hit on strangers at the same time, it comes as no surprise that traditional companies are having difficulty reaching an interested consumer base. What can Dell, Best Buy, American Apparel or Sun Microsystems to such a, shall we say, niche demographic?
Even Nissan's innovative "automotive amusement park" can really only go so far. Visitors are not buying cars. Such fiendish marketing results in less than profitable returns. For libraries, Second Life seems to be a viable alternative for hipsters and wannabes such as myself, but for corporations, who no doubt spend the equivalent of a computer programmer's salary or more on their Second Life coordinator, it would be more than difficult to see a return on their investment.
But... what i think is worse than a waste investment, is an investor who doesn't learn from his/her mistakes. IBM who has had a strong Second Life presence, is now moving to the greener pastures of There and Entropia Universe...
Excuse me, but... how is that different from the failed experiment of Second Life? Do they actually think the demographic is more receptive on those servers? Oh please. If you've seen one non-RPG-MMORPG you've seen them all. Besides which, there are FAR more users to be found on actual RPGs such as Worlds of Warcraft, Everquest, URU or the like. When many users on the same server can't even speak the same language (other than pigeon English), doesn't that... put a whole new spin on the term "International Conglomerate"? Of course i have no idea if Sony would allow outside commerce on their servers, it seems like those companies who invested so much time and effort on Second Life, if they're not willing to change their strategy, should at least consider opening themselves up to a far larger consumer base than can be found on There or Entropia Universe. When people forgo their actual wedding to have a ceremony on WoW... wouldn't said people want a company that could take care of all the trimmings?
As reported in American Libraries Direct (the digital monthly version of the not-so-digital monthly for-library publication), the Latimes has recently reported on the backsliding of "real world" commerce in Second Life in their article, "Virtual marketers have second thoughts about Second Life" (i apologize but viewing the essay requires registration by Latimes.com. But don't worry, you can always make up bogus demographics and give them a fake email addy).
Of particular note in this essay, "Ludlow (University of Toronto philosophy professor Peter Ludlow that is) isn't impressed. He said most firms were more interested in the publicity they received from their ties with Second Life than in the digital world itself. "It was a way to brand themselves as being leading-edge," he said." i have a real problem with this: namely, it isn't commerce--it's advertising. This reminds one clandestinely of bumper stickers of companies sponsoring a motorcyclist in some obscure off-road competition. For a bona fide Virtual Reality, which purports to having 8,000,000 members (of which one can expect to find only 30,000 unique users during peak hours), this sort of "commerce" is offensive.
It's like businesses have stopped taking Second Life seriously. In terms of Library 2.0, there's no doubt that Second Life posses a definite "emerging technology linking patrons and library service" (my words), but for businesses, that just doesn't cut it. Given the fact that "one of the most frequently purchased items in Second Life is genitalia." (qtd. in LA Times), and users often participate in furryism and hit on strangers at the same time, it comes as no surprise that traditional companies are having difficulty reaching an interested consumer base. What can Dell, Best Buy, American Apparel or Sun Microsystems to such a, shall we say, niche demographic?
Even Nissan's innovative "automotive amusement park" can really only go so far. Visitors are not buying cars. Such fiendish marketing results in less than profitable returns. For libraries, Second Life seems to be a viable alternative for hipsters and wannabes such as myself, but for corporations, who no doubt spend the equivalent of a computer programmer's salary or more on their Second Life coordinator, it would be more than difficult to see a return on their investment.
But... what i think is worse than a waste investment, is an investor who doesn't learn from his/her mistakes. IBM who has had a strong Second Life presence, is now moving to the greener pastures of There and Entropia Universe...
Excuse me, but... how is that different from the failed experiment of Second Life? Do they actually think the demographic is more receptive on those servers? Oh please. If you've seen one non-RPG-MMORPG you've seen them all. Besides which, there are FAR more users to be found on actual RPGs such as Worlds of Warcraft, Everquest, URU or the like. When many users on the same server can't even speak the same language (other than pigeon English), doesn't that... put a whole new spin on the term "International Conglomerate"? Of course i have no idea if Sony would allow outside commerce on their servers, it seems like those companies who invested so much time and effort on Second Life, if they're not willing to change their strategy, should at least consider opening themselves up to a far larger consumer base than can be found on There or Entropia Universe. When people forgo their actual wedding to have a ceremony on WoW... wouldn't said people want a company that could take care of all the trimmings?
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Abstract vs. Concrete
According to John Blyberg's recent post "Four Little Octets" a strong composite tenet of Library 2.0 is "a set of attitudes that are less constrained by convention and more motivated by collaboration, empowerment, and hospitality." This sounds very motivating and inspiring, but the truth is, i have to come up with an insightful response. Convention is... a little vague. What and how is convention defined? i wanted to make sure i knew what i was about, so i looked it up. According to Funk & Wagnalls Standard Comprehensive International, convention is defined as: general consent, or something established by it; precedent; custom; rule, etc. Obviously there are commonly shared "conventions" when it comes to library service, but it is my belief that this word does not operate linearly.
