Howdy
So, I've been sick for the last couple of days. I even took Thursday off. I think I have one of those colds that isn't going to be too severe, it's just going to hang around for about a week and cause me to lose sleep.
Yesterday I bought my plane ticket for my trip to Michigan. I am leaving on April 23rd and coming back May 4th. I haven't been up north for a sinfully long time and I am really looking forward to it. Not only do I get to see family in friends I haven't seen in forever I will also get to go to Pleva's Meats for some of their hotdogs. Best hotdogs in the world, believe me. I wonder if I can convince my family to have some already in the fridge when I arrive? I won't be getting in until late on the 23rd and the store will be closed when I arrive.
Two events will be taking place while I am up there, my grandfather will be turning 90 and my youngest sister will be graduating from college. Should be a fun time.
I also hope to utilize Autostitch with some pictures I take up there. I really want to take a good panorama of the 70 acres my Dad has up there. I hope I can upload my photos and burn some CD's up there because I am going to be a picture taking fool.
Turn Left
You know, I haven't been the least interested in NASCAR this season. I watched the Twin 125's and watched the end of Daytona and that's about it. I just don't give a darn. Is it the demise of older tracks? Is it the demise of Earnhardt, the semi-retirement of Mark Martin, the lack of rednecks or all that and more? I don't know. All I know is that I am finding it really dificult to give a shit about NASCAR right now. I still have a hankerin' to visit local dirt tracks so I still like racing. Can NASCAR win me back? Can I be won back? Probably not.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Un Lun Dun
I think I may be on a young adult fantasy kick. Recently I read the first and, so far, only two books in Ursula Le Guin's new fantasy series and right now I am reading Un Lun Dun by China Mieville. I'm intrigued by Mieville's writing. He writes urban/modern fantasy. Generally that is fantasy outside of what you may consider traditional fantasy. I would group him in with Michael Swanwick, Sean Stewart and Kelly Link. I own his short story collection Looking for Jake. I have not finished the book but the stories I have read have really impressed me with the pure imagination that went into them.
Un Lun Dun is the story of two teenage girls who live in London and have adventures in a city that is a magical mirror of London called unLondon (hence the title). unLondon is not merely a reflection of London, it turns out the two cities exchange everything from clothing styles to garbage to enemies. The abcity (as it's called in the novel) is filled with as many variations of talking animals, bizarre humans or hybrids of the two that Mieville could dream up.
The city is being threatened by what is left of the Great London Smog of 1952. The girls appear in unLondon apparently to fill long kept prophecies. Instead of following what could easily be the usual journey of a hero in fantasy story Mieville starts throwing curveballs immediately. Nothing is as it's supposed to be and that's where the fun starts. Mieville directly attributes Lew Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland as an inspiration. Probably because the debt is so obvious that he wanted to be the first to make the comparison.
He obviously had a lot of fun writing this. Some of the citizens of unLondon are fantastic enough to almost be beyond words. He's not afraid to go on little rampages of description when going on about the many strange denizens of unLondon. He also has the ability to give a place the right amount of strangeness with just a few words like this scene witnessed by the two girls in an unLondon open market, "They ran...past what looked like an argument at a honey stall between a bear in a suit and a cloud of bees in the shape of a man." At this point in the book there are two drawings, one of the bear in a suit and the cloud of bees in the shape of man. Throughout the book there are many inspired drawings of characters we encounter and they are all drawn by Mieville. There's a particularly great illustration of a carnivorous giraffe that you really should see.
I hope to have this book finished by tomorrow night so I can move on to the new Anchee Min book called The Last Empress. It's a sequel to Empress Orchid, a book I loved when I read it a couple of years ago.
I think I may be on a young adult fantasy kick. Recently I read the first and, so far, only two books in Ursula Le Guin's new fantasy series and right now I am reading Un Lun Dun by China Mieville. I'm intrigued by Mieville's writing. He writes urban/modern fantasy. Generally that is fantasy outside of what you may consider traditional fantasy. I would group him in with Michael Swanwick, Sean Stewart and Kelly Link. I own his short story collection Looking for Jake. I have not finished the book but the stories I have read have really impressed me with the pure imagination that went into them.
Un Lun Dun is the story of two teenage girls who live in London and have adventures in a city that is a magical mirror of London called unLondon (hence the title). unLondon is not merely a reflection of London, it turns out the two cities exchange everything from clothing styles to garbage to enemies. The abcity (as it's called in the novel) is filled with as many variations of talking animals, bizarre humans or hybrids of the two that Mieville could dream up.
The city is being threatened by what is left of the Great London Smog of 1952. The girls appear in unLondon apparently to fill long kept prophecies. Instead of following what could easily be the usual journey of a hero in fantasy story Mieville starts throwing curveballs immediately. Nothing is as it's supposed to be and that's where the fun starts. Mieville directly attributes Lew Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland as an inspiration. Probably because the debt is so obvious that he wanted to be the first to make the comparison.
He obviously had a lot of fun writing this. Some of the citizens of unLondon are fantastic enough to almost be beyond words. He's not afraid to go on little rampages of description when going on about the many strange denizens of unLondon. He also has the ability to give a place the right amount of strangeness with just a few words like this scene witnessed by the two girls in an unLondon open market, "They ran...past what looked like an argument at a honey stall between a bear in a suit and a cloud of bees in the shape of a man." At this point in the book there are two drawings, one of the bear in a suit and the cloud of bees in the shape of man. Throughout the book there are many inspired drawings of characters we encounter and they are all drawn by Mieville. There's a particularly great illustration of a carnivorous giraffe that you really should see.
I hope to have this book finished by tomorrow night so I can move on to the new Anchee Min book called The Last Empress. It's a sequel to Empress Orchid, a book I loved when I read it a couple of years ago.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Impeach the Texas Yoda
Stephen Colbert calls congress a bunch of pussies. I think he may be right. Is there a ball snipper at the entrance of congress?
