You Couldn't Ignore Me If You Tried: The Brat Pack, John Hughes, and Their Impact on a Generation. A book review

I've just finished You Couldn't Ignore Me If You Tried: The Brat Pack, John Hughes, and Their Impact on a Generation. Now, i'm a huge fan of John Hughes. I mean, name me an iconic film in the 1980's that used the library as its central place of events occuring in the film? It has to be the breakfast club? I had already had a cup of reminiscence reading Pretty in Pink and watched the excellent Don't You Forget About Me, which had a group of film-makers trying to meet the reclusive John Hughes to look at there documentary on him and the interviews they had with his former stars.
Anyhow, the book is by a real fan of the Hughes genre Susannah Gora. In the midst of writting this book she looks at Hughes early life, his body of work (Sixteen Candles, Breakfast club, Ferris Buellers Day Off, Some Kind of Wonderful and Home Alone. Gora also discusses the impact of David Blum's Brat packstory, and the impact it had upon there career. Gora, also looked at the two other directors that shared the same space whilst working in the 1980's together. These are Joel Schumacher and Cameron Crowe. Joel directed St. Elmo's Fire, whilst Cameron Crowe created Say Anything.
Well, Gora is VERY knowledgeable (the library in Breakfast club is actually in made in the gym in the school). She got to interview all the major stars in the films (but not John Hughes obviously). Its quite sad as well, because if anyone's watched Hughes films, its really sad that he'd stop talking to his muses such as Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall.
I love Hughes for many reasons, one being I took my brother to see Home Alone and I can still here him laughing.
What I did find problematic with the book was that there was little mention of Weird Science, Uncle Buck and Planes, trains and Automobiles. Also, the book Pretty in Pink discussed Breakfast Club, and why that dance sequence? Its just wrong.
Overall, its just a book you have to read. Because 'When you grow up, your heart dies."

Library Advocacy event at Cilip

23 May Library Advocacy: Sharing and Learning from National and International Experiences. The event is on my birthday and £96.00 (so too expensive a present for myself, but for those interested, it might be worth a shot.

Tim Wu at the RSA

I had the good fortune to here Tim Wu talk about his new book Master Switch at the RSA on wednesday. I did write about it on twitter under the following hashtag. The chair of the even was Tom Chatfield, author of Fun Inc. The Anyhow, after discussing the book and its main principles, the chair asked a few questions. The main preponderance of the discussion is whether information networks become monopolies (AT&T), closed systems (Apple) or need government to stop them stopping entrepeneurs opening up new markets because they are crushed by large ones.
The RSA is soon to release an MP3 of the event (check here for updates). I'd recommend the book to. Very interesting read.
Finally, thanks to Shane Dillion, who I had a nice chat with at the event. For a more in depth look at the event see the post here.

Nerdy Day Trips

(Found via here). Ben Goldacre has a blog post (and map) entitled nerdy daytrips. For those with a bit of geek in them it might be worth a look.

My 1st computer.....thirty years old

The BBC website has an article entitled ZX81 : Small blacl box of computing desire. Back in 1982 I got this as a Christmas present. The keyboard unresponsive, you had to move the memory back on the back, but my god I did love that computer.

Book to come......books to get

Having written previously of the book Googlization of everything, I've pre-ordered my copy which is due out on monday 07.03.11. Its been reviewed and looks a pretty good read.
Another book out soon is James Gleick's The Information : A history, a theory, a flood is due out 31.03.11 and reviewed here. Information overload, don't you just love it?

Tim Wu book and Terry Gilliam

As mentioned previously, I'm going to see Tim Wu discuss his new book The Masters Switch. I'm presently reading the book (and highly recommended). Whilst reading the book on one chapter it discusses the invention of the Hush -a-phone sold by Harry Tuttle. Harry was stopped by AT&T in the 1930's from selling this product (which kept phone calls private). AT&T monopoly meant that Harry Tuttle was stopped from selling this product, even though in court he had a young engineer called John Licklider pointing out that it worked and caused AT&T no problems (for those who don't know Licklider you should read this.
But in the book Harry is a guy fighting 'the man' (or AT&T), just like the character Harry Tuttle in Terry Gilliam's great film Brazil.

Gloucestershire to appeal against public library closures

After my previous post, I noted that library users are toLegally challenge GCC cuts. Good on them. If legal redress is the only means of stopping closures then thats what we'll have to do.
Also, in my previous post I said the work FOGL had done and achieved would be 'cold comfort'. But as Gary Green said :-

Cold comfort, yes, but I think it will have inspired others to get out and fight for their libraries.

I totally agree. What I meant was I had hope the work the FOGL had done deserved a better outcome. But then they have been pretty inspirational in there campaign, so thats success.

The decline of the British public library.........

Its pretty sad to see that our elected representative rarely listening to their constituency (but hardly surprising). Therefore, it was sad to read that the good work that Friends of Gloucestershire Libraries. Seems that the 42% cut in the Library budget is been steamrollered through. The response to these closures by some (tory) councillors beggers belief when they were confronted by the effect they would have on a rural community to a :-

“I have read with interest. I do not intend to reply in detail”

Hopefully there maybe some way around this, but it seems not.

