Library

It turns out, strangely enough, that before they were little blobs of shared code libraries were buildings - buildings - full of shelves called "stacks" (I have no idea why they were called stacks because there's nothing stacky about them I can see) and on these shelves, err, stacks, there were rows of quaint reading devices, each containing hundreds of papers printed upon with ink. And no battery connector - you had to operate these things by hand.

Or have to, in the present tense, because these libraries and their colorful, retro reading devices - called books - still exist. We have one here, in fact - a public library supported at least in large part by public funds which have recently been substantially cut. The funds. Cut. Substantially.

Our mayor recently noted, notably, while announcing these library funding cuts, that he sees libraries as being somewhat like soup kitchens - serving reading to losers, one supposes, although perhaps he was alluding to hot, wet books. Whatever. He made no mention of whether he was planning to cut soup too.

So it is, it seems, all over the ubercommie state of Massachusetts - funding for public libraries drying up. It is said that in Boston, some library branches may be closed. Maybe they will just toss the books into the harbor, with the tea.

Nonetheless I borrowed one of the books (Yes! You can borrow them! Free!) called "Bright-Sided." I will attempt to read it, and let you know how that turns out.