The Knight-Errant

A haphazard (and perhaps purposed) journey through language, religion, spirituality, gender, sexuality, politics, history, literature, Heathenry and popular culture.

[pr1nceshawn]

Honest Titles For Boardgames.

[wexler]

jfc what an amazing photo

[libraryjournal]

St. Louis' public library computers hacked for ransom

Hackers have infected every public computer in the St. Louis Public Library system, stopping all book borrowing and cutting off internet access to those who rely on the libraries for computers The computer system was hit by ransomware.

According to the library, hackers demanded $35,000 in the electronic currency Bitcoin – but the library refuses to pay. Instead, it’ll wipe the entire computer system and reset it, which could take days or weeks.

The city’s libraries are overwhelmingly used by school children and the city’s poorer residents. “For many of our patrons, we’re their only access to the internet,” Hatton said. “This is their only access to a computer. Some of them have a smartphone, but they don’t have a data plan. They come in and use the WiFi.“ 

[pinkcheesegreenghost-deactivate]

its all over 

[queernigga]

@manycardigans omg

[roseseafoam]

of all public buildings you could attack… 

[largemick23-deactivated20140330]

[portiagaysa]

This costume made me gay

[benrriddari]

It definitely contributed.

[mindblowingscience]

Scientists in Germany, Peru and Taiwan to lose access to Elsevier journals

Libraries pursue alternative delivery routes after licence negotiations break down.

Thousands of scientists in Germany, Peru and Taiwan are preparing for a new year without online access to journals from the Dutch publishing giant Elsevier. Contract negotiations in both Germany and Taiwan broke down in December, while Peru’s government has cut off funding for a licence.

“It’s very unpleasant,” says Horst Hippler, spokesperson for the DEAL consortium of state-funded universities and research organizations, which is overseeing negotiations in Germany. “But we just cannot accept what Elsevier has proposed so far.”

Continue Reading.

[redshift-13]

A quick review:

1. You as a taxpayer pay for the salaries of academics, and among those who are scientists, their labs.  This is as it should be.

2. But then scientific research and academic papers are enclosed by private corporations like Elsevier behind pay walls and sold back to the public (public and university libraries, individuals, etc.) that paid for the labor behind these papers in the first place.

As a result…

3. The transmission of knowledge is slowed down.  One way this happens is common practice of imposing 6 month to 12 month ‘embargoes’ that limit access to journals.  If your library or institution can’t afford the high rates that these companies charge, you may have to wait a full year to access any number of journals.

4. Access to information becomes another source of inequality.

5. Students and even academics everywhere are unable to access information they need.

6. This might very well slow the pace of research in various areas, including urgent medical research.

7. The exorbitant fees charged by these academic publishing companies drain scarce university and public resources.

And for what purpose? 

Basically none.  Everything a company like Elsevier does could be done by the public sector at lower cost and done in such a way as to eliminate the castle walls that limit access to knowledge. 

The for-profit academic publishers really exist for no other reason than to parasitize public wealth for private gain.

[medievalpoc]

4. Access to information becomes another source of inequality.

4. Access to information becomes another source of inequality.

4. Access to information becomes another source of inequality.

[wildestranger-deactivated202105]

Also, something which non-academics might not know; academics don’t get paid for the articles they write. Peer-reviewers don’t get paid. Both, however, are necessary to get and maintain an academic career.

Yet the work we produce for free is expected to make a profit for the publisher. There is an emerging movement to resist this practice, and make academic research publicly available: open access. Elsevier’s plans to raise their prices, to seek patents for their data management systems, are responses to Open Access - they (and other academic publishers) want to keep exploiting this unpaid labour. Academics need to publish, and need to read what others have published - until very recently they have been a captive market.

[benrriddari]

boy: do you have any fantasies ;)

me: haha yeah so it's the 1300s and i'm a scribe who has discovered copies of ancient texts that are lost to us today,

[iamhannalashay]

Just kinda wanna be braless and eat fruit in peace tbh

[amorphousursa]

So did Eve and look where that got her

[teawitch]

I don’t know about you, but there are days when I could go for being braless, eating fruit and bringing about the downfall of man. 

[defydamage]

Reblog if all you want to do is be braless and eat fruit and bring about the downfall of man.

[suigintou]

[wrantingwriter-blog]

Who Are LIBRARIANS?

Yes, it’s FINALLY HERE! A list of AMAZING LIBRARIAN traits. Because(be honest) the library wouldn’t be the library without the librarians. 

Please reblog and spread the librarylove! 

[cuimhnigh-i-gconai]

Hey hey, Shannon, my favourite librarian, look!

[neonghouls]

[khaoula-zoldyeck]

[princess-peachie]

Angel bunny!! *o* The chosen one!!

[atamajakki]

I love when ghost hunting shows are in a fucking ancient ruin and ask their questions in english

“what is your name” homeboy I was a viking several hundred years ago I don’t know what the fuck you’re saying

[assassinationtipsforladies]

Is anyone else imagining “J.R.R. Tolkien: Ghost Hunter”

“Alright, now I’m going to try 8th century Anglo-Norse”

[wheelrider]

YES

#Hm no how about 4th century Gothic #Welsh? No? #Let’s try good ol’ Latin #this could go on and on #safe bet he wouldn’t accidentally insult the ghost’s mother or anything

#keeps trying different languages and none of them work#accidentally slips into sindarin#ghost recognizes it hoLY SHIT WHO IS THIS?#tolkien

[aeternamente]

So basically what this post is saying is that @benrriddari should start a ghost-hunting show.

[benrriddari]

Hahah, I would love to do this!

[lindsayslohan]

[ithelpstodream]

[npr]

Here in Japan, the buckwheat noodles known as soba are a staple. Nowhere more so than in the mountains of the southern island of Shikoku. The soil there is poor. Buckwheat is one of the few crops that will grow. So the region has been known for its soba for centuries.

Reiko Tsuzuki, 70, has been carrying on the tradition of soba-making for more than four decades. She runs a small restaurant – Tsuzuki Soba House – in a little village in the remote mountains.

She runs the place by herself: preparing and serving the food and pouring endless cups of tea from an enormous brass kettle. As if that weren’t enough, she also serenades her guests with a traditional song.

Japan’s Centuries-Old Tradition Of Making Soba Noodles

Photos: Ina Jaffe/NPR

[trapcard]

Male writer creating a male character: This is Bruce Killshot. He has over 10,000 confirmed kills and is the top spy in the Super Hard To Get Into Spy Organization Of The World. He is a master of every martial art and can use virtually any weapon with ease. He’s not only a Real Gruff Man but a Ladies’ Man who smokes cigars while Having Sex With Beautiful Women but he never gets attached. He’s a Hard Whiskey Drinking Man who once killed an elephant with a toothpick and bottle of glue.

Men: this is so realistic wow such a complex character….

A woman: This is Angela, she’s the protagonist of the story and the chosen one who comes from a mystical bloodline, she has a natural talent for magic and can-

Men: THIS IS FUCKING SELF-INSERT MARY SUE TRASH ARE YOU KIDDING ME

[arwens]

                                If you trust nothing else… trust this… trust us.