For months, maybe even a couple years I have been telling friends that the new Seattle Central Library better be good for all the mystique behind Rem Koolhaas. On opening day, only two days ago, I went to the grand opening of the new library, saw the crowds, and decided even a fancy new library wasn't worth waiting in line filled with screaming children, sweaty grown-ups, and point-and-shoot toting tourists. The estimated number of first day visitors was predicted to be 30,000. They got close at 25,631.The next day, somewhat to my surprise, I found the library was relatively quiet. I came, I saw, I wandered, I saw some more, I got lost a couple of times, read a few pamphlets, took some pictures, and now, a day later, I write this review.

The main entrance is a plain revolving door. Nothing fancy, which might be said of the building itself. Many people might have the illusion that the library is a lush artistic experience. In truth the building is rather austere, much like it's modernist derived exterior. A local NPR announcer commented how the building across the street at 1001 4th Avenue would remind people how far we have come since the 70's. In fact that building is relatively luxurious compared to the new Seattle Public Library. The SPL by comparison feels very institutional.

Near the entrance is the kids section of the library. Wood floors and floor make it probably the most cosy area of the building. It was after I wandered through the children's area when I started to get a little confused.

For all the self-congratulatory praise of the building layout, the library can be easily disorienting. I figured I would learn the building by simply meandering. Isn't this what most people do in these situations? While I began to figure things out, it wasn't always easy. There were times I would be glancing about trying to find a way to go down a level. I would lose track of what level I was on. There are sections, like the meeting section, which were interesting, but I wasn't really sure what the area was for. The garish escalators are actually a good idea. A simple metallic finish would have make the escalators difficult to spot.

As I glanced about, I was impressed by the space. There is space for large expanses of computers. There is space to hang-out and read. There is space for check-out lines. There is space for lots and lots of stacks (good thing), and there is space for expansion. Yes, the new library is spacious. The space tends to be either spectacularly open, or squeezed along long stacks. The lack of intimacy of the space might be off-putting to some.

If you want to really enjoy the library, do not read the absurdly glowing reviews of the building. It seems that reports want to make the structure to be some grand artistic statement, or a showcase of hip design. In fact the building has only a small amount of "art" in the conventional sense of the word, and overall the building comes across as utilitarian, democratic, perhaps betraying some socialist leanings. The most beautiful thing I saw in the building was the play of light from the impressive fenestration and the bright sun. I'm looking forward to seeing the inside with different weather. The light made it a fun place to take photos, which I will post soon. The view from the windows does not help navigating the building very much, but some of the views are impressive. The most impressive views are contained inside the SPL itself looking down. Some have commented that they would have preferred the guard railing to be just a few inches higher.

The elevators are ugly and slow to arrive. I simply didn't like the elevators. The impression I get is that the elevators were not expected to be used much, and are not nicely integrated into the building design.

The spiral arrangement for the stacks sounds nice, but I'm not convinced that it works as well the handouts suggested. The Dewey Decimal numbers on the floor looks nice, but conventional labeling on the end of the shelves actually works better. The trouble with the numbers on the floor is that people stand on the floor. Furthermore the don't differentiate the range of numbers for each side of the bays.

In short, the library isn't perfect, but it has lots of space, mostly good design, nice light, and a coffee cart. Don't let the hype make the library a disappointment.

Posted by Nica @ 11:56 PM PST [Link]

Ludvig and Marie now each have two REAL eggs, for those of you who care.



I visited the new Seattle Public Library. Took a bunch of pictures. I'll be posting a review of this new building in the next day or two.

Posted by Nica @ 11:25 PM PST [Link]

Most people are simply repelled by not only the images of torture from our current war in Iraq, or since the war is supposedly over, the current peace in Iraq. It a good sign that people are disgusted. However, there are those who take the attitude that as nasty as all this torture business is, such things might save American lives. I think many of these people who think this are simply nasty people. It is with satisfaction that they see middle eastern people humiliated. “There, that’s what happens when you mess with Americans” they think to themselves. Such an mindset is silly enough not to be worth further discussion.


There are some however who believe that we can extract, through severe torture, information that is so valuable as to compensate for the gruesome nature of inflicting pain and suffering. This sounds plausible, but some thought experiments are in order. Say we capture the teenage son of a known terrorist in hiding. Agents believe that it is very likely the boy knows the whereabouts of his father. Do you torture the boy if he refuses to talk? Say agents torture the boy and decide they have all the information you can get from him after using a litany of unpleasant and degrading procedures on the captive. Should he then be let go? He will be telling everyone in his community how horribly he was treated. Do we want such negative propaganda just running amok? Maybe it would be better to kill him, than to release them if you are thinking just in terms of saving American lives. Maybe he should be kept captive for life.


Is this the way we should be fighting our battles? Is it unreasonable to expect better from conflict? Is it worth it?

Posted by Nica @ 04:48 PM PST [Link]

Several people, including myself, have this idea that the legal system should allow civil unions between gays and straights, while marriages would be strictly a spiritual matter that churches can worry over.



This has a certain charm to the mathematical part of my brain. It seem orderly, logical, and keeps a seperation of church and state. Someone put it very clearly to me. "The civil unions would be purely a contract" he explained. It makes sense. There would be none of this old-fashioned "marriage is for creating stable enviroments for



Sadly, I fear such logical thinking may not manage to work with such an irrational tradition.



Should a father be able to have a civil union with his adult son? Why not? It's just a legal contract. If that seems too extreme, how about spinster twins getting married? I have some in-laws who are really like elderly married sisters.



Could anyone be civil-unioned to anyone else. I'm married, but could I be in a civil union with someone who is not my husband? I guess so.



I'm starting to think that having this civil union system might add more complications.



Straightforward gay marriage is starting to feel right to more and more people. Maybe that is all the justification that gay marriage needs. Maybe that is all the justification marriage needs -- it just feels right. Someday it may not, but that is for another generation to worry over.

Posted by Nica @ 09:39 PM PST [Link]

Claudius is starting to heal. Hurray! Maybe no vet will be needed.




A pigeon raising coworker of mine warned me that if I keep swapping out my pigeons real eggs for plastic, they will eventually stop caring for their eggs. They would lose their egg nuturing instincts. This made me sad to think about, so I've decided to let them raise their next sets of eggs. I've taken away the plastic eggs they were sitting on, and it's amazing how quickly things changed in the cage. Now the male is doing lots of cooing and dancing. The females are bickering. Love-making has begun

Posted by Nica @ 10:39 PM PST [Link]

Claudius has been doing OK, but the wound on his front still hasn't healed. It remains scabbed over. I fear he might need professional attention. Oddly, he doesn't seem to be sore at all. He is actually getting better at flying. Giving him daily baths by hand has made him very used to me. I can place him in a basin of water and he will calmly wait for me to wash him and towel him dry. I think he likes how the water allows him to stand on his crippled legs. When I put him on the floor he will sometime fly into my lap. He flies about as well as a chicken, but with more enthusiasm than his farm-yard cousins.

Posted by Nica @ 09:45 PM PST [Link]

I've freed El Blanco (formerly Blanche) and Darkwing. My husband and I took them in a cardboard box to Freeway Park, threw out some birdseed till three pigeons came by to eat, and opened the box. I was hoping to take some pictures as they took a few first look-arounds at the outside world, but they took off within a few seconds, flew high, and away. They'll have a good six hours of daylight to find a place to settle in for the night. Good luck birds.

I would have kept them, but Soren has never really been nice to them. Soren is a big male, and he likes to throw his weight around.

Posted by Nica @ 02:53 PM PST [Link]