Personal Digital Libraries / Personal Video Libraries
Remember the days when we had home libraries featuring Encyclopedia Britannica, the World Book Encyclopedia, Webster’s
Dictionary and more? Those days have quietly faded into memory, along with the heavy hardbound volumes that together comprised our foundation of knowledge for many generations.
The internet provides a rich and ubiquitous source of information, though few realize how vulnerable that source can truly be.
Two facts should not be forgotten: 1. The internet (and all modern communication) is based on the availability of electricity. 2. The authoritarian control of information is increasing rapidly.
What will we do when the lights go out, or when information availability becomes inadequate to support our daily decision-making processes? The answer is twofold; PDLs (Personal Digital Libraries) and a PVLs (Personal Video Libraries). Predicting rolling blackouts (soon), along with increasingly broad restrictions, EBG is working diligently to create offline sources of information and entertainment.
Although excellent for starting fires and wiping up without leaving behind a racing stripe
— WC
(on your behind) due to modern fast-drying inks, books in hard-copy form have
become impractical; they’re too heavy, too large, and completely inaccessible without
specific mental intent, a nimble dexterity, and physical exertion.
Power Makes it Possible
The redundant electric power sources of EBG make it possible to enjoy a variety of conveniences that would otherwise be unavailable. In addition to our basic cooking, refrigeration, and lighting needs, we can also power a laptop (and hub with portable hard drive array) that hosts our PDLs and PDVs.
Personal Digital Libraries (PDLs)
Books and collections fall into two categories: copyrighted and public domain. Either category can be downloaded for personal use (not for resale); if you can find it online, you can add it to your personal library without much effort.
For copyrighted collections, EBG offers consulting services and advice on the best methods for building these collections.
Public domain libraries are uniquely interesting though somewhat limited in availability. EBG offers a variety of public domain collections.
Please contact [email protected] for more information.
Available Downloads
To view the files available today, please go to the EBG Downloads page.
Personal Video Libraries (PVLs)
Unlike PDLs, PVLs take up considerably more space, and are likewise more difficult to collect and host for offline enjoyment. At EBG, we use WD hard drives (with RAID-1 redundancy) for file storage, and Plex Media Server for organization and delivery. Featuring easy installation and a simple but elegant user interface, Plex easily replaces the features we enjoy online. Please contact [email protected] for more information on this subject.
EBG Can Help — Consulting Services
EBG has a list of PDLs (copyrighted and public domain) that have already been collected, and provides consultant services for collating PDVs. Please contact [email protected] for more information on PDLs and PVLs.