Requiem for Shakespeare Beethoven

People in the Dallas area might know what I’m talking about already. No, it hasn’t anything to do with the death of culture, but it might as well be.

I just received an e-mail saying that Shakespeare Beethoven, a store in the Dallas Galleria, will be closing after 25 years. It was bad enough to see Uncle Tai’s (a wonderful Chinese restaurant) leave a few years ago, giving me one less place to nourish my gullet in the Galleria. Now, I have lost a place where I can nourish my soul.

The e-mail itself even had an air of sadness in its simplicity:

After 25 years in business Shakespeare Beethoven is closing its doors.
Please visit us one more time before we go.

Bring a printout of this e-mail to receive 50% off your purchase.

Come this weekend and say good bye!

Your friends at Shakespeare Beethoven.

As some of you may know, or may have guessed already, Shakespeare Beethoven is a book and music store. I will say that I am in shock, but perhaps not surprise. My wife and I actually went to the Galleria yesterday in search of some good post-Christmas sales, and we made our usual visit to Shakespeare Beethoven. In fact, as we approached it yesterday, I said something to her like, “I’m surprised it’s still there.” Unfortunately, my sardonic quip seemed unintentionally prophetic.

Although I liked to wander the “Shakespeare” part of the store, I paid even closer attention to the “Beethoven” section. Most music stores hardly bother with classical, except maybe for compilations with titles like “Mozart for Your Morning Commute.” Fortunately, Barnes & Noble and Borders are much better, though Borders stores actually have better classical and opera selections overall. Pound for pound, however, Shakespeare Beethoven is practically peerless. On my first visit to scope out Texas in 1998, my sister-in-law took me to Shakespeare Beethoven, where I found two recordings that I couldn’t find elsewhere (both with compositions by Richard Strauss, which should be no surprise to those who know me well). Following that visit, I developed a fond affection for the store, and I have been impressed with the attention given to the classical and opera selection there. It is also the place where I had the encounter that I mention in my posting about Zune vs iPod (see the third paragraph). This sad news also reminds me of the stories about Tower Records going out of business a few months ago, which I also mention in the earlier posting.

Anyway, I won’t go on some tirade about the finer things in life disappearing and philistinism taking over (though it’s certainly tempting… see my first paragraph). I can’t mistaken my sadness about the closing of Shakespeare Beethoven for evidence of such trends, especially since philistinism has haunted us since the beginning of time. Even though Shakespeare Beethoven will be gone, I can only hope that what it represents will be respected (or, even better, loved).

Passive for the holidays

For holiday evenings, Diane and I have been in “passive” mode, watching TV and movies most nights. We watched The Good Shepherd early on Saturday night. It gives a fictionalized account of the founding of the CIA, and several critics have compared it to The Godfather (especially Part II). Apropos, Robert DeNiro (young Vito in Part II) directs and has an important cameo, and Francis Ford Coppola is one of the film’s executive producers. Although it is not quite as engrossing as the Godfather films, I would still highly recommend it if you have the patience for Byzantine maneuverings and an interest in dramas about inner circles of family and friends. I would also like to say to those critics who complained about Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie’s “lack of chemistry”… that was the point! Jolie must be getting tired of the whole sultry shtick, anyway (though she does use it in the beginning of the movie… and then some). There’s a time and a place for it, but not in The Good Shepherd. For those of you who have got to have it, you’ll always have Tomb Raider.

Carrying on the motif of shadowy doings and family epics, Diane got me the first season of The X-Files, a show that I have not seen for years. She had only seen one episode many years ago (probably Die Hand Die Verletzt), but it did not appeal to her. Still, Diane watched the first two episodes with me on Monday night. She seemed intrigued, so I hope that we can watch more episodes eventually. I’ll filter out the less-than-great episodes in the interest of time, if for no other reason. Since X-Files went off the air, I haven’t followed any other television series. Time may be a factor, but it seems hard to duplicate all the elements that established a certain gemütlichkeit amidst the suspense, paranoia, and horror. The relationship between Mulder and Scully helped, and the secondary characters had intriguing stories themselves. (The Cigarette Smoking Man was probably the most interesting and complex among them, especially with his tragic gravitas.)

On a lighter note, we watched some of the Ultimate Johnny Carson Collection on Christmas Eve. We bought that set as a present for Diane’s parents, so we watched some of the highlights from the 1960s through 1980s. Diane’s mother occasionally acted as Greek chorus, mumbling, “He’s dead,” or “I never liked him,” in response to seeing certain guests. I remember watching Carson’s show when I was younger, but the highlights gave me an opportunity to see how his quick-thinking and savoir faire earned him the well-deserved title “King of Late Night.” Somewhat amusing sketches became hilarious when they went awry, with Carson finding the comedic potential in unexpected mistakes. If only life were more like that, with an appreciative audience watching on as you salvage a hopeless (but not serious) situation with dry wit. Thankfully, David Letterman continues Carson’s tradition (though he faces a lot more competition from various media than Carson did… but that’s a topic for another posting).