Stephen Colbert calls congress a bunch of pussies. I think he may be right. Is there a ball snipper at the entrance of congress?
Monday, March 26, 2007
C'mon chemicals!
I saw the best band on Friday night. We travelled down to Columbia to see Of Montreal. I don't know how to describe the band's sound. Obviously the leader of the band, Kevin Barnes, has listened to oodles and oodles of David Bowie during his life. So have I so that's cool. They seem to be able to waver back and forth between synthy pop and straight ahead rock and roll. Just know that their new album Hiss Fauna, Are You the Destroyer is one of catchiest albums this side of the Shins and Decemberists that I've heard in the last year.
Barnes may also be the most flamboyant straight person alive. When he came out onstage in panties with a pearl necklace hanging between his legs and a face full of makeup I assumed he didn't like girls. Maybe I'm just prejudiced but I was a little surprised when I was told by Beth Y. that he's a straight guy.
The venue we saw the band at is called Headliners. For those of you that have never been there before, the club is inside an arcade on the 700 block of Gervais St. in downtown Columbia. I knew it was next to a dance club but I was unaware that Headliners is inside an arcade without any sign indicating that the club is inside this arcade. I don't know if we ever would have found the place if it hadn't been for these two stoners we asked directions of. They were going there and invited us to follow them. Is calling then stoners rude? Would it have been better if I had said they reeked of marijuana?
I liked how Headliners was set up. The interior is rectangular in shape with the narrow portion taking up the space between the back of the club and the stage. It's two stories high with nice views of the show available from a balcony. It would be nice if more clubs gave short people places to see the show. It reminded of me of the Visulite in Charlotte. Since the Visulite is an old theater it has a sloping floor and strategically placed tables that allow short people and those that prefer to sit good views of a show.
Headliners even had air conditioning. Sometimes air conditioning is considered unnecessary in a rock club (hey there, Ziggy's and Cat's Cradle). Headliners doesn't consider A/C unnecessary although they do seem to view it as a luxury. It only came on right when I started to think it was getting uncomfortably warm. I guess they know the fat old guy threshold and were able to balance the clubs temperature right around that point all night.
We were both disappointed in the quality of the sound at the club. There wasn't much low end (couldn't really hear the bass guitar at all) and the sound was not loud enough for the room. As energetic as the band was I really thought the lack of response from those of us not at the front was due to the inferior sound. I hope to see them one day at a club with a sound system of higher quality. I don't think I will bother to go see a band at Headliners again. If I am going to drive that far for a band I don't want to have to hear that band over a subpar sound system. I was confused by that. The club nailed it on other factors: three bars, big bathrooms and affordable drinks but they didn't have enough speakers to fill the room with sound. Weird.
The show itself was stellar. The setlist was heavy on the new album and that worked for me because the only Of Montreal music I have heard is the new album. They pulled off every song well and I liked how the drummer payed keyboards and drums when necessary and the other keyboardist played guitar on a couple of songs. One time the drummer was playing guitar and stopped for a moment, moseyed over to his drum kit and knocked out a beat for about two seconds and then went back to playing guitar. He also spent a lot time flirting with the keyboardist, which was cute.
They ended the evening with a three song encore. Those three songs were Bowie's Starman, Hang onto Yourself and Suffragette City. Every rock concert should end with Suffragette City. I always feel bad when I can say that three cover songs were the highlight of a concert but I've never seen another singer live that can pull of David Bowie songs like Kevin Barnes. Hearing him sing Bowie is like hearing Antiseen play a Ramones song. As Beth said, "He can go ahead and sing Bowie songs all night." If he had extended that Bowie encore for two more hours we would have stayed for it.
I am impressed with any band that can be interesting when they sound like they are playing on a stereo in the next room. I really hope they come to Charlotte next time because I would love to see them and not have to drive a couple of hours in order to do so. I did find some real nice pictures of a show that took place about two weeks before the show I saw. You can view them here
I saw the best band on Friday night. We travelled down to Columbia to see Of Montreal. I don't know how to describe the band's sound. Obviously the leader of the band, Kevin Barnes, has listened to oodles and oodles of David Bowie during his life. So have I so that's cool. They seem to be able to waver back and forth between synthy pop and straight ahead rock and roll. Just know that their new album Hiss Fauna, Are You the Destroyer is one of catchiest albums this side of the Shins and Decemberists that I've heard in the last year.
Barnes may also be the most flamboyant straight person alive. When he came out onstage in panties with a pearl necklace hanging between his legs and a face full of makeup I assumed he didn't like girls. Maybe I'm just prejudiced but I was a little surprised when I was told by Beth Y. that he's a straight guy.
The venue we saw the band at is called Headliners. For those of you that have never been there before, the club is inside an arcade on the 700 block of Gervais St. in downtown Columbia. I knew it was next to a dance club but I was unaware that Headliners is inside an arcade without any sign indicating that the club is inside this arcade. I don't know if we ever would have found the place if it hadn't been for these two stoners we asked directions of. They were going there and invited us to follow them. Is calling then stoners rude? Would it have been better if I had said they reeked of marijuana?
I liked how Headliners was set up. The interior is rectangular in shape with the narrow portion taking up the space between the back of the club and the stage. It's two stories high with nice views of the show available from a balcony. It would be nice if more clubs gave short people places to see the show. It reminded of me of the Visulite in Charlotte. Since the Visulite is an old theater it has a sloping floor and strategically placed tables that allow short people and those that prefer to sit good views of a show.
