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Sunday Morning Book Thread 03-20-2016: Not In Kansas Anymore [OregonMuse]
Good morning to all of you morons and moronettes and bartenders everywhere and all the ships at sea. And to all you young lovers wherever you are, we hope your problems are few. Welcome to AoSHQ's stately, prestigious, internationally acclaimed and high-class Sunday Morning Book Thread. The Sunday Morning Book Thread is the only AoSHQ thread that is so hoity-toity, pants are required.
I finally graduated to a zero hour per week watcher, stopped paying DirecTV a cent, haven't even hooked up the OTA antenna...and canceled Netflix.
Give me a library card and the Sunday Book Thread and I'm good to go!
Posted by: Hrothgar at March 19, 2016 05:21 PM (wYnyS)
Working Stiff A few years ago, one-eyed wonder boy Thomas Frank wrote a book, What's the Matter With Kansas? wherein he tried to fathom the mysterious and unexplainable reasons why conservative voters would vote for conservative candidates. Being a left-wing tool, he was completely baffled as to why this could possibly be happening. It was quite the exercise in cluelessness and hilarity. Well, now he's come out with a new book, Listen, Liberal, Or Whatever Happened to the Party of the People, that perhaps answers the question he was asking in his first book. If he's baffled why the "little people" are voting for the GOP candidates, what then, are the reasons they should switch parties and vote for the Democrats? Frank's answer is that, when you get down to it, there really aren't any:
Blaming Republican Intransigence (TM) for liberalism’s failures, particularly in the Obama era, is a common excuse that Frank isn’t having. He points to areas such as Rhode Island and Chicago where Republicans are virtually extinct and finds that Democrats behave exactly the same way: They make mild clucking noises about inequality while taking donations and policy ideas from financiers (both R.I. and the City of Big Shoulders are run by former Wall Streeters) and outlining an economic future of enhanced “innovation” designed to tilt the economy even further in the direction of elite knowledge-economy workers and away from those without college degrees.To his examples of Chicago and Rhode Island he should add Baltimore, Philadelphia, Detroit, and pretty much any East Coast city that has been run by Democrats for decades: they're all corrupt, crime-ridden crap-holes. Frank, of course, can't see crime and civic degradation as areas that people would be legitimately concerned about. But, despite Frank's determined myopia, it looks to me as if he's complaining about what we refer to as the "Uniparty" (by which we mean the pustulent coagulation of corporate and financial interests in the Democratic and Republican parties), only from the left side of things. Frank, being the one-eyed progressive that he is, frets about "inequality", and doesn't seem all that concerned with the wide open spigots at the southern border, high crime, or related social ills. I think few, if any, people care about an abstract concept like "inequality", that is, somebody else who might be making more money than them (other than angry slackers such as Bernie Sanders), but rather, not being able to find work because jobs are being shipped overseas or filled by foreign workers at home. So things have evidently gotten pretty sour on the progressive wing of the Democratic Party that they're actually blaming their own party rather than Republicans or conservatives. Meanwhile, the Uniparty, and in particular the Republican section, is completely flummoxed that Trump is getting support. Maybe that should be the topic of Frank's next book.
Secrets Of The GOTO Sisterhood
A week last Tuesday was International Wymyn's Day where wymyn all over the world are celebrated for their wymynly accomplishments. I like to ignore these commemoration days, because like most annual prizes, awards, anniversaries, etc., they're either lefty-produced from the get-go, or, as in the example of the Nobel Prize(s), the progressives have crept in like rats taking over a kitchen in an abandoned house. In either case, committee that determine who gets the prize, or award, or what-have-you, is just a stupid hippie drum circle where all the lefties pat each other on the back and tell each other how wonderful they are. So for IWD, I decided to do a little counter-programming. What woman's life would I like to see commemorated on this day? When I first did this a couple three years ago, my subversive choice was Phyllis Schlafly, an amazingly accomplished woman who would be one of the all-time great feminist heroes if it weren't for her inconveniently conservative, and specifically anti-feminist, politics. So this year, I chose ur-computer guru Grace Hopper. Her lifetime achievements are astounding. Unlike Schlafly, I had no idea as to her political views. So just for grins, I went looking. You're not going to believe this, but I found a DailyKos thread where neither the author nor the commenters are jumping up and down and screaming like a troop of retarded howler monkeys on crack. It's this one right here. I don't agree with the author's main point, that Hopper's likeness should be on the $10 bill, but he says that he was unable to find any information on Hopper's actual politics, either. And that's the way it should be. And, surprisingly, that was a selling point for the Kos guy. He said his was a "bipartisan" choice, and I can't disagree. I'm just impressed he went this route and didn't nominate some yammering harridan. So here are some Hopper bios: Grace Hopper and the Invention of the Information Age by Kurt Beyer. Grace Hopper: Admiral of the Cyber Sea by Kathleen Williams. There's even a children's book The Girl Who Could Talk to Computers - An Inspirational Tale About Grace Hopper by Maya Cointreau, that tells Hopper's story in rhyming stanzas. For example:Grace loved to climb treesThe story is that when she was a little girl, Grace got curious about how alarm clocks worked, and she managed to disassemble 7(!) of them before her parents realized what she was doing, and limited her to just one. Oh, and one more thing. During her lectures, Ms. Hopper used to distribute foot-length pieces of wire to illustrate the concept of a nanosecond, because that was how far light could travel in that tiny increment of time. One of the commenters in the Kos thread really had a bee up his butt about this, complaining that no, this isn't right, no, she's off by 40 or 50 percent, but I did the math, using 300 million meters per second as the speed of light, dividing it by a billion, since the nanosecond is a billionth of a second, and the answer is one-third of a meter, or approximately 11.8 inches. In other words, about a foot. So maybe one of you more sciency morons could explain what the Kos commenter was whining about, because I honestly can't see the mistake.
To swim and to knit
But what she really wanted
Was to see how things fit.
She peeked at machines
Around her own home
Leaving springs, nuts, and bolts
Wherever she roamed.
Cooking Celebrities I don't always read cookbooks written by celebrities, but when I do, it's sometimes this one, A Treasury Of Great Recipes, Famous Specialties of the World's Foremost Restaurants Adapted for the American Kitchen by Vincent and Mary Price. Now, you moron young-uns may not know of Vincent Price. He was an actor who appeared in many horror movies in the 50s, and 60s, many of them low-budget and quite schlocky. He also did comedies, which were generally of the same quality, such as, ahem, Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine. I only mention this because it is the dumbest "written by the marketing department" movie title I have ever seen. The impression I have gotten over the years is that there were probably very few things Mr. Price wouldn't do for money. But, despite Price's reputation for appearing in silly movies, according to his wiki page, he was quite a serious art enthusiast:
Price was an art collector and consultant, with a degree in art history. He lectured and wrote books on the subject. He was the founder of the Vincent Price Art Museum in California.Also
Price was a noted gourmet cook and art collector. He authored several cookbooks...and hosted a cookery TV show, Cooking PricewiseThese days, celebrity cookbooks are dime-a-dozen, but when A Treasury Of Great Recipes was first published in 1965, it was the very first one. It has recently been republished for its 50th anniversary. One Amazon reviewer characterizes it this way:
Even the redoubtable Martha Stewart would envy the magnificent photography and sumptuous recipes. It's all made better by the first person recitation of Mr. and Mrs. Price who wrote about what they'd eaten and where they'd enjoyed it. And enjoy it they certainly did as will the reader. Not all the recipes are simple, but time and a careful following of the explicit instructions will yield the delights portrayed. Far from his more famous persona as the villain deluxe, Vincent Price is revealed as a food critic and traveler who skipped the souvenir stands and brought home, you'll excuse this, the bacon. I was the on-air cook for a television station for many years and used this collection often.And I must say I am always pleased when I find out that some guy I had always thought of as a bit of an unserious hack turns out to have had some depth. My thanks to the moron who mentioned this in the book thread two three weeks ago.
From The Mailbag I received an email this week from a lurker who probably has more class in his little finger than the entire book thread. He says he
thought perhaps the moron horde would find my specialty shop of interest. there are some rare books but mostly i trade in original, handwritten books; diaries, journals etc.Here is his site: http://www.mbenjaminkatzfinebooksraremanuscripts.com There's rare, one-of-a-kind items such as:
1750 SUPERB ORIGINAL FRENCH ROMAN CATHOLIC BOOK OF PIETY, PRAYERS AND MEDITATIONS HANDWRITTEN IN A STUNNING CALLIGRAPHIC HANDAnd:
1896 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A YOUNG MUSLIM MAN WHO WITNESSES THE DEATH OF HIS FATHER AT THE HANDS OF THE SULTAN'S SOLDIERS, HIS MOTHER BY ROBBERS AND HIS SUBSEQUENT ENSLAVEMENT AS A GUNMAKER AND TRAINING AT AMERICA'S WINCHESTER ARMS FACTORYNow that sounds like quite a story. One more:
1859 - 1873 ORIGINAL GROUP OF NINE [9] ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT LETTERS HANDWRITTEN BY A NORTH CAROLINA MAN NOW LIVING IN ALABAMA DETAILING TO HIS SISTERS AND BROTHER ALL ABOUT HIS LIFE IN THE DEEP SOUTH BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER THE CIVIL WARThe price tag on most, if not all, of these items is way above my pay-grade, and probably yours, too, but the site does make for some very interesting window shopping. Or, as the lurker put it in his email, "usually i deal with libraries and universities but i have a number of historical items that might make for a fun browse over a cask of valu-rite vodka." They sell ValuRite by the cask? Why wasn't I told this?
ARCHIBALD [ARCHIE] M. MCLAUGHLIN
___________ I also received an e-mail from a moron author, a resident of Moab, Utah (does that make him a Moabite?), who informs me:
I have recently launched my own imprint, Moab BookWorks, at www.moabbookworks.com. So far I have launched three new books of mine and reissued another, with a another reissue in the works.You can check out his site www.moabbookworks.com. Here's the rundown:
My new books include a murder mystery (already a first prize winner in MS form) called Retirement Man; a thriller called Sarah and the Dragon in which a young woman encounters an ancient alien and ends up on the run with him from the authorities; and a non-fiction book titled Word Power which is a 51K work on the art of fiction writing. All are available on Amazon in POD form, and maybe someday Kindle if I get around to it.And then he says:
My thriller Quantum Cowboy will soon be reissued under my new imprint, but is still available in the original edition on Amazon and elsewhere. There are details of these books on my website mentioned above.
Incidentally I am older than Vic and laugh at memories of him as a small child running around looking for rocking chairs and bottles of brown. Precocious little devil he was.He's just bragging now.
Moron Recommendations Worried about not having enough money in your retirement fund? Moron commenter 'Anonosaurus Wrecks' has the answer for you. Why not invest in the lucrative market of international narco-trafficking? This book, Narconomics: How to Run a Drug Cartel, shows you how to compete with the big boys:
What drug lords learned from big businessHey, business is business. And, as Anonosaurus pointed out to me, the good part about this kind of investment is that even if you fail, you're set for life.
How does a budding cartel boss succeed (and survive) in the $300 billion illegal drug business? By learning from the best, of course. From creating brand value to fine-tuning customer service, the folks running cartels have been attentive students of the strategy and tactics used by corporations such as Walmart, McDonald’s, and Coca-Cola.
Books by Morons Markham Pyle e-mailed to let me know that Vol. 3 of Village Tales has been release on Kindle. The Day Thou Gavest: A Village Tale continues with life in the Woolfonts:
Four-and-twenty January hours, midnight to midnight, in the Woolfonts; foaling and the imminence of lambing season, births and deaths, plans, projects, and pints down the Boar...Peace is upon the land, and the lighted windows of a Wintertide evening promise home and warmth. Come: spend a day in the Woolfonts.
___________ Also, 'ette 'Krukke1', reduced to lurker status by being pixy-banned, has just published her second collection of short short short short stories, Glimpse Vol. 2, which is
...the second collection of forty imagined scenes from forty imagined lives. Each story stands alone and varies in mood to engage every emotion as you read the book...In one or two pages the scene unfolds and completes each “glimpse”; many times with a surprising twist at the end. Just like life.
___________ Don't forget the AoSHQ reading group on Goodreads. It's meant to support horde writers and to talk about the great books that come up on the book thread. It's called AoSHQ Moron Horde and the link to it is here: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/175335-aoshq-moron-horde.
___________ So that's all for this week. As always, book thread tips, suggestions, bribes, rumors, threats, and insults may be sent to OregonMuse, Proprietor, AoSHQ Book Thread, at the book thread e-mail address: aoshqbookthread, followed by the 'at' sign, and then 'G' mail, and then dot cee oh emm. What have you all been reading this week? Hopefully something good, because, as you all know, life is too short to be reading lousy books.
Comments
(Jump to bottom of comments)1
Oneth?
Posted by: BackwardsBoy at March 20, 2016 08:01 AM (LUgeY)
2
Good morning bookworms
Posted by: Skip at March 20, 2016 08:02 AM (fizMZ)
Posted by: BackwardsBoy at March 20, 2016 08:02 AM (LUgeY)
4
Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend.
Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.
- Groucho Marx
Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend.
Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.
- Groucho Marx
Posted by: BackwardsBoy at March 20, 2016 08:07 AM (LUgeY)
5
Sadly didn't get far in Campaigns of Napoleon, my book I've had since 1982 and hadn't looked at it in a long time. I had forgotten how good it is and does seem to be a benchmark in Napoleoic circles. Not for the faint of heart at 1000pgs.
Posted by: Skip at March 20, 2016 08:07 AM (fizMZ)
6
The tree in a bookstore would even get a bat of a eye from me.
Posted by: Skip at March 20, 2016 08:10 AM (fizMZ)
7
Incidentally I am older than Vic and laugh at memories of
him as a small child running around looking for rocking chairs and
bottles of brown. Precocious little devil he was.
He's just bragging now.
This is the guy from Moab, Utah? LOL, I have been in or lived in nearly every State in the union but I have never been to Utah. I do have a cousin who lives there though.
Anyway I am still working on the Sparhawk series by David Eddings. I am on the sixth and final book now. And I am about Sparhawked out.
him as a small child running around looking for rocking chairs and
bottles of brown. Precocious little devil he was.
He's just bragging now.
This is the guy from Moab, Utah? LOL, I have been in or lived in nearly every State in the union but I have never been to Utah. I do have a cousin who lives there though.
Anyway I am still working on the Sparhawk series by David Eddings. I am on the sixth and final book now. And I am about Sparhawked out.
Posted by: Vic-we have no party at March 20, 2016 08:10 AM (t2KH5)
8
I'd hit it. Yes, I know she's a cartoon. Where are her glasses?
Posted by: rickl at March 20, 2016 08:10 AM (sdi6R)
9
Nice thread, OregonMuse!
Yesterday on the Gardening Thread some commenters raised the idea of having a thread dedicated to gardening books. Would you be interested in doing that?
Yesterday on the Gardening Thread some commenters raised the idea of having a thread dedicated to gardening books. Would you be interested in doing that?
Posted by: Y-not (@moxiemom) at March 20, 2016 08:12 AM (t5zYU)
10
Still reading The Ravens: The true story of a secret war in Laos and Vietnam. Christopher Robbins
I keep having to stop and follow up on details but plenty of annotations. I recommend it
I keep having to stop and follow up on details but plenty of annotations. I recommend it
Posted by: FCF at March 20, 2016 08:14 AM (kejii)
11
Frank, being the one-eyed progressive that he is, frets about "inequality", and doesn't seem all that concerned with the wide open spigots at the southern border,
And I'm sure he's totes down with open borders, despite that being used to drive down middle and lower class wages to the benefit of the investor/employer class, but hey, totes concerned about 'growing income inequality', too.
And never links one to the other.
And I'm sure he's totes down with open borders, despite that being used to drive down middle and lower class wages to the benefit of the investor/employer class, but hey, totes concerned about 'growing income inequality', too.
And never links one to the other.
Posted by: Dr. F at March 20, 2016 08:14 AM (iLoHX)
12
Tree in a bookstore is similar to a hog in a pork store.
Posted by: Alanis Morrissette- Back When She was Hitable at March 20, 2016 08:14 AM (gwG9s)
13
I remember Hrothgar in that episode of the Twilight Zone -Time Enough at Last as Hrothgar Bemis.
Posted by: Skip at March 20, 2016 08:15 AM (fizMZ)
14
Happy Sunday and first day of spring. Soon we can enjoy books on the deck!
Posted by: Beth M at March 20, 2016 08:15 AM (kiy9d)
15
As for cookbooks that read like, well, book-books, "Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking" by Anya von Bremzen. Totally enjoyable, she gives a real first hand look at how life in the Soviet Union remained centered on tradition. Some of the traditional foods...um, "yuck" seems a bit indelicate, but the descriptions and recipes made me glad I was born in the land of fried chicken and cornbread.
Posted by: antisocialist at March 20, 2016 08:17 AM (9n14Y)
16
Vincent Price was great in the radio show The Saint.
Posted by: chique d'afrique at March 20, 2016 08:18 AM (PjWy4)
17
Since this is the book thread and all hoity-toity and such-
I'll just mention that Vincent Price's greatest horror film is...
"Theater of Blood"
wherein he plays a murderous Shakespearean actor who kills his critics according to the deaths in various Shakespeare plays
while quoting Shakespeare!
so, you get edumacated along with your thrills.
It's streamable from amazon for $3.99.
Check it out.
I'll just mention that Vincent Price's greatest horror film is...
"Theater of Blood"
wherein he plays a murderous Shakespearean actor who kills his critics according to the deaths in various Shakespeare plays
while quoting Shakespeare!
so, you get edumacated along with your thrills.
It's streamable from amazon for $3.99.
Check it out.
Posted by: naturalfake at March 20, 2016 08:18 AM (2rmvw)
18
I always encouraged Dano to read.
Posted by: Jack Lord at March 20, 2016 08:18 AM (gwG9s)
19
My woman: Mary Slessor, Scottish missionary nurse who ended the killing of twins in Calabar,Nigeria, the city where my dad grew up.
I think this happened in the 1800s.
I think this happened in the 1800s.
Posted by: chique d'afrique at March 20, 2016 08:20 AM (PjWy4)
20
The plan is to push low income groups up by bringing in more immigrants to fill up a "new bottom."
Of course, this idea is as bad as trying to fill a bucket of water from the bottom, expecting the water already in the bucket to go up. Some of it does and some of it doesn't. Meanwhile, lots of water is leaking out of the holes.
Of course, this idea is as bad as trying to fill a bucket of water from the bottom, expecting the water already in the bucket to go up. Some of it does and some of it doesn't. Meanwhile, lots of water is leaking out of the holes.
Posted by: Bureau of Land Management at March 20, 2016 08:22 AM (e8kgV)
21
If there are any history buffs out there, John Julius Norwich's latest "Sicily" is great. It is a history which runs from the early Greek settlements, the Norman (as well as many other) occupations, the origins of the Mafia, and through WW II.
All you Sicilianos as well as others will be informed and entertained.
All you Sicilianos as well as others will be informed and entertained.
Posted by: Libra at March 20, 2016 08:22 AM (GblmV)
22
He also did comedies, which were generally of the same quality, such as, ahem, Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine.
Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs is much, much worse. Probably the worst movie Mario Bava ever directed.
Price had a great sense of humor about himself and what he did. He didn't take the whole thing too seriously.
Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs is much, much worse. Probably the worst movie Mario Bava ever directed.
Price had a great sense of humor about himself and what he did. He didn't take the whole thing too seriously.
Posted by: Dr. F at March 20, 2016 08:23 AM (iLoHX)
23
Welcome to Spring, fellow Book Threadists. (Today's weather sucks but what the heck.)
After my mini-rant about all the distractions of computers, TV and the culture in general, I severely limited my computer use and TV viewing. (The latter was made easier by all the coverage of March Madness. Words do not exist to express how little I care about basketball.)
I got more reading and studying with the Great Courses than I have in a while. Better focus, enjoyment and retention. I'm sensing a trend here.
After my mini-rant about all the distractions of computers, TV and the culture in general, I severely limited my computer use and TV viewing. (The latter was made easier by all the coverage of March Madness. Words do not exist to express how little I care about basketball.)
I got more reading and studying with the Great Courses than I have in a while. Better focus, enjoyment and retention. I'm sensing a trend here.
Posted by: JTB at March 20, 2016 08:23 AM (FvdPb)
24
WOOT! Humongous book thread!
Posted by: @votermom at March 20, 2016 08:26 AM (cbfNE)
25
Took someone's advice for " Control Alt Delete" to read.
Not my normal thing but I enjoyed it very much.
I even gave it a good review on Amazon.
Thanks for the recommendation.
Not my normal thing but I enjoyed it very much.
I even gave it a good review on Amazon.
Thanks for the recommendation.
Posted by: weirdflunkyonatablet at March 20, 2016 08:27 AM (hWLhH)
26
Sounds like Thomas Frank wants class warfare to take out rich lefties.
Posted by: Bruce With a Wang! at March 20, 2016 08:27 AM (iQIUe)
27
I read The Crisis of Islam: Holy War and Unholy Terror by Bernard Lewis. Lewis gives an overview of the history of Islam, but pays particular attention to key events of the twentieth century which led to the current violent conflicts of today. He also covers how the United States became "The Great Satan" and the rise of suicide bombers. I didn't get much out of it; perhaps because this is a slim volume (154 pp without notes and index) and the subject is so broad.
I went from a meh book to one of the best novels that I have ever read: A Soldier of the Great War by Mark Halpern. It is the story of Alessando Giuliani, an Italian professor of aesthetics, who in his mid-70's finds himself on a 70-kilometer walk to the village of Monte Prato. He is accompanied by a young man, and on the hike Alessandro tells the story of his life, particularly his experiences during World War I. It is a beautiful story in which beauty is often discussed. The descriptions of Rome, the Italian countryside, and Alessandro's exploits during the war are mesmerizing. It's a book about beauty, love, war and the lessons learned over a long, eventful life.
I went from a meh book to one of the best novels that I have ever read: A Soldier of the Great War by Mark Halpern. It is the story of Alessando Giuliani, an Italian professor of aesthetics, who in his mid-70's finds himself on a 70-kilometer walk to the village of Monte Prato. He is accompanied by a young man, and on the hike Alessandro tells the story of his life, particularly his experiences during World War I. It is a beautiful story in which beauty is often discussed. The descriptions of Rome, the Italian countryside, and Alessandro's exploits during the war are mesmerizing. It's a book about beauty, love, war and the lessons learned over a long, eventful life.
