Ebooks Sliding Down the Peak of Inflated Expectations

Gartner Hype Cycle

Perhaps the revolution has reached an evolutionary stage. (The Idea Logical Company, 8/13/2012)

Excerpt: Between late 2007 when the Kindle came out and late 2011, ebook sales doubled or more every year. Since September 2011, during which Cader reckoned sales were double the year before, the monthly numbers are showing much lower (and declining) year-on-year growth. The April numbers showed only a 37% increase from the year before.

Hat tip to Catherine Arnott Smith (via Facebook)

Flake, as in an Unreliable, Silly Person; a Ditz

Flakewear

LINK

Direct election of U.S. Senators

Adopted May 31, 1913

Why this Tea Party idea to repeal the 17th amendment is a bubble discussion of a flaky idea, which the brain-dead Cato Institution heartily supports.  But there's nothing silly or retrograde in deploring the effects of an amendment that has done untold damage to federalism and limited government.

From the U.S. Senate website:  "Direct Election of Senators".

Excerpt:  Intimidation and bribery marked some of the states' selection of senators. Nine bribery cases were brought before the Senate between 1866 and 1906. In addition, forty-five deadlocks occurred in twenty states between 1891 and 1905, resulting in numerous delays in seating senators. In 1899, problems in electing a senator in Delaware were so acute that the state legislature did not send a senator to Washington for four years.

Limited government.  No representation.  Yeah, that works!

The height of hypocrisy

Prior to the enactment of the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution the U.S. Senators discussed federal affairs with their state legislators on a regular basis. At THAT time U.S. Senators did not have to raise millions of dollars to run for office. They were not beholden to the large corporations.

Henderson Libraries Tax Initiative

8 News NOW

LINK

Madison Central Library Progress Report: Revised Edition

Originally published June 5, 2012.

Link to MCPL Design Review

 

View of roof/site

From a different angle, obviously.  I left my jet pack at home.

Retiring Guy @ the top of Overture Center parking ramp

 

In the above view, Approach from Henry Street,  the building in the left center background is, as far as I know, a figment of someone's imagination.   (Use Google Maps to search 109 West Mifflin Street and see a street view of the one-story, four-unit, terra-cotta building currently at this location.)

Retiring Guy @ intersection of W. Mifflin & N. Henry

August 17, 2012

Bonus round

Hat tip to Carol Froistad for this photo.

Construction photos @ Madison Public Library website

 

Mifflin Street Elevation

Retiring Guy @ intersection of W. Mifflin and N. Fairchild

August 17, 2012

August 17, 2012

 

Fairchild Street Elevation

August 17, 2012

Floor plans:  Lower, first, second, third.

Optional rooftop garden

New Central Library project history.

Related posts: 
Work in progress. (6/5/2012)
Construction kickoff ceremony.  (3/28/2012)
Findorff awarded Madison Public Library construction contract.  (3/1/2012)
City of Madison to Rebid Central Library Project. (12/22/2011)
Madison Community Foundation awards $500,000 grant for new Madison Central Library.   (12/16/2011)
Retiring Guy takes a last look at the 1960s-era Madison Central Library.  (11/13/2011)
Madison Central Library prepares for move to temporary facility. (11/9/2011)
Madison Public Library misses cut on $4.5 million tax credit.  (9/14/2011)
Board to consider Plan B financing.  (9/1/2011)
Central library to relocate in November.  (7/27/2011)
Central library reconstruction project to proceed.  (4/29/2011)
Negotiations continue.  (4/27/2011)
Central library not a major issue with candidate or mayor Soglin. (4/19/2011)
Soglin wants to make sure ducks are in a row for Central Library Project.  (4/16/2011)
Latest design review.  (4/8/2011)
Midway Design presentation for Madison Central Library.  (2/25/2011)
Final design for renovated central library unveiled.  (12/8/2010)

Designing a new central library:  "Everyone has to feel comfortable and safe here".  (11/17/2010)

Interview with principal architect of Central Library project.  (11/5/2010)

Design development juggling acts for a renovated Madison Central Library. (10/15/2010)

Conceptual designs for new Central Library.  (10/25/2010)

One possible message:  Don't settle for less.  (8/5/2010)

Downsizing the Madison Central Library renovation project. (7/17/2010)

Possible temporary location has asbestos problem.  (6/18/2010)

Architectural firm selected for Madison Central project.  (5/26/2010)

State Journal editorial board sez Madison City Council made right decision on Central Library. (5/10/2010)

