That's got to be a regional difference, Beth, because at the NYPL, the next person signed up is watching that second hand tick around until they can tell the person on the computer that their TIME IS UP. I'm sure there are occasional spats, but I've never seen a problem. Except when someone tells me time is up five minutes ahead of time. Eff you, buddy, I've got shit to do!

Edit: By which I mean, I've never seen the staff have to get involved, because people police each other.

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ita, if you get a chance this weekend, I posted a thing for a show in one of those announcement threads. It's wonderful and I think you'd really enjoy it.

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So, I'm watching Conan O'Brien, and Chris Klein is on, and that character in American Pie really is him? He was both on the football team and in jazz choir in high school. Random.

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People get really judgemental out here - the kids are playing games - my need to send spam to everyone on my email list is more important. For the first three or four months - we had no management of computers - but no one wanted to share. part of our problenm - management doesn't think people should get off the computers unless someone else wants it - so there was negotiation. bad plan. ( empty computers mean we don't need as much money - a poor use of resouces ( whatever) ) . and we have 34 on the adult side and 6 on the kid side. and then management is very ALA and anti patriot act - which is good, but it means you don't use library cards to log in, but other numbers - which we give out. and evry day after three - we go to resevation. - which invovles more staff time. It is annoying. but the manual system - basicly hadus being computer hostests - urg.

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Skipping ahead while catching up on a week's worth of posts:

Ailleann - I'm so sorry about your friend Robert. I knew him only by his voice - I'm a regular listener to the IU public radio station and heard him often. Aww, and Ether Game! I'm terribly fond of WFIU and its denizens. I'm so sorry for your shock and sorrow. In case you haven't seen it, the WFIU homepage is dedicated to him. [link] He is clearly missed. They are soliciting memories to share with his family. Your story about his chocolate bunny piece is touching and so funny - what a tragedy to lose a mind like his.

Thinking of you, and all his friends and loved ones.

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management doesn't think people should get off the computers unless someone else wants it

Oh yeah, that's a recipe for trouble. The branches I've been to here just have a sign-up sheet at the desk, by computer, in 15 or 30 minute increments (I forget which). No log in of any kind. Really just the honor/peer pressure system.

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Yeah, that's ridiculous. Guess what? Parents do have to be the "bad guy" sometimes.

It is totally ridiculous but for parents like my sister who just can't seem to stick by her limits and enforce boundaries for the nephlet? I can see it being useful. Not as useful as a parenting course, but less likely to cause a(nother) family meltdown.

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Yeah, that's ridiculous. Guess what? Parents do have to be the "bad guy" sometimes.

See, I don't know. YOu're being the "bad guy" or at any rate setting the boundaries when you decide and communicate what the time limits are. Avoiding having to have the argument each time, though? I can see that being kind of helpful.

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There are birds singing outside my window.

Why?

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I don't mind being the bad guy. That device might be useful though, just because sometimes, I get caught up in what I'm doing, and don't realize how long someone has been on the PS2, because it lives in the spare room.

If all three kids are home, they police each other down to the minute about PS2 time limits. If just Chris and I are home, I try to shower, and do the chores in other parts of the house (like laundry in the basement, etc., or really scrubbing down the baths, because I like to do that, uninterrupted) while he's playing, and I do lose track of how long he's been on. He does too, because there's no clock in the room.

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