The Sandor Files

Does this stuff matter? Depends on who you ask

2012-02-02T14:57:00.003-05:00

If you use any of Google's services that require a username and password you've probably seen a little heading inserted by the company noting "We’re changing our privacy policy and terms. This stuff matters." Did you click on the link to learn more? Do you think this stuff matters?The gist of this new policy change is that Google wants you, the user, to agree to one privacy policy for a wide

The Internets are back!

2012-01-19T13:39:00.005-05:00

If you used a web browser yesterday you probably noticed that things were a little wonky. Wikipedia blacked out its entire English site in protest of two bills (known as SOPA and PIPA) under consideration in Congress. Reddit and BoingBoing followed suit, and Google blacked out its logo and posted a link to an infographic explaining the harm SOPA and PIPA could do. Facebook remained online with

Public Domain FAIL

2012-01-03T09:06:00.003-05:00

What is entering the public domain in the United States? Nothing. Once again, we will have nothing to celebrate this January 1st. Not a single published work is entering the public domain this year. Or next year, or the year after that. In fact, in the United States, no publication will enter the public domain until 2019.- The (Life Plus) Seventy Year Itch . . .Sad but true. The standard

A Confederate General looks back with a critical eye

2011-12-13T09:50:00.005-05:00

While the Civil War did not propel General Lafayette McLaws to fame as it did his comrades Robert E. Lee and James Longstreet, the archival footprints of McLaws are deep. The letters and speeches that he wrote both during and after the Civil War are a treasure trove of first-hand accounts that provide an alternative to the much-celebrated “Lost Cause” perspective of the war. The Littlejohn

Letter from Mahatma Gandhi in prison, 1933

2011-11-21T10:48:00.002-05:00

"Dear friend, My whole heart goes out to you. When the conviction goes deeper than the intellect, you will brave all dangers and risks and live the true life, and you will at once find that it is its own reward. Dissatisifaction will give place to full satisfaction, because it will not depend upon external circumstances. An ever-flowing well will be opened out in your heart from which you will

Issues and Context for Friday's (11/11) GOP debate at Wofford College

2011-11-11T14:14:00.006-05:00

We at the Wofford College library have gathered together information and resources for tomorrow night's GOP debate on campus. The page points to some of the current major foreign policy/national security issues, but it also includes links to authoritative sources for foreign policy and national security information such as the Council on Foreign Relations, the U.S. Department of State, and the

Wikipedia is a Mess, Wikipedians Say

2011-11-03T10:52:00.001-04:00

Sven Manguard, a Wikipedia volunteer, recently published an essay in which he noted that over 5% of the articles in English in the community-authored encyclopedia contained no source citations for the "facts" they assert. Manguard concludes with a plea for help in tackling the backlog - the "monster under the rug," as he calls it.A staff member of the Wikimedia Foundation (which owns and operates

W.C. Manning and Statesmen of the Confederacy

2011-11-01T15:54:00.004-04:00

Fort Pulaski October 7. 1865Dear Sir Having learned with regret that you are ordered to a new field of duty, we desire permission to express to you the high opinion we have formed of your merits as an officer, and the satisfaction we have felt with your deportment as a gentleman. It is only just to your to say that during your administration of the military command at this post you have exhibited

On the Gmail Hack: You Do Not Want This to Happen to You - James Fallows - Technology - The Atlantic

2011-10-27T14:57:00.001-04:00

Learn how to best protect yourself from losing your digital everything.Full article.

Fake news shows exemplars of "fair use"

2011-10-19T15:00:00.003-04:00

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” has won nine straight Emmys as TV’s best talk show. But it has another legacy you probably don’t know about.Watch any “Daily Show” and count the number of TV, movie and music clips you see or hear during the episode. Ten? Twenty?While you’re doing that, note how often Stewart makes fun of the subject of the clip. (If he’s talking about CNN or

Occupy* Libraries

2011-10-14T11:51:00.000-04:00

The nationwide movement of the Occupy Wall Street demonstrators has touched a nerve with librarians around the country. As a demonstrator observed with a sign, "You know you are in trouble when the librarians march." There is an Occupy Wall Street Library blog, and the AAUP has endorsed the Occupy Wall Street protests: The National Council and the Collective Bargaining Congress of the

Light duty

2011-10-05T10:08:00.000-04:00

Student Daniel Didok gives the sculpture of Light its regular coating of wax for protection. During the casting and finishing process of bronze sculptures, reactive chemicals applied to the metal create a color and patina. Routinely coating with a hard paste wax helps to preserve the patina. Light stands on the entrance plaza of the library. It was created by Delaware sculptor Charles Parks

King Faisal of Iraq writes to the British Government, 1927

2011-10-04T13:00:00.015-04:00

The Royal PalaceBaghdad10th APRIL, 1927My Dear Mr. Amery,I am glad to have this letter to you through Muzahim Bey Al-Pachaji [sic] whom you have met before I suppose.Muzahim Bey will act as our Representative in London. He is quite able, and sincere. I hope you will be kind enough to afford him the same support and assistance you had to his predecessor Ja’far

