h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

[Amy]

According to the local media Guildford Library was the only one in the UK to open it's doors for a party and loaning of HP at midnight. Children were invited to enter into a draw and 80 were selected, invited to the party and each borrowed a copy. So at least 80 must have been ordered.

Rumblings of thunder when we woke this morning, it is now raining. The garden badly needs it and Cassie is out enjoying the fresh, cooler air.

Well, Guildford Library must have much deeper pockets than we have. I know that the larger libraries here usually order 1 book for every 3 requests they get. Then after the hoopla they're stuck with all of these copies they don't need. One that I know of donates the extra copies to small libraries and one burns them.

And we have NO shelf space for multiple copies. That's why we're building a bigger library.

My former webmaster was supposed to show up yesterday to show me how to get into the site where she built our page. All she did was send me the address and the password. Everything is coded and I can't make heads or tails of any of it. We haven't had it updated for 3 months and I have to do somethihg about it. I can take an online HTML class from MOREnet, but I have to do it at the library because I have to be on a MOREnet line when I take it. And I have no time. I was told that I can just open the files and it will all be self-explanatory. I don't know what world you techies live in, but it's different than mine. Guess I'll have to locate a 10th grader and pay him to do it for me.

We'll have to teach you GuideML, Hypatia . HTML isn't that different.

I have some spare time Hypatia - I'll do it if it is only half a dozen pages - send me the text and the graphics you want put in, and the url of the site so I can make it look the same, and I'll see what I can do.

Call it my donation to American Literacy!

Ben

Ben. The things that normally need updated are the books on order list and the new books list. We also do a feature of the month for the home page that changes. And Rachael was constantly changing the backgrounds to match the seasons, holidays, etc. It drove me crazy. She always had falling snowflakes or dancing shamrocks or whatever. She was more concerned with the backgrounds than with the content. I'd like a sensible, dignified page that stays the same all the time.

To look at the page go to http://www.webbcitylibrary.com

There's a hotmail e-mail link. If you'll send me your e-mail on that, then I'll send you the regular library e-mail and my home e-mail amd the password to get into the site. And if it looks like too much work, then please say so.

There are no letters on the keys cos they have all worn off. It's the work computer we keep in the teachers' room. My home computer, one of them anyway, is graced with a flashy piece of goods which even has this little nipple thing for faster scrolling around. If I ever use it, I'll let you know.

I don't think you can even get HP here yet, though I suppose that Amazon might deliver. *Sigh* Trying to stop B from finding out key plot details and telling me till one of the teachers comes back from holiday with it will be nigh on impossible I believe.

Finally back at my own computer again - in order to get my mother online I'd first have to get her a computer, and then teach her how to use it - and she's rather anti-everything-electronical/technical, even refuses to have a bank card - she still prefers filling in a piece of paper and stand in queue at the bank and get the money from a real person

The problem wih our library is that it is far too small and I should think they would be very envious of your plans, Hyaptia. One reason why they bought in so many copies could be that there are several mobile libraries and trailer libraries to supply as well.

We have had thunderstorms and heavy rain today and the air is feeling a lot clearer. The pressure is falling rapidly and I'm looking foreard to a more comfortable night's sleep.

Eh - Hypatia - might I suggest that you get rid of some of the pictures on your library site? It looks a bit overloaded to me - but then, I prefer plain sites...

We got HP yesterday and read chapter 1. We are reading it together, aloud, as a family. We should finish up around the time the next one comes out.

I read Baudolino a couple of months ago, Lil. I was a bit ambivalent about it. I thought the ending was good, but it was a long slog to get there. I do love books with a medieval setting.

See you all in 3 weeks. Try not to produce too much backlog.

Have a good holiday, Garius! I thought of you, actually, when I was reading it and got to the bit about the Roman werewolves...

I finished Baudolino last night, and enjoyed the last half immensely. I suppose, now, I enjoy the first half in retrospect. But I love Eco, too, because he won't compromise with his audience. He's a professor of semiology at Bologna University and is immensely learned. The drops of knowledge and lore just spill all over you, whatever you read by him. There were references to just about every utopian and or medieval book you can possibly think of, including the travels of Gulliver. It was also neat the way the first part of the book, which felt more or less factually grounded, strayed deeper and deeper into outrageous fantasy, the further east the protagonists travelled.

I am going to read my Harry Potter slowly and savor the experience for as long as I can; it may be another few years before we see the sequel.

As hostess, I hereby decree that there is to be no discussion of the book's content until we've all had a chance to read it, OK?

Dry weather, getting warmer today.

Email sent, Hypatia.

Let me know what you want done, and I'll let you know if I can do it.

B

Okay, Lil. But may I say I actually cried reading it? Say what you will about Rowling, but damn, that woman can write.

I said earlier that I wouldn't spill any beans and I too am trying to savour the book rather than race through it. I have come to a natural hiatus, for me, as I have to allow time to read Chapter 13 and 14 together. I know it is ridiculous to be superstitous, but I have to make sure I don't get interrupted during Chpt 13, the habit goes back ever since I can remember reading.

My daughter and I have developed a nice way to share the book. She reads until she has to take a break for whatever reason, then I get to pick it up for a while. I told her she can take it back whenever she wants.

And now that school is out, I'll be up well before her in the morning and can get a couple hours in then.

*Peruses Hypatia's library web site.*

So, is all that red, white and blue just for Independence Day or is the site always that patriotic?

Personally, I like the creamy color scheme on the catalog page.

I see GL has issued a challenge. How many LEDs can we chalk up before he gets back

Hypatia, as someone who makes a living teaching non-technical people how to do technical things, I can assure you that updating or creating a web site is *not* self-explanatory. It is quite easy, but there are a couple of things it helps to know, and if you don't know them you'll spin your wheels and get frustrated.

If you have a copy of this in your library, I highly recommend it.
m/isapi/st~%7B1A3637E4-30DB-42BC-BA94-CE64BF78D19C%7D/session_id~%7B535AD6DD-3B10-41E5-9E91-F50846E5F0F5%7D/product_id~%7B0B0F9108-D04B-4560-9DF8-5B93F3666C1B%7D/books/product.asp
(now we'll see if Jim's fix works).

I want to read Baudolino, but I don't have copy of it yet. I also read very slowly and get picky about reading things in order. Since I haven't read the 2nd Harry Potter book yet, it will be a while before I get to this one.

Whoops. Half a URL is not a URL at all.
http://www.peachpit.com/isapi/st~%7B1A3637E4-30DB-42BC-BA94-CE64BF78D19C%7D/session_id~%7B535AD6DD-3B10-41E5-9E91-F50846E5F0F5%7D/product_id~%7B0B0F9108-D04B-4560-9DF8-5B93F3666C1B%7D/books/product.asp

Sorry about that. Jim's elegant URL fix would have worked nicely, if I hadn't muffed up the copy and paste. On to the next LED...