ACRL Philadelphia: Coming out in the Wash

It's like something out of Modern Times. In the convention center's restrooms the soap and water dispensers are automated. Put your hands near either and they are supposed to spit out their contents. The soap mechanism makes a whirring sound, the water none (unless it is drowned out).

Except there are times when you have to energetically wave your hands to flag the attention of one or the other. There were occasions when a temperamental soap dispenser that had reluctantly performed would bide its time until you were rinsing your hands and then, seemingly to compensate, whir out its soap futilely without any intentional prompting.


"One in an ACRL Philadelphia series. Collect the whole set."

ACRL Philadelphia: What's My Line

Since I dislike queues--I mean waiting in them--I found appalling the frequency and length of them for those seeking food at various counters in the conference center and the nearby food market. I guess if you live in the city this is expected. I don't, and maybe this is why I lack an immunity to queue-wait (not to be confused with the Middle East country).






"One in an ACRL Philadelphia series. Collect the whole set."

ACRL Philadelphia: Current Event

If you hung around after the sessions of the day ended, you'd find that the Convention Center and the Reading terminal would turn off most of their lights. Presumably, this was for the laudable purpose of saving energy, which even at that level might still take a million hamsters in a million wheels to produce. Ironically, Philadelphia was the residence of Benjamin Franklin, known for his experiments with electricity and whose face adorns the nearby power plant.


"One in an ACRL Philadelphia series. Collect the whole set."