Chronicle of Higher Education

The "Chronicle of Higher Education", as seen in my last post, offers a wealth of relevant issues dealing with everything from the Internet to innovative schools in Africa. It is a biweekly journal that costs only $45 a year, and it is worth every penny. In the article "Authoritative Online Edition", Thomas Benton, an English professor, relates how difficult it was, prior to the World Wide Web, to locate specific volumes for the collected works of Walt Whitman. He goes on to praise certain digital archives that allow him to have free access to entire collections. One collection is the "William Blake Archive", which "is among the most difficult and expensive for the beginning scholar to assemble, and it is simply impossible to duplicate in print the quality and scope of what is now available on this Web site, short of owning the original works themselves" (C2). The quality and access are what make digital archives so important today. Outside of the "serious" scholars studying the sublime poetry of Blake, now the "curious" can enjoy it too. We sometimes forget that alot of the classical or obscure works were accessible to only the privileged few, but now such works have been unleashed from there most coveted academic chains and allowed to float freely in the fresh air where an unknown and "unadorned" poet awaits to be inspired anew.

"Is Wikipedia dangerous?"

In a recent article in the Chronicle of Higher Education, Michael Gorman passionately relates how collaborative online services are producing "a world in which everyone is an expert in a world devoid of expertise". It is interesting to look at both sides of this debate. I have not heard many dissenting opinions concerning the academic value of these collaborative networks, but I think it is noteworthy to mention that there is obviously knowledgeable collaborative projects and just plain error ridden projects. However, it would be unjust and foolish to dump all these projects in the heap bin of ignorance. To discern what is correct and what is incorrect, requires prior knowledge, and this is where the debate should be concentrated on. To disregard even the possibility of autodidactic erudition is to disregard some of the greatest contributers to knowledge in history, who did not possess diplomas or other academic accolades. Judging the material presented should be the main focus not the degrees the person has.

A Good Book & A Glass of Wine

I have been so extremely busy with all the readings, responses and web design projects that I forget to share some of my thoughts via this blog. Instead of ranting about the sometimes overwhelming workload in each class, I thought it would be more, what should I say, mentally therapeutic to briefly discuss a future book project that ran through my mind just the other day. The premise of the book is that every good book directly corresponds to a specific glass of wine. When partaking in both (the book & the wine) slowly and consciously, the mind and the body are transported to a higher realm of relaxation. The structure of the book would simply consist of certain authors (favorites of mine) and wines that go perfect with their stories. For example, a section on poetry would consist of the French poet Arthur Rimbaud and the English poet Percy Shelley. The majority of Rimbaud's poetry, especially the famed “Drunken Boat” would be complemented perfectly with a heavy, deep and delicious red wine such as Chateauneuf du Pape. Rimbaud’s poetry is lyrical, sensory and highly sentimental and the recommended wine would place you in the perfect mood to really enjoy his poems. Shelley, with his Neo-Platonist themes and its basking in the Universal, would go well with a Chablis, a white wine with a wonderful floral and crisp taste. This wine does not make the head spin but makes it float like Shelley’s beautiful poem “The Cloud”. The great tragic romance, The Sorrows of Young Werther, by Goethe should be enjoyed with a fine glass of Spanish Rose Rioja, a strong and fresh rose wine with hints of melancholic sweetness. You get the picture. If one does not like “good” literature and think wine drinking is an aristocratic endeavor, grab a beer or boxed wine and your favorite Danielle Steel novel. It would definitely be a fun book to write but until I find the time to start it, it will remain in the “work in progress” section in my mind.

My Web Page

After many setbacks and time consuming angst, I finally got my Web page published. You can click on the blue tab (index.html) or visit my site at http://www.pitt.edu/~keh70/

index.html

Powered by ScribeFire.

Grazr widget

My widget is on the right side of the page but if you want to view it using my url here it is:
http://grazr.com/read/kayembe/export.opml

Zoomclouds

After experiencing many setbacks with Zoomclouds I finally went on Feedblendr (which was extremely easy) and put the blend on Zoomclouds. Without Feedblendr there really was no way to integrate my tags from Connotea, Delicious, and my Blog into one cloud. I did separate clouds for all three but could not locate a function that allows a combination cloud from different sites. Anyway, I have my integrated cloud posted on the right with 30 tags but here is my url for 50 tags: http://zoomclouds.egrupos.net/kayembe4/viewCloud/0

Henry Miller

Koha -- Virtual Shelves

Copyright controversy

Gossip site embroiled in copyright fight - Yahoo! News

Powered by ScribeFire.

Search Engine

Epistemological Implications in the Digital Age Search Engine
http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=009083029474537529261%3A963pudzgh7m

Digital Divide

http://www.bloglines.com/public/kayembe
Bloglines | kayembe's Blogs
Powered by ScribeFire.

harming instead of helping

Internet proposal would harm libraries | Chicago Tribune

Powered by ScribeFire.

Vertigo and Vertigo Relieved

Seriously, I sometimes feel like Rip Van Winkle who slept for 20 years and wakes up to find that there was an American Revolution and the whole world has changed. For the past 8 years I have always used the computer for a variety of reasons, but the more I read about all the new advances taking place in the computer world the more I am conscious of my ignorance. These classes are like going to a "really" foreign country that you always heard about, read about and maybe even thought about, but when you actually step foot into it you are jubilantly confused by all the new sights and sounds you are experiencing. The strange thing is that after a few weeks in that foreign place you find yourself completely adapted to the environment and that is when you start to truly enjoy it and learn something from it. I do believe that in regards to both classes that that idea is already starting to be felt.