F.B. Purity Cleans Up Your Facebook Homepage

2011-09-27T14:31:00.001-04:00

From the F.B. Purity website: F.B. Purity is a browser extension/script that removes the stupid quiz messages and other silly application spam from your Facebook homepage, leaving only those messages which you are actually interested in, including statuses, links and photos. You may select the types of messages that you wish to see; the extension is customizable. The download page includes an

Five of the Dead Sea Scrolls Go Online

2011-09-27T09:00:00.001-04:00

The Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Project has completed digitization of five of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The digitized scrolls include Great Isaiah Scroll, War Scroll, Commentary on the Habakkuk Scroll, Temple Scroll, and Community Rule Scroll. The direct link for this resource is Digital Dead Sea Scrolls. The site includes tools for examining the digital images. This effort is funded by George

Banned Books Week 2011 starts Sept. 24!

2011-09-23T10:22:00.000-04:00

Remember to celebrate your right to read during Banned Books Week, Sept. 24 - Oct. 1.Why are books banned? Have you read a banned book? Which is your favorite?Take our survey and see how your favorite compares, and check out our Banned Books Week research guide:Banned Books Week 2011 - Research Guides at Wofford College

Mrs. Smith's Floating Island Recipe

2011-09-22T14:52:00.000-04:00

Another classic recipe from Mrs. G.C. Smith's 1880 recipe book:Floating IslandTo a quart of milk add ¼ lb. loaf sugar4 glasses Lisbon wine, + yolk of an eggBeat the yolk and sugar together + pour wine on it. Beat the whites of 6 eggs stiff with a gill*of currant jelly for the top.*A gill is equivalent to a quarter of a pint.For some variation, Mrs. Smith can also recommend this one:Put a qt of

Troublesome help in invidual cases

2011-09-14T10:15:00.004-04:00

courtesy of Library of CongressThe Littlejohn Collection at Wofford College has a letter written by Albert Einstein to a friend in Germany. In the letter, Einstein alludes to the anti-Semitism spreading across Europe in the 1930s and 40s. [Transcription, translated from German:]The 31st of March 1940Mr. Lionel M. EttlingerHotel DelmonicoNew York CityDear Mr. Ettlinger: Sincere thanks for your

You can be mayor!

2011-09-12T12:19:00.003-04:00

We're on Foursquare! You can also check-in at the library using Facebook, of course.

Mrs. Smith's Best Ginger Snap Recipe (from 1880)

2011-08-29T16:26:00.011-04:00

Earlier this year Special Collections received a donation that included a really cool item: a recipe book from 1880 kept by a Mrs. G.C. Smith of Columbia, S.C.We share with you today this first recipe in the book: ginger snaps!Ginger Snaps, best.3 pounds flour1 pound sugar1 pound butter1pt. molasses½ cup spices.And that's it! Yield? Not so sure. Oven temperature? Wing it. Preparation? Good luck!

Ms. Manami Matsuoka, Wofford's expert on Japan

2011-08-29T11:09:00.015-04:00

All of Wofford's incoming freshmen know that this year's Novel Experience book is Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. What they may not know is that the Wofford community has a rich resource on campus for the next two years in Japan Outreach Coordinator Manami Matsuoka. Manami Matsuoka, Japan Outreach Coordinator Ms. Matsuoka, who holds a bachelors degree in Contemporary English from Nagoya

A Private's Wilderness

2011-08-26T11:54:00.010-04:00

Germanna Ford Rappahannock River Virginia. Grant's troops crossing Germanna Ford Date: c. 1864 on FlickrToday at 4 pm we received orders to be ready to march at 4 in the morning[.] we met in our chapel tonight for the last time and many were the sincere and fervent prayers that accended [sic] to heaven for the wellfare [sic] of those we love and for our safety[.] -Private Jesse Easton Bump,

Google Doodle Honors Argentine Author Jorge Luis Borges | PCWorld

2011-08-24T11:31:00.002-04:00

The latest mysterious Google doodle honors what would have been Argentine author Jorge Luis Borges' 112th birthday. Aside from being a pioneer in the genre of magical realism, Borges also imagined some of the foundational concepts of the Internet, such as "hypertext," long before the dawning of the digital age. Full story: Google Doodle Honors Argentine Author Jorge Luis Borges | PCWorld

Old Bailey Trials Are Tabulated for Scholars Online - NYTimes.com

2011-08-18T10:17:00.001-04:00

A digital humanities project -Datamining with Criminal Intent - is highlighted in this short piece in the New York Times (17 Aug 2011), but a methodological disagreement between scholars is revealed: “The Old Bailey Online project has done a great service in making those sources widely (and costlessly) available,” Mr. Langbein [of Yale University] wrote in an e-mail. But he complained that the

