{"id":10303,"date":"2023-11-28T11:36:39","date_gmt":"2023-11-28T17:36:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/?p=10303"},"modified":"2023-11-28T11:36:39","modified_gmt":"2023-11-28T17:36:39","slug":"wlbott-the-website-of-last-recourse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/?p=10303","title":{"rendered":"WLBOTT – The Website of Last Recourse"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We came upon an interesting phrase in yesterday’s BLOTT: the “library of last recourse”<\/strong>. In the context of the Boston Public Library, this means “all adult residents of the state are entitled to borrowing and research privileges”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it can also have a darker meaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A University of Alabama research project uses the phrase in the context of extreme poverty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cSociety tells us that if you are not in a certain income bracket, you must have a character flaw,\u201d Bolland shares off-handedly. \u201cThis kind of environment is the place of last recourse. In years of coming here, I\u2019ve seen great kindness from the people who\u2019ve invited me into their homes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\nUniversity of Alabama Web Site<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
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Punishment of Last Recourse<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Not only do I disbelieve in the need for compensation, but I believe that the seeking for rewards and punishments out of this life leads men to a ruinous ignorance of the fact that their inevitable rewards and punishments are here.<\/p>\nThomas Huxley<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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It is safer to offend certain men than it is to oblige them; for as proof that they owe nothing they seek recourse in hatred.<\/p>\nSeneca the Younger<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The following quote reminds me of a scene in a Robert Heinlein<\/strong> young adult novel. A kid, maybe 13 or 14, is complaining about something, and his father asks him, “If you’re having trouble with this, how will you ever face a firing squad?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWear your best for your execution and stand dignified. Your last recourse against randomness is how you act \u2013 if you can\u2019t control outcomes, you can control the elegance of your behaviour. You will always have the last word.\u201d
\"\"<\/p>\nNassim Nicholas Taleb<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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And back to WLBOTT – the Website of Last Recourse<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Picture a not-too-distant dystopian future (not very hard to do), and due to a combination of sun spots, fascist single party minority rule, profound ignorance (of the Jersey Shores \/ Kardashian \/ Jordan Peterson variety), the only accessible web site ON THE ENTIRE internet (series of tubes<\/a><\/em>) is wlbott.com.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Humanity has to reconstruct all of society based on the BLOTTs found within.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For reference purposes, those of you reading in the distant future, here are some ideas for rebuilding the world:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This is also partially due to the fact that WLBOTT <\/strong>is the only web site that does a complete daily back-up<\/em> to punched paper tape. Punched paper tape is an archival medium that is completely resistant to Electromagnetic Pulse. We might be rebuilding from this:
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Punched Tape<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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History<\/strong>
Perforated paper tapes were first used by Basile Bouchon in 1725<\/strong> to control looms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Modern use<\/strong>
In the 21st century, use of punched tape would be very rare, possibly in obsolete military systems or by some hobbyists. In computer numerical control (CNC) machining applications, paper tape is uncommon, but some modern systems still measure the size of stored CNC programs in feet or meters, corresponding to the equivalent length if the data were actually punched on paper tape.<\/p>\nWikipedia<\/a> (image<\/a>) (image<\/a>)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Pull out the main plug before opening the device!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Cryptography<\/strong>
Vernam ciphers were invented in 1917 to encrypt teleprinter communications using a key stored on paper tape. During the last third of the 20th century, the National Security Agency (NSA) used punched paper tape to distribute cryptographic keys. The eight-level paper tapes were distributed under strict accounting controls and read by a fill device, such as the hand held KOI-18, that was temporarily connected to each security device that needed new keys. NSA has been trying to replace this method with a more secure electronic key management system (EKMS), but as of 2016, paper tape was apparently still being employed<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Advantages<\/strong>
Punched tape has some advantages:<\/p>\n\n\n\n