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Sunday Morning Book Thread 01-20-2019
Library/Man Cave of Lurker 'Lord Squirrel' (and Cat)
Good morning to all you 'rons, 'ettes, lurkers, and lurkettes, wine moms, frat bros, and everybody who's holding your beer. Welcome once again to the stately, prestigious, internationally acclaimed and high-class Sunday Morning Book Thread, a weekly compendium of reviews, observations, and a continuing conversation on books, reading, and publishing by escaped oafs who follow words with their fingers and whose lips move as they read. Unlike other AoSHQ comment threads, the Sunday Morning Book Thread is so hoity-toity, pants are required. Even if it's these pants, which only goes to show that some people like to sit on cats. (h/t Hank Curmudgeon)
Pic Note
I've been a long-time lurker at the ol' Ace o' Spades HQ and have really appreciated the Sunday Book Thread. I was actually inspired by the pics to do something about my own personal library, so last summer I made a few adjustments to how I store and catalog my books. I converted my office into a library of sorts, though it can only house about 1/3 of my fantasy and science fiction collection. The other 2/3 was moved to my living room.LS's wall art is pretty awesome, too, I'd say. Especially that framed Middle Earth map.
It Pays To Increase Your Word Power® Word of the Day: DYSANIA (n.) difficulty in getting out of bed in the morning. Usage: Ace cackled with glee when he found out that the cure for his chronic Dysania was bed rest.
Fahrenheit 451 Got It Only Half Right
I was forced to move on to the 1632 series yesterday when I completed the book I was working on and the next in the series would have required a download while my internet service was out. I would sure like to know why Amazon retracts your download of a book if you have not opened it for a while. I have been caught on this crap before when I went down to GA to look after uncle in brother's camp house at a lake which had no internet service. When you pay for and download a book from Amazon it should be in your memory forever.
Posted by: Vic at January 13, 2019 09:01 AM (mpXpK)
I have the Kindle app on my Samsung tablet, and I hadn't noticed what Vic is complaining about here, but this brings up something we need to always keep in mind. When you buy ebooks from Amazon, or Apple, or Google, you don't really own them, despite the fact that you've pay for them. In the first place, the Kindle books on your device are wrapped in a DRM layer which which incorporates the debit or credit card you used for the purchase into the encryption. This prevents you from copying the ebook file to a thumb driving and giving it as a "pirate" edition to someone else who hasn't puchased it. And if you've changed or updated your card information in your Amazon account, I believe it has to reverify and update the DRM on each of your previously purchased Kindle books. This may account for what Vic is seeing. Maybe. This necessity of continual contact with the Amazon mother ship also means that it is they, not you, who ultimately control the content. This is something I find this to be especially insidious. Because occasionally I will open up a Kindle book and Amazon informs me that they are "updating" the content of the book I purchased. They don't ask my permission, they just automatically do it. The possibility that I might not want an updated copy is apparently of no importance to them. So who decides what content gets added to your "updated" book, and what content gets removed? I don't know. And what is their criteria for deciding what edits to make? I don't know. Who ultimately determines what you're allowed to read? I don't know. Not you. That's all I know. A few months ago, I ran into some guy on Twitter who said that a couple of movies that he had purchased (not rented, purchased outright) from Apple disappeared from his movie library. When he contacted Apple support, they told him, "oh, those movies are no longer available in your area" (which was Canada). When he complained, Apple offered him a couple of coupons for free movie rentals. And that was the end of that. I know that incident was about movies, not books, but still, the principle is the same. It is not a stretch to imagine this message popping up on your Kindle: "We removed this book from your library because we have determined it contains hate speech." Or "We've update your edition of Huckleberry Finn to removed racist language." And then what will you do? Here is my thinking: Every Kindle and Nook ebook I have purchased I am holding on to lightly. They're not trustworthy and the content could be altered or disappear at any moment. Whenever I can, I use outlets such as Baen Books where I can buy ebook files not encrusted with DRM that I can store on one of my archival hard drives. If I have purchased a Kindle book that I very much want to keep, I have no qualms about going online and finding a non-DRM version I can keep for myself and Amazon can go pee up a rope. Ultimately, this means that the best guarantors of our freedom to think is (drum roll) brick-and-mortar libraries. Because they contain actual hard copies of books. Because all that can happen to them is they can be confiscated or destroyed. They can't be edited or deleted without anybody noticing, and where you think what you're reading is what the author wrote, but what you're actually reading is only that which has been permitted by the censors of Amazon or Google. And when some silly bint writes that you should never own more than about 30 books, she can go pee up a rope, too. A free people aren't really free until they can think freely, and for that, they need books. Lots and lots of books.
Moron Recommendations
119 Also this week, I downloaded The Man From the Train by Bill James, recommended here by one a youse morons. I'm listening to it on my way home from work.Yes, I suppose you could get away with all kinds of sh* back in the old days. Before he passed, my father caught the 'ancestry.com' bug and devoted a lot of time trying to trace family roots. It wasn't made any easier by his grandfather who, one day, just up and walked out on his wife and kids, and disappeared. Dad managed to track him down to Oklahoma Territory where he had a new wife and kids, and a whole new life. You can't do that nowadays. Anyway, The Man from the Train: The Solving of a Century-Old Serial Killer Mystery investigates, as April says, a number of horrific murders that happened around the turn of last century:
True crime regarding a series of axe murders (of entire families! ) in the early 1900s, in different states, which no one connected then. James believes they were committed by the same person, travelling by train, but that they were never connected because we lacked the communication and informational networks of today.
I'm going to have to get hard copy, though, because I get focused on driving (yay, right? ) and lose some of the story.
Posted by: April at January 13, 2019 09:51 AM (OX9vb)
Between 1898 and 1912, families across the country were bludgeoned in their sleep with the blunt side of an axe. Some of these cases—like the infamous Villisca, Iowa, murders—received national attention. But most incidents went almost unnoticed outside the communities in which they occurred. Few people believed the crimes were related. And fewer still would realize that all of these families lived within walking distance to a train station. When celebrated true crime expert Bill James first learned about these horrors, he began to investigate others that might fit the same pattern. Applying the same know-how he brings to his legendary baseball analysis, he empirically determined which crimes were committed by the same person. Then after sifting through thousands of local newspapers, court transcripts, and public records, he and his daughter Rachel made an astonishing discovery: they learned the true identity of this monstrous criminal and uncovered one of the deadliest serial killers in America.I can just see a guy in some tiny attic looking at a wall full of old photos and newspaper clippings with different lengths of colored yarn going every which way, manically connecting everything. Bill James, by the way, is known chiefly for his The Bill James Handbook, an annual compilation of baseball statistics. Apparently, James invented some sort of statistical tool for baseball analysis called 'The Shift' but I'm not going to tell you about it because I don't know what it is and I'm too lazy to look it up. And if you're a big time baseball fan, you probably already know all about it, anyway. Wait, isn't James the guy behind the whole Moneyball thing?
___________
280According to the Amazon blurb, The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money & Power is considered
I'm about 150 pages into "The Prize" by Daniel Yergin.
This book is so interesting. It's about the discovery of oil and the making/or losing of many vast fortunes in the industry.
It won the pulitzer prize....but, don't let that stop you from checking it out. It's a gem so far. I hope it stays on point the rest of the way.
Posted by: Some Guy in Wisconsin at January 13, 2019 11:03 AM (u95+k)
..."the best history of oil ever written" by Business Week and with more than 300,000 copies in print, Daniel Yergin’s Pulitzer Prize–winning account of the global pursuit of oil, money, and power has been extensively updated to address the current energy crisis.What I know about oil is that it saved whales. Specifically, John D. Rockefeller, ruthless businessman, evil tycoon, and greedy capitalist pig saved the whales when he made the production of kerosene economically viable. Prior to that, the primary fuel used in America was whale oil and whales were been hunted to extinction to meet the ever-increasing demand. So thank you, evil, greedy, capitalist white man! You saved the planet. ___________
Books By Morons This is going to be good. A lurkette author e-mailed me this week to tell me about her Under the Staircase® series of children's books which is described as
A mystery and adventure series that teaches treasured values: personal responsibility, individual liberty, and economic freedom.The Secret Under the Staircase is the first in the series:
“So, you’re the ones…”There is one sequel so far, The Hidden Entrance, and I assume there will be more coming. I hope there will be more coming because this series looks like it's going to be completely awesome for kids. Occasionally, I've seen questions in the comments from morons looking for suitable books for their children (or grandchildren), and this series, which one Amazon review describes as "Harry Potter meets Ayn Rand" sounds like it would be just about perfect. I asked the author what would be the appropriate age range for this book. She replied:
A mysterious package appears just as Maya and Nate start helping in their grandparents’ store. Inside is just one book: a faded copy of Free to Choose. In a race against time, they must decipher a series of cryptic messages to discover the secret under the staircase. But can a bunch of kids really solve the centuries-old riddle? Can they save their beloved town before it’s too late?
The age range is 6-12. It’s written so that kids age 6-9 understand the books, and kids age 9-12 have fun digging into the layers. Each book is about 120 pages, with 12 chapters, plus a prologue to set the stage and an epilogue to tease the next book.This lurkette also is the one who sent me the above pic of the beach library in Tel Aviv (on the Mediterranean).
___________ 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, insults, threats, ugly pants pics and moron library submissions 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. [Update]: Ann McElhinney and Phelim McAleer's book, Gosnell: The Untold Story of America's Most Prolific Serial Killer is on sale for 99 cents on Kindle today. Meanwhile, their Gosnell movie DVD, which current is the #1 top selling DVD on Amazon, can be pre-ordered for the insanely reasonable price of $9.99.
Comments
(Jump to bottom of comments)1
[H]e described a sort of pool with a margin of mud that was marled with obscene offal; and in the pool a grayish, horrid mass that nearly choked it from rim to rim... Here, it seemed, was the ultimate source of all miscreation and abomination. For the gray mass quobbed and quivered, and swelled perpetually; and from it, in manifold fission, were spawned the anatomies that crept away on every side through the grotto. There were things like bodiless legs or arms that flailed in the slime, or heads that rolled, or floundering bellies with fishes' fins; and all manner of things malformed and monstrous, that grew in size as they departed from the neighborhood of Abhoth. And those that swam not swiftly ashore when they fell into the pool from Abhoth, were devoured by mouths that gaped in the parent bulk.
—Clark Ashton Smith, The Seven Geases
—Clark Ashton Smith, The Seven Geases
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 20, 2019 09:27 AM (kQs4Y)
2
Thanks OM
Posted by: Drc at January 20, 2019 09:27 AM (llGBY)
3
Still working on the Elemental Masters series by Mercedes Lackey, on book 10 now. Took a break and went to a new book I had not read beforfe when Amazon had a one day saleon it. Turbned out it was a book of short stories. I do not like short stories so went bck to the elemental masters.
Posted by: Vic at January 20, 2019 09:27 AM (mpXpK)
4
Tolle Lege
Posted by: Skip at January 20, 2019 09:28 AM (/rm4P)
5
Good morning.
Still working on "The Art of the Deal." Easy read, just finding the time to read is difficult, what with home repairs and a full time job.
Still amazes me just how dumb pundits and our political class is that they weren't smart enough to read the book in order to find out just who they are dealing with.
Still working on "The Art of the Deal." Easy read, just finding the time to read is difficult, what with home repairs and a full time job.
Still amazes me just how dumb pundits and our political class is that they weren't smart enough to read the book in order to find out just who they are dealing with.
Posted by: Blake - used bridge salesman at January 20, 2019 09:30 AM (WEBkv)
6
I read The Maps of the Bristoe Station and Mine Run Campaigns by Bradley M. Gottfried. Published in 2013, it is an atlas of the troop movements in the "Iron Triangle" between the Rappahannock and Rapidan Rivers that took place after the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863. The Union's Army of the Potomac (under Meade) is attempting to finish off the Confederacy's Army of Northern Virginia (under R.E. Lee). The maps are generally sufficient and explanatory text is always on the opposite facing page, so the reader does not have to flip pages looking for a particular map. It is intended as a high-level survey of a generally ignored period of the American Civil War in order to give the reader a starting point for deeper study; both armies are shadows of their former selves after Gettysburg (the Union in quality and the Confederates in manpower and equipment) and can't land decisive blows. A pretty detailed bibliography is provided and the author frequently quotes participants so that the reader can get a better appreciation of what they were thinking or seeing. I would have liked a couple of tables of troop strength for the major engagements. Rating = 4.0/5.
This is the fifth in a series of American Civil War atlases published by Savas Beatie.
This is the fifth in a series of American Civil War atlases published by Savas Beatie.
Posted by: Retired Buckeye Cop is now an engineer at January 20, 2019 09:30 AM (5Yee7)
7
Lord Skwerl, I love your library! Cat tested and approved.
I like that version of Middle Earth. Wish I still had my Pauline Baynes map. At least I still have my Narnia map (framed).
I like that version of Middle Earth. Wish I still had my Pauline Baynes map. At least I still have my Narnia map (framed).
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 20, 2019 09:30 AM (kQs4Y)
8
I see he has a lot of the same books as me.
Posted by: Vic at January 20, 2019 09:30 AM (mpXpK)
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Was this [ ] close to getting the book Ashes in the Snow, the novel of a teenage girl in Lithuania in 1940 but halted because it is for well teenagers. Now that isn't always a turn off as have read many stories for that age. Really want to see the movie but that will not happen for a long time.
Posted by: Skip at January 20, 2019 09:30 AM (/rm4P)
10
Beaches Bikinis & books, in that order.....
Posted by: saf at January 20, 2019 09:30 AM (5IHGB)
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Still reading the Sheriff Weber series!
Posted by: rhennigantx at January 20, 2019 09:31 AM (JFO2v)
12
Re-reading de Tocqueville's "Democracy in America". Because in New York, I'm living all the worst parts of the tyranny of a majority.
Posted by: Marcus T at January 20, 2019 09:31 AM (LNmq+)
Posted by: Chi-Town Jerry at January 20, 2019 09:32 AM (438dO)
14
Good morning fellow Book Threadists. Hope everyone had a fun week of reading.
Posted by: JTB at January 20, 2019 09:32 AM (bmdz3)
15
Are those cover prints on the wall to the left, or the full issues?
Posted by: hogmartin at January 20, 2019 09:33 AM (t+qrx)
16
Love the man cave, especially that framed large map of Middle-earth.
Posted by: JTB at January 20, 2019 09:33 AM (bmdz3)
Posted by: Marcus T at January 20, 2019 09:33 AM (LNmq+)
18
I’m enjoying my skimming of Herodotus’s “The Histories”, especially Part Four, which is a kind of “Cavalcade of Crazy Barbarian Folkways”:
- Beyond the tribe of completely bald people lie mountains inhabited by a goat-footed race, beyond which, still further north, are men who sleep for six months out of the year (this last one seems pretty unbelievable, even to Herodotus).
- The pastoral Budini eat lice.
- The Gyzantes paint themselves red and eat monkeys. (I was very jazzed to find this passage! It was in one of our book threads.)
- Beyond the one-eyed Arimaspians and the gold-guarding griffons are the Hyperboreans, about whom little is known. ((Per Wiki: “It has been suggested that the griffins were inferred from the fossilized bones of Protoceratops.”
- The Scythians jam a flute into a mare’s anus and blow to make the udders inflate, and while one blows, another person milks it (the mare, that is).
- The Massagetae “have one way only to determine the appropriate time to die, namely this: when a man is very old, all his relatives give him a party and include him in a general sacrifice of cattle; then they boil the flesh and eat it. This they consider the best sort of death.”
Here is the Scythian queen Tomyris, who defeated Cyrus and stuck his severed head in a bag of blood, saying “See now, I fulfill my threat – you have your fill of blood!”:
http://www.badassoftheweek.com/tomyris.html
- Beyond the tribe of completely bald people lie mountains inhabited by a goat-footed race, beyond which, still further north, are men who sleep for six months out of the year (this last one seems pretty unbelievable, even to Herodotus).
- The pastoral Budini eat lice.
- The Gyzantes paint themselves red and eat monkeys. (I was very jazzed to find this passage! It was in one of our book threads.)
- Beyond the one-eyed Arimaspians and the gold-guarding griffons are the Hyperboreans, about whom little is known. ((Per Wiki: “It has been suggested that the griffins were inferred from the fossilized bones of Protoceratops.”
- The Scythians jam a flute into a mare’s anus and blow to make the udders inflate, and while one blows, another person milks it (the mare, that is).
- The Massagetae “have one way only to determine the appropriate time to die, namely this: when a man is very old, all his relatives give him a party and include him in a general sacrifice of cattle; then they boil the flesh and eat it. This they consider the best sort of death.”
Here is the Scythian queen Tomyris, who defeated Cyrus and stuck his severed head in a bag of blood, saying “See now, I fulfill my threat – you have your fill of blood!”:
http://www.badassoftheweek.com/tomyris.html
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 20, 2019 09:34 AM (kQs4Y)
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That's a cat?.....looks kinda like a bowling ball.
Posted by: BignJames at January 20, 2019 09:34 AM (cxHbL)
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Next up: "Hunting the Elephant in Africa" by C H Stigand which covers his hunting exploits from the 1890s to 1919. I'm sure PETA would approve.
Posted by: Vashta Nerada at January 20, 2019 09:34 AM (CNIne)
21
My tractor user manual came this week!! For something like that I want a printed book, even when the electronic version is free.
As a matter of fact, I prefer printed books, period. I have a lot of ebooks, just really like a big fat printed book better.
As a matter of fact, I prefer printed books, period. I have a lot of ebooks, just really like a big fat printed book better.
Posted by: Weasel at January 20, 2019 09:35 AM (4/11p)
22
The cat is watching cat videos...I can tell...
Posted by: runner at January 20, 2019 09:35 AM (bUjCl)
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Books are for fagz. I'm severely heterosexual. Therefore I don't read books.
Posted by: Cory Booker at January 20, 2019 09:36 AM (NWiLs)
24
Read "The Road Past Mandalay" by John Masters. He was a British officer who served with the 4th Gurkha Rifles in India and the Middle East, where they fought the Vichy French, and later with Orde Wingate's Chindits in Burma.
Sent to Iraq in April 1941 he writes; Mr. Hopkins, President Roosevelt's special envoy, went to Iraq a little later and remarked to a British general, "The Persian Gulf is the arsehole of the world, and Basra is eighty miles up it." It was to this exact spot we were now to be sent, as a form of military enema.
Feb 1942 he was sent to the Staff College course at Quetta, India (now Pakistan). He writes of Quetta; But Quetta was not dull. It was electric. Something in the air produced pregnancy in the childless, nymphomia in the frigid, larceny in the respectable, and scandals of wonderful variety.
He has a very descriptive writing style and this is one of the best memoirs of a combat soldier I've ever read. His account of the duties of a staff officer is at times a hoot, and he is brutally honest about what took place in the CBI Theater, especially the battles he fought. Veterans often said CBI meant "Confusion Beyond Imagination."
He also mentions two actors that served in the CBI Theater while he was there. English actor Bill Travers, who was in the 9th Gurkha Rifles (Chindits), would star with his wife in "Born Free", and American actor Jackie Coogan (whom he met) was a glider pilot in the USAAF 1st Air Commando's. He starred as the kid in "The Kid" with Charlie Chaplin, and later played Uncle Fester in "The Addams Family."
Sent to Iraq in April 1941 he writes; Mr. Hopkins, President Roosevelt's special envoy, went to Iraq a little later and remarked to a British general, "The Persian Gulf is the arsehole of the world, and Basra is eighty miles up it." It was to this exact spot we were now to be sent, as a form of military enema.
Feb 1942 he was sent to the Staff College course at Quetta, India (now Pakistan). He writes of Quetta; But Quetta was not dull. It was electric. Something in the air produced pregnancy in the childless, nymphomia in the frigid, larceny in the respectable, and scandals of wonderful variety.
He has a very descriptive writing style and this is one of the best memoirs of a combat soldier I've ever read. His account of the duties of a staff officer is at times a hoot, and he is brutally honest about what took place in the CBI Theater, especially the battles he fought. Veterans often said CBI meant "Confusion Beyond Imagination."
He also mentions two actors that served in the CBI Theater while he was there. English actor Bill Travers, who was in the 9th Gurkha Rifles (Chindits), would star with his wife in "Born Free", and American actor Jackie Coogan (whom he met) was a glider pilot in the USAAF 1st Air Commando's. He starred as the kid in "The Kid" with Charlie Chaplin, and later played Uncle Fester in "The Addams Family."
Posted by: Jake Holenhead at January 20, 2019 09:36 AM (5jAa5)
25
Morning everyone!
Mine Run is an interesting campaign because it's mostly overlooked. It's also a rare instance where the Army of the Potomac didn't blunder into battle after the campaign plan came apart.
I've seen varying opinions on whether Meade was right to terminate the offensive at such an early stage, but I think on balance he was right, knowing what he knew at the time.
Mine Run is an interesting campaign because it's mostly overlooked. It's also a rare instance where the Army of the Potomac didn't blunder into battle after the campaign plan came apart.
I've seen varying opinions on whether Meade was right to terminate the offensive at such an early stage, but I think on balance he was right, knowing what he knew at the time.
Posted by: A.H. Lloyd at January 20, 2019 09:36 AM (cfSRQ)
26
I download all my Amazon ebooks and run them through a de-DRM program. It isn't illegal, so long as you don't give them away, and you can also use different e-readers after they are stripped.
Posted by: Heresolong at January 20, 2019 09:36 AM (IlQAA)
27
The sand of the desert of Yondo is not as the sand of other deserts; for Yondo lies nearest of all to the world's rim; and strange winds, blowing from a gulf no astronomer may hope to fathom, have sown its ruinous fields with the gray dust of corroding planets, the black ashes of extinguished suns. The dark, orblike mountains which rise from its wrinkled and pitted plains are not all its own, for some are fallen asteroids half-buried in that abysmal sand. Things have crept in from nether space, whose incursion is forbid by the gods of all proper and well-ordered lands; but there are no such gods in Yondo, where live the hoary genii of stars abolished, and decrepit demons left homeless by the destruction of antiquated hells.
From Hyperborea, Clark Ahton Smith. One of the most amazing fantasy paragraphs in the history of weird fantasy.
From Hyperborea, Clark Ahton Smith. One of the most amazing fantasy paragraphs in the history of weird fantasy.
Posted by: Stephen Price Blair at January 20, 2019 09:37 AM (2lndx)
28
There's a ton of Bill James in this house; The Man From the Train is the only one I haven't read, and didn't buy. My wife is the one into true crime stories. I prefer my murders to make sense, Conan Doyle style.
And, BTW, "the Shift" isn't a stat tool he invented. (He's come up with many, though.) It's a tactic for defense against certain batters, most famously Ted Williams, though it dates back further than that.
And, BTW, "the Shift" isn't a stat tool he invented. (He's come up with many, though.) It's a tactic for defense against certain batters, most famously Ted Williams, though it dates back further than that.
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 09:37 AM (VaN/j)
29
And if you've changed or updated your card information in your Amazon
account, I believe it has to reverify and update the DRM on each of your
previously purchased Kindle books. This may account for what Vic is
seeing. Maybe.
Haven't changed my credit card. I've had the same one forever. But when I call up my library all the books are shown sorted by Author (which I did by hand). Those which have the actual book which can been opened have a "check mark" on the front cover. Those that have not been opened for a while do not have the check mark and must be downloaded again. But this only applies to the books I have bought through Amazon. Some of the ones I have were bought from the publisher direct and they have a check mark that never goes away.
account, I believe it has to reverify and update the DRM on each of your
previously purchased Kindle books. This may account for what Vic is
seeing. Maybe.
Haven't changed my credit card. I've had the same one forever. But when I call up my library all the books are shown sorted by Author (which I did by hand). Those which have the actual book which can been opened have a "check mark" on the front cover. Those that have not been opened for a while do not have the check mark and must be downloaded again. But this only applies to the books I have bought through Amazon. Some of the ones I have were bought from the publisher direct and they have a check mark that never goes away.
Posted by: Vic at January 20, 2019 09:37 AM (mpXpK)
30
OM sent us to the cornfield again!
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 20, 2019 09:38 AM (kQs4Y)
31
I thought the boxed set of 3 books on the back shelf was The Lord of the Rings trilogy.. Looks just like my boxed set..
til I zoomed in.. it's Calvin & Hobbes! D'OH!
til I zoomed in.. it's Calvin & Hobbes! D'OH!
Posted by: Chi-Town Jerry at January 20, 2019 09:38 AM (438dO)
32
That is why I never have, and never will, purchase an "eReader", nor digital download. Straight hardcopies for me.
Posted by: Kingsnake at January 20, 2019 09:38 AM (3JbJY)
33
- Beyond the one-eyed Arimaspians and the gold-guarding griffons are the Hyperboreans, about whom little is known.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 20, 2019 09:34 AM (kQs4Y)
Oh, isn't that where the Cimmerians are from?
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 20, 2019 09:34 AM (kQs4Y)
Oh, isn't that where the Cimmerians are from?
Posted by: hogmartin at January 20, 2019 09:38 AM (t+qrx)
34
I'm supposed to be reading Entrusted by Beth Moore for my new Bible study that started last week...yet, here I am....
I also suffer from dysania...I wake up ok but I have a hard time getting out of bed and going. This blog doesn't help. It can take me several hours to get going on weekends if I have no where I have to be.
I also suffer from dysania...I wake up ok but I have a hard time getting out of bed and going. This blog doesn't help. It can take me several hours to get going on weekends if I have no where I have to be.
Posted by: lin-duh galt at January 20, 2019 09:39 AM (kufk0)
35
OM updating again?
Posted by: weirdflunky at January 20, 2019 09:39 AM (GwY6O)
36
I refuse to use e-readers. Real paper for me. Not only do I avoid deplatforming that way, but after spending multiple hours in front of a screen all day, the last thing I want to do is relax in front of another. Easier on my eyes as well.
Posted by: Vashta Nerada at January 20, 2019 09:39 AM (LjTrW)
37
I have had books disappear from my Amazon account and books disappear from my Kindle app on my
Samsung tablet.
Samsung tablet.
Posted by: Abby at January 20, 2019 09:40 AM (nHQd6)
38
When you buy ebooks from Amazon, or Apple, or Google, you don't really own them,
*******
Kindle - a limerick
If you find that your e-books are dwindling
It could be 'cause Amazon's swindling
Fahrenheit Four-Five-One
The fun has just begun
You can't start a fire without Kindle-ing
*******
Kindle - a limerick
If you find that your e-books are dwindling
It could be 'cause Amazon's swindling
Fahrenheit Four-Five-One
The fun has just begun
You can't start a fire without Kindle-ing
Posted by: Muldoon at January 20, 2019 09:40 AM (m45I2)
39
What happened, is happening?
Am I finally having one of those flashbacks I was warned about years ago?
Am I finally having one of those flashbacks I was warned about years ago?
Posted by: cfo mom at January 20, 2019 09:40 AM (RfzVr)
40
I download all my Amazon ebooks and run them through a de-DRM program. It isn't illegal, so long as you don't give them away, and you can also use different e-readers after they are stripped.
Posted by: Heresolong at January 20, 2019 09:36
There you go. I assumed someone could easily crack that DRM nonsense.
I download all my Amazon ebooks and run them through a de-DRM program. It isn't illegal, so long as you don't give them away, and you can also use different e-readers after they are stripped.
Posted by: Heresolong at January 20, 2019 09:36
There you go. I assumed someone could easily crack that DRM nonsense.
Posted by: Newest Nic at January 20, 2019 09:40 AM (jYje5)
41
30 OM sent us to the cornfield again!
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 20, 2019 09:38 AM (kQs4Y)
My people call it maize.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 20, 2019 09:38 AM (kQs4Y)
My people call it maize.
Posted by: Elizabeth Warren at January 20, 2019 09:40 AM (NWiLs)
42
Good morning, all! I didn't do much reading this week - a couple of Robert Barnard mysteries, both of which I had read before but so long ago that I had mostly forgotten who-dunnit.
I do recommend Robert Barnard, BTW: Out of the Blackout and Skeleton in the Grass are both terrific reads. I rather like his books because most of them aren't a series with one investigator solving mysteries: they are free-standing novels, with a mystery at the heart.
Other than that - busy with setting up to renovate the master bathroom in my little house. All the stuff ordered for it is trickling in, and Neighborhood Handy Guy is coming at mid-week to start work. As to how long it will take? NHG boogies to the beat of a different drummer, but he does excellent work, so I am prepared to be indulgent.
I do recommend Robert Barnard, BTW: Out of the Blackout and Skeleton in the Grass are both terrific reads. I rather like his books because most of them aren't a series with one investigator solving mysteries: they are free-standing novels, with a mystery at the heart.
Other than that - busy with setting up to renovate the master bathroom in my little house. All the stuff ordered for it is trickling in, and Neighborhood Handy Guy is coming at mid-week to start work. As to how long it will take? NHG boogies to the beat of a different drummer, but he does excellent work, so I am prepared to be indulgent.
Posted by: Sgt. Mom at January 20, 2019 09:41 AM (xnmPy)
43
Nice one, Muldoon!
Posted by: Chi-Town Jerry at January 20, 2019 09:41 AM (438dO)
44
"...the gray dust of corroding planets, the black ashes of extinguished suns."
---
Amazing. And rather Metal.
Who else but CAS can write thusly?
---
Amazing. And rather Metal.
Who else but CAS can write thusly?
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 20, 2019 09:41 AM (kQs4Y)
45
Awesome! I've now made both the (almost) World Famous Ace o' Spades Pet Thread (TM) and the Book Thread!
My cat photobombed my picture, simply by accident.
Yes, I'm sure I have a lot of the same books as other members of the Moron Horde, but I also have quite a few more "exotic" texts. At the moment I'm reading Dave Duncan's Seventh Sword series, which is quite good. Got a great deal on the entire series on Kindle for about $2-3.
My cat photobombed my picture, simply by accident.
Yes, I'm sure I have a lot of the same books as other members of the Moron Horde, but I also have quite a few more "exotic" texts. At the moment I'm reading Dave Duncan's Seventh Sword series, which is quite good. Got a great deal on the entire series on Kindle for about $2-3.
Posted by: Lord Squirrel at January 20, 2019 09:41 AM (y3dEv)
46
30 OM sent us to the cornfield again!
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 20, 2019 09:38 AM (kQs4Y)
You ever try to get up in the middle of the night and not disturb anyone else, and you accidentally strep into a wastepaper basket, fall down, knock the telephone off the table, fall on your butt, and make a loud noise which defeats your entire purpose of sneaking around undected?
Well, that was me just now.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 20, 2019 09:38 AM (kQs4Y)
You ever try to get up in the middle of the night and not disturb anyone else, and you accidentally strep into a wastepaper basket, fall down, knock the telephone off the table, fall on your butt, and make a loud noise which defeats your entire purpose of sneaking around undected?
Well, that was me just now.
Posted by: OregonMuse. AoSHQ Thought Leader & Pants Monitor at January 20, 2019 09:42 AM (qmw9b)
47
OM sent us to the cornfield again!
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 20, 2019 09:38 AM (kQs4Y)
My people call it maize.
Posted by: Elizabeth Warren at January 20, 2019 09:40 AM (NWiLs)
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 20, 2019 09:38 AM (kQs4Y)
My people call it maize.
Posted by: Elizabeth Warren at January 20, 2019 09:40 AM (NWiLs)
Posted by: hogmartin at January 20, 2019 09:42 AM (t+qrx)
48
26
I download all my Amazon ebooks and run them through a de-DRM program.
It isn't illegal, so long as you don't give them away, and you can also
use different e-readers after they are stripped.
Posted by: Heresolong at January 20, 2019 09:36 AM (IlQAA)
I have never been able to get a DRM removal app to work. But I haven't tried it since I got this new computer with Windows 10. May have to go back and get new app.
I download all my Amazon ebooks and run them through a de-DRM program.
It isn't illegal, so long as you don't give them away, and you can also
use different e-readers after they are stripped.
Posted by: Heresolong at January 20, 2019 09:36 AM (IlQAA)
I have never been able to get a DRM removal app to work. But I haven't tried it since I got this new computer with Windows 10. May have to go back and get new app.
Posted by: Vic at January 20, 2019 09:43 AM (mpXpK)
49
In reading news, I finished The Coming Fury and am now going through Terrible Swift Sword.
Someone last week mentioned a movie called "April 9" and I watched it that afternoon. It was okay and I enjoyed the detail of the Danish military equipment (I've added a Bergmann-Bayard pistol to my list of future purchases), but otherwise it didn't really hold my attention.
The whole Danish campaign lasted about as long as the movie itself and the entire "war" had less deaths than a mid-sized plane crash.
I found "Anthropoid" much more interesting. Same era, same genre, much more intense.
Someone last week mentioned a movie called "April 9" and I watched it that afternoon. It was okay and I enjoyed the detail of the Danish military equipment (I've added a Bergmann-Bayard pistol to my list of future purchases), but otherwise it didn't really hold my attention.
The whole Danish campaign lasted about as long as the movie itself and the entire "war" had less deaths than a mid-sized plane crash.
I found "Anthropoid" much more interesting. Same era, same genre, much more intense.
Posted by: A.H. Lloyd at January 20, 2019 09:43 AM (cfSRQ)
50
My mom always admonished "Don't read books at the beach, you'll get sand in your appendix!"
Posted by: Muldoon at January 20, 2019 09:43 AM (m45I2)
51
Very good, Muldoon!
Posted by: Dr Alice at January 20, 2019 09:43 AM (lBBGI)
52
I download all my Amazon ebooks and run them through a de-DRM program.
Posted by: Heresolong at January 20, 2019 09:36 AM (IlQAA)
Interesting! And useful.
How about a step-by-step explanation?
Posted by: Heresolong at January 20, 2019 09:36 AM (IlQAA)
Interesting! And useful.
How about a step-by-step explanation?
Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at January 20, 2019 09:43 AM (bH0xb)
53
booken morgen horden!
Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at January 20, 2019 09:43 AM (BJlbN)
Posted by: Insomniac at January 20, 2019 09:43 AM (NWiLs)
55
I download all my Amazon ebooks and run them through a de-DRM program. It isn't illegal, so long as you don't give them away, and you can also use different e-readers after they are stripped.
Posted by: Heresolong at January 20, 2019 09:36
Where can I get this de-DRM app?
Posted by: Heresolong at January 20, 2019 09:36
Where can I get this de-DRM app?
Posted by: OregonMuse. AoSHQ Thought Leader & Pants Monitor at January 20, 2019 09:43 AM (qmw9b)
56
This week has been thriller week at chez Follywood. I've read several Demille books, an author I haven't read before and am not really impressed by now, a couple of Reacher books (also meh), and the first two books in Russell Blake's series about Artemus Black, failed musician and now Hollywood detective.
I like the Black series, and the books I read were free on Kindle.
I like the Black series, and the books I read were free on Kindle.
Posted by: Huck Follywood, As Woke As He's Gonna Get at January 20, 2019 09:44 AM (Z216Q)
Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at January 20, 2019 09:44 AM (BJlbN)
58
I had a slight case of DYSANIA back in 2016..but ex-NASA engineers designed a special kind of bed for me. It catapults me right up !
Posted by: Hillary ! at January 20, 2019 09:45 AM (bUjCl)
59
And when some silly bint writes that you should never own more than about 30 books, she can go pee up a rope, too. A free people aren't really free until they can think freely, and for that, they need books. Lots and lots of books.
I suppose for some mini-intellects, 30 is a lot. And that quota makes it sure she'll stay that way.
OTOH, I cannot deny there is such a thing as too many. At least in the sense that I can rarely find what I'm looking for. Add in the fact that my memory tends to be wiped clean the moment I put something down, and it's a problem, unless my wife can find it. As she often can; at her best she'll see me walking around, looking confused, and say "You put it on the end table, behind the navy books."
And we're pikers. I have a friend who has become so obsessive that he's buying books he knows he will never read. He's really getting to be like Smaugh, sitting on a pile of loot which is no use to him. At least Scrooge McDuck could swim in his money.
I suppose for some mini-intellects, 30 is a lot. And that quota makes it sure she'll stay that way.
OTOH, I cannot deny there is such a thing as too many. At least in the sense that I can rarely find what I'm looking for. Add in the fact that my memory tends to be wiped clean the moment I put something down, and it's a problem, unless my wife can find it. As she often can; at her best she'll see me walking around, looking confused, and say "You put it on the end table, behind the navy books."
And we're pikers. I have a friend who has become so obsessive that he's buying books he knows he will never read. He's really getting to be like Smaugh, sitting on a pile of loot which is no use to him. At least Scrooge McDuck could swim in his money.
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 09:45 AM (VaN/j)
60
"Ultimately, this means that the best guarantors of our freedom to think is (drum roll) brick-and-mortar libraries."
That's a catch 22, taxpayers are already wondering why every city is spending a ton of money on libraries if everything is on the internet. Libraries are turning into climate controlled archives.
That's a catch 22, taxpayers are already wondering why every city is spending a ton of money on libraries if everything is on the internet. Libraries are turning into climate controlled archives.
