128,000 Free eBooks!

Project Gutenberg is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, and to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks." Founded in 1971 by Michael S. Hart, it is the oldest digital library. Most of the items in its collection are the full texts of public domain books. The project tries to make these as free as possible, in open formats that can be used on almost any computer.

As of March 2009, Project Gutenberg claimed over 28,000 items in its collection. Project Gutenberg is affiliated with many projects that are independent organizations which share the same ideals, and have been given permission to use the Project Gutenberg trademark. This adds another 100,000 eBooks freely available to the public!

Top 100 eBooks
Project Gutenberg keeps track of the top downloaded eBooks. Here are some of most popular downloads this week (click the title to view the HTML format version of the eBook):

	Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
	Dracula by Bram Stoker
	Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
	The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli
	The Iliad by Homer
	Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
	The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells
	The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
	Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
	Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Wherever possible, the releases are available in plain text, but other formats are included, such as HTML, PDF, EPUB, MOBI and Plucker. These formats cover a wide variety of PC, PDAs, cell phones, and other devices. Most releases are in the English language, but many non-English works are also available.

Other Blog Postings on Free Books
Here’s a list of other Redmond Library blog postings on free books for viewing:

International Children's Digital Library

Turning the Pages: Masterpieces of the British Library

Books24x7: a KCLS online technical resource

Your Local Library Probably Has A/C

Not only is the recent record-breaking heat wave a challenge for the 87% of Pacific Northwesterners that don't have A/C in their homes, it can be expensive!

Several of my friends have been complaining that not only has it been hot (did anyone else drive by Redmond's Banner Bank and see their sign register 121 degrees?!), they are spending a lot more money to stay cool - eating out every meal, going to the movies, and going to the bookstore.

Join 2,300 of your neighbors and beat the heat for free at Redmond Regional!  Normally, the library averages 1,400-1,500 visitors per day. As the temperature steadily climbed, so did door counts at the library: Monday over 1900 and Tuesday over 2,200. Last Wednesday, with all-time temperature highs, Redmond Regional was also breaking its own record - 2,305 patrons!

Read a book, participate in one of the library's many programs, and enjoy free wi-fi.  You might just need to bring your own chair!

The Black Diamond: A Library Connecting with the Past

They call it the Black Diamond. In 1999, the Danish Royal Library opened a new building on Copenhagen's waterfront, which is known as the Black Diamond. The Black Diamond building was designed by Danish architects schmidt hammer lassen. Named for its outside cover of black marble and glass, it houses a concert hall in addition to the library.

As you ride the escalator down to the lobby floor, you look out over the waterfront, where centuries-old brick warehouses still stand. Most of these warehouses have been converted to office or residential use.

Looking down from the top floor of the Black Diamond, you see a visually stunning assortment of geometric shapes.

A series of bridges connect the Black Diamond with the older part of the library, which was built in 1906.

The older part of the library still retains a distinctive 19th century ambiance.

Royal Library
The Royal Library in Copenhagen is the national library of Denmark and the largest library in the Nordic countries. The Royal Library contains numerous historical treasures; all works that have been printed in Denmark since the 17th century are deposited there. Thanks to extensive donations in the past the library holds nearly all known Danish printed works back to the first Danish book, printed in 1482.

Tron: A Classic Movie from the Redmond Outdoor Movie Series

On Saturday, August 29th the classic 1982 movie, Tron, will be shown at Idylwood Beach as part of Redmond’s free Summer 2009 Outdoor Movie Series. Other movies being shown are Hook and Kung Fu Panda. Hook will be shown at Idylwood Beach on Saturday, August 1st. Kung Fu Panda will be shown at City Hall on Friday, August 14. All movies start at dusk—around 9:30 pm. These movies are presented by the City of Redmond Teen Programs. For more info, contact rypac@redmond.gov, or call 425-556-2358.

Tron
Tron is a 1982 science fiction film by Disney. It has a distinctive visual style, as it was one of the first films from a major studio to use computer graphics exclusively.

You might recall that the Master Control Program (MCP) is the main villain of the movie. It was a rogue artificial intelligence that ruled over the world inside ENCOM's mainframe computer.  During the rule of the MCP, many programs were enslaved and forced to play games against its henchmen, led by Sark. Memorably, the MCP would end most of its conversations with Dillinger and Sark with the phrase "End of line".