Dad vs. the Webcam II

If you recall my entry from 16 December, I talked about some of the problems I had communicating with Dad via his webcam. Fortunately, he got DSL service last week, and our most recent conversations (Friday night and Sunday night) went rather well. The only problem was a “Max Headroom” effect with his voice, as well as hearing echoes of my voice in my headphones. Not a perfect system, but Dad is quite happy to be able to see us all from a distance… especially this time of the year.

Robots in the library!

A brief article from Wired tells about the use of robots in an academic library. At the Chicago State University Library, robots fetch materials from the stacks. The robots are not anthropomorphic, though. Rather, they resemble forklifts and run on tracks.

I had heard about such technology before, which involves the use of radio-frequency identification (RFID) chips. It seems a little gimmicky at first glance; pretty much any other library could not afford such a system, and retrofitting to accommodate robots would be a headache. To enlighten myself further on the rationale for using robots, I found an article from the Chicago Sun-Times that goes into more detail than the Wired brief.

Newbart, Dave. 2006. Robotic library makes it easy: Chicago State system retrieves books for you. Chicago Sun-Times (2 October).

Such a decision actually made sense for CSU. It was building a new library, and the extra room required to publicly display books would have cost quite a bit more money than the robot retrieval system. Also, as the article points out, the process can free time for library employees to do other things.

When I initially saw the Wired story, I didn’t think I’d mention it due to the “gimmick” factor. However, the implications of such a system are worth pondering.

The decision to have robot retrieval (or not) probably depends primarily on a library’s financial health. As I said before, I’d doubt that few libraries would have opportunities at present to adopt such a system. However, the prospect of having a new library might make robots seem more attractive.

Although cost would be a universal concern, the size of a collection (along with facility space) could affect decisions to integrate a robot retrieval system in a library. The CSU’s library has at least 800,000 materials in storage, while 250,000 remain in the regular stacks for browsing. Such a collection seems large enough to merit automated retrieval, especially with the opportunities presented in planning a new library. However, it seems problematic for smaller collections. While automated retrieval might seem practical in a large academic library, it would seem a bit silly in a small public library with limited funds, and where people might prefer to browse, anyway.

Expanding on numbers, the most problematic issue to me is the cut-off date for materials to go into a storage facility. However, such a question has nothing to do with the presence or absence of a robot retrieval system. Instead, it underscores a philosophical issue that transcends technology. How does one decide what goes into a storage facility? As in the case of CSU’s library, one could set a universal cutoff date for all disciplines, which makes a depository operation neat, quick, and efficient. Unfortunately, anyone who works in libraries will see right away the problems with just sending away everything published before a certain date. Going back to 1990 might be alright for disciplines where rapid change is a constant, as in the sciences and technology. In fact, one could even argue that such a cut-off date goes back too far for some disciplines. On the other hand, such a cut-off date would seem appalling to those in the humanities. For some patrons, any cut off date would not work.

Unless one uses circulation records for every item (which would take up way too much time for busy library staff), decisions about depositories will remain an arbitrary judgment call where one hopes that most patrons will be satisfied. One could say the same thing about retrieval robots, for that matter. Of course, if they can demonstrate a high degree of efficiency and accuracy, perhaps automated storage systems will be more practical for all involved. Who knows? Besides devoting more time to provide patrons with in-depth assistance, library staff can also have more time to figure out other ways to improve library services.

As a final question, would we eventually need to think about the issues to which I refer in my posting from last week about the rights of robots?

Do you believe in… ?

With The Chronicle of Higher Education on its annual break to commemorate the holidays, it currently lists top stories from the past year on its website. Taking a cue from The Chronicle, I will take a break from my blog until next year, unless I feel moved to do a posting. (A few ideas are already creeping in, though time will dictate whether I post.)

Although it is a “break” from my usual postings, today’s topic does relate to higher education, and it asks the question of what constitutes serious research. It probably would have been more appropriate for Halloween, but anyway…

One top story posted for the holiday break webpage of The Chronicle tells the tale of Dr. Jeffrey Meldrum, a professor at Idaho State University’s Department of Biological Sciences. Meldrum specializes in the study of primates, and he has become famous (or infamous) for researching one of the world’s best-known primates. Unfortunately for Meldrum, he faces a serious conundrum: No scientific evidence can definitively prove the existence of his pet interest, the creature known as sasquatch, or “Bigfoot.”

Many of Meldrum’s peers view his work the same way many of us view stories about the creature in various tabloids. The Chronicle article quotes an ISU Physics professor as saying that Meldrum might as well investigate Santa Claus. In addition, a lecturer from the ISU Physics Department points out that the hypothetical behavior of sasquatch varies from behaviors exhibited by most other primates. Meldrum’s own department chair criticizes his colleague’s methods, claiming that he tries to use data to fit his hypothesis. Not surprisingly, the department has twice denied Meldrum a promotion to full professor.

Needless to say, Meldrum has a lot of work to do before he can definitively prove the existence of a “loner” primate that lives in high altitudes. But then, as Meldrum says in response to the Physics lecturer’s skepticism, some species of primate do have such characteristics. If sasquatch does exist, Meldrum believes that it would share some of those same characteristics.