Is the internet now a convention? How long precisely does it take for a practice to become common place and even an expected outcome of reference service? i want to believe libraries the world over are motivated by collaboration, empowerment and hospitality. If they were not they wouldn't make their millage. i thus proport that those attitudes are a given. What doesn't immediately make a lot of sense is: what is an attitude which espouses being "less constrained by convention"look like?
So again, how long? If we assume as Blyberg supposes that the internet gave rise to a revolution in library service which has only very recently been recognized as such, and if we assume the internet didn't really get off it's feet until 1994, we could easily surmise that a convention can come into being in less than 13 years. So, about a decade. Well, actually, that presupposes that the internet is in fact, a convention. But if it wasn't, i'm not at all sure what Blyberg is arguing. So if we round that down to a decade, and also suppose that most "modern" (i use the term loosely) libraries are or soon will be internet dependent you arrive at... yes, the internet must in point of fact be a convention.
Except if we go back to the composite tenet of Library 2.0, the attitude we're looking for is one in which we are less constrained by convention. Uh-oh. I smell a problem brewing. What we're looking for is a library service that isn't limited to those which are internet dependent. Yet, the alternative is what? The past. Card and CD-ROM catalogs and research that took weeks instead of hours (yes, i realize these sentences are fragments Amber). Obviously, despite its novelty reminisce-quotient, no one wants to go back to those days. But... we have yet to uncover a new platform by which to jump beyond our present methods of providing service. So... what then IS our goal here? Find new ways to utilitze old technology? We do that all the time--software is only as good as the way in which it was conceived to be used in. For example: most people utilize more than just one piece of software when they build a website. You can't create images that will do what you want in a program like Frontpage or Dreamweaver, but you also can't create code that'll function as a java script in say Adobe Photoshop. When someone goes to make a website, they'd probably be utilizing both types of software. Not because they were told to. It's just the logical conclusion.
So what is the logical conclusion to the convention of the internet? How do we move beyond the tether of the world wide web and the Internet 2? Some people are saying SmS and yes, text messaging has been used and abused very affectively in Japan for many years. But is it the natural next step? No. i would argue that while we exist in the convention of the internet, until we slip upon that eureka-like moment of designing a new technology or creative design to base library service on, Library 2.0 is dependent on the internet. Just knowing that we're dependent, as Blyberg seems to suggest here, isn't enough. Would AACR2's natural next logical step actually be RDA if we were trying to think beyond the internet? We're not all of us visionaries but we can learn as much as possible about current trends and experiment with what other's have found successful. No one's saying we shouldn't be looking to the future, but falling back on a convention doesn't necessarily equate failure to change and grow.
Is the internet now a convention? How long precisely does it take for a practice to become common place and even an expected outcome of reference service? i want to believe libraries the world over are motivated by collaboration, empowerment and hospitality. If they were not they wouldn't make their millage. i thus proport that those attitudes are a given. What doesn't immediately make a lot of sense is: what is an attitude which espouses being "less constrained by convention"look like?
So again, how long? If we assume as Blyberg supposes that the internet gave rise to a revolution in library service which has only very recently been recognized as such, and if we assume the internet didn't really get off it's feet until 1994, we could easily surmise that a convention can come into being in less than 13 years. So, about a decade. Well, actually, that presupposes that the internet is in fact, a convention. But if it wasn't, i'm not at all sure what Blyberg is arguing. So if we round that down to a decade, and also suppose that most "modern" (i use the term loosely) libraries are or soon will be internet dependent you arrive at... yes, the internet must in point of fact be a convention.
Except if we go back to the composite tenet of Library 2.0, the attitude we're looking for is one in which we are less constrained by convention. Uh-oh. I smell a problem brewing. What we're looking for is a library service that isn't limited to those which are internet dependent. Yet, the alternative is what? The past. Card and CD-ROM catalogs and research that took weeks instead of hours (yes, i realize these sentences are fragments Amber). Obviously, despite its novelty reminisce-quotient, no one wants to go back to those days. But... we have yet to uncover a new platform by which to jump beyond our present methods of providing service. So... what then IS our goal here? Find new ways to utilitze old technology? We do that all the time--software is only as good as the way in which it was conceived to be used in. For example: most people utilize more than just one piece of software when they build a website. You can't create images that will do what you want in a program like Frontpage or Dreamweaver, but you also can't create code that'll function as a java script in say Adobe Photoshop. When someone goes to make a website, they'd probably be utilizing both types of software. Not because they were told to. It's just the logical conclusion.
