Earthquake!

About 4:40am this morning, the sound of my alarm clock rattling on the shelf woke me up. As I drifted into consciousness, I wondered why the alarm clock was rattling. Then I realized the bed was shaking. First I thought maybe a big truck was driving by, but it continued much longer than a drive-by. As more of my brain cells began working I realized, it was an earthquake. The quake’s epicenter was near West Salem, Illinois. Did you feel it?

It was the third time in my life I’ve felt an earthquake (the other two times I was also in Wisconsin). While the tremors I felt this morning were fairly mild, it certainly is unsettling to feel the earth moving under you.

The Edgewood History Collection

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screen shot, Edgewood History Collection home page

One of the long term projects I’ve been involved with at work was quietly unveiled this week, the Edgewood History Collection.

The project is a collaboration between myself and several other members of the library staff. My responsibility involved designing and developing the collection’s Home and About pages, as well as the page templates for the digital collection management software (the pages that actually display the items in the collection). The software we’re using is a hosted version of ContentDM.

Some of the things in the Edgewood History Collection I found interesting include:

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The Ultimate Bootleg Experience

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I recently discovered an outstanding resource at T.U.B.E.: The Ultimate Bootleg Experience. Featuring both live and studio recordings (outtakes, rarities, etc.), T.U.B.E. is veritable goldmine. Some of the more interesting things I found there include:

  • Joe Strummer – Solos, Soundtracks, & Rarities
  • Van Morrison – Gypsy Soul (Studio Demos)
  • Peter Tosh – Equal Rights Demos 1977
  • Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – 1969-08-26 – Los Angeles
    (the earliest completely recorded CSNY concert)
  • Talking Heads – CBS Demos (1975)
  • U2 – Pulled The Covers (1979-2006)

The one minor downside of T.U.B.E. is the slightly complicated downloading process. It usually is worth it however. The files are well documented, and often include cover art. The bootlegs I’ve downloaded have been of very good quality. Every time I check out T.U.B.E., I’m just amazed at the variety and sheer number of bootlegs posted on the site.

Allegra “Lee” Bloy 1929-2008

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Lee Bloy, circa 1960s You can shed tears that she is gone, or you can smile because she lived.

You can close your eyes and pray that she’ll come back, or you can open your eyes and see all that she has left.

Your heart can be empty because you can’t see her, or you can be full of the love you shared.

You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday, or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.

You can remember her and only that she’s gone, or you can cherish her memory and let it live on.

You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back, or you can do what she’d want:

Smile, open your eyes, love and live on.

     – anonymous, some attribute it to Charles Henry Brent.

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The Animal Dialogues by Craig Childs

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book cover

My favorite reads are those that let me escape. Whether I am bored in a waiting room, worried about something, or just trying to clear my head so I can sleep, books that can transport my mind to another place are worth their weight in gold. The Animal Dialogues: Uncommon Encounters in the Wild by Craig Childs is a wonderful example of such a book.

In The Animal Dialogues, the author vividly describes various encounters he has had with wildlife. The book is set up so each species has its own chapter: Bear, Coyote, Rainbow Trout, etc. Within each chapter are a few stories about different encounters with that species. And “stories” is an appropriate word to use here. The author’s vivid descriptions of these encounters read like a novel. Here’s an example from the chapter “Bear”:

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I have many obsolete skills

I came across this list of obsolete skills. Reading it just makes me feel old. Some of the more ancient skills I possess:

  • Adjusting a television’s vertical and horizontal holds
  • Adjusting the levels for recording to audio tape
  • Balancing the tone-arm on a turntable
  • Changing the C120 film cartridge in an Instamatic camera (yes, I had one)
  • Editing audio tape with a razor blade and splicing block (video tape too!)
  • Typing in code for “freeware” programs from a computer magazine
  • Using Gopher (the early days of the internet before the world-wide-web)
  • Loading data from a cassette tape (my first computer, an Atari 800 had a tape drive)
  • Punching a hole in the shell of a single-sided 5.25″ floppy disc to make it double-sided (I even owned a special hole-punch for this)
  • Rewinding an audio cassette using a pen or pencil
  • Ripping the little holes off the sides of continuous feed computer paper
  • Setting a baud rate, parity and stop-bits
  • Setting up a modem using AT commands
  • Switching a cars headlights to high beams by stomping a button on the floor
  • Using a flash cube (on my Instamatic camera, of course)

All now useless bits of information, just taking up brain cells…

Nothing like the Sun

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Did you see the lunar eclipse last night? I stepped out of my place about every 15 minutes or so to watch the show. When I was out there I wondered how many other people throughout the ages watched the moon darken with awe, as I was doing. Watching the Earth’s shadow slowly make its way across the lunar surface, I could understand how ancient peoples might start freaking out during such an event. I was also reminded of “Sister Moon,” the title song from Sting’s excellent album, …Nothing Like The Sun (who actually lifted that line from the Shakespeare’s My Mistress’ Eyes sonnet).

My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the Sun.
My hunger for her explains everything I’ve done.
To howl at the moon the whole night through,
And they really don’t care if I do.
I’d go out of my mind, but for you.

I didn’t have enough ambition to mess around with my camera and tripod during last night’s -5 F temperatures, but you can see images of the eclipse from SpaceWeather.com.