Posted by: lowandslow at January 20, 2019 09:45 AM (4thlk)
61
35 OM updating again?
Posted by: weirdflunky at January 20, 2019 09:39 AM (GwY6O)
Shut up. You didn't see nothing. You can't prove anything.
Posted by: weirdflunky at January 20, 2019 09:39 AM (GwY6O)
Shut up. You didn't see nothing. You can't prove anything.
Posted by: OregonMuse. AoSHQ Thought Leader & Pants Monitor at January 20, 2019 09:45 AM (qmw9b)
62
My people call it maize.
Posted by: Elizabeth Warren at January 20, 2019 09:40 AM (NWiLs)
=====
"Children of the Maize" does not have the same ring to it ...
Posted by: Elizabeth Warren at January 20, 2019 09:40 AM (NWiLs)
=====
"Children of the Maize" does not have the same ring to it ...
Posted by: Kingsnake at January 20, 2019 09:45 AM (3JbJY)
63
A lurkette author e-mailed me this week to tell me about her Under the Staircase series of children's books which is described as
A mystery and adventure series that teaches treasured values: personal responsibility, individual liberty, and economic freedom.
The Secret Under the Staircase is the first in the series:
...
There is one sequel so far, The Hidden Entrance, and I assume there will be more coming....which one Amazon review describes as "Harry Potter meets Ayn Rand" sounds like it would be just about perfect.
I asked the author what would be the appropriate age range for this book. She replied:
The age range is 6-12.
Ordered both because I have two grandsons (brothers) in that age group. I think they will like the economic concepts because they LOVE a boardgame called "Hotel Tycoon."
A mystery and adventure series that teaches treasured values: personal responsibility, individual liberty, and economic freedom.
The Secret Under the Staircase is the first in the series:
...
There is one sequel so far, The Hidden Entrance, and I assume there will be more coming....which one Amazon review describes as "Harry Potter meets Ayn Rand" sounds like it would be just about perfect.
I asked the author what would be the appropriate age range for this book. She replied:
The age range is 6-12.
Ordered both because I have two grandsons (brothers) in that age group. I think they will like the economic concepts because they LOVE a boardgame called "Hotel Tycoon."
Posted by: Retired Buckeye Cop is now an engineer at January 20, 2019 09:47 AM (5Yee7)
64
This looks like a good blog post with step-by-step instructions for de-DRMing.
https://www.ismoothblog.com/2013/06/dedrm-ebooks-calibre-drm-
removal.html
This looks like a good blog post with step-by-step instructions for de-DRMing.
https://www.ismoothblog.com/2013/06/dedrm-ebooks-calibre-drm-
removal.html
Posted by: Newest Nic at January 20, 2019 09:47 AM (jYje5)
65
Middle Earth? Holy shit dude.
Posted by: JAS at January 20, 2019 09:47 AM (3HNOQ)
66
Well, that was me just now.
Posted by: OregonMuse. AoSHQ Thought Leader & Pants Monitor at January 20, 2019 09:42 AM (qmw9b)
not without letting loose a looong stream of expletives.
Posted by: OregonMuse. AoSHQ Thought Leader & Pants Monitor at January 20, 2019 09:42 AM (qmw9b)
not without letting loose a looong stream of expletives.
Posted by: BignJames at January 20, 2019 09:48 AM (cxHbL)
67
This is the DRM removal app everyone was recommending a few years ago. And it is free
Calibre Free eBook Manager and eBook DRM removal freeware. Just do a search on that name.
Calibre Free eBook Manager and eBook DRM removal freeware. Just do a search on that name.
Posted by: Vic at January 20, 2019 09:48 AM (mpXpK)
68
Solution to Kindle issues - dl the books to your desktop using the Kindle app.
Download the free ebook tool Calibre at : https://calibre-ebook.com/
Convert to a non-DRM file in any format you want with the copy having a unique filename.
Done. Forever.
Download the free ebook tool Calibre at : https://calibre-ebook.com/
Convert to a non-DRM file in any format you want with the copy having a unique filename.
Done. Forever.
Posted by: Inspector Cussword at January 20, 2019 09:48 AM (c1VpD)
69
This week I read an excellent thriller, The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn. Anna Fox is a child psychologist suffering from agoraphobia. She's been home-bound for eleven months and spends her days guzzling Merlot, watching old blank and white movies, and sitting at various windows spying on her neighbors with her Nikon camera equipped with a telephoto lens. When she observes a crime being committed, her world crashes and her life is in danger.
I also read another thriller, The Fear Index by Robert Harris. Dr Alex Hoffmann has developed an AI that predicts movements in financial markets. An intruder into his $60 million mansion in Geneva sets off a wave of nightmares, paranoia, and violence. Lots of suspense and an interesting look into financial trading by algorithms.
Finally, I went back to a series I was reading years ago. I read The Raven in the Foregate, the twelfth in the Brother Cadfael series by Ellis Peters. Set in Shrewsbury, England in 1141, Brother Cadfael is a herbalist/detective monk. In this a priest new to a parish, but there long enough to make quite a few enemies, is found dead floating in the mill pond of the Abby on Christmas Day. It's up to Cadfael to determine what happened.
I also read another thriller, The Fear Index by Robert Harris. Dr Alex Hoffmann has developed an AI that predicts movements in financial markets. An intruder into his $60 million mansion in Geneva sets off a wave of nightmares, paranoia, and violence. Lots of suspense and an interesting look into financial trading by algorithms.
Finally, I went back to a series I was reading years ago. I read The Raven in the Foregate, the twelfth in the Brother Cadfael series by Ellis Peters. Set in Shrewsbury, England in 1141, Brother Cadfael is a herbalist/detective monk. In this a priest new to a parish, but there long enough to make quite a few enemies, is found dead floating in the mill pond of the Abby on Christmas Day. It's up to Cadfael to determine what happened.
Posted by: Zoltan at January 20, 2019 09:48 AM (u1x0c)
70
Still working on "The Art of the Deal." Easy read, just finding the time to read is difficult, what with home repairs and a full time job.
Still amazes me just how dumb pundits and our political class is that they weren't smart enough to read the book in order to find out just who they are dealing with.
Posted by: Blake - used bridge salesman at January 20, 2019 09:30 AM (WEBkv)
Ssssshh! Quiet, you! Their stupidity is our salvation.
Still amazes me just how dumb pundits and our political class is that they weren't smart enough to read the book in order to find out just who they are dealing with.
Posted by: Blake - used bridge salesman at January 20, 2019 09:30 AM (WEBkv)
Ssssshh! Quiet, you! Their stupidity is our salvation.
Posted by: OregonMuse. AoSHQ Thought Leader & Pants Monitor at January 20, 2019 09:48 AM (qmw9b)
71
60
"Ultimately, this means that the best guarantors of our freedom to think is (drum roll) brick-and-mortar libraries."
That's
a catch 22, taxpayers are already wondering why every city is spending a
ton of money on libraries if everything is on the internet. Libraries
are turning into climate controlled archives.
Posted by: lowandslow at January 20, 2019 09:45 AM (4thlk)
---
My local library has been thinning its book collection steadily.
Back in the 80s every available space was packed. Now the shelves are very lightly used.
It's mostly a meeting place, and since it's next to the high school, kids go there to study or converse. They also do "free" dvd rentals since the other rental joints went out of business (hmmm, wonder why?).
Their book collection is spotty at best. I dropped by the military history section and they had fragments of a number of series. Pretty much useless.
"Ultimately, this means that the best guarantors of our freedom to think is (drum roll) brick-and-mortar libraries."
That's
a catch 22, taxpayers are already wondering why every city is spending a
ton of money on libraries if everything is on the internet. Libraries
are turning into climate controlled archives.
Posted by: lowandslow at January 20, 2019 09:45 AM (4thlk)
---
My local library has been thinning its book collection steadily.
Back in the 80s every available space was packed. Now the shelves are very lightly used.
It's mostly a meeting place, and since it's next to the high school, kids go there to study or converse. They also do "free" dvd rentals since the other rental joints went out of business (hmmm, wonder why?).
Their book collection is spotty at best. I dropped by the military history section and they had fragments of a number of series. Pretty much useless.
Posted by: A.H. Lloyd at January 20, 2019 09:49 AM (cfSRQ)
72
Ultimately, this means that the best guarantors of our freedom to think is (drum roll) brick-and-mortar libraries. Because they contain actual hard copies of books.
==
Libraries have to cull books regularly to make space for new books
Books that don't get checked out a lot get tossed
So encourage ppl to check out your favorite library books!
==
Libraries have to cull books regularly to make space for new books
Books that don't get checked out a lot get tossed
So encourage ppl to check out your favorite library books!
Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at January 20, 2019 09:49 AM (BJlbN)
73
Who else but CAS can write thusly?
Like coke in green glass bottles, they don't make it any more.
Like coke in green glass bottles, they don't make it any more.
Posted by: Stephen Price Blair at January 20, 2019 09:50 AM (2lndx)
74
accidentally strep into a wastepaper basket,
My staph usually handles that for me.
********
It's a cultural thing.
My staph usually handles that for me.
********
It's a cultural thing.
Posted by: Muldoon at January 20, 2019 09:50 AM (m45I2)
75
a word of caution, this DRM removal tool is some kind of plugin from an unknown source
Posted by: runner at January 20, 2019 09:50 AM (bUjCl)
76
OregonMuse makes a very good point about DRM for books. Just recently, I read Brandt Legg's The Last Librarian. The basic premise is that a plague wiped out much of humanity and the survivors formed a world government that has total control over the population, including the information they can access. ALL content is now online, except for one brick-and-mortar library in Oregon that houses the last remaining million or so printed books. Naturally, the world government wants to burn it down, so the titular last librarian attempts to rescue around 100,000 books for posterity. Many books have already been significantly altered. The Hunger Games, for instance, is now a popular cookbook. As books go, it's not bad (solid "B" for content), and references to Fahrenheit 451 abound. This is the first book in a series, and was available for free on Amazon Kindle. May want to try it out...
Posted by: Lord Squirrel at January 20, 2019 09:50 AM (y3dEv)
77
I've been plugging The Prize.
Yergin's day job is being an oil industry consultant, so he's got breadth of understanding.
The Prize is a history of the oil industry, but it doubles as an insightful history of the 20th Century. e.g. WII was all about the oil.
There's a priceless chapter about how the US figured out what was underground in Saudi Arabia and stole influence away from the Brits, who focused on Iran.
I bought the successor book The Quest but's in shitty small type that I can]t read well.
Yergin's day job is being an oil industry consultant, so he's got breadth of understanding.
The Prize is a history of the oil industry, but it doubles as an insightful history of the 20th Century. e.g. WII was all about the oil.
There's a priceless chapter about how the US figured out what was underground in Saudi Arabia and stole influence away from the Brits, who focused on Iran.
I bought the successor book The Quest but's in shitty small type that I can]t read well.
Posted by: Ignoramus at January 20, 2019 09:50 AM (1UZdv)
78
Posted by: Zoltan at January 20, 2019 09:48 AM (u1x0c)
I feel like we're twins this week.
I'm also reading The Woman in the Window. There were 250+ holds on it ahead of me at the liberry. It's kind of a retelling of Rear Window.
I've also got The Fear Index on my nightstand (among many others!) so who knows if I'll get to it before it's due back.
I feel like we're twins this week.
I'm also reading The Woman in the Window. There were 250+ holds on it ahead of me at the liberry. It's kind of a retelling of Rear Window.
I've also got The Fear Index on my nightstand (among many others!) so who knows if I'll get to it before it's due back.
Posted by: SandyCheeks at January 20, 2019 09:51 AM (tGSHk)
79
Oh, I forgot the best book of the week, Walter Mosley's "Devil In A Blue Dress".
That one was outstanding.
That one was outstanding.
Posted by: Huck Follywood, As Woke As He's Gonna Get at January 20, 2019 09:51 AM (Z216Q)
80
9 Was this [ ] close to getting the book Ashes in the Snow, the novel of a teenage girl in Lithuania in 1940 but halted because it is for well teenagers. Now that isn't always a turn off as have read many stories for that age. Really want to see the movie but that will not happen for a long time.
Posted by: Skip at January 20, 2019 09:30 AM (/rm4P)
I have acquired the movie version of this book, but haven't watched it, yet.
Posted by: Skip at January 20, 2019 09:30 AM (/rm4P)
I have acquired the movie version of this book, but haven't watched it, yet.
Posted by: OregonMuse. AoSHQ Thought Leader & Pants Monitor at January 20, 2019 09:52 AM (qmw9b)
81
I finished The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and am now on book three of the Narnia series (based on internal chronology), A Horse and His Boy. As a kid I enjoyed this look at the southern reaches of the world, Archenland and Calormen, just as Silver Chair showed us the wilds of the far north.
This one is considered by some to be Problematic as the Calormenes are obviously based on Arab culture and worship a vengeful false god, Tash.
This one is considered by some to be Problematic as the Calormenes are obviously based on Arab culture and worship a vengeful false god, Tash.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 20, 2019 09:52 AM (kQs4Y)
82
#75, false. Calibre is well known and open source.
Posted by: Inspector Cussword at January 20, 2019 09:52 AM (c1VpD)
83
I love the library Lord Squirrel. A man with that kind of library needs to lurk less and post more.
Posted by: josephistan at January 20, 2019 09:52 AM (Izzlo)
84
60 "Ultimately, this means that the best guarantors of our freedom to think is (drum roll) brick-and-mortar libraries."
That's a catch 22, taxpayers are already wondering why every city is spending a ton of money on libraries if everything is on the internet. Libraries are turning into climate controlled archives.
Posted by: lowandslow at January 20, 2019 09:45 AM (4thlk)
Probably true. One indicator is that the sale racks' pickings have gotten slimmer and slimmer. They used to be a major resource for my wife and me.
True story about that: One time in the early 90s I was in the main city library, looking at the sale racks. There was some honcho I'd never seen before, telling the librarian to change the prices. They were a dime for paper, quarter for hardback.
So they went up to .25 for paper, and .50 for hardbacks. And, wonder of wonders, the books stopped moving. Next time I went by I saw the same books that'd been there before.
That's in indication of how the mind of officialdom works. Walter Williams could have gotten a column or two out of it.
That's a catch 22, taxpayers are already wondering why every city is spending a ton of money on libraries if everything is on the internet. Libraries are turning into climate controlled archives.
Posted by: lowandslow at January 20, 2019 09:45 AM (4thlk)
Probably true. One indicator is that the sale racks' pickings have gotten slimmer and slimmer. They used to be a major resource for my wife and me.
True story about that: One time in the early 90s I was in the main city library, looking at the sale racks. There was some honcho I'd never seen before, telling the librarian to change the prices. They were a dime for paper, quarter for hardback.
So they went up to .25 for paper, and .50 for hardbacks. And, wonder of wonders, the books stopped moving. Next time I went by I saw the same books that'd been there before.
That's in indication of how the mind of officialdom works. Walter Williams could have gotten a column or two out of it.
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 09:52 AM (VaN/j)
85
Libraries have to cull books regularly to make space for new books
Books that don't get checked out a lot get tossed
So encourage ppl to check out your favorite library books!
Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at January 20, 2019 09:49 AM (BJlbN)
---
I should add with all the reference materials being online (and yes, they have computer stations for public use), it's primary purpose seems to be to buy books for older women who don't want to pay for them.
My mother is an a library board in a different town, and while she's a voracious reader, she doesn't have to buy any of the books. The taxpayers do it for her. Same here.
The book collection leans heavily to female-friendly fiction. My tax dollars at work.
Libraries have to cull books regularly to make space for new books
Books that don't get checked out a lot get tossed
So encourage ppl to check out your favorite library books!
Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at January 20, 2019 09:49 AM (BJlbN)
---
I should add with all the reference materials being online (and yes, they have computer stations for public use), it's primary purpose seems to be to buy books for older women who don't want to pay for them.
My mother is an a library board in a different town, and while she's a voracious reader, she doesn't have to buy any of the books. The taxpayers do it for her. Same here.
The book collection leans heavily to female-friendly fiction. My tax dollars at work.
Posted by: A.H. Lloyd at January 20, 2019 09:53 AM (cfSRQ)
86
#75, false. Calibre is well known and open source.
Posted by: Inspector Cussword at January 20, 2019 09:52 AM (c1VpD)
OK; I stand corrected
Posted by: Inspector Cussword at January 20, 2019 09:52 AM (c1VpD)
OK; I stand corrected
Posted by: runner at January 20, 2019 09:53 AM (bUjCl)
87
"the best book of the week, Walter Mosley's "Devil In A Blue Dress".
Sadly, it got made into a movie with Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle and Jennifer Beals that should have been great, but wasn't.
Sadly, it got made into a movie with Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle and Jennifer Beals that should have been great, but wasn't.
Posted by: Ignoramus at January 20, 2019 09:55 AM (1UZdv)
88
Mine Run is an interesting campaign because it's mostly overlooked. It's also a rare instance where the Army of the Potomac didn't blunder into battle after the campaign plan came apart.
In one of Turtledove's alternate history stories, the pivot takes place where Lee sets up his troops in a wedge behind a bend in (I think) the Rapidan tempting Meade to split his forces. In real life, Meade doesn't falll for it; in the story he does and Lee overpowers the separate factions and goes on to take DC.
In one of Turtledove's alternate history stories, the pivot takes place where Lee sets up his troops in a wedge behind a bend in (I think) the Rapidan tempting Meade to split his forces. In real life, Meade doesn't falll for it; in the story he does and Lee overpowers the separate factions and goes on to take DC.
Posted by: Bob the Bilderberg at January 20, 2019 09:55 AM (qc+VF)
89
Libraries have to cull books regularly to make space for new books
Books that don't get checked out a lot get tossed
So encourage ppl to check out your favorite library books!
Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at January 20, 2019 09:49 AM (BJlbN)
---
This was a minor plot point in Bellwether. A librarian would check out obscure but significant books she liked just to keep them in circulation.
Books that don't get checked out a lot get tossed
So encourage ppl to check out your favorite library books!
Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at January 20, 2019 09:49 AM (BJlbN)
---
This was a minor plot point in Bellwether. A librarian would check out obscure but significant books she liked just to keep them in circulation.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 20, 2019 09:55 AM (kQs4Y)
90
The comments on Kindle books are good. I only use my Kindle for fiction. My library, which is not in one room but all through the house, is mostly non-fiction and includes 8 bookcases overflowing..
Posted by: Mike K at January 20, 2019 09:56 AM (s170V)
91
I've been listening to Plato's (?) Ethics and am in part three. I was somewhat surprised to find that the ethics he discusses track pretty well with our, or at least my, understanding of the meaning as opposed to the "might makes right" of heroic Greece. Much of it is fairly close to a Christian understanding of ethics, although we have the advantage of prayer in judging what is the right degree of action and the truly correct time to act.
I think Trump is pretty close to the "magnificent" man that he discusses at one point, although Trump is much more active and energetic than Plato's assumed example.
I think Trump is pretty close to the "magnificent" man that he discusses at one point, although Trump is much more active and energetic than Plato's assumed example.
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at January 20, 2019 09:56 AM (uquGJ)
92
Currently reading "Tank Rider Into the Reich with the Red Army" by Evgeni Bessonov.
The guy is not a professional writer but it his recollections of his time serving with the 4th Tank Army in the 1st Motor Rifle Battalion as a platoon leader as he fought towards Prague from 1943 thru 1945.
Written in 2003 so he may be dead now as he was born in 1923.
Good pics too.
The guy is not a professional writer but it his recollections of his time serving with the 4th Tank Army in the 1st Motor Rifle Battalion as a platoon leader as he fought towards Prague from 1943 thru 1945.
Written in 2003 so he may be dead now as he was born in 1923.
Good pics too.
Posted by: Hairyback Guy at January 20, 2019 09:56 AM (Z+IKu)
93
39 What happened, is happening?
Am I finally having one of those flashbacks I was warned about years ago?
Posted by: cfo mom at January 20, 2019 09:40 AM (RfzVr)
What's up?
Am I finally having one of those flashbacks I was warned about years ago?
Posted by: cfo mom at January 20, 2019 09:40 AM (RfzVr)
What's up?
Posted by: m at January 20, 2019 09:58 AM (eJj1Q)
94
Still reading trashy regency romances. Currently working through Mary Balogh books. Life right now is kind of intense, you know like life can be. Do not want anything depressing or too intense. Always a happy ending. Unlike life.
I wish Georgette Heyer had written more books, she died in her early 70's. Her books always included lots of historical detail. Also lots of terms no longer in use. Spent a lot of time learning the definitions of very obscure words and phrases.
I wish Georgette Heyer had written more books, she died in her early 70's. Her books always included lots of historical detail. Also lots of terms no longer in use. Spent a lot of time learning the definitions of very obscure words and phrases.
Posted by: never enough caffeine at January 20, 2019 09:58 AM (N3JsI)
95
That's a catch 22, taxpayers are already wondering why every city is spending a ton of money on libraries if everything is on the internet. Libraries are turning into climate controlled archives.
Posted by: lowandslow at January 20, 2019 09:45 AM (4thlk)
---
I thought they were supposed to be climate-controlled hobo camps.
Posted by: lowandslow at January 20, 2019 09:45 AM (4thlk)
---
I thought they were supposed to be climate-controlled hobo camps.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 20, 2019 09:59 AM (kQs4Y)
96
I have 30 books by Terry Pratchett alone.
That said, I can see culling the collection of anything you know you're not going to read again. I was very sorry to get rid of a lot of my dad's books, but he had stored them in a shed for several years, and no one wants to read a damaged book covered in roach and mouse poop.
Currently reading "Lone Star Sons" by Celia Hayes prior to gifting it. The intended recipients' parents asked me to make sure any gifts didn't have any feminist or SJW crap. I think it was recommended here, but I am doing due diligence.
That said, I can see culling the collection of anything you know you're not going to read again. I was very sorry to get rid of a lot of my dad's books, but he had stored them in a shed for several years, and no one wants to read a damaged book covered in roach and mouse poop.
Currently reading "Lone Star Sons" by Celia Hayes prior to gifting it. The intended recipients' parents asked me to make sure any gifts didn't have any feminist or SJW crap. I think it was recommended here, but I am doing due diligence.
Posted by: roamingfirehydrant at January 20, 2019 09:59 AM (THS4q)
97
Our library never throws out a book unless it is hideously damaged. The ones they wish to cull are placed on table up front for sale for $1.00 unless it is one which is in like new condition. Those are usually donated by someone in an estate cleanup and have only been read one time and shelved. I used to pick up a lot of books from that table until I went electronic. I just don't have room for any more hard copy books.
Posted by: Vic at January 20, 2019 09:59 AM (mpXpK)
98
OM sent us to the cornfield again!
Shut up. You didn't see nothing. You can't prove anything.
Posted by: Oregon Muse
*********
Updates - a limerick
The original post has been re-appraising
And OM gives Eris a hazing
My head's in a spin
Don't know where to begin
But this cornfield is simply a-maizing!
Shut up. You didn't see nothing. You can't prove anything.
Posted by: Oregon Muse
*********
Updates - a limerick
The original post has been re-appraising
And OM gives Eris a hazing
My head's in a spin
Don't know where to begin
But this cornfield is simply a-maizing!
Posted by: Muldoon at January 20, 2019 09:59 AM (m45I2)
99
The Woman at the Window sounds kind of like Rear Window. But without Grace Kelly, who cares? A friend says he dropped by his parents' home one time, and they all watched it. At the end, his mother said 'She has thick ankles." He and his dad just laughed at her.
Really, RW was originally a story, and rather different than Hitchcock's take. And there was no girlfriend.
Really, RW was originally a story, and rather different than Hitchcock's take. And there was no girlfriend.
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 09:59 AM (VaN/j)
100
In one of Turtledove's alternate history stories,
the pivot takes place where Lee sets up his troops in a wedge behind a
bend in (I think) the Rapidan tempting Meade to split his forces. In
real life, Meade doesn't falll for it; in the story he does and Lee
overpowers the separate factions and goes on to take DC.
Posted by: Bob the Bilderberg at January 20, 2019 09:55 AM (qc+VF)
---
Having read quite a bit on the Civil War and studied it through too many wargames to count, I think it's clear that the South got just about every break they could reasonably have hoped to get.
There were so many times the Union could have ended the thing, it isn't funny. McClellan by all rights should have been in Richmond in the spring of 1862. Failing that he could have committed V and VI Corps at Antietam and bagged Lee and his whole army. (They guy had more reserves than Lee had on the field).
I could go on, but the point is that the North kept tripping over its own feet, so much so that most historical games have to impose artificially strict rules to keep the South from getting stomped by 1863.
the pivot takes place where Lee sets up his troops in a wedge behind a
bend in (I think) the Rapidan tempting Meade to split his forces. In
real life, Meade doesn't falll for it; in the story he does and Lee
overpowers the separate factions and goes on to take DC.
Posted by: Bob the Bilderberg at January 20, 2019 09:55 AM (qc+VF)
---
Having read quite a bit on the Civil War and studied it through too many wargames to count, I think it's clear that the South got just about every break they could reasonably have hoped to get.
There were so many times the Union could have ended the thing, it isn't funny. McClellan by all rights should have been in Richmond in the spring of 1862. Failing that he could have committed V and VI Corps at Antietam and bagged Lee and his whole army. (They guy had more reserves than Lee had on the field).
I could go on, but the point is that the North kept tripping over its own feet, so much so that most historical games have to impose artificially strict rules to keep the South from getting stomped by 1863.
Posted by: A.H. Lloyd at January 20, 2019 10:01 AM (cfSRQ)
101
Was at Ollie's yesterday. They have very cheap books. They also had stacks of older/culled library books.
If you have an Ollie's nearby I recommend you check them out.
$4 or $5 for a recent hard back bestseller or $1 or $2 for paperback is a pretty good deal.
They also have a huge selection of cookbooks and various other non-fiction.
YMMV
If you have an Ollie's nearby I recommend you check them out.
$4 or $5 for a recent hard back bestseller or $1 or $2 for paperback is a pretty good deal.
They also have a huge selection of cookbooks and various other non-fiction.
YMMV
Posted by: weirdflunky at January 20, 2019 10:01 AM (GwY6O)
102
Very little book reading this week, but I did manage to get through "Peanuts Lunch Bag Cookbook" to find the cheese ball recipe everyone was raving about last week.
Posted by: IrishEi at January 20, 2019 10:01 AM (NtglE)
103
91 I've been listening to Plato's (?) Ethics and am in part three. I was somewhat surprised to find that the ethics he discusses track pretty well with our, or at least my, understanding of the meaning as opposed to the "might makes right" of heroic Greece. Much of it is fairly close to a Christian understanding of ethics, although we have the advantage of prayer in judging what is the right degree of action and the truly correct time to act.
I think Trump is pretty close to the "magnificent" man that he discusses at one point, although Trump is much more active and energetic than Plato's assumed example.
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at January 20, 2019 09:56 AM (uquGJ)
Aristotle, surely.
I think Trump is pretty close to the "magnificent" man that he discusses at one point, although Trump is much more active and energetic than Plato's assumed example.
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at January 20, 2019 09:56 AM (uquGJ)
Aristotle, surely.
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 10:02 AM (VaN/j)
104
The Man from the Train... is right up my alley. Gonna check that out. I'm a true crime book nut, and do remember reading about the horrific Villisca murders a few years back.
I also mentioned in a thread earlier this week, but I just finished, and highly recommend, Radium Girls by Kate Moore. I checked it out from my library and could hardly put it down. It's about the early 19-teens to 1930s female dial-painters who painted luminous clock dials and military gauges with the radioactive material, Radium, which was all the rage as the latest health and beauty treatments during that time. The girls that then became highly radioactive (they put their paint brushes in their mouths to make for more precise painting) and suffered unimaginable deaths, or lifelong debilitations. Their story through the court systems to get justice (love that word!) from the radium companies who were aware of the dangers, but didn't do anything to protect the girls, is heartbreaking. It's gonna haunt me for a while. Shocking book.
I also mentioned in a thread earlier this week, but I just finished, and highly recommend, Radium Girls by Kate Moore. I checked it out from my library and could hardly put it down. It's about the early 19-teens to 1930s female dial-painters who painted luminous clock dials and military gauges with the radioactive material, Radium, which was all the rage as the latest health and beauty treatments during that time. The girls that then became highly radioactive (they put their paint brushes in their mouths to make for more precise painting) and suffered unimaginable deaths, or lifelong debilitations. Their story through the court systems to get justice (love that word!) from the radium companies who were aware of the dangers, but didn't do anything to protect the girls, is heartbreaking. It's gonna haunt me for a while. Shocking book.
Posted by: Lady in Black - Death to the Man Bun at January 20, 2019 10:02 AM (JoUsr)
105
Much of it is fairly close to a Christian understanding of ethics...
==
Aquinas was heavily influenced by Aristotle, tried to reconcile the two - Greek philosophy and Christianity.
==
Aquinas was heavily influenced by Aristotle, tried to reconcile the two - Greek philosophy and Christianity.
Posted by: runner at January 20, 2019 10:02 AM (bUjCl)
106
Interesting you all mention downloading the Kindle books to your laptop in order to do the de-DRM process.
I've noticed if you use the Amazon reader on your laptop, it does download the book you're reading. But even if you "pin" it so it's supposed to stay present on your machine, Amazon cleans it up and deletes it when you close the reader.
Nothing suspicious about that...
I've noticed if you use the Amazon reader on your laptop, it does download the book you're reading. But even if you "pin" it so it's supposed to stay present on your machine, Amazon cleans it up and deletes it when you close the reader.
Nothing suspicious about that...
Posted by: Additional Blond Agent at January 20, 2019 10:03 AM (7s3Gx)
107
In the introduction to LOTR Tolkien mentions he dislikes allegory but recognizes that a story will have 'applicabilty' to individual readers. This was reconfirmed for me when I got distracted from my re-reading by the thought of how much the mobs and antifa, etc. remind me of Orcs. This rapidly spiraled into figuring out which characters correspond to Obama, Schumer, and the rest.
I don't want to start an overt political theme on the book thread. But this distraction got in the way of enjoyable reading so I mention it. And yes, after a day I got back to LOTR.
I don't want to start an overt political theme on the book thread. But this distraction got in the way of enjoyable reading so I mention it. And yes, after a day I got back to LOTR.
Posted by: JTB at January 20, 2019 10:03 AM (bmdz3)
108
Line 1<br>Line 2<br>Line3
Posted by: Additional Blond Agent at January 20, 2019 10:04 AM (7s3Gx)
109
Hmmm.
Posted by: Additional Blond Agent at January 20, 2019 10:04 AM (7s3Gx)
110
And making Narnia educational as well as amusing, the Dufflepuds, those monopod doofii in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, are straight outta ancient and medieval myth:
“The race of Sciopodes are said to live in Ethiopia; they have only one leg, and are wonderfully speedy. The Greeks call them σκιαπόδεϛ ("shade-footed ones") because when it is hot they lie on their backs on the ground and are shaded by the great size of their feet.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monopod_(creature)
I remember seeing some medieval mappe with monopods and headless men, among other oddities:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headless_men
I remember this cat at Ripon Cathedral
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headless_men#/media/File:Blemya.jpg
And circling back to Herodotus:
“The first indirect reference to the Blemmyes occurs in Herodotus, Histories, where he calls them the akephaloi (Greek: ἀκέφαλοι "without a head").[12] The headless akephaloi, the dog-headed cynocephali, "and the wild men and women, besides many other creatures not fabulous" dwelled in the eastern edge of ancient Libya, according to Herodotus's Libyan sources.”
“The race of Sciopodes are said to live in Ethiopia; they have only one leg, and are wonderfully speedy. The Greeks call them σκιαπόδεϛ ("shade-footed ones") because when it is hot they lie on their backs on the ground and are shaded by the great size of their feet.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monopod_(creature)
I remember seeing some medieval mappe with monopods and headless men, among other oddities:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headless_men
I remember this cat at Ripon Cathedral
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headless_men#/media/File:Blemya.jpg
And circling back to Herodotus:
“The first indirect reference to the Blemmyes occurs in Herodotus, Histories, where he calls them the akephaloi (Greek: ἀκέφαλοι "without a head").[12] The headless akephaloi, the dog-headed cynocephali, "and the wild men and women, besides many other creatures not fabulous" dwelled in the eastern edge of ancient Libya, according to Herodotus's Libyan sources.”
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 20, 2019 10:05 AM (kQs4Y)
111
why every city is spending a ton of money on libraries if everything is on the internet.
You need a place to look at the internet. And play basketball.
You need a place to look at the internet. And play basketball.
Posted by: Barack Hussein Obama at January 20, 2019 10:05 AM (JgLEu)
112
107 In the introduction to LOTR Tolkien mentions he dislikes allegory but recognizes that a story will have 'applicabilty' to individual readers. This was reconfirmed for me when I got distracted from my re-reading by the thought of how much the mobs and antifa, etc. remind me of Orcs. This rapidly spiraled into figuring out which characters correspond to Obama, Schumer, and the rest.
I don't want to start an overt political theme on the book thread. But this distraction got in the way of enjoyable reading so I mention it. And yes, after a day I got back to LOTR.
Posted by: JTB at January 20, 2019 10:03 AM (bmdz3)
Hillary is Shelob. No doubt about it.
I don't want to start an overt political theme on the book thread. But this distraction got in the way of enjoyable reading so I mention it. And yes, after a day I got back to LOTR.
Posted by: JTB at January 20, 2019 10:03 AM (bmdz3)
Hillary is Shelob. No doubt about it.
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 10:05 AM (VaN/j)
113
OK, I just read the linked article about getting rid of books. True, I have way more books than I need, and some I haven't read in decades. However, I just love being able to wander around my house and scan through my books looking for something to read. Just about every room in my house has shelves of books. They are my comfort and joy. Someday, perhaps, I'll start paring down my reading materials, but not for many decades.
Posted by: Lord Squirrel at January 20, 2019 10:06 AM (y3dEv)
114
book list invitation
Posted by: Doc Nova at January 20, 2019 10:06 AM (Lsu/B)
115
My people call it maize.
Posted by: Elizabeth Warren at January 20, 2019 09:40 AM (NWiLs)
My people call it Labyrinth
Posted by: Elizabeth Warren at January 20, 2019 09:40 AM (NWiLs)
My people call it Labyrinth
Posted by: Minos at January 20, 2019 10:06 AM (mUa7G)
116
Aristotle, surely.
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 10:02 AM (VaN/j)
Whoops, yes. I should have been less lazy and looked in my Kindle library. Especially since I typed the comment on my Kindle.
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 10:02 AM (VaN/j)
Whoops, yes. I should have been less lazy and looked in my Kindle library. Especially since I typed the comment on my Kindle.
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at January 20, 2019 10:07 AM (uquGJ)
117
you should only own 30 books? That's asinine and it's impractical, because any educated man needs more books than that... what am I supposed to do? Just toss em in the trash when I'm done? Why? How would that improve my life?
It's not "clutter," OK? That's retarded, sir.
It's not "clutter," OK? That's retarded, sir.
Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at January 20, 2019 10:08 AM (5aX2M)
118
Posted by: weirdflunky at January 20, 2019 10:01 AM (GwY6O)
--
I love reading the ads for Ollie's - they'll sell anything!
"Hey, we just got a shipment of surplus sod rolls in. First come, first served."
--
I love reading the ads for Ollie's - they'll sell anything!
"Hey, we just got a shipment of surplus sod rolls in. First come, first served."
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 20, 2019 10:08 AM (kQs4Y)
119
106
Interesting you all mention downloading the Kindle books to your laptop in order to do the de-DRM process.
I've
noticed if you use the Amazon reader on your laptop, it does download
the book you're reading. But even if you "pin" it so it's supposed to
stay present on your machine, Amazon cleans it up and deletes it when
you close the reader.
Nothing suspicious about that...
Posted by: Additional Blond Agent at January 20, 2019 10:03 AM (7s3Gx)
I usually don't have my Samsung connected to the internet unless I am actively "buying" a book. So that is the only time they get to mess with my books. However, that "check mark" business occurs whether I am connected to the internet or not.
The only time I have connected to the internet with my Samsung to not download a book was when I was taking wifey to the hospital and siting in the parking lot. I would check local weather on the Samsung.
Interesting you all mention downloading the Kindle books to your laptop in order to do the de-DRM process.
I've
noticed if you use the Amazon reader on your laptop, it does download
the book you're reading. But even if you "pin" it so it's supposed to
stay present on your machine, Amazon cleans it up and deletes it when
you close the reader.
Nothing suspicious about that...
Posted by: Additional Blond Agent at January 20, 2019 10:03 AM (7s3Gx)
I usually don't have my Samsung connected to the internet unless I am actively "buying" a book. So that is the only time they get to mess with my books. However, that "check mark" business occurs whether I am connected to the internet or not.
The only time I have connected to the internet with my Samsung to not download a book was when I was taking wifey to the hospital and siting in the parking lot. I would check local weather on the Samsung.
