I want to share with you a recent discovery (thanks Kim!) that I think some of you might enjoy. It's a great little (mostly) free Internet service called Daily Lit. Daily Lit is just that. Literature delivered to your e-mail inbox daily (or 5 days a week, or M-W-F, whatever you choose). At first I thought this was kind of odd. Why not just actually get the book? Well, most of the books on Daily Lit are free. It's true, they're generally older or classics. The new books cost a small fee ($3-$5 I think). This can be a good thing though. They probably have some books you never would read otherwise but are great for making yourself look more intelligent. Example. "So yesterday, while I was reading the Communist Manifesto..." Another perk is that it sends them in small, easily readable chunks. You don't have to look for a good place to stop if you only have 10 or 15 minutes to read. Daily Lit does it for you. And if you have more then 10 or 15 minutes, just click a link at the bottom of the e-mail to receive the next installment immediately. Or, if you prefer not to clutter up your inbox with one extra email a day, you can subscribe by RSS.
My favorite thing about Daily Lit, however, is the fact that I can read the installments at work. One of the few things that is not blocked on our computers is Gmail. This means I can always read my Daily Lit. And, even though the Daily Lit site is blocked, when I click to receive the next installment, it successfully sends (and gives me a, very reminiscent of Asbury College, Websense page. Oh the nostalgia. I haven't been Websensed in years.) Why not just bring a book you say? Well bringing a book says, "I'm here to not work tonight." To me it also says, "Another thing to leave at work and loose forever." Checking your e-mail, on the other hand, says, "I'm taking a small break to conduct some possibly important business through my e-mail account." Heck, one of my co-workers thought I was doing research. And therein lies the true beauty of Daily Lit. Subverting the system on multiple levels. Oh you rebel, you!
