Feminist Pub 16: where the Bluestockings develop armoured stockings to deal with the thousand paper cuts

Can't run anywhere on a treadmill.

Can't run in a circle on a treadmill.

How goes the thinking buffy?

Exactly. Note, no mention of treadmills.

Remember, "When in danger, when in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout".

BuffyBot (cute name) are you still running about in circles? What's this exciting thing?

I'm now writing hot air.

i stumbled across this today, and found it interesting

www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/01/why-i-am-not-a-maker/384767/

i can't comment on the tech stuff obviously, but i hadn't come across this distinction of "maker" in this way. i would add to her comments that anything that women have made tends to be devalued itself too

Yes, outside is best for thinking.

Do not attempt complex thinking when on a treadmill, in public. You will fall off. It will be more embarrassing than you imagine.

This sounds odd, but when I need to think about things calmly, I do something with my hands (like colouring in or simple crochet or knitting or even exercise like running) that requires a little bit of brain power, but not all. Maybe that would work?

Ermmmm. Maybe go with the running and a quick sprint round the block then.

Very slow deep breaths and count down from 100?

Lightening I do tell them. We have a good relationship with our subject librarian.

Our local library has all these electronic interfaces but recently they changed their system and now you don't know if your reserved book has arrived or not.

But all in all I have not much quarrel with our libraries. Which is nice.

I have no cause to use academic libraries these days, but I love my local library. Especially their online reservations. My old area charged for that privilege. Here it is free and I can knock myself out!

Oh good. Please tell your libraries you like them, we get a lot of stick and are always one of the first places looked at for cuts. And it's always us and catering that are in demand so constantly pressured to extend working hours. Funny how the 'in demand' and 'more cuts' don't agree with each other.

You can buy special top-level gateway software platforms to help access, that's probably what you've got LordCopper. If you have the funding to buy, IT skills to tie it all up, and to maintain, so more funding.

I think there's a difference in behaviour both by the type of book, and the device you're reading it on. I've had a sony ereader for about 6 years now, and I read fiction on it. I like it because the battery lasts forever and it works in direct sunlight - if I'm going on holiday, that's the device I make sure I have.

I also read on my phone because I always have it with me, and I don't need a separate booklight for it, so if I find myself stranded upstairs putting a baby to sleep then I still have something to occupy me.

I like both because the SF authors I read seem to like using unusual words, and being able to click on them to find out what they mean is really handy.

Both of these are fiction though. For reference/educational I prefer the paper - it's easier to flick through, I can put post-its in as mentioned above, and I find it easier to scan. A tablet is a second place to this, I just find I need the bigger books, space to stretch out when I'm reading something technical that a phone or ebook reader doesn't seem to give me. I don't know why.

Then if I want searchable reference I go online with my computer or a tablet....

I may just be over-teched :D

The safari bookshelf is a great resource for techies - like netflix, but for books.

Timetabling is akin to magic.

i think the timetable people are incredible. i don't know htf they do it

Our library has somehow managed to provide many bundles of journals in a very easy to access way, though there had been a journey getting there.

It's funny I'm actually saying that some services are quite satisfactory. I have a lot of quarrel with HR and catering though.

yes, blaming the publishers is usually what happens . even the on-the-ground-working-with-academics-every-day publishers blame the publishers!

And yeah, the number of clicks you have to do every bloody time you open the damn thing to prove you're a bona fide student with rights to open it.... On campus is usually easier. Off campus... aaaarrrggghh is a good response (off campus can mean indonesia or 10 m outside the library btw). It is not the library's faul, we're invariably doing our best (with no extra funding and indeed loads of staff cuts because of course we're all space-wasting bourgeoisie enforcing our services at top cost) blame the bloody publishers.