So what is the logical conclusion to the convention of the internet? How do we move beyond the tether of the world wide web and the Internet 2? Some people are saying SmS and yes, text messaging has been used and abused very affectively in Japan for many years. But is it the natural next step? No. i would argue that while we exist in the convention of the internet, until we slip upon that eureka-like moment of designing a new technology or creative design to base library service on, Library 2.0 is dependent on the internet. Just knowing that we're dependent, as Blyberg seems to suggest here, isn't enough. Would AACR2's natural next logical step actually be RDA if we were trying to think beyond the internet? We're not all of us visionaries but we can learn as much as possible about current trends and experiment with what other's have found successful. No one's saying we shouldn't be looking to the future, but falling back on a convention doesn't necessarily equate failure to change and grow.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Innovation vs. Stagnation
It's possible someone has already blogged on this topic as i am pathetically slow in getting these things done.
Librarian.net recently posted on "are librarians innovators? do libraries innovate?" and i like to think it echoes one of my previous blogs.
"However, when you’re the only free internet in town, taking a step like offering free wifi when the library is closed, or having a way that people can use your computers to download ebooks checked out from other libraries in other states seems pretty innovative indeed."
Such innovations seem to represent little work on the place of the administration (unless of course you have a very conservative Board of Directors), but could greatly improve service and library use. It probably goes without saying that improving library use would also lead to a increase in circ, among other things. So why aren't they doing it?
Perhaps innovation isn't necessary to keeping your library alive, but it certainly can't hurt. Probably the biggest culture shock a western experiences when visiting Japan is being dumb struck by the sheer amount of constant innovation, in industry the U.S. hasn't even looked at in decades. It's silly. Everything from super-intelligent toilets to ferris wheel parking garages hidden in old buildings to cafes where you can get cozy and are encouraged to fall asleep reading manga you haven't paid for...?! Well, suffice it to say western innovation is... found wanting.
i want to believe the biggest road block against western innovation is simple resistance to change. i find it very hard to believe that U.S., Canadian and U.K. research and development departments are simply not as creative as those in Japan. It is our economies simply are not equipped to pour much money into reinventing the wheel. Though, legislature is always opting for new methodologies like the recent bill for Stem Cell Research.
If libraries could jump on the innovating bandwagon and have our industry lead others into the 21st century, why wouldn't we?
Librarian.net recently posted on "are librarians innovators? do libraries innovate?" and i like to think it echoes one of my previous blogs.
"However, when you’re the only free internet in town, taking a step like offering free wifi when the library is closed, or having a way that people can use your computers to download ebooks checked out from other libraries in other states seems pretty innovative indeed."
Such innovations seem to represent little work on the place of the administration (unless of course you have a very conservative Board of Directors), but could greatly improve service and library use. It probably goes without saying that improving library use would also lead to a increase in circ, among other things. So why aren't they doing it?
Perhaps innovation isn't necessary to keeping your library alive, but it certainly can't hurt. Probably the biggest culture shock a western experiences when visiting Japan is being dumb struck by the sheer amount of constant innovation, in industry the U.S. hasn't even looked at in decades. It's silly. Everything from super-intelligent toilets to ferris wheel parking garages hidden in old buildings to cafes where you can get cozy and are encouraged to fall asleep reading manga you haven't paid for...?! Well, suffice it to say western innovation is... found wanting.
i want to believe the biggest road block against western innovation is simple resistance to change. i find it very hard to believe that U.S., Canadian and U.K. research and development departments are simply not as creative as those in Japan. It is our economies simply are not equipped to pour much money into reinventing the wheel. Though, legislature is always opting for new methodologies like the recent bill for Stem Cell Research.
If libraries could jump on the innovating bandwagon and have our industry lead others into the 21st century, why wouldn't we?
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Stolen Once Again... the Top 100 Web 2.0 Services
Not precisely Library 2.0 related, but many of these sites and services overlap. Besides, this item was linked from American Libraries Direct - Tech Talk.
Webware.com in its recent survey of supposedly 489,467 votes (probably from 20 unique users with spam bots), found the follow as being the best of the best for 2007. i'm not sure why they didn't decide to wait until the end of the year, but i digress...
Umm... something seems screwy already. Google Reader? As a webbrowser or a pdf viewer? Google Reader... beating out Internet Explorer...
>.>
<.<
If you say so.
Glad to see Firefox took first: hands down, the most powerful. Opera has really fallen by the wayside. Too bad so sad. Oh and Safari bites everyone's dust, no surprise there.
Obviously the fact that AIM still has such a ridiculous following is more than a little disappointing. It's nice that Gmail came out 2nd but... Google Talk didn't even place? Google Talk was beat out by... Skype? Gimme a break. Jabber is Jabber so far as I'm aware. i was happy to see Meebo and Trillian place well. Oh yeah, and those of you who voted for Hotmail and Yahoo!, wake up--your decade ended a while back.
"Community - Online gathering places and group-powered content."
And the winners are: Bebo, Deviant Art, digg, Dogster/Catster, facebook, friendster, Gaia Online, Linked In, Me.dium, MySpace.
