Our town eyesore, the Wicked Burrito, is slightly less ugly this week. No, the painters did not paint. They matched, or tried to match, the multicolored monster’s many garrish colors, then vanished. Someone did take down the tattered canvas awnings that had hung flapping like a tight flock of disturbed chickens over the hand drawn “Closed” sign for the past several years.
Across the street the now empty Vis-Art is separated from new hotel construction only by the lively but somewhat secret Dead Mule Club. Against the odds, the Mule is the best kept of the three.
Author: Paul (Page 131 of 147)
Not like Wm. Burroughs, but like a film fanatic. Not a cinema snob, but a maniac about films made in NC and about films that say that they are made in NC but in fact aren’t. Floyd’s book, “Film Junkie’s Guide to North Carolina,” was just featured on CNN and in AP articles — all amusing. Love that Ozzy Osbourne and Gene Simons did at least one bad film together in Willywood in 1986.
What would have happened if they had been up the road a bit for the filming of “Blue Velvet” also a 1986 film?
Looking back for new ideas and successes that happened at sunsite/metalab/ibiblio. You can add your own and/or correct me.
1992 – sunsite begun with a goal 10,000 downloads a month; we exceeded that in 2 days before we were officially announced.
Linux Software Archive begun (still ongoing). WebMuseum joined sunsite (still ongoing).
Tim Berners-Lee drops by and we set up a WWW server, one of the first in the US and likely the first outside high energy physics.
1993 – Presidential Archives work with Clinton White House using WAIS.
Linux Documentation Project begun (still on going).
Dr. Fun, first daily cartoon on the Web, begun (still ongoing). CEARCH (Cisco Educational Archive) started to provide information about networking in education.
1994 – WXYC first live 7/24 radio simulcast on the Net (still ongoing).
Virtual Shtetl, the first known Yiddish site on the Web (still ongoing).
Internet Poetry Archive begun with Nobel Prize winner Czslaw Milosz’s contribution in English and in Polish, in audio and in text (still ongoing).
1995 – Henriette’s herbal page is one of the oldest herb sites on the web (still ongoing).
Invited presentation to President and Mrs. Jimmy Carter at The Carter Presidential Library on digital Presidential Library futures.
1996 – “Documenting the American South” begun with first person narratives by enslaved people in the Amercian South (still ongoing).
1997 – Roger McGuinn’s FolkDen joins sunsite and changes to streaming formats for his audio collection (begun in 1995 and still ongoing).
Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy comes to ibiblio. First of dozens of Tibetan-owned sites on ibiblio (still ongoing).
1998 – Nobel prizewinner Aung San Suu Kyi ‘s videotaped address on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the UN Declaration of Human Rights (smuggled out from her house in Rangoon where she’d been detained for a decade) made available on sunsite.
Sunsite becomes MetaLab. 50 million files served in the month of October 1998.
1999 – Open Book Project begun (still ongoing).
Presidency Research Group and Pew Charitable Trusts establish web resources to assist the 2001 Presidential transition. (still active whitehousetransition.org) Served two presidential transitions and nine emerging democracies.
2000 – MetaLab becomes ibiblio with large gift from Center for the Public Domain.
Afro-Louisiana Slave Database by Gwendolyn Menlo Hall made available (still ongoing).
2001 – Interactive Native American Archaeology Project, Excavating Occaneechi Town, made available online for the first time (still ongoing).
2002 – VolunteerTibet officially launched its service on December 10th, 2002, commemorating the date His Holiness the Dalai Lama received the Nobel Peace Prize (still ongoing).
Mental Health Association in Durham County (NC) founded and joins ibiblio (still ongoing).
A Living Stage: Reflections from South Africa Music and storytellers from the 2002 National Arts Festival in Grahamstown, South Africa.
www+ftp traffic now averages 3 million files/day.
Data flow averages 150 Mbs.
2003 – Khawa Karpo-Tibet Culture Centre (KKTCC), Dharamsala joins ibiblio (still ongoing).
GrokLaw: Digging for truth: the law and the facts with regard to Free and Open Source Software joins ibiblio (still ongoing).
librarian.net: Jessamyn West’s library themed weblog of interest to rarin’ librarians and other information junkies joins ibiblio (still ongoing).
2004 – www+ftp traffic now averages over 10 million files/day. Data flow averages 250 Mbs.
NASA Educational Video added (still ongoing).
WCPE and WXYC become the first simulcast radio stations on Internet2 usingIPv6.
