The Library a fragile history by Andrew Pettigree

 Why did I choose to read this? I didn't this is one of my textbooks. But since I have to read anyway it and it's mostly interesting I might as well write a post about it also writing notes about a book while I read it might help remember it. 

About

Despite the title this is about the history of books and book collections more than libraries. Libraries as we know them (free for all and supported by taxes) is a very recent thing, and only really appeared in the last hundred years or so. 

Libraries were mostly private collections of prestigious books as a show of wealth and culture. And so people bought the expensive ones. Book collecting as a status symbol didn't change only the measure used. From the medieval manuscript with pretty illuminations and gold foil, to 1500 when the newest editions of classic works was all the rage to 1700 when like to day the first editions has the higher price. Again and again libraries and collection were made, at great expense. Made as a show of power until the next generation decided there were other status symbols they wanted more leaving them to rot forgotten in a cellar or an invading force stole the choicest titles for their own collections.

Although the collection size were modest by today's standard, hand copied and jewel encrusted manuscripts were rather more expensive than paperbacks.

My thoughts

The more things change the more they stay the same. Today, libraries are often either architectural marvels or showed into a unused room somewhere, threatened by budget cuts. An interesting recurring theme is people donating there collections to people or institutions that never wanted them in the first place. A collector handing it over to an uninterested heir, moralizing Latin sermons given for the improvement of the masses, masses that neither read Latin or wants to be moralized to. Plenty where taken as booty after conquest then left to rot in a storeroom hoping someone would take the time to catalog them. And so on again and again through history.

There is an unfortunate egocentricity to the book Italy, German the Netherlands, England is predominantly the history that is told. The middle east is mentioned but only during the ancient Mesopotamia, and the rest of Asia only as it relates to colonialism which really doesn't count since they'd had literary and scientific golden ages of their own. 

It is interesting how it wasn't until the 17th century that collections were becoming, what we today would call large. 500 books was considered a large collection for most of history (for reference I have 270) 

Reading about a time when the university library was smaller than a single professors. Of course without a budget to buy any, only getting books through donations, I can imagine that it was not the books they wanted and there is a lot of work to suddenly have a pile of a thousands of books to catalog. but you can't feel too sorry for them considering the amount of books were thrown away simply because they didn't fit the current fashion. 

In a way its odd how it didn't get boring considering how repetitive most of history were. Collections built and destroyed book-markets moving with the economies. This might have been because it was a textbook I probably wouldn't have read it otherwise and certainly not at the pace I did.

A bit of a pet peeve for me is that while there are many mentions of the cost of books. But only a few explanations. I don't know how much 1000 ducats where or how they relate to an average income. 

If you have read it what did you think? Leave a comment. If you haven't read it you can check it out here Library.

Trying a witchy bleach dye

A few years ago I bought a number of cool t-shirts I then rarely used them because I need long sleeves to avoid freezing. I could wear them under the sweaters but that seem like a waste. At the same time all my sweaters look a bit dull, most are just a single color and I want a bit more pattern. 

But mostly I just want to try out bleach dyeing so that is what I'm going to do. 

Test 1

Since I haven't done this before I will start out experimenting on some old clothes that would otherwise just go to recycling. First I tried it out on an old work t-shirt that I don't mind if it looks awful.

I have bleach at home but its quite thick so I tried diluting it 1 to 2 and spraying it on. This made no difference but in the place where I'd put a drop  of it undiluted there's now a slightly paler spot.

Test 2 

Spraying it on undiluted. The bleach I have it quite thick so I did add a few drops of water just so I could actually spray it. I then smushed the fabric together to make it more evenly uneven. Using gloves of course. 

Leaving it to act for 3,5 hours, I'd meant it to be less but I honestly kind of forgot about it for a few hours. This did change the color it but it's barely visible. If I didn't know I might not have noticed and even so it doesn't look good.

At this point I tried checking various blogs about this. This was less helpful since they all say to dilute the bleach. I'm assuming they are using bleach at a higher concentration but if so they aren't telling that.

Thinking the problem was the fabric I tried it on an old hoodie the results were the same it loses some color when I rinse it but you can't tell looking at it.