Posted by: Zoltan at March 20, 2016 08:27 AM (JYer2)
Posted by: @votermom at March 20, 2016 08:28 AM (cbfNE)
29
I looked at the picture for a long time before it suddenly dawned on me: "hey, that's a tree back there. What's a tree doing in this bookstore?"
Cover for the sniper.
Cover for the sniper.
Posted by: cool breeze at March 20, 2016 08:28 AM (ckvus)
30
What a fine selection of topics to ruminate upon this fine morning.
Posted by: Anna Puma at March 20, 2016 08:29 AM (yYkpT)
31
As opposed as I am to Trump as the nominee, part of me is wondering if we'll have a "Flowers for Algernon" effect where we slowly devolve from making intelligent conservative arguments against Trump to.
"Novembur 4 elecshin day
Today i goed 2 vote for presdint. I vote 4 trump he make amercka grat agan."
"Novembur 4 elecshin day
Today i goed 2 vote for presdint. I vote 4 trump he make amercka grat agan."
Posted by: VBJonny at March 20, 2016 08:30 AM (NX9H4)
32
On the subject of gardening books I still say that the Better Homes and Gardens Complete Guide To Gardening is the best gardening book I have ever seen. Unfortunately you will have to settle for a used copy as they are now out of print.
http://tinyurl.com/gnoofy6
http://tinyurl.com/gnoofy6
Posted by: Vic-we have no party at March 20, 2016 08:30 AM (t2KH5)
33
I made sure I have most of the books by Horde members available. This week I read Elisabeth G. Wolfe's "Look Behind You". This is simply a fun story combining King Arthur's Camelot, magic, the Texas Rangers, and WW II. Sounds odd but she makes it work for a pleasant read. The humorous moments made me laugh. I was sorry to come to the end. She could probably make a career from the concepts in this book.
And I did leave an Amazon review.
And I did leave an Amazon review.
Posted by: JTB at March 20, 2016 08:30 AM (FvdPb)
34
If there are any history buffs out there, John Julius Norwich's latest "Sicily" is great. It is a history which runs from the early Greek settlements, the Norman (as well as many other) occupations, the origins of the Mafia, and through WW II.
All you Sicilianos as well as others will be informed and entertained.
Posted by: Libra at March 20, 2016 08:22 AM (GblmV)
He wrote a 3 book history of the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire. That I'd recommend.
All you Sicilianos as well as others will be informed and entertained.
Posted by: Libra at March 20, 2016 08:22 AM (GblmV)
He wrote a 3 book history of the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire. That I'd recommend.
Posted by: TheQuietMan at March 20, 2016 08:30 AM (45oDG)
35
I'm reading "Abandon" by Blake Crouch, set in a mining town up in the San Juans above Silverton, CO.
Posted by: the littl shyning man at March 20, 2016 08:30 AM (U6f54)
36
I took out a second mortgage this week and bought Seamus' and Chris' books 
will get around to them soon enough I reckon.
will get around to them soon enough I reckon.Posted by: weirdflunkyonatablet at March 20, 2016 08:32 AM (hWLhH)
37
I'm reading two light novels, one called "The Royal We" by the girls at gofugyourself . com and the other is a re-run, "Midnight Mass" by F. Paul Wilson of Repairman Jack fame. This is not a Repairman Jack novel at all, but it's probably my favorite vampire novel with no romanticization of evil blood-sucking fiends at all. I have a cold so I'm being very lazy.
I was trying to read a book by a doctor about crucifixion but it's just weird. The author seems to think God enjoyed, for lack of a better word, torturing His Son and I don't know if I will finish this or not.
I need to read something that will actually improve my mind when I'm all better, something with some heft, before my brain assumes the consistency of the stuff currently clogging my sinuses.
I was trying to read a book by a doctor about crucifixion but it's just weird. The author seems to think God enjoyed, for lack of a better word, torturing His Son and I don't know if I will finish this or not.
I need to read something that will actually improve my mind when I'm all better, something with some heft, before my brain assumes the consistency of the stuff currently clogging my sinuses.
Posted by: Tonestaple at March 20, 2016 08:34 AM (LJYIn)
38
The Kos commenter on Hopper was using the mathematical formula I i = Kb E squared.
Posted by: Joe Hallenbeck at March 20, 2016 08:34 AM (MNgU2)
39
He also did comedies, which were generally of the same quality, such as, ahem, Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine.
There's one good in joke in that movie. Frankie Avalon is in Dr. Goldfoot's dungeon and comes across Annette Funcello and Eric von Zipper.
There's one good in joke in that movie. Frankie Avalon is in Dr. Goldfoot's dungeon and comes across Annette Funcello and Eric von Zipper.
Posted by: TheQuietMan at March 20, 2016 08:34 AM (45oDG)
40
Rereading The Reluctant King by L. Sprague de Camp. It's more fun this time, with my added life experience as perspective.
Posted by: NaCly Dog at March 20, 2016 08:35 AM (u82oZ)
41
Finally, the Book Thread gets elbows.
My reading preparation for my brother and my Normandy-Bulge-Remagen tour this summer continues apace. New book for the list is a 2012 NATO study on my grandfather's Engineer Group during the Bulge as an "AirLand" study. Grandfather's 'memoirs' are fun to read but maddening - he spends pages and pages on endless between-war Nation Guard reorganization trivia, but then covers the drive across France and the Bulge in two paragraphs... because there are already books written about it. gah!
And I have been to Calabar, Nigeria, and been to its slave museum, as it was the West Africa capital for that trade. (Also been to similar museum in Zanzibar, the East Africa equivalent)
My reading preparation for my brother and my Normandy-Bulge-Remagen tour this summer continues apace. New book for the list is a 2012 NATO study on my grandfather's Engineer Group during the Bulge as an "AirLand" study. Grandfather's 'memoirs' are fun to read but maddening - he spends pages and pages on endless between-war Nation Guard reorganization trivia, but then covers the drive across France and the Bulge in two paragraphs... because there are already books written about it. gah!
And I have been to Calabar, Nigeria, and been to its slave museum, as it was the West Africa capital for that trade. (Also been to similar museum in Zanzibar, the East Africa equivalent)
Posted by: goatexchange at March 20, 2016 08:35 AM (Nd4YY)
42
I guess Sicily is strategically set tho it doesnt prevent it from regularly getting invaded. Sure the soil is rich but it is so rocky I'm not sure how much farming is done. Grapes and tomatoes and vegs?
I guess Sicily is strategically set tho it doesnt prevent it from regularly getting invaded. Sure the soil is rich but it is so rocky I'm not sure how much farming is done. Grapes and tomatoes and vegs?
Posted by: Bruce With a Wang! at March 20, 2016 08:36 AM (iQIUe)
43
I have only glanced through it so far, but in the past ten days my Scout troop has given out eleven copies of The Boy Scout Handbook, 13th Edition to eleven young men who are joining our troop after having crossed over from Cub Scouts.
With respect to Boy Scout manuals, the rule is the older the edition, the better, in terms of useful knowledge therein (except for an edition from sometime around the 70s that was roundly derided as worthless).
The better kept secret is the Boy Scout Fieldbook, which is fiiled with far more useful knowledge because it dealt with excursions further afield. Again and generally, the older the edition the better.
Another text of interest is Shelters, Shacks, and Shanties by D. C. Beard (yes, Daniel Carter Beard), the classic guide to building wilderness shelters. The Dover softbound version (ISBN 978-0-486-43747-7) will set you back $10.95, but there is an on-line reprint of it IIRC.
Howard Gatty's Finding Your Way Without Map or Compass (Dover softbound, ISBN 978-0-486-40613-8, $10.95) is well worth reading, too. The telling time by the stars and walking in a straight line chapters alone are worth the price.
I have only glanced through it so far, but in the past ten days my Scout troop has given out eleven copies of The Boy Scout Handbook, 13th Edition to eleven young men who are joining our troop after having crossed over from Cub Scouts.
With respect to Boy Scout manuals, the rule is the older the edition, the better, in terms of useful knowledge therein (except for an edition from sometime around the 70s that was roundly derided as worthless).
The better kept secret is the Boy Scout Fieldbook, which is fiiled with far more useful knowledge because it dealt with excursions further afield. Again and generally, the older the edition the better.
Another text of interest is Shelters, Shacks, and Shanties by D. C. Beard (yes, Daniel Carter Beard), the classic guide to building wilderness shelters. The Dover softbound version (ISBN 978-0-486-43747-7) will set you back $10.95, but there is an on-line reprint of it IIRC.
Howard Gatty's Finding Your Way Without Map or Compass (Dover softbound, ISBN 978-0-486-40613-8, $10.95) is well worth reading, too. The telling time by the stars and walking in a straight line chapters alone are worth the price.
Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: 'Who Decides?' at March 20, 2016 08:37 AM (BK3ZS)
44
I attended a lecture by Commander Hopper several years ago. She was around 90 years young at the time and still in the active Navy; second oldest admiral after Rickover. She was sharp as a knife and still going strong. I also have a piece of wire nanosecond someplace.
Posted by: Bob at March 20, 2016 08:39 AM (W39El)
45
Vincent Price in movies like The Raven, one could tell he was just having fun.
To imagine the guy who played Sir Walter Raleigh in The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex opposite Bette Davis would at the end of his career be staring as Lionheart, a wronged and washed up thespian, with Diana Riggs.
Or with Virginia North - http://preview.tinyurl.com/zn7oo76
To imagine the guy who played Sir Walter Raleigh in The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex opposite Bette Davis would at the end of his career be staring as Lionheart, a wronged and washed up thespian, with Diana Riggs.
Or with Virginia North - http://preview.tinyurl.com/zn7oo76
Posted by: Anna Puma at March 20, 2016 08:40 AM (yYkpT)
46
Listened to Monster Hunter: Nemesis (MHI #5) by Larry Correia, which focuses on Agent Franks, the scary government agent who frequently crosses swords with MHI. Here Franks must save the world from evil while on the run. I like the Owen Pitt books the best but this was very good, lots of gunfire and explosions.
Also listened to Steyn's After America, where he tells you in his cheerful voice that the U.S. and the West are screwed. Terrific book, lot of depressing statistics.
Also listened to Steyn's After America, where he tells you in his cheerful voice that the U.S. and the West are screwed. Terrific book, lot of depressing statistics.
Posted by: waelse1 at March 20, 2016 08:41 AM (ecD/g)
47
After the gardening thread yesterday, I got out my aging copy of "Pirating Plants" by Peter Tobey. The book is about various free or very inexpensive ways to propagate plants and it has a fun, WTF let's try it, casual hippy-ish vibe. To paraphrase the author: 'I'm not trying to be efficient, I'm just playing in the dirt.' It's part technique and part attitude.
Posted by: JTB at March 20, 2016 08:42 AM (FvdPb)
48
Someone here recommended David Stafford's "Endgame 1945" some time ago, and it was my lunchtime read all last week. A very good read, mostly anecdotal personal stories covering a lightly researched part of the war, which I have some personal connections with - my father was a USAAF/USAF radio operator during and after the war, and spent several immediate postwar years in Italy, where a vicious civil war was still raging between the nationalistic and communist militias.
One very interesting and totally surprising (to me, at least) tidbit was a short section about the poet Ezra Pound. Other than the forced reading of one or two of his works in college, I had no idea of his life. Seems he was a hardcore fascist, and a very vocal supporter of Hitler and Mussolini, going so far as to move over there in the 1930s and do propaganda broadcasts for them during the war. He was eventually captured along with the other like-minded fellow travelers, like the Englishman William Joyce ("Lord Haw Haw"), and likewise sentenced to death. His ability to mimic insanity saved him from that immediate fate, and the sympathies of yet another leftish admirer kept him in comfort in the insane asylum he was moved to over the following decade. More leftish admirers managed to get him sprung in 1958.
Somehow all that part of his life was conveniently left out in those college discussions about his literary brilliance....
One very interesting and totally surprising (to me, at least) tidbit was a short section about the poet Ezra Pound. Other than the forced reading of one or two of his works in college, I had no idea of his life. Seems he was a hardcore fascist, and a very vocal supporter of Hitler and Mussolini, going so far as to move over there in the 1930s and do propaganda broadcasts for them during the war. He was eventually captured along with the other like-minded fellow travelers, like the Englishman William Joyce ("Lord Haw Haw"), and likewise sentenced to death. His ability to mimic insanity saved him from that immediate fate, and the sympathies of yet another leftish admirer kept him in comfort in the insane asylum he was moved to over the following decade. More leftish admirers managed to get him sprung in 1958.
Somehow all that part of his life was conveniently left out in those college discussions about his literary brilliance....
Posted by: John the Baptist at March 20, 2016 08:44 AM (MPH+3)
49
Read Call of Duty: The Sterling Nobility of Robert E. Lee this week. Wow just wow. I had no idea how religious he was. I highly recommend it. Focuses more on his life than the war (some it is about the war obviously). His father fought in the Revolutionary War and was friends with George Washington.
There lots small stories or incidents that help to define the man. One of my favorites: During a battle Lee and the group of soldiers he was with came under heavy fire. Lee told the men to retreat to safety. He then got out from behind cover and picked up a baby sparrow that had fallen out of it's nest and placed it back in the nest. He then retreated to safety following his men.
There lots small stories or incidents that help to define the man. One of my favorites: During a battle Lee and the group of soldiers he was with came under heavy fire. Lee told the men to retreat to safety. He then got out from behind cover and picked up a baby sparrow that had fallen out of it's nest and placed it back in the nest. He then retreated to safety following his men.
Posted by: Prophet at March 20, 2016 08:47 AM (rZL5y)
Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: 'Who Decides?' at March 20, 2016 08:47 AM (BK3ZS)
51
46 waelse1
The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics
by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and Alastair Smith is even mote depressing than Mark Stein.
Hard to believe it's possible, but there it is.
The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics
by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and Alastair Smith is even mote depressing than Mark Stein.
Hard to believe it's possible, but there it is.
Posted by: NaCly Dog at March 20, 2016 08:50 AM (u82oZ)
52
This is my favorite book excerpt . Taken from Pressfield's Tides of War. I'll let people decide how and who it applies to today.
Spartans are courageous but not bold. Athenians are bold but not courageous.
Boldness is impatient. Courage is long-suffering. Boldness cannot endure hardship or delay; its ravenous, it must feed on victory or it dies. Boldness makes its seat upon the air; it is gossamer and phantom. Courage plants its feet upon earth and draws its strength from God's holy fundament.
The bold man is prideful, brazen, ambitious. The brave man calm, God-fearing, steady. The bold man seeks to divide; he wants his own and will shoulder his brother arise to loot it. The brave man unites. He succor so his fellow, knowing that what belongs to the commonwealth belongs to him as well. The bold man covets; he sues his neighbor in the law court, he intrigues , he dissembles. The brave man is content with his lot; he respects that portion the gods have granted and husband sit, comporting himself with humility as heaven's reward.
In troubled times the bold man flails about in effeminate anguish, seeking to draw his neighbors into his misfortune, for he has no strength of character to fall back upon other to drag others down to his own state of wickedness. Now the brave man . In dark hours he endures silently, uncomplaining. Reverencing the round of heaven's seasons, he does what must be done, sustaining himself with the certainty that to endure injustice with patience is the mark of piety and wisdom.
Spartans are courageous but not bold. Athenians are bold but not courageous.
Boldness is impatient. Courage is long-suffering. Boldness cannot endure hardship or delay; its ravenous, it must feed on victory or it dies. Boldness makes its seat upon the air; it is gossamer and phantom. Courage plants its feet upon earth and draws its strength from God's holy fundament.
The bold man is prideful, brazen, ambitious. The brave man calm, God-fearing, steady. The bold man seeks to divide; he wants his own and will shoulder his brother arise to loot it. The brave man unites. He succor so his fellow, knowing that what belongs to the commonwealth belongs to him as well. The bold man covets; he sues his neighbor in the law court, he intrigues , he dissembles. The brave man is content with his lot; he respects that portion the gods have granted and husband sit, comporting himself with humility as heaven's reward.
In troubled times the bold man flails about in effeminate anguish, seeking to draw his neighbors into his misfortune, for he has no strength of character to fall back upon other to drag others down to his own state of wickedness. Now the brave man . In dark hours he endures silently, uncomplaining. Reverencing the round of heaven's seasons, he does what must be done, sustaining himself with the certainty that to endure injustice with patience is the mark of piety and wisdom.
Posted by: Joe Hallenbeck at March 20, 2016 08:53 AM (MNgU2)
53
Who the eff cares what a KOS commenter thinks????
Posted by: jason watson at March 20, 2016 08:53 AM (SjXK8)
54
51 I need a better autocorrect for my fingers.
Mark Steyn is a cheery optimist compared to some of the authors I've read recently.
Mark Steyn is a cheery optimist compared to some of the authors I've read recently.
Posted by: NaCly Dog at March 20, 2016 08:54 AM (u82oZ)
55
The Nazi who probably was insane was 31G-350125, Rudolf Hess. It seems to be agreed that his sentence - being locked up, for life, in Spandau, by himself - was a bit much.
Posted by: boulder terlit hobo at March 20, 2016 08:54 AM (6FqZa)
56
Haven't started it yet but picked up a used copy of Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. You know to impress young baristas.
Posted by: Prophet at March 20, 2016 08:55 AM (rZL5y)
57
he spends pages and pages on endless between-war Nation Guard reorganization trivia --goatexchange
Hmm. Perhaps not as trivial as it seems. Several guys, "mere colonels" (you know, Col. Eisenhower and such) built up the "hollow division" plan in the 20's, detailing how cadres of regular army field-grades and NCO's would turn understaffed NG units into bulging-at-the-seams combat divisions in about two maneuvers.
Just about every tragicomic, seriocomic, or just plain comic "anti-war" novel of a whole generation showed how ridiculous this felt as it was going on. They never mention that it worked like a pip. They'd actually learned something from WWI.
Buddy of my dad's from 393Inf always says, "We were a damn well-trained outfit! Trouble was, we didn't figure that out 'til later."
Hmm. Perhaps not as trivial as it seems. Several guys, "mere colonels" (you know, Col. Eisenhower and such) built up the "hollow division" plan in the 20's, detailing how cadres of regular army field-grades and NCO's would turn understaffed NG units into bulging-at-the-seams combat divisions in about two maneuvers.
Just about every tragicomic, seriocomic, or just plain comic "anti-war" novel of a whole generation showed how ridiculous this felt as it was going on. They never mention that it worked like a pip. They'd actually learned something from WWI.
Buddy of my dad's from 393Inf always says, "We were a damn well-trained outfit! Trouble was, we didn't figure that out 'til later."
Posted by: Stringer Davis at March 20, 2016 08:55 AM (xq1UY)
58
The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics
I wonder where they got the idea?
I wonder where they got the idea?
Posted by: niccolo machiavelli at March 20, 2016 08:55 AM (6FqZa)
Posted by: Joe Hallenbeck at March 20, 2016 08:56 AM (MNgU2)
60
I started the Lattimore translation of The Iliad. It is supposed to retain the pace and cadence of the original Greek. It does avoid a lot of modernisms and reading it aloud gave me a feel for the original. Certainly my favorite translation of Homer so far. The Fagles version, which I have read, gets more attention but I prefer the Lattimore edition.
Posted by: JTB at March 20, 2016 08:57 AM (FvdPb)
61
Responding to the post yesterday about conservative TV shows: The Expanse.
The books are easy, fun reads as well.
Anytime you have a setting of expanding where people can live, it can't help but be conservative.
Because freedom is conservative.
Land is freedom.
Only when you can confine people, can you control them. Only then can the totalitarian fantasy of the leftist rise.
And that's why they hate cheap land and will fight to the death to keep all that wasted federal land off-limits.
One other interesting point from the Expanse was where they talked about conspiracies. Their point was, people have a hard time understanding how complex the universe is, how they have no control over so much of what they see, so it's easier to believe and concoct conspiracies to explain than to accept reality--easier to believe that the whole universe is aligned against you, not that it doesn't even know you exist.
And that's your Bernie support--so firm in the belief that they are so damned important they refuse to accept the reality that the world doesn't care. So, it must be a conspiracy of power that is keeping them down.
The books are easy, fun reads as well.
Anytime you have a setting of expanding where people can live, it can't help but be conservative.
Because freedom is conservative.
Land is freedom.
Only when you can confine people, can you control them. Only then can the totalitarian fantasy of the leftist rise.
And that's why they hate cheap land and will fight to the death to keep all that wasted federal land off-limits.
One other interesting point from the Expanse was where they talked about conspiracies. Their point was, people have a hard time understanding how complex the universe is, how they have no control over so much of what they see, so it's easier to believe and concoct conspiracies to explain than to accept reality--easier to believe that the whole universe is aligned against you, not that it doesn't even know you exist.
And that's your Bernie support--so firm in the belief that they are so damned important they refuse to accept the reality that the world doesn't care. So, it must be a conspiracy of power that is keeping them down.
Posted by: RoyalOil at March 20, 2016 08:57 AM (fQ/0p)
62
Yesterday on the Gardening Thread some commenters raised the idea of having a thread dedicated to gardening books. Would you be interested in doing that?
Posted by: Y-not (@moxiemom) at March 20, 2016 08:12 AM (t5zYU)
I would think that a thread devoted to gardening books would be way too specific to generate enough interest on a weekly or even a monthly basis.
Plus, this is a topic I know next to nothing about. Couldn't it be part of the regular gardening thread?
Posted by: Y-not (@moxiemom) at March 20, 2016 08:12 AM (t5zYU)
I would think that a thread devoted to gardening books would be way too specific to generate enough interest on a weekly or even a monthly basis.
Plus, this is a topic I know next to nothing about. Couldn't it be part of the regular gardening thread?
Posted by: OregonMuse at March 20, 2016 08:58 AM (P5x6u)
63
26 Sounds like Thomas Frank wants class warfare to take out rich lefties.
Posted by: Bruce With a Wang! at March 20, 2016 08:27 AM (iQIUe)
Heh. Class war is what every progressive wants. Whether they'll like it when they get it is another question.
Posted by: Bruce With a Wang! at March 20, 2016 08:27 AM (iQIUe)
Heh. Class war is what every progressive wants. Whether they'll like it when they get it is another question.
Posted by: OregonMuse at March 20, 2016 09:00 AM (P5x6u)
64
52 ... Damn it, Joe. Now I have to get another Pressfield book. Thanks for the quote.
