callan \ blog

june 19, 2016

Participants in the 2016 Library Bike Ride to benefit the Somerville Public Library
The Friends of the Somerville Public Library hosted a six-mile tour of our fair city's three branches on June 18. We had several dozen participants who joined us for crafting and snacks in the morning, a police escort flanked us all the way across town, and kids got due date-style stamps from library staff at each branch.

Check Your Ticketmaster Account, You Probably Have Free Tickets Waiting
If you ordered tickets between 1999 and 2013, you're in all likelihood part of the class action lawsuit filed against Ticketmaster for their exorbitant service fees. Remember those emails you got and ignored from "Schlesinger v. Ticketmaster Settlement Administrator" throughout the past year? Yeah... that's what I thought.

It's so interesting to me that receiving your settlement requires effort and opting in - you have to know you received vouchers and use them through TM's site, rather than them actively cutting you a check or sending a gift card in the mail, etc. I'm not sure that I would've spotted this article and connected the dots if I hadn't been lackadaisically scrolling through tweets while waiting for some corn to grill last night. (Looks like I've got eight discount codes and two free seats for seven separate "eligible events" between now and June 18, 2020 - can't wait to see if there's any fees for using 'em!)

Libraries and the Curse of Knowledge
"To be clearly understood, one cannot presume that potential users already understand how the library works, or is structured, or what jargon is used to describe services... Changing user perceptions about librarians is a long process and isn’t solved with any quick answers. But having a diverse library workforce helps create an environment that is potentially more comfortable for a diverse community of patrons."

The illegal city of Somerville
"In a city of nearly 80,000 people, there are exactly 22 residential buildings that meet the city’s zoning code. Every single other home is too dense to be legal: Either it takes up too much of the lot, or it has too many homes, or it’s too tall, or it’s not set far back enough from the street, and so on."

Internet Activists Celebrate Historic Court Ruling for Net Neutrality
"The Battle for the Net campaign, spearheaded by Fight for the Future, lead to over 4 million public comments submitted to the FCC, setting a new record for public engagement in a FCC proceeding. The campaign also generated more than 10 million emails to Congress, and 500,000 calls to Congress and the FCC." (Incredible outpouring - but of course, the work's not over.)

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Retirement Plans
Fun stuff. The $10.35 interest I made on two and a half years of pension contributions - and that's to the tune of 11% of my yearly salary - had me wondering about taking advantage of an actively managed fund that's offered to us. But, y'know what, I think I'm good, thanks. (Also, retirement...lolololol)

Oh and hey: just for posterity, here's my ALA session shortlist.

home | top

Hey Cal, why is there no comments section? Comments sections have a tendency to devolve into nasty little spaces, teeming with spam & ad hominem attacks. I also have a fondness for the 1.0 Web (props to Neocities, powerer of this site). If you'd like to share your thoughts, find me on Twitter or fire off an email. Thanks!