Like the physics lecturer, I am no biologist. However, I believe that Meldrum is legitimately trying to gather evidence that might point towards the existence of some tall primate that wanders the North American wilderness. Admittedly, as the chair of his department points out, Meldrum’s methods differ from those accepted by the scientific mainstream. On the other hand, perhaps traditional methods are a bit too rigid to facilitate a free and responsible search for the truth.

It seems appropriate to mention Carl Sagan, who died ten years ago this Wednesday. In a tribute on MSNBC’s Cosmic Log, Alan Boyle mentions Sagan’s famous admonition that “extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.” Boyle also includes an extensive quote from a lecture by Sagan, where he discusses the nature of evidence further. In answering a question related to an omnipotent being leaving evidence for us, Sagan says, “Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. Neither is it evidence of presence. And this again is a situation where our tolerance for ambiguity is required.”

It is hard to rally support around Meldrum’s sasquatch research due to the lack of solid evidence for the phenomenon, as well as the tabloid stigma attached to it. However, one does have to take intuitive leaps to begin understanding potentially deeper truths, even if they go beyond accepted paradigms. Unfortunately, Meldrum is stuck in an intellectual limbo that draws disdain from those who follow accepted scientific methods, but that does not sink to the level of sensationalism that could bring him fame (and perhaps money). Whatever the case, one can only hope that Meldrum can keep working to get us closer to the truth about sasquatch… whatever it may be.

As for Santa Claus, studying him is best left to folklorists.

Happy holidays to all!

Ouch!

Just as I’m getting into posting almost-daily entries on my blog, Joseph Rago at The Wall Street Journal writes of “The Blog Mob.” Still, I agree with many of his concerns, which I more or less mention in my very first posting.

Rago even uses the word “solipsistic,” which I also used in my posting. I’m not vaguely accusing him of plagiarism, though. In fact, I’m glad to know that I’m not alone in viewing a good number of blogs that way. I first learned of the word myself from Vladimir Nabokov’s novel Lolita (the written diary, or paper “blog,” of the narrator). For more about solipsism, read the entry from the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

Not to sound snobby, but I do agree with Rago that many blogs are dull and/or terribly-written. I would also add visually unappealing, and even confusing; I hate it when bloggers copy and paste extensive quotes, and the only original text says something like this:

Just found this on [topic].

[bleeding chunk from article]

This sounds very important for [blogger’s constituency].

I may be no model for good writing myself, but it seems that bloggers feel pressure to post something everyday. For that, quality of writing and thought suffers for the reasons Rago outlines in his article. In his view, political blogs are especially problematic. More people may have more opportunities to say what’s on their freakin’ mind to a broader audience, but it tends towards divisiveness and “preaching to the choir.”

So far, my daily compulsion to post comes from the fact that I have considered the relevant topics for a while already, or I have a personal experience that seems somewhat relevant to my blog’s overall coverage (librarianship, higher education, and technology). I just hope that I don’t run out of material, because I actually like blogging. It’s rewarding to provide what I perceive as decent postings to stimulate dialogue, and to transcend the prejudices of both obstinate Luddites and hardcore technophiles.

The rights of robots

A story on NPR this morning led me to a BBC article about the possibility of robots receiving the same rights accorded to humans. This came from a study by the Office of Science and Innovation Horizon Scanning Centre, which released over 200 papers forecasting trends that might develop in various fields. One of the papers, entitled Utopian Dream or Rise of the Machines?, ponders the possibility of robots developing to a point where they assume the same responsibilities and receive the same rights as humans. (Or, perhaps similar rights and responsibilties.)

This sounds like a strange science fiction scenario, but this report makes me wonder how developments in artificial intelligence (A.I.) and robotics could relate to information professions in the coming years. More specifically, how could developments in A.I. change the nature of librarianship? Would perceptions about the profession change? Would A.I. interfaces be immobile like HAL in 2001, or would we have anthropomorphic robots like Data in Star Trek (TNG)? Would there be more long-term costs or benefits to having sophisticated A.I.?

One can hope that science fiction and history have both prepared us well for the possibility of having sophisticated A.I. and robots. Certainly, we have encountered our fair share of fictional robots who can elicit fear or sympathy (or occasionally both, as in the case of HAL). As technology speeds along, we in the information professions might need to take some time to ponder some of the books we have read and films we have viewed with robots.

I would like to take the time to suggest the film A.I., based on the Brian Aldiss short story “Supertoys Last All Summer Long.” Stanley Kubrick was supposed to direct, but his death in 1999 prevented him from executing his idea. However, he had collaborated with Steven Spielberg on the script, and the younger director decided to go on with the project himself. Released in 2001, oddly enough, the film is a futuristic science fiction epic that also has a fantastical quality. It follows the challenges confronted by David (Haley Joel Osment), a robot made to look and act like a “real boy.” (I have always found it odd that he shares the same first name as 2001’s primary human character, even though he is artificial like HAL.) I have only seen the movie once, but it still haunts me for a number of reasons that I outline in a review I wrote for Amazon (below my review of the score for Richard Strauss’ opera Salome). I would recap my review here, but it seems rather redundant.