Test 3

I tried another brand of bleach and finally it worked. With in a minute I could see the difference and just a short while later I could rinse it of. This does however show that you never know what color you will get. The shirt I used is purple and I thought it would become lavender or just paler purple but it became blue almost turquoise. 

Final attempt

I want a witchy pattern with a pentagram magical circle. Now I could just make things up in a way that looks nice. Or I can spend hours looking up alchemical signs, hieroglyphs and Latin words before arranging them on a way that makes sense if magic actually worked. 

Naturally I chose the second option making a warming spell. I ended up trying a few different methods for making the finer lines necessary for the alchemical symbols but between a steel tipped calligraphy pen dipped in bleach, a sacrificed highlighter pen and a simple paintbrush I think it will work.

For this I bought a sweatshirt at a thrift store. To try out the pattern I took a picture with it on and then drew it on using my tablet.

I finally decided on a solar eclipse on the back and a pentagram in the front with some tie-dye spray on the shoulders.

Starting with the eclipse. Since it should be the easier part. the plan being to do the parts one at the time and evaluate before doing the next.

To keep the bleach from bleeding through and staining the front I placed a piece of cardboard inside. I then put a stone mortar where I wanted the pattern to be. My hope is that its weight will stop the bleach from seeping in there by creating a void in the pattern when I sprayed the bleach around it. Wearing gloves, apron and face mask to protect me and my clothes. 

I left the bleach on for four minutes to work then I rinses it off. 

The pattern worked out well but not the color. It's a brownish rusty color and I was hoping for more a more fire looking one. I ended up adding some more streaks with a paintbrush later. It worked well and I now know that 15 minutes to half an hour is a better bench mark.

For the tie-dye pattern on the shoulders I gathered up the fabric using binder clips on the inside and rubber bands to keep it together. I then sprayed and dripped bleach on it. Another cycle of rinsing and drying and it was time for the last part although this too was done in parts. I first drew out the circle and pentagram with a fabric pen. Using the same mortar to draw out the circle and then using a ruler for the pentagram. once the pattern was to my liking I drew it in with a bleach highlighter. 

The highlighter wasn't as clear as I'd hoped and I filled them in with the paintbrush. I then used a calligraphy pen for the symbols. This worked much better than I had hoped.

Results 

This is my new favorite shirt it's warm, it's soft and I like how the pattern turned out. The only problem is the color. Everything I read about Bleach dye said that a higher cotton content is better since it can't do anything to polyester. This shirt is only 65% cotton and thought it changed color the results is a rusty brown rather than the burning orange I was hoping for. Maybe when this is worn out I'll try to redo it but for now I'm satisfied. I have a few other patterns I'm considering trying out but that will be for later. I don't need any more sweaters right now. Also sweatshirts without any pattern that are somewhat unworn are surprisingly hard to find in thrift stores and I don't want to buy a new sweatshirt just to potentially ruin it with bleach. Because unlike coloring a fabric you don't really get a second try.

Lessons

During this I ended up trying a few different things to apply the bleach for the fine pattern. 

• A pipette can be used but mostly does drops. 
• A thin nibbed bottle also tend to drop at least at this viscosity. I could make fine lines but not entirely consistently. It worked better when the shirt was at an angle rather then laying flat on a table. 
• A steel-tipped calligraphy pen worked well in getting good lines but it did get stuck in the fabric. So long as one use the lightest of touch it is probably the best.
• A highlighter pen where I had replaced the inc with bleach. Works well though the lines aren't a solid color.
• Paintbrush also worked well though not as thin lines as the calligraphy pen. Use a brush that you don't mind destroying. I noticed my brush, after not rinsing it properly, has a lot shorter bristles now.

Apart from this different products has different bleach concentration the two I used both said >5% but the results were very different. But in general leave it to work for 15 minutes. 

Quantum Physics and life by Ingemar Ehrnberg and others

About

This book is written for the general public so no math or too many technical terms.

