(Meme) Books
I've seen this meme going around before, and I've always wondered how to judge which is the "closest book to me". There's a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf just behind my left shoulder, and the book closest to my hip isn't the same as the one closest to my shoulder... and if I reach out my hand, it's yet another book that's the closest.
And if they're stacked vertically and one's sticking out a bit, is that the "closest" to me, or should I go for the one on the top of the pile which is easier to grab and therefore 'closest' in the functional rather than geographical sense? And do you count e-books saved to the computer I'm typing this on?
I bet the people who dreamed up this meme didn't consider these questions...
1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next 4-7 sentences on your LJ along with these instructions.
5. Don't you dare dig for that "cool" or "intellectual" book in your closet! I know you were thinking about it! Just pick up whatever is closest (unless it's too troublesome to reach and is really heavy. Then go back to step 1).
Anyway, of the various possibilities for closest book to me, one was the London A-Z. I don't think that even has sentences, unless you count street names. So here are the others:
The development and spread of urbanism in the classical period has already been described. Most classical cities were still in the ninth century inhabited places, many had become cathedral towns, almost all served as markets for their local areas. During the five hundred years from the ninth to the fourteenth centuries, existing cities for the most part increased in size and diversified the functions which they performed. Furthermore their ranks were joined by an even greater number of "new" towns. Town foundation became significant during the eleventh century and increased sharply during the twelfth and thirteenth and then, the potentialities for new foundations exhausted, tapered away (Fig. 5.8).
- N J G Pound, 'An Historical Geography of Europe'
"But see? It's that exact thing that's ticking me off. This whole 'Slayers only' attitude. Since when wouldn't I understand? You talk to me about everything! It's like - all of a sudden I'm not cool enough for you because I can't kill things with my bare hands!"
- Nancy Holder, 'The Watcher's Guide Vol. 2'
"Oh. That's a station call sign. Gotta have 'em."
"Why?" mumbled Gretchen. But-perhaps fortunately-Jimmy didn't hear her.
" 'SK-1' is Magdeburg. Chester'll be guarding the sked there. Uh . . . that means he's monitoring the frequency at scheduled times."
- Eric Flint, '1633'
(That last one is an e-book from the Baen Free Library).
I tag the first five people to read this. ;-)
And if they're stacked vertically and one's sticking out a bit, is that the "closest" to me, or should I go for the one on the top of the pile which is easier to grab and therefore 'closest' in the functional rather than geographical sense? And do you count e-books saved to the computer I'm typing this on?
I bet the people who dreamed up this meme didn't consider these questions...
1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next 4-7 sentences on your LJ along with these instructions.
5. Don't you dare dig for that "cool" or "intellectual" book in your closet! I know you were thinking about it! Just pick up whatever is closest (unless it's too troublesome to reach and is really heavy. Then go back to step 1).
Anyway, of the various possibilities for closest book to me, one was the London A-Z. I don't think that even has sentences, unless you count street names. So here are the others:
The development and spread of urbanism in the classical period has already been described. Most classical cities were still in the ninth century inhabited places, many had become cathedral towns, almost all served as markets for their local areas. During the five hundred years from the ninth to the fourteenth centuries, existing cities for the most part increased in size and diversified the functions which they performed. Furthermore their ranks were joined by an even greater number of "new" towns. Town foundation became significant during the eleventh century and increased sharply during the twelfth and thirteenth and then, the potentialities for new foundations exhausted, tapered away (Fig. 5.8).
- N J G Pound, 'An Historical Geography of Europe'
"But see? It's that exact thing that's ticking me off. This whole 'Slayers only' attitude. Since when wouldn't I understand? You talk to me about everything! It's like - all of a sudden I'm not cool enough for you because I can't kill things with my bare hands!"
- Nancy Holder, 'The Watcher's Guide Vol. 2'
"Oh. That's a station call sign. Gotta have 'em."
"Why?" mumbled Gretchen. But-perhaps fortunately-Jimmy didn't hear her.
" 'SK-1' is Magdeburg. Chester'll be guarding the sked there. Uh . . . that means he's monitoring the frequency at scheduled times."
- Eric Flint, '1633'
(That last one is an e-book from the Baen Free Library).
I tag the first five people to read this. ;-)