Like Blade Runner (1982), which has similar themes, A.I. did not do well at the box office. A good number of people also hated it, but others loved it (myself included). Personally, I hope that it will eventually receive the same acclaim that caught up with Blade Runner. Maybe by the time A.I. becomes more sophisticated, people will take notice again of A.I.. We might need to as we wrestle with the relevant issues.

Happy birthday to me…

To my regular audience of three readers, I was busy yesterday (12/20) celebrating my 34th birthday. No big fetes, but that’s just as well. (Sounds like a stereotypical librarian, eh?)

After breakfast, I opened two presents from Diane. One was a video of Daria: Is It College Yet?, starring the sardonic titular animated character. For those of you who don’t know, she originally appeared as a foil to the dimwitted duo Beavis and Butt-head before moving on to her own series. (I had always hoped that I would meet someone like Daria, and Diane answered such prayers.) I also got James Bond and Philosophy, which is part of the “Popular Culture and Philosophy” book series. What I’ve read so far sounds interesting, and I look forward to perusing it during the holidays.

Diane and I took off from Fort Worth for the other side of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, dining at Cheesecake Factory for lunch and wandering North Park mall. We didn’t buy anything; just some “mallratting” and people-watching. I played around a little in the mall’s Apple store, trying to figure out if a Mac is right for me and drooling over the iPods. After that, Diane and I absconded for the Half-Price Books “mothership” store, which is a very dangerous thing (especially for two librarians). I got used compact discs of Mahler’s Second Symphony (“Resurrection”) and Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben (the versions of which are likely out-of-print by now), as well as a book about Apocalypse Now. Diane got a few travel books, an audio book, and a book about filmmaking that might be useful for her research. We finished with dinner at Pei Wei, a visit to a nearby Whole Foods, and a trip to Borders in an abortive attempt to buy Diane’s parents a present (some classic Johnny Carson episodes). She was able to get a recording of “Essential Debussy” from Deutsche Grammophon.

If you seek library, technology, or higher learning didactics here, I’m sorry to disappoint… just a typical “everyday life” blog entry, and a little insight into my personal life. Such glimpses seem healthy, and makes one seem a little human, too.

Web photo searches

CNN has a story about the the development of new software by a start-up company called Polar Rose. Basically, the software uses pattern recognition technology to find photographs that contain similar faces. The product may be used to find photographs of people within one’s own computer files, or to find photographs of people online with similar features. In the near future, Polar Rose will expand its pattern recognition capabilities, allowing people to find other objects in still photographs. Eventually, Polar Rose will launch a system to search video files.

Although Polar Rose offers a promising product, potential privacy concerns might make the product seem less attractive. Still, the founders of Polar Rose hope that people will use it as a “fun” tool to find publicly-available photos on the Web, as well as personal photos stored on one’s own computer. They also plan not to sell the information to agencies involved in surveillance.

I have wondered if such a tool would become available for public use. If enough people learn about it, Polar Rose could offer a potential goldmine for those interested in finding images that share similarities. The prospects for video also sound quite interesting. (Naturally, with my wife’s interest in similar kinds of searches, I have already notified her of this story.)

As a side note, I stumbled upon something similar in a genealogy website called MyHeritage. It has a face recognition feature that matches your face (or those of people you know) with those of celebrities. I tried it over the weekend, and I found the results most interesting. However, you do need to register, and you need to click through an offer to get started (In my case, it was for a college loan consolidation. Just click “no thanks,” or whatever it says, and you can get started.)

Admittedly, results can depend on various factors within the photo (light, shadow, etc.). In most cases, you get between 5-10 matches per search. Although some celebrity face matches may occur in only one search, others appear in multiple searches. In my case, the most consistent results included Steven Spielberg, Johnny Depp (?), and Nick Brendon (a big name for Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans, I suppose). My wife got a few consistent matches as well, including Meryl Streep, Renee Zellweger, and Julia Stiles. I was surprised at the matches for me, especially Johnny Depp (it was probably the glasses and the appearance of five o’clock shadow). I have been told by a few people that I look like the bespectacled Edward Herrmann (at least when he played FDR), but he never appeared once in any of my searches. Either the software needs some work, or I haven’t found the right images to get such a match.

“You” still Person of the Year?

As a follow-up to yesterday’s posting, “You” will probably not be person of the year in 2007 after all… at least if Richard Wray’s article from The Guardian is correct. After enjoying a year or so in the spotlight, it appears that social networking sites (MySpace, Facebook, and the usual suspects) have summarily become passé. One sign is the sudden cancellation of a conference called Upload 2007, where internet and traditional media companies were supposed to meet and discuss the implications of social networking sites. Organizers cited the insufficient interest on the part of important “players” as the primary reason for cancellation.

Although MySpace exceeded Yahoo in number of hits for the first time in November, Wray’s article questions the duration of popularity of such social networking sites. He also mentions that the nature of social networking sites might change along with users’ lifestyles. Wray points to a site known as Piczo as an alternative. Primarily aimed at adolescents, Piczo facilitates ease-of-use in developing personal profiles, and it gives special attention to online safety. Wray also mentions Bebo as another alternative. Its Help page provides more details.

