Database updated
- Thread starter mjp
- Start date
mjp
Founding member
I thought it was worth mentioning that I was entering a manuscript for a poem that appeared in Open All Night into the database, and somehow it was unaltered!
It was edited, but it was only a change from p.m. to a.m., and the change made sense in the context of the poem. Imagine that.
It was edited, but it was only a change from p.m. to a.m., and the change made sense in the context of the poem. Imagine that.
Pogue Mahone
Officials say drugs may have played a part
Broadside add for He Went For The Windmills, Yes from Brewton last year
mjp
Founding member
In the never-ending quest to appease the Gods (a.k.a. Google), I have made some changes to the database code to add the poem, book, magazine, recording, etc. titles to the URLs on the results pages.
Like so:
To get that to work I had to update the code in pretty much every file that the database uses, and I think I've tested all the options, but if you notice something that doesn't seem to be working as you'd expect in the database, please let me know.
Thank you for your kind indulgence.
Like so:
To get that to work I had to update the code in pretty much every file that the database uses, and I think I've tested all the options, but if you notice something that doesn't seem to be working as you'd expect in the database, please let me know.
Thank you for your kind indulgence.
I thought that I'd run some checks and got over to the Wormwood site here (database/lists/Wormwood Review Appearances). The first poem listed there is Thank God for Alleys. If I click the link, I am brought to the page that lists books, magazines, manuscripts, etc. All of those headers are present, but they are not populated (everything is grayed out). Conversely, if I search for the same poem at the main database search page, I get the a hit and when I click that link, I get to the same page, but it is populated with book and magazine appearances that are links to further info.
Maybe I'm missing something, but I'm assuming that searching through Wormwood should bring up the same info that comes up from the main search page. I also tried this for the NYQ and I found the same issue, so perhaps the links through the individual magazines (and/or other routes) aren't connected somehow. I tried the "Books" link and that seemed to work OK.
Maybe I'm missing something, but I'm assuming that searching through Wormwood should bring up the same info that comes up from the main search page. I also tried this for the NYQ and I found the same issue, so perhaps the links through the individual magazines (and/or other routes) aren't connected somehow. I tried the "Books" link and that seemed to work OK.
It looks like Broadsides, Wormwood, NYQ and Chronological Magazine Appearances are the ones that aren't functioning. The rest appear to be.
mjp
Founding member
The manuscript links open on the database results page now (rather than loading a separate page over in the /manuscripts directory).
As always, if you see something, say something.
As always, if you see something, say something.
mjp
Founding member
Two things:
I changed the database search result page to not show items that don't exist. Previously the results page listed every possible result, whether that item was available for the work or not (recordings, broadsides, forum items, etc. - those lines would be there, but they would just be blank if there was nothing available). Now it only returns what it has a link for.
Second, there is a new "external link" field for things like this.
I changed the database search result page to not show items that don't exist. Previously the results page listed every possible result, whether that item was available for the work or not (recordings, broadsides, forum items, etc. - those lines would be there, but they would just be blank if there was nothing available). Now it only returns what it has a link for.
Second, there is a new "external link" field for things like this.
mjp
Founding member
That last link is to a poem, by the way, but above the poem is a review (sort of) of Bukowski's first readings at The Bridge in Los Angeles, and it was written by John Thomas who says he taped both nights.
Everything I've read said he had about a million tapes in his house though, so it's unlikely those will ever be found. If they were even saved.
Everything I've read said he had about a million tapes in his house though, so it's unlikely those will ever be found. If they were even saved.
I was wading through the database and made the observation:
In the Play The Piano Drunk contents listing, the below poem appears as:
"The Proud Thin Dying" - written circa 1988
Prob should be 1978...
In the Play The Piano Drunk contents listing, the below poem appears as:
"The Proud Thin Dying" - written circa 1988
Prob should be 1978...
Actually, since it first appeared in Poetry Now, Vol. 2, No. 2, it probably should be circa 1975. But I know well that the management here appreciates watchful eyes on the database. The idea of getting it perfect seems impossible, but that would seem to be the goal.
mjp
Founding member
For a while I was adding "circa" dates based on the collection publication date (when there wasn't an earlier magazine appearance to date a work by). That's why you might see that kind of error here and there. It happened when magazine appearance info was added later and I neglected to update the "written" date.
I'll fix this one, but otherwise the database is perfect!
Or it gets more perfect all the time. Depends on how you want to look at it.
I'll fix this one, but otherwise the database is perfect!
Or it gets more perfect all the time. Depends on how you want to look at it.
PhillyDave
“The essential doesn't change.” Beckett
thnx
I love the teamwork here. Purple Stickpin: great catch. I should have noticed that.
When I said "wading," I really meant "immersing." Or maybe "spelunking," as I do enjoy rappelling down deep into its caverns. I could spend days, weeks, prob years, in the database. Like it's the Matrix.
The database, and this site, is an amazing achievement. I appreciate it very much. Thanks, mjp, and everyone else who assists in maintaining its awesomeness.
With that said, I made an upward swing from Piano to Septuagenarian Stew (1990).
The Burning Of The Dream - pg. 42 - manuscript - circa 1991-1994
Talk - pg. 92 - manuscript - circa 1991-1994
Rags, Bottles, Sacks - pg. 13 - manuscript - circa 1983-1994
Are the 90s date ranges okay for these entries?