Headliners even had air conditioning. Sometimes air conditioning is considered unnecessary in a rock club (hey there, Ziggy's and Cat's Cradle). Headliners doesn't consider A/C unnecessary although they do seem to view it as a luxury. It only came on right when I started to think it was getting uncomfortably warm. I guess they know the fat old guy threshold and were able to balance the clubs temperature right around that point all night.
We were both disappointed in the quality of the sound at the club. There wasn't much low end (couldn't really hear the bass guitar at all) and the sound was not loud enough for the room. As energetic as the band was I really thought the lack of response from those of us not at the front was due to the inferior sound. I hope to see them one day at a club with a sound system of higher quality. I don't think I will bother to go see a band at Headliners again. If I am going to drive that far for a band I don't want to have to hear that band over a subpar sound system. I was confused by that. The club nailed it on other factors: three bars, big bathrooms and affordable drinks but they didn't have enough speakers to fill the room with sound. Weird.
The show itself was stellar. The setlist was heavy on the new album and that worked for me because the only Of Montreal music I have heard is the new album. They pulled off every song well and I liked how the drummer payed keyboards and drums when necessary and the other keyboardist played guitar on a couple of songs. One time the drummer was playing guitar and stopped for a moment, moseyed over to his drum kit and knocked out a beat for about two seconds and then went back to playing guitar. He also spent a lot time flirting with the keyboardist, which was cute.
They ended the evening with a three song encore. Those three songs were Bowie's Starman, Hang onto Yourself and Suffragette City. Every rock concert should end with Suffragette City. I always feel bad when I can say that three cover songs were the highlight of a concert but I've never seen another singer live that can pull of David Bowie songs like Kevin Barnes. Hearing him sing Bowie is like hearing Antiseen play a Ramones song. As Beth said, "He can go ahead and sing Bowie songs all night." If he had extended that Bowie encore for two more hours we would have stayed for it.
I am impressed with any band that can be interesting when they sound like they are playing on a stereo in the next room. I really hope they come to Charlotte next time because I would love to see them and not have to drive a couple of hours in order to do so. I did find some real nice pictures of a show that took place about two weeks before the show I saw. You can view them here
Friday, March 23, 2007
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Auden on poetry
OK, this made me laugh: "The ideal audience the poet imagines consists of the beautiful who go to bed with him, the powerful who invite him to dinner and tell him secrets of state, and his fellow-poets. The actual audience he gets consists of myopic schoolteachers, pimply young men who eat in cafeterias, and his fellow-poets. This means that, in fact, he writes for his fellow-poets."
Stolen from this article. I don't feel so bad since the newspaper stole the quotes from a book.
My years in telephone reference allow me to attest to the truth of this next quote: " It is a sobering experience for any poet to read the last page of the Books section of the Sunday Times where correspondents seek to identify poems which have meant much to them. He is forced to realise that it is not his work, not even the work of Dante or Shake-speare, that most people treasure as magic talismans in time of trouble, but grotesquely bad verses written by maiden ladies in local newspapers; that millions in their bereavements, heartbreaks, agonies, depressions, have been comforted and perhaps saved from despair by appalling trash while poetry stood helplessly and incompetently by."
I can't tell you how many times someone called telephone reference asking who wrote the worst piece of Hallmark type poetry. Half the times these poems were so generic that I couldn't find an author and just completed the quote as posted on someone's personal Yahoo page. Usually these pages were replete with moving gifs and custom mouse icons that left trails of hearts.
OK, this made me laugh: "The ideal audience the poet imagines consists of the beautiful who go to bed with him, the powerful who invite him to dinner and tell him secrets of state, and his fellow-poets. The actual audience he gets consists of myopic schoolteachers, pimply young men who eat in cafeterias, and his fellow-poets. This means that, in fact, he writes for his fellow-poets."
Stolen from this article. I don't feel so bad since the newspaper stole the quotes from a book.
My years in telephone reference allow me to attest to the truth of this next quote: " It is a sobering experience for any poet to read the last page of the Books section of the Sunday Times where correspondents seek to identify poems which have meant much to them. He is forced to realise that it is not his work, not even the work of Dante or Shake-speare, that most people treasure as magic talismans in time of trouble, but grotesquely bad verses written by maiden ladies in local newspapers; that millions in their bereavements, heartbreaks, agonies, depressions, have been comforted and perhaps saved from despair by appalling trash while poetry stood helplessly and incompetently by."
I can't tell you how many times someone called telephone reference asking who wrote the worst piece of Hallmark type poetry. Half the times these poems were so generic that I couldn't find an author and just completed the quote as posted on someone's personal Yahoo page. Usually these pages were replete with moving gifs and custom mouse icons that left trails of hearts.
Mel Brooks on the American Dream
This is nice. I didn't realize that Mel was one of only seven artists to win all four of the major entertainment awards. Here he tells Forbes his opinion on the American dream.
This is nice. I didn't realize that Mel was one of only seven artists to win all four of the major entertainment awards. Here he tells Forbes his opinion on the American dream.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Enemies
Yesterday I heard an interview with Tom Delay on Morning Edition. At one point in the interview he refers to his political opponents as 'enemies.' I think that displays quite nicely the reason these far right people are dangerous. Hey douche, your political opponents are not your enemies.
Speaking of slime bag conservatives...
I have really enjoyed the recent attempts by Drudge to discredit Al Gore and his crusade to bring awareness of global warming to the world. You have to wonder about a political movement that is more concerned about bringing down one man than the planet they occupy and their descendants will occupy. Turns out scientists that have a problem with Al Gore disagree with how he presents his argument, not the overall science. But I'm sure you can see where it's more important to discredit Al Gore than it is to ensure our planet remains inhabitable.
Fox "News" still blows ass
I can't watch Fox News for more than five minutes before I start considering driving to Wal Mart, buying a shotgun and using it to blow my brains out but I do force my self to watch utter crap like this now and then. It's necessary to know what those jokers are up to. Notice how the talking head from Morning Star attempts to talk about a real issue and just gets blown off.