Posted by: Vic at January 20, 2019 10:09 AM (mpXpK)
120
110
And making Narnia educational as well as amusing, the Dufflepuds, those monopod doofii in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, are straight outta ancient and medieval myth:
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 20, 2019 10:05 AM (kQs4Y)
---
Tolkien and Lewis had a sharp disagreement about the latter's decision to mix mythologies.
Tolkien felt that one should pick a culture and stay with it, and didn't like the way Lewis mixed Norse and Greek, etc. He said it undercut the reality of the secondary world.
And making Narnia educational as well as amusing, the Dufflepuds, those monopod doofii in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, are straight outta ancient and medieval myth:
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 20, 2019 10:05 AM (kQs4Y)
---
Tolkien and Lewis had a sharp disagreement about the latter's decision to mix mythologies.
Tolkien felt that one should pick a culture and stay with it, and didn't like the way Lewis mixed Norse and Greek, etc. He said it undercut the reality of the secondary world.
Posted by: A.H. Lloyd at January 20, 2019 10:09 AM (cfSRQ)
121
OK, I just read the linked article about getting rid of books. True, I have way more books than I need, and some I haven't read in decades. However, I just love being able to wander around my house and scan through my books looking for something to read. Just about every room in my house has shelves of books. They are my comfort and joy. Someday, perhaps, I'll start paring down my reading materials, but not for many decades.
Posted by: Lord Squirrel at January 20, 2019 10:06 AM (y3dEv)
I had to pare down recently. Decided that those I haven't touched for years, a one time read, can go. If I ever need to go back to them - library. Those that I can't live without, stayed.
Posted by: Lord Squirrel at January 20, 2019 10:06 AM (y3dEv)
I had to pare down recently. Decided that those I haven't touched for years, a one time read, can go. If I ever need to go back to them - library. Those that I can't live without, stayed.
Posted by: runner at January 20, 2019 10:10 AM (bUjCl)
122
I was wondering why I suddenly stopped getting many "likes" to my twitter post.
Answer was found here: https://shadowban.eu/
I am shadowbanned.
This, in fact, is fraud on the part of Twitter. They advertise a service - "Join the conversation" - then refuse to allow people they don't like to converse without warning.
Answer was found here: https://shadowban.eu/
I am shadowbanned.
This, in fact, is fraud on the part of Twitter. They advertise a service - "Join the conversation" - then refuse to allow people they don't like to converse without warning.
Posted by: Anon at January 20, 2019 10:10 AM (yJy4c)
123
BTW, the Indian drummer is a professional activist...
https://twitter.com/Uncle_Jimbo/status/
1086796139817504768
Click through for other links about the guy.
I
don't care for him but Mike Cernovich's Twitter timeline has alot of
full, backup video of the whole incident including the black guys
harassing the R.C. schoolkids.
https://twitter.com/Uncle_Jimbo/status/
1086796139817504768
Click through for other links about the guy.
I
don't care for him but Mike Cernovich's Twitter timeline has alot of
full, backup video of the whole incident including the black guys
harassing the R.C. schoolkids.
Posted by: andycanuck at January 20, 2019 10:10 AM (Evws/)
124
121
OK, I just read the linked article about getting rid of books. True, I
have way more books than I need, and some I haven't read in decades.
However, I just love being able to wander around my house and scan
through my books looking for something to read. Just about every room in
my house has shelves of books. They are my comfort and joy.
Think of books as collectibles with a wonderful tactile feel.
OK, I just read the linked article about getting rid of books. True, I
have way more books than I need, and some I haven't read in decades.
However, I just love being able to wander around my house and scan
through my books looking for something to read. Just about every room in
my house has shelves of books. They are my comfort and joy.
Think of books as collectibles with a wonderful tactile feel.
Posted by: Anon at January 20, 2019 10:11 AM (yJy4c)
125
And, BTW, "the Shift" isn't a stat tool he invented.
(He's come up with many, though.) It's a tactic for defense against
certain batters, most famously Ted Williams, though it dates back
further than that.
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 09:37 AM (VaN/j)
Yep. Someone figured out that Williams almost always hit to right field, so when he came up to bat, not only the right fielder would be there, but the centerfielder and left fielder as well. That robbed him of many hits, because Williams was too stubborn to adjust his approach at the plate. (He still did alright, though
. Now it's routine, so batters who can hit to all fields are highly valued. I'm still amazed that anybody can manage to hit a major league pitch at all, much less aim it in any particular direction.
Nice to indulge in a little baseball talk on this very cold and snowy morning.
(He's come up with many, though.) It's a tactic for defense against
certain batters, most famously Ted Williams, though it dates back
further than that.
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 09:37 AM (VaN/j)
Yep. Someone figured out that Williams almost always hit to right field, so when he came up to bat, not only the right fielder would be there, but the centerfielder and left fielder as well. That robbed him of many hits, because Williams was too stubborn to adjust his approach at the plate. (He still did alright, though
. Now it's routine, so batters who can hit to all fields are highly valued. I'm still amazed that anybody can manage to hit a major league pitch at all, much less aim it in any particular direction. Nice to indulge in a little baseball talk on this very cold and snowy morning.
Posted by: Donna&&&&&&V at January 20, 2019 10:11 AM (d6Ksn)
126
This one is considered by some to be Problematic as the Calormenes are obviously based on Arab culture and worship a vengeful false god, Tash.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 20, 2019 09:52 AM (kQs4Y)
My guess is that they're based on Turkish culture. Which, in this context, may be a distinction without a difference. In Lewis' day, the Arabs probably did not loom as large in the Western imagination as the Turks did, since it wasn't that long ago that they were considered a very worrisome threat to Europe.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 20, 2019 09:52 AM (kQs4Y)
My guess is that they're based on Turkish culture. Which, in this context, may be a distinction without a difference. In Lewis' day, the Arabs probably did not loom as large in the Western imagination as the Turks did, since it wasn't that long ago that they were considered a very worrisome threat to Europe.
Posted by: OregonMuse. AoSHQ Thought Leader & Pants Monitor at January 20, 2019 10:12 AM (qmw9b)
127
I just learned Raymond Chandler and PG Wodehouse went to the same English high school, though a few years apart. There was obviously one helluva writing teacher at Dulwich in those days, some now anonymous teacher, but someone who added a lot to my reading life.
Thank you sir, whoever you were.
Thank you sir, whoever you were.
Posted by: Huck Follywood, As Woke As He's Gonna Get at January 20, 2019 10:12 AM (Z216Q)
128
I don't know if this would work. Can I disconnect permanently an Amazon e-reader from the internet, decommission (?) it with Amazon, and use it as a stand alone reader for the books already on it? I have a Kindle Fire I use only for books. Could this preserve my Kindle books that I have know? At least until the device dies?
Posted by: JTB at January 20, 2019 10:12 AM (bmdz3)
129
123
BTW, the Indian drummer is a professional activist..
But of course. Did you ever think otherwise?
BTW, the Indian drummer is a professional activist..
But of course. Did you ever think otherwise?
Posted by: Anon at January 20, 2019 10:12 AM (yJy4c)
130
I'm one degree of separation from OM and Muldoon!
We need an Ace Number describing degrees of collaborative distance from another Hordian, just like that Erdos Number thing.
We need an Ace Number describing degrees of collaborative distance from another Hordian, just like that Erdos Number thing.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 20, 2019 10:12 AM (kQs4Y)
131
Ultimately, this means that the best guarantors of our freedom to think is (drum roll) brick-and-mortar libraries. Because they contain actual hard copies of books.
==
Libraries have to cull books regularly to make space for new books
Books that don't get checked out a lot get tossed
So encourage ppl to check out your favorite library books!
Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at January 20, 2019 09:49 AM (BJlbN)
As I was reading Flann O'Brien's At Swim-Two-Birds, because it has stories within stories it's sometimes hard to figure out just what the fuck is going on, so I read the forward by William Gass and he refers to a book by Anne Clissman that researches everything that goes on. Now I know some of you are thinking that if I have to do that, that's way too much fucking work for something that's supposed to be enjoyable, but I don't care because rereading something once I know what's going on is what I like.
So the library system around here is pretty good so I checked under Clissman's name and got big fat nothing. So I checked Amazon and ditto. I have other options but I thought that effectively pointed out what votermom said.
==
Libraries have to cull books regularly to make space for new books
Books that don't get checked out a lot get tossed
So encourage ppl to check out your favorite library books!
Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at January 20, 2019 09:49 AM (BJlbN)
As I was reading Flann O'Brien's At Swim-Two-Birds, because it has stories within stories it's sometimes hard to figure out just what the fuck is going on, so I read the forward by William Gass and he refers to a book by Anne Clissman that researches everything that goes on. Now I know some of you are thinking that if I have to do that, that's way too much fucking work for something that's supposed to be enjoyable, but I don't care because rereading something once I know what's going on is what I like.
So the library system around here is pretty good so I checked under Clissman's name and got big fat nothing. So I checked Amazon and ditto. I have other options but I thought that effectively pointed out what votermom said.
Posted by: Captain Hate at January 20, 2019 10:13 AM (y7DUB)
132
McClellan was the first of his kind - The ur-Cuck.
Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at January 20, 2019 10:13 AM (5aX2M)
133
"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 January 20, 2019 10:13 AM (HaL55)
134
how I store and catalog my books.
-------
Catalog?
*looks around at sundry shelves and random stacks of books*
What does that mean? It sounds like it spoils the thrill of the hunt.
-------
Catalog?
*looks around at sundry shelves and random stacks of books*
What does that mean? It sounds like it spoils the thrill of the hunt.
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 20, 2019 10:14 AM (2qPhT)
135
The woman who started Konmari admits she isn't a reader, which was obvious in anyone saying books were the second easiest thing to purge after clothes. She also has no hobbies or creative endeavors beyond tidying. I wasn't surprised at all when she said she'd been a Shrine Maiden since it fit very well with her anthropomorphic vision of the inanimate. That she also admits a closer relationship to the inanimate than to people, including family, is very sad.
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at January 20, 2019 10:14 AM (uquGJ)
136
I have never been able to get a DRM removal app to
work. But I haven't tried it since I got this new computer with Windows
10. May have to go back and get new app.
Posted by: Vic at January 20, 2019 09:43 AM (mpXpK)
It would not surprise me in the least if Win10 had code in it to prevent DRM stripping. MS is part of the problem.
work. But I haven't tried it since I got this new computer with Windows
10. May have to go back and get new app.
Posted by: Vic at January 20, 2019 09:43 AM (mpXpK)
It would not surprise me in the least if Win10 had code in it to prevent DRM stripping. MS is part of the problem.
Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at January 20, 2019 10:14 AM (nPGq2)
137
Getting old is tough sometimes and I just remembered why I liked Stalky and Company so much as a kid. 'The bleating of the kid excites the tiger' to start the coup in the Revenge of the Nerds.
Posted by: mustbequantum at January 20, 2019 10:14 AM (MIKMs)
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 20, 2019 10:15 AM (kQs4Y)
139
I had to pare down recently. Decided that those I
haven't touched for years, a one time read, can go. If I ever need to
go back to them - library. Those that I can't live without, stayed.
Posted by: runner at January 20, 2019 10:10 AM (bUjCl)
---
Some years ago I did a major cull of my book (and board game) collection. I rarely got rid of books and things were getting out of hand. Same with the games. There were a bunch I'd never played and never would play.
Now I'm very particular when I buy a book and I'm to the point where getting another bookshelf may be in order, but before I do that I'll probably look for stuff I don't need. For example, I've got a number of books on military hardware but I've come to realize that some simply aren't that reliable or useful. So out they go.
Basically, the whole point of having a book is that you're going to want to use it again. If not, it should go away.
haven't touched for years, a one time read, can go. If I ever need to
go back to them - library. Those that I can't live without, stayed.
Posted by: runner at January 20, 2019 10:10 AM (bUjCl)
---
Some years ago I did a major cull of my book (and board game) collection. I rarely got rid of books and things were getting out of hand. Same with the games. There were a bunch I'd never played and never would play.
Now I'm very particular when I buy a book and I'm to the point where getting another bookshelf may be in order, but before I do that I'll probably look for stuff I don't need. For example, I've got a number of books on military hardware but I've come to realize that some simply aren't that reliable or useful. So out they go.
Basically, the whole point of having a book is that you're going to want to use it again. If not, it should go away.
Posted by: A.H. Lloyd at January 20, 2019 10:15 AM (cfSRQ)
140
Posted by: Donna&&&&&&V at January 20, 2019 10:11 AM (d6Ksn)
Yes. Actually it was, according to James, used against Cy Williams in the 20s. He was a power hitter for the Phillies.
I've read that Cobb said to Williams that he (Ty) didn't see the problem and he would have loved to see them use it against him. Which kind of misses the point. Ty was the very last hitter they'd have used it against. He'd have hit .950.
Posted by: Donna&&&&&&V at January 20, 2019 10:11 AM (d6Ksn)
Yes. Actually it was, according to James, used against Cy Williams in the 20s. He was a power hitter for the Phillies.
I've read that Cobb said to Williams that he (Ty) didn't see the problem and he would have loved to see them use it against him. Which kind of misses the point. Ty was the very last hitter they'd have used it against. He'd have hit .950.
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 10:16 AM (VaN/j)
141
Konmari is now a movement ?
Posted by: runner at January 20, 2019 10:16 AM (bUjCl)
142
While browsing the internet this morning I've been listening to a recording of a Grateful Dead concert I actually attendedin in my pre-age 29 life, "Live At Barton Hall". I'm not a huge Dead fan but this recording is outstanding. The concert sounds as great now as I remember thinking it was at the time.
Posted by: Huck Follywood, As Woke As He's Gonna Get at January 20, 2019 10:17 AM (Z216Q)
143
I inherited a collection of Bibles from my father who passed away recently. One of them is old. Printed in 1877. Pretty much falling apart. Any ideas what I should do with it? Not practical for reading or studying as it is falling apart and the print is too small for me to read.
Posted by: DCA at January 20, 2019 10:17 AM (Hc2uj)
144
132
McClellan was the first of his kind - The ur-Cuck.
Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at January 20, 2019 10:13 AM (5aX2M)
---
Actually, Daniel Sickles was a cuck, though he solved the problem by killing his wife's lover.
McClellan was the first of his kind - The ur-Cuck.
Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at January 20, 2019 10:13 AM (5aX2M)
---
Actually, Daniel Sickles was a cuck, though he solved the problem by killing his wife's lover.
Posted by: A.H. Lloyd at January 20, 2019 10:18 AM (cfSRQ)
145
....Basically, the whole point of having a book is that you're going to want to use it again. If not, it should go away.
Posted by: A.H. Lloyd at January 20, 2019 10:15 AM (cfSRQ)
Having a pretty good library system helps.
Posted by: A.H. Lloyd at January 20, 2019 10:15 AM (cfSRQ)
Having a pretty good library system helps.
Posted by: runner at January 20, 2019 10:19 AM (bUjCl)
146
Ace of Spades keychain and bookmarks are up at my shop. A couple of people were interested. More can be made. Thanks!!
Posted by: Jewells45 at January 20, 2019 10:19 AM (dUJdY)
147
143 I inherited a collection of Bibles from my father who passed away recently. One of them is old. Printed in 1877. Pretty much falling apart. Any ideas what I should do with it? Not practical for reading or studying as it is falling apart and the print is too small for me to read.
Posted by: DCA at January 20, 2019 10:17 AM (Hc2uj)
If it has emotional significance put it in a display type box.
Posted by: DCA at January 20, 2019 10:17 AM (Hc2uj)
If it has emotional significance put it in a display type box.
Posted by: Northern Lurker, irritable, so very irritable. Have I mentioned I'm irritable? at January 20, 2019 10:19 AM (MkcN1)
Posted by: tux at January 20, 2019 10:20 AM (wNN8A)
149
Think like a pirate.
There's nothing to stop you from downloading from Kindle, and manually keying in the text to notepad or wordpad.
Might take a little longer but you'd cover the expense after one or two sales.
arrrrrgh
There's nothing to stop you from downloading from Kindle, and manually keying in the text to notepad or wordpad.
Might take a little longer but you'd cover the expense after one or two sales.
arrrrrgh
Posted by: franksalterego at January 20, 2019 10:20 AM (3cq8T)
150
The book collection leans heavily to female-friendly fiction. My tax dollars at work.
Posted by: A.H. Lloyd at January 20, 2019 09:53 AM (cfSRQ)
most libraries have a way to suggest / request new acquisitions
or you can make friends with the chief librarian and suggest new books to get
Posted by: A.H. Lloyd at January 20, 2019 09:53 AM (cfSRQ)
most libraries have a way to suggest / request new acquisitions
or you can make friends with the chief librarian and suggest new books to get
Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at January 20, 2019 10:20 AM (BJlbN)
151
Tolkien felt that one should pick a culture and stay with it, and didn't like the way Lewis mixed Norse and Greek, etc. He said it undercut the reality of the secondary world.
Posted by: A.H. Lloyd at January 20, 2019 10:09 AM (cfSRQ)
---
Well, Tolkien was a bit of a stick!
J.R.R. was building a coherent world with a history, and Lewis's was a dreamlike alternate reality.
Posted by: A.H. Lloyd at January 20, 2019 10:09 AM (cfSRQ)
---
Well, Tolkien was a bit of a stick!
J.R.R. was building a coherent world with a history, and Lewis's was a dreamlike alternate reality.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 20, 2019 10:21 AM (kQs4Y)
152
Catalog?
*looks around at sundry shelves and random stacks of books*
What does that mean? It sounds like it spoils the thrill of the hunt.
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 20, 2019 10:14 AM (2qPhT)
Agreed, up to a point. The room I am now in has a concentration of military/naval books. (My wife calls it The He-Man Woman Haters' Club). But there are some of her novels, never the less.
What ticks me off about my disorderliness is that, a week ago I said I was about half way through Preface to Paradise Lost. And since then, I CAN'T FIND IT! And neither can my wife. That happens far too often. I need to get my sh*t together. Maybe after Friday's operation I'll feel up to it.
*looks around at sundry shelves and random stacks of books*
What does that mean? It sounds like it spoils the thrill of the hunt.
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 20, 2019 10:14 AM (2qPhT)
Agreed, up to a point. The room I am now in has a concentration of military/naval books. (My wife calls it The He-Man Woman Haters' Club). But there are some of her novels, never the less.
What ticks me off about my disorderliness is that, a week ago I said I was about half way through Preface to Paradise Lost. And since then, I CAN'T FIND IT! And neither can my wife. That happens far too often. I need to get my sh*t together. Maybe after Friday's operation I'll feel up to it.
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 10:22 AM (VaN/j)
153
Where can I get this de-DRM app?
Posted by: OregonMuse. AoSHQ Thought Leader & Pants Monitor at January 20, 2019 09:43 AM (qmw9b)
Young man, the proper grammatical construction of that sentence is:
Where can I get me one of them de-DRM app?
Please stop being so deplorable!
Posted by: OregonMuse. AoSHQ Thought Leader & Pants Monitor at January 20, 2019 09:43 AM (qmw9b)
Young man, the proper grammatical construction of that sentence is:
Where can I get me one of them de-DRM app?
Please stop being so deplorable!
Posted by: Senator Elizabeth Warren at January 20, 2019 10:22 AM (CRRq9)
154
most libraries have a way to suggest / request new acquisitions
or you can make friends with the chief librarian and suggest new books to get
Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at January 20, 2019 10:20 AM (BJlbN)
---
Well, there's a reason why Evelyn Waugh is fully stocked.
or you can make friends with the chief librarian and suggest new books to get
Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at January 20, 2019 10:20 AM (BJlbN)
---
Well, there's a reason why Evelyn Waugh is fully stocked.
Posted by: A.H. Lloyd at January 20, 2019 10:22 AM (cfSRQ)
155
30 books would not last my family for a month. Ridiculous.
Posted by: Vashta Nerada at January 20, 2019 10:23 AM (BUVI4)
156
Nice library!
Posted by: RobM1981 at January 20, 2019 10:24 AM (irwM1)
157
Admiral Nelson persuaded his girlfriend to move in with him at his huge estate in England, after retiring from the Navy, and she brought along her husband to manage the place. Nelson: a truly great man.
Posted by: Huck Follywood, As Woke As He's Gonna Get at January 20, 2019 10:24 AM (Z216Q)
158
Posted by: Lord Squirrel at January 20, 2019 10:06 AM (y3dEv)
First of all, nice library. I've pared down my book collection whenever I've moved, most recently last summer. Having to pack makes you ruthless and suddenly you find yourself looking at a book and thinking "I didn't even like this novel when I read it 20 years ago - why have I been dragging this around with me anyway? Why has it been taking up precious space on my shelves?" So off it goes to Goodwill, but the tragedy is that I always seem to get rid of books I end up really regretting getting rid of. Many of my books are still in boxes in my sister's basement and I've spent a good 45 minutes digging around down there for a particular book I thought I owned but can't find. And and then I think "Damn it! Did that book end up in the Goodwill pile too?" I've bought books and then wondered why the hell I bought them (which is what makes Amazon so dangerous - it's so easy to click a couple of times and buy a book on impulse) and I've also gotten rid of books and then wondered what the hell I was thinking of...
First of all, nice library. I've pared down my book collection whenever I've moved, most recently last summer. Having to pack makes you ruthless and suddenly you find yourself looking at a book and thinking "I didn't even like this novel when I read it 20 years ago - why have I been dragging this around with me anyway? Why has it been taking up precious space on my shelves?" So off it goes to Goodwill, but the tragedy is that I always seem to get rid of books I end up really regretting getting rid of. Many of my books are still in boxes in my sister's basement and I've spent a good 45 minutes digging around down there for a particular book I thought I owned but can't find. And and then I think "Damn it! Did that book end up in the Goodwill pile too?" I've bought books and then wondered why the hell I bought them (which is what makes Amazon so dangerous - it's so easy to click a couple of times and buy a book on impulse) and I've also gotten rid of books and then wondered what the hell I was thinking of...
Posted by: Donna&&&&&&V at January 20, 2019 10:24 AM (d6Ksn)
159
Actually, Daniel Sickles was a cuck, though he solved the problem by killing his wife's lover.
Posted by: A.H. Lloyd at January 20, 2019 10:18 AM (cfSRQ)
------
LOL. Not quite so literal, though. I just meant he was a cowardly lion, afraid to join battle with the enemy, always making excuses to bail, undermining Lincoln's cause from within, then joining with the Democrats over his wounded pride and loss of influence.
He was the intellectual blueprint for modern Republicans.
Posted by: A.H. Lloyd at January 20, 2019 10:18 AM (cfSRQ)
------
LOL. Not quite so literal, though. I just meant he was a cowardly lion, afraid to join battle with the enemy, always making excuses to bail, undermining Lincoln's cause from within, then joining with the Democrats over his wounded pride and loss of influence.
He was the intellectual blueprint for modern Republicans.
Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at January 20, 2019 10:24 AM (5aX2M)
160
there are 2 kinds of people in the world - purgers and collectors
Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at January 20, 2019 10:24 AM (BJlbN)
161
Good Sunday morning, horde!
Wow, I slept in today, and here I am quoted in the main post! Wooo! I am somebody!
Now, back to catch up on the comments.
Wow, I slept in today, and here I am quoted in the main post! Wooo! I am somebody!
Now, back to catch up on the comments.
Posted by: April at January 20, 2019 10:24 AM (OX9vb)
162
I thought they were supposed to be climate-controlled hobo camps.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 20, 2019 09:59 AM (kQs4Y)
Yup......last week I visited a local county lieberry.
Between the shadeballs using the internet room for scams/porn and the urban outdoorsmen soaking up the heat and phree restrooms it was quite the adventure.
Smell-A-Vision adds to your reading experience I have learned.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 20, 2019 09:59 AM (kQs4Y)
Yup......last week I visited a local county lieberry.
Between the shadeballs using the internet room for scams/porn and the urban outdoorsmen soaking up the heat and phree restrooms it was quite the adventure.
Smell-A-Vision adds to your reading experience I have learned.
Posted by: Hairyback Guy at January 20, 2019 10:25 AM (Z+IKu)
163
Thanks for these posts!
Posted by: Tyk at January 20, 2019 10:25 AM (/zkx5)
164
Where can I get this de-DRM app?
Posted by: OregonMuse. AoSHQ Thought Leader & Pants Monitor at January 20, 2019 09:43 AM (qmw9b)
Young man, the proper grammatical construction of that sentence is:
Where can I get me one of them de-DRM app?
Please stop being so deplorable!
Posted by: Senator Elizabeth Warren at January 20, 2019 10:22 AM (CRRq9)
That is the kind of English up with which I shall not put!
Posted by: OregonMuse. AoSHQ Thought Leader & Pants Monitor at January 20, 2019 09:43 AM (qmw9b)
Young man, the proper grammatical construction of that sentence is:
Where can I get me one of them de-DRM app?
Please stop being so deplorable!
Posted by: Senator Elizabeth Warren at January 20, 2019 10:22 AM (CRRq9)
That is the kind of English up with which I shall not put!
Posted by: DR.WTF at January 20, 2019 10:25 AM (T71PA)
165
157
Admiral Nelson persuaded his girlfriend to move in with him at his huge
estate in England, after retiring from the Navy, and she brought along
her husband to manage the place. Nelson: a truly great man.
Posted by: Huck Follywood, As Woke As He's Gonna Get at January 20, 2019 10:24 AM (Z216Q)
---
Nelson took a musket ball at Trafalgar. Not much of a retirement.
Admiral Nelson persuaded his girlfriend to move in with him at his huge
estate in England, after retiring from the Navy, and she brought along
her husband to manage the place. Nelson: a truly great man.
Posted by: Huck Follywood, As Woke As He's Gonna Get at January 20, 2019 10:24 AM (Z216Q)
---
Nelson took a musket ball at Trafalgar. Not much of a retirement.
Posted by: A.H. Lloyd at January 20, 2019 10:25 AM (cfSRQ)
166
oh yes, the homeless huddle in the lieberry in winter
Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at January 20, 2019 10:27 AM (BJlbN)
167
Nice to indulge in a little baseball talk on this very cold and snowy morning.
Posted by: Donna&&&&&&V at January 20, 2019 10:11 AM (d6Ksn)
That's right! Almost Red Sox season again!
Posted by: Donna&&&&&&V at January 20, 2019 10:11 AM (d6Ksn)
That's right! Almost Red Sox season again!
Posted by: tux at January 20, 2019 10:28 AM (wNN8A)
168
Jewells cool ace of spades bookmark!
Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at January 20, 2019 10:28 AM (BJlbN)
169
157 Admiral Nelson persuaded his girlfriend to move in with him at his huge estate in England, after retiring from the Navy, and she brought along her husband to manage the place. Nelson: a truly great man.
Posted by: Huck Follywood, As Woke As He's Gonna Get at January 20, 2019 10:24 AM (Z216Q)
He didn't retire, he was just unemployed at the time. His "retirement" was caused by a French marksman at Trafalgar.
But Sir William Hamilton knew what he was getting. Emma had already been around the block many times. I still say we should have some morning Art Threads featuring her.
Posted by: Huck Follywood, As Woke As He's Gonna Get at January 20, 2019 10:24 AM (Z216Q)
He didn't retire, he was just unemployed at the time. His "retirement" was caused by a French marksman at Trafalgar.
But Sir William Hamilton knew what he was getting. Emma had already been around the block many times. I still say we should have some morning Art Threads featuring her.
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 10:28 AM (VaN/j)
170
128
I don't know if this would work. Can I disconnect permanently an Amazon
e-reader from the internet, decommission (?) it with Amazon, and use it
as a stand alone reader for the books already on it? I have a Kindle
Fire I use only for books. Could this preserve my Kindle books that I
have know? At least until the device dies?
Posted by: JTB at January 20, 2019 10:12 AM (bmdz3)
Probably not. As I said earlier, that check mark business occurs on mine whether I am connected to the internet or not.
I don't know if this would work. Can I disconnect permanently an Amazon
e-reader from the internet, decommission (?) it with Amazon, and use it
as a stand alone reader for the books already on it? I have a Kindle
Fire I use only for books. Could this preserve my Kindle books that I
have know? At least until the device dies?
Posted by: JTB at January 20, 2019 10:12 AM (bmdz3)
Probably not. As I said earlier, that check mark business occurs on mine whether I am connected to the internet or not.
Posted by: Vic at January 20, 2019 10:28 AM (mpXpK)
171
Inside a Dog - a limerick
At the chief librarian's behest
I've embarked on a literary quest
The archives I scour
For more books to devour
They're tasty!...(but I say this ingest!)
Inside a Dog - a limerick
At the chief librarian's behest
I've embarked on a literary quest
The archives I scour
For more books to devour
They're tasty!...(but I say this ingest!)
Posted by: Muldoon at January 20, 2019 10:29 AM (m45I2)
172
My local library system does a thing called One Book, recommends a book for all citizens...this month's recommendation: "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?". AAAND, there is a screening of "Blade Runner 2049 (2017)". Yep.
Posted by: runner at January 20, 2019 10:29 AM (bUjCl)
173
Think like a pirate.
There's nothing to stop you from downloading from Kindle, and manually keying in the text to notepad or wordpad.
Might take a little longer but you'd cover the expense after one or two sales.
arrrrrgh
Posted by: franksalterego at January 20, 2019 10:20 AM (3cq8T)
Run the e-reader on your PC, and hit alt+prt scrn for each page. Takes a "screen cap" as a bitmap image, and stores it in Notepad. Open an image editor, like MS Paint, and import the file from notepad, and save it in your format of choice in a new directory.
I actually did this with a service manual for a machine that I found on the internet. Some 30-odd pages. Copied it this way, and printed it, and put it in a folder. Clumsy, but useful. Company selling the manuals wanted too much $$$
There's nothing to stop you from downloading from Kindle, and manually keying in the text to notepad or wordpad.
Might take a little longer but you'd cover the expense after one or two sales.
arrrrrgh
Posted by: franksalterego at January 20, 2019 10:20 AM (3cq8T)
Run the e-reader on your PC, and hit alt+prt scrn for each page. Takes a "screen cap" as a bitmap image, and stores it in Notepad. Open an image editor, like MS Paint, and import the file from notepad, and save it in your format of choice in a new directory.
I actually did this with a service manual for a machine that I found on the internet. Some 30-odd pages. Copied it this way, and printed it, and put it in a folder. Clumsy, but useful. Company selling the manuals wanted too much $$$
Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at January 20, 2019 10:29 AM (nPGq2)
174
Currently reading:
'Roosevelt's Secret War' , Persico. Very well researched, well written. For those who have any interest in WWII espionage, I'd make it must-read.
'Moscow 1941', Braithewait. Another excellent read. Extremely well researched and written. Describes at length both the machinations of the Soviets, politically, and the war effort. Many, many anectdotes from files and interviews.
'Roosevelt's Secret War' , Persico. Very well researched, well written. For those who have any interest in WWII espionage, I'd make it must-read.
'Moscow 1941', Braithewait. Another excellent read. Extremely well researched and written. Describes at length both the machinations of the Soviets, politically, and the war effort. Many, many anectdotes from files and interviews.
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 20, 2019 10:30 AM (fZcn6)
175
Jewells cool ace of spades bookmark!
Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at January 20, 2019 10:28 AM (BJlbN)
I like it too ! Now I need to figure out a way to get it anonymously...hmmm
Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at January 20, 2019 10:28 AM (BJlbN)
I like it too ! Now I need to figure out a way to get it anonymously...hmmm
Posted by: runner at January 20, 2019 10:30 AM (bUjCl)
176
Nelson took a musket ball at Trafalgar. Not much of a retirement
--------------
Nelson retired twice, and was brought back both times to save the country before his death.
--------------
Nelson retired twice, and was brought back both times to save the country before his death.
Posted by: Huck Follywood, As Woke As He's Gonna Get at January 20, 2019 10:30 AM (Z216Q)
177
LOL. Not quite so literal, though. I just meant he
was a cowardly lion, afraid to join battle with the enemy, always making
excuses to bail, undermining Lincoln's cause from within, then joining
with the Democrats over his wounded pride and loss of influence.
He was the intellectual blueprint for modern Republicans.
Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at January 20, 2019 10:24 AM (5aX2M)
---
True, but a big part of his problem was that he made the Army of the Potomac too top-heavy. Lee had at most three command elements to deal with. McClellan built his army to have five or six. (I, II, III, V, VI, XI corps, depending on the campaign).
So even if Mac wanted to engage, he couldn't get his men into position. I think it was Halleck who congratulated Meade after Gettysburg for being the first commander of that army to finally engage ALL of his troops.
When Grant came in, he fixed things by consolidating the corps.
Interestingly, Sherman also used a three-element setup, though he did it with "armies" controlling his six corps.
If you can't tell, command and control is a bit of an obsession with me.
was a cowardly lion, afraid to join battle with the enemy, always making
excuses to bail, undermining Lincoln's cause from within, then joining
with the Democrats over his wounded pride and loss of influence.
He was the intellectual blueprint for modern Republicans.
Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at January 20, 2019 10:24 AM (5aX2M)
---
True, but a big part of his problem was that he made the Army of the Potomac too top-heavy. Lee had at most three command elements to deal with. McClellan built his army to have five or six. (I, II, III, V, VI, XI corps, depending on the campaign).
So even if Mac wanted to engage, he couldn't get his men into position. I think it was Halleck who congratulated Meade after Gettysburg for being the first commander of that army to finally engage ALL of his troops.
When Grant came in, he fixed things by consolidating the corps.
Interestingly, Sherman also used a three-element setup, though he did it with "armies" controlling his six corps.
If you can't tell, command and control is a bit of an obsession with me.
Posted by: A.H. Lloyd at January 20, 2019 10:30 AM (cfSRQ)
178
Beside showing a student's letter about what was going on, there's alot of video footage here exonerating the kids...
https://twitter.com/AClementsWKRC/status/
1086822521012473858
https://twitter.com/AClementsWKRC/status/
1086822521012473858
Posted by: andycanuck at January 20, 2019 10:31 AM (Evws/)
179
Lord Squirrel, that's a nice hidey-hole you've got there. One could spend all day there without moving!
Posted by: April at January 20, 2019 10:31 AM (OX9vb)
180
Very nice library.
Yeah, I pretty much stick to things I don't care about losing with my Kindle. I do have a growing collection of audible books from Audible but I found a tool that removes even the latest Amazon DRM. That allows me to keep personal backups and to play the books without the app. I haven't been able to find a tool that breaks the latest Kindle DRM.
Yeah, I pretty much stick to things I don't care about losing with my Kindle. I do have a growing collection of audible books from Audible but I found a tool that removes even the latest Amazon DRM. That allows me to keep personal backups and to play the books without the app. I haven't been able to find a tool that breaks the latest Kindle DRM.
Posted by: WOPR at January 20, 2019 10:32 AM (J70i0)
181
157 Admiral Nelson persuaded his girlfriend to move in with him at his huge estate in England, after retiring from the Navy, and she brought along her husband to manage the place. Nelson: a truly great man.
Posted by: Huck Follywood, As Woke As He's Gonna Get at January 20, 2019 10:24 AM (Z216Q)
---
I have a book on caricatures (okay a few) and this relationship was constantly razzed in the cartoons, especially by Cruikshank. But apparently Lord Hamilton himself didn't mind, he being old enough to be his wife's grampa. Nelson was just helping a fellow out, don't you see.
Posted by: Huck Follywood, As Woke As He's Gonna Get at January 20, 2019 10:24 AM (Z216Q)
---
I have a book on caricatures (okay a few) and this relationship was constantly razzed in the cartoons, especially by Cruikshank. But apparently Lord Hamilton himself didn't mind, he being old enough to be his wife's grampa. Nelson was just helping a fellow out, don't you see.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 20, 2019 10:32 AM (kQs4Y)
182
Interestingly, the house and property Nelson's family was given by a grateful nation after Trafalgar is still a private home and I believe it was just sold a year or two ago.
Posted by: Huck Follywood, As Woke As He's Gonna Get at January 20, 2019 10:32 AM (Z216Q)
183
The question of ownership is one that's always strong in my mind, and one reason why I do not buy that kind of content at all.
I always want the physical media, or a digital form that is under my full control. I would rather steal content via torrenting, etc., rather than pay for content that can then be stolen back from me as a 'license'.
I always want the physical media, or a digital form that is under my full control. I would rather steal content via torrenting, etc., rather than pay for content that can then be stolen back from me as a 'license'.
Posted by: Mr. Peebles at January 20, 2019 10:33 AM (dcu2m)
184
Nelson retired twice, and was brought back both times to save the country before his death.
Posted by: Huck Follywood, As Woke As He's Gonna Get at January 20, 2019 10:30 AM (Z216Q)
So he's basically King Arthur
Posted by: Huck Follywood, As Woke As He's Gonna Get at January 20, 2019 10:30 AM (Z216Q)
So he's basically King Arthur
Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at January 20, 2019 10:33 AM (BJlbN)
185
LOL, I have an add for "CBD oil" that has a young lady tilting her head back in delicious languor as she takes the dropper in her mouth.
CBD you dawg!
CBD you dawg!
