For centuries the public library has been a great source of knowledge through books. Now one library in Canada is opening up the scope of how you acquire knowledge at the library; by offering up skilled people. Why read a history book when you can talk to a historian?
The program is far less insidious than it sounds. The library has assembled a group of volunteers with particularly interesting skills or histories, and has a system in place to put these people in touch with knowledge seekers. If you’re looking for someone to practice your German with, or to ask about their experiences during the Great Depression, or their struggle with illness, the library will put you in touch with an appropriate individual. Once in touch, you can meet in the library’s cafe, keeping the entire operation under one roof.
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How awesome would this be? Don’t let the million dollar price tag for a five night stay get in your way, you have until 2016 to save up the money.
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With severe drought gripping much of central China this winter, authorities there didn’t just sit back and let Mother Nature scrimp on the rain. They blasted it out of the sky, with thousands of rockets launched from pickup trucks.
As some of China’s farming regions faced their worst winter rainfall shortage in six decades, authorities throughout the country turned to cloud seeding — where tiny particles of silver iodide are shot into clouds to trigger the ice crystals that eventually become rain. While using planes to dump silver iodide can help large areas, many provinces rely on rockets launched from pickup beds, a cheaper solution.
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