Time’s Person of the Year

Since learning about Time’s declaration that “You” are Person of the Year (“PY” from now on), I have tried figuring out my opinion about it. The arguments seem compelling, but they pretty well recap the same kinds of things that have been said before about social networks, blogs, YouTube, and the like.

I do have a problem with the rather disingenuous perversity of this proclamation, which is akin to AFI listing “Man” (in Bambi) as one of the top 50 villains in film. Sure, “lonely dreamers” might have to “play well with others… that would otherwise have drowned in obscurity” in the Web 2.0 world. If this remains the case, Time should do away with its Person of the Year tradition. For future PY’s, Time should drag You out every year, or it will need to be very careful about selecting an individual. To remain honest, Time should point us towards someone who did something important, but who remains in relative obscurity at the time of selection.

Nevertheless, for those who remain unaware of the impact that “You” have made, Time’s announcement brings attention to the importance of Web 2.0 in making more people better-known (the ones who have been “backhauled into the global intellectual economy”). Of course, as in the non-digital world, the rules of success remain the same. You still need to appeal to a reasonably good-sized audience, or at least to someone influential. That has yet to change, and I suspect that it probably never will.

Dad vs. the Webcam

My wife Diane and I bought a webcam several months ago, which she uses mainly to communicate with her birthmother in Michigan. While my father was in town for an extended Thanksgiving holiday visit, he had his first experience with a webcam. He used ours to speak with my birthmother-in-law, and he seemed quite impressed because “it doesn’t cost a dime” to talk. Dad also mentioned several times that he thought it was “the nuts,” which is a high compliment.

While in Oklahoma to visit my brother and sister-in-law, Diane and I bought an inexpensive webcam for Dad as an early Christmas present. If anyone needs it to remain “connected,” it’s him. He became a widower early last year, the impending long cold winter and short days in Ohio are not to his liking, and he always talks about how there’s nothing to do. (I grew up in a small rural town, and he still lives there.) His three sons are also spread throughout the country. Dad at least has some people with whom he connects in my hometown, but he complains about a good number of “idiots” who drive him crazy.

It took a while, but Dad installed his webcam this week, with some assistance from a local computer store. Unfortunately, he has contended with messages and prompts that make no sense to him. The connection also remains rudimentary, and he made an appearance on my birthmother-in-law’s webcam that apparently spooked her. I first saw Dad on the webcam a few nights ago, which made me understand what probably spooked Diane’s birthmother. With the exception of the computer monitor glow reflecting from Dad’s head, the room appeared otherwise dark. (I suggested that he turn on a lamp, just to improve the lighting.) Probably because he has dial-up, Dad’s movements looked rather choppy, and somehow the window showing movements on our end would not refresh for even longer stretches. The audio quality was horrible as well. Dad would say things that would cut off in mid-sentence, and I could hear my nasal twang reverberating in the headphones.

Fortunately, Dad ordered a high-speed Internet connection a few days ago. (When I started the “webcam campaign” with Dad a few months ago, I also mentioned the advantages of high-speed Internet.) The equipment should arrive next week, and I do hope that he can get connected in time for my birthday next Wednesday. Maybe we can have something that resembles real-time conversations soon, and he can tell “the idiots” how his webcam is “the nuts.”

Wii and interactivity

(Sorry. All the good “Wii” puns have been taken, so I needed to play it straight here.)

As everyone probably knows, Nintendo has encountered much success in selling its new Wii gaming console. Perhaps the biggest selling point is the system’s interactivity, which could potentially transform gaming couch potatoes into toned Olympians. Instead of a conventional gaming joystick or pad, users control an avatar’s movements with a remote control device, while a sensor bar responds to gamer movements.

Unfortunately, some overzealous users have gotten into games so seriously that “Pac Man thumb” seems rather mild in retrospect. In some instances, the Wii Remote has escaped the hands of gamers, causing injuries to people (and probably pets), as well as damage to nearby objects (including televisions, not surprisingly). Even with the wrist strap attached to the remote as a safety precaution, it sometimes is insufficient for keeping the remote from flying in some random direction at the height of gaming passion. (I suppose the accompanying “nunchuk” device adds to the fun.) Due to the number of complaints, Nintendo has decided to replace the wrist straps included with Wii game consoles, and to include better straps with new models.

Both BBC and CNN report on Nintendo’s decision to replace the straps. The BBC story also includes reader opinions about the strap, which seem evenly divided between complaints about the straps and those who see no problems.

Is it the responsibility of users to be more careful with the Wii remote, or does Nintendo have a responsibility to develop better straps? As the BBC article points out, Nintendo does caution players against sudden and sweeping motions, and to keep hands dry so that the remote doesn’t slip away. However, customers probably assumed that the straps would accommodate aggressive playing styles, and Nintendo must have realized that their straps were insufficient to meet the consumers’ need to play the hell out of their games. Furthermore, even if players decided to use some kind of glove to prevent perspiration from making the remote slippery, the nature of some games probably encourages more dynamic movements. (Perhaps Nintendo tested prototypes with rather mild-mannered people, and developers decided to base the wrist strap design on how they played.)