The Trial and Acquittal of Frank James

2011-08-11T12:20:00.007-04:00

[TRANSCRIPTION:][recto]Huntsville Jail Ala.March 26th/84My Darling Wife. Yours of the 21st rec’d I anticipated your movements and addressed my letter of yesterday to Independence. Do you know I consider this last letter of yours decidedly the best effort of your life. It was to the point and remember, I will certainly treasure it up as I would some rare gem, I was very much impressed with the

A new app about a King's book; A book about a King, his book

2011-08-05T14:21:00.005-04:00

According to its website, this app is "the first in a series of mobile apps from the Bodleian Libraries at the University of Oxford." It features a selection of items from the current exhibition 'Manifold Greatness: Oxford and the Making of the King James Bible' (from 22 April to 4 September). (Field trip, anyone? Though if you can't make it to England by next month, you'll be able to see it

New Books: Self-Expression in the workplace, Africa, and the Weimar Republic

2011-07-29T09:52:00.003-04:00

Identity Economics: How Our Identities Shape Our Work, Wages, and Well-Being by George A. Akerlof and Rachel E. Kranton (2010).Identity Economics suggests that people’s identity--who they choose to be and who they’re perceived to be--is the most important factor affecting their economic lives. This book is co-authored by George A. Akerlof, economics professor at Berkeley and 2001 Nobel Laureate

Lafayette + Huger = 19th Century BFFs

2011-07-25T08:45:00.004-04:00

[transcription:][recto]Raleigh March 2d 1825My Dear HugerWe are so far progressed on our way to you when amidst the kindness which it is our Happy for to enjoy, we anticipate a consolation to our late sorrows by mingling them with these in which we have more deeply participated. Mrs Hayne Hamilton and [?] Have [?] me to inform you of our line of route. Pulled as I have been between the

New Books: Comic Old Men, Rome, and the "Memory Boom"

2011-07-21T08:45:00.001-04:00

Old Age, Masculinity, and Early Modern Drama: Comic Elders on the Italian and Shakespearean Stage by Anthony Ellis. Burlington: Ashgate Publishing Company, 2009.Ellis is an English professor at Western Michigan University, where he teaches Shakespeare and other Renaissance literature. He also serves as the associate editor of the journal Comparative Drama.The book jacket reads:This first

To Infinity and Beyond: The Men Behind the Moon Landing

2011-07-20T08:45:00.005-04:00

On this date (July 20) in 1969 Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon. Their accomplishment was enormous, but it came after decades of research, experiments, failures, and hopes. The first moon landing never would have succeeded without the work of many individuals including Robert H. Goddard, Charles A. Lindbergh, Harry Guggenheim, and others. We chose to emphasize the work of these

New Books: Controversy in Poetry, Football, and a Historical City

2011-07-14T12:07:00.008-04:00

Planisphere- New Poems by John Ashbery. (New York, 2009)Ashbery is known as one of America’s leading post-modern poets. He has published over two dozen volumes of poetry and won nearly every major literary award. Simultaneously dense and funny.The New York Times book review:John Ashbery’s new collection, dedicated to his partner, David Kermani, draws its exotic title — “Planisphere” — from

¡Feliz Cumpleaños Frida Kahlo!

2011-07-06T08:45:00.004-04:00

Frida Kahlo was born on July 6, 1907, to Guillermo Kahlo and Matilde Calderon. Guillermo was a well-known photographer, and the family was moderately wealthy; however, Frida would have a difficult and pain-filled life. She contracted polio at age eleven which crippled her right leg and left her with a life-long limp. At age eighteen, Kahlo was in a terrible crash between a local bus and a

Library Hours for the 4th of July 2011

2011-06-30T11:58:00.000-04:00

Please note that the Sandor Teszler Library will be closed on Monday, July 4th, 2011. Please enjoy your holiday and return to us on Tuesday ready for your summer school exams.

New books: Victorian sexism, Iraq's politics, Karen Armstrong on God

2011-06-29T15:06:00.006-04:00

We are always acquiring new resources for our collection. Some new books get displayed on the aptly-named "new books shelf" on the main floor. I just had a gander at the current crop and picked a few to highlight here.Sexual science : the Victorian construction of womanhood by Cynthia Eagle Russett. (Harvard, 1989)This one may be of interest to those involved in Wofford's 19th-Century Studies or

Remembering Alan Turing on his 99th birthday | thinq_

2011-06-23T14:58:00.001-04:00

Today marks the 99th anniversary of the birth of Alan Turing, a noted polymath and cryptanalyst who is regarded by many as being the grandfather of modern computing. We take a look at the life and times of one of the founding fathers of the modern information society.Read more at thinq

Poet Alan Seeger writes from Paris, 1913

2011-06-22T08:55:00.008-04:00

[Transcription:][recto]Dear friend: Have you been entirely without news of me all these months, or have any feathers from the wings of Rumor reached you as to my present condition and whereabouts. Nothing seems more remote than my last evening with you and all the circumstances of our farewell, - the man from Pittsburg [sic] interested in heraldry, and the pretty boy, whose company over here

