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Welcome to the weekend.  The highlight for me this week was the first article The Secret World of Membership Libraries. In the back of my mind I knew they used to exist but didn't realise they were still around.  After reading this article I spent then next few days daydreaming about the mercantile library in cincinnati. Unfortunately I was unable to find out if anything like this was available in Australia, apart from university libraries.  If you are aware of any in Australia let me know.  

Enjoy with your favourite beverage.





The Secret World of Membership Libraries


Quartz - Public libraries are a relatively new phenomenon. Before the 1880s, when Andrew Carnegie started funding the more than 1,600 library buildings that bear his name, most libraries in America were subscription-based, with members funding and shaping the collections. As free public libraries sprouted up across the United States, membership libraries mostly died off, but 19 non-profit membership libraries still exist, and are reinventing themselves as cultural centers and the coolest coworking spaces you could dream of.  Read more...

There Are Just Too Many Amazing Science Fiction and Fantasy Books in February


io9.com - Keeping up with all the amazing science fiction and fantasy books this month may actually be a full-time job. Alastair Reynolds, Patricia McKillip, Yann Martel, Iain Pears, Lois McMaster Bujold and a ton of your other favorite authors have new books. Here are the books you absolutely must not miss in February! Read more...

Marriage Can Be Monstrous, or Wondrous: The Origins of “Beauty and the Beast”


tor.com -  Tthe story of Beauty and the Beast is very old indeed, with literary roots stretching well back into antiquity, making this arguably the second oldest story in this Read-Watch, after the stories of Hercules.  Which makes it all the more remarkable that in the original literary version, the Beast isn’t a Beast at all, although some people think he is.  Read more...

Crime Fiction Steals Top Slots in UK Library Loans


theguardian.com - New figures show that nine out of the 10 most borrowed books last year were thrillers, with Lee Child’s latest Jack Reacher title grabbing top slot and James Patterson the most-borrowed overall. Read more...




Scientists in Germany Take a Major Step Towards Nuclear Fusion


gizmodo.com - Physicists in Germany have used an experimental nuclear fusion device to produce hydrogen plasma in a process similar to what happens on the Sun. The test marks an important milestone on the road towards this super-futuristic source of cheap and clean nuclear energy.

Google’s Quantum Computing Breakthrough: 100 Million Times Faster!


SFcrowsnest - Moore’s Law just got torn up and jumped on by the future of quantum computing, as Google in partnership with NASA and the quantum computing firm D-Wave, announced that they’ve been clocking up like-for-like speeds on their quantum box 100 million-times faster than their best traditional supercomputer. Read more...




Dutch Police Train Eagles to Snatch Unwanted Drones Out of the Sky



abc.net.au - Dutch police are training eagles to snatch rogue drones from the sky during emergencies, in the latest effort to combat unsafe drone use. Read more...

9 Ways to Tell if a New TV Show Is Going To Be Worth Watching


io9 -  You can’t always judge a show by its pilot—they’re usually filmed months before the rest of the show, and terrible pilots lead to great shows and vice versa. So how can you decide which show to invest in? Here are nine signs to look out for. Read more...

Threadbase Analyzed 800 T-Shirts to Create the Ultimate Size Chart


Wired - As simple as a t-shirt is, the more it becomes a sartorially accepted wardrobe staple, the more we expect out of it. The folks over at Threadbase, a newly launched data project, know this and are here to help. The founders are on a mission to, “organize clothing data and make it searchable,” and for their inaugural database, they’ve analyzed men’s t-shirts, by washing, drying, measuring, and weighing an insane 800 of them. Read more...


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