We want an XML format so that we can get rid of the 40 or so instances of files from different software releases. We don't want to be application-dependent when databases get too old.

We had 32 sets of books running in one instance of Oracle several years ago. You can imagine how fast data was collecting -- and we do business in 29 different countries, each with its own retention requirements. We turned to archiving to get our database down to a useable size.

Our database is growing by a substantial amount on a daily basis. We cannot keep 10 or 15 years of data in our production environment, but because we have to meet the legal requirements of 27 different countries, I have to maintain data and make sure it's accessible for a certain period of time to meet local statutory requirements.

It did all that while maintaining access to data and keeping data retention policies compliant by country.

When I wrote 'The Giver,' it contained no so-called 'bad words.' It was set, after all, in a mythical, futuristic, and Utopian society. Not only was there no poverty, divorce, racism, sexism, pollution, or violence in the world of 'The Giver'; there was also careful attention paid to language: to its fluency, precision, and power.

I don't digitally manipulate my images, because I am interested in the spontaneous act of creating images without forethought. I know many artists start with an idea in mind, and then they put it on paper. I don't work that way.