trying to read from dying disk

[jdh2358 at gmail.com]

  > This sounds like a linux kernel question much more than a Python
  > one. Try a linux programmers' list?

Except that I'm writing a *python* program and trying to do a timeout
on the python *file* read operation.  If I asked the question on the
kernel mailing list, they would rightlyfully assume I suspect that I
should be writing a C program, and then they would suggest c.l.py.

I'm currently attempting something with

  http://www.python.org/doc/current/lib/node368.html

but it seems the read operation is ignoring these signals just as it is
ignoring my signals from the kill command -- perhaps unsurprisingly.

Perhaps there is no hope.
JDH