Posted by: JTB at March 20, 2016 09:00 AM (FvdPb)
65
I've been reading Eyewitness to the Old West. Vignettes of things from the years 1531 until 1890. First hand accounts of events like surviving the Donner Party, being captured by Indians, caught outside in a blizzard, how to load a wagon for overland travel, really all sorts of subjects.
Most of the accounts are only a couple of pages long, so a perfect bathroom book...
Most of the accounts are only a couple of pages long, so a perfect bathroom book...
Posted by: HH at March 20, 2016 09:00 AM (DrCtv)
66
Posted by: RoyalOil at March 20, 2016 08:57 AM (fQ/0p)
I've always agreed with the opinion that the main reason for the success of the United States was the system of property ownership.
I've always agreed with the opinion that the main reason for the success of the United States was the system of property ownership.
Posted by: Joe Hallenbeck at March 20, 2016 09:01 AM (MNgU2)
67
As opposed as I am to Trump as the nominee, part of
me is wondering if we'll have a "Flowers for Algernon" effect where we
slowly devolve from making intelligent conservative arguments against
Trump to.
"Novembur 4 elecshin day
Today i goed 2 vote for presdint. I vote 4 trump he make amercka grat agan."
Posted by: VBJonny at March 20, 2016 08:30 AM (NX9H4)
I doubt it. Very few people will devolve from "Trump is a government healthcare supporting, amnesty leaning crony socialist who is part of the problem and not part of the solution" to "Mitt Romney hates Trump so must. vote. Trump" (at least I hope there are very few people that myopic).
me is wondering if we'll have a "Flowers for Algernon" effect where we
slowly devolve from making intelligent conservative arguments against
Trump to.
"Novembur 4 elecshin day
Today i goed 2 vote for presdint. I vote 4 trump he make amercka grat agan."
Posted by: VBJonny at March 20, 2016 08:30 AM (NX9H4)
I doubt it. Very few people will devolve from "Trump is a government healthcare supporting, amnesty leaning crony socialist who is part of the problem and not part of the solution" to "Mitt Romney hates Trump so must. vote. Trump" (at least I hope there are very few people that myopic).
Posted by: redbanzai at March 20, 2016 09:01 AM (NPofj)
68
My favorite woman to honor - lotta choice for me out there, but I'd have to go with Lizzie Johnson Williams, who was a schoolteacher, bookkeeper, professional writer and oh, yeah - was a cattle rancher in Texas post Civil-War.
http://www.celiahayes.com/archives/325
As for my own reading this week; Dave Freer's Rats, Bats and Vats ... a very fun romp concerning bio-engineered soldier rats, bats and a single human, caught behind enemy lines... I'm enjoying it so far.
We're trying to finish the sequel to The Chronicles of Luna City for release in May - thanks to those 'rons who have bought and read it, and left reviews!
Just as a heads up for those who do like science fiction and fantasy, Sad Puppies Four has announced their list of suggested Hugo nominees this week at Mad Genius Club ... and the screaming and wailing from the anti-Sad Puppies is positively epic. Apparently, some of the suggested authors are perfectly furious at the wrong kind of people being fans of their books. Grim details at Sarah Hoyt's blog - According to Hoyt.
http://www.celiahayes.com/archives/325
As for my own reading this week; Dave Freer's Rats, Bats and Vats ... a very fun romp concerning bio-engineered soldier rats, bats and a single human, caught behind enemy lines... I'm enjoying it so far.
We're trying to finish the sequel to The Chronicles of Luna City for release in May - thanks to those 'rons who have bought and read it, and left reviews!
Just as a heads up for those who do like science fiction and fantasy, Sad Puppies Four has announced their list of suggested Hugo nominees this week at Mad Genius Club ... and the screaming and wailing from the anti-Sad Puppies is positively epic. Apparently, some of the suggested authors are perfectly furious at the wrong kind of people being fans of their books. Grim details at Sarah Hoyt's blog - According to Hoyt.
Posted by: Sgt. Mom at March 20, 2016 09:04 AM (oK6A/)
69
I had never heard of Grace Hopper. She can't have been a feminist or lesbian, because we'd have all heard of her by now, relentlessly.
Interesting lady.
Interesting lady.
Posted by: BeckoningChasm at March 20, 2016 09:05 AM (AroJD)
70
Vincent Price was in a very fine movie called The Baron of Arizona about a man who attempted one of the biggest cons in the history of history. James Reavis, played by Price, claimed 18,000 square miles of the territory of Arizona in a scram involving Spanish Land Grants and a missing heiress. Good movie, based on a true story.
Posted by: huerfano at March 20, 2016 09:05 AM (NSb9d)
71
Grace Hopper is also regarded as the patron saint of software QA engineers, for finding the first bug. An actual bug, a moth, that got in the inner workings and gummed up the computing machine. She found it and taped it in her lab notebook. And I guarantee you five minutes later some developer said "not a bug: can't repro" and was bludgeoned to death.
Book is off to the editor! Currently re-reading A Sailor of Austria and giggling at the camel in a submarine section.This book was a Book Thread find and a treasure.
Book is off to the editor! Currently re-reading A Sailor of Austria and giggling at the camel in a submarine section.This book was a Book Thread find and a treasure.
Posted by: Sabrina Chase at March 20, 2016 09:05 AM (GG9V6)
72
Last night I added a 13,000 word essay to my wiki about an interstellar conflict that is only tangential to my main story. What a waste of time.
http://worldsapart.wikia.com/wiki/ Second_Aurelian_War
http://worldsapart.wikia.com/wiki/ Second_Aurelian_War
Posted by: V the K at March 20, 2016 09:06 AM (G/+Ma)
73
So maybe one of you more sciency morons could explain what the Kos commenter was whining about,
I think he's whining about math, because even using SAE units, it takes a second (not a nanosecond) to get your answer of .982 feet.
I think he's whining about math, because even using SAE units, it takes a second (not a nanosecond) to get your answer of .982 feet.
Posted by: t-bird at March 20, 2016 09:09 AM (mxCgt)
74
'The Conqueror Worm' is the Vincent Price movie I think really uses his acting chops in the horror genre. Like Karloff, Carradine and Lee, they were astonishingly good actors who had fun and profit with their craft. Listening to Karloff narrate The Grinch is just textbook tour-de-force.
Posted by: mustbequantum at March 20, 2016 09:09 AM (MIKMs)
75
The Cask of Val-U-Rite is a lesser-known Edgar Allan Poe story.
Posted by: BourbonChicken at March 20, 2016 09:09 AM (VdICR)
76
Sneaking in a bleg while the thread is fresh: I'm looking for science fiction (novels or short form) on the topic of immortality. I'm writing a longish article glossing through the medical, economic and sociological ramifications a breakthrough would engender, so tech-y stuff is my focus.
I'm using James Gunn's 1962 The Immortals as my starting point. It's a pretty terrific story cycle set over a hundred years as the discovery of one natural-born immortal demolishes the world of medicine, and eventually all of society. If it interests you at all, look for a post-2004 edition, which includes an additional story filling in a hole the original 1950s stories had left gaping, and brings the medical blahblahblah up to date.
(This is not to be confused with James Gunn's horrible The Immortal, which is a novelization of a TV script based on the first section of the original book. Quite hacky. Apparently the 1970 TV movie and subsequent series has been buried for 20 years. Harlan Ellison hated it, and I trust him a lot.)
I'm whittling down to the best handle on Heinlein's Howards family saga. Norman Spinrad's Bug Jack Barron gets a play. Some short stories from Niven, Simak, Bradbury, Silverberg.
Avoiding TV and movies for now. Gotta save something for the sequel.
I don't read much SF that wasn't written before I was born, so I may be missing newer gems. Much appreciate any leads to stories that made you sit back and see the whole topic from a shocking new perspective. My signature below is my mailto link if you have thoughts that would bore the Morons.
I'm using James Gunn's 1962 The Immortals as my starting point. It's a pretty terrific story cycle set over a hundred years as the discovery of one natural-born immortal demolishes the world of medicine, and eventually all of society. If it interests you at all, look for a post-2004 edition, which includes an additional story filling in a hole the original 1950s stories had left gaping, and brings the medical blahblahblah up to date.
(This is not to be confused with James Gunn's horrible The Immortal, which is a novelization of a TV script based on the first section of the original book. Quite hacky. Apparently the 1970 TV movie and subsequent series has been buried for 20 years. Harlan Ellison hated it, and I trust him a lot.)
I'm whittling down to the best handle on Heinlein's Howards family saga. Norman Spinrad's Bug Jack Barron gets a play. Some short stories from Niven, Simak, Bradbury, Silverberg.
Avoiding TV and movies for now. Gotta save something for the sequel.
I don't read much SF that wasn't written before I was born, so I may be missing newer gems. Much appreciate any leads to stories that made you sit back and see the whole topic from a shocking new perspective. My signature below is my mailto link if you have thoughts that would bore the Morons.
Posted by: Spellcheck at March 20, 2016 09:09 AM (HKBpI)
77
Vincent Price was anything but an unserious hack. He may have hammed it up in later career but he was a fine supporting actor in his early career. He was great in the film classic, "Laura". He was an absolute hoot in the Robert Mitchum flick. "His Kind of Woman". Oddly enough he played a ham actor in that one. I remember seeing him and his wife, Coral Browne, interviewed on the old talk shows. He was a very interesting man.
Posted by: Tuna at March 20, 2016 09:10 AM (JSovD)
78
Posted by: JTB at March 20, 2016 09:00 AM (FvdPb)
Tides of War is Pressfield's telling of the Peloponnesian War. As in most of his books, it's told from a fictional chracter's first person perspective. Also as always from Pressfield's, it's a fantastic book.
Tides of War is Pressfield's telling of the Peloponnesian War. As in most of his books, it's told from a fictional chracter's first person perspective. Also as always from Pressfield's, it's a fantastic book.
Posted by: Joe Hallenbeck at March 20, 2016 09:10 AM (MNgU2)
79
Sarah Hoyt trying to discern if one special snowflake about the list of nominees has quantifiable intelligence, she finds such IQ undefinable since the quantity is quite infinitesimal.
http://preview.tinyurl.com/jtb9xw9
Previous Hoyt post about the war on competence
http://preview.tinyurl.com/zjcznxj
http://preview.tinyurl.com/jtb9xw9
Previous Hoyt post about the war on competence
http://preview.tinyurl.com/zjcznxj
Posted by: Anna Puma at March 20, 2016 09:11 AM (yYkpT)
80
I've always agreed with the opinion that the main
reason for the success of the United States was the system of property
ownership.
Posted by: Joe Hallenbeck
======
It is.
From the colonization there were, what, 2 or 3 great western expansions?
Over and over we sent men out and told them to make their own way and own laws.
If I didn't have to work on my campaign today, I'd read "What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew." A book recommended by someone here.
reason for the success of the United States was the system of property
ownership.
Posted by: Joe Hallenbeck
======
It is.
From the colonization there were, what, 2 or 3 great western expansions?
Over and over we sent men out and told them to make their own way and own laws.
If I didn't have to work on my campaign today, I'd read "What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew." A book recommended by someone here.
Posted by: RoyalOil at March 20, 2016 09:11 AM (fQ/0p)
81
There is a series of 12 books called the Swallows and Amazons series, written by Arthur Ransome in the 1930s. It centers around kids sailing and camping in the Cotswolds. It's very popular with the brits. They say it's popularity is partially due to the kids doing real life things and the book teaching real skills. I wish more young adult books did that.
Arthur Ransome is a real character. Newsman who ran off to cover the bolshie revolution. Married a red and then had trouble getting out. He and his wife finally escaped. It was rumored that the wife was a commie agent and carried with her some of the Tzar's jewels to give to commie agents in the UK for commie activities.
There is a series of 12 books called the Swallows and Amazons series, written by Arthur Ransome in the 1930s. It centers around kids sailing and camping in the Cotswolds. It's very popular with the brits. They say it's popularity is partially due to the kids doing real life things and the book teaching real skills. I wish more young adult books did that.
Arthur Ransome is a real character. Newsman who ran off to cover the bolshie revolution. Married a red and then had trouble getting out. He and his wife finally escaped. It was rumored that the wife was a commie agent and carried with her some of the Tzar's jewels to give to commie agents in the UK for commie activities.
Posted by: Bruce With a Wang! at March 20, 2016 09:11 AM (iQIUe)
82
Have I said lately how much of a love / hate relationship I have with auto-corrupt?
Posted by: Joe Hallenbeck at March 20, 2016 09:12 AM (MNgU2)
83
Vincent Price an unserious hack? You don't know your film noir history, then. Somebody's unserious here, it's not Vincent Price, I can tell you that.
Posted by: Monty James at March 20, 2016 09:13 AM (uLTvi)
84
Light travels about 30 cm in a nano second. My tape measure says just over 11.8 inches. Pretty dang close to a foot. Not quite but close.
Posted by: weirdflunkyonatablet at March 20, 2016 09:15 AM (hWLhH)
85
Glad to hear the book has been remanded to the not so tender mercies of your editor Sabrina.
I need to get back working on another chapter of this WWII novel.
Still surprised guy has not opened fire on me with one of his Civil War rifles for chopping a chapter from 6,000 words to 3,000 words.
I need to get back working on another chapter of this WWII novel.
Still surprised guy has not opened fire on me with one of his Civil War rifles for chopping a chapter from 6,000 words to 3,000 words.
Posted by: Anna Puma at March 20, 2016 09:15 AM (yYkpT)
86
58 Indeed.
"If one wishes a sect or republic to live long, it is necessary to draw it back often towards its beginning."
Chapter 1 of Book 3 Discourses on Livy by Niccolo Machiavelli
"If one wishes a sect or republic to live long, it is necessary to draw it back often towards its beginning."
Chapter 1 of Book 3 Discourses on Livy by Niccolo Machiavelli
Posted by: NaCly Dog at March 20, 2016 09:17 AM (u82oZ)
87
"The impression I have gotten over the years is that there were probably very few things Mr. Price wouldn't do for money."
I must disagree with our esteemed host...
Actors of Mr. Price's time had less control over the work they were offered and accepted. A little typecasting at the beginning of his career probably created the niche for which he was famous. And work is work! If the choice was between a silly B movie or no role, what would most people do?
There are actors of our era who have similar tastes for cash. Christopher Walken comes to mind (although he is mostly wonderful), as does Nicolas Cage (mostly awful).
I must disagree with our esteemed host...
Actors of Mr. Price's time had less control over the work they were offered and accepted. A little typecasting at the beginning of his career probably created the niche for which he was famous. And work is work! If the choice was between a silly B movie or no role, what would most people do?
There are actors of our era who have similar tastes for cash. Christopher Walken comes to mind (although he is mostly wonderful), as does Nicolas Cage (mostly awful).
Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at March 20, 2016 09:19 AM (Zu3d9)
88
I am fighting my way through a 1958 translation of Marco Polo's Travels.
Some of it is very interesting and meshes well with other travelogs from the era, and other things it talks about are fantastic stories that go back to Pliny's Natural History and are reflected in the seven voyages of Sinbad and are echoed in Mandeville's Travels and other "wonderbooks"
Polo has not been considered a good narrator about the east and the Tartars, because he includes these wonder tales as fact. On the other hand, Pliny also included these wonder tales also because they were traditional.
As a source for China and the Tartars The Travels is kind of thin. It mostly just talks of generalities and of course the Polos were more interested in trading possibilities than natural history or technology.
Some of it is very interesting and meshes well with other travelogs from the era, and other things it talks about are fantastic stories that go back to Pliny's Natural History and are reflected in the seven voyages of Sinbad and are echoed in Mandeville's Travels and other "wonderbooks"
Polo has not been considered a good narrator about the east and the Tartars, because he includes these wonder tales as fact. On the other hand, Pliny also included these wonder tales also because they were traditional.
As a source for China and the Tartars The Travels is kind of thin. It mostly just talks of generalities and of course the Polos were more interested in trading possibilities than natural history or technology.
Posted by: Kindltot at March 20, 2016 09:21 AM (XQHkt)
89
Picked up a library book "You Could Look It Up". It deals with a history of written reference works starting with the Code of Hamurabi and moving forward from there. Interesting read so far. But it got me wondering just what 'classic' reference resources (meaning ones I grew up with) are still available in print. To my surprise, the World Book Encyclopedia is still printed although I suspect it is used online more often. Recent used sets go for a few hundred bucks, less if found at a yard sale. This is cheap compared to the cost of the new set my folks got us in 1960 in terms of buying power. I don't know if the World Book has gone PC or not. And I wonder if they still use those vinyl overlays of the human body. Those were so cool.
Before you ask, I was one of those kids who simply read encyclopedias and dictionaries. For fun.
Before you ask, I was one of those kids who simply read encyclopedias and dictionaries. For fun.
Posted by: JTB at March 20, 2016 09:21 AM (FvdPb)
90
Posted by: NaCly Dog at March 20, 2016 08:35 AM (u82oZ)
I came to the conclusion that the series was a discussion of various forms of government, and how they *really* work out, disguised as fantasy. De Camp certainly made it clear that so-called "People's Republics" weren't at all interested in the people in either their own country or others.
I came to the conclusion that the series was a discussion of various forms of government, and how they *really* work out, disguised as fantasy. De Camp certainly made it clear that so-called "People's Republics" weren't at all interested in the people in either their own country or others.
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at March 20, 2016 09:22 AM (GDulk)
91
86 58 Indeed.
"If one wishes a sect or republic to live long, it is necessary to draw it back often towards its beginning."
Chapter 1 of Book 3 Discourses on Livy by Niccolo Machiavelli
Posted by: NaCly Dog at March 20, 2016 09:17 AM (u82oZ)
This true with anything. Baptists do this with re-dedication , to get back to that faith and feeling one had when one first publicly asked to be saved.
"If one wishes a sect or republic to live long, it is necessary to draw it back often towards its beginning."
Chapter 1 of Book 3 Discourses on Livy by Niccolo Machiavelli
Posted by: NaCly Dog at March 20, 2016 09:17 AM (u82oZ)
This true with anything. Baptists do this with re-dedication , to get back to that faith and feeling one had when one first publicly asked to be saved.
Posted by: Joe Hallenbeck at March 20, 2016 09:23 AM (MNgU2)
92
>>> He was an absolute hoot in the Robert Mitchum flick. "His Kind of Woman".
I stumbled across that film a few years ago. Price pretty much steals the second half of that film. Funny as hell.
I stumbled across that film a few years ago. Price pretty much steals the second half of that film. Funny as hell.
Posted by: HH at March 20, 2016 09:23 AM (DrCtv)
93
Vincent Price was in the classic movie, Laura, with Gene Tierney. He was also married to the wonderful Coral Browne.
Coral Browne was quite devout but swore like a longshoreman. After Sunday mass, a fellow actor came up to her with gossip about who was sleeping with who's wife. She stopped him in his tracks with: "I don't want to hear this filth. Not with me standing here in a state of fucking grace."
Vincent Price was in the classic movie, Laura, with Gene Tierney. He was also married to the wonderful Coral Browne.
Coral Browne was quite devout but swore like a longshoreman. After Sunday mass, a fellow actor came up to her with gossip about who was sleeping with who's wife. She stopped him in his tracks with: "I don't want to hear this filth. Not with me standing here in a state of fucking grace."
Posted by: Bruce With a Wang! at March 20, 2016 09:24 AM (iQIUe)
94
As for sheroes, I nominate Judith Merril and Judy-Lynn Del Rey. Both were more influential as SF editors than as writers, Merril for her annual Best SF collections and Del Rey as the chief editor at Ballantine during its glory years. Their name on any 60s/70s paperback is a guarantee of quality and almost always suited to my peculiar tastes. Given the amount of wizard and dragon drivel coming from women editors these days, these ladies stand tall.
Posted by: Spellcheck at March 20, 2016 09:24 AM (HKBpI)
Posted by: weirdflunkyonatablet at March 20, 2016 09:25 AM (hWLhH)
96
Posted by: JTB at March 20, 2016 09:21 AM (FvdPb)
I had a set of Britannica. My go to though was The World Atlas.
I had a set of Britannica. My go to though was The World Atlas.
Posted by: Joe Hallenbeck at March 20, 2016 09:25 AM (MNgU2)
97
Stringer - yes, thank you, I didn't mean to deride my grandfather's between-war activities. I just wish he had used his excellent eye for detail and descriptive prose to discuss the June '44 - April '45 period in greater length. And I also recognize the seeds that were planted during that 20s-30s period. Every time he mentions running across 'an old friend' or 'this was a lesson we had learned'... i know the value that all those old WWI vets like my grandad brought to the WWII campaigns.
Posted by: goatexchange at March 20, 2016 09:25 AM (Nd4YY)
98
The difference between running a drug cartel and a fast food chain is that kidnapping, raping, mutilating and beheading the employees of your rival is rarely accepted as good practice in the retail quick-service food world.
Bribing the local officials to look the other way from your activities is wholly acceptable in both industries.
Bribing the local officials to look the other way from your activities is wholly acceptable in both industries.
Posted by: Gordon at March 20, 2016 09:26 AM (R+3uy)
99
Discourses on Livy is, by far, one of the best and most penetrating works of modern political philosophy. Everybody knows Machiavelli for 'The Prince,' but read Strauss' 'Thoughts on Machiavelli,' and get a sense of what old Nicky was up to, and prepare to be amazed.
Truly, this is Machiavelli's world, and we just happen to live in it.
Truly, this is Machiavelli's world, and we just happen to live in it.
Posted by: Your Decidedly Devious Uncle Palpatine, Still Accepting Harem Applicants at March 20, 2016 09:26 AM (lutOX)
100
I met Vincent Price once, after he'd given an art lecture at our museum. Classy guy, and yes, he openly made fun of his acting career.
I don't know what to say about never hearing of Grace Hopper. Thanks to those old Science Reading Associates brochures, I'd heard of her before COBOL. Where my kid went to school, practically everybody's got a 1-foot length of wire. Of course, Col. Ed Murphy was also on staff there, so...
Walking through the lobby of the Hale Koa, a young fellow swung past in shore-leave whites, bearing the rocker "USS Hopper." He saw me look at the badge. Nod, nod back, I "duded" him, and we both said "Amazing Grace."
STEM minority quotas, 1960: http://tinyurl.com/h5ykxs6
I don't know what to say about never hearing of Grace Hopper. Thanks to those old Science Reading Associates brochures, I'd heard of her before COBOL. Where my kid went to school, practically everybody's got a 1-foot length of wire. Of course, Col. Ed Murphy was also on staff there, so...