Wow, this is sad. Of those listed, I only have a Deviant Art and a Facebook account (against my better judgement, for the express purpose of helping my friend with her BFA pottery show). Who the heck are those other people? I thought friendster was a flop? Dogster/Catster? Umm... i don' t know who you are, but your name is utterly retarded and you should be drug out into the street and shot. Fortunately, MySpace came in dead last, there may be hope for the world yet.
"Data - Tools for finding online info, and storing and sharing files."
And the winners are: AllPeers, .Mac, Bittorrent, box, ChaCha, Google, Pando, Windows Live Search, Yahoo! Search, YouSendit.
Fascinating. There's really no excuse for Bittorrent not taking first place. It's apparent to me that this survey was only given to techys who like to try out stuff, not the average end users who actually knows what the heck she or he is doing. Bittorrent is used, oh, i don't know, about a thousand times more than the rest of these people. .MAC beating out Bittorrent. HAHAHA~ *begins to hold stomach and cry from the excess tears* In your wildest dreams Apple. That'll be the day. Oh, and people who voted for Windows Live Search and Yahoo! Search may in fact be living in a cave ten miles beneath Antarctica. In terms of sheer usability and practicality how could Google not stomp them completely off the list?
"Entertainment - Tools for taking time off: Games and contests."
And the winners are: Desktop Tower Defense, Eventful, GameGum, Homestar Runner, Lime Rider, Newgrounds, Revision3, Stardoll, Yahoo! Bix, You Don't know Jack!
I'll be the first to admit, i know nothing about online games. What i do know is that Newgrounds is older than most people who use it. Same goes for You Don't Know Jack! but at least that has some semblance of intelligence behind it. Homestar Runner...? What can I say: people are immature... and they always will be. The rest are of little consequence.
"Media - Places to consume and share videos, photos, and music."
And the winners are: Flickr, Fotki, Last.fm, Netflix, Pandora, Photobucket, uStream.TV, Yahoo! Video, YouTube, Zooomr.
I am beginning to think the couldn't have been real voters for this, perhaps a program was written in VB to generate random votes in all categories. Millions and millions of people use YouTube everyday, both views and posters. In what universe would that not justify it taking first place? Flickr is good, but hardly as recognized. Netflix? You've got to be kidding me; no body really gives them money do they. Please tell me they don't. I will be sad. Photobucket is good. The rest can bite me.
"Mobile - Products that make your mobile phone a Web 2.0 appliance."
And the winners are: Google, 3Jam, Google Gmail Mobile, Mundu Radio, Radar.net, SoonR, ShoZu, TellMe, Yahoo! OneSearch.
Uh-huh. i guess i'm not surprised that Google placed twice. I am disappointed that Palm didn't place, i guess i'm living in the stone ages by still using my Handspring Treo.
"Productivity and Commerce - Sites for getting things done and doing online business."
And the winners are: Amazon, Basecamp, Blinksale, Craigslist, ebay, Google Adwords, Google Calendar, Google Docs & Spreadsheets, Microsoft Office Live, PayPal.
Sounds about right. Though, i think PayPal ranks a little higher than DEAD LAST if you ask me. Craigslist is nice but... beating out ebay? Wow. We live in tumultuous times. Google Adwords i can understand, and Google Docs i can accept (without understanding ) but Google Calendar?! Umm... i am standing behind my theory of randomly generated votes.
" Publishing - Tools for producing your own site: Blogging and Web content services"
And the winners are: Adobe Flash, Blogger, Drupal CMS, FeedBurner, Google Analytics, PollDaddy, Silverlight, TypePad, Vox, and WordPress.
W3Schools didn't even rank. It seems like they are only going for sites that offer widgets. Speaking of widgets, seems to me Google ranked a little low this time. i guess you never know who'll come out on top with net tools. WordPress came in dead last. No surprise there. Adobe Flash...
... ADOBE Flash...?
...
i hate my life.
and last but not least, the one that actually maybe pertains to Library 2.0:
*shakes head in disgust* Yet another example of throwing your vote away. It's apart to me now that they must have used chimpanzees in their demographic. This truly hurts my head.
Answers.com? How could that actually yield any valid research?
Ask.com - hahaha
Geni - no comment
Google Maps - should be number 2 in the list if it were to only encompass these 10.
IMDB - lol. You call that research?
MS Virtual Earth - ahem. Excuse me? i'm sorry i don't think i heard you correctly. Did you say Google Earth? Yeah... that's what i thought you said. Idiots.
WebMD - sigh
Wikipedia - how could this not take first place?
Wikia - no comment
Yahoo! Maps - remember what i was saying about those chimpanzees? i take it back, single celled protoplasmic life forms would know to vote for a better web resource.
