The Emerald Ash Borer killed over 30 million ash trees in southeastern Michigan. But from the loss came at least a little good. When the city of Ann Arbor needed to build a new branch libary at Traverwood, they were able to use the fallen trees in the building's construction. And the results are beautiful.According … Continue reading That Cloud Could Have an Emerald Lining

Lewis Buzbee, bookseller and author of the memoir The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop was interviewed on Wisconsin Public Radio's fantastic show To the Best of Our Knowledge and opined about why you need to get off the computer to buy a good book. One of his more interesting pleas for the utility of the bricks-and-mortar bookstore is, … Continue reading No Algorithms Here

If you've ever turned over a book, you've seen the barcode on the back. That code represents the ISBN--the International Standard Book Number. Every book has its own unique number. Until now, they've been 10-digit numbers. The first set of digits represents the language--0 and 1 for English, 2 for French, 3 for German, and … Continue reading Geek Out