I suppose Wii brings us a little closer to the kinds of virtual realities imagined in popular culture, such as the holodeck on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Hopefully, we can get away from the necessity of carrying a remote control to interact in a similar environment. Nevertheless, something similar to a Wii could be useful in preparing students interested in fields that use “haptics” technological applications, which simulate the sense of touch. Basically, users receive “touch” feedback from haptic computer applications through an intermediary device, such as a remote control or a joystick. The Wikipedia entry for “haptic” lists some possible applications of such technology in a variety of disciplines, such as medicine (which is the first field I usually think of when I think of haptics).

Actually, I wouldn’t be surprised if some people would be interested in buying some kind of haptic videogame involving medicine or surgery. (“Operation on Steroids,” I suppose.) Some might like the “gross-out factor,” while others might like the idea of improving their eye-hand coordination skills. (In fact, a study conducted at Beth Israel Medical Center suggests that video games might enhance the performance of those who do laparoscopic surgery.) Considering the high stakes of such a game, it would also reduce the likelihood of a Wii remote flying into the television set.

Electronic readers and universities

Jeffrey R. Young has written an article for The Chronicle about e-book devices. Several new readers utilize E Ink, a technology developed at MIT. The article explains how E Ink differs from the technology behind conventional computer monitors, making e-book devices much easier on the eyes (the resolution is actually similar to that of newspapers). Furthermore, students can haul readers much more easily around campus than bundles of textbooks, and text size can be altered to accommodate sight problems.

Although E Ink offers an experience similar to reading print materials, the devices remain insufficient for meeting the needs of higher education. The readers offer little “interactivity,” such as highlighting important passages, scribbling margin notes, etc.; illustrations are not easily accommodated on readers, which makes them less appealing to fields where illustrations are valuable (such as the sciences and fine arts); and the number of title offerings is slim, partially because publishers and authors worry about the potential for illegal file-sharing (as in the case of movies and music).

We have heard about prospects for e-book readers for many years, but it still seems that they have a long way to go. Other than vintage models from several years ago, I have never seen one. I would be interested in seeing the new models with E Ink, but I have a feeling that widespread use will take many years to occur.

What needs to be done to make reader devices appealing to a broader audience? Perhaps the first step is to think more broadly about what constitutes a book. As Young mentions, only 10,000 titles are available for the Sony device. Right away, anyone who knows about books will realize that it’s a small fraction of what’s available in print. A reader device might work for those who want a popular title (if the author and publisher are willing to make it available), but not for those who want something more arcane.

The developers of readers also appear to be working from a narrow definition of what constitutes a book, and we now have devices that bear a superficial resemblance to them. I can only hope the E Ink technology will develop further to accommodate the detailed illustrations that one would need in more “visual” disciplines. However, as Young points out, the current devices are rather tiny: 7” X 5” for Sony Reader, 8” X 6” for iRex iLiad. Considering those size limitations, manufacturers of readers need to figure out whether they want to market different devices for different disciplines. (Who knows? Perhaps the day will come when fine arts students lug around readers that accommodate large digital reproductions.)

One issue that the article does not address is journal articles. Granted, it generally takes less time to read an article than a book. Unfortunately, reading several articles on a conventional monitor can become a bit of a strain. It would be nice if readers could somehow include articles, but that might be some time off as well. But then, I think computer monitors could all use some kind of advanced version of E Ink technology that approximates the resolution of printed text and illustrations. As Edward Tufte points out, computer monitors remain inadequate for such a task. (The aforementioned reference may be five years old, but I think it remains relevant.)

Despite all the progress that has been made in providing access to information, reader device development remains in its infancy (I would even go so far as to opine that it’s still in the womb). In the meantime, I suppose we will have to muddle by with clunky technologies that inadequately approximate what we see in the non-digital world.

MySpace, Yahoo, and “what is Ajax?”

CNN has a story about MySpace receiving more traffic than Yahoo in November. In actuality, the numbers of hits for each were actually pretty close (38.7 billion and 38.1 billion), and the article points out that the use of Ajax technology in various applications might have reduced the number of hits.

Now, some of you might be wondering… what the bleep is Ajax?

Actually, some of its uses might sound very familiar. Websites that run on Ajax programming include Google Maps, as well as websites that provide “up-to-the-minute” information for weather, flights, etc.

Basically, Ajax supplants traditional “reloading” of complete webpages, which is why some interactive applications seem slow and tedious. If a website runs on Ajax, visitors can exchange more manageable amounts of information with the appropriate server, which increases the speed of interaction so that it approximates real-time usage. This allows users to explore Google Maps with the virtual “hand” moved by a mouse, and to see airline delays and changes in weather conditions almost immediately in appropriate sites.

Anyway, back to MySpace and Yahoo… I have considered writing an entry on my adventures in MySpace. It will portray initial excitement, followed by disenchantment. However, I have already taken up enough space in this entry. (Like that’s stopped me before…)

Before I go, here are some links to more interesting articles about social networks:

• Boyd, Danah. 2006. Friends, Friendsters, and Top 8: Writing community into being on social network sites. First Monday 11(12).
• Lupsa, Christian. 2006. Facebook: A campus fad becomes a campus fact. The Christian Science Monitor (13 December).

