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Jump hour watch paves the digital path

Take a moment and picture a pocket watch. Are you thinking of a hunting case watch with elaborate relief decorations and an engraved monogram? A minimalist open-faced watch with a 14K gold case? Maybe a chain and a fancy fob? One thing is safe to assume: The watch probably tells time with hands on a dial. “Jump hour” watches like the one pictured here show that isn’t always the case. (Yes, this one has a seconds subdial, but the jump hour mechanism tells the hours and minutes.) The jump hour, or jumping hour, watch movement was patented in 1883 by Josef Pallweber, an Austrian ...

First book in that Newer Series You Want to Read

What is better than finding a great new book? Discovering a great new series! The list below names the first book in a series, as well as the title of the newest addition to the series. The new additions have recently hit library shelves or will be at the library soon. Place the newest book on hold and read the rest of the series while you wait for the new release. “The Woman in Cabin 10” by Ruth Ware. When travel journalist Lo Blacklock is invited on a boutique luxury cruise around the Norwegian fjords, it seems like a dream career opportunity. But the trip takes a nightmarish ...

Beer or health food? “Liquid Bread” promised both

For many people, a cold beer on a warm evening is a favorite summer indulgence. But if you look back far enough in history, beer wasn’t an indulgence; it was part of a healthy diet. There are written records of beer brewing (and drinking) from as early as 5,000 years ago. Before reliable sanitation systems, beer was safer to drink than water; in addition to the antiseptic properties of alcohol, brewing beer requires boiling the water. Beer was also considered a source of nourishing starches. Like bread, it is made from grains and yeast. In fact, beer is sometimes called “Liquid ...

Celebrate the day

There is a celebration for every day of the year if you are looking for something to celebrate. I hope these upcoming daily celebrations make you smile or maybe inspire a trip to the library to look for a book to help you celebrate the day in style. Sat. June 28 Tau Day. “Tau Day, celebrated annually on June 28th, is a mathematical holiday dedicated to the circle constant tau (τ), which is equal to 2π (approximately 6.28318). It’s a celebration of the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its radius, according to Tau Day.” I don’t understand the math, but I’m on board with ...

Study rooms arrive!

You may have noticed changes in the library if you’ve visited us recently. We moved our adult and young adult DVDs to the second floor of the main building, along with the new magazines and newspapers. All of this was to make space for two study rooms and a designated Memory Lab. I’m pleased to share that we’ve completed this project, and our study rooms and updated Memory Lab are available for public use! We often receive requests for a quiet, semi-private space for individuals or small groups. The library now offers two study rooms for this purpose. Our smaller study room ...

When a chair is more than a chair regardless of size

A chair is a chair is a chair, isn’t it? Four legs to stay on the floor, a high back to keep the sitter upright, and maybe a stretcher base for support. And everything is made of wood, of course, with variety coming from upholstery, decorative carvings, or the shape of the legs. That may have been true up to the 20th century. Furniture changed dramatically when designers took advantage of new materials that opened up previously unheard-of possibilities: plastics. Man-made plastics were used for household implements by the 1920s, but it wasn’t until after World War II that the ...