So before this falls into the ‘I should have written that’ category, I wanted to get some pen on the iSchool introductory class -IST601 – Information and Information Environments.

In short – awesome. Really awesome.

The content delivered and the delivery methods were as world class as I expected but the energy. WOW. Totally infectious and not just from one or two lecturers, but each and every one of them and ALL of the staff there to support them and us (SU’s incoming iSchool Master’s students).  Total faculty and staff that presented over the weekend numbered, by my count, 15, but there could have been more. A high level of passion exuded from each and every one of them and it left an amazing mark. They’ve set the bar very high in terms of our academic, creative and innovative pursuits, but also in service and ethics.

That really stuck. Time and again we were reminded to bring anything – questions, concerns, problems, etc.  It’s a level of service and support that I don’t think I’ve ever seen before in an  organization. The iSchool at SU is really committed to turning out radical, game-changing information professionals and they’ll do whatever they can to foster the creativity and innovation required to bring about real change.

Not that I needed it, but the class confirmed that I’m doing the right thing and am in the right (best!) place.

Saw this movie in class tonight about Paul Otlet, who, among other things, invented an international classification scheme called Universal Decimal Classification used for books, photographs and other documents, microfilm, and the index card catalog system used in most libraries. Hugely prolific, he also attempted to develop a peaceful, international super city where everyone from around the world holds hands, skips down the street singing “Kum-Ba-Yah”. Seriously. But it never happened. Obviously. I’m not sure that his world view expanded beyond that of Europe and the USA, but he certainly made some significant contributions and tried really hard.

In his later years (around 1930′s) he basically invented the World Wide Web and modern day computing, at least in theory. I think the film is worth a watch. Here’s a snippet:

Not that I’ve been looking, but I’ve never seen this before.

Not sure why the card is in red and not orange….

5 email accounts, 56 RSS feeds, NOTHING in the inbox. Scrubbed clean. Not even read mail. This took me a couple hours to complete, but was well worth it. Take a look (click for a better view).

Clean Inbox

This is the first time I’ve seen ‘Irradiated beef’ advertised.

Michael Pollan has an easy to digest definition of irradiated beef in this excerpt of an article he wrote for The New York Times Magazine (March 31, 2002):

Rather than try to alter that diet or keep the animals from living in their waste or slow the line speed—all changes regarded as impractical—the industry focuses on disinfecting the manure that will inevitably find its way into the meat. This is the purpose of irradiation (which the industry prefers to call “cold pasteurization”). It is also the reason that carcasses pass through a hot steam cabinet and get sprayed with an antimicrobial solution before being hung in the cooler at the National Beef plant.

Delicious!

It’s true…kind of. My bicycle is an extension of me at times (lately more often than not). For the past 20 (actually 24) years I’ve been happily pedaling along on a Peugeot U.S. Express (weighing in at roughly 34 lbs. 12 oz.). I’ve made some modifications, but for the most part it’s the same bike I started with so many years ago.

Enter Fuji Cross CompI just bought a Fuji Cross Comp. I love it. Riding it is a completely different experience. Infinitely more enjoyable, faster, and, though not as comfortable (still getting adjusted to the skinny seat), it’s a whole new level of fun. Weight difference is 10.82 lbs. Much lighter. Specs below.

Cross Comp

Specification