Walking through the lobby of the Hale Koa, a young fellow swung past in shore-leave whites, bearing the rocker "USS Hopper." He saw me look at the badge. Nod, nod back, I "duded" him, and we both said "Amazing Grace."
STEM minority quotas, 1960: http://tinyurl.com/h5ykxs6
Posted by: Stringer Davis at March 20, 2016 09:27 AM (xq1UY)
101
Not World Atlas but World Almanac.
Posted by: Joe Hallenbeck at March 20, 2016 09:27 AM (MNgU2)
102
90 Polliwog the 'Ette
Yes, that is a large part of the charm of those books. "Peoples Republics" were not the place to be. He showed people governments as they really are, vice the fantasies.
Yes, that is a large part of the charm of those books. "Peoples Republics" were not the place to be. He showed people governments as they really are, vice the fantasies.
Posted by: NaCly Dog at March 20, 2016 09:29 AM (u82oZ)
103
Agreed, redbanzai. I've found my inclination to support Trump if he is the nominee has a direct correlation to the time that's passed since last hearing him speak. Every time I try to tell myself that he isn't so bad, I watch a video clip and realize that indeed he is.
I'd imagine that if I do vote for him, it will be decided in the voting booth, and I'm currently 98% no. Depressingly ironic that we started with such a great roster. I initially liked Walker then eventually made my way to Cruz. If the Democrats win, I think I'll just adjust my business to make enough money to qualify for Obamacare and EBT. I'm tired of paying out the ass for taxes for nothing in return.
In keeping with the book thread, my 5 1/2 year old daughter and I have been enjoying the Heinlein juveniles on audiobook. I think her favorite is The Rolling Stones (the book that Star Trek stole tribbles from).
I'd imagine that if I do vote for him, it will be decided in the voting booth, and I'm currently 98% no. Depressingly ironic that we started with such a great roster. I initially liked Walker then eventually made my way to Cruz. If the Democrats win, I think I'll just adjust my business to make enough money to qualify for Obamacare and EBT. I'm tired of paying out the ass for taxes for nothing in return.
In keeping with the book thread, my 5 1/2 year old daughter and I have been enjoying the Heinlein juveniles on audiobook. I think her favorite is The Rolling Stones (the book that Star Trek stole tribbles from).
Posted by: VBJonny at March 20, 2016 09:29 AM (NX9H4)
104
I always had the sense that Vincent Price was a worldly, educated man who got a real kick out of the schlocky films he made.
Posted by: Your Decidedly Devious Uncle Palpatine, Still Accepting Harem Applicants at March 20, 2016 09:30 AM (lutOX)
105
76 Posted by: Spellcheck at March 20, 2016 09:09 AM (HKBpI)
Time Enough For Love is a good one on that subject if you can get by some of Heinlein's craziness.
Time Enough For Love is a good one on that subject if you can get by some of Heinlein's craziness.
Posted by: Vic-we have no party at March 20, 2016 09:31 AM (t2KH5)
106
I read Quantum Night by Robert J. Sawyer this week.
I have previously read two Sawyer books both of which I very much enjoyed.
This book, however, has serious flaws. First and foremost, it promotes the utilitarian ethics of Peter Singer which proposes that life unworthy should not be allowed to exist. In short, just what Heinrich Himmler believed although Singer and Himmler have somewhat different criteria in determining which life is unworthy. The important similarity is that both Singer and Himmler have taken a good objective look at themselves and have decided that they are of that superior human material that is able to identify humans and order their extermination.
Second, our hero is a true believer who abandons his new born son because he is Downs syndrome and his wife because she didn't want to give aforesaid son the chop. Murderers, however, that's another thing. He suffers pangs of conscience that he cannot spare him the death penalty. He has taken his own measure, of course, and determined that he is of that one seventh of species homo sapiens who are truly human and have the duty to decide the fates of the unfortunate six seventh. His conduct is cartoonishly evil I felt certain that he would have an epiphany and reject his evil philosophy as in both his books that I had previously read, the hero does have a life changing epiphany in the final pages.
Third, the plot is ridiculous. Our hero is forced to act when the American president invades Canada because Canada allows abortion on demand and because the Canucks wouldn't let us build an oil pipeline. I expect this to happen right after Michael Moore becomes the prima ballerina with the Bolshoi Ballet.
So if you want to read a book explaining how to make Hitler's favorite apfel strudel then be my guest but if you are offended by self-appointed superior humans ruling the ignorant masses, let this one go by.
I have bought two other Sawyer books that were on my reading list but now I'm not sure I'll read them. I prefer a little less Mein Kampf in my leisure reading.
P.S. For another take on Singer's philosophy, see Dean Koontz' One Door Away From Heaven.
I have previously read two Sawyer books both of which I very much enjoyed.
This book, however, has serious flaws. First and foremost, it promotes the utilitarian ethics of Peter Singer which proposes that life unworthy should not be allowed to exist. In short, just what Heinrich Himmler believed although Singer and Himmler have somewhat different criteria in determining which life is unworthy. The important similarity is that both Singer and Himmler have taken a good objective look at themselves and have decided that they are of that superior human material that is able to identify humans and order their extermination.
Second, our hero is a true believer who abandons his new born son because he is Downs syndrome and his wife because she didn't want to give aforesaid son the chop. Murderers, however, that's another thing. He suffers pangs of conscience that he cannot spare him the death penalty. He has taken his own measure, of course, and determined that he is of that one seventh of species homo sapiens who are truly human and have the duty to decide the fates of the unfortunate six seventh. His conduct is cartoonishly evil I felt certain that he would have an epiphany and reject his evil philosophy as in both his books that I had previously read, the hero does have a life changing epiphany in the final pages.
Third, the plot is ridiculous. Our hero is forced to act when the American president invades Canada because Canada allows abortion on demand and because the Canucks wouldn't let us build an oil pipeline. I expect this to happen right after Michael Moore becomes the prima ballerina with the Bolshoi Ballet.
So if you want to read a book explaining how to make Hitler's favorite apfel strudel then be my guest but if you are offended by self-appointed superior humans ruling the ignorant masses, let this one go by.
I have bought two other Sawyer books that were on my reading list but now I'm not sure I'll read them. I prefer a little less Mein Kampf in my leisure reading.
P.S. For another take on Singer's philosophy, see Dean Koontz' One Door Away From Heaven.
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks at March 20, 2016 09:31 AM (Nwg0u)
107
75 The Cask of Val-U-Rite is a lesser-known Edgar Allan Poe story.
Posted by: BourbonChicken at March 20, 2016 09:09 AM (VdICR)
--
That was actually written by Ewok Allen Poe.
Posted by: BourbonChicken at March 20, 2016 09:09 AM (VdICR)
--
That was actually written by Ewok Allen Poe.
Posted by: @votermom at March 20, 2016 09:33 AM (cbfNE)
108
This true with anything. Baptists do this with re-dedication , to get back to that faith and feeling one had when one first publicly asked to be saved.
Posted by: Joe Hallenbeck at March 20, 2016 09:23 AM (MNgU2)
-----------
I used to rededicate every so often at services just to get people off my back for drinking so much beer.
Posted by: Joe Hallenbeck at March 20, 2016 09:23 AM (MNgU2)
-----------
I used to rededicate every so often at services just to get people off my back for drinking so much beer.
Posted by: Soona at March 20, 2016 09:33 AM (Fmupd)
109
Yeah, Heinlein got progressively weirder. "The Door Into Summer": use a time machine to get revenge on your cheating wife? Nah, let's use it to fastforward far enough to marry an 11 year old you're in love with. :$
Posted by: VBJonny at March 20, 2016 09:33 AM (NX9H4)
110
A blessed Palm Sunday to y'all, bookies.
Readers and writers alike should find this little sketch amusing. The author, in the library of Westminster Abbey, engages in dialog with an ancient text.
Washington Irving: The Mutability of Literature
[quote]
...How much, thought I, has each of these volumes, now thrust aside with such indifference, cost some aching head! how many weary days! how many sleepless nights! How have their authors buried themselves in the solitude of cells and cloisters; shut themselves up from the face of man, and the still more blessed face of nature; and devoted themselves to painful research and intense reflection! And all for what? to occupy an inch of dusty shelf - to have the title of their works read now and then in a future age, by some drowsy churchman or casual straggler like myself; and in another age to be lost, even to remembrance. Such is the amount of this boasted immortality. A mere temporary rumor, a local sound; like the tone of that bell which has just tolled among these towers, filling the ear for a moment - lingering transiently in echo - and then passing away like a thing that was not....
[endquote]
http://www.bartleby.com/109/6.html
Readers and writers alike should find this little sketch amusing. The author, in the library of Westminster Abbey, engages in dialog with an ancient text.
Washington Irving: The Mutability of Literature
[quote]
...How much, thought I, has each of these volumes, now thrust aside with such indifference, cost some aching head! how many weary days! how many sleepless nights! How have their authors buried themselves in the solitude of cells and cloisters; shut themselves up from the face of man, and the still more blessed face of nature; and devoted themselves to painful research and intense reflection! And all for what? to occupy an inch of dusty shelf - to have the title of their works read now and then in a future age, by some drowsy churchman or casual straggler like myself; and in another age to be lost, even to remembrance. Such is the amount of this boasted immortality. A mere temporary rumor, a local sound; like the tone of that bell which has just tolled among these towers, filling the ear for a moment - lingering transiently in echo - and then passing away like a thing that was not....
[endquote]
http://www.bartleby.com/109/6.html
Posted by: mindful webworker - 20 Years on the Web at March 20, 2016 09:34 AM (ek7rN)
111
76 Spellcheck
Methuselah's Children was the start of Heinlein's immortal stories.
The Weapon Shops of Isher (1941) by A. E. van Vogt has most of the plot driven by an immortal man.
Methuselah's Children was the start of Heinlein's immortal stories.
The Weapon Shops of Isher (1941) by A. E. van Vogt has most of the plot driven by an immortal man.
Posted by: NaCly Dog at March 20, 2016 09:37 AM (u82oZ)
112
Before you ask, I was one of those kids who simply read encyclopedias and dictionaries. For fun.
--
When I was a kid we had a Webster's dictionary that had some really interesting stuff, including a table that showed five alphabets side by side, iirc, modern English, Hebrew, Greek, Cyrillic, and I forget the other one.
I wish I could find that edition again.
--
When I was a kid we had a Webster's dictionary that had some really interesting stuff, including a table that showed five alphabets side by side, iirc, modern English, Hebrew, Greek, Cyrillic, and I forget the other one.
I wish I could find that edition again.
Posted by: @votermom at March 20, 2016 09:37 AM (cbfNE)
113
I've been sticking to light, cheery subject matters like post-apocalyptic, dystopian stuff. I'm almost done with Justin Cronin's, "The Passage." I'm not really sure how it wound up on my kindle since I usually don't drop $10++ on kindle books and I do the kindle unlimited thingie . Probably a recommendation from here a while back cause it's been sitting for a few months. It's an almost 800 page tomb that is vampire virus caused post-apocalyptic. The thing that I didn't like so far was the almost 100 year jump in time that doesn't transition smoothly. It took a bit to get readjusted since it's almost like starting a totally new book half way through with not much tying it together. Other than that, I do like it a lot.
The author is English and is now a professor at Rice University in Houston. He's written other stuff but this is apparently a departure from his norm. It's part of a trilogy with the third part coming to kindle in a month or so. We'll see if I can drop the over $40 to complete it.
Anyone think it's worth $18 on kindle to get, "Seveneves," by Neal Stephenson?
The author is English and is now a professor at Rice University in Houston. He's written other stuff but this is apparently a departure from his norm. It's part of a trilogy with the third part coming to kindle in a month or so. We'll see if I can drop the over $40 to complete it.
Anyone think it's worth $18 on kindle to get, "Seveneves," by Neal Stephenson?
Posted by: lindafell de spair at March 20, 2016 09:38 AM (xVgrA)
114
Time travel stories can be fun, amusing, or just plain weird.
One short story in the piles is about a guy who regrets marrying his wife who has made his life totally miserable. With thoughts of murder and all this. Then it is announced about vacationing via time travel. So he blows every penny he has to go back in time to murder his wife's father. So he pops Pop and returns. To find to his shock and horror his wife is still alive because she lied about her age.
One short story in the piles is about a guy who regrets marrying his wife who has made his life totally miserable. With thoughts of murder and all this. Then it is announced about vacationing via time travel. So he blows every penny he has to go back in time to murder his wife's father. So he pops Pop and returns. To find to his shock and horror his wife is still alive because she lied about her age.
Posted by: Anna Puma at March 20, 2016 09:38 AM (yYkpT)
115
27 A Soldier of the Great War by Mark Halpern.
Posted by: Zoltan at March 20, 2016 08:27 AM (JYer2)
Mark Helprin
Posted by: Zoltan at March 20, 2016 08:27 AM (JYer2)
Mark Helprin
Posted by: fixt at March 20, 2016 09:39 AM (S/1cF)
116
19 My woman: Mary Slessor, Scottish missionary nurse who ended the killing of twins in Calabar,Nigeria, the city where my dad grew up.
I think this happened in the 1800s.
Posted by: chique d'afrique at March 20, 2016 08:20 AM (PjWy4)
Beautiful. This is why I think we should all raises our voices and say most heartily:
"Thank you, Christian white man!"
Or, in this case, Christian woman.
They made the world a better place.
I think this happened in the 1800s.
Posted by: chique d'afrique at March 20, 2016 08:20 AM (PjWy4)
Beautiful. This is why I think we should all raises our voices and say most heartily:
"Thank you, Christian white man!"
Or, in this case, Christian woman.
They made the world a better place.
Posted by: OregonMuse at March 20, 2016 09:39 AM (P5x6u)
117
In re 60: 'Omer an' 'is bloomin' lyre: those who, like me, do read (in my case, in the drafts and galleys) pardner Wemyss' Village Tales (and much thanks to OM for the Baptony Plug) will no doubt hear in their mind His Grace the Duke muttering, "Translations, sweet Christ, no one READS Greek nowadays, what in buggery do the schools TEACH these days, it's appalling!" But it does raise an interesting point (pause for silent tribute to Douglas Hofstadter's Le Ton beau de Marot). After centuries in which the West rioted against itself over its own scriptures, often driven by differing translations, much of the "world's debate" (not a Belloc reference as such) is tied now to an allegedly untranslatable book.
There is some literature on the issue (that, I mean, of how translation can be faithful and cast off its etymological links to traducing and treason); so: what do y'all find persuasive?
In re 49, politics is downstream from culture; but culture is downstream from theology. (Forgive me for referencing here my own Benevolent Designs, about the correspondence between George Washington and Lady Huntingdon.) Henry Mayer, especially, got that, as in his bios of Patrick Henry and of William Lloyd Garrison. I wish more historians and biographers did in fact get it. If more people, not just pundits, today got that, this election year would be a lot less of what it is and a lot less ugly. Those who haven't read Mayer ought to; along with, for example, DHF's Albion's Seed, of course, but also deeper background such as Notestein's The English People on the Eve of Colonization, and Mattingly's The Armada, and Leyburn on the Ulster-Americans, FKA the "Scotch-Irish."
I am sometimes tempted to create an historian's suggested reading list. Any interest in my doing so?
There is some literature on the issue (that, I mean, of how translation can be faithful and cast off its etymological links to traducing and treason); so: what do y'all find persuasive?
In re 49, politics is downstream from culture; but culture is downstream from theology. (Forgive me for referencing here my own Benevolent Designs, about the correspondence between George Washington and Lady Huntingdon.) Henry Mayer, especially, got that, as in his bios of Patrick Henry and of William Lloyd Garrison. I wish more historians and biographers did in fact get it. If more people, not just pundits, today got that, this election year would be a lot less of what it is and a lot less ugly. Those who haven't read Mayer ought to; along with, for example, DHF's Albion's Seed, of course, but also deeper background such as Notestein's The English People on the Eve of Colonization, and Mattingly's The Armada, and Leyburn on the Ulster-Americans, FKA the "Scotch-Irish."
I am sometimes tempted to create an historian's suggested reading list. Any interest in my doing so?
Posted by: MarkhamShawPyle at March 20, 2016 09:40 AM (WlkUc)
118
At the risk of being pedantic, the speed of light (as a wave) in wire, is significantly less than 300 million m/ sec.
Posted by: Buck Ofama at March 20, 2016 09:40 AM (GLFWg)
119
The Weapon Shops of Isher (1941) by A. E. van Vogt has most of the plot driven by an immortal man.
Posted by: NaCly Dog at March 20, 2016 09:37 AM (u82oZ)
--
I think The Waystation by Clifford D Simak also had an immortal. Maybe. It's been a while.
Heinlein was prophetic about blood being key though - recent research has been showing that too.
Posted by: NaCly Dog at March 20, 2016 09:37 AM (u82oZ)
--
I think The Waystation by Clifford D Simak also had an immortal. Maybe. It's been a while.
Heinlein was prophetic about blood being key though - recent research has been showing that too.
Posted by: @votermom at March 20, 2016 09:40 AM (cbfNE)
120
I am sometimes tempted to create an historian's suggested reading list. Any interest in my doing so?
Posted by: MarkhamShawPyle at March 20, 2016 09:40 AM (WlkUc)
--
That sounds cool.
I'd be happy to feature it on bookhorde if you do.
Posted by: MarkhamShawPyle at March 20, 2016 09:40 AM (WlkUc)
--
That sounds cool.
I'd be happy to feature it on bookhorde if you do.
Posted by: @votermom at March 20, 2016 09:41 AM (cbfNE)
121
I've been reading Eyewitness to the Old West. Vignettes of things from the years 1531 until 1890. First hand accounts of events like surviving the Donner Party, being captured by Indians, caught outside in a blizzard, how to load a wagon for overland travel, really all sorts of subjects.
Most of the accounts are only a couple of pages long, so a perfect bathroom book...
Posted by: HH at March 20, 2016 09:00 AM (DrCtv)
If you like Western history and eyewitness accounts, try reading anything by Fred Lockley
He was a reporter for the Oregon Journal, and interviewed a lot of old Oregon pioneers in the 20's and 30's and his interviews were kept at the U of O after he died.
The interviews were finally published in a series of books
The first one in the series is conversations with pioneer women.
This is the Amazon link with reviews.
http://preview.tinyurl.com/hczo4w2
Most of the accounts are only a couple of pages long, so a perfect bathroom book...
Posted by: HH at March 20, 2016 09:00 AM (DrCtv)
If you like Western history and eyewitness accounts, try reading anything by Fred Lockley
He was a reporter for the Oregon Journal, and interviewed a lot of old Oregon pioneers in the 20's and 30's and his interviews were kept at the U of O after he died.
The interviews were finally published in a series of books
The first one in the series is conversations with pioneer women.
This is the Amazon link with reviews.
http://preview.tinyurl.com/hczo4w2
Posted by: Kindltot at March 20, 2016 09:42 AM (XQHkt)
Posted by: Fox2! at March 20, 2016 09:43 AM (brIR5)
123
109 Yeah, Heinlein got progressively weirder pornier.
Posted by: VBJonny at March 20, 2016 09:33 AM (NX9H4)
Fixed.
Posted by: VBJonny at March 20, 2016 09:33 AM (NX9H4)
Fixed.
Posted by: OregonMuse at March 20, 2016 09:43 AM (P5x6u)
124
119 @votermom
The hero in The Way Station by Clifford D Simak did not age very much inside his house. Every trip outside his house (the Way Station) was at regular time. He was a Civil War vet in the story.
The hero in The Way Station by Clifford D Simak did not age very much inside his house. Every trip outside his house (the Way Station) was at regular time. He was a Civil War vet in the story.
Posted by: NaCly Dog at March 20, 2016 09:44 AM (u82oZ)
125
118 At the risk of being pedantic, the speed of light (as a wave) in wire, is significantly less than 300 million m/ sec.
Posted by: Buck Ofama at March 20, 2016 09:40 AM (GLFWg)
-----------------
I thought even free-range light only traveled at 186,000 miles/sec.
Posted by: Buck Ofama at March 20, 2016 09:40 AM (GLFWg)
-----------------
I thought even free-range light only traveled at 186,000 miles/sec.
Posted by: Soona at March 20, 2016 09:44 AM (Fmupd)
126
Oh, and on 88 (I feel I ought to write 87+1, For Reasons): I hope everyone reads Tim Severin as often as possible. And Peter Hopkirk. Nothing beats actually going places and seeing if this author or that possible spy posing as a geographer or who have you could have seen what he says he saw from where he claims he was.
Posted by: MarkhamShawPyle at March 20, 2016 09:44 AM (WlkUc)
127
Finally about to finish "Nazi Culture" by George Mosse.
This is a documentary history including contemporaneous writings by leading national socialist leaders and philosophers explaining their world view in various areas of social development.
The big takeaway is how easy it is to mask philosophical bulsh*t with fancy writing.
This is a documentary history including contemporaneous writings by leading national socialist leaders and philosophers explaining their world view in various areas of social development.
The big takeaway is how easy it is to mask philosophical bulsh*t with fancy writing.
Posted by: San Franpsycho at March 20, 2016 09:45 AM (EZebt)
128
Touche, OregonMuse.
Posted by: VBJonny at March 20, 2016 09:45 AM (NX9H4)
129
I think The Waystation by Clifford D Simak also had an immortal. Maybe. It's been a while.
IIRC, time inside the Wayststion passed at a different rate than "normal" time.
"
IIRC, time inside the Wayststion passed at a different rate than "normal" time.
"
Posted by: Fox2! at March 20, 2016 09:45 AM (brIR5)
130
120: Your wish is my command, O Mistress of the Bookblog Horde-izons.
Posted by: MarkhamShawPyle at March 20, 2016 09:46 AM (WlkUc)
131
40 Rereading The Reluctant King by L. Sprague de Camp. It's more fun this time, with my added life experience as perspective.
Posted by: NaCly Dog at March 20, 2016 08:35 AM (u82oZ)
----
I read that ages ago. It's a very funny exploration of different styles of government. I first read about it in Lin Carter's guide to constructing fantasy worlds:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imaginary_Worlds:_The_Art_of_Fantasy
I haven't read any fiction by Carter, but his non-fiction such as Imaginary Worlds and Tolkien: A Look Behind "The Lord of the Rings were required reading for my young self.