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 20, 2019 10:34 AM (kQs4Y)
186
My Local library (IMO, one of the best library systems around) has also purged some of its books while adding others.
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/20181223/did-the-library-toss-14-million-books
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/20181223/did-the-library-toss-14-million-books
Posted by: SMOD Keeper at January 20, 2019 10:34 AM (vQUp6)
187
That everything today is transitioning to being in the 'cloud' and not really in possession of the person is kind of dystopian.
Posted by: Can't resist temptation at January 20, 2019 10:34 AM (2DOZq)
188
Currently reading:
Oops, forgot...just started the Nash biography 'A Beautiful Mind', Nasar. Too early to comment, but so far is fairly interesting. The important takeaway so far is: Avoid schizophrenia.
Oops, forgot...just started the Nash biography 'A Beautiful Mind', Nasar. Too early to comment, but so far is fairly interesting. The important takeaway so far is: Avoid schizophrenia.
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 20, 2019 10:35 AM (KoKdw)
189
Mike H., just finished another "secret war" - Hastings' "The Secret War", which covers (obviously in varying detail) the intel and code-breaking stories of all major belligerents in WWII. And Braitwaite's Moscow book is next on my list, after finishing Glantz's book on Soviet southern operations after Stalingrad and a book on Kursk.
Posted by: rhomboid at January 20, 2019 10:35 AM (QDnY+)
190
When Grant came in, he fixed things by consolidating the corps.
*********
Interesting. I always heard it said that Grant was rotten to the Corps!
When Grant came in, he fixed things by consolidating the corps.
*********
Interesting. I always heard it said that Grant was rotten to the Corps!
Posted by: Muldoon at January 20, 2019 10:35 AM (m45I2)
191
160 there are 2 kinds of people in the world - purgers and collectors
Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at January 20, 2019 10:24 AM (BJlbN)
---
I'm a collector. I only purge to make room for my new acquisitions.
Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at January 20, 2019 10:24 AM (BJlbN)
---
I'm a collector. I only purge to make room for my new acquisitions.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 20, 2019 10:37 AM (kQs4Y)
192
When Grant came in, he fixed things by consolidating the corps.
Why would he consolidate dead bodies?
When Grant came in, he fixed things by consolidating the corps.
Why would he consolidate dead bodies?
Posted by: Obama at January 20, 2019 10:37 AM (2DOZq)
193
Nelson retired twice, and was brought back both times to save the country before his death.
So he's basically King Arthur
******
Or Brett Favre
So he's basically King Arthur
******
Or Brett Favre
Posted by: Muldoon at January 20, 2019 10:38 AM (m45I2)
194
That everything today is transitioning to being in the 'cloud' and not really in possession of the person is kind of dystopian.
Posted by: Can't resist temptation
----------
'Dystopian' is an understatement. 'Orwellian' might be more descriptive.
The series that TuCar has been airing re the very active Goolag in our schools is scary...very scary.
Posted by: Can't resist temptation
----------
'Dystopian' is an understatement. 'Orwellian' might be more descriptive.
The series that TuCar has been airing re the very active Goolag in our schools is scary...very scary.
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 20, 2019 10:38 AM (KoKdw)
Posted by: naturalfake at January 20, 2019 10:38 AM (CRRq9)
196
OT, but I'm listening to someone on the idiot box go on breathlessly about how cold and snowy it is in the upper Midwest and New England. In January! OMG, how unusual! This never happens! Climate change!
Posted by: Donna&&&&&&V at January 20, 2019 10:38 AM (d6Ksn)
197
oh for my Book Thread reading goal, from last week's thread I started on Mr Brownstone #1, and habe acquired Ghost Soldiers
So my goal was one book from each thread, but there have only been 2 threads this year (not counting this) and somehow I have 5 books in my to-read pile
*glares at OM*
So my goal was one book from each thread, but there have only been 2 threads this year (not counting this) and somehow I have 5 books in my to-read pile
*glares at OM*
Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at January 20, 2019 10:38 AM (BJlbN)
198
Interesting. I always heard it said that Grant was rotten to the Corps!
Posted by: Muldoon at January 20, 2019 10:35 AM (m45I2)
I believe the word your looking for is "corpse"!
Typical.
Posted by: Muldoon at January 20, 2019 10:35 AM (m45I2)
I believe the word your looking for is "corpse"!
Typical.
Posted by: Barky the Magnificent at January 20, 2019 10:39 AM (GwY6O)
199
My Local library (IMO, one of the best library systems around) has also purged some of its books while adding others.
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/20181223/did-the-library-toss-14-million-books
Posted by: SMOD Keeper at January 20, 2019 10:34 AM (vQUp6)
They don't say which ones ? Many library systems have tons of reference books that no one uses and are out of date - encyclopedias, how-to books. Garbage basically.
My Local library (IMO, one of the best library systems around) has also purged some of its books while adding others.
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/20181223/did-the-library-toss-14-million-books
Posted by: SMOD Keeper at January 20, 2019 10:34 AM (vQUp6)
They don't say which ones ? Many library systems have tons of reference books that no one uses and are out of date - encyclopedias, how-to books. Garbage basically.
Posted by: runner at January 20, 2019 10:39 AM (bUjCl)
200
176 Nelson took a musket ball at Trafalgar. Not much of a retirement
--------------
Nelson retired twice, and was brought back both times to save the country before his death.
Posted by: Huck Follywood, As Woke As He's Gonna Get at January 20, 2019 10:30 AM (Z216Q)
No, he didn't retire. Going on the half-pay list was entirely different. E.g., he stayed where he was on the seniority list, and remained available tor duty. It was more like switching to the reserves. But the whole system was quite unlike the modern one. (Good for them; Nelson would have been retired as physically unfit long before Trafalgar, or even the Nile.)
--------------
Nelson retired twice, and was brought back both times to save the country before his death.
Posted by: Huck Follywood, As Woke As He's Gonna Get at January 20, 2019 10:30 AM (Z216Q)
No, he didn't retire. Going on the half-pay list was entirely different. E.g., he stayed where he was on the seniority list, and remained available tor duty. It was more like switching to the reserves. But the whole system was quite unlike the modern one. (Good for them; Nelson would have been retired as physically unfit long before Trafalgar, or even the Nile.)
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 10:40 AM (VaN/j)
201
Nelson retired twice, and was brought back both times to save the country before his death.
So he's basically King Arthur
******
Or Brett Favre
Posted by: Muldoon at January 20, 2019 10:38 AM (m45I2)
So Nelson sent a dick picture to a girl?
So he's basically King Arthur
******
Or Brett Favre
Posted by: Muldoon at January 20, 2019 10:38 AM (m45I2)
So Nelson sent a dick picture to a girl?
Posted by: Nevergiveup at January 20, 2019 10:40 AM (Y+V3r)
202
Thank you votermom and runner. I promise I won't reveal anyone's real name. Never have never will.
Posted by: Jewells45 at January 20, 2019 10:40 AM (dUJdY)
203
g'mornin', 'rons
g'mornin', 'rons
Posted by: AltonJackson at January 20, 2019 10:40 AM (KCxzN)
204
The keychain's pretty sweet, Jewells!
Posted by: Insomniac at January 20, 2019 10:40 AM (NWiLs)
205
#3 son gave me "A Vision Betrayed" by Andrew Ross for Christmas. It's a history of the Jesuits in Japan and China between the mid 1500's and 1700's. Just started into it yesterday - it's very readable so far.
Posted by: Tonypete at January 20, 2019 10:40 AM (9rIkM)
206
Bill James is responsible for a lot that's wrong with baseball today but that isn't his fault. He was just trying to determine information and new ways of analyzing data, and people are misusing the info.
I finished Then We Take Berlin by John Lawton. It was well written and an interesting view of post-war Berlin as it rebuilt. The German people definitely went through some hard times both philosophically and physically after the war, basically everything was destroyed and they were almost starving for years and then the Soviets shut down Berlin trying to take it over. But in the years before the wall, it was a wild west free for all particularly in the black market.
The book is interesting enough but I couldn't like the main character, and the ending was... bizarre, it made no sense, one of those out of the blue twist endings like a French abstract movie following a long fairly sensible adventure.
I finished Then We Take Berlin by John Lawton. It was well written and an interesting view of post-war Berlin as it rebuilt. The German people definitely went through some hard times both philosophically and physically after the war, basically everything was destroyed and they were almost starving for years and then the Soviets shut down Berlin trying to take it over. But in the years before the wall, it was a wild west free for all particularly in the black market.
The book is interesting enough but I couldn't like the main character, and the ending was... bizarre, it made no sense, one of those out of the blue twist endings like a French abstract movie following a long fairly sensible adventure.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 10:40 AM (39g3+)
207
And we're pikers. I have a friend who has become so obsessive that he's buying books he knows he will never read. He's really getting to be like Smaugh, sitting on a pile of loot which is no use to him. At least Scrooge McDuck could swim in his money.
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 09:45 AM (VaN/j)
I think a lot of people are concerned, even at a subconscious level, that history is being erased. Hence the desire to collect books.
BTW, I've tried the Calibre program and it doesn't seem to work with the latest Kindle encryption. At least I've never had luck with it.
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 09:45 AM (VaN/j)
I think a lot of people are concerned, even at a subconscious level, that history is being erased. Hence the desire to collect books.
BTW, I've tried the Calibre program and it doesn't seem to work with the latest Kindle encryption. At least I've never had luck with it.
Posted by: WOPR at January 20, 2019 10:41 AM (J70i0)
208
191 160 there are 2 kinds of people in the world - purgers and collectors
Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at January 20, 2019 10:24 AM (BJlbN)
---
I'm a collector. I only purge to make room for my new acquisitions.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 20, 2019 10:37 AM (kQs4Y)
-------
I could not bear the thought of throwing away a book. After I read one, I feel like I have something of an investment in it, besides the strictly economic.
Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at January 20, 2019 10:24 AM (BJlbN)
---
I'm a collector. I only purge to make room for my new acquisitions.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 20, 2019 10:37 AM (kQs4Y)
-------
I could not bear the thought of throwing away a book. After I read one, I feel like I have something of an investment in it, besides the strictly economic.
Posted by: Weasel at January 20, 2019 10:41 AM (MVjcR)
209
Thank you votermom and runner. I promise I won't reveal anyone's real name. Never have never will.
Posted by: Jewells45 at January 20, 2019 10:40 AM (dUJdY)
All right, I am gonna get the keychain. It is awesome. My paypal still works..I think..
Posted by: Jewells45 at January 20, 2019 10:40 AM (dUJdY)
All right, I am gonna get the keychain. It is awesome. My paypal still works..I think..
Posted by: runner at January 20, 2019 10:41 AM (bUjCl)
210
Interestingly, the house and property Nelson's family was given by a grateful nation after Trafalgar is still a private home and I believe it was just sold a year or two ago.
Posted by: Huck Follywood, As Woke As He's Gonna Get at January 20, 2019 10:32 AM (Z216Q)
Wow, so it was. Listed for £12 million (I don't see what it eventually went for). "Trafalgar Park", looks like a neat place to live. It's been used as a filming location for movies and TV too. From the caretaker:
"Some home owners are wary of film crews stomping all over their properties, but I just felt tremendously lucky," says Wade. "All I had to do was get out of my bath in the morning and watch the unfolding entertainment around me."
I can relate.
Posted by: Huck Follywood, As Woke As He's Gonna Get at January 20, 2019 10:32 AM (Z216Q)
Wow, so it was. Listed for £12 million (I don't see what it eventually went for). "Trafalgar Park", looks like a neat place to live. It's been used as a filming location for movies and TV too. From the caretaker:
"Some home owners are wary of film crews stomping all over their properties, but I just felt tremendously lucky," says Wade. "All I had to do was get out of my bath in the morning and watch the unfolding entertainment around me."
I can relate.
Posted by: hogmartin at January 20, 2019 10:42 AM (t+qrx)
211
194 That everything today is transitioning to being in the 'cloud' and not really in possession of the person is kind of dystopian.
Posted by: Can't resist temptation
----------
'Dystopian' is an understatement. 'Orwellian' might be more descriptive.
The series that TuCar has been airing re the very active Goolag in our schools is scary...very scary.
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 20, 2019 10:38 AM (KoKdw)
Wouldn't disagree but I said dystopian because it is happening innocently with things besides books. Banking, insurance , receipts on purchases, digital currency, etc.
Scary future for old timers. That includes this not quite old timer.
Posted by: Can't resist temptation
----------
'Dystopian' is an understatement. 'Orwellian' might be more descriptive.
The series that TuCar has been airing re the very active Goolag in our schools is scary...very scary.
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 20, 2019 10:38 AM (KoKdw)
Wouldn't disagree but I said dystopian because it is happening innocently with things besides books. Banking, insurance , receipts on purchases, digital currency, etc.
Scary future for old timers. That includes this not quite old timer.
Posted by: Obama at January 20, 2019 10:43 AM (2DOZq)
212
The latest issue of Early American Life magazine has a couple of articles I thought were especially well done.
The first was on the historical use and significance of buckwheat both for food and ground cover. For instance, the author refers to a letter from Daniel Webster to George Washington about the many benefits of using buckwheat to replenish depleted soil. Kinda cool.
The second deals with the history of hand loom use in the colonies, the stupid laws passed by Parliment, loom construction. (Barn looms were so-called because they were made using post and beam techniques used in barns.) Little observations like needing a year to make a heavy wool blanket starting with sheep and ending with the finished blanket. And a pictorial on using a loom these days.
These articles are always dangerous for me because they can start an unending chain of inquiries on related topics: recipes in history using buckwheat and its health benefits, etc. For looms it could be the wood preferred to build them, what kind of sheep produced the best wool, social aspects for women making cloth, clothes and other woven goods, how far back in history weaving goes, etc.
It's easy to spend a day with these distractions. But they are fun.
The first was on the historical use and significance of buckwheat both for food and ground cover. For instance, the author refers to a letter from Daniel Webster to George Washington about the many benefits of using buckwheat to replenish depleted soil. Kinda cool.
The second deals with the history of hand loom use in the colonies, the stupid laws passed by Parliment, loom construction. (Barn looms were so-called because they were made using post and beam techniques used in barns.) Little observations like needing a year to make a heavy wool blanket starting with sheep and ending with the finished blanket. And a pictorial on using a loom these days.
These articles are always dangerous for me because they can start an unending chain of inquiries on related topics: recipes in history using buckwheat and its health benefits, etc. For looms it could be the wood preferred to build them, what kind of sheep produced the best wool, social aspects for women making cloth, clothes and other woven goods, how far back in history weaving goes, etc.
It's easy to spend a day with these distractions. But they are fun.
Posted by: JTB at January 20, 2019 10:43 AM (bmdz3)
213
Mike H., just finished another "secret war" - Hastings' "The Secret War", which covers (obviously in varying detail) the intel and code-breaking stories of all major belligerents in WWII. And Braitwaite's Moscow book is next on my list, after finishing Glantz's book on Soviet southern operations after Stalingrad and a book on Kursk.
Posted by: rhomboid
-----------
*makes notes*
Have you read 'Battle of Wits', Budiansk? I don't know that it is the definitive book re WWII code operations, but is very, very good.
I'll mention here that my Aunt Ruth attended Arlington Hall.
Posted by: rhomboid
-----------
*makes notes*
Have you read 'Battle of Wits', Budiansk? I don't know that it is the definitive book re WWII code operations, but is very, very good.
I'll mention here that my Aunt Ruth attended Arlington Hall.
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 20, 2019 10:43 AM (w54mS)
214
Our local library retires and removes books constantly. They try to take out books nobody is reading or needs, usually older books but the problem is a lot of the time that includes classics like The Mark of Zorro. So a bunch of good old stuff that has been in the lexicon of America for over a century is being removed for new books, most of which are of dubious value or meaning.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 10:44 AM (39g3+)
215
Buy actual books. You can do whatever you want with them. Keep them forever. Give them away. Hell you can burn them to keep warm.
Posted by: Thomas LaBelle at January 20, 2019 10:44 AM (XHdLb)
216
Solutions up!
Posted by: hogmartin at January 20, 2019 10:45 AM (t+qrx)
217
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Posted by: Amazon at January 20, 2019 10:45 AM (5aX2M)
218
Attention: The Book Thread has been updated with new content (one additional item.
Posted by: OregonMuse. AoSHQ Thought Leader & Pants Monitor at January 20, 2019 10:45 AM (qmw9b)
219
It bothers me that Nelson has all this glory, including a huge monument in downtown London, and Churchill has an itty bust near a building and that's pretty much it. There wouldn't BE an England without Churchill.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 10:46 AM (39g3+)
220
"Some home owners are wary of film crews stomping
all over their properties, but I just felt tremendously lucky," says
Wade. "All I had to do was get out of my bath in the morning and watch
the unfolding entertainment around me."
I can relate.
Posted by: hogmartin
----
You take a bath in the morning?
Luxury!!
all over their properties, but I just felt tremendously lucky," says
Wade. "All I had to do was get out of my bath in the morning and watch
the unfolding entertainment around me."
I can relate.
Posted by: hogmartin
----
You take a bath in the morning?
Luxury!!
Posted by: Tonypete at January 20, 2019 10:46 AM (9rIkM)
221
Wouldn't disagree but I said dystopian because it is happening innocently with things besides books. Banking, insurance , receipts on purchases, digital currency, etc.
Scary future for old timers. That includes this not quite old timer.
Posted by: Obama
-----------
I couldn't agree more. Modest case-in-point, the local hardware store will no longer accept checks.
I have thus far avoided a smart phone, but I wonder how long, as a practical matter, I will be able to avoid it.
Scary future for old timers. That includes this not quite old timer.
Posted by: Obama
-----------
I couldn't agree more. Modest case-in-point, the local hardware store will no longer accept checks.
I have thus far avoided a smart phone, but I wonder how long, as a practical matter, I will be able to avoid it.
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 20, 2019 10:46 AM (w54mS)
222
I did dig up a book I bought a long time ago but never got around to reading "City of Nets" by Otto Friedrich, about Hollywood in the 1940's. It's not movie star fluff - more about the behind the scenes power brokers and the political scene (back when you had conservatives and patriots in Tinseltown as well as Commies). I'll start it tonight.
Posted by: Donna&&&&&&V at January 20, 2019 10:47 AM (d6Ksn)
Posted by: OregonMuse. AoSHQ Thought Leader & Pants Monitor at January 20, 2019 10:47 AM (qmw9b)
Posted by: runner at January 20, 2019 10:47 AM (bUjCl)
225
OT, but the Hill this morning reports Karl Rove still exists. He just met with Senate Republicans (is that a contradiction in terms?) to ask them to not listen to the GOP base. Because the base doesn't understand the nuances of winning at politics. That's his advice, ignore the base: those people who voted the scumbags into office.
Posted by: Huck Follywood, As Woke As He's Gonna Get at January 20, 2019 10:47 AM (Z216Q)
226
The local library has shifted focus from a "research library" (though you can do plenty of research there), to a "popular materials" library with tomes that are in high demand or circulate regularly.
Posted by: SMOD Keeper at January 20, 2019 10:48 AM (vQUp6)
227
For all its faults, Amazon is still ok for books and movies.
Posted by: runner at January 20, 2019 10:48 AM (bUjCl)
228
OT, but the Hill this morning reports Karl Rove still exists. He just met with Senate Republicans (is that a contradiction in terms?) to ask them to not listen to the GOP base. Because the base doesn't understand the nuances of winning at politics. That's his advice, ignore the base: those people who voted the scumbags into office.
Posted by: Huck Follywood, As Woke As He's Gonna Get at January 20, 2019 10:47 AM (Z216Q)
If you lookin the dictionary under why republicans lose elections there is a picture of rove
Posted by: Huck Follywood, As Woke As He's Gonna Get at January 20, 2019 10:47 AM (Z216Q)
If you lookin the dictionary under why republicans lose elections there is a picture of rove
Posted by: Nevergiveup at January 20, 2019 10:48 AM (Y+V3r)
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And since then, I CAN'T FIND IT!
---------
Happens to me all of the time. I go to seek a quotation or citation, and can NOT find the damn book.
---------
Happens to me all of the time. I go to seek a quotation or citation, and can NOT find the damn book.
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 20, 2019 10:49 AM (U2TY5)
230
Mike H., you mean she attended when it was a girls' school? Amazing.
No, Battle of Wits is also high on my list. For a while in the 80s I read every single thing that came out on Ultra and related topics, starting with Winterbotham's historic book. I need to re-read some of that. And more recent stuff - somehow until the Hastings book I just mentioned I was unaware of the importance of the teleprinter decoding, really only knew about the battle with the Enigma system.
No, Battle of Wits is also high on my list. For a while in the 80s I read every single thing that came out on Ultra and related topics, starting with Winterbotham's historic book. I need to re-read some of that. And more recent stuff - somehow until the Hastings book I just mentioned I was unaware of the importance of the teleprinter decoding, really only knew about the battle with the Enigma system.
Posted by: rhomboid at January 20, 2019 10:49 AM (QDnY+)
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So a bunch of good old stuff that has been in the lexicon of America for over a century is being removed for new books, most of which are of dubious value or meaning.
Feature, not bug.
Feature, not bug.
Posted by: The People's Knowledge at January 20, 2019 10:50 AM (IPZPl)
232
The concert sounds as great now as I remember thinking it was at the time.
Posted by: Huck Follywood, As Woke As He's Gonna Get at January 20, 2019 10:17 AM (Z216Q)
How stoned were you....at the time?
Posted by: Huck Follywood, As Woke As He's Gonna Get at January 20, 2019 10:17 AM (Z216Q)
How stoned were you....at the time?
Posted by: BignJames at January 20, 2019 10:51 AM (cxHbL)
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May I recommend Fifty Shades of Commie?
Posted by: Little Lupe at January 20, 2019 10:51 AM (Tyii7)
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Celebrating Nelson is celebrating the old British Empire. Easy to do from its epicenter.
Churchill is more complicated. A wartime consigliere that the people were happy to be rid of, once the war was over. A living symbol of many of the aspects of a declining Empire many hated.
Churchill is more complicated. A wartime consigliere that the people were happy to be rid of, once the war was over. A living symbol of many of the aspects of a declining Empire many hated.
Posted by: Ignoramus at January 20, 2019 10:51 AM (1UZdv)
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Video shows the widely reported Cov Caf "racist MAGA students" claim was completely false.
https://tinyurl.com/yb9g9k5r
https://tinyurl.com/yb9g9k5r
Posted by: Michael Rittenhouse at January 20, 2019 10:52 AM (+Abq4)
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The ABE 'Weird Book Room'. Sadly, I actually have one of the books they show:
http://tinyurl.com/y7e24pmn
http://tinyurl.com/y7e24pmn
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 20, 2019 10:52 AM (U2TY5)
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My old man has three libraries: the "Main Branch" which lines his office, the "Fantasy/SciFi" one in his living room, and then the reference library with encyclopedias, textbooks, and OED in the my mom's sitting room for her lady friends.
Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at January 20, 2019 10:52 AM (5aX2M)
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I've had my flip phone long enough for it to come back into vogue. This luddite would even scrap that, but my better half has suggested otherwise.
Posted by: SMOD Keeper at January 20, 2019 10:52 AM (vQUp6)
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Happens to me all of the time. I go to seek a quotation or citation, and can NOT find the damn book.
=====
Currently trying to find some source for a play (?) titled something like 'right you are if you think you are', but am having no luck. I keep looking . . . Beaumont and Fletcher, maybe: no, try something else.
=====
Currently trying to find some source for a play (?) titled something like 'right you are if you think you are', but am having no luck. I keep looking . . . Beaumont and Fletcher, maybe: no, try something else.
Posted by: mustbequantum at January 20, 2019 10:52 AM (MIKMs)
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Smashwords sells ebooks without DRM, plain e-reader or text files. You own the books and they never go away.
Posted by: gunnargrey at January 20, 2019 10:53 AM (eRIPA)
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216 Solutions up!
Posted by: hogmartin at January 20, 2019 10:45 AM (t+qrx)
That's a threadwinner and funny shit to boot.
Posted by: hogmartin at January 20, 2019 10:45 AM (t+qrx)
That's a threadwinner and funny shit to boot.
Posted by: Insomniac at January 20, 2019 10:53 AM (NWiLs)
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236 The ABE 'Weird Book Room'. Sadly, I actually have one of the books they show:
http://tinyurl.com/y7e24pmn
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 20, 2019 10:52 AM (U2TY5)
---
Let me guess: "The Lodge Goat" and "Goat Rides"?
http://tinyurl.com/y7e24pmn
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 20, 2019 10:52 AM (U2TY5)
---
Let me guess: "The Lodge Goat" and "Goat Rides"?
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 20, 2019 10:55 AM (kQs4Y)
243
Churchill is more complicated. A wartime consigliere that the people were happy to be rid of, once the war was over.
-----------
Technically, before the war was over. I find it appalling, but it is emblematic of how the press/politics can, in their self-righteous sanctimoniousness, act against the interests of the nation.
But, we kind of know that, don't we?
-----------
Technically, before the war was over. I find it appalling, but it is emblematic of how the press/politics can, in their self-righteous sanctimoniousness, act against the interests of the nation.
But, we kind of know that, don't we?
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 20, 2019 10:55 AM (KoKdw)
244
241 216 Solutions up!
Posted by: hogmartin at January 20, 2019 10:45 AM (t+qrx)
That's a threadwinner and funny shit to boot.
Posted by: Insomniac at January 20, 2019 10:53 AM (NWiLs
Oh, har de har har.
Posted by: hogmartin at January 20, 2019 10:45 AM (t+qrx)
That's a threadwinner and funny shit to boot.
Posted by: Insomniac at January 20, 2019 10:53 AM (NWiLs
Oh, har de har har.
Posted by: OregonMuse. AoSHQ Thought Leader & Pants Monitor at January 20, 2019 10:56 AM (qmw9b)
245
So about that toxic masculinity I've been hearing about. ...
It's cold here in my part of Indiana.
I went to bed last night and the room was cold. I snuggled in against hubbymayhem and mumble dammit I'm cold.
My delightfully twisted husband says "I'll keep you warm with my toxic masculinity. "
I said, okay but just how toxic are we talking here?
Hubby chuckled with what sounded like evil glee and said, I intend to be really offensive.
Dear God,
Thank you for men and their toxic masculinity. I love that shit!
Sincerely,
Mayhem
It's cold here in my part of Indiana.
I went to bed last night and the room was cold. I snuggled in against hubbymayhem and mumble dammit I'm cold.
My delightfully twisted husband says "I'll keep you warm with my toxic masculinity. "
I said, okay but just how toxic are we talking here?
Hubby chuckled with what sounded like evil glee and said, I intend to be really offensive.
Dear God,
Thank you for men and their toxic masculinity. I love that shit!
Sincerely,
Mayhem
Posted by: madamemayhem (uppity wench) at January 20, 2019 10:56 AM (myjNJ)
246
Oh crap! Y'all started without me...
Yeah, the Bill James book. I got a kick out of that blurb "celebrated true crime expert."
James himself either wrote that because he thinks it's funny, or he got whoever wrote it to leave it in there because he thinks it's funny, but I can guarandamntee you Bill James doesn't ever go around calling himself a "celebrated true crime expert."
Anyhoo, since I was the one who recommended it, I will note, James himself gives his daughter, Rachel, quite a bit of the credit for the leg work of digging all these stories up, and apparently she did more than a little bit of the writing. So while James is well known (as a BASEBALL writer), his daughter's work shouldn't be overlooked.
As for whatever that is... "The Shift," I've never heard of it. And I think I've probably read everything James has ever written... well, not literally. And I'm not generally delving into the statistical analysis stuff that some people seem to find so interesting.
James' true value, his main contribution to baseball knowledge, is his ability to take complex concepts, like statistics, and WRITE (as in stringing actual words together) in such as way as to make that boring stuff interesting and understandable.
Some say the monster he created, all the complex stats associated with baseball, have contributed to making a beautiful game, played on grass and dirt, into a virtual game "played" by nerds on computers, where the actual men, doing the actual stuff they do, in real life, lose their meaning.
I could go on, but I've already used up my quota of words here.
Yeah, the Bill James book. I got a kick out of that blurb "celebrated true crime expert."
James himself either wrote that because he thinks it's funny, or he got whoever wrote it to leave it in there because he thinks it's funny, but I can guarandamntee you Bill James doesn't ever go around calling himself a "celebrated true crime expert."
Anyhoo, since I was the one who recommended it, I will note, James himself gives his daughter, Rachel, quite a bit of the credit for the leg work of digging all these stories up, and apparently she did more than a little bit of the writing. So while James is well known (as a BASEBALL writer), his daughter's work shouldn't be overlooked.
As for whatever that is... "The Shift," I've never heard of it. And I think I've probably read everything James has ever written... well, not literally. And I'm not generally delving into the statistical analysis stuff that some people seem to find so interesting.
James' true value, his main contribution to baseball knowledge, is his ability to take complex concepts, like statistics, and WRITE (as in stringing actual words together) in such as way as to make that boring stuff interesting and understandable.
Some say the monster he created, all the complex stats associated with baseball, have contributed to making a beautiful game, played on grass and dirt, into a virtual game "played" by nerds on computers, where the actual men, doing the actual stuff they do, in real life, lose their meaning.
I could go on, but I've already used up my quota of words here.
Posted by: BurtTC at January 20, 2019 10:56 AM (cY3LT)
247
"Tolkien felt that one should pick a culture and stay with it, and didn't like the way Lewis mixed Norse and Greek, etc. He said it undercut the reality of the secondary world."
Wonder what he'd say about me.
Wonder what he'd say about me.
Posted by: George R. R. Martin at January 20, 2019 10:56 AM (1UZdv)
248
No, wait, I bet it's "Be Bold With Bananas"!
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 20, 2019 10:57 AM (kQs4Y)
249
Mike H., you mean she attended when it was a girls' school? Amazing.
---------
Yes. Have photos that she took while there.
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Yes. Have photos that she took while there.
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 20, 2019 10:58 AM (KoKdw)
250
Nelson's image is enhanced in that he died in the moment of victory. Had he lived, it's not unlikely he might have become an embarrassment. Not that he wasn't the greatest of admirals (he was), but he could be a damned fool in other ways.
One reason he wasn't in command at Copenhagen was the Hamilton scandal, for instance. There's an interesting quote from Wellington about the only time they met.
https://tinyurl.com/y8sqp325
One reason he wasn't in command at Copenhagen was the Hamilton scandal, for instance. There's an interesting quote from Wellington about the only time they met.
https://tinyurl.com/y8sqp325
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 11:02 AM (VaN/j)
251
235
Video shows the widely reported Cov Caf "racist MAGA students" claim was completely false.
https://tinyurl.com/yb9g9k5r
Posted by: Michael Rittenhouse at January 20, 2019 10:52 AM (+Abq4)
Remember - all Trump supporters are old white racists and bitter clingers who will die soon. So young Trump supporters can not be shown, unless there is a way to make them look racist too. We wouldn't want young people rebelling against their socialist elders and thinking that it's OK to be on the right. That's why anybody young or considered hip who supports MAGA must immediately be marginalized - whether it's Milo or Kayne West or a bunch of hs students. Fortunately, their fellow "conservatives" are more than willing to help with the denouncing and demonizing.
Video shows the widely reported Cov Caf "racist MAGA students" claim was completely false.
https://tinyurl.com/yb9g9k5r
Posted by: Michael Rittenhouse at January 20, 2019 10:52 AM (+Abq4)
Remember - all Trump supporters are old white racists and bitter clingers who will die soon. So young Trump supporters can not be shown, unless there is a way to make them look racist too. We wouldn't want young people rebelling against their socialist elders and thinking that it's OK to be on the right. That's why anybody young or considered hip who supports MAGA must immediately be marginalized - whether it's Milo or Kayne West or a bunch of hs students. Fortunately, their fellow "conservatives" are more than willing to help with the denouncing and demonizing.
Posted by: Donna&&&&&&V at January 20, 2019 11:03 AM (d6Ksn)
252
---
Let me guess: "The Lodge Goat" and "Goat Rides"?
Posted by: All Hail Eris
-----------
'Manifold Destiny'. I only confess this because neither Weasel or Bluebell are here. Not sure about CBD...
Let me guess: "The Lodge Goat" and "Goat Rides"?
Posted by: All Hail Eris
-----------
'Manifold Destiny'. I only confess this because neither Weasel or Bluebell are here. Not sure about CBD...
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 20, 2019 11:04 AM (fZcn6)
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"Nelson's image is enhanced in that he died in the moment of victory."
Like JFK. Good career move
Like JFK. Good career move
Posted by: George R. R. Martin at January 20, 2019 11:05 AM (1UZdv)
Posted by: franksalterego at January 20, 2019 11:05 AM (3cq8T)
255
Of course the white man force Buckwheat to do their bidding! And it wasn't otay!!
Posted by: andycanuck at January 20, 2019 11:06 AM (Evws/)
256
@Jewells45 - an idea ! AoSHQ fridge magnets. It's a bit away from jewelry, but...hey, you do bookmarks.
Posted by: runner at January 20, 2019 11:06 AM (bUjCl)
257
Posted by: madamemayhem (uppity wench) at January 20, 2019 10:56 AM (myjNJ)
*fans srlf*
that hawt
you could be writing best selling bodice rippers, madame
*fans srlf*
that hawt
you could be writing best selling bodice rippers, madame
Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at January 20, 2019 11:06 AM (BJlbN)
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 20, 2019 11:06 AM (U7Mh9)
259
Insty had a quickie mention of Gregory Benford's new book "Rewrite", which sparked some discussion of the "many worlds version of quantum theory".
I've been reading the comments over there to see if I needed to change my initial thinking.
So far, it looks like I don't.
Multiple universes generated by individual decisions is a cool and fun idea for fiction.
But, when everything from a fly's decision to fly up instead of down to a water molecule's movement to you picking your nose generates not just one new universe but a whole slew of possible universes.
It just seems silly.
Since we don't even know the initial origin of the Big Bang yet, so where is all the energy and matter coming from that must required by this theory in the gazillion gazillion to the gazillionth power universes which must be created every second.
and, of course, not just on the Earth but everywhere in the universe.
If you want to say that each action generates a gajillion probable consequences,
I guess the math(?) would support that. But each of those probability instantly vanish to zero as there is only one possible outcome generated.
And probably enforced by all the other actions occurring around you and the nature of the world around you
Schrodinger's cat may be alive or dead but when you open the box,
it's not going to be Senator Elizabeth Warren wanting to make her some crab dip.
Hey! Thanks for reading my blather.
I've been reading the comments over there to see if I needed to change my initial thinking.
So far, it looks like I don't.
Multiple universes generated by individual decisions is a cool and fun idea for fiction.
But, when everything from a fly's decision to fly up instead of down to a water molecule's movement to you picking your nose generates not just one new universe but a whole slew of possible universes.
It just seems silly.
Since we don't even know the initial origin of the Big Bang yet, so where is all the energy and matter coming from that must required by this theory in the gazillion gazillion to the gazillionth power universes which must be created every second.
and, of course, not just on the Earth but everywhere in the universe.
If you want to say that each action generates a gajillion probable consequences,
I guess the math(?) would support that. But each of those probability instantly vanish to zero as there is only one possible outcome generated.
And probably enforced by all the other actions occurring around you and the nature of the world around you
Schrodinger's cat may be alive or dead but when you open the box,
it's not going to be Senator Elizabeth Warren wanting to make her some crab dip.
Hey! Thanks for reading my blather.
Posted by: naturalfake at January 20, 2019 11:07 AM (CRRq9)
260
As is my wont, I am tinkering on a little project in a side hobby. And I have come to realize I really miss Radio Shack. True, Amazon has infinite inventory and has everything. But for little bits you have to pay shipping or it's included in the prime price, so it is often just as cheap to be 5 of an item as it is 1. Also there is a wait of a couple days or more on prime so you have longer cycles when you pick the wrong piece. And you can't eyeball a part and figure out whether it would work or you could make it work.
I thought with the "maker" business tinkering would be easier but alas it is not.
Get off my lawn, he says.
I thought with the "maker" business tinkering would be easier but alas it is not.
Get off my lawn, he says.
Posted by: blaster at January 20, 2019 11:08 AM (ZfRYq)
261
AoSHQ fridge magnets. It's a bit away from jewelry, but...hey, you do bookmarks.
Posted by: runner
---------
I have a coveted 'Kaboom' fridge magnet.
But my favorite is http://tinyurl.com/y8zvjryp
Posted by: runner
---------
I have a coveted 'Kaboom' fridge magnet.
But my favorite is http://tinyurl.com/y8zvjryp
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 20, 2019 11:09 AM (U7Mh9)
262
What's the USRDA of toxic masculinity?
Posted by: Insomniac at January 20, 2019 11:09 AM (NWiLs)
263
Seems to me that the multiverse theory is inherently atheist
Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at January 20, 2019 11:10 AM (BJlbN)
264
"I would sure like to know why Amazon retracts your download of a book if you have not opened it for a while."
