True seat of power, Digital Library Federation

DLF Forum, Baltimore

BHL / BHL Europe poster at the Digital Library Federation forum

DLF Poster_final, a photo by martin_kalfatovic on Flickr.

In Baltimore, poster by Boris Jacob (see left) with some input from me.

Day of 6,999,999,999 people ... and me

According to various estimates, or even just guesses, the population of our Big Blue Marble, aka Earth, aka Gaia, aka The World, will reach 7 billion sometime today (well, to be precise at 04:21:10 in your local time zone).

Check out the world population clock now to see what the current number is.

Nothing says 26.2 like Dunkin' Donuts

Mmm'mm. Guess you'll need some donuts when you're done!

Marine Corps Marathon, more cowbell!

Near the tail end of the starters, along Lee Highway

@thesherrin Winter on this side of the world, mate!

Bring mittens!

October snowstorm

Kind of early this year

Smithsonian Inst. Archives field notes

2011.10.27-IMG_4581, a photo by martin_kalfatovic on Flickr.

There are still a few days left in this, Archives Month. I had a chance to tour Smithsonian Institution Archives this week, here's a photo from the visit.









 

Happy United Nations and Judy

Today, October 24, is United Nations Day ... it honors the founding of the United Nations.

From Wikipedia:

The UN officially came into existence on 24 October 1945 upon ratification of the Charter by the five permanent members of the Security Council—France, the Republic of China, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States—and by a majority of the other 46 signatories. The first meetings of the General Assembly, with 51 nations represented, and the Security Council, took place in Westminster Central Hall in London in January 1946.

October 24 is also the birthday of my late sister, Judy.

QotD: "Book store owners and record store owners used to be oracles" Tom Waits

 "They have removed the struggle to find anything. And therefore there is no genuine sense of discovery. Struggle is the first thing we know getting along the birth canal, out in the world. It's pretty basic. Book store owners and record store owners used to be oracles, in that way; you'd go in this dusty old place and they might point you toward something that would change your life. All that's gone." - Tom Waits (The Guardian, 22 Oct 2011)

Wow, Waits is so right ... I used to spend so many hours combing through record and book stores. Trying to find that known or unknown book or LP. 


There was a certain rush of actually finding something, or maybe it was something that was in the hunting and not the actual finding that made it such a special event. 


(insert here the memories of slightly damp cardboard from those funky used record stores around the country; the ramshackle packed shelves of weird old used book store; the smell of ink and paper in new stores)


Not quite the same thing as typing in a search box and pressing click to order. There was a sense of wonder the first time I found with just a few clicks a used copy of Holger Cahill's The Shadow of My Hand, something I'd been searching for in used book stores for years.


Now that I've moved mostly to ebooks and online music (see EMusic for some great deals and community - but they don't have Waits' new album yet, just the single), most of the hunting is reserved for waiting for things like Gravity's Rainbow to get released in epub).

Line outside Clarendon Apple Store

DPLA Technical workstream report captured by graphic artist

2011.10.21-IMG_4568, a photo by martin_kalfatovic on Flickr.

The graphic artist, Heather, perfectly captured my report of the Digital Public Library of America's Technical Workstream report with this image. It's all about the magic.

DPLA Technical Workstream talking points #dpla

Presented on behalf of the DPLA technical workstream at the DPLA Plenary Meeting, National Archives, 21 Oct 2011

DPLA Technical Workstream

View more presentations from Martin Kalfatovic.

#dpla plenary, NEH Chairman Leach

#DPLA worksream meeting starting to gather

Great to see old friends and meet new

True seat of power at DPLA workstream meeting

At GWU

Emeyeessesseyeessesseyepeepeeeye

That spells Mississippi

Downtime at Cafe Du Monde

Royal House Oyster Bar

Does the Monteleone Carousel Bar count as a spinny bar? #sbhs

Where you get dizzy before you drink

Picking up office supplies at Marie Laveau's

Cyndi Parr (@cydparr) on @EOLife at #TDWG #EOL

Cyndi Parr, a photo by martin_kalfatovic on Flickr.

"Introducing Encyclopedia of Life version 2: International, personal, and reusable"

William Ulate presents on @BioDivLib at #TDWG #bhlib

William Ulate, a photo by martin_kalfatovic on Flickr.

William talks up BHL with his paper, "Biodiversity Heritage Library: Toward a Global, Sustainable Resource"

Jester Mardi Gras Daiquiris, I came for the pizza

Really. I have witnesses

Taking TL-2 Online: A Linked Data Resource, presentation for #tdwg

Here's the TL-2 presentation for TDWG by me and Joel Richard:

Taking TL-2 Online: A Linked Data Resource. Martin R. Kalfatovic and Joel Richard. TDWG 2011 Annual Conference. New Orleans, LA. 18 October 2011. 

Taking TL-2 Online: A Linked Data Resource

View more presentations from Martin Kalfatovic

New Orleans, currently a librarian free-zone

So, what's missing here on Bourbon Street? Yes, you got it, librarians!

This is my first trip to a non-librarian conference (though it's an informatics meeting, TDWG, so that's almost like kissing cousins).

So there are tote bags, and such, but I'm not seeing the Gale Shuttle or blinking pins from vendors; no fancy reception at Napoleon House (though a fun Zydeco evening at Tipitinia's).

Also, since it's not ALA summer, the weather is actually pretty nice!

Laissez les bons temps rouler! Yeah you right!

Zydeco at Tipitina's

Choo choo boogie

Bourbon Street, balcony view

True seat of power at #tdwg

Field Notes project brochure at #tdwg

Crescent City Blues and BBQ festival

Jazz it up with Zatarain's

Vic's Kangaroo Cafe, no @jim_croft sightings

US Airways 3225: DCA to MSY

Gate 24

Pennsylvania Avenue decked out for visit of South Korean president

BHL mini buttons #bhlib

Archivist at Work! Please do not tap on the glass - in honor of Archives Month

There's still plenty of time to celebrate American Archives Month. Hug an archivist, or something!

Barbara Fritchie house, Frederick, MD

Roger Taney house, Frederick, MD

Starbucks #13690, Frederick, MD

National Museum of Civil War Medicine

Frederick,  MD

Georgetown ghost tour, Robert Todd Lincoln's house

So long Steve Jobs ...

Apple, Inc., a photo by martin_kalfatovic on Flickr.

1955-2011

Starbucks #743, Bethesda, MD

7140 Wisconsin Avenue