"I just want to say one word to you -- just one word -- 'plastics.' "
That's the line whispered to a young Benjamin Braddock in the movie The Graduate 35 years ago. Some interesting essays have been written on the meaning of that line in the time since the movie's release (for instance, see "Just One World ...'PLASTICS'": Suburban Malaise, Masculinity, and Oedipal Drive in The Graduate), but it looks like the word "plastics" is going to spawn a whole new set of meanings. That's my observation after reading the news that Food scraps make perfect plastic. Biodegradable, too.
Sunday, November 24, 2002
Saturday, November 23, 2002
building a digital library
There are some interesting observations about archiving sites on the internet in an interview with Brewster Kahle (via current copyright readings), the inventor of the Wayback Machine. The site allows you to travel back in time as you search through their collection of pages culled from the taking of a snapshot of the web every 60 days since 1996.
There are some interesting observations about archiving sites on the internet in an interview with Brewster Kahle (via current copyright readings), the inventor of the Wayback Machine. The site allows you to travel back in time as you search through their collection of pages culled from the taking of a snapshot of the web every 60 days since 1996.
copyright is a right
That's the message from John Bloom over at the National Review Online in a commentary called Right and Wrong. A nice, commonsense argument against copyright extensions.
That's the message from John Bloom over at the National Review Online in a commentary called Right and Wrong. A nice, commonsense argument against copyright extensions.
holy big ben, batman
The dynamic duo apprehended teens involved in misappropriating alcoholic beverages in a store in the UK. (via Blogdex)
The dynamic duo apprehended teens involved in misappropriating alcoholic beverages in a store in the UK. (via Blogdex)
Friday, November 22, 2002
no filtering in delaware's county libraries
The county library system in Delaware is getting an updated computer system allowing its public access terminals to connect to the internet. The new system will be phased in over the course of the next week, terminal by terminal. The computers will be able to connect to the web, and parents are required to "sign authorization for their children's computer use and are responsible for monitoring what Web sites they visit."
Filtering software to block adult content will not be used on the libraries' computers. It might make accessing any information about one of Delaware's three counties difficult. Library spokesman Anthony Carter explained, "Sussex County does end in s-e-x."
The county library system in Delaware is getting an updated computer system allowing its public access terminals to connect to the internet. The new system will be phased in over the course of the next week, terminal by terminal. The computers will be able to connect to the web, and parents are required to "sign authorization for their children's computer use and are responsible for monitoring what Web sites they visit."
Filtering software to block adult content will not be used on the libraries' computers. It might make accessing any information about one of Delaware's three counties difficult. Library spokesman Anthony Carter explained, "Sussex County does end in s-e-x."
service animals in places of business
There's some controversy going on in an Idaho city over a woman who is using a horse as a service guide animal to overcome her blindness and balance and hip problems. City officials are seriously concerned that the horse is getting too close to traffic, and may pose a health risk. They've invoked an old law that prohibits horse riding in the city. Does the law apply to an animal that may be a service guide under the Americans with Disabilities Act?
The Guidehorse Foundation, which has a considerble amount of information about the use of miniature horses as guide animals, also has a section on Legal Access for Service Animals. There they describe a service animal as follows:
There's some controversy going on in an Idaho city over a woman who is using a horse as a service guide animal to overcome her blindness and balance and hip problems. City officials are seriously concerned that the horse is getting too close to traffic, and may pose a health risk. They've invoked an old law that prohibits horse riding in the city. Does the law apply to an animal that may be a service guide under the Americans with Disabilities Act?
The Guidehorse Foundation, which has a considerble amount of information about the use of miniature horses as guide animals, also has a section on Legal Access for Service Animals. There they describe a service animal as follows:
A: The ADA defines a service animal as any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability. If they meet this definition, animals are considered service animals under the ADA regardless of whether they have been licensed or certified by a state or local government.The quote is from their Commonly Asked Questions About Service Animals in Places of Business. If you are a shopkeeper, restauranteer, taxi driver, or run some other privately owned business that serves the public, the page is worth a visit.
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