Answering questions at Boston College O’Neill Library
There are so many interesting & memorable questions! So cruel to make me pick only one! Here’s one of many, a recent one: “Tell me something that is true, but that almost no one would agree with.” My answer: It is upsetting but true that the smell of old books is the smell of their decomposition. Which, in the case of paper, is a bit like vanilla: bit.ly/bc-old-books. Many questions make me leap into research, but this one really forced me to stop and think.
My assistants tell me that BC is working out a solution with the vendor. The problem, apparently, has to do with replacing a part to make the machines compatible with card readers. I’ll update you when and if I hear more.
Cloning anime characters is super easy. You’d probably want to use some combination of this software: bit.ly/bc-anime. Or. Do you mean make actual cat girl maids? Not judging, but that seems really ill-advised. Think of the cat food and litter required.
1984 is a member of a group of 20th century dystopian novels. There are many who like to read them and argue about which author predicted the future most accurately. Check out Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (O’Neill Stacks PR6015.U9 B65 2013), Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (PS3503.R167 F3 1993), Animal Farm by George Orwell (PR6029.R8 A6 1946), or The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (PR9199.3.A8 H3 1986). These books tend to be pretty popular, so they might be checked out. But we often have online versions you can read as well.
“On Earth, gold is found in ores in rock formed from the Precambrian time onward. It most often occurs as a native metal, typically in a metal solid solution with silver. Native gold occurs as very small to microscopic particles embedded in rock…” (Thanks Wikipedia!) Massachusetts doesn’t have much gold, but you can find some very fine flecks in the rivers of western Mass. Check out bit.ly/MassGold for more info.
Crowther is an American hero. After his death in the 9/11 attacks, his parents started the Red Bandanna Project, which sells bandanas emblazoned with his BC lacrosse jersey number (19). Boston College was a large part of Welles’ life (he lived with other BC grads in New York), so it makes sense that BC honors his sacrifice while the charitable organizations started in his honor fundraise, in part, on his connection with BC. The world is more complex than simple “monetary gain and capitalism” – it’s a symbiotic relationship between BC and the Welles Remy Crowther Charitable Trust. The Red Bandana 5K raises money for the Trust, and BC is a sponsor of the race (thus making their association with him a financially “losing” prospect in this instance). BC alumni are more likely to give money to both BC and the Trust due to their mutual association. Sometimes, everyone really does win – the Trust gets more money to develop its programs (see http://www.crowthertrust.org for more info) and BC is associated with exactly the type of person that the University aims to graduate into the world.
Yikes! I truly cannot answer this because I promote kindness, not violence (particularly when directed at ME.) If your friend has a beef with the Wall, I’d like to respond to it. With words. On Post-Its.
![Why do girls enjoy getting pet so much? [Response: Because we do]](https://library.bc.edu/answerwall/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/aw102518-3.jpg)
Short answer: English is weirder than a bread beard. Longer answer: Modern English is a mix of Old English & Anglo Saxon (Germanic), Norman (French), and Latin, with many other loan words acquired through trade & colonies. No effort was made to standardize English orthography (IOW spelling) until Samuel Johnson’s A Dictionary of the English Language in 1755. “Mood” was often “mode” or “mod” until around 1600. “Food” was “foda” in Old English, then “fode” “fude” and “foode” before finally settling on “food” in around 1700. “Good” was, in Old English, “god,” “godum” “godra” and “gode”, and then variously “gowde,” “guyde” goud” “gowid,” etc., “Good” began appearing about 1400 or so. Take pity on anyone who has to learn English as an adult.
Isn’t it wonderful when you have someone like that in your life? Make sure you let her know how much you value her!
Be interested in someone’s story. Ask questions. Be a good listener. Reveal yourself. Suggest an outing. And sometimes go with the flow and let your friend direct the plan. But first check your pulse: are you depleted or overwhelmed? You may not be in a place to be that friend.
![Is [name redacted] a Goblin or a Ghoul?](https://library.bc.edu/answerwall/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/aw102418-7b.jpg)
It depends. Are they a) a malevolent, demonic, small ugly creature who causes harm and mischief, or are they b) an undead being who frequents graveyards and eats human flesh? (a = goblin, b=ghoul). We have the Greeks to thank for goblins (“kobalus” meant “knave” or “rogue”) and the Arabs to thank for ghouls. Goblins have populated the European imagination for at least a millenium; ghouls are a more recent addition that came with the translation of 1,001 Nights into French in the 19th Century. For more spooky etymologies, see the Oxford English Dictionary (BC only): bit.ly/BC-oxford-english.
Communicate, but don’t suffocate. Give him enough breathing room to miss you, and most importantly enjoy your own semester even though you’ll miss him!
I know, life really is hard sometimes. I have full faith that if you keep at it, you’ll get what you need. You’re working with the Career Center about the internship, right? (bit.ly/BC-career)
Yes! Check it out: bit.ly/bc-reservoirs. And the history is here: bit.ly/bc-lc
Thanks for being such a caring friend. University Counseling Services (bit.ly/BCCounselingSvcs) can help you: “Students and others who desire psychological advice regarding concerns about others may make an appointment.”
To be honest, I was feeling a little flat and hung up on things; but then I saw you…
This controversy seems to stem from the tragic encounter with the Balrog on the Bridge of Khazad-Dûm described in the FOTR. The text reads, “…the shadow about it reached out like two vast wings,” and later, “…its wings were spread from wall to wall.” Yet, Gandalf’s description of the defeat of the Balrog in The Two Towers suggests the it was unable to fly: “he fell from the high place and broke the mountain-side.” Did Gandalf so destroy the Balrog that it was unable to fly to save itself? Are Balrogs the penguins of Tolkien’s universe? Were the wings merely a simile? In his foreword to the second edition, Tolkien admits that he “finds many defects, minor and major,” but “will pass over these in silence.” So perhaps this is one of the minor defects of this otherwise brilliant epic.
The wall is thrilled to say, we do! O’Neill has 5 SuperDrives available for loan at the 3rd Floor Circulation Desk. They can be borrowed for 4 hours at a time.
My library helpers say they are trying to resolve some issues with the vendor. I will update you when I find out more.