All in all, i'd say i want to throw out this survey. The fact that Yahoo! made it to so many categories only reinforces the fact that internet users are prone to sitting too close to the monitor and subsequently irradiating themselves. Yahoo! doesn't seem to me to be the sort of dynamic company that's going to lead us into the new millennium. i myself stopped using Yahoo! when i was 15 years old. Obviosly that's about the age-level mentality of the people who voted on this survey.
The only thing that makes me feel like the internet isn't doomed is that AOL only ranked once. Unfortunately, that was only because of the age old bandwagon advertizing slogan which persists to date amongst the unthinking masses: "But all my friends use it..." ^^;;
Webware.com in its recent survey of supposedly 489,467 votes (probably from 20 unique users with spam bots), found the follow as being the best of the best for 2007. i'm not sure why they didn't decide to wait until the end of the year, but i digress...
"Browsing - Fundamental Web access tools: Browsers, extensions, widgets, and security."
And the winners are: Firefox, Google Reader, Internet Explorer, MyYahoo!, OpenID, Opera, Safari, StumbleUpon and Yourminis.Umm... something seems screwy already. Google Reader? As a webbrowser or a pdf viewer? Google Reader... beating out Internet Explorer...
>.>
<.<
If you say so.
Glad to see Firefox took first: hands down, the most powerful. Opera has really fallen by the wayside. Too bad so sad. Oh and Safari bites everyone's dust, no surprise there.
"Communications - Person-to-person communications platforms: E-mail, chat, voice"
And the winners are: AIM.com, Gmail, GrandCentral, Meebo, Skype, Trillian, Windows Live Hotmail, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! Messenger.Obviously the fact that AIM still has such a ridiculous following is more than a little disappointing. It's nice that Gmail came out 2nd but... Google Talk didn't even place? Google Talk was beat out by... Skype? Gimme a break. Jabber is Jabber so far as I'm aware. i was happy to see Meebo and Trillian place well. Oh yeah, and those of you who voted for Hotmail and Yahoo!, wake up--your decade ended a while back.
"Community - Online gathering places and group-powered content."
And the winners are: Bebo, Deviant Art, digg, Dogster/Catster, facebook, friendster, Gaia Online, Linked In, Me.dium, MySpace.
Wow, this is sad. Of those listed, I only have a Deviant Art and a Facebook account (against my better judgement, for the express purpose of helping my friend with her BFA pottery show). Who the heck are those other people? I thought friendster was a flop? Dogster/Catster? Umm... i don' t know who you are, but your name is utterly retarded and you should be drug out into the street and shot. Fortunately, MySpace came in dead last, there may be hope for the world yet.
"Data - Tools for finding online info, and storing and sharing files."
And the winners are: AllPeers, .Mac, Bittorrent, box, ChaCha, Google, Pando, Windows Live Search, Yahoo! Search, YouSendit.
Fascinating. There's really no excuse for Bittorrent not taking first place. It's apparent to me that this survey was only given to techys who like to try out stuff, not the average end users who actually knows what the heck she or he is doing. Bittorrent is used, oh, i don't know, about a thousand times more than the rest of these people. .MAC beating out Bittorrent. HAHAHA~ *begins to hold stomach and cry from the excess tears* In your wildest dreams Apple. That'll be the day. Oh, and people who voted for Windows Live Search and Yahoo! Search may in fact be living in a cave ten miles beneath Antarctica. In terms of sheer usability and practicality how could Google not stomp them completely off the list?
"Entertainment - Tools for taking time off: Games and contests."
And the winners are: Desktop Tower Defense, Eventful, GameGum, Homestar Runner, Lime Rider, Newgrounds, Revision3, Stardoll, Yahoo! Bix, You Don't know Jack!
I'll be the first to admit, i know nothing about online games. What i do know is that Newgrounds is older than most people who use it. Same goes for You Don't Know Jack! but at least that has some semblance of intelligence behind it. Homestar Runner...? What can I say: people are immature... and they always will be. The rest are of little consequence.
"Media - Places to consume and share videos, photos, and music."
And the winners are: Flickr, Fotki, Last.fm, Netflix, Pandora, Photobucket, uStream.TV, Yahoo! Video, YouTube, Zooomr.
I am beginning to think the couldn't have been real voters for this, perhaps a program was written in VB to generate random votes in all categories. Millions and millions of people use YouTube everyday, both views and posters. In what universe would that not justify it taking first place? Flickr is good, but hardly as recognized. Netflix? You've got to be kidding me; no body really gives them money do they. Please tell me they don't. I will be sad. Photobucket is good. The rest can bite me.
"Mobile - Products that make your mobile phone a Web 2.0 appliance."
And the winners are: Google, 3Jam, Google Gmail Mobile, Mundu Radio, Radar.net, SoonR, ShoZu, TellMe, Yahoo! OneSearch.
Uh-huh. i guess i'm not surprised that Google placed twice. I am disappointed that Palm didn't place, i guess i'm living in the stone ages by still using my Handspring Treo.