Council vote on library goes under the radar.  (5/8/2010)

And the beat goes on.  (4/14/2010)

Mayor Responds to Critics on Library Issue.  (4/13/2010)

Board Endorses Renovation Plan.  (4/6/2010)

Keeping the dream of a new Madison Central Library alive. (3/31/2010)

Some Council Members Not Ready to Move Forward on Mayor's Renovation Plan.  (3/30/2010)

Council President Pro Tem to Introduce Resolution Approving Madison Central Library Renovation Project.  (3/28/2010)

'Dissatisfaction' with Collapsed Madison Central Library Project. (3/25/2010)

Fiore Departure Seen as Beneficial to Madison Central Project.  (3/23/2010)

Matter of Principle" Dooms New Central Madison Library.  (3/20/2010)

Madison Central: The Dream Dies, It's Now Time to Renovate. (3/19/2010)

Dispute over Construction Costs Threatens to Derail New Central Madison Library. (3/17/2010)

Madison Public Library Project Faces Delay in 2011. (3/9/2010)

Construction, Cost Concerns May Delay Madison Central Library Project. (1/25/2010)

New Madison Central Library Wins Council Approval. (11/11/2009)Capital Times Endorses New Madison Central Library. (11/10/2009)

Madison Council Begins Review of Mayor's Budget on Tuesday. (11/6/2009)

More Questions About Madison Central Library Project. (11/1/2009)

New Madison Public Library's First Change Order: Rooftop Garden.
(10/28/2009)

Call for Referendum on New Madison Central Library Not Attracting Support. (10/21/2009)

Madison Board of Estimates Rejects Library Referendum. (10/13/2009)

Some Madison City Council Members Want Referendum on New Central Library. (10/9/2009)

Three former mayors support new Madison Central Library. (10/5/2010)

Wisconsin State Journal Editorial on New Madison Central Library. (9/13/2009)

New Madison Central Library: Let the Positioning Begin. (9/1/2009)

New Madison Central Library on Mayor Dave's Front Burner. (8/30/2009)

New Madison Central Library: Build or Renovate? (7/7/2009)

Motley Brown Not Reason Enough. (6/11/2009)

Fiore Plan Receives Unanimous Support. (6/5/2009)

Fiore Plan Gets Nod from Committee. (5/15/2009)

Public Forum Focuses on Central Library Options. (4/24/2009)

Developer Sweetens the Deal. (4/21/2009)

Visualizing a Remodeled Madison Central Library. (4/4/2009)

Renovation Plan Put on Table for Madison Central Library. (3/26/2009)

Residents Critique Proposals to Rebuild Downtown Library. (1/9/2009)

Competing Developers Defend Their Central Library Plans. (1/8/2009)

Comparison of Downtown Madison Library Proposals. (12/17/2008)

Two Proposals for New Madison Central Library. (12/3/2008)

Best Headline of the Week. (9/6/2008)

There's bad behavior.....

....and then there is sick behavior.


Read the comments and find out how much.

The Banner News Headline and, As Paul Harvey Would Say, the Rest of the Story

But, hey, the State Journal's headline writer takes a decidedly different approach online.

The bottom line is that Wisconsin has experienced a net decrease of 27,000 jobs since December 2010.  Governor Scott Walker took the oath of office on January 3, 2011.

277,000 jobs to go, or 8,852 per month until the end of 2014.

Ergo, Romney thinks the majority of us are "small-minded"

LINK

LINK (Online poll "processed through a weighting program...)

LINK (CNN/ORC poll)

Romney Says He Paid at Least 13% in Income Taxes. (The New York Times, 8/16/2012)

Excerpt: Calling the interest in his personal tax returns “small-minded” in light of the nation’s problems, Mr. Romney said that he had nonetheless examined the last 10 years of his personal tax returns after Democrats suggested that he might not have paid anything at all in some years.

In this case, Mitt, we have time for "small".  One of the nation's problems is the flip-floppin', suck-up, say-anything, silver-spooned moneybags we have running for President on the GOP ticket.

Corrections: We're Number 3!

Growth in State Spending

Corrections and University of Wisconsin System

1990 and 2011

As priorities shift, corrections budget passes UW System. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 8/16/2012)

Excerpt: For 2011-'13, Gov. Scott Walker and GOP lawmakers allotted just under $2.1 billion to the state's public universities and $2.25 billion to the Department of Corrections. It's a gap that is unlikely to close any time soon. 

