New Doha

This morning I took a cab out to Education City, where the Queen has established local branches of schools and hospitals from around the world. There was one crazy massive six-story building after another going up for miles. They were all clearly designed to be special unique buildings.

One example was the Qatar National Library. I went there to see a display called Information is Beautiful. These fantastic informational graphics were posted on ten interactive touchscreen towers. The library interior was breathtaking (literally - I had to stop for a minute and make sure I understood what I was looking at).

The country (and the ruling family) have billions in excess wealth. The library had some stuff so fancy and expensive looking I suspect I will never see anything like it.  A conveyor belt system delivered books to be re-shelved with a glass and steel kiosk every three rows of stacks. A little track system on a counter top (probably 100 feet long) seemed like an electric toy train except it carried different books for visitors to peruse. One title that caught my eye was Kathy Ireland's Guide to Quaint Country Living (huh?). No one sat there for the two hours I was in the library.