Yesterday I heard an interview with Tom Delay on Morning Edition. At one point in the interview he refers to his political opponents as 'enemies.' I think that displays quite nicely the reason these far right people are dangerous. Hey douche, your political opponents are not your enemies.
Speaking of slime bag conservatives...
I have really enjoyed the recent attempts by Drudge to discredit Al Gore and his crusade to bring awareness of global warming to the world. You have to wonder about a political movement that is more concerned about bringing down one man than the planet they occupy and their descendants will occupy. Turns out scientists that have a problem with Al Gore disagree with how he presents his argument, not the overall science. But I'm sure you can see where it's more important to discredit Al Gore than it is to ensure our planet remains inhabitable.
Fox "News" still blows ass
I can't watch Fox News for more than five minutes before I start considering driving to Wal Mart, buying a shotgun and using it to blow my brains out but I do force my self to watch utter crap like this now and then. It's necessary to know what those jokers are up to. Notice how the talking head from Morning Star attempts to talk about a real issue and just gets blown off.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Noir
I think I read my first noir fiction over the weekend. I read "Driver" by James Sallis. I had never heard of Sallis until I read the comic by the Unshelved guys. I had been thinking about reading a piece of noir fiction for a while ever since Pollack mentioned the genre in his blog back when he was reading and editing noir fiction.
Not only was the novel noir it was Hollywood noir. Have I written the word 'noir' enough yet? The scene you seen in the Unshelved comic strip is the opening scene of the book. From there you follow the fascinating life story of the character just known as Driver from teenage runaway to respected stunt driver and getaway driver. Three story lines are weaved together in this clever novel. The story of his early life as a child and runaway, his day to day life as a stunt driver and L.A. resident and the story of the robbery gone wrong that we are in the middle of when the book opens.
This jumping around in time and place can be a little confusing at times but it really all ties together nicely because Driver is on just about every page. Only near the end when the main plot is tying up do we lose his viewpoint for a few pages here and there. By that time Driver is stuck so firmly in your head that he's there with you as your are reading.
The best book are the ones you wish hadn't ended so soon.
I think I read my first noir fiction over the weekend. I read "Driver" by James Sallis. I had never heard of Sallis until I read the comic by the Unshelved guys. I had been thinking about reading a piece of noir fiction for a while ever since Pollack mentioned the genre in his blog back when he was reading and editing noir fiction.
Not only was the novel noir it was Hollywood noir. Have I written the word 'noir' enough yet? The scene you seen in the Unshelved comic strip is the opening scene of the book. From there you follow the fascinating life story of the character just known as Driver from teenage runaway to respected stunt driver and getaway driver. Three story lines are weaved together in this clever novel. The story of his early life as a child and runaway, his day to day life as a stunt driver and L.A. resident and the story of the robbery gone wrong that we are in the middle of when the book opens.
This jumping around in time and place can be a little confusing at times but it really all ties together nicely because Driver is on just about every page. Only near the end when the main plot is tying up do we lose his viewpoint for a few pages here and there. By that time Driver is stuck so firmly in your head that he's there with you as your are reading.
The best book are the ones you wish hadn't ended so soon.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Pass the paper
One of the exercises the kids in my writing group most enjoy is the one where we pass a paper around and each person takes a turn adding a line to a story. There is a website attempting to become the internet version of that. You can check it out here. It's called Ficlets.
One of the exercises the kids in my writing group most enjoy is the one where we pass a paper around and each person takes a turn adding a line to a story. There is a website attempting to become the internet version of that. You can check it out here. It's called Ficlets.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Camille hits it again
"Does Hillary Clinton have a stable or coherent sense of self? Or is everything factitious, mimed and scripted (like her flipping butch and femme masks) for expediency?"
This is exactly why I am not interested in Clinton. She's too much of a populist. All politicians are populists but she seems to change skin depending on what crowd she is addressing.
"Does Hillary Clinton have a stable or coherent sense of self? Or is everything factitious, mimed and scripted (like her flipping butch and femme masks) for expediency?"
This is exactly why I am not interested in Clinton. She's too much of a populist. All politicians are populists but she seems to change skin depending on what crowd she is addressing.
Top Fifty SF books
I've seen this list posted on other blogs and you can find the original printing of it at the website for the Science Fiction Book Club. I don't vouch for the authority of this list but it does call these books the most influential SF books from 1953 to 2002, not necessarily the best. I have posted in bold the books and series on this list that I have read. I will comment on them over the next few days.
#1 The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien
Ah, the series that ruined all other fantasy series for me. The only criticism I really have of the series is, other than the main characters, the world felt really empty of people. Who grew the food for all these warriors?
#2 The Foundation Trilogy, Isaac Asimov
Still the best space opera I have ever read. A SF series from the fifties that still feels relevent. That's a mighty achievment.
#3 Dune, Frank Herbert
Along with Lord of Rings probably responsible for too many shitty imitators.
#4 Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert A. Heinlein
I've read this book about four or five times. It gives me weird dreams. Not many books give me dreams but this one does.
#5 A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin
A great book for me to recommend to kids that have read all the Harry Potter books.
#6 Neuromancer, William Gibson
Read it because it was supposed to be great. It may be the Sgt. Pepper of SF.
#7 Childhood's End, Arthur C. Clarke
If you have to read one book about a time when humans evolve to the next plane, read this one.
#8 Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick
Very different than the movie but both versions play around wonderfully with the nature of reality.
#9 The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley
#10 Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
Read this back in middle school. I remember tearing through it.
#11 The Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe
#12 A Canticle for Leibowitz, Walter M. Miller, Jr.
Another book that I have read four or five times. It's a masterpiece and surprisingly funny even though it's a pessimistic novel.
