Grateful Monday

Jones, Tim (2008). Transported.

Photo source: Tim Jones: Books in the Trees

I was reading Tim Jones’ book blog this morning. He has just published Transported, a collection of his short fiction. The book is in my queue to buy once I have another contract lined up. (OK. That’s the end of the shameless plug for my LibraryThing acquaintance who shares a taste for science fiction and Arthur C. Clarke.)

Tim’s blog linked to a new offering from the New Zealand Book Council, which I am pleased to share here. The Council has a program called Read at Work, which I assume intends to promote literacy and familiarity with literature. Using Windows Remote Desktop, the Council makes an assortment of work available online in the guise of PowerPoint presentations. You can read a book, but if your boss walks by, it looks as if you’re perusing a presentation.

The punctuation and layout of the one I scanned are very creative. It really does look like a bad PowerPoint presentation typical of what passes for business communication these days.

Grateful Monday

So that brings me to today’s Grateful Monday. I never cease to be surprised by the inventiveness of the human spirit. Read at Work is just one example of that inventiveness—albeit a slightly dishonest one. I am grateful for that inventiveness in all of its expressions. Let us continue to be human and not be reduced to some utilitarian net.