By the way, I would like to add to Gary Green's post, when he says the following:-

I’m.....upset about Gloucestershire – I have seen the campaign grow since the first day Johanna Anderson (Friends of Gloucestershire Libraries) highlighted the plans that had been announced on the This Is Gloucestershire site (August 2010, I think) and I have seen the many of the ups and downs. In fact, seeing what was going on in Gloucestershire played an important part in my joining Voices For The Library.

I know this is no consolation for Friends of Gloucestershire Libraries campaigners and all involved, but I have great admiration for all they have tried to do. They deserved so much better than this result.

Jo and the rest have done a fantastic job in attempting to stop the closures. Its cold comfort none the less.

IWR piece on UK public library closures

Information World Review's blog has an article entitled Local governments will play safe with library closures, but will close them anyway. Most of its been said before, but I do like the following point the article makes:-

Government will find ways to work around the Act through other initiatives such as the Big Society project under which local residents will be encouraged and assisted to run library service.

But what about the library professionals who provide specialised services, recommendations and are well aware of the users' needs?

Libraries and library professionals contribute in making users more skilled, and informed as well as help them improve their digital skills.

Tim Wu speaking at the RSA

Timothy Wu, author of The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires will be talking at the RSA in a talk called The Rise and Fall of Information Empires. Its free and the date and time is 16th Mar 2011; 13:00. I got a ticket, now lets get the time off.

Reading for pleasure......

In the last few months I've been reading way too many social media books. These include The Dumbest Generation, The Shallows: How the Internet is Changing the Way We Think, Read and Remember, Cognitive Surplus: Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age and Born Digital. All very, very interesting. But all a bit dry.
Therefore, i'm reading books on one other love. Cinema. Just finished Pretty in Pink, awaiting the arrival of You Couldn't Ignore Me If You Tried: The Brat Pack, John Hughes, and Their Impact on a Generation. I'm also reading Best of British: Cinema and Society from 1930 to the Present. Its actually quite nice to read something a bit different from the usual stuff. Expecially seeing I've started re-watching some old classic movies like The Sure Thing, Say Anything... and Whisky Galore. ohhhh, to reminesce.......

Gary Green to have keynote speech at Pancakes and Mash

Gary Green is the Keynote speech Lincoln's Pancakes and Mash. The speech, entitled Loud Library Voices: Campaigning, The Web, Journalists & The Offline World, will look at the his work at Voices for the library. The rest of the event will look practical mashing session about using Web 2.0 tools to help save libraries.

Ed Milliband criticises David Cameron's big society

Labour leader Ed Milliband has criticised the David Cameron's big society in an article entitled Ed Miliband: The Big Society: a cloak for the small state. Milliband says of libraries in the article:-

But no one can volunteer at a library or a Sure Start centre if it's being closed down. And nor can this Conservative-led government build a Big Society while simultaneously undermining its foundations with billions of pounds worth of cuts to the voluntary sector. Those are not merely numbers on a piece of paper; they affect real people.........Mr Cameron should visit the local libraries in my constituency. These are not some monolithic institutions of crude Conservative caricature. They have classes for new mums and babies, after-school activities for young people, clubs for the elderly. They are owned by government but they nurture community. And now many of them are threatened with closure.

Good to see labour putting pressure on the Con-dem policies.

Manic Streets preachers speak out against Library closures

Nicky Wire of the Manic Street Preachers has an article in todays Guardian entitled 'If you tolerate this ...': Nicky Wire on library closures. In the article he says:-

As an utterly self-made band, in our formative stages we vociferously consumed high and low culture – magazines, literature and TV. Without money, libraries became something of a lifeline, offering a clear window on to a wider world. In the summer of 2009, the band were honoured to be asked to open the new Cardiff Central Library.

Good on them.

Updated Wiki page for Voices for the Libraries

U have just updated the wikipage for Voices for the Library. I'm not sure how good it is, but I have updated it.

What the papers say about save our libraries campaign

Well, after the save our libraries campaign there seems to have been pretty well covered in the observer, with two articles on the event. One called Writers' anger over plans for libraries and another looking at Phhil Bradley's posters against closures Your library needs YOU!. The Telegraph had a few articles to (but not on sunday). These were Philip Pullman leads day of protests at planned closure of libraries, Top writers join National Library Action Day and Authors lead protests against library closures.
The Independent had an article called The day the bookworms turned.
The Daily Mail said nothing. The Sun had nothing (what a surprise?) The Mirror had an article entitled Authors to stage library read-ins.
So pretty good coverage really.

700th entry and off to support Marcus Garvey to support

This is my 700th entry and today is Save Our Libraries day. The following link is a live blog on the Guardian site. I'm going to Marcus Garvey later, as its the first library I worked at and there supporting them for the day. Listened to radio five have been following it to.
Therefore, a big shout to all the team from voices for the library who have helped make this a great idea.

A great article from LSE on public Library resistance to UK closures

There is a great article on British Politics and Policy at LSE entitled The threats to public libraries look overwhelming. Yet both defensive mobilizations to resist cutbacks and pressures for innovations offer hope for radical improvements.
The article looks at the grassroots activism that some counties have taken up, to stop the mass culling of public libraries.

Job interview that I didn't get

Had another interview at an academic library. Unfortunately I didn't get it. Wasn't really my best interview, so only disappointed in self. Oh well. Give me time to get on with the Wiki I started then.