They could probably hire a team of software engineers to make it in six months at a cost of less than a million dollars. Definitely doable for any large library system willing to invest the money. They can then sell the software to other library systems or give it away/release it as free software if they are generous
I sometimes thought my father thought he could't die while he still had books on his pending pile (a stab at immortality I seem to be replicating)... so, it was strangely touching to see Tom Gauld has had similar thoughts.
"... the book's first-person narrative and empathetic tone mask a basic problem in the text: all Israeli soldiers are portrayed as anonymous rapists and killers, while Palestinians are victims of trigger-happy occupiers. Violence against Israeli civilians is not mentioned, perhaps because it is considered a legitimate means in the struggle for liberation against the occupiers."
This is like criticising a novel about the treatment of Uyghurs for not mentioning violence against Han Chinese.
Minor Detail is a novel about the lives of Palestinians under a military occupation that's been escalating for decades. Just like Nathan Thrall's non-fiction book A Day in the Life of Abed Salama is about the lives of Palestinians under a military occupation that's been escalating for decades;
Borrowed The Lost Cause, written by @pluralistic (from the library), and was an enjoyable sci-fi novel, although perhaps too close for comfort to the present, and most certainly more optimistic than some of us here would be about the future; but, well recommended nonetheless. The hero of the book most certainly would be a denizen of this slice of the Fediverse. #bookreview#books#bookstodon
English self-taught mathematician and physicist Oliver Heaviside was born #OTD in 1850.
He invented a new technique for solving differential equations, independently developed vector calculus, and rewrote Maxwell's equations in the form commonly used today. He significantly shaped the way Maxwell's equations are understood and applied in the decades following Maxwell's death. His practical experience in telegraphy provided a foundation for his later theoretical work.
@weekend_editor He made a significant contribution by providing a new interpretation of Maxwell's equations. And probably his mental issues were due to the intense dedication to his work. We should look at his legacy instead...
@gutenberg_org its true that some use the equation used by Maxwell but they are a rehash of a 20 year early set of Fourier based derivation by another Scottish mathematician as stated by Faraday .
I finished The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard. I've seen complaints that MC is a bit too perfect, and I can see why that could be said. But... holy cow was it nice to read about someone competent not making stupidly bad choices. The relationships between the characters were so enjoyable. I would have liked having many of them as friends.
Slow paced with a lot of dialogue, I'm almost surprised I enjoyed this book as much as I did. Politics and deep friendships carry it well
It’s good staying at places with good book collections
“The ecological crisis we face is due largely to the way we see, or rather, the way we don't see the world around us. In the life of our Western developed culture we are often too busy, trav-elling too fast, and too distracted to pay the sort of attention that Francis gave to the created world. Like those of whom Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote in the middle of the nineteenth century, we are blind to the sacramental presence of what is before our eyes:
Earth's crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God:
But only he who sees, takes off his shoes, The rest sit round it, and pluck blackberries.”
British mathematician, logician, philosopher, & public intellectual Bertrand Russell was born #OTD in 1872.
One of Russell's most significant achievements is the co-authorship of "Principia Mathematica" (1910-1913) with Alfred North Whitehead. His works, such as "The Problems of Philosophy" (1912) & "Our Knowledge of the External World" (1914), explored issues related to knowledge, perception, & the scientific method.
"Physics is mathematical not because we know so much about the physical world, but because we know so little: it is only its mathematical properties that we can discover."
An Outline of Philosophy Ch.15 The Nature of our Knowledge of Physics (1927)
"The pursuit of philosophy is founded on the belief that knowledge is good, even if what is known is painful."
Going to organise my bookshelf soon with all these new books 📚 Do you organize your books by color, author, genre, or in some creative way? Show me your shelves! #BookshelfBrowsing#Bookstodon#books
"Destiny stands behind people, veiled in a veil of mystery, and in her hand she holds a quiver with a thousand events..."
Gloria Victis
Polish novelist Eliza Orzeszkowa died #OTD in 1810.
Orzeszkowa was a leading writer of the Positivism movement during foreign Partitions of Poland. In 1905, together with Henryk Sienkiewicz, she was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature.
The list of #ebooks that you can actually own (unlike most greedy corposlag publishers) curated by @libreture now has filters to isolate what you're looking for. A great list got even better.
…and on a WWOOF stay (working as a volunteer on an organic smallholding) I found Annie Dillard’s “Pilgrim at Tinker Creek”, a life-changing book. Also in Powys, near Llanidloes.
In elementary (primary) school during second grade (year 2) I checked out the book “How to run a railroad” the entire school year. I kept renewing it. The following year in third grade (year 3) I was banned from the library. My mother quickly resolved the issue and was pissed at the school for trying to ban a student for wanting to read.
Looking back I was clearly in the wrong, but I thank her anyway.
For the first time in weeks I woke up with a scene in my head (after a day away from the keyboard, talking to my bestie about my stress, and checking in with my crit partners) so I got up to write... and realized I don't have a playlist for a mermaid book.
@LianaBrooks in the best version it is 13+ minutes of guitar, twinkly sounds and uh deciding to become merpeople to escape the ravages of nuclear war 😬 may or may not fit your writing vibe but best of luck 🧜♀️