#13 The Caves of Steel, Isaac Asimov
#14 Children of the Atom, Wilmar Shiras
#15 Cities in Flight, James Blish
#16 The Colour of Magic, Terry Pratchett
#17 Dangerous Visions, edited by Harlan Ellison
#18 Deathbird Stories, Harlan Ellison
#19 The Demolished Man, Alfred Bester
#20 Dhalgren, Samuel R. Delany
#21 Dragonflight, Anne McCaffrey
#22 Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card
Read it twice, listened to the book on tape once. Another book that is an easy out when doing teen readers advisory.
#23 The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Stephen R. Donaldson
Read this a long time ago. I remember really enjoying the world he created. Unlike Middle Earth, it had a population.
#24 The Forever War, Joe Haldeman
Just flat out one of the best science fiction novels you could possible read that is based on someone's Vietnam War experiences.
#25 Gateway, Frederik Pohl
#26 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, J.K. Rowling
#27 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
Laugh out loud funny.
#28 I Am Legend, Richard Matheson
Last man on earth, world of vampires.
#29 Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice
Isn't as impressive now that she's become a Christian.
#30 The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. Le Guin
#31 Little, Big, John Crowley
#32 Lord of Light, Roger Zelazny
I love this book. People settling a planet and then setting themselves up as gods and one of them deciding that what they are doing is wrong and starting a war among the gods. What more could you want?
#33 The Man in the High Castle, Philip K. Dick
I read this early in my reading of Philip Dick. I should probably go back and read it again because it's probably better than I remember.
#34 Mission of Gravity, Hal Clement
#35 More Than Human, Theodore Sturgeon
#36 The Rediscovery of Man, Cordwainer Smith
Haven't read this book but his short stories are some of the best ever.
#37 On the Beach, Nevil Shute
#38 Rendezvous with Rama, Arthur C. Clarke
Well written but left me wanting more. The sequels didn't add too much more. I think he did it on purpose.
#39 Ringworld, Larry Niven
#40 Rogue Moon, Algis Budrys
#41 The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien
Not sure why this is on here twice. I would just put it with Lord of Rings. It has its moments.
#42 Slaughterhouse-5, Kurt Vonnegut
Another book I should read again since it was the first book I ever read by him.
#43 Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson
#44 Stand on Zanzibar, John Brunner
#45 The Stars My Destination, Alfred Bester
#46 Starship Troopers, Robert A. Heinlein
The daddy of military science fiction. Answered by Haldeman in Forever War. A bit dated but still readable.
#47 Stormbringer, Michael Moorcock
#48 The Sword of Shannara, Terry Brooks
#49 Timescape, Gregory Benford
#50 To Your Scattered Bodies Go, Philip Jose Farmer
Introduced me to Sir Richard Francis Burton. It's the first in the series and I wouldn't read beyond the first three.
I've seen this list posted on other blogs and you can find the original printing of it at the website for the Science Fiction Book Club. I don't vouch for the authority of this list but it does call these books the most influential SF books from 1953 to 2002, not necessarily the best. I have posted in bold the books and series on this list that I have read. I will comment on them over the next few days.
#1 The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien
Ah, the series that ruined all other fantasy series for me. The only criticism I really have of the series is, other than the main characters, the world felt really empty of people. Who grew the food for all these warriors?
#2 The Foundation Trilogy, Isaac Asimov
Still the best space opera I have ever read. A SF series from the fifties that still feels relevent. That's a mighty achievment.
#3 Dune, Frank Herbert
Along with Lord of Rings probably responsible for too many shitty imitators.
#4 Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert A. Heinlein
I've read this book about four or five times. It gives me weird dreams. Not many books give me dreams but this one does.
#5 A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin
A great book for me to recommend to kids that have read all the Harry Potter books.
#6 Neuromancer, William Gibson
Read it because it was supposed to be great. It may be the Sgt. Pepper of SF.
#7 Childhood's End, Arthur C. Clarke
If you have to read one book about a time when humans evolve to the next plane, read this one.
#8 Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick
Very different than the movie but both versions play around wonderfully with the nature of reality.
#9 The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley
#10 Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
Read this back in middle school. I remember tearing through it.
#11 The Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe
#12 A Canticle for Leibowitz, Walter M. Miller, Jr.
Another book that I have read four or five times. It's a masterpiece and surprisingly funny even though it's a pessimistic novel.
#13 The Caves of Steel, Isaac Asimov
#14 Children of the Atom, Wilmar Shiras
#15 Cities in Flight, James Blish
#16 The Colour of Magic, Terry Pratchett
#17 Dangerous Visions, edited by Harlan Ellison
#18 Deathbird Stories, Harlan Ellison
#19 The Demolished Man, Alfred Bester
#20 Dhalgren, Samuel R. Delany
#21 Dragonflight, Anne McCaffrey
#22 Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card
Read it twice, listened to the book on tape once. Another book that is an easy out when doing teen readers advisory.
#23 The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Stephen R. Donaldson
Read this a long time ago. I remember really enjoying the world he created. Unlike Middle Earth, it had a population.
#24 The Forever War, Joe Haldeman
Just flat out one of the best science fiction novels you could possible read that is based on someone's Vietnam War experiences.
#25 Gateway, Frederik Pohl
#26 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, J.K. Rowling
#27 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
Laugh out loud funny.
#28 I Am Legend, Richard Matheson
Last man on earth, world of vampires.
#29 Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice
Isn't as impressive now that she's become a Christian.
#30 The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. Le Guin
#31 Little, Big, John Crowley
#32 Lord of Light, Roger Zelazny
I love this book. People settling a planet and then setting themselves up as gods and one of them deciding that what they are doing is wrong and starting a war among the gods. What more could you want?
