Showing posts with label Sandwich Public Library. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sandwich Public Library. Show all posts

Friday, March 2, 2012

Getting Free Internet

If you buy a computer, these days it is probably a good idea to buy a laptop.  The laptop I am currently using happened to be a floor model.  It is Acer brand, and I am very happy with it, especially since with it I can do wireless internet.  Laptops are great these days because there are so many places with free internet.  That is there are several local places within a few minutes where wireless internet is available.  There is a local motel.  However, I stopped using them since it seemed like they were limiting my access.  Also, I felt like I couldn’t really offer them anything in return, since I could only use it in the parking lot.  I often use the internet at the Sandwich Public Library, Sandwich, MA.  They are great because they have a place I can plug in, such that my batteries don’t run out.  And, I use the free wireless at McDonald’s the most often, especially since they are open late hours.  Frankly, we don’t have the money to afford internet at home, and I would rather see that kind of money go to charity than to spend it selfishly.
I am not being selfish by going to McDonald’s or the using the local library.  I don’t believe accepting free gifts is a good idea.  For McDonalds, though I don’t get paid, I still try and off them something in return.  If I can, then I dress nicely when I go to McDonalds or buy a small soda.  Many people have told me that I look good, and though I am not growing any younger, I figure that I can be an advertisement for McDonalds to help make people want to go there.  That is, when I go to McDonalds I treat it like I am going to a job.  We should always look for what we can give to help.  Many people don’t like McDonald’s and I hope that through using the internet there, I can help turn some of peoples’ bad attitudes into good attitudes about McDonalds.  Really, I think there is nothing wrong with eating a little junk food now and then.  Most psychologists say that a little bit of vice is a good thing.  I imagine that McDonald’s started offering free internet because they figure that it can be profitable.  That is, people like me will go to McDonald’s, either to be around other people, or to use the internet, and then buy things while they are at it.  Many malls offer free internet for similar reasons.
The Sandwich Public Library, however is a nonprofit.  But, I figure that they profit by usage.  For example, if more people go there, then more people will get educated by their wonderful books and media.  So, by using the Sandwich Public Library for internet, I am being an advertisement as well.  I look good, and since I study, and act courteously with the librarians, hopefully by using the local library, I can be a benefit to our town.  And, in my opinion, good deeds anywhere, effect the world everywhere.  If nothing else, then my body heat is helping to reduce the library’s and McDonald’s heating bill.
Lastly, I know that it costs more to make a penny than a penny is worth, and that is a shame.  That means, we all need to work harder to see that our change is well spent.  We should consider the penny the most important unit of our currency, and not the dollar.  Therefore, by not overpaying for internet at home, I am helping, even if it is just a little bit, to improve the value of the dollar.  I feel that it is important for me to use the internet, especially I try not to squander my time when I use the internet.  Generally, when I use the internet, I think:  What can I give, not what can I get.  With any luck, if more people are like me, the price of internet at homes will go down.

Sunday, February 26, 2012

1st Bartering - Sandwich, MA Public Library

I like to go to the library. I use it for many reasons. However, this blog is not about that. It’s about bartering. I had lost my library card, and there is a fee for a new card. The fee is $3. I’m okay with it. The fee probably even written into law or something. Don’t let anything stop you from bartering. Many times people will waive something, especially if you can give them something in return. So, to get the fee waived, I offered about $50 in free books. The idea was to be somewhat charitable in addition to making the trade.

Naturally, there was a little stammer in by the librarian. She had probably never encountered something like this before. She was not the head librarian, so she said that she wanted to consult her superior before making the decision. In my town, I don’t know of many people that barter. That is a shame.

When the librarian said that she would have to ask her superior, I retracted my offer of the books. In Hyannis, I know that there is a place where I can leave books, and though I would get nothing in return for it, I feel laws should not be hard and fast, such that they can’t be waived. That is, I felt a need to give to charity, but it is important not to squander one’s valuables. If it wasn’t worth it to the librarian to give me a free card in return for about 7 books, 2 of which were hard cover, I didn’t want them to have my books. Seriously, I was offering them a trade of about $50 for a $3 card. If it wasn’t worth it to them, then I would take my books elsewhere, where there was nothing that could be offered to me in return. Maybe, the next place wouldn’t squander it? However, I am glad that there was no squandering, and I was proud of how my town acted with my generous proposition.

I prefer to give to charity locally before I give it away to places further away though it is important not to neglect places that are further away. In the story of the city of Sodom in the Bible, according to legend lack of hospitality was the reason the city was destroyed. As the legend goes, the people in Sodom would starve anyone who visited by doing things like raising the cost of bread. So, what this legend tells us is that it is important to be hospitable to everyone, and not just locals. This is why the Sandwich Public Library was my first choice to give books.

Luckily, the librarian made a split decision, and decided to waive the $3 fee. I am very proud to live in the town I live in. I like for it to be a nice place and a part of that is actually working to make it a nice place. Hopefully, by bartering, I have helped improve the world, and not ripped off the town. What do you think?