Institute for Museum and Library Services awards ibiblio and Folkstreams.net grant for digitization of documentaries on American folk cultures.
2005 – www+ftp traffic now averages over 13 million files/day.
Data flow averages 350 – 400 Mbs.
Jessamyn West, librarian.net and an official blogger at the Democratic National Convention, will be visiting us on the Vernal Equinox (March 21).
Jessamyn is also the co-editor of Revolting Librarians Redux.
She’ll be talking about the Information Commons, librarian.net, blogging the DemoCon, and whatever else her little ole heart desires.
Public talk at 3:30 3/21.
More on this as the date approaches.
Bret and TJ are looking at adding a regular podcast to the ibiblio blog and to Bret’s irondog chronicles. Supposedly the support is in WP 1.5, but so far it looks like the way to get an enclosure is to create a custom field. Surely there is a better way.

Sally describes Crieghton Irons’ musical “Soul Notes” which will be produced this coming Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday at the Kenan Theater in the Center for Dramatic Arts on the UNC campus.
“Soul Notes” is “the musical result of scores of personal interviews that [Creighton] conducted in Jamaica, South Africa, and the American South. These interviews, most of them with black and white musicians, explore the big issues surrounding race in intimate and vulnerable ways. Backed by a full rock band, a talented cast of 20 from all corners of UNC’s campus brings these interviews to life with the sounds of reggae, blues, rock, gospel, and bluegrass. “
UPDATE: Chapel Hill News did a nice long feature on “Soul Notes” today.
The Gates are down and soon ibiblio will be unwrapped too.
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Tomorrow the work in the main part of the ibiblio offices will be completed except for cable pulling. There will be work underway in my delightful office tomorrow as well.
Then some time the cable will be pulled. estimated time less than 3 hours for that.
Then we will have our offices completely back.
I asked if they would leave some plastic so’s we could wrap up the office whenever we felt celebratory or pensive it being lent and the time when statues and icons are wrapped, but I wasn’t taken seriously.

What: Inside Darfur and the Humanitarian Information Centre
When: Tuesday March 1 at 4 pm
Where: Freedom Forum Conference Center, 3rd floor Carroll Hall, UNC
Who: UNC grad and ibiblio alum Mark McCarthy
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Louis St Lewis is a self-confessed trouble-maker of the delightfully artistic sort. Each Louis art opening is a little event of its own, but today’s opening at Tyndall Galleries was more special than most. For one thing, there was more of Louis’ work and the work is quite different from his collages and his early bone assemblies. But Louis, who was dressed in a sort of old Europe suit with thick pinned tie overdraped by a silk kimono, was in no way subdued. He relishes his status of bad boy in his bio and in his art. This work seems more pleasant to live with than his self-portrait in blood that inspired the Archbishop of Charleston to denounce Louis and to help him garner some serious attention both Good and Evil.
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He is still a scavenger and an innovator. Several pieces in this show were drawn on linoleum tile that was pulled up from his studio floor. The textures and colors are so lovely and so appropriate that you do not think floor for even one second.
For more images of Louis’ work at Tyndall’s, go here, but better drop by the Gallery to appreciate the scale of the work.
UPDATE: Sylvia and Jane sent some pictures of the opening for is to enjoy.
Following the Lego-palooza, we went over to Culbreth Middle School to see Tucker’s classmates perform the Lapine/Sondheim musical “Into the Woods, Junior.” This is a version of the award winning “Into the Woods” which has been “specially adapted for young performers-abridged to 60-80 minutes, with music transposed into keys appropiate for young voices.”
It was a delightful show, well sung and well played. I was left wondering what was abridged from the adult version. With a little research, I found out. The whole second act. The controversial darker and more imagined section. The first act is a confluence of fairy tales which come to a “happy ever after” ending.
We are, now that I think about it, prepared for a post-happy ending act. We have a dead giant in the backyard. We have to impossibly pompous princes newly married. We have a witch who has become young and beautiful, but she has also lost her powers and become estranged from her daughter. And new family beginning. We have the makings of further drama for sure.