Google to Make British Library Archive Available Online - Tech Europe - WSJ

2011-06-20T12:46:00.003-04:00

The long tail gets longer:The British Library today announced its first partnership with Google, under which Google will digitize 250,000 items from the library’s vast collection of work produced between 1700-1870.Nevertheless, [a representative of the Library] expressed slight frustration that the project will not go beyond 1870: “What we really want is the 20th century, but we Europeans are

Mind Control & the Internet by Sue Halpern | The New York Review of Books

2011-06-08T16:41:00.002-04:00

I'm plodding my way through Lanier's "You Are Not A Gadget," so I really appreciate its contextualization in this review. A passage that struck me: The [Google] search process, in other words, has become “personalized,” which is to say that instead of being universal, it is idiosyncratic and oddly peremptory. “Most of us assume that when we google a term, we all see the same results—the ones that

Copyright and Tattoos? (continued)

2011-05-26T12:00:00.001-04:00

Tyson's moko draws fire from Maori - National - NZ Herald News:The artist has struck a raw nerve in New Zealand, where people are asking what right he has to lay claim to a Maori design in the first place.

B&N Unleashes A New Nook: Touchscreen E-Ink, 2 Month Battery, $139

2011-05-25T12:38:00.001-04:00

Via TechCrunch:"B&N stated that this revamped Nook is the easiest to use ereading device on the market."

How Archivists Helped Video Game Designers Recreate the City's Dark Side for 'L.A. Noire' | History | SoCal Focus | KCET

2011-05-24T09:45:00.002-04:00

Earlier this week, video game enthusiasts and fans of L.A. history cheered the release of Rockstar Games' L.A. Noire, a police procedural game noted for its faithful reproduction of Los Angeles circa 1947. To recreate a city now hidden beneath 64 years of redevelopment projects and transformed by age and expansion, production designers with the game's developer, Team Bondi, consulted several Los

Copyright & Tattoos?

2011-05-23T10:01:00.000-04:00

New questions about copyright have arisen in relation to the new movie, The Hangover Part II. Tattoo artist, S. Victor Whitmill, claims that Warner Brothers has infringed upon his rights by featuring the tattoo he designed for Mike Tyson on a character in the movie. Here's a clip from the New York Times article about the case: “Mr. Whitmill has never been asked for permission for, and has

Morganza Spillway Opens in Louisiana | Photos from Int'l Space Station, Army Corps of Engineers

2011-05-17T10:22:00.005-04:00

Via NASA Research blog: On May 14, 2011, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers opened the Morganza Spillway in an attempt to ease flooding along the Mississippi River in Louisiana. The decision was made to protect the heavily populated areas and infrastructure around the ports of Baton Rouge and New Orleans. The decision is not without cost, however, to the thousands of people who are likely to lose

Yale Adopts Open Access Policy for Digitized Images

2011-05-16T10:29:00.000-04:00

Yale University has developed an open access policy for digitized images from its museums, archives and libraries, and launched the Discover Yale Digital Commons, which currently has over 250,000 images. An excerpt from the announcement: "The goal of the new policy is to make high quality digital images of Yale's vast cultural heritage collections in the public domain openly and freely

Extended Hours during Exam Week

2011-05-13T14:13:00.000-04:00

The Library will be open for additional hours during Final Exams Week. Here's our schedule for Friday, May 13 - Friday, May 20: Friday, May 13: 8am - midnight Saturday, May 14: 8am - midnight Sunday, May 15: 1pm - 1am Monday, May 16 - Thursday, May 19: 8am - 1am Friday, May 20: 8am - 5pm View our full schedule

Time For Mac Users To Think About Viruses - Tech Europe - WSJ

2011-05-13T13:05:00.003-04:00

Time for Mac users to join the Great Unwashed? The attacks mightn't seem especially sophisticated to a wizened Windows user, but for Mac people this could be a foreboding sign of the inevitable. This is the downside of Apple's gaining a larger market share in the personal computer market."We Mac users are a pretty insufferably smug lot. How we look down our noses at mere PCs, how it offends our

Google Maps | Mississippi Flooding Spring 2011

2011-05-10T10:16:00.004-04:00

Just in case you'd managed to forget recent frightening natural phenomena, Google Maps has you covered.

