Nothing to do with heating

DanHolohan

But I think this is wonderful.



<a href="http://nyti.ms/OgGjBj">http://nyti.ms/OgGjBj</a>

BobC

Porter Sq

After my job went to China in '94 I linked up with a coworker and we manufactured and repaired the power supplies the old company had built. That gear is still out in the fleet today.



That job was in Waltham and I found it was a block away from the commuter rail. So I used to take the subway to Porter Sq and go upstairs to catch the commuter rail. As you came up the escalator there was a shelf along one wall where people would leave books and magazines that they had finished with.



Taking the train gave me about 50 minutes each way to read and because of that impromptu library I read some things I never would have bought on my own.



It was a win win for all involved.



Bob

ttekushan_3

I hope the printed page never becomes as obsolete as a payphone

I really think this is a cool idea.  Now, although the payphone is practically obsolesced by the ubiquitous cellphone (or smartphones which are wireless computers that also happen to function occasionally as a phone) I am uneasy about the idea that a book could be considered obsolesced by ereaders or tablet computers.



One, I like to be able to read something that doesn't require a toxic charged battery at the ready. Two, I like the idea that my book can't be "de-authorized" by some glitch (this actually happened to a large number of people when a book was pulled from people's Kindles and a different version substituted.  Problem was, that a large number of students had been reading it for classes and their notes disappeared with the old version.  You can't make this up: the book?  Orwell's 1984).



Three, for some reason or another, everyone seems to think that the current "device" or OS is somehow going to be the only archival computer technology that ever existed.  Like our descendants will be able to access binary files of ours >50 years hence.  I have stuff on floppies, zip drives, etc. that are lost forever, in all practicality. Finally, I've always enjoyed going through stuff and finding a book I had forgotten about, or being at someone's home and looking at the book shelves, or finding interesting books in old houses, etc.  The ereader is great for content that I find "disposable."  Anything else?  Books!



I saw this comic and thought of this posting, Dan.  It's from a local publication, The Lakewood (ohio) Observer:

DanHolohan

Good cartoon!

And good thoughts. Thanks, Terry. You can also read a real book during takeoff and landing. ;-)