Seen at ALA 2010: BHL Presentation at Smithsonian

About 35 people came to see us talk about BHL

Seen at ALA 2010: The ultimate in preservation resources

Seen at ALA 2010: The ultimate in preservation resources
Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

The latest from the world of digital libraries, Accessible Preservatives! Saves the leather in your shoes, briefcases, baseball mitts, and even your leather-bound books.

Seen at ALA 2010: Teeny tiny book carts

For tiny teeny books

Seen at ALA 2010: BHL

ALCTS collaboration award!!! Go Team BHL!!

Seen at ALA 2010: Peachtree Press

And there great staff, titles, and authors

Seen at ALA 2010: Awful Library Books of the Future

 The law of averages says that one day, at least one of these will be an Awful Library Book

Seen at ALA 2010: Jean Nathan

Talking about pork.

Seen at ALA 2010: urban wildlife

An impressive specimen!

Seen at ALA 2010: Ted Kennedy

In Canada?

Seen at ALA 2010: CHIPS

Cultural Heritage Information Professionals, at the Committee on Archives, Libraries, and Museums (not Libraries archives and museums)

Seen at ALA 2010: World Cup watchers

Goal!!!!!!

Seen at ALA 2010: Michael Edson

Talking up the LAMs

Seen at ALA: Scary garden of bronze children

Seen at ALA 2010

Seen at ALA: Sangam

Indian food at the convention center

Seen at ALA 2010: Barack Obama

Digital Library for Survivors: DIY Steampunk Internetz

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

Many people have a fear that one day the tubes that connect the various Internetz will become damaged, or perhaps even clogged with a mis-guided top-shot attempting to stop spam originating with the Twitterz or PhaseBookz. If this were to happen, access to the contents of our carefully crafted digital libraries will fail, leaving us at the mercy of fax machines and even, perhaps, mimeographs.

To deal with these real and present danger, I've begun work on a back up option. Connecting a classic Royal manual typewriter to a Zoom 56 baud modem, I'll get connectivity. For storage, a cassette drive will provide massive storage (recycling all those old mix tapes)

Still to be worked on is an alternate display (to augment the direct to print provided by the Royal).

When I'm 64, er, 68, when I was 25?

Happy Birthday, Paul McCartney! Sir Paul is 68 today. Back in 1986, I paid a visit to Abbey Road, there in the zebra crossing you can see the famous part of the street crossed by the Beatles. Interestingly, there's even a little VW like car parked there (but not 28IF). Below is a picture of me there by the gates of the studio.

I got to see Paul and Linda on one of the large stadium tours in the 1990s. Even with 60,000 or so good friends along for the show, he was able to keep the crowd feeling like they were up close in the stands of, well, er, Shea Stadium (though this was RFK stadium in Washington!).

So, times flies, happy birthday Paul!

Bloomsday, 16 June 2010

And a happy Bloomsday to all you in the great Irish diaspora ...

Same notice on the door. Sermon by the very reverend John Conmee S. J. on saint Peter Claver and the African mission. Save China's millions. Wonder how they explain it to the heathen Chinee. Prefer an ounce of opium. Celestials. Rank heresy for them. Prayers for the conversion of Gladstone they had too when he was almost unconscious. The protestants the same. Convert Dr. William J. Walsh D. D. to the true religion. Buddha their god lying on his side in the museum. Taking it easy with hand under his cheek. Josssticks burning. Not like Ecce Homo. Crown of thorns and cross. Clever idea Saint Patrick the shamrock. Chopsticks? Conmee: Martin Cunningham knows him: distinguished looking. Sorry I didn't work him about getting Molly into the choir instead of that Father Farley who looked a fool but wasn't. They're taught that. He's not going out in bluey specs with the sweat rolling off him to baptise blacks, is he? The glasses would take their fancy, flashing. Like to see them sitting round in a ring with blub lips, entranced, listening. Still life. Lap it up like milk, I suppose.

Ulysses (Episode 5: Lotus Eaters)

Viva Seattle Tacoma, viva viva Sea-Tac

AS 2408 : SEA to YVR
Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

Nope, I'm not in Seattle, but rather listening to some Robyn Hitchcock (Jewels for Sophia), specifically, "Viva Sea-Tac" ... not too many songs specifically about airports out there, but then Hitchcock often has songs about the oddest things ...