"Productivity and Commerce - Sites for getting things done and doing online business."
And the winners are: Amazon, Basecamp, Blinksale, Craigslist, ebay, Google Adwords, Google Calendar, Google Docs & Spreadsheets, Microsoft Office Live, PayPal.
Sounds about right. Though, i think PayPal ranks a little higher than DEAD LAST if you ask me. Craigslist is nice but... beating out ebay? Wow. We live in tumultuous times. Google Adwords i can understand, and Google Docs i can accept (without understanding ) but Google Calendar?! Umm... i am standing behind my theory of randomly generated votes.
" Publishing - Tools for producing your own site: Blogging and Web content services"
And the winners are: Adobe Flash, Blogger, Drupal CMS, FeedBurner, Google Analytics, PollDaddy, Silverlight, TypePad, Vox, and WordPress.
W3Schools didn't even rank. It seems like they are only going for sites that offer widgets. Speaking of widgets, seems to me Google ranked a little low this time. i guess you never know who'll come out on top with net tools. WordPress came in dead last. No surprise there. Adobe Flash...
... ADOBE Flash...?
...
i hate my life.
and last but not least, the one that actually maybe pertains to Library 2.0:
"Reference - Fonts of knowledge--from history to movies to maps."
And the winners are: Answers.com, Ask.com, Geni, Google Maps, IMDB, Microsoft Virtual Earth, WebMD, Wikipedia, Wikia, Yahoo! Maps.*shakes head in disgust* Yet another example of throwing your vote away. It's apart to me now that they must have used chimpanzees in their demographic. This truly hurts my head.
Answers.com? How could that actually yield any valid research?
Ask.com - hahaha
Geni - no comment
Google Maps - should be number 2 in the list if it were to only encompass these 10.
IMDB - lol. You call that research?
MS Virtual Earth - ahem. Excuse me? i'm sorry i don't think i heard you correctly. Did you say Google Earth? Yeah... that's what i thought you said. Idiots.
WebMD - sigh
Wikipedia - how could this not take first place?
Wikia - no comment
Yahoo! Maps - remember what i was saying about those chimpanzees? i take it back, single celled protoplasmic life forms would know to vote for a better web resource.
All in all, i'd say i want to throw out this survey. The fact that Yahoo! made it to so many categories only reinforces the fact that internet users are prone to sitting too close to the monitor and subsequently irradiating themselves. Yahoo! doesn't seem to me to be the sort of dynamic company that's going to lead us into the new millennium. i myself stopped using Yahoo! when i was 15 years old. Obviosly that's about the age-level mentality of the people who voted on this survey.
The only thing that makes me feel like the internet isn't doomed is that AOL only ranked once. Unfortunately, that was only because of the age old bandwagon advertizing slogan which persists to date amongst the unthinking masses: "But all my friends use it..." ^^;;
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Do We Pesticide the Arphids?
i am so upset at myself i could just spit for getting my laptop and digital SLR stolen last night. Ironically, they stole it out of my car while my brother and i were at the cinema watching Ocean's 13. Nothing like a little poetic justice to raise your spirits. ^^;;
In other new, Woody Evans, in the June/July 2007 edition of American Libraries wrote an article entitled Arphids in Ascendance which i found of particular interest. Arphids, as he describes them, are the artists (though i believe it would be more accurate to say "architects") of the RFID phenomenon. As Evans sees it, “In the 90s, we dreamed of an RFID future in which we would no longer shelve books—we’d just cram them into shelves and use a mobile gizmo to tell us the location and condition of any volume.” Yet this, seemingly lofty goal, has been plagued by the constant threat of malfeasance from patron hacking, virus susceptibility and the use of library technology to loan themselves to attacking retail computer systems.
Evans would contest these threats by bringing the hackers themselves into the fold and i can only applaud such a solution. Technology systems are constantly improving library service, but they have always had the sinister impetus for doing more harm than good. Although library systems could be the launching point for some insidious malware attack through RFID, like with stem-cell research, many would purport the benefits out way the risks. New technologies are spawning every time we turn around, “keitai [denwa], PDAs, Blackberries, laptops, Semacode Thinglink, arphids” and all seem to have the potential to connect patrons with libraries and information more readily than past systems. Though, if our RFID tags are already being hacked as Evans suggests, it gives us cause to pause. Could we survive without VeriChipped thumbprint IDing and “fulfill our geek dream of knowing where all our stuff is” (props to Warren Ellis)? Probably. Should we hesitate to enact more technology in our libraries simply in fear that it could be abused? i posit that throughout libraries existence, services have been abused: it has happened, it will happen. Let’s encourage those hackers to help better our systems and become invested in a future, rather than having them sing “I wanna be, an anarchy!”
