NYT reports “a precipitous downward trend in book consumption by Americans and a particular decline in the reading of fiction, poetry and drama,” citing a study finding that “fewer than half of Americans over 18 now read novels, short stories, plays or poetry.”

What the hell is wrong with reading non-fiction, short essays and instructional materials? My own feeling about most “literary” novels, short stories and especially modern poetry are probably in line with those of most USAnians, that they’re written so that a certain small portion of the country can feel superior about themselves for consuming it. Like Public Radio (except This American Life and Le Show). I prefer more actual entertainment for my entertainment.

I started browsing through the selection of Indian-made scooters from Bajaj, but now I’m entranced by their selection of three-wheelers! And according to my state’s regulations, they’re all motorcycles.

The very fascinating Frankfurt kitchen was an outgrowth of “Taylorism,” those kitchen efficiency studies.

If we keep tracking T9 stories, will we become some sort of T9 web destination? Despite the links to humorous goofs, I’ve actually quite enjoyed the ease of T9 use, considering I’m typing with my thumbs.

Arg, it looks like I may be forced by exclusive licensing agreements to go to Sheets, Shats & Shit.

One of the regulars came up to the desk just now, wearing his usual camouflage jacket, baseball cap, and dark glasses, sporting his shaggy goatee. And by regular, I don’t mean that he just comes in regularly. I mean he comes in so often and for such stretches of time that one wonders how he supports himself. He said “I just got off the Internet with my girlfriend.” He shows me a picture she sent with an email: thin, young, blonde. My first thought is “I wonder if she knows what he looks like?” My second thought is “That’s not her real picture.” The second picture confirms it- very much cut-and-paste. Also? She’s currently in Nigeria, and she’ll visit if he just sends $200…

I saw a poster for a local theatre troupe’s production of The Miracle Worker by Willam Gibson, and for a split second I thought it was the other Wm. Gibson and thought “Wow, I’d love to see that play!” The set design alone would be worth it.

After reading Ursula’s post about the dispatches from the library, I decided to add another data point to the dispatch on summer movies, from my own workplace (but researched from home, on my day off):

A Slipping-Down Life by Anne Tyler
1 checked out, 3 pending reservations
movie tie-in edition: 20 being ordered, 2 pending reservations
large print: 1 checked out
on tape: 2 checked out

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (English) by J. K. Rowling
260 reservable copies (not counting the missing ones)
7 pending reservations
on tape: 53 reservable copies, 40 pending reservations
large print: 8 reservable copies, 1 pending reservation
on cd: 32 reservable copies, 139 pending reservations
in Chinese: 1 reservable copy, 5 pending reservations
Japanese, 2 copies, one checked out
Korean: 4 copies (2 each of 2 volumes, half checked out)
Spanish: 14 copies, catalog spazzed out and wouldn’t list how many checked out
Ukrainian: 1 copy, catalog still spazzed out
Russian: 1 copy, 1 reservation, catalog in death throes

At this point I start yearning for our new catalog, rumored to be coming this fall, and realize that this is going to take a lot of time to get all the numbers only to make a veiled snotty comment about the sorts of readers you get in a state with the lowest school and library funding in the first world (ok, perhaps an exaggeration) or maybe a joke about how us northern yokels are more impressed by books that they made a movie out of. Upshot: that new Nicholas Sparks movie put another nightmarishly long waiting list on that book of his, again, and the people who want to read it because of the movie don’t always have that kind of patience.

Librarians in movies that I like: It’s a Wonderful Life, mostly because of the funny comments made by Merrill Markoe in an essay on being single about how in this dystopian alternate universe, the wife seems to be getting on just fine, with a job at the library and a snappy suit, but that angel guy seems horrified that she’s (gasp) closing up the library! Which I do once a week, or more on the weekends that I work.
The Desk Set, and not just cause Katherine Hepburn is cool, but it’s librarians kicking ass with computers, and that co-worker of hers, who seems just a little too defensive about having a cat and no boyfriend. She seems to feel the need to reiterate that she likes guys, really she does. The difference today is that we don’t have to wear skirts or be quite so closeted.
Party Girl: because a trained monkey could learn the Dewey Decimal system, but only a librarian could teach information literacy in fabulous shoes and create a usable filing system for a DJ.

Found in the recycle bin: an announcement for a series of classes on “Contemplative Clowning: Buddhist-Inspired Performance”- the teacher is a “contemplative clown and new vaudevillian” and “her performances evoke life’s bitter-sweet adventures.” Ugh. Is that like those paintings of crying clowns?

Clearly a kindred spirit in thrifting and research, Roger Jacob recounts the history of a venerable drugstore after seeing it depicted in a charity shop painting. Especially interesting is the list of common products in the store back in the day!