Miscellanea #12

Miscellanea: A collection of miscellaneous matters; matters of various kinds (Webster’s 1913). Noteworthy tidbits gleaned from all over.

Book events
Check out LAbrainterrain, a new online literary calendar of author readings and literary happenings in the greater L.A. metropolitan area…. (CaliforniaAuthors.com/CaliforniaWriters.com)

ALA’s Report on Library Funding in the United States
The American Library Association reports that libraries in 41 states report library funding cuts, some as much as 50%. So far, the three Maine libraries (including the state library) report only positive or neutral funding impact…. (h20boro)

Scots universities ‘to disappear’
Higher education principals fear universities ‘as we know them’ will disappear, under controversial proposals from the Scottish Executive. (BBC News | UK)

Earliest fire sheds light on hominids
Ancient hearths unveiled as nearly 800 millennia old. (Nature Science Update)

Hens and Chickens
BayStep has published a Brief History of Utility Cycles for Families & Business with slide show: ‘Believe it or not, the 500 U.S. bicycle manufacturers in the late 1890s created so many new bicycle-related innovations that the U.S. patent office decided to open a second office just for bicycles. It was during this era of creativity and invention that bicycle engineers and manufacturers began to realize the radical potential of their technology….’ (Velorution)

signing your name
Writing the book is the easy part. Then you start signing your name. Over and over, on book after book, again and again and again… (Arts and Letters Daily - ideas, criticism, debate)