What it should be doing, and there's not enough context in the post for me to tell, is each time you download a book it stays in your local cache.
The local cache has a certain size and if you download enough books to fill up you cache and you need room for more books, it should delete the book in your cache
with the oldest access date.
What I can't tell from the post is whether the device is just arbitrarily deleting books at a certain date or waiting until the cache is full.
However, the point is taken that when you 'own' books or movies or music in the cloud, you don't really own them. You're renting. Only a physical copy is real ownership.
What it should be doing, and there's not enough context in the post for me to tell, is each time you download a book it stays in your local cache.
The local cache has a certain size and if you download enough books to fill up you cache and you need room for more books, it should delete the book in your cache
with the oldest access date.
What I can't tell from the post is whether the device is just arbitrarily deleting books at a certain date or waiting until the cache is full.
However, the point is taken that when you 'own' books or movies or music in the cloud, you don't really own them. You're renting. Only a physical copy is real ownership.
Posted by: Servius at January 20, 2019 11:10 AM (SXIn9)
265
https://tinyurl.com/y8sqp325
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 11:02 AM (VaN/j)
------
Ha! That story always makes me laugh out loud. I think at heart he only cared about winning, glory, and the thrill of battle, but also was brilliant and sophisticated. Wellington first met the real Nelson, then when Nelson figured out he was talking to a peer, the business Nelson came out.
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 11:02 AM (VaN/j)
------
Ha! That story always makes me laugh out loud. I think at heart he only cared about winning, glory, and the thrill of battle, but also was brilliant and sophisticated. Wellington first met the real Nelson, then when Nelson figured out he was talking to a peer, the business Nelson came out.
Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at January 20, 2019 11:11 AM (5aX2M)
266
Runner, great idea!!
Posted by: Jewells45 at January 20, 2019 11:11 AM (dUJdY)
267
So who decides what content gets added to your "updated" book, and what content gets removed? I don't know. And what is their criteria for deciding what edits to make? I don't know. Who ultimately determines what you're allowed to read? I don't know. Not you. That's all I know.
Mrs. BifBewalski publishes on Amazon as an indie. When she's corrects stuff in a follow-up edition, the original version gets updated by Amazon automatically. sometimes her fans have to 'force' the update and sometimes it happens automatically with noninput.
no clue why or how the two different updates are triggered or not triggered.
Mrs. BifBewalski publishes on Amazon as an indie. When she's corrects stuff in a follow-up edition, the original version gets updated by Amazon automatically. sometimes her fans have to 'force' the update and sometimes it happens automatically with noninput.
no clue why or how the two different updates are triggered or not triggered.
Posted by: BifBewalski -sofa king we Todd did at January 20, 2019 11:12 AM (8ZeGS)
268
I thought with the "maker" business tinkering would be easier but alas it is not.
Get off my lawn, he says.
Posted by: blaster
----------
Agreed, in spades. You need some small component, and the only thing to do is order it by mail. What would have been a 15-20 minute ride to shop, becomes 3-4 days of waiting, and possibly buying more than you need.
I thought with the "maker" business tinkering would be easier but alas it is not.
Get off my lawn, he says.
Posted by: blaster
----------
Agreed, in spades. You need some small component, and the only thing to do is order it by mail. What would have been a 15-20 minute ride to shop, becomes 3-4 days of waiting, and possibly buying more than you need.
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 20, 2019 11:12 AM (YvUf/)
269
removal of my purchased books and movies requires a break in at my house.have a few kindles, but majority are page turners. movies all on disks.
Posted by: media old school at January 20, 2019 11:12 AM (Wa5hI)
270
"Some say the monster he created, all the complex stats associated with
baseball, have contributed to making a beautiful game, played on grass
and dirt, into a virtual game "played" by nerds on computers, where the
actual men, doing the actual stuff they do, in real life, lose their
meaning."
The guy in the batter's box still has to hit the ball. The pitcher still has to try to fool him. The fielders still have to make the catch. You can load up baseball with tons of stats (and baseball has always been the most stat crazy of sports) but that doesn't detract from what is actually happening on the field, nor can it take into account the variables that always come into play. Kershaw is unhittable - except when he's not. The guy who's been a poor hitter all season suddenly heats up in the postseason (Orlando Arcia) or the guy who's been hitting like Babe Ruth suddenly cools down (Christian Yelich). Analyze it to death, but the great thing is that you still can't predict how human beings are going to perform on any given day.
baseball, have contributed to making a beautiful game, played on grass
and dirt, into a virtual game "played" by nerds on computers, where the
actual men, doing the actual stuff they do, in real life, lose their
meaning."
The guy in the batter's box still has to hit the ball. The pitcher still has to try to fool him. The fielders still have to make the catch. You can load up baseball with tons of stats (and baseball has always been the most stat crazy of sports) but that doesn't detract from what is actually happening on the field, nor can it take into account the variables that always come into play. Kershaw is unhittable - except when he's not. The guy who's been a poor hitter all season suddenly heats up in the postseason (Orlando Arcia) or the guy who's been hitting like Babe Ruth suddenly cools down (Christian Yelich). Analyze it to death, but the great thing is that you still can't predict how human beings are going to perform on any given day.
Posted by: Donna&&&&&&V at January 20, 2019 11:13 AM (d6Ksn)
Posted by: Dr Nilsson at January 20, 2019 11:13 AM (3DZIZ)
272
Ha! That story always makes me laugh out loud. I think at heart he only cared about winning, glory, and the thrill of battle, but also was brilliant and sophisticated. Wellington first met the real Nelson, then when Nelson figured out he was talking to a peer, the business Nelson came out.
Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at January 20, 2019 11:11 AM (5aX2M)
sounds like Trump
Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at January 20, 2019 11:11 AM (5aX2M)
sounds like Trump
Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at January 20, 2019 11:13 AM (BJlbN)
273
unsock
Posted by: the guy that moves pianos for a living at January 20, 2019 11:14 AM (3DZIZ)
274
There's a ton of Bill James in this house; The Man From the Train is the only one I haven't read, and didn't buy. My wife is the one into true crime stories. I prefer my murders to make sense, Conan Doyle style.
And, BTW, "the Shift" isn't a stat tool he invented. (He's come up with many, though.) It's a tactic for defense against certain batters, most famously Ted Williams, though it dates back further than that.
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 09:37 AM (VaN/j)
James does have another crime book out there, "Popular Crime," which is very good. I would highly recommend that one as well, although the blurb on Amazon makes it sound scoldy, which it is not.
If you enjoy James' writing, and I can't fathom anyone not loving his writing style, these books are worth checking out.
And "The Shift" thing... I think every baseball fan understand the concept of using shifts for different hitters. It's such a simple, long used part of the game (although the routine overuse of shifts these days is new), I can't imagine how anyone would say James somehow invented it.
And, BTW, "the Shift" isn't a stat tool he invented. (He's come up with many, though.) It's a tactic for defense against certain batters, most famously Ted Williams, though it dates back further than that.
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 09:37 AM (VaN/j)
James does have another crime book out there, "Popular Crime," which is very good. I would highly recommend that one as well, although the blurb on Amazon makes it sound scoldy, which it is not.
If you enjoy James' writing, and I can't fathom anyone not loving his writing style, these books are worth checking out.
And "The Shift" thing... I think every baseball fan understand the concept of using shifts for different hitters. It's such a simple, long used part of the game (although the routine overuse of shifts these days is new), I can't imagine how anyone would say James somehow invented it.
Posted by: BurtTC at January 20, 2019 11:14 AM (cY3LT)
275
The ebook thing still has me worried, a novel I may read again or not is worth the cut priced of paper but historical books I want in real paper as I often pull it out as a reference or just to compare to another. The Russian Officers of the Napoleonic wars is one I wanted in hardback but got ebook in a flash and figured that is it I can't get it switched though my mother who might have hundreds of ebooks said it wouldn't have been a issue.
Posted by: Skip at January 20, 2019 11:14 AM (/rm4P)
276
The concert sounds as great now as I remember thinking it was at the time.
Posted by: Huck Follywood, As Woke As He's Gonna Get at January 20, 2019 10:17 AM (Z216Q)
-----------------
Can't recall. Probably "moderately plus", since I was trying to stay in school.
Posted by: Huck Follywood, As Woke As He's Gonna Get at January 20, 2019 10:17 AM (Z216Q)
-----------------
Can't recall. Probably "moderately plus", since I was trying to stay in school.
Posted by: Huck Follywood, As Woke As He's Gonna Get at January 20, 2019 11:14 AM (Z216Q)
277
Analyze it to death, but the great thing is that you still can't predict how human beings are going to perform on any given day.
The problem is that the people in front offices have been hypnotized by geeks with stats into making really stupid decision and its affecting the game.
The problem is that the people in front offices have been hypnotized by geeks with stats into making really stupid decision and its affecting the game.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 11:15 AM (39g3+)
278
Multiple universes generated by individual decisions is a cool and fun idea for fiction.
...
It just seems silly.
It's also not science, quantum or otherwise, because it's totally unfalsifiable. By definition, a "universe" is the set of everything relevant to a given problem domain. If the problem domain is "the nature of reality" then any other universe is not observable in reality. And if you can't observe it one way or the other in order to support or falsify hypotheses, it ain't science.
...
It just seems silly.
It's also not science, quantum or otherwise, because it's totally unfalsifiable. By definition, a "universe" is the set of everything relevant to a given problem domain. If the problem domain is "the nature of reality" then any other universe is not observable in reality. And if you can't observe it one way or the other in order to support or falsify hypotheses, it ain't science.
Posted by: Bob the Bilderberg at January 20, 2019 11:15 AM (qc+VF)
279
Surely there is a program that will page thru an eBook automatically and take a snapshot of each page. It may not be text, but it could make a copy of the eBook that you could keep.
Posted by: freaked at January 20, 2019 11:16 AM (UdKB7)
280
I don't know that the multiverse theory is inherently atheist. If anything it makes God bigger. Not only is he powerful enough to create everything, he can create EVERYTHING in every permutation. God really is infinite.
I like how cosmology is all like hey that God stuff is looney, but you know what? Stuff just appears. Like magic. So that's science.
I like how cosmology is all like hey that God stuff is looney, but you know what? Stuff just appears. Like magic. So that's science.
Posted by: blaster at January 20, 2019 11:16 AM (ZfRYq)
281
A thought on birthright citizenship and English attitudes.
Arthur Wellesley, later Duke Wellington, was born and raised in Ireland as part of the landed gentry. About his Irish heritage he's said to have said: "just because you are born in a stable does not make you a horse."
Arthur Wellesley, later Duke Wellington, was born and raised in Ireland as part of the landed gentry. About his Irish heritage he's said to have said: "just because you are born in a stable does not make you a horse."
Posted by: Ignoramus at January 20, 2019 11:17 AM (1UZdv)
282
Haha votermom!
Honestly hubbymayhem is like a furnace. The man rarely gets cold. Even now that he takes blood thinner meds he sits around in short sleeves all winter.
Meanwhile I wear long sleeves until it's 70 degrees. I actually enjoy thos hormonal hot flashes because.....WARM!
Honestly hubbymayhem is like a furnace. The man rarely gets cold. Even now that he takes blood thinner meds he sits around in short sleeves all winter.
Meanwhile I wear long sleeves until it's 70 degrees. I actually enjoy thos hormonal hot flashes because.....WARM!
Posted by: madamemayhem (uppity wench) at January 20, 2019 11:17 AM (myjNJ)
283
G-D Juan is beyond annoying
Posted by: Nevergiveup at January 20, 2019 11:18 AM (Y+V3r)
284
Bill James is responsible for a lot that's wrong with baseball today but that isn't his fault. He was just trying to determine information and new ways of analyzing data, and people are misusing the info.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 10:40 AM (39g3+)
Heh, so then... James isn't responsible for it?
Worth noting, I think he still works for the Red Sox as a consultant. And the guy who put the Astros together is known to be something of a disciple. As was the "Moneyball" guy the A's had for a while there.
James' concepts are being used to analyze player value. Indeed, back in the day, he used to work on arbitration cases, making his information available to teams (or players?), so they could make their cases more clearly on what players' actual value was/is.
I don't see how he's done anything to contribute to the overuse of stats by computer nerds and idiotic broadcasters who are trying to sell tv viewers on the flashy nonsense that pours over their screens like carnival lights and slot machine bells.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 10:40 AM (39g3+)
Heh, so then... James isn't responsible for it?
Worth noting, I think he still works for the Red Sox as a consultant. And the guy who put the Astros together is known to be something of a disciple. As was the "Moneyball" guy the A's had for a while there.
James' concepts are being used to analyze player value. Indeed, back in the day, he used to work on arbitration cases, making his information available to teams (or players?), so they could make their cases more clearly on what players' actual value was/is.
I don't see how he's done anything to contribute to the overuse of stats by computer nerds and idiotic broadcasters who are trying to sell tv viewers on the flashy nonsense that pours over their screens like carnival lights and slot machine bells.
Posted by: BurtTC at January 20, 2019 11:18 AM (cY3LT)
285
sounds like Trump
Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at January 20, 2019 11:13 AM (BJlbN)
------
Good point. I don't know that Trump has the reckless, suicidal bravery, but there are a lot of similarities. Nelson was totally based, bruh.
Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at January 20, 2019 11:13 AM (BJlbN)
------
Good point. I don't know that Trump has the reckless, suicidal bravery, but there are a lot of similarities. Nelson was totally based, bruh.
Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at January 20, 2019 11:19 AM (5aX2M)
286
The James Caan version of "Rollerball" had some surprisingly prescient elements in it, especially about the growing corruption of society under Corporate Control. "Jonathan" (James Caan) begins to try to figure out things on his own, so he tries to go to a library. There, he finds out that all of the "libraries" no longer have any actual books or records, tehy just have a link to the Central Database, and the info he wants is restricted. So he travels to the Central Database, and finds out that no one there really knows how to retrieve anything, and are occupied with trying to find the entire 13th century, which has gone missing.
He begins to realize that history is being erased step by step by the people who are really running things.
He begins to realize that history is being erased step by step by the people who are really running things.
Posted by: Tom Servo at January 20, 2019 11:19 AM (V2Yro)
287
Heh, so then... James isn't responsible for it?
He started off a new wave of stats that people have taken and misused and damaged baseball with. His ideas are why people think you should swing for the fences every time, don't worry about strike outs, never steal a base, and use an exaggerated shift on every batter. His ideas are why people think you should have a huge bullpen of all short relief instead of a starter with a batch of closers. His acolytes believe that all that matters is the numbers, not the personalities involved.
He didn't TELL anyone to do this, but he provided the tools and pushed the perspective that's led to it. He's responsible for this new wave of bad baseball, that will in time be moved away from.
He started off a new wave of stats that people have taken and misused and damaged baseball with. His ideas are why people think you should swing for the fences every time, don't worry about strike outs, never steal a base, and use an exaggerated shift on every batter. His ideas are why people think you should have a huge bullpen of all short relief instead of a starter with a batch of closers. His acolytes believe that all that matters is the numbers, not the personalities involved.
He didn't TELL anyone to do this, but he provided the tools and pushed the perspective that's led to it. He's responsible for this new wave of bad baseball, that will in time be moved away from.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 11:21 AM (39g3+)
288
Video shows the widely reported Cov Caf "racist MAGA students" claim was completely false.
What a freak show. Normals vs the crazzzies in Washington DC. The normals aren't used to seeing the crazzzies in their native habitat. Normal kids just having fun. Can't have that.
Video shows the widely reported Cov Caf "racist MAGA students" claim was completely false.
What a freak show. Normals vs the crazzzies in Washington DC. The normals aren't used to seeing the crazzzies in their native habitat. Normal kids just having fun. Can't have that.
Posted by: Newest Nic at January 20, 2019 11:22 AM (jYje5)
289
On an InstaPundit recommendation, read ReWrite by Gregg Bedford this week. It really is an excellent piece of science fiction and I enjoyed it thoroughly. One small thing that really sticks in my craw - a completely unnecessary cheap shot at Michael Crichton. The Left will never forgive Crichton applying scientific skepticism to climate change alarmism.
Posted by: motionview at January 20, 2019 11:22 AM (pYQR/)
290
Bill JAMES is just a tool like a radar gun. Like his theories or not, your choice. Kudos to JAMES for at least thinking about it
Oh and these players and all pro athletes are vastly over paid. If they can get it good for them, but I will never cry when these selfish assholes come up short
Oh and these players and all pro athletes are vastly over paid. If they can get it good for them, but I will never cry when these selfish assholes come up short
Posted by: Nevergiveup at January 20, 2019 11:22 AM (Y+V3r)
291
Seems to me that the multiverse theory is inherently atheist
Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at January 20, 2019 11:10 AM (BJlbN)
Yeah, in essence, it is. Because-
"Look, I just drank a Coke. I created a whole buncha universes. That kinda makes me a god!"
It's also not science, quantum or otherwise, because it's totally unfalsifiable. By definition, a "universe" is the set of everything relevant to a given problem domain. If the problem domain is "the nature of reality" then any other universe is not observable in reality. And if you can't observe it one way or the other in order to support or falsify hypotheses, it ain't science.
Posted by: Bob the Bilderberg at January 20, 2019 11:15 AM (qc+VF)
Exactly. ^^^
Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at January 20, 2019 11:10 AM (BJlbN)
Yeah, in essence, it is. Because-
"Look, I just drank a Coke. I created a whole buncha universes. That kinda makes me a god!"
It's also not science, quantum or otherwise, because it's totally unfalsifiable. By definition, a "universe" is the set of everything relevant to a given problem domain. If the problem domain is "the nature of reality" then any other universe is not observable in reality. And if you can't observe it one way or the other in order to support or falsify hypotheses, it ain't science.
Posted by: Bob the Bilderberg at January 20, 2019 11:15 AM (qc+VF)
Exactly. ^^^
Posted by: naturalfake at January 20, 2019 11:22 AM (CRRq9)
292
I really appreciate all of the great comments about my modest library...Makes my day!I don't spend nearly as much time in there as I should. Part of the reason, of course, is that whenever I want to read a book, I tend to have a certain furry someone (pictured above) get in my way. This happens for any type of reading material--print or Kindle. However, on rare occasions I will just curl up in the chair with a *different* kitty on my lap and read for awhile. I've also used that room as "broadcast center" of sorts for some online classes I've been taking.I don't buy quite at many print books as I used to, partly because it's difficult to find great quality books anymore. Also, I've gotten quite used to reading on the Kindle app, though it did take some adjustment. Still, there's nothing quite like the feel, smell, and heft of a proper book. It's also easier to flip back and forth as needed. Many of my favorite books have a map or glossary or both, and it's helpful to refer to those as I read through the story.
Posted by: Lord Squirrel at January 20, 2019 11:22 AM (y3dEv)
293
>>Heh, so then... James isn't responsible for it?
>>Worth noting, I think he still works for the Red Sox as a consultant. And the guy who put the Astros together is known to be something of a disciple. As was the "Moneyball" guy the A's had for a while there.
Even better example is Theo Epstein. He built the Red Sox into their first World Series championship in generation and then went and did it with Cubs who hadn't won since dirt was invented. He is a big Bill James proponent.
Eh, its just another tool. A useful one but it isn't the be all and end all.
>>Worth noting, I think he still works for the Red Sox as a consultant. And the guy who put the Astros together is known to be something of a disciple. As was the "Moneyball" guy the A's had for a while there.
Even better example is Theo Epstein. He built the Red Sox into their first World Series championship in generation and then went and did it with Cubs who hadn't won since dirt was invented. He is a big Bill James proponent.
Eh, its just another tool. A useful one but it isn't the be all and end all.
Posted by: JackStraw at January 20, 2019 11:23 AM (/tuJf)
294
"And "The Shift" thing... I think every baseball fan understand the
concept of using shifts for different hitters. It's such a simple, long
used part of the game (although the routine overuse of shifts these
days is new), I can't imagine how anyone would say James somehow
invented it."
It has less to do with James and more to do with tech. In the past you may have had a coach that remembered a certain player couldn't go opposite to save his life, now it's just a mouse-click away for every player.
concept of using shifts for different hitters. It's such a simple, long
used part of the game (although the routine overuse of shifts these
days is new), I can't imagine how anyone would say James somehow
invented it."
It has less to do with James and more to do with tech. In the past you may have had a coach that remembered a certain player couldn't go opposite to save his life, now it's just a mouse-click away for every player.
Posted by: lowandslow at January 20, 2019 11:24 AM (4thlk)
295
It's also not science, quantum or otherwise, because it's totally unfalsifiable.
Correct. Most of the latest scienfiic theories are in this category, more along the lines of 18th century concepts and guesswork than actual science. Its interesting speculation and philosophy, but its only that.
Correct. Most of the latest scienfiic theories are in this category, more along the lines of 18th century concepts and guesswork than actual science. Its interesting speculation and philosophy, but its only that.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 11:24 AM (39g3+)
296
Ha! That story always makes me laugh out loud. I think at heart he only cared about winning, glory, and the thrill of battle, but also was brilliant and sophisticated. Wellington first met the real Nelson, then when Nelson figured out he was talking to a peer, the business Nelson came out.
Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at January 20, 2019 11:11 AM (5aX2M)
The trouble with that is that, overwhelmingly, the sea officers he served with liked and admired him. I think the opposite is true; he was just insecure among landsmen. Remember, in those days you really went to sea early.
Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at January 20, 2019 11:11 AM (5aX2M)
The trouble with that is that, overwhelmingly, the sea officers he served with liked and admired him. I think the opposite is true; he was just insecure among landsmen. Remember, in those days you really went to sea early.
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 11:24 AM (VaN/j)
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 20, 2019 11:24 AM (kQs4Y)
298
286 The James Caan version of "Rollerball" had some surprisingly prescient elements in it, especially about the growing corruption of society under Corporate Control. "Jonathan" (James Caan) begins to try to figure out things on his own, so he tries to go to a library. There, he finds out that all of the "libraries" no longer have any actual books or records, tehy just have a link to the Central Database, and the info he wants is restricted. So he travels to the Central Database, and finds out that no one there really knows how to retrieve anything, and are occupied with trying to find the entire 13th century, which has gone missing.
He begins to realize that history is being erased step by step by the people who are really running things.
Posted by: Tom Servo at January 20, 2019 11:19 AM (V2Yro)
We've been seeing that very thing going on for a good 40 years and it's accelerating.
He begins to realize that history is being erased step by step by the people who are really running things.
Posted by: Tom Servo at January 20, 2019 11:19 AM (V2Yro)
We've been seeing that very thing going on for a good 40 years and it's accelerating.
Posted by: Insomniac at January 20, 2019 11:25 AM (NWiLs)
299
This week I picked up a few books about whittling by Chris Lubkemann. They are a great place to start for anyone interested in the hobby. But I noticed that the local library used to have several of his books. They no longer list them. Perhaps they were stolen and not replaced but they may have been put in the frequent book sales they hold. The people making such decisions are the same ones that offer history books, full of maps and other graphics, as audible downloads only. F'ing idiots, probably in their 20s or 30s.
This is why I only get physical books for hands on hobbies and the like. It could be wood carving, fiber arts, hand tool use and maintenance, and so forth. People who never use anything except a keyboard can't conceive of the need for anything physical.
This is why I only get physical books for hands on hobbies and the like. It could be wood carving, fiber arts, hand tool use and maintenance, and so forth. People who never use anything except a keyboard can't conceive of the need for anything physical.
Posted by: JTB at January 20, 2019 11:26 AM (bmdz3)
300
Posted by: Tom Servo at January 20, 2019 11:19 AM (V2Yro
Anthony Burgess's "1985" was about, among other things, roving bands of youths that would break into shuttered libraries to read banned manuscripts of history to counter the stultifying propaganda from the public brainwashing facilities.
Anthony Burgess's "1985" was about, among other things, roving bands of youths that would break into shuttered libraries to read banned manuscripts of history to counter the stultifying propaganda from the public brainwashing facilities.
Posted by: Captain Hate at January 20, 2019 11:26 AM (y7DUB)
301
I hate the shit. THAT IS CHANGING baseball.
Should be a rule: you can shift but stay on you side of 2 nd base
Should be a rule: you can shift but stay on you side of 2 nd base
Posted by: Nevergiveup at January 20, 2019 11:26 AM (Y+V3r)
302
Since we don't even know the initial origin of the Big Bang yet, so where is all the energy and matter coming from that must required by this theory in the gazillion gazillion to the gazillionth power universes which must be created every second."
By definition, we can NEVER know the initial origin of the Big Bang, not in the scientific sense of knowing. By definition, as understood by current cosmological theory, our Universe began with the "Big Bang". Therefore, the Origin was from some source outside of our universe, meaning it was not bound by our universe's rules of time, matter, and space. From our position inside this universe, we might be able to imagine something else in a bit of creative fantasy, but we will always be incapable of "proving" it, since we would have to leave this universe to do so.
By definition, we can NEVER know the initial origin of the Big Bang, not in the scientific sense of knowing. By definition, as understood by current cosmological theory, our Universe began with the "Big Bang". Therefore, the Origin was from some source outside of our universe, meaning it was not bound by our universe's rules of time, matter, and space. From our position inside this universe, we might be able to imagine something else in a bit of creative fantasy, but we will always be incapable of "proving" it, since we would have to leave this universe to do so.
Posted by: Tom Servo at January 20, 2019 11:26 AM (V2Yro)
303
I love the old pulp covers on the walls, they really make a library I think. Original book cover art is the perfect compliment for any library.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 11:26 AM (39g3+)
304
And now the maniacs at Black Rifle coffe have mounted a repeating cannon on a prius. Because why the fuck not.
Posted by: madamemayhem (uppity wench) at January 20, 2019 11:26 AM (myjNJ)
305
266 Runner, great idea!!
Posted by: Jewells45 at January 20, 2019 11:11 AM (dUJdY)
But make sure the magnet is really strong. I've had some, you put on your refrigerator, and they just slide right down.
Make it strong enough to hold 3-4 thicknesses of paper onto the refrigerator door, and I'll buy one. And the AoSHQ keychain, too, which looks freakin AWESOME.
Posted by: Jewells45 at January 20, 2019 11:11 AM (dUJdY)
But make sure the magnet is really strong. I've had some, you put on your refrigerator, and they just slide right down.
Make it strong enough to hold 3-4 thicknesses of paper onto the refrigerator door, and I'll buy one. And the AoSHQ keychain, too, which looks freakin AWESOME.
Posted by: OregonMuse. AoSHQ Thought Leader & Pants Monitor at January 20, 2019 11:26 AM (qmw9b)
306
The problem is that the people in front offices have been hypnotized by geeks with stats into making really stupid decision and its affecting the game.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 11:15 AM (39g3+)
Unlike the old days when they managed to make fools of themselves without the stats.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 11:15 AM (39g3+)
Unlike the old days when they managed to make fools of themselves without the stats.
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 11:27 AM (VaN/j)
307
Multiple universes generated by individual decisions is a cool and fun idea for fiction.
But, when everything from a fly's decision to fly up instead of down
to a water molecule's movement to you picking your nose generates not
just one new universe but a whole slew of possible universes.
It just seems silly.
Since we don't even know the initial origin of the Big Bang yet, so
where is all the energy and matter coming from that must required by
this theory in the gazillion gazillion to the gazillionth power
universes which must be created every second.
Posted by: naturalfake at January 20, 2019 11:07 AM (CRRq9)
Looking at plotting a Paratime like book, I was led to the idea that small changes average out, and are detectable by what is considered Zero Point Energy, but actual divergences of timelines were caused by the freak rogue waves that converge and create a divergence cluster, where one line is then sustained by all the adjacent timelines that were created at the same time collapsing and surrendering their energy to the surviving line. This makes all the timelines unique and discrete, and not merely a blur of indistinguishable realities fading into each other.
"Then all the charm
Is broken--all that phantom-world so fair
Vanishes, and a thousand circlets spread,
And each mis-shape the other."
But, when everything from a fly's decision to fly up instead of down
to a water molecule's movement to you picking your nose generates not
just one new universe but a whole slew of possible universes.
It just seems silly.
Since we don't even know the initial origin of the Big Bang yet, so
where is all the energy and matter coming from that must required by
this theory in the gazillion gazillion to the gazillionth power
universes which must be created every second.
Posted by: naturalfake at January 20, 2019 11:07 AM (CRRq9)
Looking at plotting a Paratime like book, I was led to the idea that small changes average out, and are detectable by what is considered Zero Point Energy, but actual divergences of timelines were caused by the freak rogue waves that converge and create a divergence cluster, where one line is then sustained by all the adjacent timelines that were created at the same time collapsing and surrendering their energy to the surviving line. This makes all the timelines unique and discrete, and not merely a blur of indistinguishable realities fading into each other.
"Then all the charm
Is broken--all that phantom-world so fair
Vanishes, and a thousand circlets spread,
And each mis-shape the other."
Posted by: Kindltot at January 20, 2019 11:27 AM (mUa7G)
308
Analyze it to death, but the great thing is that you still can't predict how human beings are going to perform on any given day.
-------------------------------
The problem is that the people in front offices have been hypnotized by geeks with stats into making really stupid decision and its affecting the game.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 11:15 AM (39g3+)
Right, if you want me to say what's wrong with the game, I'll tell you, it's the still under-reported use of steroids, and it's the way the game is marketed and sold to paying customers, both in the stands and on tv screens.
This marketing, which values the big "payoff" means you have power pitchers and power hitters trying to blow baseballs by hitters and hitters trying to knock the ball out of the park.
Which leads to more strikeouts, more walks, more home runs, and less strategy, less actual thought being done on the field of play.
Objectively, the modern game now more resembles the game from the 50s than ever before, and anyone who has read Bill James' historical baseball analysis will realize, the 50s were NOT some time of great glory, it was a time of boring games, that lead to fan indifference, and almost destroyed the game (anyone remember the Brooklyn Dodgers? The New York Giants? The Boston Braves? The St. Louis Browns? The Philadelphia A's?).
-------------------------------
The problem is that the people in front offices have been hypnotized by geeks with stats into making really stupid decision and its affecting the game.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 11:15 AM (39g3+)
Right, if you want me to say what's wrong with the game, I'll tell you, it's the still under-reported use of steroids, and it's the way the game is marketed and sold to paying customers, both in the stands and on tv screens.
This marketing, which values the big "payoff" means you have power pitchers and power hitters trying to blow baseballs by hitters and hitters trying to knock the ball out of the park.
Which leads to more strikeouts, more walks, more home runs, and less strategy, less actual thought being done on the field of play.
Objectively, the modern game now more resembles the game from the 50s than ever before, and anyone who has read Bill James' historical baseball analysis will realize, the 50s were NOT some time of great glory, it was a time of boring games, that lead to fan indifference, and almost destroyed the game (anyone remember the Brooklyn Dodgers? The New York Giants? The Boston Braves? The St. Louis Browns? The Philadelphia A's?).
Posted by: BurtTC at January 20, 2019 11:27 AM (cY3LT)
309
22 deg., snow flurries, very gusty winds. I skipped church this morning. Feel badly about it.
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 20, 2019 11:27 AM (fZcn6)
310
>>Unlike the old days when they managed to make fools of themselves without the stats.
This is about The Mets, isn't it?
This is about The Mets, isn't it?
Posted by: JackStraw at January 20, 2019 11:28 AM (/tuJf)
311
Should be a rule: you can shift but stay on you side of 2 nd base
If baseball players had the IQ of a garden snail, they'd murder the shift, but they stubbornly refuse to change anything about their swing. Even just shifting your stance very slightly in one direction or another would make a huge difference, but they will not do it, and pay the price.
A few more people bunting down the 3rd base line where NOBODY is covering the base would fix that stupidity. A few more people just stealing 3rd when the shift is on would stop it. But no, they play into this like fools. Stolen bases aren't a true outcome. It gives away outs.
If baseball players had the IQ of a garden snail, they'd murder the shift, but they stubbornly refuse to change anything about their swing. Even just shifting your stance very slightly in one direction or another would make a huge difference, but they will not do it, and pay the price.
A few more people bunting down the 3rd base line where NOBODY is covering the base would fix that stupidity. A few more people just stealing 3rd when the shift is on would stop it. But no, they play into this like fools. Stolen bases aren't a true outcome. It gives away outs.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 11:28 AM (39g3+)
312
I just read Craeft by Alexander Langlands. I can't do the combined ae on my phone). It's a good book and I don't normally like archeologists. This guy was involved with the farming reality shows the BBC made. The book is about how people used the materials in their environment. If you find how people made hay and created ponds interesting, you'll like the book.
I did get the Gosnell book and it's very good so far.
I did get the Gosnell book and it's very good so far.
Posted by: Notsothoreau at January 20, 2019 11:28 AM (Lqy/e)
313
On a spectrum, baseball may be the most individualistic team sport, and performance can highly quantified.
Who wouldn't a .275 hitter who takes a lot of walks over a .280 hitter who doesn't. Hence OBP.
Is it better to pay up for one All Star hitter, or upgrade across the batting order? Or do you want a Reggie Jackson to put asses in seats?
Who wouldn't a .275 hitter who takes a lot of walks over a .280 hitter who doesn't. Hence OBP.
Is it better to pay up for one All Star hitter, or upgrade across the batting order? Or do you want a Reggie Jackson to put asses in seats?
Posted by: Ignoramus at January 20, 2019 11:28 AM (1UZdv)
314
And when some silly bint writes that you should never own more than about 30 books, she can go pee up a rope, too.
I hoard books, which my sister called the only acceptable type of hoarding.
I hoard books, which my sister called the only acceptable type of hoarding.
Posted by: Jim S. at January 20, 2019 11:28 AM (ynUnH)
315
Anthony Burgess's "1985" was about, among other things, roving bands of youths that would break into shuttered libraries to read banned manuscripts of history to counter the stultifying propaganda from the public brainwashing facilities.
Posted by: Captain Hate at January 20, 2019 11:26 AM (y7DUB)
Was Burgess some sort of prophet? I can well imagine something like that happening here and now, or within 5-10 years.
Posted by: Captain Hate at January 20, 2019 11:26 AM (y7DUB)
Was Burgess some sort of prophet? I can well imagine something like that happening here and now, or within 5-10 years.
Posted by: OregonMuse. AoSHQ Thought Leader & Pants Monitor at January 20, 2019 11:29 AM (qmw9b)
316
I like the Multiverse theory. What is dark force? For the galaxies to be accellerating away from each other, there must be a force. Is the center of our universe still pushing stuff out? What if the other universes are sucking our stuff toward them?
Posted by: JAS at January 20, 2019 11:29 AM (3HNOQ)
317
I hoard books, which my sister called the only acceptable type of hoarding.
Posted by: Jim S. at January 20, 2019 11:28 AM (ynUnH)
Hear, hear!
Posted by: Jim S. at January 20, 2019 11:28 AM (ynUnH)
Hear, hear!
Posted by: OregonMuse. AoSHQ Thought Leader & Pants Monitor at January 20, 2019 11:29 AM (qmw9b)
318
Posted by: Tom Servo at January 20, 2019 11:26 AM (V2Yro)
My old Sunday school teacher said that big bang was what happened when God clapped his hands and scientists can't prove it wasnt.
My old Sunday school teacher said that big bang was what happened when God clapped his hands and scientists can't prove it wasnt.
Posted by: madamemayhem (uppity wench) at January 20, 2019 11:30 AM (myjNJ)
319
The trouble with that is that, overwhelmingly, the sea officers he served with liked and admired him. I think the opposite is true; he was just insecure among landsmen. Remember, in those days you really went to sea early.
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 11:24 AM (VaN/j)
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Very possible. And unlike in the Navy, the British public worshipped him as a demigod, so he may have felt a need to be braggadocious as well, to keep up appearances. Nelson was a pretty unique guy. And, he deserves the column - not that Churchill doesn't, too.
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 11:24 AM (VaN/j)
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Very possible. And unlike in the Navy, the British public worshipped him as a demigod, so he may have felt a need to be braggadocious as well, to keep up appearances. Nelson was a pretty unique guy. And, he deserves the column - not that Churchill doesn't, too.
Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at January 20, 2019 11:30 AM (5aX2M)
320
Speaking of baseball, anyone know where the term "out of left field" came from?
Posted by: JackStraw at January 20, 2019 11:30 AM (/tuJf)
321
I used to like the show Fixer Upper until I saw that Joanne woman putting books on the shelf backward to decorate with. What books? Who cares, they're just for show.
That's a night in the box.
That's a night in the box.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 11:30 AM (39g3+)
322
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 11:28 AM (39g3+)
Yup. Problem is these idiots today can not bunt. Lol
Where. Is Phil rezzuto when you need him
Yup. Problem is these idiots today can not bunt. Lol
Where. Is Phil rezzuto when you need him
Posted by: Nevergiveup at January 20, 2019 11:31 AM (Y+V3r)
323
287 Heh, so then... James isn't responsible for it?
He started off a new wave of stats that people have taken and misused and damaged baseball with. His ideas are why people think you should swing for the fences every time, don't worry about strike outs, never steal a base, and use an exaggerated shift on every batter. His ideas are why people think you should have a huge bullpen of all short relief instead of a starter with a batch of closers. His acolytes believe that all that matters is the numbers, not the personalities involved.