Enjoy this blast from the past!

Microsoft Building 83 Construction Halted

Microsoft will delay construction of Building 83 in Redmond until 2013. The company had broken ground on the facility at 4729 154th Place N.E. in fall 2008. Nearby, a planned Building 81 on the former Safeco campus won't be built until 2014.

At the Building 83 construction site, workers have built up to ground level and capped off most of the exposed metal work.

Not constructing Microsoft Buildings 81 or 83 puts additional space pressure on the Windows team, which under one scenario was set to move into those buildings.

Other Blog Postings on Microsoft
Here’s a list of other Redmond Library blog postings on Microsoft:

Microsoft Commons: It’s a Mall World After All

Microsoft Lincoln Square: A Lunchroom with a View

The Microsoft Visitor Center: An Interactive Experience

A New Bridge for Redmond: The NE 36th Street Overpass

Redmond Town Center: A View from Virtual Earth 3D

Exploring the Skies with the WorldWide Telescope

I (Heart) Harry Potter

Like millions of adoring HP fans, I anxiously awaited the Half Blood Prince and had movie tickets in advance to view on opening day. The theater was packed with young and young-at-heart alike. I have seen midnight showings, stood in line at midnight for books, and even once had a Canadian concierge deliver a book because we accidentally scheduled a weekend trip on a book release day. (She was also getting one for her daughter at midnight, so it wasn't too terribly inconvenient!) JK Rowling creates a world that mirrors our own in many ways, but has just enough of the fantastic to create an unforgettable coming-of-age epic.

At its most basic, it's a good v. evil costume drama saga (my favorite kind of book and/or movie!), where nearly everything imaginable is possible through wizardry. Plus, the Quidditch effects improve with each film! I am unconcerned with deletions or additions in the translation from book to film - it's a completely different medium for artistic expression so I let a little interpretation here and there slide by. The last books are very dark at times and I was glad to see that the movie doesn't sugar coat the events. (Two of my favorite "evil" characters below.)

Besides the books and movies, one of my favorite elements of the franchise is the variety of industries that also create tie-ins:

• Want to view the first 5 movies? Redmond Library showcased the preceding films in the run up to opening week.
• Want to read about special effects? View this article from Popular Mechanics.
• Want to try a few inspired recipes? Palate Sensations (in Singapore) offered a Harry Potter cooking class.
• Want to see props and learn more about Potter science and technology? Visit Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry exhibit.
• Want to take a vacation? In the next few summers visit Florida's Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

With the Deathly Hallows split into 2 movies, there will be a couple more years of anxious anticipation before I have to say goodbye (again) to "new" Harry Potter adventures.

2009 Space Elevator Conference – August 13-16

The 2009 Space Elevator Conference is being held August 13-16 at the Microsoft Conference Center in Building 33. On Wednesday, August 12 at 7:00, the public is invited to a free overview presentation on the space elevator initiative. For more info, see 2009 Space Elevator Overview Presentation.

A space elevator is a structure designed to transport material from Earth into space. Many variants have been proposed, all of which involve traveling along a fixed structure (such as a cable) instead of using rocket powered space launch. The concept most often refers to a structure that reaches from the surface of the Earth to geostationary orbit (GSO) and a counter-mass beyond.

How a space elevator works

A space elevator would consist of a cable anchored to the Earth’s surface, reaching into space. By attaching a counterweight at the end, inertia ensures that the cable remains stretched taut, countering the gravitational pull on the lower sections. This allows the elevator to remain in geostationary orbit. Most cable designs call for the "elevator" to climb up a stationary cable.

One concept for the space elevator has it tethered to a mobile seagoing platform:

Space Elevator Games
The 2009 Space Elevator Games are taking place in July at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center in California’s Mojave Desert. This year, to be eligible for the $2,000,000 prize, the competitors will be required to race their laser-powered vehicles up the 1 kilometer vertical steel cable at an average speed of 5 meters/second. The technology demonstrated at these games showcase the core technical solutions needed to implement the space elevator.