A few years back the local public library – Bethlehem Public Library put up a Bond Act that would have ‘modernized’ the library. It would have added more study rooms, and a bigger community room – but if anything it kept or shrunk the amount of books the library would have. Seemed like an odd proposal – when you traditionally think of a place to borrow books.
But I found myself starting a year or two almost never going to the library. For one, my basic smartphone was upgraded to essentially unlimited – they say they may reduce your speed after a certain amount – but I’ve never noticed any slowing of service. My phone basically does everything my laptop does except for map making and coding, without he big bulky computer or it’s electricity consumption. I ended up keeping my laptop at work most weekends.
Yet, what also changed with the Libby and Hoopla library apps for online borrowing of books and audio books. Basically everything you could get at the library now can be requested through and browsed on your phone, in a compact, lightweight package. The apps works well, they are easy to read on for the most part, and you don’t have to worry about damaging books, much less picking up or returning books. They return automatically on their expiration date if you don’t return them sooner.
Not only do the libraries now offer Libby and Hoopla, other options at least with my library is access to New York Times, the Times Union, along with many magazines and historical archives. They have Kanopy for documentaries and education movies. And many other online products accessed by your library card. And that builds on the wealth of other free internet resources, like the Internet Archive and YouTube. And at least in the Upper Hudson Library System, it’s not just the wealthy suburban libraries that offer these services, but virtually all of the other libraries in the system, though the actual extent of books and services may very a bit from library to library.
If any thing, libraries offer much more, but it’s not the physical library where you take out physical books or browse magazines where the action is. Indeed, if you review the library’s budget and other documents, you will see that more then half of the borrows are online, and that’s where more and more of the budget goes every year. The physical library still exists, but it’s getting less and less money, they are buying fewer new books, as most people are just logging on using their smartphones, their computers or Kindle tablets.
Ctrl-[ is an escape key combination that produces the same result as the Esc key by sending an ASCII escape character, and it is commonly used as an alternative in programs like the vim editor and in SSH terminals. The original design of the ASCII character set is the reason why pressing Ctrl plus a letter or symbol produces a different character code; for example, Ctrl-[ sends the code for escape (\(27\) or \(0x1B\)).
I’ve sat on the Canada – United States border marker at the Gulf Unique Area in the Town of Mooers, many years ago. I mean, who hasn’t sat in two countries at once?
I didn’t expect to have today off, and it made all of yesterday kind of a mad dash to get things wrapped up through the holiday weekend, but I’m now off for six days, and heading north early on Friday to winter camp through Monday.
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Dinner at my parents house with my neice, nephew and whole family. 🦃 🍽️ Should be fun and special, as it probably is one of the last with us all together. It’s rare my sister makes it down here, wit the winter weather and her extended family up in the Saratoga area. Two o’clock so that will be much of the day, but at least I won’t have to drive after dark.
It was so busy towards the end of day at work, 🏢 I got out of the office closer to 6 PM then 5 PM. Lots of odds and ends to finish up before vacation. I drove past the CSX Holiday Train and caught the tail end of the lit-up holiday train from my office 🚂 a little before 5 PM but then it was checking and finishing up and odds and ends in the office. I decided to get on 787 in Menands rather then drive back through the city, but with the rain ☔ it was a slog to drive, especially with my broken windshield wiper. And of course, there was a crash on the on-ramp to 90 which backed things up on 787. I know better then get on in Menands but I though almost 6 PM things would be moving well. Got some things at Walmart, cooked dinner, looked at rednecks burning shit and other farm stuff and then passed out in bed. 🚜
Got listening to 99% Invisible episode on Murderland, that new Carole Fraser book that tracks serial killers back to the toxic places they grew up in. Ended up watching a video at 3 AM about the toxic copper smelter in Tacoma Washington that spewed lead and arsenic all over the Willamantic Valley for some 90 years before the company abandoned the factory and it’s massive smoke stacks rather then invest the money in trying to clean it up. 🏭 I have put a hold on that Murderland audio book, and look forward to listening to it in the coming weeks when it comes avaliblle.
Today in the mean time is finishing up some loose odds and ends. 🧼 I have some work projects to do, though probably only a half hour or so but I brought my laptop home an will go to library for a bit to work on on it. 🖥️ I want to do a bit of cleaning downstairs 🧽 and packing to get ready for camping, and as long as it’s not too wet out, replace the license plate bulb 💡 on my truck, check the oil and coolant levels. I forgot to get cider vinegar at Wally World yesterday on the ride home so I might go out for a bike ride today, maybe Voorheeesville and stop by Hannaford.
This morning, taking it fairly slow as I don’t have to go to work, 🏡 and I woke up during the night and then slept in for a while. Yeah, I did go for that extra cup off coffee ☕ midday at work and that didn’t help. After a big pan of eggs and onions I finished off in the broiler, I started 2-lbs of dried peas boiling down to green pea soup for this afternoon to be enjoyed with bread I cooked the other day. I am going to bake more bread probably tomorrow and cook down kidney beans to take with me up to camp.
Watching the weather like a hawk but I am probably heading up camping 🏕️ in Eastern Adirondacks either on the East Branch or Boreas River on Black Friday through Monday. I want to have some fires, 🔥 do some cooking, listen and read some audio books off the cellular network and just enjoy the winter weather up north. 🔕 I decided to take Monday off ultimately because I think it looks like the better day to drive back home, as Sunday may be snowy. Not a lot but enough to make the roads crap. 🌨️ I’m bringing a snow shovel and salt to be safe.
I’ve thought about different options for hiking – depends where I ultimately end up camping 🏕️ ☃️ – but Cat and Thomas Mountain, Hudson River Special MA, Camp Santonani – Newcomb Lake (mountain bike), Roosevelt Truck Trail (hike or bike depending on snow), some of other peaks in the Warrensburg area are on the short list. While I have my usual favorites, I’ve been thinking about other new options too. 🚲 🚶It’s just good to get off the grid for a few days, especially the terrible place known as the internet that is such a time suck when I should be reading and thinking. I don’t want to get too far from asphalt all-year around plowed roads in case we do end up with a lot of snow come Sunday into Monday. Probably my last trip to the Adirondacks for the year, though I’m thinking Rensselearville in mid-December and then on Christmas Day 🎄 heading out to Madison County for the State Horse 🐴 Camp, assuming their ain’t too much snow.