12 Best Free iPad 2 Apps

2011-05-09T10:25:00.000-04:00

According to the blog Save|Delete, they are: 1) Flixster - movie app 2) TED - TED talks 3) PhotoBooth - photo snapshot app 4) iBooks - download and read books 5) Friendly - homegrown Facebook app 6) Zite - 'push' magazine app (serves you what you like) 7) SkyNews - breaking news app 8) WebEx - attend WebEx meetings on your iPad2 9) Keynote - presentation design app 10) Flipboard - flip through

Sony Teases New Android Honeycomb Tablets

2011-05-05T16:03:00.004-04:00

Sony Teases New Android Honeycomb Tablets (Video and article)

Revealed: The Names of 25 Everyday Things

2011-05-05T11:53:00.000-04:00

Rays of sunlight? A second toe longer than your big toe? The dirt paths we see all across campus that connect two stretches of concrete walkway? Yes, they all have names, and this repost from BuzzFeed lists 25 of those everyday things and their names, with illustrations. This post is our Cinco de Mayo gift to you.

Sony's PlayStation Network hacked, users' private data at risk

2011-04-27T14:27:00.002-04:00

And the hits keep on coming!Security experts: PlayStation Network breach one of largest ever - Game Hunters - USATODAY.com:The external hack of Sony's PlayStation Network represents one of the largest data breaches ever, security experts suggest."The most troubling thing about this breach is the breadth of data that was leaked: name, address, passwords, purchase history and possibly credit card

Apple Promises Fix for Location-Gathering ‘Bug’ on iPhone | Gadget Lab

2011-04-27T12:50:00.002-04:00

Wired.com: "Apple said the bug fixes would arrive with the next major iOS software update," but when will that be?Plenty of interesting links in this article.

Gizmodo: iSpy Conspiracy: Your iPhone Is Secretly Tracking Everywhere You've Been, All The Time

2011-04-20T14:10:00.001-04:00

This is spooky!iSpy Conspiracy: Your iPhone Is Secretly Tracking Everywhere You've Been, All The Time | Gizmodo:This is a map of everywhere I've been for nearly the last year. Everywhere. I didn't carry around a special tracking device. The FBI isn't sending goons in unmarked vans to track me. All I did was use an iPhone. And if you have an iPhone, you're being tracked right now, too, whether you

Author Disconnects From Communication Devices to Reconnect With Life

2011-04-20T10:36:00.005-04:00

PBS NewsHour | Aug. 16, 2010 William Powers, author of "Hamlet's Blackberry: A Practical Philosophy for Building a Good Life in the Digital Age," makes reference to this quote by Thoreau in the PBS piece (link) above:In proportion as our inward life fails, we go more constantly and desperately to the post-office.Likewise, as Powers explains in the interview, the book's title is taken from

New Additions to the Sandor Teszler Library's Collections

2011-04-20T08:55:00.001-04:00

Films on forgiveness

2011-04-19T15:16:00.025-04:00

As We Forgive--the documentary film about Rwanda that was screened on campus last week by Club World and Togetherness--is available at Wofford's library for you to check out.As the producer Mpower Pictures describes the film: Two Rwandan women come face-to-face with the men who slaughtered their families during the 1994 genocide. Struggling to live again as neighbors, these survivors and

5 Myths About the 'Information Age'

2011-04-18T11:55:00.001-04:00

In a recent article, Robert Darnton, a professor and university librarian at Harvard University, discusses five common misconceptions about the 'Information Age,' including "the book is dead," "we have entered the information age," "all information is available online," "libraries are obsolete," and "the future is digital." According to Darnton, "confusion about the nature of the so-called

Google's Digital Library Failed--Can Academics Succeed?

2011-04-07T11:37:00.003-04:00

Fast Company: Not long ago a federal judge in Manhattan scuttled Google's plans to create a digital universal library (a dream kicked off when Larry Page scanned 'The Google Book' years ago--his company has since scanned 15 million more). While some lamented the decision, others have cheered, and among the latter is a group of academic librarians who think that a digital universal library should

Targeted phishing scams could rise after Epsilon data breach: IU News Room: Indiana University

2011-04-06T11:20:00.004-04:00

Targeted phishing scams could rise after Epsilon data breach: IU News Room: Indiana University:A wave of alert emails has been distributed over the last few days as Epsilon, one of the nation's largest marketing services, deals with what could end up being one of the largest data breaches in U.S. history."The concern here is that attackers, armed with knowledge of customer e-mail lists, could

Books at JSTOR Adds Four New Academic Presses

2011-04-05T11:50:00.001-04:00

Four more academic publishers in the United States are planning to bring their scholarly book content online at JSTOR, bringing the total number of presses in a partnership with JSTOR to 8, including Harvard, Columbia, Chicago, Minnesota, North Carolina, Princeton, Yale, University of California, Columbia and Cornell.JSTOR has provided online access to a huge variety of high quality scholarship

19th Century British Library Newspapers

2011-04-04T12:09:00.000-04:00

The Library recently added a new electronic resource to the collection, 19th Century British Library Newspapers, which includes the full text of newspapers specially selected by the British Library to best represent nineteenth-century Britain. This new collection includes national and regional newspapers, as well as newspapers from: established country or university towns; the new industrial

Spring Fever Blossoms on the Wofford Campus

2011-03-24T12:09:00.009-04:00

Signs of the imminent arrival of the scantily-clad student-bird have started appearing on the Wofford College campus. These signs include students studying outside, a proliferation of flip flops on feet everywhere, and conversation balloons appearing on the walls of buildings around campus:Midterms are almost over. Enjoy your spring break and watch the campus for more signs of spring and its

New Outdoor Furniture on the Front Patio!

