My local public library subscribes to Hoopla Digital, and it’s been a really great experience as a library patron. The app works great, the video and audio streaming and download functions seem flawless, and even reading comic books is enjoyable. When I found that I could watch/read/listen to the media not only on my phone but also in a web browser and on a special Roku channel on my TV (I think this last one is for videos only), I was even happier with the product.

I’m 25 minutes into the film They Might Be Giants (1971), and so far this is a fantastic INTJ-ENTP bridge movie. I say “bridge” because developing some of those INTJ-useful ENTP characteristics is probably made easier by observing the main character’s ENTP-style actions. If you are looking for inspiration as you become more of a scientist (of any kind, professional or not), this film has some real promise.

Geoge C. Scott plays a credible eccentric who believes in himself and his work, who chases down leads, and generally remains open to—and smart about—new information. He is mentally engaged, creative, excited, and fun. He’s an original thinker, developing his own theories and models. In short, he models what should be very creditable behavior for any INTJ in combination with the typical INTJ skillset.

If you’re looking for a direction in which to head as you seek more pleasure in life, I think this is a good lead to check out. You might not (even probably won’t) become the caricatured jumpy eccentric, but turning the knobs just a bit further in that direction could prove very beneficial.

Another potential ENTP-thought-model lead here, and a favorite book of mine, is Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!

By the way, here’s my current model for using Hoopla:

• I make heavy use of the recommendations given beneath any item shown.
• I find that four or five-star reviews are generally pretty reliable, and lower-scored items are usually worth avoiding. (In some other systems this is not the case)
• The filter function to narrow down searches is very helpful; you can filter by media type and quickly narrow down the number of results. The thumbnail images between media types don’t change much, so it can be easy to accidentally check out a 16-hour audio book when you just wanted a text to skim.
• I keep a sharp eye on the number of pages for books. A book on psychology that is 15 pages long might, or might not, be the kind of thing I’m looking for. With films I find that I look at the actors’ names just to know if the film is made in my native language; sometimes I watch movies with people who just aren’t into reading subtitles.
• It has been really useful to bombard the search tool with a variety of keywords that are remotely linked to my interests. I found a lot of really interesting titles this way. Sometimes when I just want to browse I’ll search for “the” or “and” or other really general terms to get started.
• When I enjoy an audio book’s narrator, I tap on their name in the credits and often find other books that are similarly enjoyable. The same goes for authors, actors, etc.
• I make liberal use of the Favorites function and use it as a kind of to-read or to-watch feature. I have at least 200 favorites stored. My tastes fluctuate by the day, so it’s useful to keep the favorites around. When I’m going for a long walk or a hike and want to choose something to listen to, the Favorites area is a great place to start looking.
• If you live with or know anyone else who has a library card but doesn’t use it much, see if they’ll register for Hoopla and give you access to their account for when you run out of check-outs. One patron account gets 15 items per month, and this can easily be expanded to 60-90 items with a bit of networking among those less technically-inclined.
• If you can’t do that, be very selective about films and TV shows, as you don’t get to check them out for as long as books, audiobooks, and comics. It sucks to hit the middle of the month with no check-outs left.

In addition to Hoopla, the Libby app is tolerable if your library supports it, and you can also check out some scanned books from the Internet Archive if you create an account there (no library card required). IA’s in-browser reading software works really well for me (on mobile devices, hit the magnifying glass icon and use the hamburger menu on the left side of the screen to adjust the zoom level). IA is a really fun information-excavation site, but that’s probably for another post.

Filed in: Te /36/ | Openness /49/ | ENTP /9/ | Thinking /70/ | Ti /30/