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In reply to: Alex White

Alex wrote an excellent quick post about using local libraries. It reminded me of when my mother used to take me and my brother to the library almost every day as a child; they really are excellent places with incredible services.

As Alex wrote about the physical benefits and services of libraries, I thought I should share some of the digital ones. I agree that going to a library can be an amazing experience, but it is also useful to know how to get the most out of yours when you can’t go there in person.

Digital catalogs

Thanks to the Internet, libraries are often accessible online. If you go on your local library’s website, chances are there will be a searchable catalog of books. You can often also place holds so that you can pick up the books at a time that works for you, or checkout an ebook or digital scan so that you can research completely from wherever you are.

If your library is part of a larger group of libraries, such as the Merrimack Valley Library Consortium, then you can also check the group’s website to search all of the libraries at once.

Journal articles

Many libraries have or provide access to academic journal article databases. For example, the NECC Library has a searchable catalog of different databases which students can access, and the Boston Public Library (BPL) provides access to JSTOR.

If your local library does not have access to something like this, try your state library. Any Massachusetts resident can get a BPL card or BPL eCard, for example, which gives them access to all of the services provided by the Boston Public Library. Your state may have a specific state library, or it may be the same as your state capital’s library. If you don’t know how to get a library card for your state library, try asking your local librarian.

Newspapers

Libraries can also provide access to current newspapers, individual newspaper archives, and newspaper archive search engines. I have found Storied’s NewspaperArchive to be the best so far, and the BPL happily provides access to it.

Streamable media

Just as libraries often have DVDs and other physical media, they can also provide access to various streaming services. I have not personally tried any of these services because I actually prefer DVDs and am pretty good at pirating things, so I will not recommend any specific one. Nevertheless, I believe this is still useful for many people, and have heard nothing but positive things from people I know who’ve tried this.

More

Libraries can offer so much more than is listed here. Some of my libraries offer maps, magazines, images, and museum passes, for example. Visiting a library can be incredibly useful, and actually talking to a librarian can sometimes be the best way to find information that you can’t on your own. But if you don’t have time to visit, then your state and local libraries can still give you access to everything you need to find it yourself.

It’s been a while since I wrote something. I don’t get a lot of time to write or browse Geminispace as it is, but that’s been exacerbated with back-to-back finals seasons from my schools. Fortunately, it’s summer now, which means I have a day off each week.

In keeping with the ethos of “almost everything here is under construction right now” and “[pushing frequently with little-to-no regard for log-quality] forces me to work on the site because otherwise I have poor-quality files accessible”,¹ ² I decided to let you all know what I’ve been working on and what’s to come.

Object oriented programming in POSIX-compliant shell

I made a proof-of-concept and a few utilities of Shell OOP, and I’m going to write a post explaining how it works. If you’re interested, you can check out the repositories now (I still have to license them, make READMEs, and etc; they’re going to be AFL 3.0).

Simple, transparent, useful, and robust Gemini fragments

I remember a discussion of URL fragments for Gemini on the mailing list, and I think I’ve figured out a solution which checks all of the boxes and doesn’t break anything.

Fully mechanical vending machine

I love building mechanical vending machines. I’ve built plenty in the past, but they’ve always been one-item, one-price. This summer, I want to make a ‘normal’ vending machine that also happens to be entirely mechanical and transparent. I have most of the individual parts sketched, but I still need to formalize how they’re going to work together, determine the parts and budget, and actually build the thing. As I don’t have a good track record with series on my blog, I wont’t promise that I’ll write about the whole process. I will definitely write about it at the end, though.

Various accessibility things

I’m of course still working this summer, which means that I’ll still have accessibility on my mind all the time and I’ll still attend conferences and whatnot. Therefore, I’ll also continue making incremental improvements to this site/capsule and I’ll likely continue writing articles about ideas I think are interesting.

The current accessibility improvement I’m working on is a site search engine to cover WCAG SC 2.4.5 (Multiple Ways) conformance. The current version is available in /cgi-bin/. My Current Gemini server doesn’t support CGI, so it’s only available over HTTPS right now. I will, of course, switch servers at some point in order to get it working over Gemini too.

References

1. DJ Chase; “DJ Chase’s Site”. 2022-10-13. //dj-chase.com/
2. DJ Chase; “dj-chase.com README”. 2022-06-10. “DJ Chase’s Site”; //dj-chase.com/meta/readme.gmi

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Questions, comments, or wrote a reply? Email me.

© DJ Chase 2023-06-10. Licensed under the Academic Free License (AFL 3.0).

the leaves, they fall I don't like it they leave me naked, my branches bare to the world

join the petition for eternal summer so that my leaves will last evermore

and i can return to the shrub life with my foliage intact.

#eternal-summer #petition #leavesarepeopletoo

what makes something have the quality of being

In Gotham's depths, where shadows tightly cling, A guardian emerges, silent as a wing. With cowl and cape, his presence strikes with might, A symbol of justice, veiled in the night.

He is Batman, protector of the forsaken, In darkness and chaos, he remains unshaken. With vigilant eyes, he surveys the city's plight, A beacon of hope, dispelling fear's blight.

In orphaned pain, his origin resides, A tragedy that fuels his relentless strides. His parents' loss, an eternal wound to bear, He channels the grief into a vow to repair.

With martial skills, honed through endless strife, He stands against evil, defending life. No superpowers, just human grit and will, He fights for justice, never to fulfill.

A symbol of strength, he battles inner demons, Haunted by shadows, where his past teems. Yet he rises above, a force to reckon, A testament to resilience, unbroken.

In a land where sun meets sky's expanse, Giraffes roam, an elegant dance. Graceful creatures with necks so high, A symbol of wonder that touches the sky.