When I said "wading," I really meant "immersing." Or maybe "spelunking," as I do enjoy rappelling down deep into its caverns. I could spend days, weeks, prob years, in the database. Like it's the Matrix.
The database, and this site, is an amazing achievement. I appreciate it very much. Thanks, mjp, and everyone else who assists in maintaining its awesomeness.
With that said, I made an upward swing from Piano to Septuagenarian Stew (1990).
The Burning Of The Dream - pg. 42 - manuscript - circa 1991-1994
Talk - pg. 92 - manuscript - circa 1991-1994
Rags, Bottles, Sacks - pg. 13 - manuscript - circa 1983-1994
Are the 90s date ranges okay for these entries?
mjp
Founding member
"talk" should have been 1983-1990. That's the date range for the IBM typewriter.
I changed "the burning of the dream" to 1986, since that's when the library fire happened.
I put that wide date range on "rags, bottles, sacks" because I didn't have a date, and I thought it could have been typed on a manual typewriter. But now that I look at it, I think it was done on the computer. I haven't yet seen any other computer poems that used a courier font (or whatever it's called on a Mac).
I changed "the burning of the dream" to 1986, since that's when the library fire happened.
I put that wide date range on "rags, bottles, sacks" because I didn't have a date, and I thought it could have been typed on a manual typewriter. But now that I look at it, I think it was done on the computer. I haven't yet seen any other computer poems that used a courier font (or whatever it's called on a Mac).
Thanks, mjp. You are supremely satisfying my OCD...
Query: If Stew was published May 1990, shouldn't rags, bottles, sacks be at least circa 1990 or earlier, rather than 1991--1994?
New observation:
The Last Night of the Earth Poems (1992)
Confession - pg. 138 - circa 1993
Should this be 1984, as per its first appearance in Wormwood Review 96?
Sorry. I've been "hittin' the 'base" hard, one could say....
Query: If Stew was published May 1990, shouldn't rags, bottles, sacks be at least circa 1990 or earlier, rather than 1991--1994?
New observation:
The Last Night of the Earth Poems (1992)
Confession - pg. 138 - circa 1993
Should this be 1984, as per its first appearance in Wormwood Review 96?
Sorry. I've been "hittin' the 'base" hard, one could say....
mjp
Founding member
Don't apologize for improving the database, hombre.
"Rags" had to be written before 1990, yes. That's why I took the date off the results page.
I don't know what to make of that "rags" manuscript though. It doesn't match anything from 1983-1990, when he was using the IBM Selectric. It still looks like computer to me (the underscore on those few lines looks a little too smooth and perfect to be a manual). That and there's no match for the typeface in any other manuscripts. I'll have to look and see if I have a better image of that one from Santa Barbara of the Huntington that just isn't on the site yet.
He re-typed older poems a couple of times, for what purpose I don't know. But I've seen two that I can think of. I'm wondering if he didn't re-type "rags" on the computer for some reason, even though it was old(er).
The date on "confession" is fixed.
"Rags" had to be written before 1990, yes. That's why I took the date off the results page.
I don't know what to make of that "rags" manuscript though. It doesn't match anything from 1983-1990, when he was using the IBM Selectric. It still looks like computer to me (the underscore on those few lines looks a little too smooth and perfect to be a manual). That and there's no match for the typeface in any other manuscripts. I'll have to look and see if I have a better image of that one from Santa Barbara of the Huntington that just isn't on the site yet.
He re-typed older poems a couple of times, for what purpose I don't know. But I've seen two that I can think of. I'm wondering if he didn't re-type "rags" on the computer for some reason, even though it was old(er).
The date on "confession" is fixed.
Good to know. I didn't want to be a pain, still.......my last 2 db observations for a while:
--The Sept Stew poem list has some titles in italics. I'm assuming not intentional.
--Prob my laptop settings, but when I click on any jpg links in the Timeline, nothing happens...well, except for the concentric "thinking" circles appearing, then the screen image goes kind of faded, but no jpg image appears.
If I right click on the link, I can "open in new window" and see the image I don't have another computer handy to check if it's indeed my system settings.
--The Sept Stew poem list has some titles in italics. I'm assuming not intentional.
--Prob my laptop settings, but when I click on any jpg links in the Timeline, nothing happens...well, except for the concentric "thinking" circles appearing, then the screen image goes kind of faded, but no jpg image appears.
If I right click on the link, I can "open in new window" and see the image I don't have another computer handy to check if it's indeed my system settings.
Re italics: Embarrassing fail on my part. I should've picked up on that!
Re "my last 2 db observations for a while": I lied. I love the db. If I see something, I'll say something...
Re "my last 2 db observations for a while": I lied. I love the db. If I see something, I'll say something...
Most of why the DB is so good is mjp's tireless devotion to it. But without our input and some cross-checking by him to verify our musings, it wouldn't benefit from the variety of input and thus be of the scope it has now reached. Which is more or less a wind-bag way of saying "all input welcome."
poem "The Image" [https://bukowski.net/database/detail.php?w=3212&Title=the-image] and "Image" [https://bukowski.net/database/detail.php?w=1654&Title=image] is same.