Defining “obsolescence”

Yet another thought-provoking column from Wired. This one, by Kris Wagner, discusses gadgets built to fail. I do not think about this issue very much, unless something of mine breaks or becomes “obsolete.”

You might notice that I put the o-word in quotes. That’s because I get the sneaking suspicion that the definition of obsolescence seems rather slippery.

Right now, I have a cell phone that I bought two years ago (or maybe I got it free by purchasing a certain plan… I get confused about those kinds of deals). Serious technophiles would probably think that I’m way behind the times, and that I should dutifully upgrade to a brand-new phone that takes high-resolution video images, gets me on the Internet anywhere/anytime, and does the Highland Fling.

Even with a few scrapes that expose the dull ecru plastic beneath the phone’s brushed-nickle coating, it still works, and it does what I need to do. I can talk to people from practically anywhere if necessary (which is the primary raison d’être for having a cell phone); a full battery charge still lasts two or three days before going down a “bar” on the little battery graphic; and I can even take pictures, a capability that seemed like a real technological coup just a few years ago. In addition, after I lost my beloved Skagen watch somewhere between our house and Shady Oak restaurant a few months ago, my cell phone has also served as my interim timepiece.

Of course, my relatively low usage of the phone has probably helped it last more than two years. However, I suspect that I might need to get a new one in another year or two. It has survived quite a few accidental drops, but some “final straw” drop or the phone’s declining powers might force me to finally chuck it into the electronics recycling bin at Best Buy.

At what point will my phone ultimately become “obsolete?” Although the word gets thrown around so much in an age where developers improve upon older technologies rather rapidly, its definition actually seems rather vague (like “relevance” in information science). Does something become obsolete when a new technology improves on it? (In that scenario, practically everyone has obsolete devices holding them back.) Or does something become obsolete when a critical mass of people abandons an older technology in favor of a new one? (That’s a more pragmatic scenario, but how does one define “critical mass?”) Taking this issue even further, does a technology become obsolete when the last one of its kind finally gives out? (Considering that definition, we could question if VCRs are actually obsolete.)

These questions might seem silly, but I think that they demonstrate how notions of obsolescence depend on the perspectives and experiences of individuals. Extreme technophiles might sniff at the stuff the rest of us purchase from Best Buy, preferring devices that are only available in Japan, or that might still be under development. At the other end of the obsolescence spectrum, someone might be content to get a rudimentary version of the same device at Wal-Mart.

Despite my concerns about obsolescence and rapid changes in technology, I am impressed with the variety of devices available. There are quite a few devices that I would really like, such as an iPod or a flat panel television. Overall, I think that the best solution is for all of us to determine what we find important in our lives, and to guide technology to help us do those things. It should not be the other way around.

Last of a Dying Breed

Wired has an interesting column by Tony Long, who writes about a friend of his who died recently. Although Long’s friend eschewed pretty well most technologies, he lived a rich and full life with diverse interests. Of course, as Long points out, his friend probably did quite a lot because he stayed away from technology.

What caught my attention was Long’s description of his friend as a “Renaissance Man,” which is especially rare in an age where “specialists” are highly valued. I consider myself as having such leanings, because I like to understand things holistically. However, unlike Long’s friend, I do not steer clear of technology. I also do not blame technology itself for the decline in the number of people with diverse interests and dabblings. Such ideas seem hyperbolic, and they do not address the deeper issues involving our interactions with technology. In an article for First Monday entitled “More, Faster, Better: Governance in an Age of Overload, Busyness, and Speed,” David Levy eloquently discusses some of the relevant complexities. I actually saw him speak this summer on the same topic, and I found his insights on technology quite fascinating and level-headed.

Remixed movie trailers on YouTube

Several months ago, I heard about a new trailer for Stanley Kubrick’s film The Shining. As practically everyone knows, it is a horror movie based on the novel by Stephen King. In fact, I remember seeing commercials for it on TV when I was about seven or eight, and I developed a fear that “The Shining” was going to come get me.

The tone of the new trailer differs radically from that of the original movie. Rather than a horror film, the trailer makes The Shining (or just Shining, in this case) sound like a life-affirming comedy, which is about an author suffering from writer’s block and “a kid looking for a dad.” After viewing the trailer, the nightmares I had been having for the past quarter-century finally stopped.

I assumed that the new Shining trailer was an isolated case. However, fairly recently, I figured out that quite a few remixed trailers were available on YouTube. I became interested when I heard about a remixed trailer for Office Space, Michael Judge’s cult comedy about cubicle life. In this case, the uninitiated would assume that the film is a suspense-riddled potboiler, with malicious activities masterminded by Milton, the original film’s put-upon office drone.

With Office Space being a cult film, it seems appropriate that creative fans would develop trailers that differ in tone from the original movie. One trailer re-imagines Office Space as a life-affirming drama, once again remixing images and dialogue, but with more melancholy music. Another one remains more or less faithful to the original plot, but it makes the scheme developed by the main character and his coworkers sound like the central focus of an action-packed caper movie.