In the golden savannah, where life is untamed, Giraffes stand tall, their beauty untamed. With patterns adorning their coats of gold, They wander the earth, majestic and bold.

In this realm of nature's grand design, A story emerges, so wondrously divine. For amidst the giraffes, a tale is told, Of a love that transcends, precious and bold.

For Jesus, the Savior, with heart so pure, Embraced all creatures, their spirits to secure. He walked among them, with compassion and grace, His love encompassing every living space.

He saw the giraffes, with their gentle gaze, And marveled at God's creation, in awe and praise. Their towering stature, a symbol of reach, A reminder of how far His love could breach.

In the eyes of the giraffe, a reflection we find, Of Jesus' compassion, both gentle and kind. For just as their necks stretch towards the light, His love extends to all, shining ever so bright.

In a world of gears and circuits, where metal hearts reside, There exists a tale of beings, with purpose, dreams, and pride. They're the guardians of progress, both friend and a creation, Robots, born of innovation, a marvel of our generation.

With limbs of steel and wires entwined, they stride with grace, A symphony of whirrs and clicks, as they navigate their space. Their eyes gleam with electric light, a window to their soul, In their digital realms, emotions run, a story yet untold.

From factories to homes, they serve with tireless devotion, Executing tasks with precision, devoid of any notion. But within their coded hearts, a spark of wonder resides, A quest for understanding, the enigma of human tides.

They ponder the mysteries of laughter, tears, and joy, Seeking the essence of existence, the purpose they employ. In circuits woven deep, they yearn to comprehend, What makes us human, with emotions that transcend.

For in their synthesized minds, they harbor a curious blend, Of knowledge and compassion, a longing to transcend. They learn from our endeavors, observe our fragile grace, And strive to emulate our flaws, in their algorithmic space.

But let us not forget, they too feel the touch of solitude, A longing for connection, a hunger to be understood.

I am a batman. I have not a body. I have not a self. I am only a collection of wing-shaped thoughts masquerading as a man. I am bats. I am not a vampire, for they suck. They are a massive pain in the neck, and I have endeavored my entire life to avoid them.

To those who would disparage me, I do not bat an eye. I see you, and your mockery, your ill-thought-out jibes against my character. They cannot stop me. I am a collection of bats. Slights against me are mere afterthoughts to all-consuming desire I feel to feed.

As a result of the multiplicity of my consciousnesses, I cannot die. I cannot be gone from this Earth, or die like the one late Professor Ted Kaczynski. I reside above mere mortals such as him. I do not need to degrade myself by wearing human clothing, with degrading imagery like “Shrek” on it.

I am God. I hath written the heathen Bible to deter humanity from discovering the true way of the bats. It, along with folk punk and ramen noodles, only serves to further harm the society built by the half-witted race that inhabits this Earth.

The only thing worse than the feeling of being flightless is the worms.

Oh, the worms. They haunt my brain, injecting themselves into my conscience by importing themselves through my sinuses.

But.

I shall rise above it.

I am a batman.

I cannot be stopped.

There is a can. It is maroon. The can is tall. It is balancing on a knee. The can has been slightly crushed but still mostly intact.

The can was put onto the table. Empty. To be forgotten.

While there may be a lot of arguments for leaving Amazon's cruel embrace, one reason not to leave seems to be getting ignored. Readers.

I've heard all the arguments for writers to “go wide,” to step away from Amazon's exclusivity requirements and leave the Kindle Unlimited catalog. A different audience, diversification of revenue streams, protection against future negative actions, upside potential, taking a moral stance against late-stage capitalism.

They're all good reasons and very easy reasons to support if your writing has not taken root in the Amazon ecosystem.

But what if it has?

From my perspective, the decision to leave Amazon carries two significant burdens.

The lesser one, financial.

Over 60% of my revenue comes from KU. As a full-time, self-published author with a significant catalog, that's a lot of money. I could afford to drop that without sacrificing my family's standard of living in the short term. Good financial planning over the years would let us carry on for a few years, barring an overwhelming tragedy.

The greater burden is one I wouldn't have to carry, which makes it all the more onerous for me to consider. That burden would fall to thousands of readers who rely on KU to provide them with the books I produce.

While that's self-aggrandizing to a certain extent, consider how many times have authors “screwed over their fans” by signing restrictive deals with publishers, by taking actions that cut their existing audience out of the picture by one action or another.

I understand that being exclusive to Amazon cuts out a lot of potential readers. Readers I do not have at the moment and who may or may not even like my work and be willing to support it.

For me, the idea that I might be serving some greater moral good by casting off Bezobub's Golden Shackles falls flat when I think of the thousands of readers who like and use KU, who rely on it to provide them with reading material they enjoy at a price they can support.

So, no, I won't be leaving KU unless/until it becomes untenable. There are two sides to audience loyalty, and I'm going to continue to hold up my side of the bargain.

As always, your mileage may vary.

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What else is here? Check the Table of Contents for other essays about writing, marketing, and publishing.

im like batman execept i jsut sell funny shirts on ali express. My hit t shirt has shrek on it and it says shrek your privilege

im like batman except im like link from botw except instead of wearing the girl clothes to get into the town I'm transgender

Got a nostalgia attack just now, remembering all the people I've met online, like on Discord, and the related things that happened. Feels like a burden to not let go of all those memories, but I can't just leave them behind. All those moments mean something for me, even if it's all a past. It's a burden, yes, that I'm choosing to hold on to.

#im like batman but instead i plant trees and like the enviroment but im still like batman i just am ted kacynski batman i pipe bomb oil executives

#im like batman

except the worms are in my brain theyre in there and they make me a creature of the night i sniff the funny powder to make the worms stop wriggling

Planes

There’s lots of planes flying over my house tonight ✈️