2011-03-21T15:22:00.000-04:00

We have added a new outdoor seating area on the front patio of the library just in time for the warmer weather. Stop by and check it out!

Digital textbooks will soon be the norm

2011-03-17T14:48:00.005-04:00

According to the latest report from the social learning platform Xplana, in the next five years digital textbook sales will surpass 25% of the market for higher education and career education sales.The report goes on the summarize some of the factors influencing sales growth:cost of textbooksavailability of digital contentstudent buying and sharing trendscontinued growth of for-profit

"A terrible beauty is born"

2011-03-17T10:24:00.004-04:00

Easter, 1916I have met them at close of dayComing with vivid facesFrom counter or desk among greyEighteenth-century houses.I have passed with a nod of the headOr polite meaningless words,Or have lingered awhile and saidPolite meaningless words,And thought before I had doneOf a mocking tale or a gibeTo please a companionAround the fire at the club,Being certain that they and IBut lived where

"I had several e-books .... the national security force arrested me for possessing them."

2011-03-17T09:37:00.004-04:00

Kim Heung Kwang, founder of the North Korea Intellectual Solidarity organization and former professor of computer science in North Korea, in The Atlantic describing why he left that country:The books were pretty innocuous fare, mostly motivational titles like Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People. “These weren’t anti-regime books, so why was this a crime?” he asks bitterly. “I

Daylight Savings

2011-03-11T14:29:00.010-05:00

Sunday, 2 A.M. marks the beginning of daylight savings time and, out of curiosity, Sara and I (OK, mostly Sara) did a little investigation of digital exhibits and resources on its origins. Here are a few resources that we found: On Time: How America Learned to Live by the Clock by the National Museum of American History (We also have the book associated with this exhibit in our collection)

James Bond supports International Women's Day

2011-03-08T09:42:00.003-05:00

Sam Taylor-Wood, director of the piece, said: “Bond is challenged by ‘M’ to think about gender inequality, and I hope that the film encourages viewers to do the same. Despite great advances in women’s rights, statistics show that when it comes to the balance of power between the sexes, equality is far from being a global reality. As ‘M’ reminds Bond, facing up to gender issues and the sometimes

Compare Apple's iPad to iPad2

2011-03-07T15:04:00.009-05:00

It's here....Apple's iPad 2, much like the original iPad, has arrived in the marketplace on the shoulders of a huge, cleverly designed marketing blitz. Lance Ulamoff from pcmag.com summarizes new features, and answers questions about what is missing:Why no memory specs? - because with the new dual core A5 processor chip, performance is hugely improved. No specs were announced, but iPad's 256 MGs

Volunteers, UN share data to provide humanitarian aid in Libya

2011-03-07T09:06:00.005-05:00

Last week I noted a map mashup that aimed to document events occurring in Libya. But the next generation tool is already here, leveraging the experience and labor of Crisis Mappers and others in the Volunteer Technical Community (VTC) with the institutional support of the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).In true UN style, there is a list of common operational

Women's History Month Research Guide

2011-03-03T09:53:00.001-05:00

In celebration of Women's History Month, we have created a new research guide, which includes books, documentaries, and films from our collection, as well as web resources. Check out the Women's History Research Guide. Do you have favorite books, films, or resources related to Women's History? Submit your suggestions below! We'll review the entries and add them to our research guide.

iPad 2: "Tech married with the liberal arts"

2011-03-02T15:07:00.003-05:00

Check out Engagdet's recent live-blogging of today's unveiling of the new iPad.11:12AM [Steve Jobs:] "This is worth repeating. It's in Apple's DNA that technology is not enough. It's tech married with the liberal arts and the humanities. Nowhere is that more true than in the post-PC products. Our competitors are looking at this like it's the next PC market. That is not the right approach to

Website recognized as College Library Website of the Month

2011-03-01T09:14:00.000-05:00

Our library's website was selected as the "College Library Website of the Month" for February by the College Libraries Section of the Association of College and Research Libraries. Here's what they had to say: South Carolina is called the Palmetto State, but palmettos are not a common sight in the state’s Piedmont region, where Wofford College is located. The facilities at Wofford College’s

Archives Unbound & 19th Century British Library Newspapers

2011-02-24T11:00:00.003-05:00

The library has trial access to two databases, Archives Unbound and 19th Century British Library Newspapers from February 24 through March 23. Here are brief descriptions of the resources from the vendor: Archives Unbound Archives Unbound presents topically-focused digital collections of historical documents that support the research and study needs of scholars and students at the college and