#33 The Man in the High Castle, Philip K. Dick
I read this early in my reading of Philip Dick. I should probably go back and read it again because it's probably better than I remember.
#34 Mission of Gravity, Hal Clement
#35 More Than Human, Theodore Sturgeon
#36 The Rediscovery of Man, Cordwainer Smith
Haven't read this book but his short stories are some of the best ever.
#37 On the Beach, Nevil Shute
#38 Rendezvous with Rama, Arthur C. Clarke
Well written but left me wanting more. The sequels didn't add too much more. I think he did it on purpose.
#39 Ringworld, Larry Niven
#40 Rogue Moon, Algis Budrys
#41 The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien
Not sure why this is on here twice. I would just put it with Lord of Rings. It has its moments.
#42 Slaughterhouse-5, Kurt Vonnegut
Another book I should read again since it was the first book I ever read by him.
#43 Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson
#44 Stand on Zanzibar, John Brunner
#45 The Stars My Destination, Alfred Bester
#46 Starship Troopers, Robert A. Heinlein
The daddy of military science fiction. Answered by Haldeman in Forever War. A bit dated but still readable.
#47 Stormbringer, Michael Moorcock
#48 The Sword of Shannara, Terry Brooks
#49 Timescape, Gregory Benford
#50 To Your Scattered Bodies Go, Philip Jose Farmer
Introduced me to Sir Richard Francis Burton. It's the first in the series and I wouldn't read beyond the first three.
Monday, March 12, 2007
Just make it end
Check out this interesting poll. According to this CNN poll 58% of Americans just wish the Bush presidency was over. How's that for a failed presidency?
Check out this interesting poll. According to this CNN poll 58% of Americans just wish the Bush presidency was over. How's that for a failed presidency?
John Schlosser
I found out last night that my high school baseball coach died in a car crash. It's been 21 years since I left northern Michigan and it's been that long since I've seen him and many of my Glen Lake teammates and classmates. I do have memories of him though.
I remember his baseball signs always corresponded with a body or uniform part with the same letter as the baseball play. Hand on stomach was steal. Bill of the cap was bunt. Hand on chest was take a pitch or, as he put it, "Tit for take."
I remember he drove a red Mustang hatchback with a very stressed drivers seat. He was such a big guy that whenever he let me drive his car I felt like I was wearing a pair of shoes that was too big for me.
I remember calling Dennis Fleis a "fucking asshole" in class and Schloss overheard me (probably because we were sitting right in front of his desk). Schlosser looked up and said, "Hey, don't say that in class. I mean, he may be one, most probably is one. Just don't say it in class."
I remember an interception I made at the goal line once of a long hail mary pass. I was told when Schlosser saw the catch he said, "That's those good first baseman hands."
I remember hitting in the batting cage on the first day of baseball practice my junior year. Dennis and I had been lifting weights all winter and I was just ripping the ball. Schlosser looked up and said, "Holy shit! Is that Eddie McDonald?"
I remember when you said something funny he agreed with he would smile and give you several quick nods.
I remember during my sophomore year he would ask me how my arm felt after throwing off one of the plywood mounds in the gym and I would say, "it's a little stiff" and he would laugh his ass off and I had no reason why.
I remember he gave me that goddamn nickname that followed me all through high school. A nickname that people I considered friends didn't use except to piss me off or to let me know I was being stupid. Or as Dennis would say, "Ed, don't be Head."
I remember standing on the football field next to him after a JV game. He saw Leroy Rosinski walking on the cinder track surface with a new girlfriend. Schlosser yelled across the field, "Another one?!" Leroy yelled back, "You be quiet!"
I remember trying his Redman chaw and he tried to give me more than I felt comfortable trying and I said, "You just want to see me get sick." He gave me a one of those smiles with the quick nodding motions.
I remember sitting in the dugout during a baseball game once and pollen was thick in the air and he said, "You guys smell that? It smells like pussy."
I remember how he didn't censor himself too much on the baseball field.
I remember how he took a lot of pride of what we called Glen Lake Stadium. 325 down the lines "just like Tiger Stadium" he would say. We had one of the best fields in the region.
I remember at the baseball banquet after my senior year he said that I was what every baseball team needed, "a left handed junkball pitcher."
I remember the time he used the last scene from "Missouri Breaks" to illustrate to Dennis just how pissed the football coach was when he found out it was Dennis' car that tore up the football field.
I remember he spent a week once making a tape of songs that he planned on playing on a jambox from our dugout for the benefit of umpires that made bad calls. One of the songs was "Down on me" by Janis Joplin. That project never really got off the ground.
I remember he loved to create new nicknames for Chip. One day in the same class I swore at Dennis he looked at Chip and started laughing. Chip started squirming and demanded Schlosser tell him what was so funny and Schloss said, "French Onion Dip" and he laughed some more while Chip steamed.
I remember whenever Greg would hurt himself on the ballfield Schlosser would ask him if he "pulled a fat."
I remember he had the vision and the guts to use Jim Peplinski and his split-finger fastball in big games.
I remember he could tell a hell of a story. His story about Greg trying to catch for Jim Abbott during practice for an allstar game as one of his funniest.
I remember him getting irritated one day while I was enthusiastically discussing the Beatles and he told that as you got older life was more than "Yellow Submarines."
I remember him allowimg me to be an assitant coach for the JV baseball team my senior year. A couple of guys called me "Coach Ed" and that felt really good.
I remember his ushering Alan Popa out of the high school library. He was very angry and Alan said, "Dude, relax." Schloss gave him a little push out the door and said, "My name's not 'Dude.'"
Mostly, I remember him for being an adult that spoke and treated teens as equals and he made me laugh. Man, could he make me laugh.
I found out last night that my high school baseball coach died in a car crash. It's been 21 years since I left northern Michigan and it's been that long since I've seen him and many of my Glen Lake teammates and classmates. I do have memories of him though.
