or maybe the concepts aren't all that archaic

I just finished reading the first section of Fahrenheit 451. I started it last night and had some trouble getting into it. The prose felt clunky and forced and the concepts obvious (Aside: this is the next book I'm reading for my Summer of 20th Century American Fiction That Erin Has Shamefully Never Read). I'm slowly starting to get into it. The chief just came and spelled out the whole how-books-became-obsolete-deal. I have a feeling this may be one of those books I'll wish I'd read in junior high school and yet I remain optimistic that I'll appreciate why this book is considered an American Classic (next up is Generation X, Kevin).

Thursday's workshop proved illuminating and really fun. I would kill to be on staff at the Ann Arbor Public Library. Eli, their I.T. manager, gave a 15-20 minute talk on the history of gaming. He actually said, very earnestly, "I'm sure you all remember the video game crash of 1983." I also discovered that DanceDance Revolution is hard and Mario Kart is even harder. Assuming we can get our act together, we're hoping for a DDR tournament this fall (with the Cobaltflux dance platforms, thank you very much) and a Mario Kart tournament--with the finals taking place on the big screen--by February. Check out their gaming blog with the kickass leaderboard to the right on the Ann Arbor site. They've developed their own scoring software that they're working on allowing to be available soon. Oh, you should just go ahead and check out the whole library site. I'm especially taken with their Internet Policy. It actually makes me weak in the knees to read things like:

Child Safety on the Internet
Parents or guardians are responsible for the Internet information selected and/or accessed by their children. Children, under 18 years of age, who use the Internet unsupervised may be exposed to inappropriate or disturbing information and images. Parents are encouraged to discuss the use of the Internet in relation to family values and boundaries with their children and to monitor their children's use of the Internet.
To assist parents, the Library has available on-line and in print form the pamphlet "Child Safety on the Information Highway" published by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The pamphlet includes "Guidelines for Parents" and "My Rules for On-line Safety." Parents are encouraged to review this information with their children.

At Ann Arbor, all internet computers are UNfiltered though you can request a filtered computer if you so desire. At my library? At my library we've decided to compromise the integrity of the information everyone gets off the internet by filtering all computers but one. Management is under the assumption that the only reason someone would request an unfiltered computer is to look at porn. Now, I'm not stupid and naive and have heard many a tale of vile and disgusting images people have unwittingly stumbled across. But let me tell you something: I.Don't.Care. As someone who works in World of Information it is not my job to judge what someone is reading, watching, listening to, or researching. You start entering the morality realm in libraries and you might as well call it the end of democracy.

See?
I managed to get through an entire post where porn was even mentioned and there were no "inappropriate" sites, boys-who-get-their-knickers-in-a-twist-over-a-blow job kit.

It's a tie for who needs the kit more.