Sunday, June 14, 2015

Daily Thoughts 06/14/2015

Young Woman in Kimono, Reading - Emile Bernard
Young Woman in Kimono Reading, Emile Bernard, 1887

Daily Thoughts 06/14/2015

I checked the libraries Twitter and Facebook.

I stayed up late and read The Martian By Andy Weir.  The book is loosely based on the Mars Direct idea.  Mars Direct  http://www.marssociety.org/home/about/mars-direct

There were some technical failures in the description of how the landing site worked.  Most of the Mars Direct missions include an inflatable greenhouse which would house corn, wheat, lettuce, beans, tomatoes in both soil beds, hydroponics, and aeroponics.  The whole bit with the potatoes being the astronauts only food was more than a little inaccurate.  This is an article about the Food Growth Chamber in the Antarctica  http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/25/AR2011012505305.html  NASA is doing some interesting research on plants.  http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/livingthings/25feb_greenhouses.html

However, if this kind of technology were in place, there would have been no story, just a guy in his garden type story which would not have been as exciting.  There was also very little mention of the Russians or commercial spacecraft in the story.

The story was very gripping because it was about a race against time.  It was also a story of constant innovation.  Also, the characterization was very well done.  I think it will make an excellent movie.

I started watching The Great Courses Fundamentals of Photography Course on DVD by Joel Sartore.  Joel Sartore is a National Geographic Photographer.   Part of this is about how to see with an artistic eye.



Web Bits


Librarians As Enemies of Books-- Randolph G. Adams 1937


Its time for America to Give Libraries The Money They Deserve


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