Saturday, November 07, 2015
Bookless libraries, a Latinless Catholic Church and other unbelievable things
Bunny and I were at a restaurant, playing this on-line trivia game when we got the question:
In Texas, there exists a public library that has no books.
- True
- False
Now, I realize this is Texas they're talking about, but really? Surely Texas can't be that backwards, can it?
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Texas has seen the future of the public library, and it looks a lot like an Apple Store: Rows of glossy iMacs beckon. iPads mounted on a tangerine-colored bar invite readers. And hundreds of other tablets stand ready for checkout to anyone with a borrowing card.
Even the librarians imitate Apple's dress code, wearing matching shirts and that standard-bearer of geek-chic, the hoodie. But this $2.3 million library might be most notable for what it does not have — any actual books.
That makes Bexar County's BiblioTech the nation's only bookless public library, a distinction that has attracted scores of digital bookworms, plus emissaries from as far away as Hong Kong who want to learn about the idea and possibly take it home.
Oh … well. Um. Okay.
And then the next question came up:
The official language of the Vatican is Latin.
- True
- False
This is a trick question, right? I mean … the Vatican! They invented Latin! This is true, right?
Q: What is the official language of Vatical City?
A: The official language of the Vatican City state is Italian, with Latin and French as secondary languages. Vatican City is a walled enclave within the city of Rome. Its area of 110 acres makes it the smallest independent state in the world.
What the … ?
Okay, fine! I need to learn a bit more about the Vatican. Next thing you'll tell me, Microsoft is going open source or something silly like that …