Monitoring the situation in Libya

2011-02-23T11:47:00.010-05:00

The wave of popular democratic protests across North Africa and the Middle East is cresting in Libya, a country that has been under the dictatorial rule of Moammar Gadhafi since 1969. Colonel Gadhafi, who took power in a military coup, has been called many things: "mercurial," "eccentric," and, now (if not before), "ruthless." The situation in Libya has the potential to develop into something

A Philospher Considers IBM's Watson

2011-02-18T13:34:00.005-05:00

In IBM's Watson: A Hard Case (at NPR), UC Berkeley professor of philosophy Alva Noë ruminates on the nature of Watson:AI [artificial intelligence] is applied philosophy. AI curates opportunities for us to think about what we would say about the hard cases. At its best, AI gives us new hard cases. That's what IBM's, Jeopardy-winning Watson is....People wonder whether it's legitimate to talk of

Organize Your E-Book Library With Free Management Software Calibre

2011-02-18T11:27:00.001-05:00

The ebook world is a mess right now. The many different formats, the numerous ereaders, the inclusion of "free" e-books in library databases....all have conspired to create a morass through which it is not easy to navigate. Temporary rescue comes in the form of the free ebook library management system Calibre. This software will help you organize, catalog and retrieve your numerous electronic

Caution: Robots Crossing

2011-02-17T15:45:00.003-05:00

Is it just me or has the subject of artificial intelligence been coming up a lot lately? It's such a fascinating subject and has intrigued both scientists and humanists since the infancy of digital technology - maybe even before. And at this point it's not just science fiction anymore: artificial intelligence is as real as "auto-correct" on your cell phone and IBM's Watson's appearance on

Urban Knitting Shows up on the Wofford Campus

2011-02-15T09:40:00.005-05:00

From the deputydog blog, a definition of urban knitting: the world's most inoffensive graffiti. From the CROOKED BRAINS blog: Urban knitting is decorating the city and its monuments in an original way...Right about the time Interim ended, the Wofford mascot found himself clothed in the warmest and most beautiful hand-knitted scarf. There are rumors about where this beautiful artifact came from,

World Politics Review Trial

2011-02-14T19:26:00.001-05:00

The library has trial access to World Politics Review through April 10, 2011. Here is a brief description of this resource from the publisher: World Politics Review is an online publication and resource for foreign policy professionals working primarily within government, military, academia, intelligence and diplomacy, as well as academic researchers with a serious interest in international

HyperCities Egypt - Voices from Cairo through Social Media

2011-02-11T12:30:00.011-05:00

This is a pretty darn cool digital humanities project out of UCLA:"HyperCities Egypt" streams and then archives tweets from protesters in Cairo who are taking part in the pro-democracy push that has captured the world's imagination since Jan. 25."You just let the program run, and you almost feel like you're there," explained Yoh Kawano, a member of the UCLA Center for Digital Humanities program,

Facebook Privacy: 10 Settings Every User Needs to Know

2011-02-07T16:34:00.003-05:00

Mashable! the technology blog posted a reminder about the 10 privacy settings every Facebook user should know and understand. The short list is:1) Sharing on Facebook2) Existing Photos3) Checking into Places4) Connecting on Facebook5) Apps You Use6) Instant Personalization7) Info Accessible to your Friends8) Public Search9) Friends Lists10) Enabling HTTPSProtect yourself by making informed

Crawford Exhibition in the Mary Chapman Gallery, Campus Life Building at Wofford College

2011-02-07T14:37:00.006-05:00

Craig Crawford of Lexington County, SC holds the BFA from the University of South Carolina and for the past ten years has been president of Crawford Conservation, active as a painting conservator, and lecturer on art preservation. He has exhibited his own paintings widely, primarily in the Charleston area. His work is representational, yet he creates atmospheric spaces that suggest mystery in

Gmail Priority Inbox

2011-02-07T12:08:00.003-05:00

Do you get lots of email? Gmail has introduced this new "priority inbox" feature that you can train to sort the important from the less important. I've been using it for a couple weeks and am finding it really useful.(And don't worry, if you'd rather use the standard inbox, you still can even after activating the priority feature.)

Google's Art Project

2011-02-07T09:47:00.001-05:00

Last week, Google announced its new Art Project, which allows online visitors to tour the galleries and collections of 17 major art museums from around the world. Here's a description of the project from the Official Google Blog: "You’ll find a selection of super high-resolution images of famous works of art as well as more than a thousand other images, by more than 400 artists—all in one

Library Schedule for the End of Interim

2011-02-01T14:00:00.003-05:00

Wednesday is the last day of Interim and the Library will be operating on a reduced schedule until the Spring Semester begins on Monday, February 7. Here are our hours for the next several days: Wednesday, Feb 2: 8am - 5pm Thursday, Feb 3: 8:30am - 5pm Friday, Feb 4: 8:30am - 5pm Saturday, Feb 5: Closed Sunday, Feb 6: Closed Monday, Feb 7: Resume regular hours

