Comments on: Vote!

By: walt

walt — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 16:28:33 +0000

Connie,

I saw the flack (I lurk on publib). I like the longer mission statement as well (I sure read books for entertainment, and they’re mostly PL books, so…), but I think of the second sentence more as a motto.

Thanks for the comment!

By: Connie

Connie — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 15:54:51 +0000

Thanks for the kind comments on the mission statement, which took some unexpected flack on publib yesterday. And of course you can steal it, the books are just the beginning was stolen from a billboard I saw years ago somewhere long forgotten. Here is the whole thing: The Elkhart Public Library provides access to resources which inform, educate, enlighten and entertain our diverse community…..Books are just the beginning.

By: walt

walt — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 15:53:33 +0000

Taran,

Sloppy wording in my post: I don’t like Second Life–it just doesn’t suit me, which says nothing about whether it’s a good thing or not.

I didn’t spend a lot of time in the library. I don’t really have a separate judgment on it, except that it seemed as slow as the rest of SL. (Well, I could never actually get a search to work, but that’s probably because I hadn’t spent the necessary time inculcating myself in the SL techniques. I guess my avatar was broken.)

I am explicitly not putting down the work of the SL library folk. If other people find SL a great place to hang out, and if they find the library/libraries useful, more power to them. It–SL itself–just isn’t my thing.

Slightly updating an earlier comment: To my surprise and elation, Dumbo, with his wonderful history of wanting to sell off national parks, drill for oil any- and everywhere, and gut every bit of environmental protection, lost. Now he can go back to “ranching” (or more likely subdividing some of the best agricultural land in the world into more commute housing, since the family’s mostly into real estate). And that’s my last political comment about this year’s election.

By: Taran Rampersad (aka Nobody Fugazi)

Taran Rampersad (aka Nobody Fugazi) — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 04:09:44 +0000

I wish you would flesh out what you don’t like about the SL library. I’m not a fan of it either, but it would be good to hear what you think.

By: walt

walt — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 02:29:04 +0000

I can’t imagine why, but Brian’s outrageous tirade was flagged for moderation. Maybe it’s the exclamation point and the very short text. As to the disagreement…hmm, pass me that Reese’s. Well, still mediocre chocolate and too-sweet peanut butter, but yes, you have a point.

By: brian mathews

brian mathews — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 22:47:47 +0000

Walt, I disagree with your anti-peanut butter cup agenda!

By: CW

CW — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 21:43:36 +0000

Voting is compulsory in Australia (you get fined if you don’t). In the past I have been conflicted over whether this is a good thing or a bad thing, but currently I think it’s good for our democracy. Shouldn’t every citizen have some responsibility for who runs the country? Sure, I agree, some people may not know what they’re voting for, or care enough to find out, but I think it balances out, and the system here means that it is very easy for people to cast their votes.

As for SL, as someone who’s played many games in her life, the world seems sterile and not particularly interesting (I’m used to intricate art work and amazing monsters) but I’m giving it a go – the event I attended was interesting (even though I didn’t know the author who was “talking”) and I can see that it would be a great virtual venue for events and meetings.

By: walt

walt — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 17:50:47 +0000

Well, in this case, the sign was for Richard Dumbo, biggest “friend” of the environment in California’s congressional delegation, and his district starts about 50 miles from here…he’s in a safe seat, but maybe not as safe as he thought. (No, that’s not quite his real name, since I don’t do politics. Good description, though…)

I can’t imagine that Connie Jo Ozinga at Elkhart would mind other people using that motto. I already told her I might use it for a book or chapter title…with credit, of course.

As for SL: “It may be great for others” is an accurate description of my feelings about it.

Idealism is good. Informed idealism (as yours obviously is) is even better.

By: Angel

Angel — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 17:40:58 +0000

Hmm, so it was not just me, on the campaign signs. I went to vote, and I saw a sign campaigning for some school district bond issue, except the district was not the one I was in. There was even a volunteer there, which, in retrospect, I should have asked her why she was there. As for the flow, it was pretty slow in the morning. I think it was me and some other voter. More poll workers than people, but I saw people going in as I came out, so maybe business was picking up. And it would be nice if the informed people actually went to vote. Better yet, if people actually took the time to be informed. Maybe that is where my idealism comes in: I like to believe our libraries play an important role in helping people be informed as they go vote.

Love the Elkhart PL motto. Can I “borrow” it?

As for the SL stuff, I am staying out of it. I am not much into alienation, but I want to believe the few being loud and rude do not represent the rest who are sincere.

As always, best, and keep on blogging.

By: walt

walt — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 17:12:26 +0000

Just finished voting; steady stream, six other people waiting for one of the machines (electronic, with optional paper receipt). They said it’s been a steady stream so far. Now, if I could figure out why I’m seeing campaign signs for candidates who aren’t on the ballot in this area…

Let’s see. 200 spamments in the last 24 hours. Two real comments. Trackbacks are blocked at the server level. You do the math.