/lit/ - Literature

The Story Of Light by Ben Bova or "Light and Life" by can't remember, or Gravity by George Gamow.

>>1889580
Totally, this is like a dream job and I'm damn glad I have it, I play with cameras and old books all day while drinking coffee.
It's more the unusual things. We did Pastorious "The Beehive", and some letters by Lincoln, Walt Whitman and George Washington, Wharton Eshericks family photo album, a genealogical scroll from 1066 that connected the kings of England to Jesus, a judeo-arabic bible that barely anyone can read, a lot of books on ciphers, a small book in italian that was long and thin and meant to be hidden in the sleeve of a coat because it was censored, and assorted strange stuff. Some interesting, some boring, a lot of latin and german in gothic text. Pic related, an original by Euclid. Obviously rebound.

>>1889541
The high pulp of most newspapers makes it nearly impossible to physically archive them anyway, they're just crumbling to pieces, and digitization is the best option for archiving. I guess we won't have that problem with online newspapers, that'll be someone else's problem. Think of all the news that will be lost.

>>1889541
Er, no, it's a University that has been building it's collection for hundreds of years, and we post our work online for anyone to access for free.
But I understand your concern, I've come across a lot of what you call "suck ass piece of shit" companies involved in digitization these days. A lot of snake oil out there.

>>1889507
Of course. I assess all material before we accept the project, and if I'm even a little concerned I'll either deny it or send it to conservation to be solidified. If it's very rare or fragile I'll do it myself. Still, we've had tears, it's inevitable.
I've seen places -*highly respectable places that should know better- actually throw away the volumes after digitization by an outsourced digitization company. But for the most part, curators are very paranoid and careful to put stuff through the process, though they know it can lead to a funding increase and a chance to show off their stuff.

I manage the digitization of rare books and manuscripts at a university. Booming business, I highly suggest it. Everyone wants things to be digital these days.

Tom Harper's Guide To Graphic Design?

>>1887639
Film (and television) has simply replaced theater as a communal story experience.

>>1887642
William Carlos Williams, that's one of the few poems I actually like

>>1887499
Aside from jazz and improvisational music, what do you think a musical composition is? Just because it's written in the language of notes doesn't mean it wasn't written. And what about a screenplay? They don't just make up a movie as they go along.

>>1887509
I'm probably just mixing "writing" with literature and overcomplicating. I think OP means written stories like novels, as opposed to textual representations of other art forms. And how the heck do you know what wavelengths are perceived on foreign planets? I agree and am all about wavelengths, believe me, but how do we know. Bonus points if you can convince me gravity is a wave, or a particle, or both like light.

The Captain Underpants music is one of the worst things a human has ever produced. Please, if you ever see a CD of it, destroy it.

Both instrumental music and films begin with writing. Consider the word "composition" and which art forms it's attached to.
Words and characters are vehicles for many art forms to achieve their purpose. In the case of literature the words themselves are the end.

>>1887341
Yes! I don't think that's any kind of ultimate definition of the universe but it's certainly one of the strings on the piano. Very well said.

And who are you dear reader but a fast fish and a loose fish too?

I wish that woman would stop blowing me kisses. Or not.

I really enjoyed this. You're talented and if you keep writing you'll get talenteder and talenteder. The dialogue was well done, and even though I thought the text was kind of rapid, short sentences that came across more as statements or stage directions, it was filled with great imagery like "He ran down the aisle ablaze." and "bloodying up the linoleum".
I would read more of this author.

>>1886612
Who said or wrote that? Nice.

Oh look, Bill's here. Hi Bill! Sorry, we were just talking about other playwrights for a minute....

Hamlet. Also maybe True West, and The Importance of Being Earnest, and Side Man.

>>1885064
Also like Marat/Sade

Well, my book is written--let it go. But if it were only to write over again there wouldn't be so many things left out. They burn in me; and they keep multiplying; but now they can't ever be said. And besides, they would require a library--and a pen warmed up in hell.
- Mark Twain Letter to W. D. Howells, 22 Sept 1889 (referring to A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court)

>>1884922
Agreed. "Raw" talent is random and uncontrolled and usually results in confusion to the "viewer" and frustration for the artist who doesn't know how to handle his/her talent, like they have a wild horse in their hand.
I've always thought this concept applies especially to the medical field. I wouldn't go to a doctor who told me "I didn't go to school, I just have a knack for abdominal surgery! Really, I'm very good."

>>1884885
Except for the second 2 points I agree. I'd apply them to being a "published writer". That's different than being a writer.

>>1884853
It was a terrible analogy.. And it's true, I can sing pretty well when I sing silly stuff for my kid in a funny voice.

>>1884854
It doesn't come from me.
I agree with you in that writing is a "natural" talent, but in artistic fields it can be hard to define what a "good" artist is. I think one can cultivate their talent and learn tricks and ways of writing well. But really who the hell knows, this discussion is like talking about the shapes of clouds, there isn't any "you do X to become a good Y".
But I disagree with you about people who can naturally write wanting to read books about writing, yes even one by Stephen King. I think people who truly enjoy writing want to know about how other writers work. How can there be no value in that?
I only got about halfway through the book. I enjoyed hearing about how King writes, but I didn't think of it as a lesson on *how* to write. Who could write such a book? "This Is How To Be A Writer"

>>1884840
What do you think he means by "a good writer"? I ask this not in context of our previous exchange.