The song titles of the second act give you some idea of what’s up (from Sondheim Guide):
# “Prologue: So Happy” – Narrator and Company
# “Agony” (reprise) – Cinderella’s Prince and Rapunzel’s Prince
# “Lament” – Witch
# “Any Moment” – Cinderella’s Prince and Baker’s Wife
# “Moments in the Woods” – Baker’s Wife
# “Your Fault” – Baker, Jack, Little Red Ridinghood, Witch, Cinderella
# “Last Midnight” – Witch
# “No More” – Baker and Mysterious Man
# “No One Is Alone” – Cinderella, Little Red Ridinghood, Baker, Jack
# “Finale: Children Will Listen” – Witch and Company
If you read the synoposis of Act Two, you’ll agree it’s pretty Grimm.
Tucker and I just got back from the first local Lego-palooza at the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center. Pictures later. One thing is certain; the creations of Star Wars craft are better done by local designers than by the kits that come straight from Lego. [sorry the lighting and the camera phone were not a great combination. Most of the images are pretty blurry.]
One way to keep your neighbors in the dark about your misdeeds even when the police have caught on to you is to buy every newspaper in town. That’s exactly what Jack William Pacheco of Chowchilla, CA did to hide his methamphetamine arrest. Pacheco, who claims he is innocent, bought all available copies of the Chowchilla News. He plans to use the papers “to clean his windows and train his new puppy.” Despite his enterprise, over 550 were delivered to homes in Chowchilla. He bought all store and machine offerings.
Pacheco failed on another front as well; his story is now wide spread thanks to AP.
| 2002 | 2004 | January 2005 | |
| www+ftp traffic | 3 million/day | 10+ million/day | 12.5+ million/day |
| data online | 1 terabyte | 5 terabytes | 12 terabytes |
| www/ftp servers | 1 large server | 8 server array | 30+ in array and in special use |
| data flow | 150 Mbs | 250 Mbs | 350 – 400 Mbs |
Kathryn Stripling Byer was appointed Poet Laureate of North Carolina yesterday ending a two year vacancy and completing a three way race between James Applewhite, Gerrald Barrax and Byer.
The French Linux distro, Mandrake, will buy the Brazilian Linux distro, Conectiva, says the trustworthy (usually) Register. Here is the press release from the Mandrake website.
Note: Both distros have been on ibiblio from their beginning and Mandrake has been a contributor (of $$$) to ibiblio in the past.
Slashdot was so excited that they posted the story twice!
Just now getting the finalists and the winners of the Words of the Year 2004 from the American Dialect Society (Thanks Connie). The votes were taken on January 7, 2005 in Oakland, CA.
Word of the Year
- red state, blue state, purple state, n., together, a representation of the American political map. 36
Nominated:
- flip-flopper, n, a politician who changes political stances; a waffler. 11
- mash-up, n., a blend of two songs or albums into a single cohesive musical work. 2
- meet-up, n., a local special interest meeting organized through a national web site. 2
- wardrobe malfunction, n., an unanticipated exposure of bodily parts. 19
Most Useful
- WINNER: phish, v., to acquire passwords or other private information (of an individual, an account, a web site, etc.) via a digital ruse. Noun form: phishing. 47
- backdoor draft, n., the filling of military jobs through reactivation of former troops or through forced enlistment extensions known as stop-loss orders. 16
- blog- as a prefix or combinging form in making other words: blogosphere, blognoscenti, blogarrhea. 1
- fetch, adj., cool or stylish, from the movie Mean Girls. 11
Most Creative
- WINNER: pajamahadeen, n., bloggers who challenge and fact-check traditional media. 36/52
- hillbilly armor, n., scavenged materials used by soldiers for improvised bullet-proofing and vehicle hardening, esp. in Iraq. 11
- lawn mullet, n., a yard neatly mowed in front but unmowed in the back. 29/27
- nerdvana, n., geeks really geeking out; collaborative geekiness. 6.5
Most Unnecessary
- WINNER: carb-friendly, adj., low in carbohydrates. 38/50
- -based as in reality-based, faith-based. 14
- erototoxin, n., a (nonexistent) chemical released in the brain of a person looking at pornography. 17/26
- stalkette, n., a female stalker. 10
Most Outrageous
- WINNER: santorum, n., the frothy residue of lube and fecal matter which sometimes is the result of anal sex. 3
- clone and kill, n., raising a crop of humans for parts. 6
- douche chill, n., interjection used to break a sudden silence after a verbal faux pas. 9
- Jesusland, n., the country which will be the rump US after the blue states have seceded and joined Canada. 13
Most Euphemistic
- WINNER: badly sourced, adj., false. 50
- angel, n., a soldier killed in action. 7
- partner reduction, n., divorce or severing of a romantic relationship. 2
- wardrobe malfunction, n., unanticipated exposure of bodily parts. 15
Most Likely To Succeed
- WINNER: red, blue, and purple states, n., the American political map. 21/46
- krunked, n., cool, crazy. 2
- mash-up, n., a blend of two songs or albums into a single cohesive musical work. 23/22
- meet-up, n., a local special interest meeting organized through a national web site. 16
- orange revolution, n., the recent Ukrainian political crisis. 5
Least Likely To Succeed
- WINNER: FLOHPA, n., collectively, the states of Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, said to have been important in the 2004 American presidential election. From the postal codes for the three states: FL, OH, and PA. 41
- holy toast, n., a grilled cheese with the image of the Virgin Mary, sold on eBay. 23
- luanqibaozhao, n., Chinese for a complicated mess. 8
- security mom, n., a female voter said to vote according to the protection of her family. 2
Not Bill Gates but more the Gates of Christo done on the cheap. The effort, struggle really, to rewire Manning Hall to conform to some standard which I do not completely understand has finally reached our office here at ibiblio. As a result, we are mostly working from home, the library or at secret places where I’d rather not be aware of (being the boss).