As the title suggests this book is about quantum physics and explains it through how it intersects with biology. We only perceive a fraction of the world. The spectrum of visible light is only a fraction of the electromagnetic radiation that exist. The same is true for physics, the classical physics of gravitation and movement is only parts of the forces governing the world the rest is the weird mess that is quantum physics. 

But just because it's weird doesn't mean it doesn't affect us or that evolution cant use it. Like how geckos use nano-hairs under their feet to stick to walls and ceilings. How birds can see the earths magnetic field to find their way home. Or how chlorophyll catches light. 

My thoughts

It is a short book with only 150 pages. Actually less since each chapter has three pages just for the heading and a quote. A bit ridiculous especially for chapter 2 that's only 4 pages. It brings to mind the times I had to reach a specific page count but didn't have the text for it.

I've read books and watched documentaries about quantum physics before, so for me there were parts I already knew but also a lot of new information. Still I would have liked it to be slightly more advanced or maybe just have another 50 pages and try for a deeper explanation. A lot of the quantum physics parts are a bit glossed over, on the one hand I understand the decision these are difficult concepts that doesn't work the way anything else does. But I would like the opportunity to at least try to understand. 

But that's maybe just me in general it's a good first introduction for anyone who is interested. And relating it to familiar things is a nice addition rather than just using metaphors that never quite work.

If you have read it what did you think? Leave a comment. If you haven't read it you can check it out here quantum.

Goals for the new year

I don't do new years resolutions not for any real reason I just never have. What I have been doing for the last few years is setting goals for the next year. Is there a difference? Maybe, maybe not but phrasing it like goals makes it easier to do and it allows me to have several smaller ones. This also lets me plan ahead and I can have follow up goals for years ahead.

For 2025 I don't really have any major goals, mainly because I got most of the big things done this or last year. Both my career- and living-goals are sort of on pause until 2026 

Career: keep working on my masters degree. 

Financial: Reach 2 million kronor. This is more of a hope than a goal since it will depend entirely on the stock market. I won't be too upset if I don't reach it, but it would be nice. Since I started studying I have effectively cut my income in half and it's now lower than my average expenses so I will aim to keep these low. As part of that will be doing a series of post about tricks to save money.

Books: Finnish proofreading and publishing my next book. This is a hold over since last year and I have realized that I'll need to do another round of proofreading and fixing before I'm satisfied with it.

Blog: I'll continue trying to get it indexed not that I have much hope for it. It's very frustrating.

So those are my goals we'll see how many of them I get done. 

 

Villains vingettes by Drew Hayes

 In preparations for my Uppsala trip I restarted my Audible account. I didn't actually use it then but once I got home I have been listening on and off. The first book I got was this one. A collection of three short stories set in the same world as Forging Hephaestos. If you haven't read that or the second book then this is not for you. This ties quite heavily into the second book and does contain spoilers for it.

The Plot

The Meta...villain? Spooky Trudy has returned and she has turned a random small town into a Halloween experience. Within the town wearing any costume lets you have the abilities associated with that character. People flock from all over to experience the powers of superheroes and villains alike although in a weaker form. It's harmless fun... during the day at night the town turns dangerous. But staying the night will grant magical boons or even powers especially for whoever wins the nightly battle royal at the grave yard. 

Chloe is adamant that she wants the gifts offered. Tori and Beverly being good friends and roommates tag along to help her and keep her safe. As do their neighbors the superhero team The new science sentries though they have their own hopes for the night. 

However the meta Fashionistadore sees his opportunity to gather powers. He can assume another metas powers if he wears a part of their costume and in a place where all costumes are real this is prime hunting ground.

My thoughts

The Hallowville setting is a nice way to organically contain the story. Fashionistadore is not actually a threat that some of the more powerful characters couldn't deal with instantly. But with Spooky-trudies rules stopping Lode-star from using her power there and the rest unaware he and his grab bag of powers are enough to cause problems. Add to that Beverly, Tori and Cloe are all using borrowed powers and so can't access their own. The question becomes how they can solve this. I personally would have liked to see another solution. 

