Project Update: Virtual Distraction

When I was in college, I could never go to the library to study. I tried a few times but sitting in the stacks with my still-in-mint-condition textbook, I was still surrounded by hundreds of volumes that had other information I might want to know. I couldn't concentrate on my textbook when I knew there were so many other books begging to be looked at. It didn't matter where I sat, I would find something more interesting, more appealing to read. Welsh mythology, bridge engineering, whatever -- nothing was off limits!

So having to do a project on the web is like sitting in the stacks the night before an exam. And I'm interested in my project, I like my project but there are so many distractions just a click away. Parental controls could keep me off Twitter and ESPN 3, but they don't protect me from the Library of Virginia, historical newspaper collections, and other sites I legitimately need to use for my project. Once I get into one, I start thinking of all the other things I want to look up or could learn. I'm back in the stacks at WVU.