In other new, Woody Evans, in the June/July 2007 edition of American Libraries wrote an article entitled Arphids in Ascendance which i found of particular interest. Arphids, as he describes them, are the artists (though i believe it would be more accurate to say "architects") of the RFID phenomenon. As Evans sees it, “In the 90s, we dreamed of an RFID future in which we would no longer shelve books—we’d just cram them into shelves and use a mobile gizmo to tell us the location and condition of any volume.” Yet this, seemingly lofty goal, has been plagued by the constant threat of malfeasance from patron hacking, virus susceptibility and the use of library technology to loan themselves to attacking retail computer systems.
Evans would contest these threats by bringing the hackers themselves into the fold and i can only applaud such a solution. Technology systems are constantly improving library service, but they have always had the sinister impetus for doing more harm than good. Although library systems could be the launching point for some insidious malware attack through RFID, like with stem-cell research, many would purport the benefits out way the risks. New technologies are spawning every time we turn around, “keitai [denwa], PDAs, Blackberries, laptops, Semacode Thinglink, arphids” and all seem to have the potential to connect patrons with libraries and information more readily than past systems. Though, if our RFID tags are already being hacked as Evans suggests, it gives us cause to pause. Could we survive without VeriChipped thumbprint IDing and “fulfill our geek dream of knowing where all our stuff is” (props to Warren Ellis)? Probably. Should we hesitate to enact more technology in our libraries simply in fear that it could be abused? i posit that throughout libraries existence, services have been abused: it has happened, it will happen. Let’s encourage those hackers to help better our systems and become invested in a future, rather than having them sing “I wanna be, an anarchy!”
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Wiki Wonder
In a May 2007 article in American Libraries entitled Subject Guide 2.0, Meredith Farkas extols the virtues of wikis for the library world. She notes two major wikis that have been successful in the past, the Ohio University Business Librarian's Biz Wiki @ www.library.ohiou.edu/subjects/bizwiki and St. Joseph County Public Library Subject Guide. Both have been successful in using Wikis to impart information to their patrons. Staff members are allowed to add and edit information while patrons are allowed to make comments.
i really enjoy wikis as they offer a standardized, intelligent format for browsing. Yet, as Farkas points out, "Many libraries would worry about people adding inappropriate content, but wikis do not have to be open to everyone." The irony is that, many, like Wikipedia, are available for anyone to edit. This allows for anyone and everyone to add content, without being prejudice against people based on age, race, etc. i consider this strategy to be a very enlightened philosophy. The really amusing part is that so few people actually consult those resources, most people wouldn't even consider editing them. Those odd people who do somehow manage to feel important enough to edit a wiki usually are only interested in correcting information they totally cannot live with. Obviously for network security issues, one should use a firewall and the same goes for net traffic on a server. You wouldn't want to inspire a DDOS by making your site less secure. It's also a good idea to have a "write the random letters in the box to confirm" to avoid getting spam bots from destroying your blog.
In the same vein, allowing only registered users to post and edit a wiki can quickly alleviate spamming. Farkas seems to worry about people posting inappropriate or irrelevant material, but if one is worried about registered users posting that sort of thing it means that staff members and Board members can't string two sentences together... obviously that's not happening. So the point is: why not use a real website? What makes this different from putting files on a network drive? If you can't trust your Board and staff to post professional, accurate information, than just don't use a wiki.
i really enjoy wikis as they offer a standardized, intelligent format for browsing. Yet, as Farkas points out, "Many libraries would worry about people adding inappropriate content, but wikis do not have to be open to everyone." The irony is that, many, like Wikipedia, are available for anyone to edit. This allows for anyone and everyone to add content, without being prejudice against people based on age, race, etc. i consider this strategy to be a very enlightened philosophy. The really amusing part is that so few people actually consult those resources, most people wouldn't even consider editing them. Those odd people who do somehow manage to feel important enough to edit a wiki usually are only interested in correcting information they totally cannot live with. Obviously for network security issues, one should use a firewall and the same goes for net traffic on a server. You wouldn't want to inspire a DDOS by making your site less secure. It's also a good idea to have a "write the random letters in the box to confirm" to avoid getting spam bots from destroying your blog.
In the same vein, allowing only registered users to post and edit a wiki can quickly alleviate spamming. Farkas seems to worry about people posting inappropriate or irrelevant material, but if one is worried about registered users posting that sort of thing it means that staff members and Board members can't string two sentences together... obviously that's not happening. So the point is: why not use a real website? What makes this different from putting files on a network drive? If you can't trust your Board and staff to post professional, accurate information, than just don't use a wiki.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Barricades have Become a Familiar Landscape
Hie-jinja (Shrine) in RainKawase Hasui (1883-1957)
one of the frontispieces missing from MSU's copy of
Shintô and its architecture
by Akiyama, Aisaburō
Possibly the most cop out way to start or end an essay is with a quote, and yet, interestingly enough, it's almost always the thing that inspires me to write the most...
