Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Amid all the economic crashes and political shenanigans and other dodgy news,
recently, France soldiers on -- that's one thing I like, about the place and its people,
they're long-lived... adept at surviving and enjoying it, as I too very much hope to
be...
Nous autres are not used to the energy with which the French promote France,
certainly not officially. The current Whitehouse.gov site does a pretty good job, as
does USA.gov altho that is more for bureaucracy-assistance than for selling-the
-image. So, imagine a UK.uk, or a USA.us : most government tourist authorities and
supported by the folks back 'ome -- not so, however, the French -- see,
http://www.france.fr
Connai^tre
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Visiter
Vivre
Etudier
Travailler
Entreprendre
and the many other activities and interests for which the place
and its people are famous, but they must be in there somewhere...
http://www.france.fr/en
Knowing
Visiting
Living
Studying
Working
Investing
The site is a very useful, and new, one-stop entry-point / gateway for anyone with any
interest in or now learning about France, and the French, and things-French: worth-a-
* Online now via France.fr : the BnF, and "On l'appelle << Le Labo >>"
[tr. JK]
"The Bibliothe`que nationale de France (BNF) has opened, to the public, a reading
room of the future, the only one in Europe equipped with all the latest technologies
"It is called << le Labo >>: a 120 square meter space, nearly 1300 square feet, in the
East Hall of the Bibliothe`que Franc,ois-Mitterrand in Paris, next to the reading room.
"The reader, the researcher, or even the simple visitor is met there by a giant touch-
screen, offering access to thousands of entries in the digital collections of the BNF.
"These entries are relayed via e-readers and << papier e'lectronique >>, on small
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screens equipped with a stylus. All the information systems are inter-connected, with
"By providing this place for experiments, the Bibliothe`que Nationale enables users
to try out the new media of reading, of writing, and of the distribution of knowledge,
"This way the library stays up to date on the new technologies -- 'disruptive'
technologies, capable very soon of replacing the book or even the simple computer.
"Workshops and conferences also offer occasions for discussion, of the evolution of
the new media, and for expressing the ideas of the BnF on these disruptive
technologies.
designed to help the aged and the handicapped, also helps visitors by translating
"If you are not yet decided, about visiting this 'espace du futur', the 'Labo' also may
http://labo.bnf.fr/html/accueil.htm
* Le blog du Labo --
http://labobnf.blogspot.com/
http://www.dailymotion.com/BNF
http://www.france.fr/vivre/detente/loisirs/article/le-labo-la-bibliotheque-du-futur-
ouverte-au-public