Naturally, some remixes work better than others, and quite a few try too hard to be clever. However, here’s a sampling of some of the best:

• The Sound of Music: This film has several different remixed trailers, but my favorite makes it seem like a horror movie. You’ll never hear “My Favorite Things” the same way again, either.
• The Big Lebowski: Quite a few remixes for this film as well, including a life-affirming drama about John Goodman’s character Walter and a horror film. (Anyone with “language sensitivities,” you have been forewarned.)
• Scarface: Reimagined as the romantic comedy How Scarface Got his Groove Back. (Once again, language, language…)
• Citizen Kane: Charles Foster Kane convincingly reimagined as the original “hustler.” Complete with a smarmy voiceover and rap fit for a “gangsta.” (I shouldn’t even have to warn about language here.)

Admittedly, anyone can share a list of funny links on their blog, and it might seem out-of-place on a marginally serious one like mine. However, the remixed trailers seem relevant to the study of images in a variety of disciplines, including information science. For her dissertation, my wife researched the preferred image retrieval methods of several groups. More specifically, she focused on the ways news photographers and news photo editors categorize, store, and search for photographs. As she worked on her dissertation, we had discussions over dinner about the ways in which we perceive (and misperceive) images, the ways in which images can be manipulated, and so on. In themselves, still images have given my wife quite a bit of material with which to work. With moving images, things can get a lot more complicated, especially with sound thrown into the mix.

I think that these “remixed” trailers give perfect examples of how images and sound can be manipulated to change meaning. Due to the familiarity that students likely have with some (or many) of the films that inspired remixed trailers, teachers and professors should consider using these as teaching tools in a variety of fields. In fact, the trailers probably have the desired effect of cognitive dissonance precisely because viewers likely know about the original films already. Certainly these would be useful in information science or media studies, but they might work in political science, history, etc. Of course, some students might be inspired to do their own handiwork with sounds and images… if they haven’t done so already.

Wie schön…

As a bit of an artsy distraction… I would like to take a few moments to commemorate my favorite opera. Based on a play by Oscar Wilde, Richard Strauss’ Salome premiered on this date in 1905, provoking much controversy due to the titular character’s insatiable desire for the holy man Jochanaan (John the Baptist), as well as its then-revolutionary style of composition. Nevertheless, Salome became a major success, though I suspect that its infamy actually helped. (Tout ca change…)

Although Salome propelled Strauss into the avant garde for a few years (and allowed him to purchase his villa in Garmisch), it soon seemed quaint when compared with the music of the next generation of composers. Arnold Schoenberg began to explore atonality by the end of the 20th Century’s first decade, and the premier of Igor Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring actually provoked riots at its premiere in 1913. While Salome might have lost some of its initial edge, it remains a sufficiently compelling work. It has become part of opera’s standard repertoire, and it still manages to provoke controversy every so often.

For those of you who wish to indulge in this one-act thrill ride, I recommend the video starring Catherine Malfitano as Salome, with Giuseppe Sinopoli conducting the Deutsche Oper Berlin. And if you have young kids whom you wish to expose to a bit of the old ultra-culture, please be advised that the “Dance of the Seven Veils” and the final scene are not exactly good clean family viewing. However, if you have teenagers, you might want to force them to watch. It will probably change their minds about opera completely.

Now that I have submitted this self-indulgent posting, I feel an obligation to tie it to higher education, librarianship, or technology. Okay. Here it is. At a conference a few years ago, my wife met an information scientist who felt that Salome would provide interesting raw material for developing a music information retrieval tool. (I suppose she could outline the context more clearly.) Indeed, Salome would make a fascinating piece to study; contemporary visionary work involving a visionary opera from over a century ago.

Instant Messaging (IM) gap

CNN has a story about the “IM gap” between teenagers and adults. The story is based on a poll by AP-AOL, as well as some “soundbites” from an adult and a teenager whose thoughts reflect the poll’s findings.

The views of Dr. Steve Jones and Dr. Naomi Barron are interesting as well. The article quotes Dr. Jones as saying that it is “remarkable” that teens can keep many IM conversations going simultaneously, while Dr. Barron has concerns that students are focusing on quantity of conversations, rather than quality. (Her use of the word “customer” is rather interesting. Are friends and family now considered “customers” in a fast-paced online world?) While Dr. Barron’s concerns seem obvious, it’s hard to tell if Dr. Jones is damning with faint praise the IM agility of teens. If anyone is familiar with the work of Dr. Jones or Dr. Barrons, please provide some insight in “Comments.”

Aside from using the QuestionPoint virtual reference service to field student questions, I do not use IM or chat services. I will use IM if required, but I prefer to work on my computer with minimal external distractions. If I want to concentrate on something, constantly seeing pop-up windows can be annoying. In that case, simply ignoring the pop-ups is not an option, because it seems rather rude. I also believe that if someone needs to discuss something urgent with me, I will receive a phone call (as the article points out towards its conclusion) or an e-mail tagged with an “urgent” icon. If someone wants to alert me to something that is not urgent, I will receive an e-mail and send a carefully-crafted response at my leisure.

Well, “leisure” in the relative sense.