But the Space Needle points to the sky
The Space Needle's such a nice guy
But you never know...
Viva Seattle Tacoma, viva viva Sea-Tac
Viva Seattle Tacoma, viva viva Sea-Tac
Viva viva viva viva viva Sea-Tac
They've got the best computers and coffee and smack

Viva Seattle Tacoma, viva viva Sea-Tac
Viva Seattle Tacoma, viva viva Sea-Tac
Viva Seattle Tacoma, viva viva Sea-Tac
Viva Seattle Tacoma, viva viva Sea-Tac

Happy Birthday QE II

Happy birthday Queen Elizabeth II ... not sure what to get you ... have a good one!

At the Gate: 10 Airports from IAD to IAD

Here are my ten gates and ten flights from IAD to VIE to LHR to SIN to MEL to CBR to MEL to SYD to SFO to IAD

IAD to VIE
Austrian Air 94
Boeing 767-300



VIE to LHR
Austrian Air 455
Boeing 737-400



LHR to SIN
Qantas 10
Airbus 388


SIN to MEL
Qantas 10
Airbus 388


MEL to CBR
Qantas 814
Boeing 737-400


CBR to MEL
Qantas 785
Boeing 737-400


MEL to SYD
United 840
Boeing 747-400


SYD to SFO
United 870
Boeing 747-400



SFO to IAD
United 873
Boeing 757-200


and back to IAD

10,000

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

Hmmm ... looks like this was my 10,000th Flickr upload ...

Phil Anthony and the Glusters

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Originally uploaded by chrisfreeland2002

Not sure if it sounds more like a Glam band or a Doo-Wop group ... in this picture see only Jim Croft, neither Phil nor Anthony!

IAD to IAD: 26,603 miles

14 days, 4 hours, 18 minutes

UA 873: SFO to IAD

Last leg of the around the world trip!

United 840: MEL to SYD

Heading East

QF 795: CBR to MEL

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

An early morning flight (6:40 am); B-737-400 again; no sky bridge, so we did the tarmac strolll

QF 814: MEL to CBR

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

Flight from Melbourne to Canberra, B-737-400

Ah ... now it's all clear ... 42

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

My room at the end of the Nunnery Guest House hall ... so long, and thanks for all the 'Roo!

285 meters (935 feet) above Melbourne

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

Here's a view of Melbourne from the Eureka Tower Skydeck 88; the highest point in the Southern Hemisphere with an observation deck in an actual building that isn't a tower or some sort and ... well, believe it or not, there are all kinds of ways of measuring tall things and controversies over how it's done. In any case it was, without a doubt, the highest place I've ever been in the Southern Hemisphere!

I got there just before the rain clouds rolled in and created a whiteout around most of the viewing area. I skipped "The Edge" (a glass box hanging out over the side of the building), having done that at the Sears Tower (now called Willis Tower)

Huntsman spider (Delena cancerides)

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

Shortly after the American group from BHL-US arrived in Canberra for the BHL-Au meeting, the group all noticed that we had an eight legged visitor from the world of Biodiversity at the meeting. The 5-6 inch Huntsman hung around on the curtains for the rest of the meeting. Waving legs at appropriate times duing the meeting, I think that we have full buy-in for the Global BHL from the arachnids at least.

(Gate crasher at BHL-Au meeting: Delena cancerides. Learn more about the Hunstman spider in the EOL: www.eol.org/pages/1207262?image_id=3236892).

Two days in Canberra

In Melbourne, it was hard to find people to say good things about Canberra. When asked what was something interesting to do on a Friday night, the usual answer was "Leave". Another compliment was that the "There's plenty of open space between the monuments".

Well, to be honest, it wasn't a very walkable city, we did have to drive most places, but there were a couple of nice restaurants.

My own take was that Canberra was probably much like Washington, DC was 150 years ago, but maybe without the mosquitoes (just big spiders!)

Flock of Cockatoos

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Cacatua galerita, quite common around Canberra, common like pigeons. Told by the locals they love to chew on your gutters!

Presentation for the National Library of Australia

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

While in Canberra, I was asked to give a presentation on the Biodiversity Heritage Library at the National Library of Australia. Here it is:

An Introduction to the Biodiversity Heritage Library. Martin R. Kalfatovic. BHL Australian Node Meeting: National Library of Australia. 4 June 2010. Canberra, Australia.

An Introduction to the Biodiversity Heritage Library

View more presentations from Martin Kalfatovic.

Royal Exhibition Building, built for Melbourne International Exhibition in 1880, sits opposite the Melbourne Museum. I picked my seat in the conference room so I could gaze out the window and see the fabulous building (made of plater of paris and chicken wire like so many fair/exhibition structures).

Eels bite!

Who knew?

Pack O'Possums

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

Walking back from dinner last night ran into a large pack of brush tail possum in the park