He didn't TELL anyone to do this, but he provided the tools and pushed the perspective that's led to it. He's responsible for this new wave of bad baseball, that will in time be moved away from.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 11:21 AM (39g3+)
But his tools, at least in his opinion, don't instruct anyone to do that. E.g., he is explicit in condemning the overuse of short relievers. And he was MORE skeptical about the shift than other analysts.
He started off a new wave of stats that people have taken and misused and damaged baseball with. His ideas are why people think you should swing for the fences every time, don't worry about strike outs, never steal a base, and use an exaggerated shift on every batter. His ideas are why people think you should have a huge bullpen of all short relief instead of a starter with a batch of closers. His acolytes believe that all that matters is the numbers, not the personalities involved.
He didn't TELL anyone to do this, but he provided the tools and pushed the perspective that's led to it. He's responsible for this new wave of bad baseball, that will in time be moved away from.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 11:21 AM (39g3+)
But his tools, at least in his opinion, don't instruct anyone to do that. E.g., he is explicit in condemning the overuse of short relievers. And he was MORE skeptical about the shift than other analysts.
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 11:31 AM (VaN/j)
324
I love the old pulp covers on the walls, they really make a library I think. Original book cover art is the perfect compliment for any library.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor
--------
My dad liked the Forrester 'Hornblower' series. As a kid, I was struck by the lurid covers of the paperbacks. Later, as an adult, I read them all, and realized that the covers were totally marketing, as the content was unrelated to the covers.
Now, the Mickey Spillane novels were far more related to said lurid covers.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor
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My dad liked the Forrester 'Hornblower' series. As a kid, I was struck by the lurid covers of the paperbacks. Later, as an adult, I read them all, and realized that the covers were totally marketing, as the content was unrelated to the covers.
Now, the Mickey Spillane novels were far more related to said lurid covers.
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 20, 2019 11:32 AM (fZcn6)
325
Jewells - here a ready etching for you, of another idea, courtesy of Mike Hammer :
I have a coveted 'Kaboom' fridge magnet.
But my favorite is http://tinyurl.com/y8zvjryp
Posted by: Mike Hammer
I have a coveted 'Kaboom' fridge magnet.
But my favorite is http://tinyurl.com/y8zvjryp
Posted by: Mike Hammer
Posted by: runner at January 20, 2019 11:32 AM (bUjCl)
326
My mother is a hoarder. I used to say borderline but yeah, a hoarder. Not full on house packed floor to ceiling like the TV show but she has a lot of stuff.
A lot less now after she was hospitalized last year and I went with several people and took truckloads of stuff to the dump.
A lot of it was books. She loves to read, and probably kept everything she ever read. She had a whole wall full of readers digest condensed books. They had been there since we moved in in 1979. And they were full of rat and mouse debris. No use to anyone.
A lot less now after she was hospitalized last year and I went with several people and took truckloads of stuff to the dump.
A lot of it was books. She loves to read, and probably kept everything she ever read. She had a whole wall full of readers digest condensed books. They had been there since we moved in in 1979. And they were full of rat and mouse debris. No use to anyone.
Posted by: blaster at January 20, 2019 11:32 AM (ZfRYq)
327
Nelson was a pretty unique guy. And, he deserves the column - not that Churchill doesn't, too.
I agree, Nelson deserves the accolades, its just that Churchill does at least as much as well and Brits act like they're embarrassed by the guy.
I agree, Nelson deserves the accolades, its just that Churchill does at least as much as well and Brits act like they're embarrassed by the guy.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 11:33 AM (39g3+)
328
And God said, Let there be light, and there was light.
Posted by: Ignoramus at January 20, 2019 11:33 AM (1UZdv)
329
'Joanne woman putting books on the shelf backward to decorate with'
Maybe they were Mooch and Hilster books. You can probably get cases of em cheap.
Maybe they were Mooch and Hilster books. You can probably get cases of em cheap.
Posted by: freaked at January 20, 2019 11:33 AM (UdKB7)
330
Bill James was on EconTalk a couple of years ago, IIRC it was really interesting:
tinyurl.com/James-EconTalk
Bill James was on EconTalk a couple of years ago, IIRC it was really interesting:
tinyurl.com/James-EconTalk
Posted by: AltonJackson at January 20, 2019 11:33 AM (KCxzN)
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 20, 2019 11:33 AM (2qPhT)
332
Let me clarify something here on Amazon deleting books. They don't actually delete the book, it remains indicated in your library. But if it does not have that "check mark" on the cover it will not open unless you re-download it. And this only happens with books purchased through Amazon. And the check mark goes away if you have not opened the book in a while.
If you purchase a book from somewhere else and download it it will have the check mark and it will NOT go away after a while. And it has something to do with that DRM crap.
If you purchase a book from somewhere else and download it it will have the check mark and it will NOT go away after a while. And it has something to do with that DRM crap.
Posted by: Vic at January 20, 2019 11:33 AM (mpXpK)
333
The trouble with that is that, overwhelmingly, the sea officers he served with liked and admired him. I think the opposite is true; he was just insecure among landsmen. Remember, in those days you really went to sea early.
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 11:24 AM (VaN/j)
True. I lurvs me some early seamen!
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 11:24 AM (VaN/j)
True. I lurvs me some early seamen!
Posted by: Shep! at January 20, 2019 11:33 AM (qmw9b)
334
I hoard books, which my sister called the only acceptable type of hoarding.
And ammo! Wait, wrong Sunday thread.
And ammo! Wait, wrong Sunday thread.
Posted by: Bob the Bilderberg at January 20, 2019 11:33 AM (qc+VF)
335
https://tinyurl.com/yb9g9k5r
Posted by: Michael Rittenhouse at January 20, 2019 10:52 AM (+Abq4)
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Enjoying this video. Lots of kooks in the world.
Posted by: Michael Rittenhouse at January 20, 2019 10:52 AM (+Abq4)
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Enjoying this video. Lots of kooks in the world.
Posted by: Huck Follywood, As Woke As He's Gonna Get at January 20, 2019 11:34 AM (Z216Q)
Posted by: Ignoramus at January 20, 2019 11:34 AM (1UZdv)
337
its just that Churchill does at least as much ...
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Almost single-handedly saves western civilization.
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Almost single-handedly saves western civilization.
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 20, 2019 11:35 AM (2qPhT)
338
Probably already discussed but last week some time-- over at PJM, I think-- there was a discussion about that stupid suggestion that one should only own 30 books. Stupidity. That led of course to e- vs. real books. There is no way on God's Green Earth that I would commit my entire library to e-books. I said as much, most agreed. One clear reason is that the lights *do* go out. One asshole tried to make fun of me-- zombie apocalypse & all. What idiots.
I have a lot of old (100+ yrs.) text books. It's always a hoot to compare "the science is settled" to "the science is settled 20 years later." Gives one a sense of humility and perspective.
I have a lot of old (100+ yrs.) text books. It's always a hoot to compare "the science is settled" to "the science is settled 20 years later." Gives one a sense of humility and perspective.
Posted by: Marica at January 20, 2019 11:35 AM (cykH2)
339
I hoard books, which my sister called the only acceptable type of hoarding.
Posted by: Jim S. at January 20, 2019 11:28 AM (ynUnH)
---
*nods sagely*
Posted by: Jim S. at January 20, 2019 11:28 AM (ynUnH)
---
*nods sagely*
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 20, 2019 11:35 AM (kQs4Y)
340
I think we can know something about what caused the universe to begin, since by definition a cause exists independently of its effects. Since the effects in this case are matter, energy, space, and time springing into existence, we can know that the cause of the universe exists independently of matter, energy, space, and time. You can actually deduce several traditional attributes of God from that. You can even argue that this cause must be an intentional agent, although that point gets pretty philosophical.
And, as a Christian, I have no problem with multiverse theories. These originated in order to explain some problems with cosmic inflation, not in order to explain the beginning of the universe without having to appeal to God. At any rate, it sure seems like God loves to create so I don't see why he wouldn't have created many different universes and delights in them. It's like "The Wood between the Worlds" in C.S. Lewis's The Magician's Nephew.
And, as a Christian, I have no problem with multiverse theories. These originated in order to explain some problems with cosmic inflation, not in order to explain the beginning of the universe without having to appeal to God. At any rate, it sure seems like God loves to create so I don't see why he wouldn't have created many different universes and delights in them. It's like "The Wood between the Worlds" in C.S. Lewis's The Magician's Nephew.
Posted by: Jim S. at January 20, 2019 11:35 AM (ynUnH)
341
He started off a new wave of stats that people have taken and misused and damaged baseball with. His ideas are why people think you should swing for the fences every time, don't worry about strike outs, never steal a base, and use an exaggerated shift on every batter. His ideas are why people think you should have a huge bullpen of all short relief instead of a starter with a batch of closers. His acolytes believe that all that matters is the numbers, not the personalities involved.
He didn't TELL anyone to do this, but he provided the tools and pushed the perspective that's led to it. He's responsible for this new wave of bad baseball, that will in time be moved away from.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 11:21 AM (39g3+)
Except if you read Bill James, he will tell you more clearly than anyone else, how ALL of those things you mention are bad strategy ON THE FIELD.
Regarding the shift in particular, James has written, as have many others, that all it would take to stop shifts, is for players to adjust to it, and start laying bunts down the line, or at least going the opposite way.
George Brett for a while there was heavily shifted on. George Brett did exactly that. He had another set of tools in his arsenal, to play the game on the field, based on what the other team gave him to work with.
So the lack of imagination, and the lack of response to power pitchers and power hitters being susceptible to shifts, is EXACTLY the opposite of what Bill James himself has recommended. And baseball people who are applying his concepts, are in places like Boston and Houston and yes, these days in that hellhole called Wrigley.
He didn't TELL anyone to do this, but he provided the tools and pushed the perspective that's led to it. He's responsible for this new wave of bad baseball, that will in time be moved away from.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 11:21 AM (39g3+)
Except if you read Bill James, he will tell you more clearly than anyone else, how ALL of those things you mention are bad strategy ON THE FIELD.
Regarding the shift in particular, James has written, as have many others, that all it would take to stop shifts, is for players to adjust to it, and start laying bunts down the line, or at least going the opposite way.
George Brett for a while there was heavily shifted on. George Brett did exactly that. He had another set of tools in his arsenal, to play the game on the field, based on what the other team gave him to work with.
So the lack of imagination, and the lack of response to power pitchers and power hitters being susceptible to shifts, is EXACTLY the opposite of what Bill James himself has recommended. And baseball people who are applying his concepts, are in places like Boston and Houston and yes, these days in that hellhole called Wrigley.
Posted by: BurtTC at January 20, 2019 11:35 AM (cY3LT)
342
Which leads to more strikeouts, more walks, more home runs, and less strategy, less actual thought being done on the field of play.
Long ago and far away, when i was stationed in Japan.
I loved Japanese baseball. (the Hiroshima Carps were my team, yo!)
Mainly for the reason of that since they didn't have all the power hitters,
Japanese baseball was strategic and tactical baseball. With sacrifice bunts and all the rest of the chess game stuff, which makes baseball so interesting and fun.
Plus, eating ramen in the stands and grilled squid on a stick just added to the fun.
Long ago and far away, when i was stationed in Japan.
I loved Japanese baseball. (the Hiroshima Carps were my team, yo!)
Mainly for the reason of that since they didn't have all the power hitters,
Japanese baseball was strategic and tactical baseball. With sacrifice bunts and all the rest of the chess game stuff, which makes baseball so interesting and fun.
Plus, eating ramen in the stands and grilled squid on a stick just added to the fun.
Posted by: naturalfake at January 20, 2019 11:37 AM (CRRq9)
343
Brits act like they're embarrassed by the guy.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 11:33 AM (39g3
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Pathetic, isn't it? A nation of sad sacks.
Meanwhile, us Yanks treat FDR as the Second Coming, wholly uncritical of the man's many flaws.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 11:33 AM (39g3
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Pathetic, isn't it? A nation of sad sacks.
Meanwhile, us Yanks treat FDR as the Second Coming, wholly uncritical of the man's many flaws.
Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at January 20, 2019 11:38 AM (5aX2M)
344
>>"out IN left field', I think.
There is also a term, out of left field, meaning an odd and unexpected turn of events.
A common belief is that it came from the Chicago Cubs pre-Wrigley home, West Side Grounds. There was a mental hospital behind left field so an odd happening was said to come out of left field.
And now you know, the rest of the story.
There is also a term, out of left field, meaning an odd and unexpected turn of events.
A common belief is that it came from the Chicago Cubs pre-Wrigley home, West Side Grounds. There was a mental hospital behind left field so an odd happening was said to come out of left field.
And now you know, the rest of the story.
Posted by: JackStraw at January 20, 2019 11:38 AM (/tuJf)
345
316 I like the Multiverse theory. What is dark force? For the galaxies to be accellerating away from each other, there must be a force. Is the center of our universe still pushing stuff out? What if the other universes are sucking our stuff toward them?"
If Space itself is expanding (which is what we think is happening) then even though every Galaxy is standing still, it looks to every other galaxy like they are accelerating away, and the ones that are farthest away LOOK like they are accelerating the most.
Think of it this way - the galaxies aren't "moving" in the way that we think of the word. It's just that the space between them is increasing.
The result of the "Big Bang" was matter and energy. Matter and Energy generates what we call "space". more accurately, a 4 dimensional space-time continuum.
It seems to me that the idea of a multiverse is cute, but that it violates the principle of conservation of energy.
If Space itself is expanding (which is what we think is happening) then even though every Galaxy is standing still, it looks to every other galaxy like they are accelerating away, and the ones that are farthest away LOOK like they are accelerating the most.
Think of it this way - the galaxies aren't "moving" in the way that we think of the word. It's just that the space between them is increasing.
The result of the "Big Bang" was matter and energy. Matter and Energy generates what we call "space". more accurately, a 4 dimensional space-time continuum.
It seems to me that the idea of a multiverse is cute, but that it violates the principle of conservation of energy.
Posted by: Tom Servo at January 20, 2019 11:39 AM (V2Yro)
346
Churchill saved a version of Western civilization. The Germans were Western, too.
Posted by: blaster at January 20, 2019 11:41 AM (ZfRYq)
347
I fail to see what is so atheist about the idea of the multiverse. Mind you, I don't see any particular reason to put great weight on it either; it seems to be a conjecture some use to explain odd phenomena. That's not science, it's at most a starting point for scientific investigation.
But it has some affinity with some theistic theories, like possible worlds, which Liebniz and Plantinga use to support belief in God, or Molinism, in which (unlike Aslan) God CAN tell you what would have happened.
It's just "many mansions" taken literally, in one sense.
But it has some affinity with some theistic theories, like possible worlds, which Liebniz and Plantinga use to support belief in God, or Molinism, in which (unlike Aslan) God CAN tell you what would have happened.
It's just "many mansions" taken literally, in one sense.
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 11:41 AM (VaN/j)
348
My mother is a hoarder. I used to say borderline but yeah, a hoarder. Not full on house packed floor to ceiling like the TV show but she has a lot of stuff.
Yeah, hoarding runs in my family. I'm always scared to get rid of stuff because we might need it later. That's why I'm married to a non-hoarder. My mom hoarded stuff a bit, but we realized it was nothing compared to our aunt (her sister). They both grew up in the Depression, so that would probably account for a lot of it. But when our aunt died she left everything to my sister and our cousin, and apparently her house was as bad as anything you see on TV about extreme hoarders. There were tunnels from one room to the next, every room was completely filled with magazines, newspapers, etc.
Yeah, hoarding runs in my family. I'm always scared to get rid of stuff because we might need it later. That's why I'm married to a non-hoarder. My mom hoarded stuff a bit, but we realized it was nothing compared to our aunt (her sister). They both grew up in the Depression, so that would probably account for a lot of it. But when our aunt died she left everything to my sister and our cousin, and apparently her house was as bad as anything you see on TV about extreme hoarders. There were tunnels from one room to the next, every room was completely filled with magazines, newspapers, etc.
Posted by: Jim S. at January 20, 2019 11:41 AM (ynUnH)
349
236 The ABE 'Weird Book Room'
You have the Liberace fashion guide, too? *Fist bump*
Seriously, though, some of those look like fun books to have. At the antique store a few months back, I saw a book about pyramids. I opened it up, and it was a whole book full of diagrams and explanations of human pyramids--that's right, people standing on other people to make pyramids.
Husband was ready to go, so I left it, and it was not there the next time we went. That book is worthy of the weird book page.
You have the Liberace fashion guide, too? *Fist bump*
Seriously, though, some of those look like fun books to have. At the antique store a few months back, I saw a book about pyramids. I opened it up, and it was a whole book full of diagrams and explanations of human pyramids--that's right, people standing on other people to make pyramids.
Husband was ready to go, so I left it, and it was not there the next time we went. That book is worthy of the weird book page.
Posted by: April at January 20, 2019 11:42 AM (OX9vb)
350
A few years back, the KC Royals were the most fun team in baseball because they did all the things you're not supposed to do anymore - play small ball, steal bases like crazy, go for the singles and doubles rather than the long ball. The result was really entertaining baseball and I'm surprised other teams didn't pick up on it. But baseball fads come and go - it was small ball until Babe Ruth and the 20's, the 50's was defined by power hitters like Mantle, the 60's was the era of the pitcher, etc.
Posted by: Donna&&&&&&V at January 20, 2019 11:42 AM (d6Ksn)
351
Even during his life, almost all Ruling Class brits hated Churchill. He was a gadfly and an outcast for most of his life, until things got so desperate they had no choice but to grant him power. Even then, most of the ruling class wanted to surrender rather than fight. (as detailed in Darkest Hour)
And then, when Churchill proved to be right, they hated him more than ever for being right and showing that they had been wrong. That's how the Ruling Class rolls.
And then, when Churchill proved to be right, they hated him more than ever for being right and showing that they had been wrong. That's how the Ruling Class rolls.
Posted by: Tom Servo at January 20, 2019 11:43 AM (V2Yro)
352
Stolen bases aren't a true outcome. It gives away outs.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 11:28 AM (39g3+)
Which, interestingly enough, is a fact that is known primarily because Bill James was doing detailed statistical analysis in the 70s and 80s, when stolen bases were all the rage.
His conclusion was that you had to be successful something like 75-80% of the time, or you were giving away outs. So guys like Ricky Henderson and Tim Raines were helping your team. A guy who stole 20 bases and got caught 10 times, was not.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 11:28 AM (39g3+)
Which, interestingly enough, is a fact that is known primarily because Bill James was doing detailed statistical analysis in the 70s and 80s, when stolen bases were all the rage.
His conclusion was that you had to be successful something like 75-80% of the time, or you were giving away outs. So guys like Ricky Henderson and Tim Raines were helping your team. A guy who stole 20 bases and got caught 10 times, was not.
Posted by: BurtTC at January 20, 2019 11:43 AM (cY3LT)
353
The Universe itself is a violation of conservation of energy. From nothing, something. Everything, in fact.
Smart guys like Hawking say that is just a characteristic of the Universe, that it could just suddenly burst into appearance.
Smart guys like Hawking say that is just a characteristic of the Universe, that it could just suddenly burst into appearance.
Posted by: blaster at January 20, 2019 11:43 AM (ZfRYq)
354
The NFL has long been tied to gambling. Will MLB follow?
Posted by: Ignoramus at January 20, 2019 11:44 AM (1UZdv)
355
The multiverse theory means no free will since every decision is covered.
Posted by: WOPR at January 20, 2019 11:44 AM (J70i0)
356
I am a hoarder too
*sigh*
*sigh*
Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at January 20, 2019 11:44 AM (BJlbN)
357
310 >>Unlike the old days when they managed to make fools of themselves without the stats.
This is about The Mets, isn't it?
Posted by: JackStraw at January 20, 2019 11:28 AM (/tuJf)
( *shifty eyes* )
Um, yes. Yes, it is.
This is about The Mets, isn't it?
Posted by: JackStraw at January 20, 2019 11:28 AM (/tuJf)
( *shifty eyes* )
Um, yes. Yes, it is.
Posted by: The Chicago Cubs at January 20, 2019 11:44 AM (qmw9b)
358
I don't see why he wouldn't have created many different universes and delights in them.
---------
Biblical scholars scoff when I say this, 'That's not what that means', they smugly reply when I quote, 'In my Father's house are many mansions..', and 'I have other sheep that are not of this fold..'
---------
Biblical scholars scoff when I say this, 'That's not what that means', they smugly reply when I quote, 'In my Father's house are many mansions..', and 'I have other sheep that are not of this fold..'
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 20, 2019 11:44 AM (HTHlp)
359
And ammo! Wait, wrong Sunday thread.
Posted by: Bob the Bilderberg at January 20, 2019 11:33 AM (qc+VF)
-------
I prefer to think of it as stockpiling.
And ammo! Wait, wrong Sunday thread.
Posted by: Bob the Bilderberg at January 20, 2019 11:33 AM (qc+VF)
-------
I prefer to think of it as stockpiling.
Posted by: Weasel at January 20, 2019 11:45 AM (MVjcR)
360
>>A few years back, the KC Royals were the most fun team in baseball
They weren't that fun to some of us Mets fans.
They weren't that fun to some of us Mets fans.
Posted by: JackStraw at January 20, 2019 11:45 AM (/tuJf)
361
On multiverse and free will, read Larry Niven's short story, "All the Myriad of Ways". Pretty disturbing.
Posted by: Jim S. at January 20, 2019 11:45 AM (ynUnH)
362
Was Burgess some sort of prophet? I can well imagine something like that happening here and now, or within 5-10 years.
Posted by: OregonMuse. AoSHQ Thought Leader & Pants Monitor at January 20, 2019 11:29 AM (qmw9b)
He thought that as smart as Orwell was he had an obdurate blind spot regarding socialism and rewrote 1984 to hammer the trade unions and nonjudgmental equality. It probably doesn't get mentioned much by the libs because of how they get skewered and conservatives for the most part don't care about Burgess.
Posted by: OregonMuse. AoSHQ Thought Leader & Pants Monitor at January 20, 2019 11:29 AM (qmw9b)
He thought that as smart as Orwell was he had an obdurate blind spot regarding socialism and rewrote 1984 to hammer the trade unions and nonjudgmental equality. It probably doesn't get mentioned much by the libs because of how they get skewered and conservatives for the most part don't care about Burgess.
Posted by: Captain Hate at January 20, 2019 11:45 AM (y7DUB)
363
I'm not a 'hoarder', dammit! I'm a 'collector'.
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 20, 2019 11:45 AM (HTHlp)
364
354 The NFL has long been tied to gambling.
Posted by: Ignoramus at January 20, 2019 11:44 AM (1UZdv)
No! Next thing you know, the WWE will turn out to be fake.
Posted by: Ignoramus at January 20, 2019 11:44 AM (1UZdv)
No! Next thing you know, the WWE will turn out to be fake.
Posted by: OregonMuse. AoSHQ Thought Leader & Pants Monitor at January 20, 2019 11:46 AM (qmw9b)
365
The multiverse theory means no free will since every decision is covered.
Posted by: WOPR at January 20, 2019 11:44 AM (J70i0)
------
I'm intrigued...
Posted by: WOPR at January 20, 2019 11:44 AM (J70i0)
------
I'm intrigued...
Posted by: Jean Calvin at January 20, 2019 11:46 AM (5aX2M)
366
For example, you can download the book 1632 directly from Baen
Books for free. And that is where I got my copy years ago. It has been a
while since I read that book and it still has the "check mark".
I
am trying to find a book that I have not opened for a long time that
has the notation on the first page that it has been sold w/o DRM. No
luck, but I will run across one sooner or later.
Books for free. And that is where I got my copy years ago. It has been a
while since I read that book and it still has the "check mark".
I
am trying to find a book that I have not opened for a long time that
has the notation on the first page that it has been sold w/o DRM. No
luck, but I will run across one sooner or later.
Posted by: Vic at January 20, 2019 11:46 AM (mpXpK)
367
355 The multiverse theory means no free will since every decision is covered.
Posted by: WOPR at January 20, 2019 11:44 AM (J70i0)
Non sequitur.
Posted by: WOPR at January 20, 2019 11:44 AM (J70i0)
Non sequitur.
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 11:47 AM (VaN/j)
Posted by: The Black Sox at January 20, 2019 11:47 AM (/tuJf)
369
I'm not a hoarder, I'm a Horder.
Posted by: Insomniac at January 20, 2019 11:47 AM (NWiLs)
370
I'm trying to redirect my hoarding by usibg some stuff in actual projects
Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at January 20, 2019 11:47 AM (BJlbN)
371
God really is infinite.
It took me a while to get to this because Moron, but the concept of God is sorta like every sci-fi fan's dream come true: to contact a higher life form, which is exactly what He is.
God really is infinite.
It took me a while to get to this because Moron, but the concept of God is sorta like every sci-fi fan's dream come true: to contact a higher life form, which is exactly what He is.
Posted by: BackwardsBoy at January 20, 2019 11:48 AM (HaL55)
372
The Rivers of London series is an interesting urban fantasy, by Ben Aaronovitch. The Rivers are characters in their own right. Book Seven has just come out; although I haven't read it yet it's getting good reviews.
Posted by: Lirio100 at January 20, 2019 11:48 AM (JK7Jw)
373
Hodor!
Posted by: Hodor at January 20, 2019 11:48 AM (/tuJf)
374
Meanwhile, us Yanks treat FDR as the Second Coming, wholly uncritical of the man's many flaws.
Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at January 20, 2019 11:38 AM (5aX2M)
I am, among other things, part of the Saint Delano Truth Squad. Fuck that gimp in particular.
Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at January 20, 2019 11:38 AM (5aX2M)
I am, among other things, part of the Saint Delano Truth Squad. Fuck that gimp in particular.
Posted by: Captain Hate at January 20, 2019 11:48 AM (y7DUB)
375
Long ago and far away, when i was stationed in Japan.
I loved Japanese baseball. (the Hiroshima Carps were my team, yo!)
Mainly for the reason of that since they didn't have all the power hitters,
Japanese baseball was strategic and tactical baseball. With sacrifice bunts and all the rest of the chess game stuff, which makes baseball so interesting and fun.
Plus, eating ramen in the stands and grilled squid on a stick just added to the fun.
Posted by: naturalfake at January 20, 2019 11:37 AM (CRRq9)
You had me... until you got to the grilled squid.
I mentioned the other day, I was watching the 1983 World Series. It's over now. Eddie Murray came to life in Game 5. Mike Schmidt did not.
Poor poor, Philly fans... I feel sorry.. oh hell, of course I don't!
Anyhoo, strategy. Smart pitching. Defense.
And now I'm starting on the '89 World Series. Steroids. Earthquakes. Home runs. I think it's not a stretch to say the game underwent a fundamental change in those years. We're living in a modern era of baseball that started around 1987, and has been on a downward trajectory ever since.
And of course we are talking about American MLB. Not the game as it is necessarily played elsewhere, at other levels.
I loved Japanese baseball. (the Hiroshima Carps were my team, yo!)
Mainly for the reason of that since they didn't have all the power hitters,
Japanese baseball was strategic and tactical baseball. With sacrifice bunts and all the rest of the chess game stuff, which makes baseball so interesting and fun.
Plus, eating ramen in the stands and grilled squid on a stick just added to the fun.
Posted by: naturalfake at January 20, 2019 11:37 AM (CRRq9)
You had me... until you got to the grilled squid.
I mentioned the other day, I was watching the 1983 World Series. It's over now. Eddie Murray came to life in Game 5. Mike Schmidt did not.
Poor poor, Philly fans... I feel sorry.. oh hell, of course I don't!
Anyhoo, strategy. Smart pitching. Defense.
And now I'm starting on the '89 World Series. Steroids. Earthquakes. Home runs. I think it's not a stretch to say the game underwent a fundamental change in those years. We're living in a modern era of baseball that started around 1987, and has been on a downward trajectory ever since.
And of course we are talking about American MLB. Not the game as it is necessarily played elsewhere, at other levels.
Posted by: BurtTC at January 20, 2019 11:48 AM (cY3LT)
376
353 The Universe itself is a violation of conservation of energy. From nothing, something. Everything, in fact. "
yes, BUT - this doubles back to why the source of the Big Bang has to be outside of our universe. Conservation of Energy is a rule of OUR universe. There is no way of knowing whether it applies to any other universe. It follows that something OUTSIDE our universe may very well be able to create other universes - but anything inside our universe, including us and our choices, has to obey the laws of our universe.
yes, BUT - this doubles back to why the source of the Big Bang has to be outside of our universe. Conservation of Energy is a rule of OUR universe. There is no way of knowing whether it applies to any other universe. It follows that something OUTSIDE our universe may very well be able to create other universes - but anything inside our universe, including us and our choices, has to obey the laws of our universe.
Posted by: Tom Servo at January 20, 2019 11:49 AM (V2Yro)
377
371
God really is infinite.
It took me a while to get to this because Moron, but the concept of God is sorta like every sci-fi fan's dream come true: to contact a higher life form, which is exactly what He is.
Posted by: BackwardsBoy at January 20, 2019 11:48 AM (HaL55)
Bring me your starship.
God really is infinite.
It took me a while to get to this because Moron, but the concept of God is sorta like every sci-fi fan's dream come true: to contact a higher life form, which is exactly what He is.
Posted by: BackwardsBoy at January 20, 2019 11:48 AM (HaL55)
Bring me your starship.
Posted by: God at January 20, 2019 11:49 AM (NWiLs)
Posted by: runner at January 20, 2019 11:49 AM (bUjCl)
379
Everyone seems to equate multiverse theories with the philosophical concept of logically possible worlds. The latter is just a thought experiment of alternate realities with no logical contradictions. But the multiverse doesn't have the same implications. Just saying there's an infinite number of universes doesn't say anything about how variable they are. Maybe they're all identical or only vary within certain limits. You can't just move from there being an infinite number of universes to the idea that every logical possibility is expressed. For that matter, who's to say that there are an infinite number of universes in the multiverse? Maybe there's only 5,000,000. Or 5,000. Or 5.
Posted by: Jim S. at January 20, 2019 11:49 AM (ynUnH)
380
Kindle DRM can be dealt with using Calibre and the Apprentice Alf DRM removal plugin. My standard ebook intake procedure is to buy a Kindle book and immediately import into Calibre, DRM free, then convert to epub (again in Calibre) for device independent reading. I prefer to read on a Pixel C tablet, sadly no longer manufactured but a superb reading machine.
Posted by: DRM Breaker at January 20, 2019 11:50 AM (wWDoG)
381
Do we have any evidence that there are any other universes other than the one we're living in now?
And no, reruns of 'The Man In the High Castle' episodes don't count as evidence.
And no, reruns of 'The Man In the High Castle' episodes don't count as evidence.
Posted by: OregonMuse. AoSHQ Thought Leader & Pants Monitor at January 20, 2019 11:50 AM (qmw9b)
382
I just wrote a book about a magical world where two "pobbits" go on a quest that involves a witch named Gandalpha, and throwing a magical bracelet into a geyser on top of Mount Gloom.
It was easier that I thought. Ctrl-V and Find/Replace is a writers best friend!
It was easier that I thought. Ctrl-V and Find/Replace is a writers best friend!
Posted by: Jonah G. at January 20, 2019 11:51 AM (LL1Be)
383
The NFL has long been tied to gambling. Will MLB follow?
No, that would be wrong.
Posted by: The Black Sox at January 20, 2019 11:47 AM (/tuJf)
With those ESPN dimwits, if the Black Sox thing happened today would people even care?
No, that would be wrong.
Posted by: The Black Sox at January 20, 2019 11:47 AM (/tuJf)
With those ESPN dimwits, if the Black Sox thing happened today would people even care?
Posted by: Captain Hate at January 20, 2019 11:51 AM (y7DUB)
384
Pitchers and catchers in 4 weeks
Posted by: Nevergiveup at January 20, 2019 11:51 AM (Y+V3r)
385
When I was dealing with my mothers hoarding, everyone I talked to had some "collecting problem" in their experience - a relative or friend. Literally everyone.
So I think it's pretty widespread. (Yes I have a tinge of it and I take extra efforts to just get rid of things if they are no longer useful. It is hard. And sometimes it is an admission of defeat, here was something I was going to do something with and I failed... but anyway). And what is scary to me is that near my mothers house I see lots and lots of storage facilities built. So hoards are going past what people can keep in their homes.
So I think it's pretty widespread. (Yes I have a tinge of it and I take extra efforts to just get rid of things if they are no longer useful. It is hard. And sometimes it is an admission of defeat, here was something I was going to do something with and I failed... but anyway). And what is scary to me is that near my mothers house I see lots and lots of storage facilities built. So hoards are going past what people can keep in their homes.
Posted by: blaster at January 20, 2019 11:51 AM (ZfRYq)
386
'I'm not a 'hoarder', dammit! I'm a 'collector'.'
With the demise of Radio Shack and government surplus stores it is necessary to maintain a stock of components on hand. Now if I could just find that one part that I know is around here somewhere... oh look here's that oil can spout I was looking for.
With the demise of Radio Shack and government surplus stores it is necessary to maintain a stock of components on hand. Now if I could just find that one part that I know is around here somewhere... oh look here's that oil can spout I was looking for.
Posted by: freaked at January 20, 2019 11:51 AM (UdKB7)
Posted by: Newest Nic at January 20, 2019 11:51 AM (jYje5)
388
>>With those ESPN dimwits, if the Black Sox thing happened today would people even care?
Well nobody seems to care about the Patriots cheating so ....
Well nobody seems to care about the Patriots cheating so ....
Posted by: JackStraw at January 20, 2019 11:52 AM (/tuJf)
389
The NFL has long been tied to gambling. Will MLB follow?
Posted by: Ignoramus at January 20, 2019 11:44 AM (1UZdv)
I think they were really pushing the idea of fantasy baseball for a while there. I don't know how much they are still doing that, but it's like a gateway drug to gambling.
NFL of course, is chin deep in both.
Posted by: Ignoramus at January 20, 2019 11:44 AM (1UZdv)
I think they were really pushing the idea of fantasy baseball for a while there. I don't know how much they are still doing that, but it's like a gateway drug to gambling.
NFL of course, is chin deep in both.
Posted by: BurtTC at January 20, 2019 11:53 AM (cY3LT)
390
Good morning all from here in the Pacific North West, where the fog is as thick as a politician's brain.
Those are some pants...and I'll withhold comment as I'm sure anything I say has been covered.
Those are some pants...and I'll withhold comment as I'm sure anything I say has been covered.
Posted by: Diogenes at January 20, 2019 11:53 AM (0tfLf)
391
I don't hoard. I'm just lazy.
Posted by: Insomniac at January 20, 2019 11:53 AM (NWiLs)
392
Well nobody seems to care about the Patriots cheating so ....
Posted by: JackStraw at January 20, 2019 11:52 AM (/tuJf)
Gamesmanship. Lol
Posted by: JackStraw at January 20, 2019 11:52 AM (/tuJf)
Gamesmanship. Lol
Posted by: Nevergiveup at January 20, 2019 11:53 AM (Y+V3r)
393
I visit with my parents on Saturdays. Then the book thread on Sunday morning.
That 24 hour stretch (that's wrapping up) is better than anything you get at a college or think thank when it comes to different ideas and new concepts. It's great!
That 24 hour stretch (that's wrapping up) is better than anything you get at a college or think thank when it comes to different ideas and new concepts. It's great!
Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at January 20, 2019 11:53 AM (5aX2M)
394
I'm trying to redirect my hoarding by usibg some stuff in actual projects
You misspelled "rationalize."
You misspelled "rationalize."
Posted by: Bob the Bilderberg at January 20, 2019 11:53 AM (qc+VF)
Posted by: SHEP at January 20, 2019 11:53 AM (MAstk)
396
And now I'm starting on the '89 World Series. Steroids. Earthquakes. Home runs.
Posted by: BurtTC at January 20, 2019 11:48 AM (cY3LT)
4 zip. What a miserable series. Curse the A's and all of their works. The quake was just icing on a poo cake.
No, I'm not bitter. Why do you ask?
Posted by: BurtTC at January 20, 2019 11:48 AM (cY3LT)
4 zip. What a miserable series. Curse the A's and all of their works. The quake was just icing on a poo cake.
No, I'm not bitter. Why do you ask?
Posted by: OregonMuse. AoSHQ Thought Leader & Pants Monitor at January 20, 2019 11:53 AM (qmw9b)
397
Smart guys like Hawking say that is just a characteristic of the Universe, that it could just suddenly burst into appearance.
He also came out rather strongly against the idea of God and denigrated those of us who Believe. I lost any respect I had for him when he did that. It was like he went so far and suddenly stopped.
Why not explore the idea of a higher life form that is so powerful we can't even begin to fathom what's really going on in the physical universe? I thought that's what "having an open mind" was supposed to mean.
Smart guys like Hawking say that is just a characteristic of the Universe, that it could just suddenly burst into appearance.
