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9 Trends L. Libr. Mgmt. & Tech. 5 (1998)
Books

handle is hein.journals/ttllmt9 and id is 21 raw text is: Trends vantages of DVD are manifold, as image quality re- mains more intact than with tape-to-tape duplication, access points within the content of the disk can be more easily identified, and disk storage is somewhat longer than tape storage- possibly 20 to 30 years longer. The disadvantage of DVD is the amount of hard drive disk space it requires. Full-frame capacity (480 x 680 pixels, 100 KB/frame) will yield roughly five minutes of video per GB. Thus an average oral his- tory interview lasting one to two hours can require dozens of GBs. The speed of the processor can be important in tape digitization also, as a faster proces- sor facilitates digitization. Eventually, all sound and picture images such as videotaped interviews will routinely be available on- line. The technology is in place; however, some im- provements are needed before it becomes practical. While the audio portion retains its integrity, the visu- al aspect lags a bit and can be distracting to watch for any length of time. When images are distorted, some subtleties can be lost on the audience. If the video portion of a program is essential, online trans- mission of information will not be satisfactory. But, as with any other technology, just wait a few months and it will change. John Pedini is Director of Media Services with the Social Law Library, Boston. BOOKS The Fourth Turning: An American Prophecy Review by G. LEGRANDE FLETCHER, Brigham Young University Do ever get the feeling that the current chaos in American society surely must have Ea parallel somewhere? Fourth Turning, by William Strauss and Neil Howe (New York: Broadway Books, 1997. 383 p. $27.50 paper) posits that today is similar to the years immediately preceding the American Revolution, the years right before the Civil War, and the period leading up to the Great De- pression. Moreover, authors Strauss and Howe pre- dict a similar watershed event in U. S. culture, soci- ety, politics, law, and Weltanschauung in the next decade. It's an unusual approach to evaluating socie- tal trends that law librarians might want to consider, even if they disagree with the authors' historical pre- dictions. Psychoanalyzing History History and psychology are melded uniquely to produce the predictions in Fourth Turning. The per- spective is so distinct, it takes the authors half the book to explain it. The psychology part of the text applies various psychosocial theories not to individuals but rather to entire generations. Each of these theories has four parts. They include Jung's four attitude types, Myers- Briggs' four personality types, and William I. Thomp- son's four social functions. Strauss and Howe's four generational temperaments and archetypes are- in this order-hero, artist, prophet, and nomad. The history part of the text takes these four generational profiles and puts them in a repeating historical frame- work. For example, the civic-minded John F. Kennedy and George Bush generation is labeled hero; the Elvis Presley, Sandra Day O'Connor, and Colin Pow- ell generation is artist; the Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich baby boomer generation is prophet; and the Tom Cruise, Jodie Foster, and Princess Diana generation is nomad. The authors of Fourth Turning examine corres- ponding generational types that preceded the current four and trace their cycles in history for the past five centuries. Then, predicting that the cycles will be re- continued on page 6 June 1998 9

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