The Distributed Library Project

An anonymous reader writes "Mike Benham of thoughtcrime.org has started a cool project for sharing information and building community in San Francisco. From the website: "Unfortunately, the traditional library system doesn't do much to foster community. Patrons come and go, but there is very little opportunity to establish relationships with people or groups of people. In fact, if you try to talk with someone holding a book you like - you'll probably get shushed. The Distributed Library Project works in exactly the opposite way, where the very function of the library depends on interaction." It looks like the software is now available for other cities."

If only...

[JohnGrahamCumming]

This is actually a really cool idea.

But imagine if we could do the same thing with digital media on the
Internet. We might invent a system for sharing, for example, music
and video files and call it "file sharing" or even "peer to peer".

We might even register a domain name for the service and call it
something like "Napster". Dammit someone already registered
napster.com, I guess my dream will never become a reality.

John.

hmm...

[OrthodonticJake]

++goodthinkfull

Yeech

[Faust7]

Patrons come and go, but there is very little opportunity to establish relationships with people or groups of people.

Dude, have you seen some of the people that mill around libraries? Homeless kickers, pseudo-orphans, and just the garden-variety weirdos that talk to themselves? If I want community I'll go to my local arcade.

All mine

[Faust7]

You are never under any obligation to lend an item if you don't feel comfortable doing so.

Darn right. I wouldn't trust my porn collection to some stranger. Kerouac. I meant my Kerouac collection.

Related CD-R story

[AsnFkr]

I just hope they dont store all the data on CD-r's.

what, now

[Anonymous Coward]

1) hippie jackass re-invents the idea of chat
network

2) slashdot editors get ahold of it .. proclaim it
new mecca

3) world eats it up

4) who the fuck posted this?

5) oh .. taco .. the really Stupid one

6) taco is arrested for fondling little japanese
children

7) finally

Re:Good concept, hard to implement

[Maeve77]

It's weird, though. All the meeting and arrangements that would need to be made make it seem like a drug deal or something.

"Hey, man...you got the stuff? If I go too long without pulp I get the shakes, man."

"First time's free, but then you gotta pay."

It just feels like so much trouble to go through for a book that I could just buy.

Blah blah blah

[mr.henry]

Unfortunately, the traditional lavatory system doesn't do much to foster community. Patrons come and go, but there is very little opportunity to establish relationships with people or groups of people. In fact, if you try to talk with someone using the toilet you like - you'll probably get shushed. The Distributed Lavatory Project works in exactly the opposite way, where the very function of the lavatory depends on interaction.

Why the hell do we have to Rheingold [rheingold.com] everything and turn it into some 'distributed project' with 'interaction'?