He also came out rather strongly against the idea of God and denigrated those of us who Believe. I lost any respect I had for him when he did that. It was like he went so far and suddenly stopped.
Why not explore the idea of a higher life form that is so powerful we can't even begin to fathom what's really going on in the physical universe? I thought that's what "having an open mind" was supposed to mean.
Posted by: BackwardsBoy at January 20, 2019 11:53 AM (HaL55)
398
I agree, Nelson deserves the accolades, its just
that Churchill does at least as much as well and Brits act like they're
embarrassed by the guy.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 11:33 AM (39g3+)
That's because they are embarrassed by the Empire now, and Churchill was an unabashed imperialist. For a very even-handed history, I recommend Niall Ferguson's "Empire." (Anything by Ferguson is worth reading.) Ferguson's family was among the Scots who helped build the British Empire - he has relatives in Canada - and he grew up romanticizing his relatives' adventures in Africa and India. Then he went to Oxford in the '80's and learned the Empire was the worst thing that ever was. His book doesn't gloss over the bad (for instance, the British treatment of the Irish and of the aborigines in Australia ) but also notes that the Empire was, by and large, far more humane than other Empires in history. The Japanese Empire was certainly no improvement and was more virulently racist , something the SJWs ignore.
I agree, Nelson deserves the accolades, its just
that Churchill does at least as much as well and Brits act like they're
embarrassed by the guy.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 11:33 AM (39g3+)
That's because they are embarrassed by the Empire now, and Churchill was an unabashed imperialist. For a very even-handed history, I recommend Niall Ferguson's "Empire." (Anything by Ferguson is worth reading.) Ferguson's family was among the Scots who helped build the British Empire - he has relatives in Canada - and he grew up romanticizing his relatives' adventures in Africa and India. Then he went to Oxford in the '80's and learned the Empire was the worst thing that ever was. His book doesn't gloss over the bad (for instance, the British treatment of the Irish and of the aborigines in Australia ) but also notes that the Empire was, by and large, far more humane than other Empires in history. The Japanese Empire was certainly no improvement and was more virulently racist , something the SJWs ignore.
Posted by: Donna&&&&&&V at January 20, 2019 11:54 AM (d6Ksn)
399
>>Gamesmanship. Lol
I want to believe the Lord is just and good but living so near the heart of evil tests my faith.
I want to believe the Lord is just and good but living so near the heart of evil tests my faith.
Posted by: JackStraw at January 20, 2019 11:54 AM (/tuJf)
400
352 Stolen bases aren't a true outcome. It gives away outs.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 11:28 AM (39g3+)
Which, interestingly enough, is a fact that is known primarily because Bill James was doing detailed statistical analysis in the 70s and 80s, when stolen bases were all the rage.
His conclusion was that you had to be successful something like 75-80% of the time, or you were giving away outs. So guys like Ricky Henderson and Tim Raines were helping your team. A guy who stole 20 bases and got caught 10 times, was not.
Posted by: BurtTC at January 20, 2019 11:43 AM (cY3LT)
But using James's own arguments, the 75-80% is itself somewhat indeterminate. It's based on average hitting numbers. And those are an abstraction from reality.
Take the 1927 Yankees. The leadoff man, Earl Combs, didn't steal very much. And why would he? With Ruth and Gehrig, hitting as they did, the break even point would be a lot higher than that. Interestingly, their top base stealers were Meusal and Lazzeri, who hit 5th and 6th. And that makes sense. The ones who NEED you to steal a base to drive in a run are Dugan and the catchers. (And the pitchers, who hit better than on most teams.)
Then look at the 1908 White Sox, the Hitless Wonders, two years on. If you have Joss or Johnson on the mound, and a guy on first, with a .220 hitter at the plate, the SB is a much better gamble.
Note that James uses EXACTLY this kind of logic in discussing bunts, and why they are better than Pete Palmer said they were.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 11:28 AM (39g3+)
Which, interestingly enough, is a fact that is known primarily because Bill James was doing detailed statistical analysis in the 70s and 80s, when stolen bases were all the rage.
His conclusion was that you had to be successful something like 75-80% of the time, or you were giving away outs. So guys like Ricky Henderson and Tim Raines were helping your team. A guy who stole 20 bases and got caught 10 times, was not.
Posted by: BurtTC at January 20, 2019 11:43 AM (cY3LT)
But using James's own arguments, the 75-80% is itself somewhat indeterminate. It's based on average hitting numbers. And those are an abstraction from reality.
Take the 1927 Yankees. The leadoff man, Earl Combs, didn't steal very much. And why would he? With Ruth and Gehrig, hitting as they did, the break even point would be a lot higher than that. Interestingly, their top base stealers were Meusal and Lazzeri, who hit 5th and 6th. And that makes sense. The ones who NEED you to steal a base to drive in a run are Dugan and the catchers. (And the pitchers, who hit better than on most teams.)
Then look at the 1908 White Sox, the Hitless Wonders, two years on. If you have Joss or Johnson on the mound, and a guy on first, with a .220 hitter at the plate, the SB is a much better gamble.
Note that James uses EXACTLY this kind of logic in discussing bunts, and why they are better than Pete Palmer said they were.
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 11:54 AM (VaN/j)
401
Churchill saved a version of Western civilization. The Germans were Western, too.
Hillary Clinton was born in America, but that doesn't mean her philosophies and goals are American.
Objectively, the modern game now more resembles the game from the 50s than ever before, and anyone who has read Bill James' historical baseball analysis will realize, the 50s were NOT some time of great glory, it was a time of boring games, that lead to fan indifference, and almost destroyed the game (anyone remember the Brooklyn Dodgers? The New York Giants? The Boston Braves? The St. Louis Browns? The Philadelphia A's?).
I agree completely, and I think in time baseball will move away from this crap but we'll have to suffer through years of it. And to a certain extent I don't mind experimenting with new ideas, as long as they aren't stupid and repeatedly used stupidity.
But the winners almost always come down to the team that does the little stuff well, plays small ball well. The Cubs managed to win a World Series despite being all about the short fence and the long ball -- they lost game after game being shut out with that hard swinging strikeout approach. But they managed to get sudden big scoring moments enough times to pull it off.
If you look at the world series winners of the last 10 years, almost all of them were low strikeout, high average teams that had speed and moved runners around the bases rather than everyone standing around hoping the batter puts it over the fence.
Hillary Clinton was born in America, but that doesn't mean her philosophies and goals are American.
Objectively, the modern game now more resembles the game from the 50s than ever before, and anyone who has read Bill James' historical baseball analysis will realize, the 50s were NOT some time of great glory, it was a time of boring games, that lead to fan indifference, and almost destroyed the game (anyone remember the Brooklyn Dodgers? The New York Giants? The Boston Braves? The St. Louis Browns? The Philadelphia A's?).
I agree completely, and I think in time baseball will move away from this crap but we'll have to suffer through years of it. And to a certain extent I don't mind experimenting with new ideas, as long as they aren't stupid and repeatedly used stupidity.
But the winners almost always come down to the team that does the little stuff well, plays small ball well. The Cubs managed to win a World Series despite being all about the short fence and the long ball -- they lost game after game being shut out with that hard swinging strikeout approach. But they managed to get sudden big scoring moments enough times to pull it off.
If you look at the world series winners of the last 10 years, almost all of them were low strikeout, high average teams that had speed and moved runners around the bases rather than everyone standing around hoping the batter puts it over the fence.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 11:55 AM (39g3+)
402
Smart guys like Hawking say that is just a characteristic of the Universe, that it could just suddenly burst into appearance.
Well, in order for that, or any, characteristic to express itself, the universe would have to exist. Since we're talking about the universe beginning to exist, along with all of its characteristics, that seems to be a non-starter.
Well, in order for that, or any, characteristic to express itself, the universe would have to exist. Since we're talking about the universe beginning to exist, along with all of its characteristics, that seems to be a non-starter.
Posted by: Jim S. at January 20, 2019 11:55 AM (ynUnH)
403
With the demise of Radio Shack and government surplus stores it is necessary to maintain a stock of components on hand. Now if I could just find that one part that I know is around here somewhere... oh look here's that oil can spout I was looking for.
Posted by: freaked
-------------
Happens to me all of the time. Looking for LM-34's, "Hmm, what's in this sack? Oh! Those RS-422 transceivers I bought 5 years ago, and that chip-puller I've been looking for."
Posted by: freaked
-------------
Happens to me all of the time. Looking for LM-34's, "Hmm, what's in this sack? Oh! Those RS-422 transceivers I bought 5 years ago, and that chip-puller I've been looking for."
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 20, 2019 11:55 AM (U7Mh9)
404
OM, Thanks, as always, for another wonderful book thread. It is a serious weekend pleasure. Also, for the update about the Gosnel kindle book. We preordered the DVD but 99 cents for the book is too good to miss.
Posted by: JTB at January 20, 2019 11:56 AM (bmdz3)
405
Do we have any evidence that there are any other universes other than the one we're living in now?
==
How about this, we do not sensory faculty required to perceive parallel universe(s) ? we only use, what, 25% of our brain ? folks who by some accident have access to more capacity, can do some wondrous things. like bend spoons and such.
==
How about this, we do not sensory faculty required to perceive parallel universe(s) ? we only use, what, 25% of our brain ? folks who by some accident have access to more capacity, can do some wondrous things. like bend spoons and such.
Posted by: runner at January 20, 2019 11:56 AM (bUjCl)
406
You misspelled "rationalize."
Posted by: Bob the Bilderberg at January 20, 2019 11:53 AM (qc+VF)
Indeed
Posted by: Bob the Bilderberg at January 20, 2019 11:53 AM (qc+VF)
Indeed
Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at January 20, 2019 11:56 AM (BJlbN)
407
With those ESPN dimwits, if the Black Sox thing happened today would people even care?
--------------------------
Well nobody seems to care about the Patriots cheating so ....
Posted by: JackStraw at January 20, 2019 11:52 AM (/tuJf)
Since I don't care anymore, I will just note, Tom Brady is the greatest troll in the history of trolling. In the center of a controversy, where he... yeah, was basically caught cheating, said to the collective world "to me these balls are perfect."
Or to put it another way: suck these!
You gotta love that. To stand up there and say "Hey, I'm Tom Brady, and you're not," and with that, a collective swoon and a shrug, and a tussle of his hair, as they lined up to worship at his feet.
--------------------------
Well nobody seems to care about the Patriots cheating so ....
Posted by: JackStraw at January 20, 2019 11:52 AM (/tuJf)
Since I don't care anymore, I will just note, Tom Brady is the greatest troll in the history of trolling. In the center of a controversy, where he... yeah, was basically caught cheating, said to the collective world "to me these balls are perfect."
Or to put it another way: suck these!
You gotta love that. To stand up there and say "Hey, I'm Tom Brady, and you're not," and with that, a collective swoon and a shrug, and a tussle of his hair, as they lined up to worship at his feet.
Posted by: BurtTC at January 20, 2019 11:56 AM (cY3LT)
408
I have overflowing plastic bin, filled with salvaged PC boards, which are covered with potentially useful parts.
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 20, 2019 11:57 AM (w54mS)
409
@BB yes. I chortle at cosmologists who say that this God thing is just superstition but the idea that everything could spontaneously appear is totally believable science.
Posted by: blaster at January 20, 2019 11:57 AM (ZfRYq)
410
we only use, what, 25% of our brain ? folks who by some accident have access to more capacity, can do some wondrous things. like bend spoons and such.
Posted by: runner at January 20, 2019 11:56 AM (bUjCl)
that's actually a myth
we use all of our brain
even during simple tasks, most of our brain is active
Posted by: runner at January 20, 2019 11:56 AM (bUjCl)
that's actually a myth
we use all of our brain
even during simple tasks, most of our brain is active
Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at January 20, 2019 11:58 AM (BJlbN)
411
Do we have any evidence that there are any other universes other than the one we're living in now?
They have, or can have, a great deal of explanatory power in accounting for the initial expansion of the universe immediately after the Big Bang. And explanatory power is a fundamental element in assessing a scientific hypothesis. But I don't think we could have direct evidence unless we had immediate access to these other universes.
They have, or can have, a great deal of explanatory power in accounting for the initial expansion of the universe immediately after the Big Bang. And explanatory power is a fundamental element in assessing a scientific hypothesis. But I don't think we could have direct evidence unless we had immediate access to these other universes.
Posted by: Jim S. at January 20, 2019 11:58 AM (ynUnH)
412
'Those RS-422 transceivers I bought 5 years ago, '
Put them in the drawer with the others you bought when you couldn't find those.
Put them in the drawer with the others you bought when you couldn't find those.
Posted by: freaked at January 20, 2019 11:58 AM (UdKB7)
413
"We're living in a modern era of baseball that started around 1987, and has been on a downward trajectory ever since."
Ah, Burt, you'll feel better once the Cards are back in the playoffs (I won't, but you will...
Ah, Burt, you'll feel better once the Cards are back in the playoffs (I won't, but you will...
Posted by: Donna&&&&&&V at January 20, 2019 11:58 AM (d6Ksn)
414
That's because they are embarrassed by the Empire now, and Churchill was an unabashed imperialist.
Yeah but that's because they don't know their history. There were bad parts of imperialism and the British Empire, but a ton of good, too. And if you look around the world at the former British colonies, compare them to the non-colonized or the colonies from other nations. They're leaps and bounds better off, freer, richer, healthier, better educated, more stable, etc.
Smart guys like Hawking say that is just a characteristic of the Universe, that it could just suddenly burst into appearance.
Hawkins was a smart guy but he got reaaal dumb when it came to this kinda thing. Basically he was arguing a priori: this is how I think things are, so that's how it must have come about. When you start to argue to fit your theory rather than to fit the facts or logic, you're going to get into all sorts of trouble.
Scientists should stick to science and leave the metaphysics to the experts.
Yeah but that's because they don't know their history. There were bad parts of imperialism and the British Empire, but a ton of good, too. And if you look around the world at the former British colonies, compare them to the non-colonized or the colonies from other nations. They're leaps and bounds better off, freer, richer, healthier, better educated, more stable, etc.
Smart guys like Hawking say that is just a characteristic of the Universe, that it could just suddenly burst into appearance.
Hawkins was a smart guy but he got reaaal dumb when it came to this kinda thing. Basically he was arguing a priori: this is how I think things are, so that's how it must have come about. When you start to argue to fit your theory rather than to fit the facts or logic, you're going to get into all sorts of trouble.
Scientists should stick to science and leave the metaphysics to the experts.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 11:59 AM (39g3+)
415
that's actually a myth
we use all of our brain
even during simple tasks, most of our brain is active
Posted by: votermom
I'll have to look into that VM.
we use all of our brain
even during simple tasks, most of our brain is active
Posted by: votermom
I'll have to look into that VM.
Posted by: runner at January 20, 2019 11:59 AM (bUjCl)
416
Why not explore the idea of a higher life form that
is so powerful we can't even begin to fathom what's really going on in
the physical universe? I thought that's what "having an open mind" was
supposed to mean.
Posted by: BackwardsBoy
----
Hawking can't do that as he thinks the higher life form is himself. Wanker.
is so powerful we can't even begin to fathom what's really going on in
the physical universe? I thought that's what "having an open mind" was
supposed to mean.
Posted by: BackwardsBoy
----
Hawking can't do that as he thinks the higher life form is himself. Wanker.
Posted by: Tonypete at January 20, 2019 11:59 AM (9rIkM)
417
These other "universes", do they have Diet Mountain Dew and thick sliced bacon?
If not, they may be dud universes that did not quite work out.
If not, they may be dud universes that did not quite work out.
Posted by: ro-man at January 20, 2019 11:59 AM (RuIsu)
418
Kindle books are like beer; you can only rent them.
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at January 20, 2019 12:00 PM (+y/Ru)
419
Here is the thing - it is just as likely that there are infinite universes as there is only 1.
Posted by: blaster at January 20, 2019 12:00 PM (ZfRYq)
420
Not disputing, just want to see what was debunked.
Posted by: runner at January 20, 2019 12:00 PM (bUjCl)
421
'Those RS-422 transceivers I bought 5 years ago, '
Put them in the drawer with the others you bought when you couldn't find those.
Posted by: freaked
-----------------
Happens with regularity.
Put them in the drawer with the others you bought when you couldn't find those.
Posted by: freaked
-----------------
Happens with regularity.
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 20, 2019 12:00 PM (w54mS)
422
Note that James uses EXACTLY this kind of logic in discussing bunts, and why they are better than Pete Palmer said they were.
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 11:54 AM (VaN/j)
Obviously I was oversimplifying James' argument. Everything you mention, he's addressed it.
I was just boiling it down to a basic standard.
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 11:54 AM (VaN/j)
Obviously I was oversimplifying James' argument. Everything you mention, he's addressed it.
I was just boiling it down to a basic standard.
Posted by: BurtTC at January 20, 2019 12:01 PM (cY3LT)
423
Why not explore the idea of a higher life form that is so powerful we can't even begin to fathom what's really going on in the physical universe? I thought that's what "having an open mind" was supposed to mean.
Posted by: BackwardsBoy at January 20, 2019 11:53 AM (HaL55)
"Higher life form" is an inadequate description of God, at least as classical theism sees it. It still puts Him too much on our level. The key is that He isn't just another existent, but existence itself (or Himself); not A being, but being. (It's the article "a" which is the problem.)
This leads to all sorts of consequences, oddly enough, quite compatible with Christianity.
(You guys are hitting all my Niagara Falls triggers today.)
Posted by: BackwardsBoy at January 20, 2019 11:53 AM (HaL55)
"Higher life form" is an inadequate description of God, at least as classical theism sees it. It still puts Him too much on our level. The key is that He isn't just another existent, but existence itself (or Himself); not A being, but being. (It's the article "a" which is the problem.)
This leads to all sorts of consequences, oddly enough, quite compatible with Christianity.
(You guys are hitting all my Niagara Falls triggers today.)
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 12:01 PM (VaN/j)
424
404 OM, Thanks, as always, for another wonderful book thread. It is a serious weekend pleasure.
It's the commenters that make the book thread great.
Also, for the update about the Gosnel kindle book. We preordered the DVD but 99 cents for the book is too good to miss.
Posted by: JTB at January 20, 2019 11:56 AM (bmdz3)
Yes, it's been 99 cents for the past week. I have no idea how long the sale will last, so best jump on it quickly,
It's the commenters that make the book thread great.
Also, for the update about the Gosnel kindle book. We preordered the DVD but 99 cents for the book is too good to miss.
Posted by: JTB at January 20, 2019 11:56 AM (bmdz3)
Yes, it's been 99 cents for the past week. I have no idea how long the sale will last, so best jump on it quickly,
Posted by: OregonMuse. AoSHQ Thought Leader & Pants Monitor at January 20, 2019 12:01 PM (qmw9b)
Posted by: freaked at January 20, 2019 12:01 PM (UdKB7)
426
In the center of a controversy, where he... yeah, was basically caught cheating, said to the collective world "to me these balls are perfect."
As I've said before, if you think the Patriots were the only team in history or even that season to use that trick, you probably also think that they're about to dig up treasure at Oak Island. All the stuff they got busted for every team was and is doing.
As I've said before, if you think the Patriots were the only team in history or even that season to use that trick, you probably also think that they're about to dig up treasure at Oak Island. All the stuff they got busted for every team was and is doing.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 12:02 PM (39g3+)
Posted by: blaster at January 20, 2019 12:02 PM (ZfRYq)
Posted by: Village Idiot's Apprentice at January 20, 2019 12:02 PM (cqNba)
429
Do we have any evidence that there are any other universes other than the one we're living in now?
-
Well, my socks go somewhere.
-
Well, my socks go somewhere.
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at January 20, 2019 12:03 PM (+y/Ru)
430
I'll have to look into that VM.
She's right, we dont always use all of our brain at once, but we use all of it through the day. And usually most of it at the same time (this part to stay balanced, this part to perceive music, this part to think about girls, this part to taste that beer, etc).
She's right, we dont always use all of our brain at once, but we use all of it through the day. And usually most of it at the same time (this part to stay balanced, this part to perceive music, this part to think about girls, this part to taste that beer, etc).
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 12:03 PM (39g3+)
431
All right, more on brain, Scientific American : "Another mystery hidden within our crinkled cortices is that out of all the brain's cells, only 10 percent are neurons; the other 90 percent are glial cells, which encapsulate and support neurons, but whose function remains largely unknown. Ultimately, it's not that we use 10 percent of our brains, merely that we only understand about 10 percent of how it functions."
known unknows
known unknows
Posted by: runner at January 20, 2019 12:05 PM (bUjCl)
432
we use all of our brain
even during simple tasks, most of our brain is active
------
This is one guy, but a neurologist told me a lot of "the extra parts" are running in parallel - basically as a ready backup to reconstruct "lost" synapses/dendrites in the event of brain damage or cell death.
even during simple tasks, most of our brain is active
------
This is one guy, but a neurologist told me a lot of "the extra parts" are running in parallel - basically as a ready backup to reconstruct "lost" synapses/dendrites in the event of brain damage or cell death.
Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at January 20, 2019 12:05 PM (5aX2M)
433
"Do we have any evidence that there are any other universes other than the one we're living in now?
-
Well, my socks go somewhere."
Could explain where the bread in Sandy OC's toaster goes to, when the bread goes in, and toast comes out.
NOT saying it does.
Just asking questions.
-
Well, my socks go somewhere."
Could explain where the bread in Sandy OC's toaster goes to, when the bread goes in, and toast comes out.
NOT saying it does.
Just asking questions.
Posted by: Village Idiot's Apprentice at January 20, 2019 12:05 PM (cqNba)
434
Like others, we have to trim down the number of books on the shelves. Used to take them to the used book store for credit (which always gets redeemed quickly) but no more. Now we take them to nursing homes and assisted living facilities, especially ones where the residents are poor. The folks there are always pleased to get them.
Posted by: JTB at January 20, 2019 12:05 PM (bmdz3)
435
Ultimately your brain comes down to this: you don't think or remember with it. Its the interface between your body and your soul. If its damaged the interface is damaged, so the connection is messed up.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 12:06 PM (39g3+)
436
Speaking of sports stats, the Pats deflated balls to reduce fumble turnovers. Before Deflategate they were a huge statistical outlier.
Posted by: Ignoramus at January 20, 2019 12:06 PM (1UZdv)
437
Everyone seems to equate multiverse theories with the philosophical concept of logically possible worlds. The latter is just a thought experiment of alternate realities with no logical contradictions. But the multiverse doesn't have the same implications. Just saying there's an infinite number of universes doesn't say anything about how variable they are. Maybe they're all identical or only vary within certain limits. You can't just move from there being an infinite number of universes to the idea that every logical possibility is expressed. For that matter, who's to say that there are an infinite number of universes in the multiverse? Maybe there's only 5,000,000. Or 5,000. Or 5.
Posted by: Jim S. at January 20, 2019 11:49 AM (ynUnH)
Well...there seems to be two basic flavors of Multiverse Theory:
Flavor 1: *skips around the room*
Lookit me, Ma! i'm generating universes! I'm generating universes!
Flavor 2: We don't know what's happening outside of our universe.
There could be a gajillion universes. All different from ours. All with different physics from ours.
Flavor 1 strikes me as a magic solution to a theoretical problem.
Flavor 2 - I don't think anyone has a problem with, at least, as a theoretical possibility.
Not science though, how are you going to prove or disprove it?
Both are fun to think about though.
Flavor 2 plays a part in the novel I'm currently writing.
Posted by: Jim S. at January 20, 2019 11:49 AM (ynUnH)
Well...there seems to be two basic flavors of Multiverse Theory:
Flavor 1: *skips around the room*
Lookit me, Ma! i'm generating universes! I'm generating universes!
Flavor 2: We don't know what's happening outside of our universe.
There could be a gajillion universes. All different from ours. All with different physics from ours.
Flavor 1 strikes me as a magic solution to a theoretical problem.
Flavor 2 - I don't think anyone has a problem with, at least, as a theoretical possibility.
Not science though, how are you going to prove or disprove it?
Both are fun to think about though.
Flavor 2 plays a part in the novel I'm currently writing.
Posted by: naturalfake at January 20, 2019 12:06 PM (CRRq9)
438
"We're living in a modern era of baseball that started around 1987, and has been on a downward trajectory ever since."
----------------------------
Ah, Burt, you'll feel better once the Cards are back in the playoffs (I won't, but you will...
Posted by: Donna&&&&&&V at January 20, 2019 11:58 AM (d6Ksn)
Nah. This "golden era" has featured massive success by a handful of teams, namely the Yankees, Red Sox, Giants, Braves, and Cardinals.
Other teams came and went, but the Cardinals have been more consistently successful than anybody. Not reaching the pinnacle as often as the Yanks and Sox and Giants, but otherwise, always there, competing.
And steroids have been present for EVERY successful team the Cardinals have had in these years since '87.
I hate it.
Matt Carpenter doesn't suddenly turn into Babe Ruth without something other than talent. Allen Craig doesn't go from an all-star to being a guy who can't make a major league roster, without something other than injuries being the explanation.
Yadier Molina is a better hitter in his mid 30s than he was in his 20s... how does that happen after you have caught thousands of games?
And on and on and on.
----------------------------
Ah, Burt, you'll feel better once the Cards are back in the playoffs (I won't, but you will...
Posted by: Donna&&&&&&V at January 20, 2019 11:58 AM (d6Ksn)
Nah. This "golden era" has featured massive success by a handful of teams, namely the Yankees, Red Sox, Giants, Braves, and Cardinals.
Other teams came and went, but the Cardinals have been more consistently successful than anybody. Not reaching the pinnacle as often as the Yanks and Sox and Giants, but otherwise, always there, competing.
And steroids have been present for EVERY successful team the Cardinals have had in these years since '87.
I hate it.
Matt Carpenter doesn't suddenly turn into Babe Ruth without something other than talent. Allen Craig doesn't go from an all-star to being a guy who can't make a major league roster, without something other than injuries being the explanation.
Yadier Molina is a better hitter in his mid 30s than he was in his 20s... how does that happen after you have caught thousands of games?
And on and on and on.
Posted by: BurtTC at January 20, 2019 12:06 PM (cY3LT)
439
"This is one guy, but a neurologist told me a lot of "the extra parts" are running in parallel - basically as a ready backup to reconstruct "lost" synapses/dendrites in the event of brain damage or cell death."
My brain's got RAID? It ain't working.
My brain's got RAID? It ain't working.
Posted by: freaked at January 20, 2019 12:06 PM (UdKB7)
440
431 All right, more on brain, Scientific American : "Another mystery hidden within our crinkled cortices is that out of all the brain's cells, only 10 percent are neurons; the other 90 percent are glial cells, which encapsulate and support neurons, but whose function remains largely unknown. Ultimately, it's not that we use 10 percent of our brains, merely that we only understand about 10 percent of how it functions."
known unknows
Posted by: runner at January 20, 2019 12:05 PM (bUjCl)
I remember studying a very little bit about this back in the day. The three major cells types in the brain are axons, neurons, and glial cells. I think the rough undersanding was that axons were for passive signal (electrical and chemical) transmission, neurons were more like "active devices" or switches, and glia were, as stated here, kinda like the insulation on a wire.
known unknows
Posted by: runner at January 20, 2019 12:05 PM (bUjCl)
I remember studying a very little bit about this back in the day. The three major cells types in the brain are axons, neurons, and glial cells. I think the rough undersanding was that axons were for passive signal (electrical and chemical) transmission, neurons were more like "active devices" or switches, and glia were, as stated here, kinda like the insulation on a wire.
Posted by: Warai-otoko at January 20, 2019 12:07 PM (Ct55T)
441
My brain's got RAID? It ain't working.
Posted by: freaked at January 20, 2019 12:06 PM (UdKB7)
RAID 0 or RAID 1?
(I think the latter would basically be schizophrenia... !)
Posted by: freaked at January 20, 2019 12:06 PM (UdKB7)
RAID 0 or RAID 1?
(I think the latter would basically be schizophrenia... !)
Posted by: Warai-otoko at January 20, 2019 12:08 PM (Ct55T)
442
I can't see any comparison between Brady and the Black Sox. At the most elementary level, he was "cheating" to win, they were cheating to lose. That strikes at the heart of any sport.
He's really more comparable to spitballers, post Burleigh Grimes. And notice how lenient baseball has been toward them. Gaylord Perry made the Hall.
Of course, it's more complex than that; they decided that steroids were over the line. But other ways of cheating weren't enforced, or not strongly. E.g., illegal bats, or the doctoring of fields and mounds in the 60s.
He's really more comparable to spitballers, post Burleigh Grimes. And notice how lenient baseball has been toward them. Gaylord Perry made the Hall.
Of course, it's more complex than that; they decided that steroids were over the line. But other ways of cheating weren't enforced, or not strongly. E.g., illegal bats, or the doctoring of fields and mounds in the 60s.
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 12:08 PM (VaN/j)
Posted by: April at January 20, 2019 12:09 PM (OX9vb)
444
In the center of a controversy, where he... yeah, was basically caught cheating, said to the collective world "to me these balls are perfect."
---------------------------------------
As I've said before, if you think the Patriots were the only team in history or even that season to use that trick, you probably also think that they're about to dig up treasure at Oak Island. All the stuff they got busted for every team was and is doing.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 12:02 PM (39g3+)
Sure.
And like the famous George Brett pine tar incident, if you are smart you call out THAT guy, at that time, because you will gain an advantage on the field (maybe) for doing so.
---------------------------------------
As I've said before, if you think the Patriots were the only team in history or even that season to use that trick, you probably also think that they're about to dig up treasure at Oak Island. All the stuff they got busted for every team was and is doing.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 12:02 PM (39g3+)
Sure.
And like the famous George Brett pine tar incident, if you are smart you call out THAT guy, at that time, because you will gain an advantage on the field (maybe) for doing so.
Posted by: BurtTC at January 20, 2019 12:10 PM (cY3LT)
445
I think my ECC is dropping bits.
Posted by: freaked at January 20, 2019 12:10 PM (UdKB7)
446
>>He's really more comparable to spitballers
He's more comparable to Satan!
He's actually a great player and a good guy but he can retire anytime now.
He's more comparable to Satan!
He's actually a great player and a good guy but he can retire anytime now.
Posted by: JackStraw at January 20, 2019 12:10 PM (/tuJf)
447
I don't have a source for this other than "I remember reading someplace" so take this with a grain of salt but...
I remember reading someplace that the "we only use x% of our brains" idea came from the time that lobotomies were considered advanced medical care and was based on loose observations of how much tissue could be disturbed and still leave a minimally functional human.
I remember reading someplace that the "we only use x% of our brains" idea came from the time that lobotomies were considered advanced medical care and was based on loose observations of how much tissue could be disturbed and still leave a minimally functional human.
Posted by: Bob the Bilderberg at January 20, 2019 12:10 PM (qc+VF)
448
The multiverse theory means no free will since every decision is covered.
-
It gives me great comfort to know that somewhere I'm banging Kate Upton.
-
It gives me great comfort to know that somewhere I'm banging Kate Upton.
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at January 20, 2019 12:11 PM (+y/Ru)
449
NOT saying it does.
Just asking questions.
Posted by: Village Idiot's Apprentice at January 20, 2019 12:05 PM (cqNba)
*sigh* Welp, I guess I'll go find a big stake, and y'all can rustle up some torches and tumbrils.
Just asking questions.
Posted by: Village Idiot's Apprentice at January 20, 2019 12:05 PM (cqNba)
*sigh* Welp, I guess I'll go find a big stake, and y'all can rustle up some torches and tumbrils.
Posted by: Warai-otoko at January 20, 2019 12:11 PM (Ct55T)
450
Of course, it's more complex than that; they decided that steroids were over the line. But other ways of cheating weren't enforced, or not strongly. E.g., illegal bats, or the doctoring of fields and mounds in the 60s.
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 12:08 PM (VaN/j)
And they gave me shit over pine tar.
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 12:08 PM (VaN/j)
And they gave me shit over pine tar.
Posted by: George Brett at January 20, 2019 12:12 PM (qmw9b)
451
Chutzpah from MSNBC?
Trump believes that DACA was an illegal action. So how can he extend it for three years.
Bad faith! Bad faith!
Trump believes that DACA was an illegal action. So how can he extend it for three years.
Bad faith! Bad faith!
Posted by: Ignoramus at January 20, 2019 12:13 PM (1UZdv)
452
I'll only accept the Big Bang Theory if it's a continual event of Big Bang, expansion of Universe, decay of energy and matter back into subatomic particles, retreat of Universe, lather, rinse, repeat for infinity.
If the Universe is, it always has been.
I'll only accept the Big Bang Theory if it's a continual event of Big Bang, expansion of Universe, decay of energy and matter back into subatomic particles, retreat of Universe, lather, rinse, repeat for infinity.
If the Universe is, it always has been.
Posted by: Newest Nic at January 20, 2019 12:14 PM (jYje5)
453
379 Everyone seems to equate multiverse theories with the philosophical concept of logically possible worlds. The latter is just a thought experiment of alternate realities with no logical contradictions. But the multiverse doesn't have the same implications. Just saying there's an infinite number of universes doesn't say anything about how variable they are. Maybe they're all identical or only vary within certain limits. You can't just move from there being an infinite number of universes to the idea that every logical possibility is expressed. For that matter, who's to say that there are an infinite number of universes in the multiverse? Maybe there's only 5,000,000. Or 5,000. Or 5.
Posted by: Jim S. at January 20, 2019 11:49 AM (ynUnH)
It's not "equating" to note a kinship. The key is what you describe, that multiverse theory isn't fully worked out, so it's hard to criticize.
And that means, inter alia, that it's hard to say it contradicts much of anything.
Posted by: Jim S. at January 20, 2019 11:49 AM (ynUnH)
It's not "equating" to note a kinship. The key is what you describe, that multiverse theory isn't fully worked out, so it's hard to criticize.
And that means, inter alia, that it's hard to say it contradicts much of anything.
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 12:14 PM (VaN/j)
454
It gives me great comfort to know that somewhere I'm banging Kate Upton.
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at January 20, 2019 12:11 PM (+y/Ru)
Maybe so, but in another universe, you're the husband of Kurt Eichenwald.
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at January 20, 2019 12:11 PM (+y/Ru)
Maybe so, but in another universe, you're the husband of Kurt Eichenwald.
Posted by: OregonMuse. AoSHQ Thought Leader & Pants Monitor at January 20, 2019 12:15 PM (qmw9b)
Posted by: JackStraw at January 20, 2019 12:15 PM (/tuJf)
456
"Trump believes that DACA was an illegal action. So how can he extend it for three years.
Bad faith! Bad faith!"
So what if the Dems accept the offer.
And nine months from now, with funding for the barrier/wall in place, the Supreme Court rules that DACA is indeed illegal?
Bad faith! Bad faith!"
So what if the Dems accept the offer.
And nine months from now, with funding for the barrier/wall in place, the Supreme Court rules that DACA is indeed illegal?
Posted by: Village Idiot's Apprentice at January 20, 2019 12:15 PM (cqNba)
Posted by: BackwardsBoy at January 20, 2019 12:16 PM (HaL55)
458
Some people can see "the future". Laugh all you want, but there are gypsies out there who can. How ? Events already happened is one way.
Posted by: runner at January 20, 2019 12:16 PM (bUjCl)
459
If the Universe is, it always has been.
Well, if the universe is, something has always been, but it doesn't mean itself. The fact that I exist now doesn't mean I've always existed.
Well, if the universe is, something has always been, but it doesn't mean itself. The fact that I exist now doesn't mean I've always existed.
Posted by: Jim S. at January 20, 2019 12:16 PM (ynUnH)
460
And they gave me shit over pine tar.
Posted by: George Brett at January 20, 2019 12:12 PM (qmw9b)
That was just Billy Martin doing his Johnny Evers impersonation. The two had a lot in common, though Evers was better as a player.
Posted by: George Brett at January 20, 2019 12:12 PM (qmw9b)
That was just Billy Martin doing his Johnny Evers impersonation. The two had a lot in common, though Evers was better as a player.
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 12:16 PM (VaN/j)
461
451 Chutzpah from MSNBC?
Trump believes that DACA was an illegal action. So how can he extend it for three years.
Bad faith! Bad faith!
Posted by: Ignoramus at January 20, 2019 12:13 PM (1UZdv)
F*cking kek. Do these insufferable lackwits even know the meaning of the word "negotiation"?
Or even "illegal"?
I swear they must write their stage notes with a Crayola crayon.
...The white one.
Trump believes that DACA was an illegal action. So how can he extend it for three years.
Bad faith! Bad faith!
Posted by: Ignoramus at January 20, 2019 12:13 PM (1UZdv)
F*cking kek. Do these insufferable lackwits even know the meaning of the word "negotiation"?
Or even "illegal"?
I swear they must write their stage notes with a Crayola crayon.
...The white one.
Posted by: Warai-otoko at January 20, 2019 12:16 PM (Ct55T)
462
Maybe so, but in another universe, you're the husband of Kurt Eichenwald.