Posted by: NaCly Dog at March 20, 2016 08:35 AM (u82oZ)
----
I read that ages ago. It's a very funny exploration of different styles of government. I first read about it in Lin Carter's guide to constructing fantasy worlds:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imaginary_Worlds:_The_Art_of_Fantasy
I haven't read any fiction by Carter, but his non-fiction such as Imaginary Worlds and Tolkien: A Look Behind "The Lord of the Rings were required reading for my young self.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, Literate Savage at March 20, 2016 09:46 AM (jR7Wy)
132
I actually prefer his juveniles. Citizen of the Galaxy is a favorite.
Posted by: VBJonny at March 20, 2016 09:46 AM (NX9H4)
133
Ugh. There was a story a few months ago about a toddler in Nigeria who was deemed a witch and was banished to fend for it'self. The poor boy would beg for food and water, was skinny as hell and wore rags. A western aid worker found him. But how can people be so effing cruel?
Here's the story:
http://goo.gl/vlmsxy
Here's the story:
http://goo.gl/vlmsxy
Posted by: Bruce With a Wang! at March 20, 2016 09:46 AM (iQIUe)
134
Have fun, everyone.
I have to get the Sunday paper for my up-the-hill neighbor who lost her husband back in January. They had a one-soul, brain-melded, finish-your-sentence marriage, but she is getting better.
I have to get the Sunday paper for my up-the-hill neighbor who lost her husband back in January. They had a one-soul, brain-melded, finish-your-sentence marriage, but she is getting better.
Posted by: NaCly Dog at March 20, 2016 09:46 AM (u82oZ)
135
This book, however, has serious flaws. First and foremost, it promotes the utilitarian ethics of Peter Singer which proposes that life unworthy should not be allowed to exist.
Uh, I may have to rethink this...
Uh, I may have to rethink this...
Posted by: Obergruppenfuehrer John Smith at March 20, 2016 09:48 AM (P5x6u)
136
In line with older types of reference works and related items: Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature, physical card catalogs, and similar. The Reader's Guide is still published but is mostly an online thing. I spent a LOT of time poring through the library copy when doing research papers in school.
I miss the huge oak card catalog in our local library. It was so interesting to go from one reference card to the next. You could spend hours at the thing. The search engine of its day. I understand the benefit of online library catalogs but that wooden cube was neat. And so were the heavy wooden step ladders kids and short adults needed to reach the top row.
Mrs. JTB and I make sure we have the hardcover OED and recent versions of atlases (love maps) and the World Almanac and every year I get the Old Farmer's Almanac the first day it comes out. There are some books that just don't work in digital format. Always worth the shelf space.
I miss the huge oak card catalog in our local library. It was so interesting to go from one reference card to the next. You could spend hours at the thing. The search engine of its day. I understand the benefit of online library catalogs but that wooden cube was neat. And so were the heavy wooden step ladders kids and short adults needed to reach the top row.
Mrs. JTB and I make sure we have the hardcover OED and recent versions of atlases (love maps) and the World Almanac and every year I get the Old Farmer's Almanac the first day it comes out. There are some books that just don't work in digital format. Always worth the shelf space.
Posted by: JTB at March 20, 2016 09:49 AM (FvdPb)
137
Uh, I may have to rethink this...
Posted by: Obergruppenfuehrer John Smith at March 20, 2016 09:48 AM (P5x6u)
He steals the show, imo.
When does the new season start?
Posted by: Obergruppenfuehrer John Smith at March 20, 2016 09:48 AM (P5x6u)
He steals the show, imo.
When does the new season start?
Posted by: @votermom at March 20, 2016 09:51 AM (cbfNE)
138
re: Chicago and Rhode Island
This is a common theme among all liberals. They claim to care for the little guy, the working poor, etc. But they despise the little guy. They despise and mock the little guy. Read the comments section at WaPo and you'll see a never ending series of "shut up yokel!!" if anyone dares challenge the upper middle class "knowledge" worker's point of view.
This is a common theme among all liberals. They claim to care for the little guy, the working poor, etc. But they despise the little guy. They despise and mock the little guy. Read the comments section at WaPo and you'll see a never ending series of "shut up yokel!!" if anyone dares challenge the upper middle class "knowledge" worker's point of view.
Posted by: Monsieur Moo Moo at March 20, 2016 09:51 AM (0LHZx)
139
Posted by: Spellcheck at March 20, 2016 09:09 AM (HKBpI)
I believe John C. Wright has a book where pretty much everyone is immortal. The plot is that a guy realizes he's missing 100+ years of memory and goes looking for answers. I'm not sure what it was called though and it turns out Wright has *a lot* of books.
I believe John C. Wright has a book where pretty much everyone is immortal. The plot is that a guy realizes he's missing 100+ years of memory and goes looking for answers. I'm not sure what it was called though and it turns out Wright has *a lot* of books.
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at March 20, 2016 09:52 AM (GDulk)
140
They had a one-soul, brain-melded, finish-your-sentence marriage, but she is getting better.
Posted by: NaCly Dog at March 20, 2016 09:46 AM (u82oZ)
This is the best kind of marriage. It is how God intended marriage to be, and by His grace, it is one that Mrs. Muse and I have been developing over the years. But when one spouse in such a marriage passes on, it is not infrequent for the other to follow shortly thereafter.
Posted by: NaCly Dog at March 20, 2016 09:46 AM (u82oZ)
This is the best kind of marriage. It is how God intended marriage to be, and by His grace, it is one that Mrs. Muse and I have been developing over the years. But when one spouse in such a marriage passes on, it is not infrequent for the other to follow shortly thereafter.
Posted by: OregonMuse at March 20, 2016 09:52 AM (P5x6u)
141
130 120: Your wish is my command, O Mistress of the Bookblog Horde-izons.
Posted by: MarkhamShawPyle at March 20, 2016 09:46 AM (WlkUc)
--
Very well. You may live another day.
*eats another candied fig *
Posted by: MarkhamShawPyle at March 20, 2016 09:46 AM (WlkUc)
--
Very well. You may live another day.
*eats another candied fig *
Posted by: @votermom at March 20, 2016 09:53 AM (cbfNE)
142
I am wondering if I short write a story based on an encounter yesterday while working at Wal-Mart.
Still not sure how we got to this subject. Daughter speaks English and was acting as translator but the parents, the customers, still speak Spanish.
Daughter says if Trump gets elected her parents will go to Spain and she'll go to Canada.
Still not sure how we got to this subject. Daughter speaks English and was acting as translator but the parents, the customers, still speak Spanish.
Daughter says if Trump gets elected her parents will go to Spain and she'll go to Canada.
Posted by: Anna Puma at March 20, 2016 09:54 AM (yYkpT)
143
He steals the show, imo.
When does the new season start?
Posted by: @votermom at March 20, 2016 09:51 AM (cbfNE)
Not soon enough.
When does the new season start?
Posted by: @votermom at March 20, 2016 09:51 AM (cbfNE)
Not soon enough.
Posted by: OregonMuse at March 20, 2016 09:54 AM (P5x6u)
144
chique d'afrique: Vincent Price was great in the radio show The Saint.
Driving home late recently, I caught just the tail-end of an episode of that. I kept thinking, "Who is that voice...?" As he exposed the murderer. (They told me at the end of the show, of course.) Would like to hear more of that program.
OM: And I must say I am always pleased when I find out that some guy I had always thought of as a bit of an unserious hack turns out to have had some depth.
That "bit of an unserious hack" started out in serious roles on stage and screen. Check his Wikipedia bio.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_price
Driving home late recently, I caught just the tail-end of an episode of that. I kept thinking, "Who is that voice...?" As he exposed the murderer. (They told me at the end of the show, of course.) Would like to hear more of that program.
OM: And I must say I am always pleased when I find out that some guy I had always thought of as a bit of an unserious hack turns out to have had some depth.
That "bit of an unserious hack" started out in serious roles on stage and screen. Check his Wikipedia bio.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_price
Posted by: mindful webworker - 20 Years on the Web at March 20, 2016 09:54 AM (ek7rN)
145
133 Ugh. There was a story a few months ago about a toddler in Nigeria who was deemed a witch and was banished to fend for it'self. The poor boy would beg for food and water, was skinny as hell and wore rags. A western aid worker found him. But how can people be so effing cruel?
Posted by: Bruce With a Wang! at March 20, 2016 09:46 AM (iQIUe)
______
Holy fuck. Those pictures.....what the fuck is wrong with people?
Posted by: Bruce With a Wang! at March 20, 2016 09:46 AM (iQIUe)
______
Holy fuck. Those pictures.....what the fuck is wrong with people?
Posted by: Monsieur Moo Moo at March 20, 2016 09:54 AM (0LHZx)
146
>>>Light travels about 30 cm in a nano second. My tape measure says just over 11.8 inches. Pretty dang close to a foot. Not quite but close.
Posted by: weirdflunkyonatablet at March 20, 2016 09:15 AM (hWLhH)
***
In a vacuum.
Posted by: weirdflunkyonatablet at March 20, 2016 09:15 AM (hWLhH)
***
In a vacuum.
Posted by: The Pedant General at March 20, 2016 09:55 AM (1zS3A)
147
Is there a complete list of books by morons somewhere I might have missed?
Posted by: sinalco at March 20, 2016 09:55 AM (yODqO)
148
Started Shelby Foote's 3 vol. Civil War narrative this week....this could take awhile.
Posted by: BignJames at March 20, 2016 09:55 AM (HtUkt)
149
Daughter says if Trump gets elected her parents will go to Spain and she'll go to Canada.
Posted by: Anna Puma at March 20, 2016 09:54 AM (yYkpT)
______
To me this is the best selling point Trump has. Once he's elected millions of assholes will voluntarily leave the country.
Posted by: Anna Puma at March 20, 2016 09:54 AM (yYkpT)
______
To me this is the best selling point Trump has. Once he's elected millions of assholes will voluntarily leave the country.
Posted by: Monsieur Moo Moo at March 20, 2016 09:56 AM (0LHZx)
150
In a vacuum.
Posted by: The Pedant General at March 20, 2016 09:55 AM (1zS3A)
Calculate for inertia, too?
Posted by: The Pedant General at March 20, 2016 09:55 AM (1zS3A)
Calculate for inertia, too?
Posted by: BignJames at March 20, 2016 09:57 AM (HtUkt)
151
But when one spouse in such a marriage passes on, it is not infrequent for the other to follow shortly thereafter.
My parents had such, but the survivor lasted another five years. Painful for all.
My parents had such, but the survivor lasted another five years. Painful for all.
Posted by: mustbequantum at March 20, 2016 09:58 AM (MIKMs)
152
147 Is there a complete list of books by morons somewhere I might have missed?
Posted by: sinalco at March 20, 2016 09:55 AM (yODqO)
Yes, sort of. On the goodness group bookshelf. The authors add it themselves.
You might have to be a member to see it
https://www.goodreads.com/group/bookshelf/175335-aoshq-moron-horde
Posted by: sinalco at March 20, 2016 09:55 AM (yODqO)
Yes, sort of. On the goodness group bookshelf. The authors add it themselves.
You might have to be a member to see it
https://www.goodreads.com/group/bookshelf/175335-aoshq-moron-horde
Posted by: @votermom at March 20, 2016 10:00 AM (cbfNE)
153
125 I thought even free-range light only traveled at 186,000 miles/sec.
Posted by: Soona at March 20, 2016 09:44 AM (Fmupd)
The speed of light in a vacuum is a constant designated as "c". It is roughly 186,000 mps or 1.08 x 10E9 meters/sec.
The speed of light in other materials is different which is why light rays bend when they enter water or glass.
Posted by: Soona at March 20, 2016 09:44 AM (Fmupd)
The speed of light in a vacuum is a constant designated as "c". It is roughly 186,000 mps or 1.08 x 10E9 meters/sec.
The speed of light in other materials is different which is why light rays bend when they enter water or glass.
Posted by: Vic-we have no party at March 20, 2016 10:02 AM (t2KH5)
154
Is there a complete list of books by morons somewhere I might have missed?
The list in the goodreads group currently has 86 'ron and 'ette books and is regularly updated. It is not complete, but I am not aware of a more extensive list.
The list in the goodreads group currently has 86 'ron and 'ette books and is regularly updated. It is not complete, but I am not aware of a more extensive list.
Posted by: cool breeze at March 20, 2016 10:02 AM (ckvus)
155
oops, that should be 1.08 x 10E9 Kilometers/sec.
Posted by: Vic-we have no party at March 20, 2016 10:03 AM (t2KH5)
156
Lindafell @113: I paid Amazon's full (discounted) price for Seveneves. Only a few bucks more than the Kindle edition and I can get a decent trade-in at my local fine store if the fourth re-read falls off the cliff edge.
There are preposterous Hubbard-sized holes in the "smart people can escape any technological dead-end" category, but the characters hold together and the action rolls along.
Way more keepable than Anathem, Reamde or the shelf-straining Baroque cycle. Nowhere near the indispensability of Cryptonomicon, The Diamond Age or Snow Crash.
There are preposterous Hubbard-sized holes in the "smart people can escape any technological dead-end" category, but the characters hold together and the action rolls along.
Way more keepable than Anathem, Reamde or the shelf-straining Baroque cycle. Nowhere near the indispensability of Cryptonomicon, The Diamond Age or Snow Crash.
Posted by: Spellcheck at March 20, 2016 10:03 AM (HKBpI)
157
A lot of spring growth got fried from last nights hard freeze here in OKC. I know I won't have any peaches this year.
Posted by: Soona at March 20, 2016 10:03 AM (Fmupd)
158
That was actually written by Ewok Allen Poe.
Posted by: @votermom at March 20, 2016 09:33 AM (cbfNE)
The story ends on this note:
"There came forth in return only a clattering of a keyboard. My heart grew sick -- on account of the pong of that kennel of a workstation. I hastened to make an end of my labour.
I forced the stained door shut; I hung the 'do not disturb' sign. Against the wedged door I re-erected the old rampart of mailers, unopened bills and phone books still in their shrink-wrap. For the half of a century no mortal has disturbed them.
Remember to close your tags!"
Posted by: @votermom at March 20, 2016 09:33 AM (cbfNE)
The story ends on this note:
"There came forth in return only a clattering of a keyboard. My heart grew sick -- on account of the pong of that kennel of a workstation. I hastened to make an end of my labour.
I forced the stained door shut; I hung the 'do not disturb' sign. Against the wedged door I re-erected the old rampart of mailers, unopened bills and phone books still in their shrink-wrap. For the half of a century no mortal has disturbed them.
Remember to close your tags!"
Posted by: Kindltot at March 20, 2016 10:03 AM (XQHkt)
159
To me this is the best selling point Trump has. Once he's elected millions of assholes will voluntarily leave the country.
Posted by: Monsieur Moo Moo at March 20, 2016 09:56 AM (0LHZx)
The downside here is that very few of them actually follow through and do what they claimed they'd do.
Posted by: Monsieur Moo Moo at March 20, 2016 09:56 AM (0LHZx)
The downside here is that very few of them actually follow through and do what they claimed they'd do.
Posted by: OregonMuse at March 20, 2016 10:03 AM (P5x6u)
160
>>>Anyone think it's worth $18 on kindle to get, "Seveneves," by Neal Stephenson?
Posted by: lindafell de spair at March 20, 2016 09:38 AM (xVgrA)
***
If I were going to drop $18 on Stephenson, I'd get "The Baroque Cycle". Three times as many pages, and a fun romp through late 17th and early 18th America, England, and Europe.
I can read that series again and again. "Seveneves", not so much.
Posted by: lindafell de spair at March 20, 2016 09:38 AM (xVgrA)
***
If I were going to drop $18 on Stephenson, I'd get "The Baroque Cycle". Three times as many pages, and a fun romp through late 17th and early 18th America, England, and Europe.
I can read that series again and again. "Seveneves", not so much.
Posted by: An Poc ar Buile at March 20, 2016 10:03 AM (1zS3A)
161
...courageous but not bold...
Just words. Just labels.
Spartans were unbalanced. (Hellions)
Athenians were unbalanced. (Delian League)
More issues than two characteristics.
Use your free will Luke (forget about the force).
The empire was falling apart anyway. They always do. :-)
What is the message passing between the cat and the girl in the picture? Why is the bookstore so orderly? No customers?
Just words. Just labels.
Spartans were unbalanced. (Hellions)
Athenians were unbalanced. (Delian League)
More issues than two characteristics.
Use your free will Luke (forget about the force).
The empire was falling apart anyway. They always do. :-)
What is the message passing between the cat and the girl in the picture? Why is the bookstore so orderly? No customers?
Posted by: scorecard at March 20, 2016 10:04 AM (CRXed)
162
Holy fuck. Those pictures.....what the fuck is wrong with people?
Posted by: Monsieur Moo Moo at March 20, 2016 09:54 AM (0LHZx)
Shame on you. All cultures are equal, don't you know. Don't you like diversity?
Posted by: Monsieur Moo Moo at March 20, 2016 09:54 AM (0LHZx)
Shame on you. All cultures are equal, don't you know. Don't you like diversity?
Posted by: OregonMuse at March 20, 2016 10:05 AM (P5x6u)
163
If you can't be pedantic on the book thread, the terrorists have already won.
Posted by: Buck Ofama at March 20, 2016 10:05 AM (GLFWg)
164
148 ... I love the Foote Civil War books. Hardly academic tomes but very readable and informative. I found his narrative approach and powers of description very helpful. I still thumb through them every couple of years.
Posted by: JTB at March 20, 2016 10:06 AM (FvdPb)
165
The list in the goodreads group currently has 86 'ron and 'ette books and is regularly updated. It is not complete, but I am not aware of a more extensive list.
Posted by: cool breeze at March 20, 2016 10:02 AM (ckvus)
Do you have the link handy you can post here?
Posted by: cool breeze at March 20, 2016 10:02 AM (ckvus)
Do you have the link handy you can post here?
Posted by: OregonMuse at March 20, 2016 10:06 AM (P5x6u)
166
Oregon Muse, post #152 by Voter Mom is a link
Posted by: Anna Puma at March 20, 2016 10:07 AM (yYkpT)
167
162 Holy fuck. Those pictures.....what the fuck is wrong with people?
Posted by: Monsieur Moo Moo at March 20, 2016 09:54 AM (0LHZx)
Shame on you. All cultures are equal, don't you know. Don't you like diversity?
Posted by: OregonMuse at March 20, 2016 10:05 AM (P5x6u)
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There's more than a few politicians that need to experiance diversity of this type. Just sayin'.
162 Holy fuck. Those pictures.....what the fuck is wrong with people?
Posted by: Monsieur Moo Moo at March 20, 2016 09:54 AM (0LHZx)
Shame on you. All cultures are equal, don't you know. Don't you like diversity?
Posted by: OregonMuse at March 20, 2016 10:05 AM (P5x6u)
-----------------------
There's more than a few politicians that need to experiance diversity of this type. Just sayin'.
Posted by: Soona at March 20, 2016 10:10 AM (Fmupd)
168
Do you have the link handy you can post here?
Posted by: OregonMuse at March 20, 2016 10:06 AM (P5x6u)
Direct link: https://www.goodreads.com/group/bookshelf/175335-aoshq-moron-horde
but you may have to join the group to access it, I'm not sure.
Posted by: OregonMuse at March 20, 2016 10:06 AM (P5x6u)
Direct link: https://www.goodreads.com/group/bookshelf/175335-aoshq-moron-horde
but you may have to join the group to access it, I'm not sure.
Posted by: cool breeze at March 20, 2016 10:10 AM (ckvus)
169
166 Oregon Muse, post #152 by Voter Mom is a link
Posted by: Anna Puma at March 20, 2016 10:07 AM (yYkpT)
Thanks. You need to be signed in as a member to view it.
Posted by: Anna Puma at March 20, 2016 10:07 AM (yYkpT)
Thanks. You need to be signed in as a member to view it.
Posted by: OregonMuse at March 20, 2016 10:10 AM (P5x6u)
170
Just got my notice for today from Bookbub. Amazon has Stepford Wives on sale today for $1.99.
Posted by: Vic-we have no party at March 20, 2016 10:11 AM (t2KH5)
171
Sometime back in the late 70's they did a few minutes with Grace Hopper on 60 Minutes, including the nanosecond and a coil of wire that was a microsecond, but she also said something that has stayed with me through all the years as a Valuable Lesson. Paraphrased, from memory: " One of the biggest problems is the rise of management theory - you manage things; you lead people. Leadership is simple - loyalty up, loyalty down"
Never gone wrong applying that.
Books:
Just finishing up "Borstal Boy" by Brendan Behan. His time in the British juvenile prison system as a teenage IRA bomber.
Read "Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen" last week. I have been looking forward to the next installment, (usually one every year or so) in Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga for many years now, but I gotta say this was the nearest to a disappointment that has come along. I won't go all wall-of-text discussing it, but I wonder if she's winding up the series. To be clear, not bad, still well written in her distinctive style, but lacking Miles and his epic activities. Also, maybe a try at getting the SJW nod for another Hugo with all the discussion of Aral's bisexuality ? Oh well ....
Thanks to all the Horde for the recommendations above, I've got several tabs open of books to obtain in the near future.
Hmmmm .... looks like a wall of text anyway.
Never gone wrong applying that.
Books:
Just finishing up "Borstal Boy" by Brendan Behan. His time in the British juvenile prison system as a teenage IRA bomber.
Read "Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen" last week. I have been looking forward to the next installment, (usually one every year or so) in Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga for many years now, but I gotta say this was the nearest to a disappointment that has come along. I won't go all wall-of-text discussing it, but I wonder if she's winding up the series. To be clear, not bad, still well written in her distinctive style, but lacking Miles and his epic activities. Also, maybe a try at getting the SJW nod for another Hugo with all the discussion of Aral's bisexuality ? Oh well ....
Thanks to all the Horde for the recommendations above, I've got several tabs open of books to obtain in the near future.
Hmmmm .... looks like a wall of text anyway.
Posted by: sock_rat_eez at March 20, 2016 10:12 AM (gUoN4)
172
Speed of light in a vacuum: 299 792 458 m / s. That's approximately 300 x 10^6 m / s.
That's meters per second.
I googled it.
On an unrelated note, last night's hyper-spicy pad thai proceeds painfully past Eve and Adam's, from swerve of shore to bend of bay, brings us by a commodius vicus of recirculation back to Howth Castle and Environs.
Now, *that* is some classy shit.
That's meters per second.
I googled it.
