In one of those darling movies my lovely wife and I have watched so many times that now we've had to switch over to watching British Amateur Home Economics Competition Shows, there is a scene I must describe to set the stage for today's column. The movie this scene is from is called "Dog Days". An aspiring musician is taking care of his sister's dog. Reluctantly, on the first morning that he is taking care of the dog, he has to take that dog outside to answer the call of nature. The dog is in no hurry, and he wanders to every possible place to sniff and inspect before relieving himself. The musician becomes increasingly frustrated as the dog cannot seem to decide.
Finally the impatient musician cries out at the dog "Just pick one! They are all the same!"
Set that now into your mythical frame of reference.
Thank you.
Now let me tell you a story, a not uncommon story from the front desk of my library.
At my library we have over a hundred Internet computers available for the public's use. One can log on to these computers with a library card. But for people who don't want or have a library card, or for paranoid patrons who fear their Internet activity might somehow link to their card, we have generic Internet passes freely available. They sit piled up on our various public desks, and we give out hundreds of these every day.
Most people just come along and swiftly grab two or three of these passes (just to be sure?). But it is not uncommon for a library visitor to come stand over our passes, poking their fingers at them, and studying them carefully as they block up the desk.
"Can I help you?" I ask.
"I'm just trying to find a really good one." They say, as if it makes any sense.
Just pick one! They are all the same!
Coda:
In the movie "Dog Days", near the end the musician has bonded very closely with his sister's dog, and on their last morning together he takes the dog out for his evacuations.
"Don't rush it." He advises. "It has to feel right."
Sometimes I feel pretty peaceful at the desk too. And as the library patron endlessly sorts through our passes, carefully reading through every one, I only think: "That's right, get a good one. Logging on with the wrong Internet pass could affect the whole experience.
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