\nFor one, it lets you scare<\/a> your relatives.<\/p>\n \n \nFor another, because the postmen are too terrified of the birdlife to do anything useful<\/a> it means that we have access to all the journals and stuff that people in more civilized (or at least, less convict-ridden) places take for granted.<\/p>\n \nAnd when we don’t have online access to a journal, there is a rather splendid Document Delivery Service<\/em> whereby one can fill in a form on the library website, after which the \nBut the thing that made me bang my head against the table this morning was (remember that we are talking about a library<\/em> here) the email containing the sentence<\/p>\n \nTo retrieve your document, go to [url] and enter your email address as the login and the following PIN number<\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n \nA personal PIN number, presumably. Like the sort you might use in the automated ATM machines.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" … I just play one in real life. So. Out here in the boonies , surrounded by man-eating spiders , spider-eating snakes, man-eating sharks and shark-eating crocs (shut up, Henry), an internet connection is a very good thing. For one, … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/science\/scribblygum\/July2002\/img\/postie.jpg\")
<\/p>\nobedient trolls<\/del>
\nhighly-skilled librarians talk nicely to the people at the British Library and one finally (quite rapidly, actually \u2014 in about 3 days) receives a scanned photocopy (yes, I know) of the relevant article (in black and white, which makes my inner cell-biologist cry<\/a> but I’m not going to quibble over that. Yet).<\/p>\n