Freedom for My Media

I've recently discovered a cool site called Librivox, which provides free public-domain audiobooks. They're all read by volunteers. Because they do only public domain material, that means they have a lot of older books and classics (including Jane Austen and the Wizard of Oz).

I've expanded my cultural education thanks to Librivox. When we lived in Philly, my dad would occasionally make jokes about "the wise woman from Philadelphia." I never quite got it, but then I downloaded the audiobook version of the Peterkin Papers, and now it has all become clear. The Peterkins are a family with no common sense. For example, one of the early stories is about how Mrs. Peterkin puts salt in her coffee, and doesn't know what to do. So they call in the chemist, who isn't any help (sorry, Nora), and then the herb lady, and she isn't any help, and finally they go and ask the advice of the wise lady from Philadelphia -- who, of course, tells her to dump it out and pour a new cup of coffee. All the of the stories are in this vein.

Since the stories are all read by volunteers, you never quite know what kind of voice you're going to get (although you can listen to samples). It's a little disorienting to have one chapter in one voice, and the next narrated by a completely different person. So far, so good, though.

And here's another dangerous time-suck: www.hulu.com, where you can watch TV online. You know you want to catch up with those old episodes of the A-Team, Fantasy Island, and Fame!