On an unrelated note, last night's hyper-spicy pad thai proceeds painfully past Eve and Adam's, from swerve of shore to bend of bay, brings us by a commodius vicus of recirculation back to Howth Castle and Environs.
Now, *that* is some classy shit.
Posted by: An Poc ar Buile at March 20, 2016 10:12 AM (1zS3A)
173
Well...the speed of light is itself not special. It is what it represents that matters. The constant C represents the speed of causality, or the speed at which any two spacetime intervals can exchange information.
Why does this matter? Well, let us consider mass. Any particle exhibiting mass is doing so because of a field interaction. Mass is the byproduct of causal interaction, which manifests as resistance to change, or inertia. The byproduct of this is that the spacetime object experiences time, because events must be causally linked. There are excellent videos on this (in particular, find PBS Space Time on YouTube) which clearly and simply discuss what the nature of matter, mass, time, and space really /are/, but this is getting far afield. Let's talk about the wire.
Light is interesting because it is massless and can travel vast distances without any interactions at all. A massless object /must/ travel at C, since that object has no causal field interactions. Remember, C is the speed of causality. In other words, light always travels at C /unless/ it is bound to a causal interaction.
So, in a vacuum, where there are no field interactions to consider, light does indeed travel about a foot in a nanosecond, subject to lots of disclaimers about the (un)reality of that measurement, such as position of observer, Lorentz contraction, that observers often can /only/ agree on spacetime intervals (and not, say, time, space, distance, angle, color, or sometimes the sequence of events themselves), and other esoterica.
But in a wire? Hoo boy. Recall that light (photons) is merely the carrier wave/particle for the electromagnetic force. What will happen is that light particle will move at C, causally interact with an atom, be re-emitted at some point, travel at C, interact with the next atom in line....
And so forth. So light doesn't ever slow down. EVER. But a wave propagation--wherein light enters, interacts, new light is emitted, it interacts, etc., can travel much slower.
Which is, in fact, the foundational physics of all of chemistry. You are a giant collection of atoms whose electrons are ecchanging untold numbers of photons, all casually bound to each other. All of those interactions are massless and at the speed of light, but you are /not/
Clear as mud?
PBS Space Time, genuinely worth your time:
https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC7_gcs09iThXybpVgjHZ_7g
Why does this matter? Well, let us consider mass. Any particle exhibiting mass is doing so because of a field interaction. Mass is the byproduct of causal interaction, which manifests as resistance to change, or inertia. The byproduct of this is that the spacetime object experiences time, because events must be causally linked. There are excellent videos on this (in particular, find PBS Space Time on YouTube) which clearly and simply discuss what the nature of matter, mass, time, and space really /are/, but this is getting far afield. Let's talk about the wire.
Light is interesting because it is massless and can travel vast distances without any interactions at all. A massless object /must/ travel at C, since that object has no causal field interactions. Remember, C is the speed of causality. In other words, light always travels at C /unless/ it is bound to a causal interaction.
So, in a vacuum, where there are no field interactions to consider, light does indeed travel about a foot in a nanosecond, subject to lots of disclaimers about the (un)reality of that measurement, such as position of observer, Lorentz contraction, that observers often can /only/ agree on spacetime intervals (and not, say, time, space, distance, angle, color, or sometimes the sequence of events themselves), and other esoterica.
But in a wire? Hoo boy. Recall that light (photons) is merely the carrier wave/particle for the electromagnetic force. What will happen is that light particle will move at C, causally interact with an atom, be re-emitted at some point, travel at C, interact with the next atom in line....
And so forth. So light doesn't ever slow down. EVER. But a wave propagation--wherein light enters, interacts, new light is emitted, it interacts, etc., can travel much slower.
Which is, in fact, the foundational physics of all of chemistry. You are a giant collection of atoms whose electrons are ecchanging untold numbers of photons, all casually bound to each other. All of those interactions are massless and at the speed of light, but you are /not/
Clear as mud?
PBS Space Time, genuinely worth your time:
https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC7_gcs09iThXybpVgjHZ_7g
Posted by: cTwelve at March 20, 2016 10:12 AM (O1tM5)
174
...Daughter says if Trump gets elected her parents will go to Spain and she'll go to Canada....
Both Spain and Canada are having worse economic problems than the US if zerohedge is to be believed.
How would they transfer their wealth? Cash is restricted. Renouncing US citizenship now has a hefty tax involved. Unless they hold dual citizenship it is unlikely they would be able to get work permits. And so on and so forth.
Think they are venting. Electing Trump puts pressure on affluent people to recognize they are being lied to about the state of economies around the word. De Nile is not just a river in Egypt. :-)
Both Spain and Canada are having worse economic problems than the US if zerohedge is to be believed.
How would they transfer their wealth? Cash is restricted. Renouncing US citizenship now has a hefty tax involved. Unless they hold dual citizenship it is unlikely they would be able to get work permits. And so on and so forth.
Think they are venting. Electing Trump puts pressure on affluent people to recognize they are being lied to about the state of economies around the word. De Nile is not just a river in Egypt. :-)
Posted by: scorecard at March 20, 2016 10:15 AM (CRXed)
175
This week has been spooky stuff. My kid and I have been reading MacBeth as part of our homeschooling program. Since we're being all feministy today I note that MacBeth and Lady MacB. are one of the great marriage teams in literature; literally willing to kill for each other.
The other spook story I've read lately is "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward" by HP Lovecraft. A great book, especially when you consider that it only existed as a handwritten first draft, so this is very much his rough cut rather than the finished product. HPL himself didn't like it, apparently -- he never submitted it for publication even when some book publishers were asking him to send them stuff.
The main story is about poor Charles Dexter Ward, who revives, and then gets replaced by, his long-dead ancestor Joseph Curwen. Curwen knows the secret of reanimating the dead, and has been using this knowledge to gather a vast amount of secret knowledge from all the great minds of history. (And HPL strongly implies that _all_ those great minds were either part of, or were fighting against, a vast evil conspiracy of witches.)
The biggest flaw is that most of it is written like a report rather than a story (a favorite device of HPL's, but it works better in short story form than in a novel).
My copy is a recent "scholarly edition" edited by S.T. Joshi, but there are older paperback versions floating around the used bookshops.
The other spook story I've read lately is "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward" by HP Lovecraft. A great book, especially when you consider that it only existed as a handwritten first draft, so this is very much his rough cut rather than the finished product. HPL himself didn't like it, apparently -- he never submitted it for publication even when some book publishers were asking him to send them stuff.
The main story is about poor Charles Dexter Ward, who revives, and then gets replaced by, his long-dead ancestor Joseph Curwen. Curwen knows the secret of reanimating the dead, and has been using this knowledge to gather a vast amount of secret knowledge from all the great minds of history. (And HPL strongly implies that _all_ those great minds were either part of, or were fighting against, a vast evil conspiracy of witches.)
The biggest flaw is that most of it is written like a report rather than a story (a favorite device of HPL's, but it works better in short story form than in a novel).
My copy is a recent "scholarly edition" edited by S.T. Joshi, but there are older paperback versions floating around the used bookshops.
Posted by: Trimegistus at March 20, 2016 10:15 AM (t0AVz)
176
170 comments and no one identifies the picture? One guy *would hit that* is all I've learned. Oh, and the sniper's well hidden.
Posted by: VaughnBeethoven at March 20, 2016 10:15 AM (xYUlO)
177
I have at least six Ann Coulter hardbacks that I want out of my house now. Trash day is tomorrow. Pay the postage and they're yours. Email me below for list of titles.
No judgments. I'll just assume you can resell for a profit.
No judgments. I'll just assume you can resell for a profit.
Posted by: Spellcheck at March 20, 2016 10:17 AM (HKBpI)
178
When my head doesn't hurt I'm going to make a publicly accessible AoSHQ author list on my blog.
Posted by: @votermom at March 20, 2016 10:18 AM (cbfNE)
179
I used to follow a usenet group for HP Lovecraft and for the longest time I read S.T. Joshi as "St. Joshi" and I considered it to be over-the-top praise.
Posted by: Kindltot at March 20, 2016 10:18 AM (XQHkt)
180
Kansas is in the toilet after electing Brownback
Huge deficits came with his tax cuts
Huge deficits came with his tax cuts
Posted by: Bubba at March 20, 2016 10:18 AM (LHVhu)
181
Posted by: cTwelve at March 20, 2016 10:12 AM (O1tM5)
-------------
I always figured mass and energy to be the same thing since the Laws of Conservation is identical in both.
-------------
I always figured mass and energy to be the same thing since the Laws of Conservation is identical in both.
Posted by: Soona at March 20, 2016 10:19 AM (Fmupd)
182
176 170 comments and no one identifies the picture? One guy *would hit that* is all I've learned. Oh, and the sniper's well hidden.
Posted by: VaughnBeethoven at March 20, 2016 10:15 AM (xYUlO)
The picture is from a Japanese artist named Yoshida Seiji.
I can't go to his website http://yoshidaseiji.jp/ because Norton DNS classifies it as pr0n. So be careful.
Posted by: VaughnBeethoven at March 20, 2016 10:15 AM (xYUlO)
The picture is from a Japanese artist named Yoshida Seiji.
I can't go to his website http://yoshidaseiji.jp/ because Norton DNS classifies it as pr0n. So be careful.
Posted by: OregonMuse at March 20, 2016 10:19 AM (P5x6u)
183
Would that "one eye" of Thomas Franks be a browneye? He writes like one.
Posted by: Comanche Voter at March 20, 2016 10:20 AM (Sda6L)
184
Trimegistus@175: Somewhere in my collection is "The Strange Case of Harry Dexter White," a Red Scare commie expose. I finally know where that title came from! Thx!
Posted by: Spellcheck at March 20, 2016 10:20 AM (HKBpI)
185
I'm reading "Abandon" by Blake Crouch, set in a mining town up in the San Juans above Silverton, CO.
-
Silverton has an above?
-
Silverton has an above?
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks at March 20, 2016 10:21 AM (Nwg0u)
186
The speed of light in other materials is different --Vic
"Light of Other Days" by Bob Shaw. Everybody knows it, it was in one of those Hugo anthologies. I used to really love tear-jerker SF. Can't take it, anymore.
"Light of Other Days" by Bob Shaw. Everybody knows it, it was in one of those Hugo anthologies. I used to really love tear-jerker SF. Can't take it, anymore.
Posted by: Stringer Davis at March 20, 2016 10:23 AM (xq1UY)
Posted by: Stringer Davis at March 20, 2016 10:24 AM (xq1UY)
188
I would think that a thread devoted to gardening books would be way too specific to generate enough interest on a weekly or even a monthly basis.
-------
I only meant it as a one-off.
-------
I only meant it as a one-off.
Posted by: Y-not (@moxiemom) at March 20, 2016 10:26 AM (t5zYU)
189
Canada is very strict as to who they allow into their country. And Spain has so many economic woes, unless you are wealthy, they wont let you in either. I suspect the Parents were Mexican. Just speaking spanish is not enough.
Canada is very strict as to who they allow into their country. And Spain has so many economic woes, unless you are wealthy, they wont let you in either. I suspect the Parents were Mexican. Just speaking spanish is not enough.
Posted by: Bruce With a Wang! at March 20, 2016 10:27 AM (iQIUe)
190
...kind of marriage...
Been married 42 years.
My belief is that marriage and children are God's way of us discovering who and what we are.
When I discovered I fell short of my ideal persona I decided to love myself anyway and to do the best I could to change and adapt.
No tears in heaven.
Been married 42 years.
My belief is that marriage and children are God's way of us discovering who and what we are.
When I discovered I fell short of my ideal persona I decided to love myself anyway and to do the best I could to change and adapt.
No tears in heaven.
Posted by: scorecard at March 20, 2016 10:27 AM (CRXed)
191
Posted by: Soona at March 20, 2016 10:19 AM (Fmupd)
---
They are in a critical sense. /Everything/ is energy. Mass is s property of /some/ energy, specifically that energy bound into causal interaction. Quarks inside of protons, protons in atoms, atoms in molecules.
And they are directly convertible because adding energy to a massive object is basically just adding more and complex causal interactions. Do this: take an object. Weigh it very precisely. Shine a /really/ bright light at it and warm it up. Weigh it again.
Result? The object is /heavier./ It is a convenient shorthand to say energy was converted to mass, but the more accurate statement would be that more energy was causally bound into the object, thereby increasing its information, it's necessary interactions, and therefore it's mass,
And keep weighing that object. As it radiates away heat (in the form of light) it will /lose mass/ despite the light itself Is massless.
---
They are in a critical sense. /Everything/ is energy. Mass is s property of /some/ energy, specifically that energy bound into causal interaction. Quarks inside of protons, protons in atoms, atoms in molecules.
And they are directly convertible because adding energy to a massive object is basically just adding more and complex causal interactions. Do this: take an object. Weigh it very precisely. Shine a /really/ bright light at it and warm it up. Weigh it again.
Result? The object is /heavier./ It is a convenient shorthand to say energy was converted to mass, but the more accurate statement would be that more energy was causally bound into the object, thereby increasing its information, it's necessary interactions, and therefore it's mass,
And keep weighing that object. As it radiates away heat (in the form of light) it will /lose mass/ despite the light itself Is massless.
Posted by: cTwelve at March 20, 2016 10:29 AM (O1tM5)
192
189
Canada is very strict as to who they allow into their country. And Spain has so many economic woes, unless you are wealthy, they wont let you in either. I suspect the Parents were Mexican. Just speaking spanish is not enough.
Posted by: Bruce With a Wang! at March 20, 2016 10:27 AM (iQIUe)
----------------
Then Greece it is. I've heard they give out a lot of bennies there.
Canada is very strict as to who they allow into their country. And Spain has so many economic woes, unless you are wealthy, they wont let you in either. I suspect the Parents were Mexican. Just speaking spanish is not enough.
Posted by: Bruce With a Wang! at March 20, 2016 10:27 AM (iQIUe)
----------------
Then Greece it is. I've heard they give out a lot of bennies there.
Posted by: Soona at March 20, 2016 10:30 AM (Fmupd)
193
The book thread commentary is always amazing and inspiring.
Before I refresh the page to read more, forbear a plugola for a comic I did back in 2013, and annually announce with all due humility and trepidation. It's not a book. If printed, it would hardly be a pamphlet. But maybe you could pretend it's bookish, just for today, and maybe next week:
Jerusalem Report
Reporting on miraculous events one week in Jerusalem.
Sort-of if they had some modern technology like TV and cell phones back then. Not strictly Gospel-adherent, but, I hope, not irreverent.
http://bit.ly/jeru-report
Full link also in nic for your convenience.
Before I refresh the page to read more, forbear a plugola for a comic I did back in 2013, and annually announce with all due humility and trepidation. It's not a book. If printed, it would hardly be a pamphlet. But maybe you could pretend it's bookish, just for today, and maybe next week:
Jerusalem Report
Reporting on miraculous events one week in Jerusalem.
Sort-of if they had some modern technology like TV and cell phones back then. Not strictly Gospel-adherent, but, I hope, not irreverent.
http://bit.ly/jeru-report
Full link also in nic for your convenience.
Posted by: mindful webworker - 20 Years on the Web at March 20, 2016 10:31 AM (ek7rN)
194
Try Honduran. Daughter says she never wants to go back to Honduras because of all the rapes. Had to bite tongue before asking what she thought of Muslims raping women - because Pippy Trudeau's policies.
Posted by: Anna Puma at March 20, 2016 10:32 AM (yYkpT)
195
Vic @170: Keep an eye out for a similar discount on "This Perfect Day." A really terrific dystopia, much undersung. I think it might be the only Ira Levin novel never filmed. I wouldn't spend the $9.99 Kindle price, but I see it used a lot.
Posted by: Spellcheck at March 20, 2016 10:32 AM (HKBpI)
196
>81 There is a series of 12 books called the Swallows and Amazons series, written by Arthur Ransome in the 1930s. It centers around kids sailing and camping in the Cotswolds. It's very popular with the brits.
Posted by: Bruce With a Wang! at March 20, 2016 09:11 AM (iQIUe)
Oh wow, I haven't thought about that series in, well, forever. I read them as a kid and the book that has stuck in my mind is "The Picts and The Martyrs", not because of the story, which I don't recall at all, but because of the title. It's a great title.
Thanks for the memories.
Posted by: Bruce With a Wang! at March 20, 2016 09:11 AM (iQIUe)
Oh wow, I haven't thought about that series in, well, forever. I read them as a kid and the book that has stuck in my mind is "The Picts and The Martyrs", not because of the story, which I don't recall at all, but because of the title. It's a great title.
Thanks for the memories.
Posted by: all doubt removed at March 20, 2016 10:34 AM (KWGc0)
197
I only meant it as a one-off.
Posted by: Y-not (@moxiemom) at March 20, 2016 10:26 AM (t5zYU)
Oh, OK. Well, since my ignorance about gardening is as the crop of dandelions on my lawn, I feel I would be most inadequate. My advice is that it would be probably be best for you to have a "special edition" of the gardening thread, one that is devoted to gardening books.
Posted by: Y-not (@moxiemom) at March 20, 2016 10:26 AM (t5zYU)
Oh, OK. Well, since my ignorance about gardening is as the crop of dandelions on my lawn, I feel I would be most inadequate. My advice is that it would be probably be best for you to have a "special edition" of the gardening thread, one that is devoted to gardening books.
Posted by: OregonMuse at March 20, 2016 10:35 AM (P5x6u)
198
Canada is very strict as to who they allow into their country. And Spain has so many economic woes, unless you are wealthy, they wont let you in either.
Just about every country in the world has stricter immigration policies than America. Mexico is very strict. Greece is being deluged, but tries hard to move them through to elsewhere.
Germany is probably the only place that is looser right now, and look how that's working out for them.
Just about every country in the world has stricter immigration policies than America. Mexico is very strict. Greece is being deluged, but tries hard to move them through to elsewhere.
Germany is probably the only place that is looser right now, and look how that's working out for them.
Posted by: cool breeze at March 20, 2016 10:36 AM (ckvus)
199
In the last week I have been involuntarily subjected to three different rave reviews of the just-published "The Rope" by Kanan Mikaya. Two through WSJ sources, once on NPR. Apparently Someone has decided this is going to be a bestseller.
It's about Iraq after Hussein (yes, War and Peace was about Russia). Not my literary cup of tea so to speak, but, be on the lookout. Hot property, there.
I'm going with the notion that it reinforces some widely-held Bush's Fault.
It's about Iraq after Hussein (yes, War and Peace was about Russia). Not my literary cup of tea so to speak, but, be on the lookout. Hot property, there.
I'm going with the notion that it reinforces some widely-held Bush's Fault.
Posted by: Stringer Davis at March 20, 2016 10:38 AM (xq1UY)
200
Well I'm going to scoot. Need to do some editing and writing.
To the Morons who keep buying my book, thank you! Please leave reviews.
Or toss a dollar at me - https://www.gofundme.com/8k4zdgw9
Thanks.
To the Morons who keep buying my book, thank you!
Please leave reviews.Or toss a dollar at me - https://www.gofundme.com/8k4zdgw9
Thanks.
Posted by: Anna Puma at March 20, 2016 10:38 AM (yYkpT)
201
Oh, OK. Well, since my ignorance about gardening is as the crop of dandelions on my lawn, I feel I would be most inadequate. My advice is that it would be probably be best for you to have a "special edition" of the gardening thread, one that is devoted to gardening books.
Posted by: OregonMuse at March 20, 2016 10:35 AM (P5x6u)
--------------------
Then I could push my book, "Weed Gardening" which will be followed later by "Weed Lawns".
Posted by: OregonMuse at March 20, 2016 10:35 AM (P5x6u)
--------------------
Then I could push my book, "Weed Gardening" which will be followed later by "Weed Lawns".
Posted by: Soona at March 20, 2016 10:39 AM (Fmupd)
202
Y-Not with all the gardening posts over the years, you have enough material to publish your own book.
Just a thought.
Just a thought.
Posted by: @votermom at March 20, 2016 10:40 AM (cbfNE)
203
...Huge deficits came with his tax cuts...
So running productive people out of Kansas with high taxes is going to help?
Kansas has a spending problem. I'm guessing he got elected on the promise of tax cuts. Maybe his successor will get elected on promising tax increases. Works in California. Food gets scarce when everyone farms the Government.
So running productive people out of Kansas with high taxes is going to help?
Kansas has a spending problem. I'm guessing he got elected on the promise of tax cuts. Maybe his successor will get elected on promising tax increases. Works in California. Food gets scarce when everyone farms the Government.
Posted by: scorecard at March 20, 2016 10:40 AM (CRXed)
Posted by: Ghost of kari - certified inane at March 20, 2016 10:41 AM (ubByS)
205
Then I could push my book, "Weed Gardening" which will be followed later by "Weed Lawns".
Laughing about that because my bad eyesight never notices weeds. I live in an impressionistic world (thank you art threads, I miss you). To my shame and neighborhood ridicule, I like dandelions -- so cheerful.
Laughing about that because my bad eyesight never notices weeds. I live in an impressionistic world (thank you art threads, I miss you). To my shame and neighborhood ridicule, I like dandelions -- so cheerful.
Posted by: mustbequantum at March 20, 2016 10:42 AM (MIKMs)
206
I'm starting "I am Charlotte Simmons" by Tom Wolfe, the story of a brilliant and conservative young college student at one of our "elite" PC, sex-obsessed colleges. It's yuuuuge as they say but I love it already.
Posted by: PJ at March 20, 2016 10:42 AM (cHuNI)
207
You look and sound like a bunch of Liberal patting themselves on the back at how intelligent they all are because they don't watch TV either. Except they do.
Posted by: Fish at March 20, 2016 10:43 AM (ES7V9)
208
152 147 Is there a complete list of books by morons somewhere I might have missed?
Posted by: sinalco at March 20, 2016 09:55 AM (yODqO)
Yes, sort of. On the goodness group bookshelf. The authors add it themselves.
You might have to be a member to see it
https://www.goodreads.com/group/bookshelf/175335-aoshq-moron-horde
Thanks @votermom and cool breeze!
I've finally given up on William Gibson's Neuromancer. I just can't care about the characters. I had a similar problem with Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash, but at least SC was a fun read even if the characters were 2-dimensional.
On to the next book!
Posted by: sinalco at March 20, 2016 09:55 AM (yODqO)
Yes, sort of. On the goodness group bookshelf. The authors add it themselves.
