Mary Roach’s Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers is the Science Section of the Tuesday New York Times meets This American Life. In this exploration of what happens to our bodies after we die, Roach eases us past the initial gore into a story of wonder about the human corpse.

Human cadaver research in the auto industry has been around since the 1960’s. The first few decades of study helped us learn how to save human lives in a car crash; this work resulted in the three-pointed seat belt and the air bag. The next phase of cadaver work is showing bioengineers how to save ankles, wrists, and other parts of our extremities so that when we survive crashes, we can walk and pick up our children.

As Dennis Shanahan, an injury analyst whose worked helped to explain why TWA Flight 800 crashed into the Atlantic in 1996, points out in an interview with Roach, as a human pathologist you can get used to the gore, but not the suffering. Similarly, as a reader, I get used to the grisly, but can’t get over the human body. I’ll never look at my own flesh quite the same way.

See the VBT schedule to find a stop near you.

Digital Preservation

We take for granted that our cultural artifacts will last. This is why it offends and horrifies us when we learn of decaying archaeological sites, looted museums and burning libraries. But our digital heritage does not afford the durability that we enjoy with cave paintings, cuneiform tablets, and even paper. Web sites are disappearing and changing all the time.

Sadly, if you ask most digital content creators what their strategy for preserving their material, they tell you that they have backup tapes or printouts. A wonderful article in June 19th’s Economist outlines why backups are not a preservation strategy.

Just two weeks before the big event, I finished writing my book. The last pass was the most difficult; about three months ago it became clear that each chapter was good on its own, but the material did not come together to make a whole book. I am told that this is a typical problem for the first time author. I fixed it; Web Design on a Shoestring is now the book that I wanted it to be. In September or October, it can be in your hot little hands.

There is, however, a chance that it will not be published under this title. There are three book buyers in the English speaking world: Amazon, Borders, and Barnes and Noble. One of these three (I myself do not know which one it is) has trouble with the title.

My publisher and I are working to resolve my little problem; market research indicates that Web Design on a Shoestring registers well with consumers. If the research does not cajole the reluctant book buyer to accept our title, my editor and I will come up with a new moniker.

Book writing is hard, and book marketing is hard. I may only have to change my title to get my book picked up by the sellers. Easy enough. But for an author to get her book to sell to consumers is the next worry.

Kevin Smokler has a plan for helping authors with this problem: the Virtual Book Tour (VBT). Most book deals do not include marketing, so authors must take it upon themselves to sell their own stuff. Tomorrow, The Rogue Librarian site will be a stop of the first day of Mary Roach’s Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers virtual road trip.

Thank you for the well wishes.