As stated on Michael Stephen's ALA TechSource Blog, the second principal of Library 2.0 is that:
"The Library has no barriers.What barriers are we putting up that prevent our users from getting the information they need? Are you closing off resources and systems within your building? Make sure your users can get to your stuff no matter where they are—and make the systems easy to get to!"
This resounded for me, i think, because of a very recent experience at the Michigan State University Library. Allow me to highlight a few of the "resources and systems that were closed off" to me today. I had gone to the library after class with some very specific things in mind that i wanted to accomplish. As often happens, i left with more questions than I answered, and they even got me feeling like i should give them money... All right, well maybe the second part doesn't happen that often...
i had wanted to research the published work by a professor of Japanese Lit., Rika Saito, whose presentation i had attended last week. i had the name of one journal she'd published in, and the name of her dissertation... under normal circumstances, that seems like it would be a good start. i had a feeling that MSU wouldn't have any materials, but being a research school i knew they'd have access to a great many databases. i needn't have wasted my time--without a working MSUNet ID, i might as well have been an illiterate person wanting to vote in the 18th Century. Most websites, excluding Google, are blocked, and ProQuest asks for an institutional password. Additionally, the wireless network, which is configured to allow both MSUNet users and Guest users, conveniently wouldn't connect... On top of that WorldCat had never heard of her, or her dissertation. None of the available databases had heard of the one journal i had written down either, the "U.S.-Japan Women's Journal".
It almost makes me think that we were better off back when the only resources were printed resources. Unfortunately, it turns out that her dissertation is only two years old and that the U of Penn simply hasn't released a circulating copy (the MSU Reference Librarian I was working with informed me that their Thesis and Dissertation collection does not circ either), other than in electronic format. Aha! An Electronic Version! Well doesn't that beat all... available for a mere $32. ^^;; (for those of you not familiar with the anime sweat drop smiley, let me summarize it as representing intense stupefication, which is a word i just now coined).
After leaving the library and coming to Panera Bread, i was able to login to ProQuest with my Wayne State account, and download the Full-text dissertation in PDF format. Of course i'm really not interested in reading 338 pages in PDF, but i guess them's da breaks. It also occurred to me after the fact to try searching MelCat for the U.S.-Japan Women's Journal, and low-and-behold Kalamazoo College does own a copy... i never realized just how complex, with how many hidden layers and how many misfiring synapses reference librarianship entails (two terms coined in the same day!).
Unfortunately, that's not quite the end of it. While i was in the library i wanted to borrow a book i had just learned of in class called, A Guide to East Asian Collections in North America, compiled by Thomas H. Lee. I had a feeling this book would come in handy in the future, should i ever get the guts to pursue a career in Asian Library work. It turns out MSU did own a copy, though whereas i had written down the LC no. as being Z 3001. L4 (cuttered correctly for a reference book), MSU had chosen to give it the call number, DS 504.5 .L6 1992. Well, all right then, no harm done. Except... that the only catalog computer in the basement at MSU that non-MSU students can use was not logged in (for some unknown reason even the catalog computers at MSU Libraries requires a password to login to the MAGIC Catalog). Thus, i had to go back up stairs to use a different catalog computer, then to travel up to the 2nd floor East (if you've ever been to the MSU Library, you'll know exactly how absurd it is to have to negotiate two buildings joined at the hip... namely: stupefying, as you can never remember which side is East and which is West).
To attempt to bring an unnecessarily long and pointless drivel of a story to a close, let me say that i have mixed feelings about the MSU Library. Although they DO have a great many resources, and even a Map Library (fancy that), they simultaneously put up barriers all over the place against the non-MSU Student from doing research there. ;\
Now, if you thought this seemed to be going nowhere fast, check this out: i have zero room to complain because when i went to check out my book i was told it wasn't due until November 22nd. The head of circulation at MSU Libraries had done me an incredible favor at the beginning of the year and awarded me graduate-level borrowing privileges when she saw how much time i would spend doing research at MSU (and due to the fact that i'm in a Library Science program and she happened to find that to her liking). So, after all that bitching and moaning... i have zero room to complain about MSU Libraries. They are, in retrospect, an incredible library and very giving. =]
Oh yeah, and I did say something about wanting to give them money, didn't i... Well, while i was walking around aimlessly, doing my "Watch out, I'm an independent researcher non-MSU badboy" routine, i happened to come across a pamphlet for Adobt a Book at MSU Libraries. This reminded me of a book i have often checked out, both at Western Michigan University, and at Michigan State University, Shintô and its architecture by Akiyama, Aisaburō. It occurred to me that MSU's copy is badly beaten up (having been printed in 1955) and many of the gorgeous fontispieces have been stolen. No, not by me: this book is such an incredibly unique resource even i, with my "Pirates for Hire, specializing in Mayhem and Madness" flag in the window of my car, wouldn't sink so low. But damn, they are SOO insanely gorgeous (see above). i'll think about donating some money to get it restored or replaced.
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