I remember his baseball signs always corresponded with a body or uniform part with the same letter as the baseball play. Hand on stomach was steal. Bill of the cap was bunt. Hand on chest was take a pitch or, as he put it, "Tit for take."
I remember he drove a red Mustang hatchback with a very stressed drivers seat. He was such a big guy that whenever he let me drive his car I felt like I was wearing a pair of shoes that was too big for me.
I remember calling Dennis Fleis a "fucking asshole" in class and Schloss overheard me (probably because we were sitting right in front of his desk). Schlosser looked up and said, "Hey, don't say that in class. I mean, he may be one, most probably is one. Just don't say it in class."
I remember an interception I made at the goal line once of a long hail mary pass. I was told when Schlosser saw the catch he said, "That's those good first baseman hands."
I remember hitting in the batting cage on the first day of baseball practice my junior year. Dennis and I had been lifting weights all winter and I was just ripping the ball. Schlosser looked up and said, "Holy shit! Is that Eddie McDonald?"
I remember when you said something funny he agreed with he would smile and give you several quick nods.
I remember during my sophomore year he would ask me how my arm felt after throwing off one of the plywood mounds in the gym and I would say, "it's a little stiff" and he would laugh his ass off and I had no reason why.
I remember he gave me that goddamn nickname that followed me all through high school. A nickname that people I considered friends didn't use except to piss me off or to let me know I was being stupid. Or as Dennis would say, "Ed, don't be Head."
I remember standing on the football field next to him after a JV game. He saw Leroy Rosinski walking on the cinder track surface with a new girlfriend. Schlosser yelled across the field, "Another one?!" Leroy yelled back, "You be quiet!"
I remember trying his Redman chaw and he tried to give me more than I felt comfortable trying and I said, "You just want to see me get sick." He gave me a one of those smiles with the quick nodding motions.
I remember sitting in the dugout during a baseball game once and pollen was thick in the air and he said, "You guys smell that? It smells like pussy."
I remember how he didn't censor himself too much on the baseball field.
I remember how he took a lot of pride of what we called Glen Lake Stadium. 325 down the lines "just like Tiger Stadium" he would say. We had one of the best fields in the region.
I remember at the baseball banquet after my senior year he said that I was what every baseball team needed, "a left handed junkball pitcher."
I remember the time he used the last scene from "Missouri Breaks" to illustrate to Dennis just how pissed the football coach was when he found out it was Dennis' car that tore up the football field.
I remember he spent a week once making a tape of songs that he planned on playing on a jambox from our dugout for the benefit of umpires that made bad calls. One of the songs was "Down on me" by Janis Joplin. That project never really got off the ground.
I remember he loved to create new nicknames for Chip. One day in the same class I swore at Dennis he looked at Chip and started laughing. Chip started squirming and demanded Schlosser tell him what was so funny and Schloss said, "French Onion Dip" and he laughed some more while Chip steamed.
I remember whenever Greg would hurt himself on the ballfield Schlosser would ask him if he "pulled a fat."
I remember he had the vision and the guts to use Jim Peplinski and his split-finger fastball in big games.
I remember he could tell a hell of a story. His story about Greg trying to catch for Jim Abbott during practice for an allstar game as one of his funniest.
I remember him getting irritated one day while I was enthusiastically discussing the Beatles and he told that as you got older life was more than "Yellow Submarines."
I remember him allowimg me to be an assitant coach for the JV baseball team my senior year. A couple of guys called me "Coach Ed" and that felt really good.
I remember his ushering Alan Popa out of the high school library. He was very angry and Alan said, "Dude, relax." Schloss gave him a little push out the door and said, "My name's not 'Dude.'"
Mostly, I remember him for being an adult that spoke and treated teens as equals and he made me laugh. Man, could he make me laugh.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Another Panorama
I took this panorama today at Freedom Park from the Amphitheater on the island. There were a gazillion people at the park.
I took this panorama today at Freedom Park from the Amphitheater on the island. There were a gazillion people at the park.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Dylan Hears a Who
Ever wonder what it would sound like if Bob Dylan sang Dr. Suess books? Me neither but you can hear someone's vision of it here.
Ever wonder what it would sound like if Bob Dylan sang Dr. Suess books? Me neither but you can hear someone's vision of it here.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
For the want of a blood clot a Marine lost his life
If only this scum-sucking pig dog would have had this problem four years ago there would be thousands of fewer dead Americans and Iraqis.
If only this scum-sucking pig dog would have had this problem four years ago there would be thousands of fewer dead Americans and Iraqis.
Monday, March 05, 2007
If I had a house and a horse...
How can you possibly continue to live without a NASCAR lawn jockey?
Depressing Letters from Iwo Jima
Last night I finally saw Letters from Iwo Jima. Iwo Jima has always fascinated me because so much chaos, injury and death was concentrated on such a small piece of land. I have read that what was unique about Iwo Jima was not so much the high casualties but the violence with which people died. Since the island was so small and many large weapons were used when you got hit on Iwo Jima there was a pretty good chance there wouldn't be very much of you left. If any place on this planet is haunted, Iwo Jima would be it. I guess when you are dead the appearance of your corpse means very little to you but to survive such a hell hole must leave scars. That was Flags of our Fathers.
Letters reminded me of the German movie "Downfall" which followed Hitler through the last few days of World War II. The apparent madness of each suicidal venture is realized by everyone involved yet, for the most part, they carry out their
duties. We humans do have a tendency to want to die with our boots on. Whether it be the Alamo and Iwo Jima, "We ain't coming out. Come and get us."