Yad Veshem's Holocaust archives online

2011-01-26T19:29:00.001-05:00

Earlier today, Google and Yad Veshem, the Jerusalem-based center for remembering the Holocaust's victims and survivors, announced their partnership to digitize the center's photograph and document collections and make them available via the web. Here are a few clips from Yad Vashem's announcement: "Marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Yad Vashem and Google announced a partnership

Tolbert Exhibition in the Library

2011-01-24T15:46:00.006-05:00

Joseph Tolbert, an instructor of humanities at Augusta State University, uses a whimsical style of painting on every-day objects in addition to traditional canvases as platforms for expression with embellishments of glitter, glass, and faux jewels. The paintings fluoresce under black light. He calls his painting style "punk rococo" to reflect its influence from pop culture. His exhibition "

ATLA Religion Database

2011-01-19T16:42:00.000-05:00

The Library recently added a new electronic resource to the collection, the ATLA Religion Database, which provides information on topics such as biblical studies, world religions, church history, and religion in social issues. This database is the definitive index for religious and theological literature, and contains more than 1.7 million bibliographic records covering the research literature of

Access World News Research Collection

2011-01-19T16:38:00.000-05:00

The Access World News Research Collection is now available to the campus community and offers access to the electronic editions of local, regional, and national U.S. newspapers as well as full-text content of key international sources. Search the entire Access World News Collection; segments of the collection, such as South Carolina Titles; or, specific titles like the Herald-Journal.

"Vegetables All the Year Round"

2011-01-06T10:23:00.008-05:00

Europe and the Northern States of this Union possess numerous works on Farming and Gardening, of which many have been widely disseminated throughout the Southern States; their directions, however, are not intended for, nor adapted to such a climate as we possess, so that a work developing the principles, and pointing out the method of their application to the Farming and Gardening of the South,

Extended Hours for Exam Week

2010-12-10T15:43:00.000-05:00

Here's our schedule for the rest of the semester: Friday, Dec 10: 8am-midnight Saturday, Dec 11: 8am-midnight Sunday, Dec 12: 1pm - 1am Monday, Dec 13 - Thursday, Dec 16: 8am - 1am Friday, Dec 17: 8am - 5pm Good luck with your exams!

New Human Rights Research Guide

2010-12-10T09:54:00.000-05:00

In recognition of Human Rights Day, we have created a new research guide, which includes featured titles, documentaries, and films from our collection, as well as resources available on the open web. Check out the Human Rights Research Guide

Mark Twain's "Autobiography" (v.1) is available at the Teszler Library

2010-11-30T11:42:00.003-05:00

By design of the author, the world waited 100 years for this book.But Twain's "Autobiography" is available now at the Teszler Library - look for it on the "New Books" display shelf.Related links:Mark Twain Autobiography official website "This is Mark Twain" - Interactive, informative."Dead for a Century, Twain Says What He Meant," New York Times article, July 9, 2010.The Autobiography of Mark

Yahoo Clues

2010-11-16T21:42:00.000-05:00

Yahoo released a new tool today called Yahoo Clues, which displays demographic trends related to popular searches. It also includes a "search flow," a look at the previous and next search terms used. At present, Yahoo Clues only tracks the most popular topics, but "Yahoo said they hope to expand the number of terms included over time," according to Search Engine Land. Here's a brief

Heinitsh Drug Store Papers now available online

2010-11-02T13:25:00.008-04:00

Earlier this year a conscientious Spartanburg citizen donated the Heinitsh Drug Store Papers to Special Collections. This collection consists of prescriptions and formulas created in the operation of the family-run drug store during the 19th century.The Heinitsh Drug Store was opened in 1856 and the proprietor Henry Heinitsh witnessed and participated in the explosive growth of Spartanburg after

Blekko, a slashtag search

2010-11-01T11:44:00.002-04:00

Blekko, a new search engine that allows users to filter results using slashtags, is now available to the public. Here are a few clips explaining how Blekko works: "blekko is a better way to search the web by using slashtags. slashtags search only the sites you want and cut out the spam sites. use friends, experts, community or your own slashtags to slash in what you want and slash out what you

Library Schedule for Fall Break

2010-10-20T15:51:00.000-04:00

Here are our hours for fall break, in case you are planning to visit the library: Thursday 10/21: 8am – 5pm Friday 10/22: 8:30am – 5pm Saturday 10/23 : CLOSED Sunday 10/24: 1pm – Midnight (Normal Schedule)

New "Sandbox" Space Now OPEN!

2010-10-19T16:54:00.000-04:00

Our new Collaborative Technology Sandbox space is now open! This renovated space is available for student use and features two large LCD monitors, a touch screen, and abundant Ethernet and power outlets to facilitate the use of technology for study and collaboration. We have also added comfortable, mobile furniture, so that the room can be reconfigured to meet your needs. This new space was