LibrarianActivist.org

Lazy Library is a website dedicated to recommending books that are no longer than 200 pages, on any subject, to help those that find reading to be “time consuming”.

Like Michelle, I think it’s not as dumb of an idea as it sounds at first and might have some utility in today’s culture. (I had a lengthy conversation with the person who buys the majority of the fiction at our library system recently about how so many of the most popular books today tend to be the ones with short, snappy chapters. “The Da Vinci Code” is the penultimate example of this but even something like “The Road” which won the Pulitzer Prize fits this description. And have I mentioned how highly I recommend this book? So good.)

My only criticism of the site is that it could really use a browse feature to go with its search function.

(via Yarns From M)

- JH

I’ve done a pretty fucking exhaustive swearing-related FFL before but this fucking article is a nice fucking addition to that list. Fuck yeah!

- JH

I did an earlier post about the guy who designed a program to link IP addresses to Wikipedia edits. This has led to all kinds of discoveries of spin, manipulation and outright lies being planted by individuals and organizations who want to harm others or clean up their own image.

Now a blogger has compiled a list of the seven most scandalous edits that have been discovered…so far.

- JH

This week’s post is a bit late because apparently there is something called “real life” that happens “outside”, occasionally in places where there are no “Internets.” Whodathunkit?

Anyhew, I recently came across an article which noted that most conservative of corporations, Big Blue itself, IBM, apparently has had a policy since the mid-1990’s where they don’t track employee holiday time. For anyone in their organization. Period.

It’s every worker’s dream: take as much vacation time as you want, on short notice, and don’t worry about your boss calling you on it. Cut out early, make it a long weekend, string two weeks together — as you like. No need to call in sick on a Friday so you can disappear for a fishing trip. Just go; nobody’s keeping track…Instead, for the past few years, employees at all levels have made informal arrangements with their direct supervisors, guided mainly by their ability to get their work done on time. Many people post their vacation plans on electronic calendars that colleagues can view online, and they leave word about how they can be reached in a pinch.

The article does mention that this often lead to a situation where people blur the lines between work and home even further. At IBM, employees actually end up working more than they otherwise might have due the peer pressure inherent in such a driven work culture.

The article also notes that companies that implement similar policies are often technology-based which means that employees can easily work from outside the office and that this type of arrangement won’t work in any sector (retail, food services, etc.) where set hours are required.

So maybe “make your own holiday schedule” would work for library management. But it likely wouldn’t for front-line staff. Or would it? Hmmm…

- JH

My 74 year old father has been heard to say such things as “George W. Bush and his whole crew are evil, evil people” and “I don’t think Stephen Harper is doing much as Bush’s lackey”. If my DAD is saying stuff like that, then something is quite obviously seriously wrong.

Next week, George W. Bush , Stephen Harper and Felipe Calderón (Mexico) will be discussing the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) in Montebello, Québec. The SPP aims to be a trilateral force to increase both security and prosperity amongst the three nations. Really this is just more intensified intercontinental integration and collusion amongst government, the military, and corporations.

There are a lot of actions happening in and around Ottawa, as well as around Canada. Check and spread these links and come out to show them.

Events, Places, Times:
http://ottawa.indymedia.org/en/2007/08/4934.shtml

The SPP in their words:
http://www.spp.gov/

Council of Canadians ABC of SPP
http://www.canadians.org/integratethis/backgrounders/guide/ABCs.html

All of these have links to actions, information, people to contact and places to be.

_jackson_