You might have to be a member to see it
https://www.goodreads.com/group/bookshelf/175335-aoshq-moron-horde
Thanks @votermom and cool breeze!
I've finally given up on William Gibson's Neuromancer. I just can't care about the characters. I had a similar problem with Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash, but at least SC was a fun read even if the characters were 2-dimensional.
On to the next book!
Posted by: sinalco at March 20, 2016 10:44 AM (yODqO)
209
#113
Anyone think it's worth $18 on kindle to get, "Seveneves," by Neal Stephenson?
No, it isn't.
Anyone think it's worth $18 on kindle to get, "Seveneves," by Neal Stephenson?
No, it isn't.
Posted by: Jack at March 20, 2016 10:47 AM (/haNQ)
210
Yeah, gotta agree, "This Perfect Day" is an excellent and underappreciated dystopian novel.
Posted by: sock_rat_eez at March 20, 2016 10:47 AM (gUoN4)
211
Don't know if this has been covered already or not, but it seems to me collecting books and reading books are two different things. I can't imagine wanting/needing to find rare, collectible books. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with it, but it's an art pursuit. Not so different from decorating vs. collecting rare, valuable paintings.
Each is its own task, neither one "better" than the other.
Each is its own task, neither one "better" than the other.
Posted by: BurtTC at March 20, 2016 10:48 AM (Dj0WE)
212
Oregon Muse,
Please ignore me. I've been tracked because I opened a FB account & I am done with it. I'm going to delete.
I download iPad app to stop tracking & ads. I'm testing if I must enter my name & email address here. I didn't.
I changed settings on the Ad Block I've had & cannot log into sites.
I spologize.
Please ignore me. I've been tracked because I opened a FB account & I am done with it. I'm going to delete.
I download iPad app to stop tracking & ads. I'm testing if I must enter my name & email address here. I didn't.
I changed settings on the Ad Block I've had & cannot log into sites.
I spologize.
Posted by: Carol at March 20, 2016 10:49 AM (sj3Ax)
213
Hayley turned and said to the cat, "I'm not literate, I'm just drawn that way."
Mr. Fluffers stared back and and thought, "Don't lie, you're a bibliophiliac!"
Mr. Fluffers stared back and and thought, "Don't lie, you're a bibliophiliac!"
Posted by: Headless Body of Agnew at March 20, 2016 10:49 AM (FtrY1)
214
...don't watch TV...
500 channels and nothing on.
Notice how the cable bill creeps up.
Started out at $100. Crept up to $132.
Cut some bundled stuff and got it back down to $97.
Only thing I miss is Turner Classic Movies.
So far wife hasn't noticed anything missing.
500 channels and nothing on.
Notice how the cable bill creeps up.
Started out at $100. Crept up to $132.
Cut some bundled stuff and got it back down to $97.
Only thing I miss is Turner Classic Movies.
So far wife hasn't noticed anything missing.
Posted by: scorecard at March 20, 2016 10:53 AM (CRXed)
Posted by: @votermom at March 20, 2016 10:53 AM (cbfNE)
216
You look and sound like a bunch of Liberal patting themselves on the back at how intelligent they all are because they don't watch TV either. Except they do.
Posted by: Fish at March 20, 2016 10:43 AM (ES7V9)
Are you trying to make a point toward something someone said, in particular, or are you just trolling the blog?
Because there ARE good reasons why someone might choose to shut off television. The difference between saying "I decided to cut television out of my life," and "television is bad for you, so you should cut it out of your life... just like me" is the difference.
It should not need to be explained beyond that. Do you NEED it explained beyond that?
Posted by: Fish at March 20, 2016 10:43 AM (ES7V9)
Are you trying to make a point toward something someone said, in particular, or are you just trolling the blog?
Because there ARE good reasons why someone might choose to shut off television. The difference between saying "I decided to cut television out of my life," and "television is bad for you, so you should cut it out of your life... just like me" is the difference.
It should not need to be explained beyond that. Do you NEED it explained beyond that?
Posted by: BurtTC at March 20, 2016 10:53 AM (Dj0WE)
217
William Gibson's 'Neuromancer' was good, but didn't grab me. 'Pattern Recognition' grabbed me and I even reread with enjoyment. I think what got me was the relentless marketing aspect. For the past 15 years, I think I have been 'marketed' to death.
Posted by: mustbequantum at March 20, 2016 10:53 AM (MIKMs)
Posted by: scorecard at March 20, 2016 10:55 AM (CRXed)
219
I used to grind out tree stumps. One time I had to take a stump grinder into a man's house and remove two stumps.
That tree looks like it might be in a huge pot? That's better than having it actually planted in the ground.
I don't won't to pay 25 bucks for Rip's paperback starting strength. I might buy Scott Adam's failure book. I am starting to think that he is right vis goals and systems. Wait wait wait...something occurs to me...
https://www.ted.com/talks/shawn_achor_the_happy_secret_to_better_work
Cthulu will tell you that I am a troll, and you shouldn't follow my links. So you've been warned.
That tree looks like it might be in a huge pot? That's better than having it actually planted in the ground.
I don't won't to pay 25 bucks for Rip's paperback starting strength. I might buy Scott Adam's failure book. I am starting to think that he is right vis goals and systems. Wait wait wait...something occurs to me...
https://www.ted.com/talks/shawn_achor_the_happy_secret_to_better_work
Cthulu will tell you that I am a troll, and you shouldn't follow my links. So you've been warned.
Posted by: teh troll at March 20, 2016 10:55 AM (0+srV)
220
Then I could push my book, "Weed Gardening" which will be followed later by "Weed Lawns".
Remember Miss Peach, a competitor to Peanuts? By Mell Lazarus, b.1927 and still working, also wrote a couple novels. There was a kid (Lester? Arthur?) who had a sign-designated "Weed Garden." In the early 60's. Prescient.
Especially among gardeners, you can start an evening-long philosophical discussion with "define a weed." In some neighborhoods, it could also start a fist fight.
Remember Miss Peach, a competitor to Peanuts? By Mell Lazarus, b.1927 and still working, also wrote a couple novels. There was a kid (Lester? Arthur?) who had a sign-designated "Weed Garden." In the early 60's. Prescient.
Especially among gardeners, you can start an evening-long philosophical discussion with "define a weed." In some neighborhoods, it could also start a fist fight.
Posted by: Stringer Davis at March 20, 2016 10:56 AM (xq1UY)
221
By the sound of it, there's an aerobatics show happening at Peachtree-DeKalb Airport.
It being the crack of noon, I may have to roust myself from bed and go take a look.
It being the crack of noon, I may have to roust myself from bed and go take a look.
Posted by: An Poc ar Buile at March 20, 2016 10:58 AM (1zS3A)
222
...Are you trying to make a point toward something...
I thought they were trying to make a joke: fish-out-of-water
I thought they were trying to make a joke: fish-out-of-water
Posted by: scorecard at March 20, 2016 10:59 AM (CRXed)
223
Especially among gardeners, you can start an
evening-long philosophical discussion with "define a weed." In some
neighborhoods, it could also start a fist fight.
Posted by: Stringer Davis at March 20, 2016 10:56 AM (xq1UY)
________
Some 'weeds' are being marketed to the unwary as 'ground cover' right now.
evening-long philosophical discussion with "define a weed." In some
neighborhoods, it could also start a fist fight.
Posted by: Stringer Davis at March 20, 2016 10:56 AM (xq1UY)
________
Some 'weeds' are being marketed to the unwary as 'ground cover' right now.
Posted by: mustbequantum at March 20, 2016 10:59 AM (MIKMs)
224
Remember Miss Peach, a competitor to Peanuts? By Mell Lazarus, b.1927 and still working, also wrote a couple novels. There was a kid (Lester? Arthur?) who had a sign-designated "Weed Garden." In the early 60's. Prescient.
Posted by: Stringer Davis at March 20, 2016 10:56 AM (xq1UY)
Holy toledo, I remember Arthur's weed garden. That was a long time ago.
Posted by: Stringer Davis at March 20, 2016 10:56 AM (xq1UY)
Holy toledo, I remember Arthur's weed garden. That was a long time ago.
Posted by: OregonMuse at March 20, 2016 10:59 AM (P5x6u)
225
@223 Yep. It's...contextual. Doesn't even slow down the fist fights, though.
Posted by: Stringer Davis at March 20, 2016 11:00 AM (xq1UY)
226
76 Posted by: Spellcheck at March 20, 2016 09:09 AM (HKBpI)
Have you read Roger Zelazny's THIS IMMORTAL?
Have you read Roger Zelazny's THIS IMMORTAL?
Posted by: Suds 46 at March 20, 2016 11:01 AM (xtUYy)
227
@223 Yep. It's...contextual. Doesn't even slow down the fist fights, though.
Posted by: Stringer Davis at March 20, 2016 11:00 AM (xq1UY)
And you're still mad about the beard joke.
Get over it, buttercup.
Posted by: Stringer Davis at March 20, 2016 11:00 AM (xq1UY)
And you're still mad about the beard joke.
Get over it, buttercup.
Posted by: BurtTC at March 20, 2016 11:03 AM (Dj0WE)
228
I never saw any of Vincent Price's movies, but I still knew who he was growing up (though I'm not sure how I knew who he was). He hosted Mystery! on PBS for several years until his health forced him to step down, and he was replaced by Diana Rigg.
Sesame Street spoofed his Mystery role with its 'Vincent Twice' character, who introduced the 'Mysterious Theater' sketches.
Sesame Street spoofed his Mystery role with its 'Vincent Twice' character, who introduced the 'Mysterious Theater' sketches.
Posted by: junior at March 20, 2016 11:04 AM (fgd5X)
229
And no, I wouldn't spend $18 on "Seveneves" either.
Get it from the library.
Get it from the library.
Posted by: sock_rat_eez at March 20, 2016 11:04 AM (gUoN4)
230
I thought they were trying to make a joke: fish-out-of-water
Posted by: scorecard at March 20, 2016 10:59 AM (CRXed)
Possibly, which is why I asked. I realize coming in 200 posts into a thread I might be missing something, unless I want to go back and read the prior 200 posts. Which I don't.
Posted by: scorecard at March 20, 2016 10:59 AM (CRXed)
Possibly, which is why I asked. I realize coming in 200 posts into a thread I might be missing something, unless I want to go back and read the prior 200 posts. Which I don't.
Posted by: BurtTC at March 20, 2016 11:06 AM (Dj0WE)
231
Canada is very strict as to who they allow into their country.
Posted by: Bruce With a Wang! at March 20, 2016 10:27 AM (iQIUe)
____
If you're European. If you're non-Euro...door's pretty much wide open to one and all.
Posted by: Bruce With a Wang! at March 20, 2016 10:27 AM (iQIUe)
____
If you're European. If you're non-Euro...door's pretty much wide open to one and all.
Posted by: Monsieur Moo Moo at March 20, 2016 11:07 AM (0LHZx)
232
I did order a good, based on user reviews, CD Cassette player this week. The CD and cassette player in our 13 year old car bit the dust and our other electronics are aging. I was shocked to learn that many new computers don't have CD drives anymore. (I don't keep up with these things.) Apparently, most things are downloaded or streamed these days. But I still have a lot of books on tape or CD and a number of Great Courses on audio CD. I don't want to lose them.
I am tired (HUGE understatement) of even recent technology I depended on being made obsolete for no good reason. There's a point beyond which "Now I have to buy the White Album again" gets stale. (BTW, I don't like most of the White Album.)
Mini-rant off.
I am tired (HUGE understatement) of even recent technology I depended on being made obsolete for no good reason. There's a point beyond which "Now I have to buy the White Album again" gets stale. (BTW, I don't like most of the White Album.)
Mini-rant off.
Posted by: JTB at March 20, 2016 11:09 AM (FvdPb)
233
Regarding the Uniparty left book, I think the political left in America is about where we were 5 or so years ago: they're making us mad but we'll give them 1-2 more chances.
So I'd expect more "these guys don't get it" books about the Democratic Party, especially if Hillary wins and goes full tyrant.
So I'd expect more "these guys don't get it" books about the Democratic Party, especially if Hillary wins and goes full tyrant.
Posted by: Christopher Taylor at March 20, 2016 11:10 AM (39g3+)
234
149
To me this is the best selling point Trump has. Once he's elected millions of assholes will voluntarily leave the country.
Posted by: Monsieur Moo Moo at March 20, 2016 09:56 AM (0LHZx)
They're always threatening to do that, but they never do.
To me this is the best selling point Trump has. Once he's elected millions of assholes will voluntarily leave the country.
Posted by: Monsieur Moo Moo at March 20, 2016 09:56 AM (0LHZx)
They're always threatening to do that, but they never do.
Posted by: rickl at March 20, 2016 11:10 AM (sdi6R)
235
They're always threatening to do that, but they never do.
Posted by: rickl at March 20, 2016 11:10 AM (sdi6R)
Trebuchets
Posted by: rickl at March 20, 2016 11:10 AM (sdi6R)
Trebuchets
Posted by: @votermom at March 20, 2016 11:12 AM (cbfNE)
236
try "The True and Only Heaven: Progress and its Critics" by Christopher Lasch.
It'll tell you everything you need to know about why the modern left has failed and the rise of populism as the 'anti-progressive' movement.
and f*ck you with a hand grenade, Kevin Deeeee Williamson. Shove that U-Haul where the sun don't shine
It'll tell you everything you need to know about why the modern left has failed and the rise of populism as the 'anti-progressive' movement.
and f*ck you with a hand grenade, Kevin Deeeee Williamson. Shove that U-Haul where the sun don't shine
Posted by: ladies and gentlemen, the Kansas City Chiefs !! at March 20, 2016 11:13 AM (/542q)
237
Thanks for the input on "Seveneves." I didn't think it was but just double checking.
Posted by: lindafell de spair at March 20, 2016 11:15 AM (xVgrA)
238
Nood. Joke thread.
Posted by: HH at March 20, 2016 11:15 AM (DrCtv)
Posted by: junior at March 20, 2016 11:16 AM (fgd5X)
240
I did order a good, based on user reviews, CD Cassette player this week. The CD and cassette player in our 13 year old car bit the dust and our other electronics are aging. I was shocked to learn that many new computers don't have CD drives anymore. (I don't keep up with these things.) Apparently, most things are downloaded or streamed these days. But I still have a lot of books on tape or CD and a number of Great Courses on audio CD. I don't want to lose them.
I am tired (HUGE understatement) of even recent technology I depended on being made obsolete for no good reason. There's a point beyond which "Now I have to buy the White Album again" gets stale. (BTW, I don't like most of the White Album.)
Mini-rant off.
Posted by: JTB at March 20, 2016 11:09 AM (FvdPb)
There does seem to be a curve, we all find ourselves on it. At one point we have our finger on the pulse of what is new, at some point we are leading the edge, then falling behind, then are left in the dust.
It's not unlike the rest of life. If you can keep up, it might help you live longer. If you can rest where you are, and be content, so be it.
The problem, as you say, is that I'm not always allowed to just do that. No, you want to MAKE me try to keep up, when I really would prefer not to. Fie on this new world. Fie on it, I say!
I am tired (HUGE understatement) of even recent technology I depended on being made obsolete for no good reason. There's a point beyond which "Now I have to buy the White Album again" gets stale. (BTW, I don't like most of the White Album.)
Mini-rant off.
Posted by: JTB at March 20, 2016 11:09 AM (FvdPb)
There does seem to be a curve, we all find ourselves on it. At one point we have our finger on the pulse of what is new, at some point we are leading the edge, then falling behind, then are left in the dust.
It's not unlike the rest of life. If you can keep up, it might help you live longer. If you can rest where you are, and be content, so be it.
The problem, as you say, is that I'm not always allowed to just do that. No, you want to MAKE me try to keep up, when I really would prefer not to. Fie on this new world. Fie on it, I say!
Posted by: BurtTC at March 20, 2016 11:17 AM (Dj0WE)
241
232 I am tired (HUGE understatement) of even recent
technology I depended on being made obsolete for no good reason. There's
a point beyond which "Now I have to buy the White Album again" gets
stale. (BTW, I don't like most of the White Album.)
Mini-rant off.
Posted by: JTB at March 20, 2016 11:09 AM (FvdPb)
Most car radios come with a memory stick player now. Transfer your books to a 2 gig memory stick and play them with that. If you don't have a memory stick slot go to Amazon and look for this device for $13. It has a memory stick slot and plugs into your cigarette lighter slot then transmits to the radio.
A 2 gig memory stick will hold a lot of music and/or books and they are cheap.
technology I depended on being made obsolete for no good reason. There's
a point beyond which "Now I have to buy the White Album again" gets
stale. (BTW, I don't like most of the White Album.)
Mini-rant off.
Posted by: JTB at March 20, 2016 11:09 AM (FvdPb)
Most car radios come with a memory stick player now. Transfer your books to a 2 gig memory stick and play them with that. If you don't have a memory stick slot go to Amazon and look for this device for $13. It has a memory stick slot and plugs into your cigarette lighter slot then transmits to the radio.
A 2 gig memory stick will hold a lot of music and/or books and they are cheap.
Posted by: Vic-we have no party at March 20, 2016 11:19 AM (t2KH5)
242
I'm reading a "space opera" book about aliens, valiant marines, good hearted soldiers, evil enemies, corrupt governments, hope and despair. As I read this book I learned two things. No, three things.
1. I like sci-fi "shoot-em-up" books
2. The story is based on a miniatures game
3. All the characters are thinly veiled representations of people from the Bible. Including a holy Trinity, Angels, and devils.
It's a book of short stories called "Age of Darkness". Apparently there are dozens of these books.
1. I like sci-fi "shoot-em-up" books
2. The story is based on a miniatures game
3. All the characters are thinly veiled representations of people from the Bible. Including a holy Trinity, Angels, and devils.
It's a book of short stories called "Age of Darkness". Apparently there are dozens of these books.
Posted by: Rihar at March 20, 2016 11:20 AM (+ao6J)
243
How many people here listen to audio books? I like the idea of it but I've only ever listened to one (Peter Pan, which was kind of... disturbing). I'd love to have my books narrated but its really expensive and I'm not sure its worth the investment.
Posted by: Christopher Taylor at March 20, 2016 11:21 AM (39g3+)
244
And BTW, it is damn easy to install a DVD deck into a computer.
Posted by: Vic-we have no party at March 20, 2016 11:24 AM (t2KH5)
245
Usually when a computer goes bad, the DVD/CD device is still perfectly workable and can be just swapped into a new system. Although its tougher as the computers get tinier. You can get a "desktop" that's just a keyboard, mouse, and thick monitor these days. Basically its a laptop with periferals.
Posted by: Christopher Taylor at March 20, 2016 11:25 AM (39g3+)
246
Pope Francis
I am beginning a new journey, on Instagram, to walk with you along the path of mercy and the tenderness of God.
========
Oh, please stay off social media!
Pope Francis
I am beginning a new journey, on Instagram, to walk with you along the path of mercy and the tenderness of God.
========
Oh, please stay off social media!
Posted by: Bruce With a Wang! at March 20, 2016 11:27 AM (iQIUe)
247
Oops left out the link for that transmitter. Just search Amazon for cigarette lighter FM transmitter. There is a ton of them on there.
Posted by: Vic-we have no party at March 20, 2016 11:29 AM (t2KH5)
248
Shit! The Pope has an iPad!
Shit! The Pope has an iPad!
Posted by: Bruce With a Wang! at March 20, 2016 11:30 AM (iQIUe)
249
235 They're always threatening to do that, but they never do.
Posted by: rickl at March 20, 2016 11:10 AM (sdi6R)
Trebuchets
Posted by: @votermom at March 20, 2016 11:12 AM (cbfNE)
---
It really is the universal tool.
Posted by: rickl at March 20, 2016 11:10 AM (sdi6R)
Trebuchets
Posted by: @votermom at March 20, 2016 11:12 AM (cbfNE)
---
It really is the universal tool.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, Literate Savage at March 20, 2016 11:31 AM (jR7Wy)
250
"The problem, as you say, is that I'm not always allowed to just do that. No, you want to MAKE me try to keep up, when I really would prefer not to. Fie on this new world. Fie on it, I say!"
BurtTC, Both well said and funny. Glad I swallowed my coffee before reading it.
In the same vein, I'm often tempted to buy a 1974 or 75 VW Super Beetle just to have car that is easy to work on and doesn't depend on computers to run everything. I probably wouldn't do it but the impulse is there. Too damn much in life is being taken out of our control or even influence. That's both annoying (more understatement) and alarming. To keep this in the book thread meme, this is why I have certain books in hardcopy. Yeah, I know I qualify as an old curmudgeon but that doesn't mean there isn't a problem.
OK, THIS time the mini-rant is off.
BurtTC, Both well said and funny. Glad I swallowed my coffee before reading it.
In the same vein, I'm often tempted to buy a 1974 or 75 VW Super Beetle just to have car that is easy to work on and doesn't depend on computers to run everything. I probably wouldn't do it but the impulse is there. Too damn much in life is being taken out of our control or even influence. That's both annoying (more understatement) and alarming. To keep this in the book thread meme, this is why I have certain books in hardcopy. Yeah, I know I qualify as an old curmudgeon but that doesn't mean there isn't a problem.
OK, THIS time the mini-rant is off.
Posted by: JTB at March 20, 2016 11:31 AM (FvdPb)
251
Pope Francis
I am beginning a new journey, on Instagram, to walk with you along the path of mercy and the tenderness of God.
Next up: Daily Kos, Talking Points Memo and Democratic Underground
I am beginning a new journey, on Instagram, to walk with you along the path of mercy and the tenderness of God.
Next up: Daily Kos, Talking Points Memo and Democratic Underground
Posted by: cool breeze at March 20, 2016 11:32 AM (ckvus)
252
I've always said that it's almost impossible for me to walk out of a bookstore empty-handed. I always find something and as a result, my "books to read" pile is immense. Well, if bookstores are dangerous, Amazon is deadly. Click, click, click and it's at your door 2 days from now. I lusted after but resisted the siren call of the Vincent Price cookbook when it was first mentioned here but you got me at a weak moment today. It's on its' way,along with "Surprised by Joy" one of those books I've been meaning to read for a long time but haven't.
Posted by: Donna&&&&V (a white) (whitely brandishing ampersand privilege ) at March 20, 2016 11:33 AM (P8951)
253
Oops left out the link for that transmitter. Just search Amazon for
cigarette lighter FM transmitter. There is a ton of them on there.