The aesthetic effect on the office is not to be ignored. It can’t be ignored. Here are a few quick shots for your viewing pleasure. If only the plastic were orange. But then the grey translucent goes better with our office color scheme.
Larry Lessig writes to many of us and asks us to pass on his call to bring attention to works that are under copyright, but are out of print and whose owners cannot be found. eldred.cc gives the details and gives a call to action.
Lessig’s letter follows:
Sorry about the intrusion, but an important opportunity has come up for you to have a positive impact on the direction of copyright law and I wanted to let you know about it directly.
Thanks to some prodding by a couple of great US Senators, the copyright office is currently considering whether to recommend changes to copyright law that will make it easier and cheaper for you to use “orphaned works” — works that remain under copyright but whose “owner” can’t be found. As many of you have written me, this is a real problem that affects thousands of innovative people every year. But the copyright office still needs some convincing.
To convince them, we need your help. If you have a relevant story, or a perspective that might help the Copyright Office evaluate this issue, I would be grateful if you took just a few minutes to write an email telling them your story. The most valuable submissions will make clear the practical burden the existing system creates. (One of my favorite stories is about a copy-shop’s refusal to enlarge a 60 year old photo from an elementary school year book for a eulogy because the copyright owner couldn’t be found.) Describe instances where you wanted to use a work, but couldn’t find the owner to ask permission. Explain how that impacted your ability to create. Or pass this email on to someone who you know might have a useful story to add.
The Copyright Office is already overworked and understaffed, so I’m not asking that you stuff their inbox with demands for action, or anything like that. They are not Congress. They are not even the FCC. Their role here is as fact-finder, so “just the facts, ma’am.” (Oops, do I need permission to use that?)
Everything you need to do this is online at http://eldred.cc. We’ve explained exactly what the copyright office is asking for, how and where to submit your email, and provided some examples of stories we’ve heard from others about how their creativity has been stalled when they’ve tried to use orphan works. If you have questions, there’s a contact email there for people who can help you out.
In spite of my usual pessimism, I think we have a real opportunity here to move the law in a positive direction. Please help us “promote the Progress of Science” (and that text is in the public domain), by showing the Copyright Office where unnecessary regulation hampers progress.
Dave Barry is on leave. Fans must enjoy reprints of his old columns or read his Peter Pan prequel, “Peter and the Starcatchers” (written with Ridley Pearson) or wait for his movie, Guide to Guys (aka G2G) which premiered on February 2.
But for those of us who love the near predictability of a Dave Barry column, there is AutoDave. It’s been around for a while (since 1999) but while we’re awash in multi-media Barry assault, it’s good to know that the essence of Barry has been captured and preserved for us. The automated Dave Barry column generator will save your soul or at least your funny bone.
David Bollier of On the Commons points us to The Economist (February 3, 2004) where an article in Economic Focus “The economics of sharing” gives the nod to Yochai Benkler‘s more complexly argued piece “Sharing Nicely: On Shareable Goods and the Emergence of Sharing as a Modality of Economic Production” [PDF] in the Yale Law Journal (November 2004).
David tells us that the Economist “expresses some surprise at the idea that ‘social sharing’ via electronic networks has become a potent sector of economic production right up there with markets and the state.”
On the Commons is full of pointers to other good readings in open source and open society.

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