What resonated most strongly for me in this movie was the portrayal of the Japanese soldiers, after a few days of fighting, as essentially being prey. A couple of times the Japanese soldiers sprint over open ground attempting to reach another strong point so they may continue fighting. Many are mowed down each time by American machine guns. It's harrowing. The soldiers are like a herd of deer trying to cross a busy highway or domesticated game birds fleeing rich hunters on a reserve. Knowing that the Japanese were the most dehumanized of our enemies in World War II and knowing the hatred the average Marine had for his Japanese opponent and then seeing these men that Eastwood just spent the last hour replacing propoganda with humanity fall like grass before a lawnmower is one of the most moving movie experiences I've had since that moment in Million Dollar Baby when Maggie's neck hits the stool.
How can you possibly continue to live without a NASCAR lawn jockey?
Depressing Letters from Iwo Jima
Last night I finally saw Letters from Iwo Jima. Iwo Jima has always fascinated me because so much chaos, injury and death was concentrated on such a small piece of land. I have read that what was unique about Iwo Jima was not so much the high casualties but the violence with which people died. Since the island was so small and many large weapons were used when you got hit on Iwo Jima there was a pretty good chance there wouldn't be very much of you left. If any place on this planet is haunted, Iwo Jima would be it. I guess when you are dead the appearance of your corpse means very little to you but to survive such a hell hole must leave scars. That was Flags of our Fathers.
Letters reminded me of the German movie "Downfall" which followed Hitler through the last few days of World War II. The apparent madness of each suicidal venture is realized by everyone involved yet, for the most part, they carry out their
duties. We humans do have a tendency to want to die with our boots on. Whether it be the Alamo and Iwo Jima, "We ain't coming out. Come and get us."
What resonated most strongly for me in this movie was the portrayal of the Japanese soldiers, after a few days of fighting, as essentially being prey. A couple of times the Japanese soldiers sprint over open ground attempting to reach another strong point so they may continue fighting. Many are mowed down each time by American machine guns. It's harrowing. The soldiers are like a herd of deer trying to cross a busy highway or domesticated game birds fleeing rich hunters on a reserve. Knowing that the Japanese were the most dehumanized of our enemies in World War II and knowing the hatred the average Marine had for his Japanese opponent and then seeing these men that Eastwood just spent the last hour replacing propoganda with humanity fall like grass before a lawnmower is one of the most moving movie experiences I've had since that moment in Million Dollar Baby when Maggie's neck hits the stool.
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Bar dialogue
Barry: Chris, what's that symbol on your shirt mean?
Chris: Nautica.
Barry: Yeah? It should be, "Attica."
Damn you, Wikipedia!
Maybe you've already heard about this but it turns out a site was created as an alternative to Wikipedia because, among other reasons, "The entry for the Renaissance in Wikipedia refuses to give enough credit to Christianity."
I am officially sick to death of this stance by right wing jack offs that their ridiculous beliefs deserve equal time with legitimate science. You're wrong and you're a bigot so get the fuck off my television and quit writing letters to the newspaper and quit creating websites and museums that portray your fucking beliefs as facts. I know that dying is scary and your cult helps you get over that hump by promising you a chance to sit on god's lap while he rubs your nuts to a nice golden glow but why must the rest of us have to fight your insanity?
Barry: Chris, what's that symbol on your shirt mean?
Chris: Nautica.
Barry: Yeah? It should be, "Attica."
Damn you, Wikipedia!
Maybe you've already heard about this but it turns out a site was created as an alternative to Wikipedia because, among other reasons, "The entry for the Renaissance in Wikipedia refuses to give enough credit to Christianity."
I am officially sick to death of this stance by right wing jack offs that their ridiculous beliefs deserve equal time with legitimate science. You're wrong and you're a bigot so get the fuck off my television and quit writing letters to the newspaper and quit creating websites and museums that portray your fucking beliefs as facts. I know that dying is scary and your cult helps you get over that hump by promising you a chance to sit on god's lap while he rubs your nuts to a nice golden glow but why must the rest of us have to fight your insanity?
Friday, March 02, 2007
Free! Audio! Books!
Yes, they are free. Yes, they are in public domain and yes, they are read by volunteers. Still, free audio books.
Yes, they are free. Yes, they are in public domain and yes, they are read by volunteers. Still, free audio books.
I love David Brin's blog
"The Crunch view was later pursued with fantastic quasi-theological passion by Frank Tipler is his amazing THE PHYSICS OF IMMORTALITY, in which he brought forward probably the most flamboyant and unabashed eschatology of all time... that the infrared radiation emitted by your own body, whenever you step outside, will someday all be collected by godlike descendants during the LAST WEEK of the universe and used to learn all about you! (And every other ancestor.) In order to resurrect you in effective (if totally subjective) immortality during the last few (objective) days of the cosmos, when computer-simulation power will supposedly be utterly limitless. Yipes!"
I really like how authors are bloggers. I only wish Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein had had this technology available to them. Imagine checking in on those two every day. How many books did Asimov write? 300? I bet he'd be good for a couple of thousand of words a day in his blog.
This screamed, "Blog post!"
Man, I wish I had thought of this.
"The Crunch view was later pursued with fantastic quasi-theological passion by Frank Tipler is his amazing THE PHYSICS OF IMMORTALITY, in which he brought forward probably the most flamboyant and unabashed eschatology of all time... that the infrared radiation emitted by your own body, whenever you step outside, will someday all be collected by godlike descendants during the LAST WEEK of the universe and used to learn all about you! (And every other ancestor.) In order to resurrect you in effective (if totally subjective) immortality during the last few (objective) days of the cosmos, when computer-simulation power will supposedly be utterly limitless. Yipes!"
I really like how authors are bloggers. I only wish Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein had had this technology available to them. Imagine checking in on those two every day. How many books did Asimov write? 300? I bet he'd be good for a couple of thousand of words a day in his blog.
This screamed, "Blog post!"
Man, I wish I had thought of this.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
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