The problem of is Fashionistadore that bad is one I kept thinking about while listening. Granted we don't know of his final plans this is just to gather power, but still Tori and Beverly at least are villains and even if all the people he stole costumes from died that's still a low death count compared to several other characters. 

I do like how random the powers are. How some people just gets a shitty power and have to make the best of it. It's always a thought with most random powers universes of how useless most are in a non combat environment. This doesn't solve that but rather leans into it occupationally giving powers that are useless in every situation. 

The series has a very large set of characters and I would have liked if this took the chance to explore some of them. Actually that was what I had expected it to be or doing new team ups They are all the ones explored in previous stories. Tori and her roommates, the new science sentries in the first, Ivan in the second, Tori and Ivan in the third along with quick scenes from other familiar characters. Don't get me wrong I did enjoy it and I think anyone who has read the first two books will as well but I expected something more. 

If you have read it what did you think? Leave a comment. If you haven't read it you can check it out here Vingettes.

Winter is coming and my apartment is cold

My apartment gets cold in the winter. Last winter it got as low as 17 degrees and it mostly hovered around 18 (64 for all you Fahrenheit users). This is far to low to be comfortable so last year I called my landlord about it. They came and checked but since all the radiators are working there's not much they can do and they left again. The reason, I suspect, is a lack of insulation in one of the walls. On google maps it looks like there used to be another house against mine that has been removed. Meaning the wall there is an internal one acting as an external one. This also happens to be the longest wall in my apartment stretching over three different rooms. To make matters worse I get cold easily.

Here I will explain some of the things I have/will do to solve this problem and hopefully give you some inspiration if you happens to be in a similar situation.

Catbed

First thing first. I have to make sure my cats has a warm place to nap. This is rather simple since one of them decided a few years ago that the carrier is her bed. Anyone who has ever tried to put a cat in a carrier will know this for the blessing it is and I don't want to discourage this. So once summer ended I put it next to the radiator and then placed a flat catbed in top of it for the other cat. This will give both warmth. Unfortunately it looks ugly so a cover will have to be constructed. However this will be a post for a later time. This is a larger part of making better use of my heat sources. Last winter I moved my kitchen chair so it was closer to the radiator. 

Prevent heat loss

This is really the key to a comfortable living space. It doesn't matter how much warmth your radiators produce if it just goes straight outside. A common tip is to use thick curtains to stop draft from windows and doors. However I wont be doing that my windows are all modern I can't actually sense any draft. I will therefore keep the curtains I have prioritizing not blocking the radiator and letting in what sunlight there is. 

The wall on the other hand is a problem. But just to be sure I bought an Infra red thermometer to get quick readings of the different parts of my apartment to see where the biggest problems are. Each morning for seven days I measured my bedroom wall and two places on my living room wall. The three places were mostly the same with only a 0.1 degree different. But I can say the problem wall was almost one degree colder than the other walls.

I said the wall stretches over three rooms namely the entryway the living room and the bedroom. The entryway is the first of them but here that wall is mostly covered by wardrobes so not as big an issue. However getting some boxes to go on top of the wardrobes would plug the gap between them and the ceiling. I don't think this will do much but every bit helps and I'd rather have them here than in the attic.

So far I have only put one box up there, filled with my summer clothes, but it lets me test it's efficacy. When I measured the back wall was 19 degrees. The edge of the wardrobe on the part covered is half a degree warmer than the same spot on the uncovered wardrobe. This is more difference than I had hoped for and I will keep filling the space up. 

For the bedroom and living room this wouldn't work so here I'm taking a page out of history. Tapestries were used to not only look nice but also provide insulation during winter. It's like a blanket for your walls. It's also the renter friendly alternative to anyone who wants a mural.I did a small test before I did anything too involved. I have a painting on this wall and measuring the temperature on the painting, behind it and beside it there is definitely a difference. I am going to have to move that painting though.

This is technically a tablecloth but I bought it last year to stop drafts from my door. Only to realize it's not the door that's the problem, instead it will be given a new home on the wall. Unfortunately it's not very thick but every little bit helps. If it's insufficient I'll just have to change it for next year.