It's also not the work of a single budget and not the decision of a single party. Rather, the gap is the culmination of years of policy changes and shifting priorities, spanning Democratic and Republican governors, crisscrossing political lines and reflecting national trends, a Journal Sentinel analysis of more than 20 years of state budgets shows.

Wisconsin Governors since 1987

• Tommy Thompson (R), 1987-2001
• Scott McCallum (R), 2001-2003
• Jim Doyle (D), 2003-2011
• Scott Walker (R), 2011-

LINK to entire document

Add caption

Or there's this more descriptive version from the Wisconsin Budget Project for the FY2009-11 budget.  (Wisconsin Council on Children and Families)

Back to the 2011-2013 Budget in Brief.  Income (51%) and sales (33%) taxes are the two largest sources of general purpose revenue (GPR)

A more colorful version -- again, FY2009-11 budget -- from the Wisconsin Budget Project (Wisconsin Council on Children and Families)

FY2011-13 Budget in Brief

The top ten largest general revenue programs from the FY2009-11 Budget in Brief.

From the 2011-13 Budget in Brief.  Local assistance (51%) and Aid to individuals (22%) take up almost three-quarters of the pie.

From Jackson County, North Carolina: Charlie's Library Dream

LINK

Kentucky Public Library Association's 1st (Annual?) Viral Video Contest

LINK

Here's a sample.

What's Your Take on the Primary Elections in Milwaukee?

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 8/15/2012

Word count:  voucher 1, abortion 0.

Excerpt:   In another stunner, onetime rising star Fields was defeated by community organizer Mandela Barnes after that contest became the focus of political mischief-making by a pro-voucher group [see below] that muddied the waters with a mailer campaign on Fields' behalf that might have turned off some voters. 

Capital Times, 8/16/2012

Word count:  voucher(s) 3, abortion 0.

Excerpt:   They [American Federation for Children] put especial emphasis on protecting state Rep. Jason Fields, D-Milwaukee, a fourth-term legislator who has prominently supported voucher programs and has shied away from much of the confrontation with Gov. Scott Walker that has defined his party’s identity over the past 18 months. In fact, he did not sign the petition to recall Walker. 

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 8/15/2012

Word count:  abortion 10, voucher(s) 5.  (Though 4 uses of the word "voucher(s)" occur at the end of the article.) 

From this webpage, I think it's clear that Wisconsin Progress has a larger mission than forcing out anti-abortion Democratic incumbents.  

What a curious approach to reporting.

The Marshfield Common Council Takes a Deeper Look at the Library/Community Center Project

LINK

Related articles:
Point/counterpoint.  (4/26/2012)
Latest version of Marshfield capital improvement program reduces library/community center contribution by $5 Million (4/25/2012)
Marshfield City Council supports new library but questions concept of community center. (1/25/2012)
Marshfield library/community center project continues to move forward. (11/12/2011)
Design development for new library/community center.  (9/15/2011)
Better to plan for a new library now than when the roof starts to leak.  (11/12/2010)
Design development in progress.  (11/9/2010)
Community input sought for library improvement plans.  (6/9/2010)

Marshfield Uses QR Codes to Share Community History

Marshfield Area Genealogy Group

QR Codes provide a link to the past. (Marshfield News Herald, 8/15/2012)

Excerpt: There currently are more than 30 businesses on Central Avenue that have QR Codes posted in the window of their business, and Schnitzler said she plans to have another dozen done by the end of August. 

Schnitzler thought of the idea of using QR Codes to tell the history of Marshfield after seeing one during a visit to her credit union last year. 

After researching the process of using QR Codes, Schnitzler received the necessary funding for the project from the Marshfield Historic Preservation Committee. It costs about $15 a month for the QR Codes to be generated. 

“We considered it a worthwhile project,” said Ken Wood, chairman of the committee. “It will help educate people of the history of Central Avenue, and how it got to where it is today.”

One of the most extensive histories.  (Page 1 of 4)

Architectural Details @ the New York Public Library

Oshkosh's Library Lions, Sawyer and Harris, are Turning 100

The original main entrance of the Oshkosh Public Library is flanked by two bronze lions, known as Sawyer and Harris for the names of benefactors carved above them on the building.  

Sawyer and Harris will be 100 years old this October, and the library would like them to receive picture postcards from other lion sculptures and other libraries wishing then a happy birthday. 

Anyone who’d like to be part of this project can send a card to Sawyer and Harris, c/o Oshkosh Public Library, 106 Washington Ave., Oshkosh WI 54901-4985.

Everything you always wanted to know about Sawyer and Harris.

Hat tip to Mara Munroe