Costs of digitization

Why is it so hard to find costs for digitization? If you do research, you'll find wildly different costs, from $.04/page to $20/page, and different costs for text vs. images (which I can understand). But you'd think that people who do grant-funded projects would have published this info. Don't granting orgs want this kind of information? "So, Ms. Soandso, how EXACTLY did you spend the money we gave you?" Also, you have to put costs in your grant proposals. Are those figures just pulled out of... [ahem] the air?

This looks ok: The Price of Digitization: New Cost Models for Cultural and Educational Institutions

I like this quote from the end of the summary for the above-linked symposium report:

"I ended by quoting Voltaire, "the best is the enemy of the good," and urging people to go for more material at lower costs and quality levels. I also think we urgently need help demonstrating why we need these projects. Institutions don't quantify the value of new information and fear that it is used by those outside their community; we may need a new definition of community." (http://www.ninch.org/forum/price.lesk.report.html)

Let's remember that: The best is the enemy of the good. Let's make it our mantra. I may have it tattooed on my butt. Or at least put it on my office door. (No one would see the tattoo.)

Technology Issues

Kind of a pain when you install a Firefox add-on and it makes Firefox not work properly. Granted, it was a beta of Google's new toolbar, but still. I expect more from Google for some reason. I'm crazy.

And, why will iTunes take some of my files but not others. Why is it discriminatory? I'm only trying to put MP3s in. Are some MP3s better than others? That doesn't sound right.

Oh! And, the LibraryThing app in Facebook has stopped working, so it's not updating my list of things read. Thankfully the code is still working here on the blog.

My Wii

I finally got a Nintendo Wii on Friday, and found a Wii Fit on Saturday. Now my crazy stalking of Target can end.

Of all of us, Will was the only one in our family who had used a Wii, and of course he was tickled, and wanted to play it RIGHT NOW! Of course, it wasn't as easy as that. The old Sylvania in the living room wouldn't switch over to game mode, so moved that, along with the DVD/VCR player to the basement, and brought the Toshiba with built-in DVD/VCR to the living room. The screen's a bit smaller, but it's much clearer, and everything works.

Finally got everything hooked up, and Will and I played a number of games Saturday night before supper. After the boys went to bed, I pulled out the Wii Fit and did about 45 minutes of that. Did the same Sunday night. Yesterday I was SORE!!! But all good.

Jill Bolte Taylor: My stroke of insight

This woman is a neuroanatomist who witnessed her own left-hemisphere brain aneurysm. I first heard her on Oprah's Soul Series, and was blown away by her. She has a book out, Called My Stroke of Insight. I haven't read that yet, but I intend to.

Erin McKean: Redefining the dictionary

This is a terrific video from the TED Conference, about what dictionaries are currently and what they could be. The speaker is funny and dynamic. Definitely worth watching, especially for word geeks like myself.