Article Extracted from
http://www.pcmech.com
Please refer to the posting entitled,"Are Libraries Dying?"
tinyurl.com/yh4fwsr

When people think of libraries, people obviously think of books. Lots of books. After all, the literal definition of a library is "a room where books are kept", "a depository built to contain books..", and so on.

Today when you enter any modernized library, more often than not the two largest services they provide are internet access and programs. These programs I speak of aren’t computer programs but rather activities for children, teens and adults. My local library is a good example as it is fully modernized with free wi-fi, many computer stations and many programs available.

If you think about it, your local library was probably the first place that had freely available internet access outside of your own home. Long before there was public wi-fi, libraries had computer stations. Most started with less than five stations and then expanded to many more to accommodate for demand. My local has somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 to 30 stations – and it’s rare that one isn’t in use.

Does anybody read books anymore? Yes. You will always find people physically reading a book or two in the library. And there are still plenty of instances where books are better than internet.

Two really good examples of where the library is required are for instructional and magazines/periodicals.

Full-color big-print instructional books that teach you how to build things are always better than printing out web pages from the internet. This is because the book has full laminate pages with crisp clean pro-grade print and color that’s far superior to what your printer can output. If you were to print out even something as small as a 40-page book like that, it would cost you far more compared to just going to the library and checking it out for a week.

Per magazines/periodicals, you will notice that many of the web sites for those publications will charge you just to see the content – and it’s not cheap, either. Reading the same publication at the library saves you quite a bit of money in that respect.

Another instance of where the library has a distinct advantage over the internet is with related materials. When you browse specific categories of books, you know that everything you see is related to each other properly. The internet has never gotten this quite right. This is evidenced easily for every time you’ve performed a search and said, "Um.. that was not what I was looking for." The library has the advantage simply for the reason their catalogs were organized by live human beings, and not some computer algorithm that guessed and failed – again. And again. And again.

Got kids and wish there a place you take them to get them out of the house every once in a while? Your library was always there. Check the local calendar for yours for current events.

Live in a loud household and want somewhere to just sit quietly and browse the internet for a few hours? Go to the library.

Got an annoying wife/husband/brother/sister/whatever and need to get away for a short while do you don’t strangle them? Go to the library.

If more people went to the library more often, the world would be a better place. Of this I’m sure of. :)

A MONKEY once danced in an assembly of the Beasts, and so pleased them all by his performance that they elected him their King. A Fox, envying him the honor, discovered a piece of meat lying in a trap, and leading the Monkey to the place where it was, said that she had found a store, but had not used it, she had kept it for him as treasure trove of his kingdom, and counseled him to lay hold of it. The Monkey approached carelessly and was caught in the trap; and on his accusing the Fox of purposely leading him into the snare, she replied, "O Monkey, and are you, with such a mind as yours, going to be King over the Beasts?"

A WILD BOAR stood under a tree and rubbed his tusks against the trunk. A Fox passing by asked him why he thus sharpened his teeth when there was no danger threatening from either huntsman or hound. He replied, "I do it advisedly; for it would never do to have to sharpen my weapons just at the time I ought to be using them."

I must admit this is a very Bo Liao Posting. As you have noticed, I have been posting less and less. On average only 1 posting per month since September. Nothing to blog yet I want to maintain this blog. So just put up the picture of "Patrick Star " and me in my cubicle. The end.

Thought I would like to this prewedding concept "Imagine" by The Paper Cranes. This video is basically the bride-to-be is sort of imagining what her wedding day would be like. The creator, Santo (Susanto Widjaja) just won 2 Australian Awards for his videos!

It's been a long time since I have read diligently. And I was shopping at bookstore 1 month ago and looking aimlessly as I don't know what books to buy. Then I noticed this book, The Richest Man in Babylon in one of the self-help shelves. "Heh, I had seen this books around on the shelves for years." So I bought the books half-heartily, as I really thought it is just a another book as "Rich Dad Poor Dad"

The Richest Man in Babylon is a series of financial stories. These stories are set in ancient Babylon and relate the story of a Babylonian regular guy who used some basic financial sense and built up a great deal of wealth. Some of the language used, is a bit strange, as the author attempts to sound like this is an authentic tale from the ancient days, but the messages are simple and clear.

The stories themselves are of varying levels of quality. There are 2 great stories, a fair number of middling ones, and a few that left me confused as to the reason for their inclusion. Many of the stories had overlapping concepts but they were explained and applied in different ways.

Went to Singapore Toy Games & Comic Convention 2009 last Saturday with Galvin. Going there is part work part personal. The toys in the convention are nice and awesome, but it was secondary motive to me. Taking the opportunity, I looked out at the different cards game and take the effort and time to learn how their cards games and rules works.