Interesting article

Mo. man burns books as act of protest - Yahoo! News

An Ode To The Houses of Ancient Literature (Used Bookstores)

Aromas of knowledge flow from the antiquated pages and worn book jackets that sit proudly on dusty shelves. Shadowy, narrow corridors filled with the spectral silence of past wisdom arouse noble sentiments, while felines meander eternally through the remnants of literary epochs as symbols of the never-ending pursuit of ideas. Oprah’s book of the month won’t adorn these shelves, the latest self-help book or Grisham’s newest novel, are unworthy to be placed next to the venerable works of Balzac, Goethe and Plato. The smug and vainglorious pictures of authors don’t stare at you on the back cover as a constant reminder of who wrote the book; pages of shallow and vain praise won’t tempt you to buy it. These books need no such introduction, their contents alone beckons the more discerning to go on a journey into the realm of substantiated thought, where each book carries a story within a story. Did Henry Miller bring one of these treasures on his travels to Paris and upon his return to the states sell it for a pack of cigarettes? When opening one of these literary relics the scent of past possessors still cling to the pages, emanating a comforting and familiar fragrance. Whole histories are hidden deep within the pages allowing the imagination to transverse the present to commune with the past. Personalized etchings by previous owners such as, “To my dear daughter Sophie, I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did”, authenticates the copy. This is the glory of the used bookstore—the last repository of ancient literature, the keeper of forgotten and mysterious knowledge, the lone conqueror of modernity, the bibliophile’s poetic dream and the haven for the wandering scholar. But how much longer can a dying king with no army mount his steed to fight opponents that besiege him on all sides without capitulating to his enemies?

Most unfortunately the capitalistic machine is stretching its avaricious tentacles by placing mammoth commercial bookstores on every street corner in Chicago. Borders and Barnes & Nobles stand as ignoble testaments to a culture that values quantity over quality, uniformity over uniqueness, form over content and entertainment over learning. A sense of déjà vu is experienced as you step into a Border’s in California and realize it is the same as the one in Maine. These “fast-food” booksellers with their hot from the factory books, sterile atmospheres and computerized services serve only the sons and daughters of decadence. The large patronage observable at these establishments most likely stems from a pitiable insanity entrenched in the modern psyche that fears anything that is not ultra-modern. This fear is indeed unwarranted but it comes from a misguided idea that the appreciation or purchase of things of old will some how slow down progress or a more pubescent rationale that it is out of step with the present fads. This same type of thinking is exhibited when Starbucks coffee is chosen over the independently owned ma and pa store across the street. How is it that the esteemed book The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexander Dumas, which has been in print for a century in a half, sells more copies in a month at one Borders than it has probably ever sold in the history of all used book dealers? The answer is easy, change the cover of the book, abridge it, put out a blockbuster movie and place it in the front window so that every Dick and Jane will think it’s new, thereby instantly purchasing it. The old adage “Don’t judge a book by looking at its cover” applied metaphorically when dealing with people should be applied literally when dealing with books, with the addendum, “Don’t judge a book by its author’s picture, criticism or praise by a handful of literary critics, or movie renditions”.

The marketing schemes, TV, Internet and multitudes of various other technological enhancements have all added to the decline of the used bookstore industries. A proposal has been fomenting in consumer land where books in general will cease to exist by downloading and reading it on a palm pilot-like device. It would not be surprising to see a computerized picture of Homer with an ear-to-ear grin on a shrinked-wrapped package of Iliad on a compact disk. If these issues are not dealt with expediently the industry will be as extinct as the wooly mammoth and as rare as a Pythagorean philosopher. This is a call to step into the magical, quaint bookshops such as Myopic Books, Powell’s, and Transitions, where the air is mingled with the Golden Age of Greece and the romanticism of the Renaissance, and pay due homage to the struggling book merchants who are in the business of selling books because they love them

Recent memories and new thoughts

Years back when I was residing in Chicago, I observed a diabolical trend in the slow yet steady decline in the used bookstore industry. Now my favorite places to go when I was attending University were these used bookstores. I remember establishing friendships with the owners and other frequent patrons, and having passionate discussions on a variety of book-related topics while sipping on coffee. Such discussions over time ceased and the talk changed from books to "how am I going to compete with yet another Borders opening up down the block". The once bright and spirited owners were being transformed into solemn and weary personalities; and it made me equally downcast. So I took it upon myself to write an ode in honor of these humble and ruggedly independent bibliophiles. Indeed, my sentiments poured a healthy dose of over-the-top verbiage and exaggerations into the writing, but it does adequately express my thoughts at that time. And the only reason I am adding this to my blog is to always keep in my mind the reason why I went into librarianship in the first place (like the reason why I went into used bookstores)-- I love books, I love being surrounded by books, I love everything about books. As libraries are attempting to catch up with the digital age, one must never forget that there are still people, like myself, who go to the library to participate in one of life's great and simple pleasures-- reading a good book.

Trials and Tribulations

This is my first online course, and I must say that in comparison with the traditional classroom setting it is interesting, for lack of a better word. The challenge is not so much in the work load as it is in the ordering of the information presented. Every time I log on to Blackboard, I am 'hit' with a dizzying array of articles, podcasts, chapters from books, discussions, and all the rest. It takes several hours just to look at all the new things and then finally go back and start listening, reading and writing about the topics. Unlike the traditional classroom, these on-line courses are in a state of flux. This type of flow somewhat discontents the mind by never allowing it to grasp the sheer satisfaction of completing an assignment. I feel that it is very difficult to mentally digest such large helpings of information without feeling indigestion or nausea. Yet, such sicknesses are not without their lessons. And one lesson I have truly learned is go slow and enjoy this information banquet.