RobertDaleParker

RobertDaleParker, 6 days ago to random

#SilentSunday

Mackinac Bridge
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mackinac_Bridge

RobertDaleParker, 14 days ago to books

Proposed bill in Alabama to allow the arrest of librarians.

No one is perfect—not even librarians. But professional #librarians are terrific. They're dedicated public servants, and they know how to library better than politicians do.

Let's trust librarians.

https://www.alreporter.com/2024/04/26/house-advances-bill-allowing-arrest-of-librarians/

#Libraries #Books #Mastodon #Reading #Bookstodon #Censorship #BookBans #Legislation

RobertDaleParker, 16 days ago to twitter

The second half of this excellent article by Ketan Joshi @ketan does a great job of making the case for why people—and institutions—should stop using X (Twitter):

https://ketanjoshi.co/2024/04/19/you-are-the-fuel-that-energises-elon-musks-hate-machine/

(Unfortunately, the article does not mention Mastodon as an alternative.)

#Twitter #X #SocialMedia #ElonMusk

RobertDaleParker, 22 days ago to Massachusetts

#FensterFreitag #WindowFriday #EmilyDickinson

Yes, it’s a crummy picture. Blame the photographer (me) and the weather, but this is Emily Dickinson’s house in #Amherst #Massachusetts and Dickinson wrote her #poems behind that window at the upper left.

#Poetry #American Literature #Writing #AmWriting #AmLit #C19AmLit

RobertDaleParker, 1 month ago to books

Alabama library staff locks their library after its board fires their director for not removing books with LGBTQ+ content from the Young Adult section.

The board wants to restrict kids under 18 from checking out books with "obscenity, sexual conduct, sexual intercourse, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender discordance." That would rule out the Bible & any other books with marriage or romance.

https://bookriot.com/librarians-lock-autauga-prattville-public-library-in-protest-after-director-fired-by-board/

#Libraries #Reading #Bookstodon #Books #Censorship

RobertDaleParker, 1 month ago to space

Handy NASA website that shows the timing of today's eclipse across the US by zip code.

https://eclipse-explorer.smce.nasa.gov

#Eclipse #Eclipse2024 #NASA #Sun #Moon

RobertDaleParker, 1 month ago to random

#SilentSunday

RobertDaleParker, 2 months ago to random

#FensterFreitag #WindowFriday

RobertDaleParker, 2 months ago to nationalparks

#SilentSunday

I took this picture some years ago at Arches National Park.

#NationalParks

RobertDaleParker, 2 months ago to Florida

So now they are censoring the critique of censoring by censoring this Doonesbury cartoon?

https://www.cracked.com/article_41196_conservative-newspaper-conglomerate-proved-their-opponents-point-when-they-banned-this-doonesbury-comic-strip.html

Here is the cartoon, but don't read it, because they don't want you to read it.

#Censorship #Florida #Doonesbury #History #BlackHistoryMonth #Education #Libraries

RobertDaleParker, 2 months ago to books

There's a new wave of legislation targeting libraries.

"lawmakers in at least 13 states have introduced legislation that could disrupt libraries’ services and censor their materials. The new wave of bills follows a historic year of book challenges, mainly affecting titles centered on the topics of race, gender identity or sexual orientation."

Let's trust #librarians. They're the best people to decide what books go in #libraries .

https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-politics-and-policy/new-wave-bills-targeting-libraries-threat-democracy-american-library-a-rcna138558

#Books #Bookstodon #Reading

RobertDaleParker, 3 months ago to books

US Book Reading Statistics 2024

"Almost half of the respondents haven’t read any books in over a year: 48.5%"

"As fewer people read, it becomes less socially acceptable to do so. This can create a vicious cycle that leads to even fewer people reading."

"The 45-54 age group has the highest number of non-readers: 60.9%" Can this give us hope for younger readers?

https://testprepinsight.com/resources/us-book-reading-statistics/

#Books #Reading #Libraries #Bookstodon

RobertDaleParker, 3 months ago to art

"AI is producing ‘fake’ Indigenous art trained on real artists’ work without permission"

"Many of the ‘Indigenous art’ images produced by AI mix distinctive styles from different Indigenous nations and artists."

https://www.crikey.com.au/2024/01/19/artificial-intelligence-fake-indigenous-art-stock-images/

#Indigenous #Art #AI

RobertDaleParker, 4 months ago to random

From today's #walk on a Midwestern prairie.

#SilentSunday #Walking

overholt, 5 months ago to random

Once again, Houghton will celebrate Emily Dickinson’s birthday with a cake baked according to her own handwritten recipe found in our collections. Modern Books and Manuscripts Assistant Johnna Purchase talks about her experience making it—you can try it for yourself on December 8th. https://sites.harvard.edu/houghtonmodern/2023/11/17/baking-emily-dickinsons-black-cake/

RobertDaleParker, 5 months ago to mastodon

All these companies deciding not to advertise on X (Xitter), what have they been thinking over the last year?????

Better late than never.

One of the many things I like about #Mastodon is that is has no advertising.

#Twitter #X #Xitter

RobertDaleParker, 5 months ago to mastodon

Mastodon help? I’m trying to post my first #FensterFreitag #WindowFriday photo, but when I upload the photo I get the following error message: “422 Validation failed: File has contents that are not what they are reported to be”. I took the photo on an iPhone.

I’ve never had this problem before. Can anyone help?

Thank you!

#Mastodon

grammargirl, 5 months ago to random

Is there anyone out there who has access to the Dictionary of American Regional English and could check something for me?

RobertDaleParker, 6 months ago to ai

Statement on AI-generated fiction from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association:

https://www.sfwa.org/2023/11/03/sfwa-comments-on-ai-to-us-copyright-office/

#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Novels #Writing #Fiction #SF #SFF #ScienceFiction #Fantasy @LitStudies

RobertDaleParker, 8 months ago to gardening

Can anyone identify this plant? (Asking for someone not on social media.) Thanks!

#Gardening #Botany #Plants

RobertDaleParker, 8 months ago to books

Texas bookstore sues to block the state's book rating law.

'Joining Blue Willow in the lawsuit is Austin bookstore BookPeople, the Assoc of Amer Publishers, the Authors Guild & the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Barnes & Noble, the Amer Assoc of School Librarians, & the Assoc of University Presses filed amicus briefs on behalf of the plaintiffs.'

https://www.chron.com/culture/article/book-rating-law-texas-18325329.php

#Books #Bookstodon #Libraries

taylorlorenz, 9 months ago to random

The largest public school district in Texas is eliminating librarian positions and converting the libraries into 'discipline centers' at 28 schools this upcoming year https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2023/07/26/hisd-to-eliminate-librarians-turn-libraries-into-discipline-centers-at-28-campuses/

RobertDaleParker, 9 months ago to books

Mississippi bans Hoopla and Overdrive for people under 18. Such a great way to sustain the distinguished educational history of Mississippi.

A ban like this will protect the poorer people of Mississippi (if there are any) from dangerous reading. But I fear that wealthier Mississippians under 18 might find a way around it.

https://bookriot.com/hoopla-overdrive-libby-now-banned-for-those-under-18-in-mississippi/

#Books #Libraries #BookBans #Hoopla #Overdrive #Reading #Education

RobertDaleParker, 1 year ago to books

Illinois is about to become the first state to ban . . . book bans at public libraries and public school libraries.

https://bookriot.com/illinois-to-become-first-state-to-ban-book-bans/

#Books #Libraries