 For this I sewed a channel for the curtain rod. Then did a bunch of measuring, both the cloth and the wall to get it centered how I likes it. Before getting the tall ladder from the attic moving the furniture away and putting up the adhesive hangers. It's similar to command strips but a different brand that I like better. I feel command over-promises their carrying capacity. 

Since my cat pulled it down half a year ago it's been showed in the back of the my closet so before I hung it I took the time to iron it. Let's face it if I don't do it now it will never happen. 

Hanging it was fairly straight forward. I'd chosen to center it to the wall which means it looked pd with the bed pushed up to the wall. I've moved it for now and I'll see how I liked it. I might lower it a bit but that's for later. 

Measuring the temperature the next morning and I can rapport that the cloth is half a degree warmer than the wall. Eagle eyed readers will note the extra blanket on the bed. It does make a differences and I have blankets on every chair I sit in.

For the living room I plan to make a new tapestry. But that deserves its own post. Also it will be a project for next year. 

Heat sources

When I write this it's mid September. Outside the temperature has been falling and it's in that awkward state where you need a coat and gloves in the morning and just a thin sweater in the afternoon. However the low temperatures at night still means that it's cold indoors. 19 degrees according to the thermometer on my nightstand. So I contacted my landlord asking them to turn on the radiators. They answered that the radiators are controlled by a thermostat and that they can't turn them on or off. This was not the answer I wanted but it does give me some important information. Since the thermostat is by the radiators it mean that whatever heat sources I want to add should be placed as far from the radiators as possible. I don't want the heat I add to turn them off.

So apparently I'm getting radiators which annoys me. I already pay for heating as part of my rent and I feel like I shouldn't have to pay for the electricity too. Now, I won't say I'd never needlessly suffer to make a point but in this case it will hurt me far more than them (I'll still inform my landlord about the temperature just because). So radiators and with some app controlled sockets I can time it for when electricity is the cheapest. However it turned out the socket I bought requires you to by a hub too. A hub that's far more expensive than I want to pay for a thing meant to save me money. So I'll be using one of the manual timers I already have and a space heater. We'll see how long I'll bother reprogramming it.

Clothes

Putting on a a sweater is a tried and true advice when it comes to temperature. I'm of course going to o that but since I already have several sweaters there isn't much to do. However along with sweaters I would recommend long woolen skirts. 

An advice I have read in a lot of places is Uniqlo Heat tech. Last winter I bought two of differing thickness and honestly they are... fine. One of them is a bit tight in a way that shows of my ribs more than I want but they are just one layer and I will wear a sweater on top. Any claims that they are as warm as a sweater is a lie and I don't really understand the idea that the fabric turns sweat into heat, or rather when you are cold you sweat less so it doesn't seem like it would do much.

What I am going to do though is finish my cape. It has been half done for a while (several years) but I want to wear it when I sit at my laptop to prevent my shoulders from getting cold and stiff. The post where I did this is here.

Last but not least indoor slippers. I started to make a pair last year but before I was done I got a pair for Christmas. These I wore everyday until they were worn out. Now I have the dilemma should I buy new (better quality ones) or finish the ones I started. Bearing in mind that I don't have enough material to finish them like they are and that I might have made them too small I would more likely just re do them. I will mull over this for a while longer and in the mean time I'll just use my thick socks.

Habits

Since I'll be home during the day studying I'll have opportunity to do things differently. One of these things I can do is that rather than buying bread I'll bake it. Letting all that nice warm oven air out into the apartment. I haven't done the math on this but I suspect that the money I save from making my own bread will offset the added cost to my electricity bill. Also fresh baked bread is nice.

The second thing is regularly blow drying my hair. Partially to again add heat but mostly to not cool myself down by walking around with wet hair letting it air dry. 

And lastly pray to the old gods and the new for a mild winter. This has gotten me thinking though. The plan with this apartment was to live her for two years, see if I liked the neighborhood and then buy a condo. However one of the reasons it's cold is that my apartment is old perhaps when I move the temperature is something I should keep track of. Perhaps I should prioritize showings in the winter and bring a thermometer.

What are you best tips for staying warm in the winter leave a comment down below.