Posted by: Vic-we have no party at March 20, 2016 11:29 AM (t2KH5)
Wow. If you step up your output sufficiently you would have your own pirate radio station.
Oops left out the link for that transmitter. Just search Amazon for
cigarette lighter FM transmitter. There is a ton of them on there.
Posted by: Vic-we have no party at March 20, 2016 11:29 AM (t2KH5)
Wow. If you step up your output sufficiently you would have your own pirate radio station.
Posted by: Kindltot at March 20, 2016 11:34 AM (XQHkt)
254
Speaking of Heinrich Himmler and books:
http://tinyurl.com/z4ambzq
Heinrich Himmler's stash of books on witchcraft is discovered in Czech library after being hidden for 50 years.
(dailymail)
http://tinyurl.com/z4ambzq
Heinrich Himmler's stash of books on witchcraft is discovered in Czech library after being hidden for 50 years.
(dailymail)
Posted by: Anachronda at March 20, 2016 11:37 AM (o78gS)
255
Christopher, books on tape are easy now. You need a reader with a decent voice, a space you can use as a studio, text, and a way to distribute.
And you need to settle with your vocal talent on how the pay thing works.
I remember a writers blog had a lot to say about self-recording books on tape.
I have been trying to get an old friend to do that sort of thing, she used to do "books for the blind" at the local library service as a volunteer.
And you need to settle with your vocal talent on how the pay thing works.
I remember a writers blog had a lot to say about self-recording books on tape.
I have been trying to get an old friend to do that sort of thing, she used to do "books for the blind" at the local library service as a volunteer.
Posted by: Kindltot at March 20, 2016 11:40 AM (XQHkt)
256
In my darkest moments I imagine a President Trump sending FBI to the homes of people that promised to leave with tickets and an escort to the airport.
Posted by: Christopher Taylor at March 20, 2016 11:40 AM (39g3+)
257
@19 chique dafrique: I had never heard of Mary Slessor, nor the killing of twins in Nigeria. Thanks for the comment--I put her biography on my reading list.
Posted by: April at March 20, 2016 11:45 AM (79ZSg)
258
Ref speed of light.
Although the speed of light (or electricity) in a copper wire is less than 186,000 mps... Hopper didn't say that the light was traveling through the wire! She was giving the wire as a visual guide to distance - not that the wire was the medium. If she had given a straw of the same length that cossack would have lost his mind.
Although the speed of light (or electricity) in a copper wire is less than 186,000 mps... Hopper didn't say that the light was traveling through the wire! She was giving the wire as a visual guide to distance - not that the wire was the medium. If she had given a straw of the same length that cossack would have lost his mind.
Posted by: ArthurK at March 20, 2016 11:48 AM (h53OH)
259
Heinrich Himmler's stash of books on witchcraft is discovered in Czech library after being hidden for 50 years.
Hitler was kind of meh about the supernatural, but Himmler was fixated on it. He was the guy behind all those expeditions to find artifacts. He'd have been the force behind digging up the Ark of the Covenant. Himmler tried to create a new state religion based on traditions and old myths blended with Nazi ideology. The center of this was going to be at Wewelsburg but it was never finished.
http://tinyurl.com/zr4wsu2
Hitler was kind of meh about the supernatural, but Himmler was fixated on it. He was the guy behind all those expeditions to find artifacts. He'd have been the force behind digging up the Ark of the Covenant. Himmler tried to create a new state religion based on traditions and old myths blended with Nazi ideology. The center of this was going to be at Wewelsburg but it was never finished.
http://tinyurl.com/zr4wsu2
Posted by: Christopher Taylor at March 20, 2016 11:51 AM (39g3+)
260
Christopher, books on tape are easy now. You need a reader with a decent voice, a space you can use as a studio, text, and a way to distribute.
The thing is, I'm not really sure its worth the time and effort, not to mention expense. Some will work on spec: pay me when it sells. The best ones require pay up front. It is a really important, specific skill that is worth paying for (plus the sound deading studio is important). Its just I can't tell if it would really sell or help push my work at all.
The thing is, I'm not really sure its worth the time and effort, not to mention expense. Some will work on spec: pay me when it sells. The best ones require pay up front. It is a really important, specific skill that is worth paying for (plus the sound deading studio is important). Its just I can't tell if it would really sell or help push my work at all.
Posted by: Christopher Taylor at March 20, 2016 11:53 AM (39g3+)
261
A child's plastic ruler would serve as a visual guide to one foot better than a piece of wire, IMHO.
Posted by: Buck Ofama at March 20, 2016 11:55 AM (GLFWg)
262
Maybe the tree is for the owls delivering mail.
Posted by: Skip at March 20, 2016 11:57 AM (fizMZ)
Posted by: Anon Y. Mous at March 20, 2016 12:00 PM (R+30W)
264
Posted by: NaCly Dog at March 20, 2016 08:50 AM (u82oZ)
I'll look into it. What got me through AA was listening to Steyn's cheerful voice reading all these awful stats and predictions.
I'll look into it. What got me through AA was listening to Steyn's cheerful voice reading all these awful stats and predictions.
Posted by: waelse1 at March 20, 2016 12:00 PM (ecD/g)
265
One of the commenters in the Kos thread really had a bee up his butt
about this, complaining that no, this isn't right, no, she's off by 40
or 50 percent, but I did the math, using 300 million meters per second
as the speed of light, dividing it by a billion, since the nanosecond is
a billionth of a second, and the answer is one-third of a meter, or
approximately 11.8 inches. In other words, about a foot. So maybe one of
you more sciency morons could explain what the Kos commenter was
whining about, because I honestly can't see the mistake.
There isn't one. The speed of light, 300,000 km/sec is 3E5 km/sec, or 3E8 m/sec, or 3E10 cm/sec.
One nanosecond is 1E-09 sec. 3E10 cm/sec X 1E-09 sec = 30 cm as the distance light travels in a nanosecond. A glance at a ruler will confirm that that's very nearly one foot, no further math involved.
So, surprisingly, Grace Hopper was right, and a Kos shithead was dead wrong. Quelle surprise.
about this, complaining that no, this isn't right, no, she's off by 40
or 50 percent, but I did the math, using 300 million meters per second
as the speed of light, dividing it by a billion, since the nanosecond is
a billionth of a second, and the answer is one-third of a meter, or
approximately 11.8 inches. In other words, about a foot. So maybe one of
you more sciency morons could explain what the Kos commenter was
whining about, because I honestly can't see the mistake.
There isn't one. The speed of light, 300,000 km/sec is 3E5 km/sec, or 3E8 m/sec, or 3E10 cm/sec.
One nanosecond is 1E-09 sec. 3E10 cm/sec X 1E-09 sec = 30 cm as the distance light travels in a nanosecond. A glance at a ruler will confirm that that's very nearly one foot, no further math involved.
So, surprisingly, Grace Hopper was right, and a Kos shithead was dead wrong. Quelle surprise.
Posted by: Jay Guevara at March 20, 2016 12:18 PM (oKE6c)
266
256: Odd; my darkest moments are imagining a President Trump. Period.
Which in turn reminds me to recommend to all and sundry Kirk's bio of John Randolph of Roanoke. All old Tertium Quids will know why.
And of course mentioning Russell Kirk reminds me to remind you all to read the ghost stories of M R James.
Equally, mentioning RK as biographer reminds me to recommend Robt P Tristram Coffin's bio of Archbishop Laud. And then, RPTC leads via his rural books to Aldo Leopold and John Graves (and Adrian Bell in England) ... who remind me to commend Annie Dillard ... who - well, you see how this goes (or at least how the writerly and scholarly mind works, for certain values of "mind" and "work"...).
Which in turn reminds me to recommend to all and sundry Kirk's bio of John Randolph of Roanoke. All old Tertium Quids will know why.
And of course mentioning Russell Kirk reminds me to remind you all to read the ghost stories of M R James.
Equally, mentioning RK as biographer reminds me to recommend Robt P Tristram Coffin's bio of Archbishop Laud. And then, RPTC leads via his rural books to Aldo Leopold and John Graves (and Adrian Bell in England) ... who remind me to commend Annie Dillard ... who - well, you see how this goes (or at least how the writerly and scholarly mind works, for certain values of "mind" and "work"...).
Posted by: MarkhamShawPyle at March 20, 2016 12:23 PM (WlkUc)
267
"But, despite Frank's determined myopia, it looks to me as if he's
complaining about what we refer to as the "Uniparty" .... Meanwhile, the Uniparty, and in particular the Republican section, is
completely flummoxed that Trump is getting support. Maybe that should be
the topic of Frank's next book."
Trade, as much or more than immigration, is what brings crossover appeal to Trump. He has been consistent on this since ~1990. The Brits believed in mercantilism when they forced us to buy their tea, and we rebelled. But we understood we needed our own mercantilism. This "free trade" notion began with WW2 and our "bribery" of nations in dire straits, to keep them on our side instead of communist Russia's. But it was never resolved to be smart economic policy, and only the profiteering globalists claim otherwise.
With China and the Saudis now buying up refineries and other American assets, it should be clear that trade deficits are real life, not mere accounting ghosts. This author made his book's arguments before the last presidential election, and was disappointed with Romney's waffling on trade. The arguments are even clearer today.
This is the book I'm reading ... advocated by Derbyshire. This link has several free excerpts that are a few pages each. Economist Hamilton and other founders understood the need to proudly protect the producers.
freetradedoesntwork.com/excerpt.htm
complaining about what we refer to as the "Uniparty" .... Meanwhile, the Uniparty, and in particular the Republican section, is
completely flummoxed that Trump is getting support. Maybe that should be
the topic of Frank's next book."
Trade, as much or more than immigration, is what brings crossover appeal to Trump. He has been consistent on this since ~1990. The Brits believed in mercantilism when they forced us to buy their tea, and we rebelled. But we understood we needed our own mercantilism. This "free trade" notion began with WW2 and our "bribery" of nations in dire straits, to keep them on our side instead of communist Russia's. But it was never resolved to be smart economic policy, and only the profiteering globalists claim otherwise.
With China and the Saudis now buying up refineries and other American assets, it should be clear that trade deficits are real life, not mere accounting ghosts. This author made his book's arguments before the last presidential election, and was disappointed with Romney's waffling on trade. The arguments are even clearer today.
This is the book I'm reading ... advocated by Derbyshire. This link has several free excerpts that are a few pages each. Economist Hamilton and other founders understood the need to proudly protect the producers.
freetradedoesntwork.com/excerpt.htm
Posted by: Illiniwek at March 20, 2016 12:33 PM (eUbDe)
268
What is the difference between a viola and a trampoline?
You take your shoes off to jump on a trampoline.
You take your shoes off to jump on a trampoline.
Posted by: NaCly Dog at March 20, 2016 12:33 PM (u82oZ)
269
Whoops. Wrong thread.
Posted by: NaCly Dog at March 20, 2016 12:34 PM (u82oZ)
270
I listen to 2-3 audiobooks a week, put them on my phone for car listening and PC to listen while working. Sabrina Chase has one audiobook, sorry more of the Horde works aren't available.
Posted by: waelse1 at March 20, 2016 12:35 PM (ecD/g)
271
Met Vincent Price once, in Tijuana, Mexico. late at night. He came up the street towards, with his cape swirling behind him. Had two people following him (entourage). He was talking rapidly the whole time. I looked around for a movie camera, but there was none. He appeared the same as he would in one of his movies. He turned quickly, entering a private club, holding the leading edge of his cape in a high arc.
Posted by: French Jeton at March 20, 2016 12:45 PM (WMvHw)
272
Just starting and enjoying Daniel Boorstin's The Creators - A History of Heroes of the Imagination. As one review said : A Feast of knowledge, a veritable smorgasbord of ideas, individuals and human accomplishments...one of the few surveys of human culture that itself is a work of art."
Published 1992, one of three. The other two: The Discoverers and The Seekers. Picked it up used, in mint condition. Great pick up, put down and return reading. At 700 pages that's a lot of reading pleasure.
Published 1992, one of three. The other two: The Discoverers and The Seekers. Picked it up used, in mint condition. Great pick up, put down and return reading. At 700 pages that's a lot of reading pleasure.
Posted by: gracepc at March 20, 2016 12:47 PM (OU4q6)
273
Suds @276: I have a 1966 Ace pb of This Immortal. I think it must be a first printing. From the yellow dot inside the cover, I must have paid a buck. I read the original "... And Call Me Conrad" in a collection of four novellas, but I'm realizing this is significantly expanded from the version I read. So, yum. Thanks.
Posted by: Spellcheck at March 20, 2016 12:49 PM (HKBpI)
274
If we're pimping our book businesses, I do sell science fiction first editions as Lame Excuse Books:
http://www.lawrenceperson.com/lame.html
http://www.lawrenceperson.com/lame.html
Posted by: Lawrence Person at March 20, 2016 12:50 PM (zPalU)
275
Some of you might recall my bringing up 'The Myth of the Robber Barons' last week. I hadn't read the whole book yet and now I find the portion I hadn't got to is even more important.
Consider Andrew Mellon, likely the best Secretary of the Treasury this nation has had since Hamilton. He fought for some very important tax policy that lead to one of the most prosperous eras in our history and was undone by leftists determined to fund their social engineering efforts, making a depression into the Great Depression and causing immeasurable misery.
The author found in a review of the most common college history textbooks covering that era, nearly grossly misunderstood Mellon's policies or outright lied about them, claiming he wanted to tax middle income earners to give high earners a free ride. This couldn't be farther from the truth.
This book came out in 1993. If it was that bad then, just think of how much nonsense Gen Y and Millenials have been fed about some of the most important men in US history. Rather than celebrating their achievements, they're told that these men were little more than pirates, running amok over the people and environment until brought to heel by Government.
Consider Andrew Mellon, likely the best Secretary of the Treasury this nation has had since Hamilton. He fought for some very important tax policy that lead to one of the most prosperous eras in our history and was undone by leftists determined to fund their social engineering efforts, making a depression into the Great Depression and causing immeasurable misery.
The author found in a review of the most common college history textbooks covering that era, nearly grossly misunderstood Mellon's policies or outright lied about them, claiming he wanted to tax middle income earners to give high earners a free ride. This couldn't be farther from the truth.
This book came out in 1993. If it was that bad then, just think of how much nonsense Gen Y and Millenials have been fed about some of the most important men in US history. Rather than celebrating their achievements, they're told that these men were little more than pirates, running amok over the people and environment until brought to heel by Government.
Posted by: Epobirs at March 20, 2016 01:02 PM (IdCqF)
276
Sometime back in the late 70's they did a few minutes with Grace Hopper on 60 Minutes, including the nanosecond and a coil of wire that was a microsecond, but she also said something that has stayed with me through all the years as a Valuable Lesson. Paraphrased, from memory: " One of the biggest problems is the rise of management theory - you manage things; you lead people. Leadership is simple - loyalty up, loyalty down"
Never gone wrong applying that.
Correct. Most people (who didn't spend the past 30-40 years in IT) didn't know who Grace Hopper was. But any IT person worth his/her salt did. And this one statement was of probably greater import to us than anything else she said. This because so many of us ended up working for some asshole who did not grasp this basic concept (you manage things, you lead people).
Never gone wrong applying that.
Correct. Most people (who didn't spend the past 30-40 years in IT) didn't know who Grace Hopper was. But any IT person worth his/her salt did. And this one statement was of probably greater import to us than anything else she said. This because so many of us ended up working for some asshole who did not grasp this basic concept (you manage things, you lead people).
Posted by: The Oort Cloud - Source of all SMODs at March 20, 2016 01:20 PM (2Bjv9)
277
Lawrence @272:
Oooh. Looking for T.L. Sherred's Alien Island. Only one edition, so far as I know, a 1969 Ballantine.
Also Doris Piserchia's Mister Justice, half of an 1975 Ace Double.
Just want to read them, so condition is moot. Wouldn't pay an outrageous Mint premium.
Email in my nic. I'll send you a longer wants list via the site in a week or so. I have to collect Post-Its all over the place.
Address in my nic. I'll
Oooh. Looking for T.L. Sherred's Alien Island. Only one edition, so far as I know, a 1969 Ballantine.
Also Doris Piserchia's Mister Justice, half of an 1975 Ace Double.
Just want to read them, so condition is moot. Wouldn't pay an outrageous Mint premium.
Email in my nic. I'll send you a longer wants list via the site in a week or so. I have to collect Post-Its all over the place.
Address in my nic. I'll
Posted by: Spellcheck at March 20, 2016 01:21 PM (HKBpI)
278
Or 274. Math is hard.
Posted by: Spellcheck at March 20, 2016 01:28 PM (HKBpI)
279
In a vacuum.
Posted by: The Pedant General at March 20, 2016 09:55 AM (1zS3A)
Light doesn't travel at all in a vacuum. They are totally dark inside.
Posted by: The Pedant General at March 20, 2016 09:55 AM (1zS3A)
Light doesn't travel at all in a vacuum. They are totally dark inside.
Posted by: Dust Bunny at March 20, 2016 01:53 PM (/i7Ua)
280
Ok, one more time for we retarded, longtime-lurker morons-in-training, to gain access to the moron authors thread, we just say "Please sign me up" here?
Posted by: RI Red at March 20, 2016 01:58 PM (bzx92)
281
RI Red, I think you have to go to the goodreads page and tell votermom what your HQ nickname is. Assuming you are using some other handle at goodreads. I am signed up at goodreads using my real name - not sure how that happened although the likeliest suspect is Facebook.
Posted by: Tonestaple at March 20, 2016 02:35 PM (LJYIn)
282
RI Red, reinstalled is correct.
And FB will do that. You can skip using FB and just use an email when creating a gr account.
And FB will do that. You can skip using FB and just use an email when creating a gr account.
Posted by: @votermom at March 20, 2016 02:59 PM (cbfNE)
283
reinstalled = Tonestaple sorry
Also paging Ezekiel please comment here so I can approve your join request
Also paging Ezekiel please comment here so I can approve your join request
Posted by: @votermom at March 20, 2016 03:04 PM (cbfNE)
284
My current reading is motivated by research and inspiration for a book of fiction I started about four years ago. The story is set in and around the fading frontier of Dakota Territory and then South Dakota between the years 1876 and 1920: The Routledge Dictionary of Latin Quotations by Jon R. Stone; Yankee City, edited by W. Lloyd Warner; and History of South Dakota by Herbert S. Schell.
Posted by: Lugs at March 20, 2016 03:12 PM (wnM5L)
285
I don't use FB
Posted by: Skip at March 20, 2016 03:13 PM (fizMZ)
286
Skip, good. You don't need it.
Posted by: @votermom at March 20, 2016 03:14 PM (cbfNE)
287
285 - just amusing my funny bone from 282.
I someday need to join the hq good reads, I have a good reason account already
I someday need to join the hq good reads, I have a good reason account already
Posted by: Skip at March 20, 2016 03:17 PM (fizMZ)
288
I just found out that for Kid's history class they did a reading by some Muslim woman apologist.
Put two books by Hirsan Ali on hold for her to read to counter the brainwashing.
Put two books by Hirsan Ali on hold for her to read to counter the brainwashing.
Posted by: @votermom at March 20, 2016 03:35 PM (cbfNE)
289
221 - Interesting, just rode by PDK a few minutes ago. I grew up just down the street, off Dresden, and m mother still lives in the same 1950s era ranch house we moved into in 1963. Which now is surrounded by zero-lot mini-mansions.
Small world!
Small world!
Posted by: John the Baptist at March 20, 2016 03:48 PM (MPH+3)
290
When I was an undergraduate 30+ years ago, I was fortunate to hear her speak. Wonderful speaker, and has way more common sense about tech than most of the so-called gurus floating around today.
Posted by: SDN at March 20, 2016 03:55 PM (rtVNx)
291
Don't usually hang out in this thread, but wanted to swing by and say I liked the cover art.
Posted by: ReactionaryMonster browsing Bravely at March 20, 2016 05:30 PM (1D4Ef)
292
(Sorry, I'm late to the dance,)
160 >>>Anyone think it's worth $18 on kindle to get, "Seveneves," by Neal Stephenson?
Posted by: lindafell de spair at March 20, 2016 09:38 AM
Heck, you can get a "good" condition copy on Amazon for under 17 including shipping. And if you don't like it, you've always got paper needs in the outhouse or at the fireplace.
160 >>>Anyone think it's worth $18 on kindle to get, "Seveneves," by Neal Stephenson?
Posted by: lindafell de spair at March 20, 2016 09:38 AM
Heck, you can get a "good" condition copy on Amazon for under 17 including shipping. And if you don't like it, you've always got paper needs in the outhouse or at the fireplace.
Posted by: Rance Prybar at March 20, 2016 05:46 PM (IIrcs)
Posted by: Joseph Courtemanche at March 20, 2016 05:54 PM (GA0fY)
294
I read Frank Thomas' "What's the Matter With Kansas?" book to see if he had any idea why someone like me would reject his proposals. I, like many others who were taught that stealing is wrong, believe that I have no rightful claim on someone else's time, labor and money. Frank didn't even address that moral concern. Didn't even recognize it as a possible reason. No, in his eyes, we're just all morons for not voting to rob Peter to pay Paul and then cash in on the greedy, temporary, and ultimately self destruction windfall.
Posted by: Ken at March 20, 2016 06:29 PM (LtQCz)
295
Maybe the Kos Kid was trying to figure in the velocity factor of the wire, where the electricity travels slower than the speed of light in a vacuum. But for an open wire that is 95-99% anyway, so he's still wrong.
Grace Hopper also managed to become an admiral in a Man's Navy, which accomplishment in itself should be notable, IF the feminists were serious about celebrating real-world accomplishments.
My first programming job back in the 70's was under the head of the junior college's data processing department, who was a woman. In fact, all the DP staff there were women. One of my physics teachers there was also a woman. The wymyn who screech about gender discrimination in STEM fields don't know what the F- they're talking about because they're ignorant losers: if you have the ability nobody cares if you've got a dick or not.
Grace Hopper also managed to become an admiral in a Man's Navy, which accomplishment in itself should be notable, IF the feminists were serious about celebrating real-world accomplishments.
My first programming job back in the 70's was under the head of the junior college's data processing department, who was a woman. In fact, all the DP staff there were women. One of my physics teachers there was also a woman. The wymyn who screech about gender discrimination in STEM fields don't know what the F- they're talking about because they're ignorant losers: if you have the ability nobody cares if you've got a dick or not.
Posted by: Socratease at March 20, 2016 09:32 PM (2GbWn)
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