Posted by: OregonMuse. AoSHQ Thought Leader & Pants Monitor at January 20, 2019 12:15 PM (qmw9b)
--------
Stay away from my baby daddy, ho!
Posted by: OregonMuse. AoSHQ Thought Leader & Pants Monitor at January 20, 2019 12:15 PM (qmw9b)
--------
Stay away from my baby daddy, ho!
Posted by: Parallel Dimension Space Octopus at January 20, 2019 12:16 PM (5aX2M)
463
So the universe is best explained by 'Rick and Morty'?
Posted by: Village Idiot's Apprentice at January 20, 2019 12:17 PM (cqNba)
464
457
My brain is filled with Raid.
Posted by: BackwardsBoy at January 20, 2019 12:16 PM (HaL55)
hmmm... Viking joke, or cockroach joke?
So many choices....
My brain is filled with Raid.
Posted by: BackwardsBoy at January 20, 2019 12:16 PM (HaL55)
hmmm... Viking joke, or cockroach joke?
So many choices....
Posted by: Warai-otoko at January 20, 2019 12:17 PM (Ct55T)
465
And like the famous George Brett pine tar incident, if you are smart you call out THAT guy, at that time, because you will gain an advantage on the field (maybe) for doing so.
Posted by: BurtTC at January 20, 2019 12:10 PM (cY3LT)
The poor quality of umpiring produced that whole situation which is why the commish ordered the highly unusual step of replaying the game from that point. The ump should've said "Brett, clean off that fucking bat" before he stepped up to the plate.
Posted by: BurtTC at January 20, 2019 12:10 PM (cY3LT)
The poor quality of umpiring produced that whole situation which is why the commish ordered the highly unusual step of replaying the game from that point. The ump should've said "Brett, clean off that fucking bat" before he stepped up to the plate.
Posted by: Captain Hate at January 20, 2019 12:18 PM (y7DUB)
466
Diogenes, I've been through all the comments now, and am shocked that no one has noted that those are pussy pants.
Posted by: April at January 20, 2019 12:18 PM (OX9vb)
467
452
I'll only accept the Big Bang Theory if it's a continual event of Big Bang, expansion of Universe, decay of energy and matter back into subatomic particles, retreat of Universe, lather, rinse, repeat for infinity.
If the Universe is, it always has been.
Posted by: Newest Nic at January 20, 2019 12:14 PM (jYje5)
But what does that even mean? Is there time without the universe?
I'll only accept the Big Bang Theory if it's a continual event of Big Bang, expansion of Universe, decay of energy and matter back into subatomic particles, retreat of Universe, lather, rinse, repeat for infinity.
If the Universe is, it always has been.
Posted by: Newest Nic at January 20, 2019 12:14 PM (jYje5)
But what does that even mean? Is there time without the universe?
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 12:18 PM (VaN/j)
468
It's not "equating" to note a kinship. The key is what you describe, that multiverse theory isn't fully worked out, so it's hard to criticize.
I have no objection to multiverse theories, just to use them in an attempt having to appeal to God to explain our universe. In order to make such an appeal, we have to assume a great deal more than just that there is a multiverse. The more details you have to add to a hypothesis in order for it to explain a phenomenon, the more ad hoc and the less plausible it becomes.
I have no objection to multiverse theories, just to use them in an attempt having to appeal to God to explain our universe. In order to make such an appeal, we have to assume a great deal more than just that there is a multiverse. The more details you have to add to a hypothesis in order for it to explain a phenomenon, the more ad hoc and the less plausible it becomes.
Posted by: Jim S. at January 20, 2019 12:18 PM (ynUnH)
469
I don't have a source for this other than "I remember reading someplace" so take this with a grain of salt but...
I remember reading someplace that the "we only use x% of our brains" idea came from the time that lobotomies were considered advanced medical care and was based on loose observations of how much tissue could be disturbed and still leave a minimally functional human.
Posted by: Bob the Bilderberg at January 20, 2019 12:10 PM (qc+VF)
That's one of my favorite "they say" stats that get paraded out there by people who think they know what they're talking about, but just end up sounding like a stupid douchebag when they say it (I'm looking at you, Hollowwood).
I remember reading someplace that the "we only use x% of our brains" idea came from the time that lobotomies were considered advanced medical care and was based on loose observations of how much tissue could be disturbed and still leave a minimally functional human.
Posted by: Bob the Bilderberg at January 20, 2019 12:10 PM (qc+VF)
That's one of my favorite "they say" stats that get paraded out there by people who think they know what they're talking about, but just end up sounding like a stupid douchebag when they say it (I'm looking at you, Hollowwood).
Posted by: BurtTC at January 20, 2019 12:19 PM (cY3LT)
470
Sorry. I just object to using multiverse theories to avoid having to appeal to God to explain our universe.
Posted by: Jim S. at January 20, 2019 12:19 PM (ynUnH)
471
Well, if the universe is, something has always been, but it doesn't mean itself. The fact that I exist now doesn't mean I've always existed.
Posted by: Jim S. at January 20, 2019 12:16 PM
You, as in the atoms that form your body, were forged in a star. Upon your death those atoms aren't going anywhere.
Posted by: Jim S. at January 20, 2019 12:16 PM
You, as in the atoms that form your body, were forged in a star. Upon your death those atoms aren't going anywhere.
Posted by: Newest Nic at January 20, 2019 12:19 PM (jYje5)
472
I'll only accept the Big Bang Theory if it's a continual event of Big Bang, expansion of Universe, decay of energy and matter back into subatomic particles, retreat of Universe, lather, rinse, repeat for infinity.
This used to be the big explanation but every year that goes by, science discovers new information and facts that make it not work: there's not enough matter, the expansion of the universe doesn't match a single explosion point, etc.
You're right though: something has to have always been, for anything to be here. If there ever was nothing, no existence... then there still would be nothing. Something does not come from nothing. There has to be some entity or existence which has always been, that's eternal, without beginning.
This used to be the big explanation but every year that goes by, science discovers new information and facts that make it not work: there's not enough matter, the expansion of the universe doesn't match a single explosion point, etc.
You're right though: something has to have always been, for anything to be here. If there ever was nothing, no existence... then there still would be nothing. Something does not come from nothing. There has to be some entity or existence which has always been, that's eternal, without beginning.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 12:19 PM (39g3+)
473
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.. "
this guy knew
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.. "
this guy knew
Posted by: runner at January 20, 2019 12:21 PM (bUjCl)
474
The ump should've said "Brett, clean off that fucking bat" before he stepped up to the plate.
I agree, and its a problem with human umpires: they get into patterns and "their vision" of how the game is or should be played, and are incredibly stubborn about it. That's the down side of human umps, you have to be a stubborn bugger to be one.
But I wouldn't replace them for the world, its part of the charm and interest of baseball; the umpires making mistakes or having their version of the strike zone, etc. Its only a problem because people are paid so damn much.
I agree, and its a problem with human umpires: they get into patterns and "their vision" of how the game is or should be played, and are incredibly stubborn about it. That's the down side of human umps, you have to be a stubborn bugger to be one.
But I wouldn't replace them for the world, its part of the charm and interest of baseball; the umpires making mistakes or having their version of the strike zone, etc. Its only a problem because people are paid so damn much.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 12:21 PM (39g3+)
475
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 12:02 PM (39g3+)
2 years into my boycott but before that I was a Dolphin fan.
Which means the I'm supposed to hate the Pats more than anyone, outside of Jets and Bills fans.
That said, Belichick and Brady have a dynasty going and BOTH are the GOAT in their positions.
2 years into my boycott but before that I was a Dolphin fan.
Which means the I'm supposed to hate the Pats more than anyone, outside of Jets and Bills fans.
That said, Belichick and Brady have a dynasty going and BOTH are the GOAT in their positions.
Posted by: HA at January 20, 2019 12:22 PM (MAstk)
476
The poor quality of umpiring produced that whole situation which is why the commish ordered the highly unusual step of replaying the game from that point. The ump should've said "Brett, clean off that fucking bat" before he stepped up to the plate.
Posted by: Captain Hate at January 20, 2019 12:18 PM (y7DUB)
True. And also true of the Merkle Boner.
Actually, the real culprit of the latter was John McGraw (whom I admire, but...) Evers tried the exact same trick against he Pirates, and was overruled. The ump later consulted the rules, and told Evers he'd been right all along, and that he'd rule accordingly in the future, as he did.
This was reported in the NY papers. McGraw should have seen it, and warned his players. A truly great manager, but he missed that one.
Posted by: Captain Hate at January 20, 2019 12:18 PM (y7DUB)
True. And also true of the Merkle Boner.
Actually, the real culprit of the latter was John McGraw (whom I admire, but...) Evers tried the exact same trick against he Pirates, and was overruled. The ump later consulted the rules, and told Evers he'd been right all along, and that he'd rule accordingly in the future, as he did.
This was reported in the NY papers. McGraw should have seen it, and warned his players. A truly great manager, but he missed that one.
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 12:22 PM (VaN/j)
477
*finishes reading comments and lights a J*
Posted by: literally serious at January 20, 2019 12:22 PM (nw6G5)
478
And like the famous George Brett pine tar incident, if you are smart you call out THAT guy, at that time, because you will gain an advantage on the field (maybe) for doing so.
Posted by: BurtTC at January 20, 2019 12:10 PM (cY3LT)
The poor quality of umpiring produced that whole situation which is why the commish ordered the highly unusual step of replaying the game from that point. The ump should've said "Brett, clean off that fucking bat" before he stepped up to the plate.
Posted by: Captain Hate at January 20, 2019 12:18 PM (y7DUB)
Yes, but it was never going to happen if Billy Martin doesn't call for it. Martin tried to gain an advantage, and even though it was settled after the fact (I think?) in Brett's favor, I believe Martin was smart for doing it, because he managed to get into the head of the best player in the game at that time.
Posted by: BurtTC at January 20, 2019 12:10 PM (cY3LT)
The poor quality of umpiring produced that whole situation which is why the commish ordered the highly unusual step of replaying the game from that point. The ump should've said "Brett, clean off that fucking bat" before he stepped up to the plate.
Posted by: Captain Hate at January 20, 2019 12:18 PM (y7DUB)
Yes, but it was never going to happen if Billy Martin doesn't call for it. Martin tried to gain an advantage, and even though it was settled after the fact (I think?) in Brett's favor, I believe Martin was smart for doing it, because he managed to get into the head of the best player in the game at that time.
Posted by: BurtTC at January 20, 2019 12:22 PM (cY3LT)
479
You're right though: something has to have always been, for anything to be here. If there ever was nothing, no existence... then there still would be nothing. Something does not come from nothing. There has to be some entity or existence which has always been, that's eternal, without beginning.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 12:19 PM
~~~~~
🤯
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 12:19 PM
~~~~~
🤯
Posted by: Richard Dawkins at January 20, 2019 12:23 PM (NtglE)
480
You, as in the atoms that form your body, were forged in a star. Upon your death those atoms aren't going anywhere.
That's called mereological nihilism, the view that distinct objects do not exist. I'm sure there must be some philosophers out there who accept it, but it's not a plausible idea. Just because the matter that makes up my body existed a million years ago doesn't mean that I existed a million years ago.
That's called mereological nihilism, the view that distinct objects do not exist. I'm sure there must be some philosophers out there who accept it, but it's not a plausible idea. Just because the matter that makes up my body existed a million years ago doesn't mean that I existed a million years ago.
Posted by: Jim S. at January 20, 2019 12:24 PM (ynUnH)
481
You...were forged in a star.
Posted by: Newest Nic at January 20, 2019 12:19 PM (jYje5)
That's poetry, right there. Beautiful.
I have tons of things to do today to get ready for my workweek, and here you guys are having a fascinating discussion. What's a girl to do?
Posted by: Newest Nic at January 20, 2019 12:19 PM (jYje5)
That's poetry, right there. Beautiful.
I have tons of things to do today to get ready for my workweek, and here you guys are having a fascinating discussion. What's a girl to do?
Posted by: April at January 20, 2019 12:24 PM (OX9vb)
482
Guys have been cheating in ways big and small pretty much since baseball was invented.
Posted by: JackStraw at January 20, 2019 12:24 PM (/tuJf)
483
Raid keeps the spider population down. (insert obscure You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch reference here)
Raid keeps the spider population down. (insert obscure You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch reference here)
Posted by: BackwardsBoy at January 20, 2019 12:25 PM (HaL55)
484
I have no objection to multiverse theories, just to use them in an attempt having to appeal to God to explain our universe. In order to make such an appeal, we have to assume a great deal more than just that there is a multiverse. The more details you have to add to a hypothesis in order for it to explain a phenomenon, the more ad hoc and the less plausible it becomes.
Posted by: Jim S. at January 20, 2019 12:18 PM (ynUnH)
But the multiverse doesn't avoid the classical arguments for belief in God. They are not hypotheses in the sense science uses them. At most, it addresses Intelligent Design theory. But that's not what the Five Ways or the Ontological Argument are based on.
Swing and a miss by the Science! brigade. (To mix comments.)
Posted by: Jim S. at January 20, 2019 12:18 PM (ynUnH)
But the multiverse doesn't avoid the classical arguments for belief in God. They are not hypotheses in the sense science uses them. At most, it addresses Intelligent Design theory. But that's not what the Five Ways or the Ontological Argument are based on.
Swing and a miss by the Science! brigade. (To mix comments.)
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 12:26 PM (VaN/j)
485
Posted by: April at January 20, 2019 12:18 PM (OX9vb)
I never look at those links under the assumption that the textile abuse will just make me sad.
I never look at those links under the assumption that the textile abuse will just make me sad.
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at January 20, 2019 12:26 PM (phT8I)
Posted by: BignJames at January 20, 2019 12:26 PM (cxHbL)
487
This is a movie but...
Watched Split last night because I wanted the backstory going into Glass. I liked Unbreakable. So if this was a mashup of those two, I was missing half.
From the ending M Night Shamalamanama intended this. Glass is explicitly set up, though I thought it was forced.
Second, the commercials for Glass ruined Split for you if you hadn't seen it, because what is foreshadowed about halfway through, you know is going to happen.
The commercials and trailer for Splits original release gave you the absolute wrong impression about it. They made it out to be something like Saw, some torture-fest. Nope.
McAvoy did some pretty impressive facial transformations without makeup or CGI but overall I did not buy his multiple personalities.
Meh.
Watched Split last night because I wanted the backstory going into Glass. I liked Unbreakable. So if this was a mashup of those two, I was missing half.
From the ending M Night Shamalamanama intended this. Glass is explicitly set up, though I thought it was forced.
Second, the commercials for Glass ruined Split for you if you hadn't seen it, because what is foreshadowed about halfway through, you know is going to happen.
The commercials and trailer for Splits original release gave you the absolute wrong impression about it. They made it out to be something like Saw, some torture-fest. Nope.
McAvoy did some pretty impressive facial transformations without makeup or CGI but overall I did not buy his multiple personalities.
Meh.
Posted by: blaster at January 20, 2019 12:27 PM (ZfRYq)
488
I agree, and its a problem with human umpires: they get into patterns and "their vision" of how the game is or should be played, and are incredibly stubborn about it. That's the down side of human umps, you have to be a stubborn bugger to be one.
But I wouldn't replace them for the world, its part of the charm and interest of baseball; the umpires making mistakes or having their version of the strike zone, etc. Its only a problem because people are paid so damn much.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 12:21 PM (39g3+)
I wish replays were not part of the game. Not because umps don't get it wrong quite a bit (oh hell yes, they do), but because the replay takes the game off the field and into technology, and there's nothing positive that comes from that. What "fairness" you get, it balances out over time, and so it effects the outcomes, ultimately, not at all.
But we're going to go the other way, not back to the past. There will be robots calling balls and strikes soon. There will be sensors in bases and balls, to let everyone know which one got there first. It'll be more "fair," but it won't improve the game at all.
But I wouldn't replace them for the world, its part of the charm and interest of baseball; the umpires making mistakes or having their version of the strike zone, etc. Its only a problem because people are paid so damn much.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 12:21 PM (39g3+)
I wish replays were not part of the game. Not because umps don't get it wrong quite a bit (oh hell yes, they do), but because the replay takes the game off the field and into technology, and there's nothing positive that comes from that. What "fairness" you get, it balances out over time, and so it effects the outcomes, ultimately, not at all.
But we're going to go the other way, not back to the past. There will be robots calling balls and strikes soon. There will be sensors in bases and balls, to let everyone know which one got there first. It'll be more "fair," but it won't improve the game at all.
Posted by: BurtTC at January 20, 2019 12:27 PM (cY3LT)
489
There is more than one multiverse theory. Hugh Everett's many worlds theory of quantum mechanics is the one discussed here -- the idea that every possible outcome of every situation is actually manifested in some new universe that branches off from an existing one. Everett was just looking for a way to avoid the Copenhagen interpretation's conclusion that the universe is inherently non-determinstic by making every probable outcome actually occur. He shared Einstein's acute discomfort with God "playing dice with the universe" by allowing quantum behavior to be determined probabalistically. To me it seems like a pretty radical and inelegant solution to that problem and I have a hard time believing that it could actually reflect reality.
One other multiverse idea is spawned by the need to explain away the utter improbability that our universe can exist at all. In the 20th century it became apparent that the interaction of forces in the Standard Model (and gravity) had to be calibrated with exquisite precision in order to produce a universe that had matter and stars and galaxies self-replicating molecules and life and us to be amazed at it all. One author said the odds of this happening by accident were something like the odds of winning the Powerball every week for an entire year. Sort of suggests a creator, and we can't have that!
Thus was born the weak anthropic principle. It explains the remarkable unlikeliness of our universe by supposing that there have been (and I guess, will be) trillions upon trillions of Big Bangs, all producing new universes with random "settings." The overwhelming majority of these events produce universes that contain nothing but nothing, while a tiny fraction have the values needed to produce life and ultimately, intelligence.
For this reason, the only universes that will ever be marveled at for their amazingly unlikely set of qualities will be those that could have produced someone to do the marveling. This is how the weak anthropic principle attempts to explain a universe that the odds say shouldn't exist. It just requires you to accept that there are an inconceivable number of alternate universes out there somewhere.
To me, the weak anthropic principle is an extraordinary contortion just to avoid admitting that maybe there is an intelligence behind the creation of our amazing universe. I'll go with Occams Razor in this one, and reject the multiverse idea for one that says that the existence of an exquisite timepiece suggests the existence of a watchmaker.
One other multiverse idea is spawned by the need to explain away the utter improbability that our universe can exist at all. In the 20th century it became apparent that the interaction of forces in the Standard Model (and gravity) had to be calibrated with exquisite precision in order to produce a universe that had matter and stars and galaxies self-replicating molecules and life and us to be amazed at it all. One author said the odds of this happening by accident were something like the odds of winning the Powerball every week for an entire year. Sort of suggests a creator, and we can't have that!
Thus was born the weak anthropic principle. It explains the remarkable unlikeliness of our universe by supposing that there have been (and I guess, will be) trillions upon trillions of Big Bangs, all producing new universes with random "settings." The overwhelming majority of these events produce universes that contain nothing but nothing, while a tiny fraction have the values needed to produce life and ultimately, intelligence.
For this reason, the only universes that will ever be marveled at for their amazingly unlikely set of qualities will be those that could have produced someone to do the marveling. This is how the weak anthropic principle attempts to explain a universe that the odds say shouldn't exist. It just requires you to accept that there are an inconceivable number of alternate universes out there somewhere.
To me, the weak anthropic principle is an extraordinary contortion just to avoid admitting that maybe there is an intelligence behind the creation of our amazing universe. I'll go with Occams Razor in this one, and reject the multiverse idea for one that says that the existence of an exquisite timepiece suggests the existence of a watchmaker.
Posted by: Cicero (@cicero) at January 20, 2019 12:27 PM (UGqF8)
490
473 "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.. "
this guy knew
Posted by: runner at January 20, 2019 12:21 PM (bUjCl)
No, he didn't. He never saw Emma Hamilton's bewbs.
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.. "
this guy knew
Posted by: runner at January 20, 2019 12:21 PM (bUjCl)
No, he didn't. He never saw Emma Hamilton's bewbs.
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 12:27 PM (VaN/j)
491
"That's called mereological nihilism, the view that distinct objects do not exist. "
Can't be. Watch Star Trek for refutation
Can't be. Watch Star Trek for refutation
Posted by: Ignoramus at January 20, 2019 12:28 PM (1UZdv)
492
One of the "cheats" in baseball is stealing signs which is breaking one of the unwritten rules, but there's nothing in the book that says you can't do it. And everyone tries to, and sometimes they get away with it. You can usually tell when a really great pitcher suddenly is being creamed by a certain team: they figured out something about his pitching style, he's giving away a tell, or they're stealing signs from the catcher.
I mean the reason players put a glove over their mouth when they go to the mound is because lip readers were picking up on what they were telling the pitcher. Every possible way you can get an advantage this side of "play harder and don't bat into the shift" has been and is being used. Especially these days when its millions of dollars in the bank.
I mean the reason players put a glove over their mouth when they go to the mound is because lip readers were picking up on what they were telling the pitcher. Every possible way you can get an advantage this side of "play harder and don't bat into the shift" has been and is being used. Especially these days when its millions of dollars in the bank.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 12:28 PM (39g3+)
493
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at January 20, 2019 12:26 PM (phT8I)
Oh, avoid this one, then. This is possibly the most obscene abuse of textiles I've ever seen.
Oh, avoid this one, then. This is possibly the most obscene abuse of textiles I've ever seen.
Posted by: April at January 20, 2019 12:28 PM (OX9vb)
494
Posted by: BurtTC at January 20, 2019 12:22 PM (cY3LT)
Brett was called out...Yanks win.
Posted by: BignJames at January 20, 2019 12:26 PM (cxHbL)
At the time, yes.
Just looked it up to be sure. Yes, it was overturned, the game was later resumed AFTER Brett's home run, and the Royals won the game.
Brett was called out...Yanks win.
Posted by: BignJames at January 20, 2019 12:26 PM (cxHbL)
At the time, yes.
Just looked it up to be sure. Yes, it was overturned, the game was later resumed AFTER Brett's home run, and the Royals won the game.
Posted by: BurtTC at January 20, 2019 12:31 PM (cY3LT)
495
I never look at those links under the assumption that the textile abuse will just make me sad.
I never look at them because it whacks out the ads in my browser for months. I'm still getting ads for women's shoes from following one of MP4's links from weeks ago.
I never look at them because it whacks out the ads in my browser for months. I'm still getting ads for women's shoes from following one of MP4's links from weeks ago.
Posted by: Bob the Bilderberg at January 20, 2019 12:31 PM (qc+VF)
496
Maybe so, but in another universe, you're the husband of Kurt Eichenwald.
Posted by: OregonMuse. AoSHQ Thought Leader & Pants Monitor at January 20, 2019 12:15 PM (qmw9b)
---
Bearded Kurt Eichenwald.
Posted by: OregonMuse. AoSHQ Thought Leader & Pants Monitor at January 20, 2019 12:15 PM (qmw9b)
---
Bearded Kurt Eichenwald.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 20, 2019 12:32 PM (kQs4Y)
497
All of the Sunday morning news shows were all about the walls closing in on Trump for suborning perjury before Congress. McCain certainly was prescient - that caterpillar has more feet than anyone could possibly have imagined.
Posted by: Bi|| W¥nn at January 20, 2019 12:32 PM (tLa8P)
498
But what does that even mean? Is there time without the universe?
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 12:18 PM (VaN/j)
I tend to think the following two concepts answer a lot of "yeah, man, but..." type questions about the Universe:
1) There is no such thing as "before the Universe was created" as there was no proper Time before the Universe was created. In other words, Space and Time themselves are things that were created with the Universe. In yet other words, Space and Time themselves *are* the Universe. A different framework of causality and the spatio-temporal "structure" of the universe is necessary. (hence, Transcendent Creation)
2) Nothing can go "faster than the speed of light" because there is no such *thing* as faster than the speed of light. It's not that there is some arbitrary hard speed limit that doesn't allow you to continue accelerating, but you totally could if that limit weren't there. It's that the very concept of travel breaks down at the limit, and a new framework is necessary for the concept of "travel". (hence General Relativity and whatnot)
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 12:18 PM (VaN/j)
I tend to think the following two concepts answer a lot of "yeah, man, but..." type questions about the Universe:
1) There is no such thing as "before the Universe was created" as there was no proper Time before the Universe was created. In other words, Space and Time themselves are things that were created with the Universe. In yet other words, Space and Time themselves *are* the Universe. A different framework of causality and the spatio-temporal "structure" of the universe is necessary. (hence, Transcendent Creation)
2) Nothing can go "faster than the speed of light" because there is no such *thing* as faster than the speed of light. It's not that there is some arbitrary hard speed limit that doesn't allow you to continue accelerating, but you totally could if that limit weren't there. It's that the very concept of travel breaks down at the limit, and a new framework is necessary for the concept of "travel". (hence General Relativity and whatnot)
Posted by: Warai-otoko at January 20, 2019 12:32 PM (Ct55T)
499
TIMEOUT!!!!!
Posted by: Andy Reid at January 20, 2019 12:33 PM (wNN8A)
500
To me, the weak anthropic principle is an extraordinary contortion just to avoid admitting that maybe there is an intelligence behind the creation of our amazing universe. I'll go with Occams Razor in this one, and reject the multiverse idea for one that says that the existence of an exquisite timepiece suggests the existence of a watchmaker.
Yeah its an attempt to jam that square piece through a star-shaped hole even if you have to use a jackhammer. They have their presumption of reality and they'll come up with some byzantine, insane theory of how everythign somehow ended up this way by total random chance, no matter how crazy it has to be. Because the alternative is to admit that their naturalist philosophy is bunk.
Its like the Trump colluded with Russia to win! theory. The alternative is to realize that you're really not liked in America and were beaten because voters preferred even Donald Trump over your candidate.
Yeah its an attempt to jam that square piece through a star-shaped hole even if you have to use a jackhammer. They have their presumption of reality and they'll come up with some byzantine, insane theory of how everythign somehow ended up this way by total random chance, no matter how crazy it has to be. Because the alternative is to admit that their naturalist philosophy is bunk.
Its like the Trump colluded with Russia to win! theory. The alternative is to realize that you're really not liked in America and were beaten because voters preferred even Donald Trump over your candidate.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 12:33 PM (39g3+)
501
I never look at them because it whacks out the ads in my browser for months. I'm still getting ads for women's shoes from following one of MP4's links from weeks ago.
Posted by: Bob the Bilderberg at January 20, 2019 12:31 PM (qc+VF)
For some reason I get a lot of ads for yoga pants.
I.... I'm not complaining.
Posted by: Bob the Bilderberg at January 20, 2019 12:31 PM (qc+VF)
For some reason I get a lot of ads for yoga pants.
I.... I'm not complaining.
Posted by: Warai-otoko at January 20, 2019 12:34 PM (Ct55T)
502
*reads cosmological discussion in progress*
*starts drooling a bit, left eye does lazy circles*
I just shoveled a lot of snow!
*starts drooling a bit, left eye does lazy circles*
I just shoveled a lot of snow!
Posted by: hogmartin at January 20, 2019 12:34 PM (t+qrx)
503
>>At the time, yes.
>>Just looked it up to be sure. Yes, it was overturned, the game was later resumed AFTER Brett's home run, and the Royals won the game.
Remember Graig Nettles? He was playing 3rd for the Yankees back in the '70s. His first at bat in a game against the Tigers (I think) he hits a solo homer.
Next time up he hits a broken bat single. When the ba breaks, a bunch of Super Balls come pouring out of the bat. Nettles was called out on the single but the home run stood. Yankees won the game 1-0.
>>Just looked it up to be sure. Yes, it was overturned, the game was later resumed AFTER Brett's home run, and the Royals won the game.
Remember Graig Nettles? He was playing 3rd for the Yankees back in the '70s. His first at bat in a game against the Tigers (I think) he hits a solo homer.
Next time up he hits a broken bat single. When the ba breaks, a bunch of Super Balls come pouring out of the bat. Nettles was called out on the single but the home run stood. Yankees won the game 1-0.
Posted by: JackStraw at January 20, 2019 12:34 PM (/tuJf)
504
Next time up he hits a broken bat single. When the ba breaks, a bunch of Super Balls come pouring out of the bat.
Yeah bat corking wasn't very sophisticated back then, they'd have it happen every so often. I'm not 100% convinced it really made that big a difference anyway.
Yeah bat corking wasn't very sophisticated back then, they'd have it happen every so often. I'm not 100% convinced it really made that big a difference anyway.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 12:35 PM (39g3+)
505
In some analyses of Big Bang and our current situation it seems that at some point in the expansion things had to move faster than the speed of light. To fix up the theory, some people say well at that point the speed of light was faster.
There goes the constancy of that constant.
There goes the constancy of that constant.
Posted by: blaster at January 20, 2019 12:35 PM (ZfRYq)
506
This is a movie but...
Watched Split last night because I wanted the backstory going into Glass. I liked Unbreakable. So if this was a mashup of those two, I was missing half.
From the ending M Night Shamalamanama intended this. Glass is explicitly set up, though I thought it was forced.
Second, the commercials for Glass ruined Split for you if you hadn't seen it, because what is foreshadowed about halfway through, you know is going to happen.
The commercials and trailer for Splits original release gave you the absolute wrong impression about it. They made it out to be something like Saw, some torture-fest. Nope.
McAvoy did some pretty impressive facial transformations without makeup or CGI but overall I did not buy his multiple personalities.
Meh.
Posted by: blaster at January 20, 2019 12:27 PM (ZfRYq)
It's always best not to overthink Shamalamdingdong's movies.
I liked Split. I loved Unbreakable. I haven't seen Glass.
I think it's amusing that he created his own "cinematic universe" here. Especially given how badly all the three big boys have messed theirs up (Marvel, DC, Star Wars), it's like this rank amateur has come along, thinking he's found the secret to fame and fortune... and everyone else is sick and tired of the model.
Oh, M-night, you silly silly person, you.
Watched Split last night because I wanted the backstory going into Glass. I liked Unbreakable. So if this was a mashup of those two, I was missing half.
From the ending M Night Shamalamanama intended this. Glass is explicitly set up, though I thought it was forced.
Second, the commercials for Glass ruined Split for you if you hadn't seen it, because what is foreshadowed about halfway through, you know is going to happen.
The commercials and trailer for Splits original release gave you the absolute wrong impression about it. They made it out to be something like Saw, some torture-fest. Nope.
McAvoy did some pretty impressive facial transformations without makeup or CGI but overall I did not buy his multiple personalities.
Meh.
Posted by: blaster at January 20, 2019 12:27 PM (ZfRYq)
It's always best not to overthink Shamalamdingdong's movies.
I liked Split. I loved Unbreakable. I haven't seen Glass.
I think it's amusing that he created his own "cinematic universe" here. Especially given how badly all the three big boys have messed theirs up (Marvel, DC, Star Wars), it's like this rank amateur has come along, thinking he's found the secret to fame and fortune... and everyone else is sick and tired of the model.
Oh, M-night, you silly silly person, you.
Posted by: BurtTC at January 20, 2019 12:35 PM (cY3LT)
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 12:36 PM (VaN/j)
508
>>Yeah bat corking wasn't very sophisticated back then, they'd have it happen every so often. I'm not 100% convinced it really made that big a difference anyway.
It made a huge difference. Ask Amos Otis.
It made a huge difference. Ask Amos Otis.
Posted by: JackStraw at January 20, 2019 12:36 PM (/tuJf)
509
Speaking of umpiring, recall how Umpire James Joyce blew the final call of what would have been Armando Galarraga's perfect game. Joyce called the runner safe when he was clearly out.
You can blow a call, but it's exceedingly rare that you can say that a single blown call was absolutely outcome determinative, as play goes on.
And here's it's in the context of another extreme statistical outlier, a Perfect Game
You can blow a call, but it's exceedingly rare that you can say that a single blown call was absolutely outcome determinative, as play goes on.
And here's it's in the context of another extreme statistical outlier, a Perfect Game
Posted by: Ignoramus at January 20, 2019 12:36 PM (1UZdv)
510
*reads cosmological discussion in progress*
*starts drooling a bit, left eye does lazy circles*
=====
Zoomed right over my head, leaving a headache. I think it is worse than grammar. Squire Trelayne and Q are about as far as I can go with any of it. Must be . . .
*starts drooling a bit, left eye does lazy circles*
=====
Zoomed right over my head, leaving a headache. I think it is worse than grammar. Squire Trelayne and Q are about as far as I can go with any of it. Must be . . .
Posted by: mustbequantum at January 20, 2019 12:37 PM (MIKMs)
511
To me, the weak anthropic principle is an extraordinary contortion just
to avoid admitting that maybe there is an intelligence behind the
creation of our amazing universe. I'll go with Occams Razor in this one,
and reject the multiverse idea for one that says that the existence of
an exquisite timepiece suggests the existence of a watchmaker.
Agreed. What it all boils down to IMHO is that nobody really knows and that speaks to that "higher life form" Thingy that I find endlessly fascinating to contemplate, as futile as that exercise is. We just don't have the intellectual capacity to grasp that, whatever "that" is, so we just have to be content with it, which doesn't bother me in the slightest. After all, I am a Moron.
To me, the weak anthropic principle is an extraordinary contortion just
to avoid admitting that maybe there is an intelligence behind the
creation of our amazing universe. I'll go with Occams Razor in this one,
and reject the multiverse idea for one that says that the existence of
an exquisite timepiece suggests the existence of a watchmaker.
Agreed. What it all boils down to IMHO is that nobody really knows and that speaks to that "higher life form" Thingy that I find endlessly fascinating to contemplate, as futile as that exercise is. We just don't have the intellectual capacity to grasp that, whatever "that" is, so we just have to be content with it, which doesn't bother me in the slightest. After all, I am a Moron.
Posted by: BackwardsBoy at January 20, 2019 12:37 PM (HaL55)
Posted by: Sammy Sosa at January 20, 2019 12:38 PM (bUjCl)
513
Next time up he hits a broken bat single. When the ba breaks, a bunch of Super Balls come pouring out of the bat.
-------------------------------
Yeah bat corking wasn't very sophisticated back then, they'd have it happen every so often. I'm not 100% convinced it really made that big a difference anyway.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 12:35 PM (39g3+)
Sammi Sooser has to get the all-time greatest award, for corking his head and body, as well as his bat.
-------------------------------
Yeah bat corking wasn't very sophisticated back then, they'd have it happen every so often. I'm not 100% convinced it really made that big a difference anyway.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 12:35 PM (39g3+)
Sammi Sooser has to get the all-time greatest award, for corking his head and body, as well as his bat.
Posted by: BurtTC at January 20, 2019 12:38 PM (cY3LT)
514
Karl Rove still exists. He just met with Senate Republicans (is that a contradiction in terms?) to ask them to not listen to the GOP base. Because the base doesn't understand the nuances of winning at politics.
-
Can I go to another universe p!ease?
-
Can I go to another universe p!ease?
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at January 20, 2019 12:39 PM (+y/Ru)
Posted by: runner at January 20, 2019 12:39 PM (bUjCl)
516
Must be . . .
Posted by: mustbequantum at January 20, 2019 12:37 PM (MIKMs)
http://tinyurl.com/y7wy29ht
Posted by: mustbequantum at January 20, 2019 12:37 PM (MIKMs)
http://tinyurl.com/y7wy29ht
Posted by: hogmartin at January 20, 2019 12:39 PM (t+qrx)
517
Chutzpah from MSNBC?
Trump believes that DACA was an illegal action. So how can he extend it for three years.
Bad faith! Bad faith!
Posted by: Ignoramus at January 20, 2019 12:13 PM (1UZdv)
F*cking kek. Do these insufferable lackwits even know the meaning of the word "negotiation"?
Or even "illegal"?
I swear they must write their stage notes with a Crayola crayon.
...The white one.
Posted by: Warai-otoko at January 20, 2019 12:16 PM (Ct55T)
DACA would be found illegal because Obama created a whole new class on 'immigrant' via 'executive action'. POTUS has authority to block entry to classes of aliens (Hawaiian Judge Kapu notwithstanding) but cannot grant entry without specific statutory authority. The three DACA extension would be law and put dreamers into a legal position.
Trump believes that DACA was an illegal action. So how can he extend it for three years.
Bad faith! Bad faith!
Posted by: Ignoramus at January 20, 2019 12:13 PM (1UZdv)
F*cking kek. Do these insufferable lackwits even know the meaning of the word "negotiation"?
Or even "illegal"?
I swear they must write their stage notes with a Crayola crayon.
...The white one.
Posted by: Warai-otoko at January 20, 2019 12:16 PM (Ct55T)
DACA would be found illegal because Obama created a whole new class on 'immigrant' via 'executive action'. POTUS has authority to block entry to classes of aliens (Hawaiian Judge Kapu notwithstanding) but cannot grant entry without specific statutory authority. The three DACA extension would be law and put dreamers into a legal position.
Posted by: Burnt Toast at January 20, 2019 12:39 PM (1g7ch)
518
Yeah Sosa annoyed me so much. McGwire was juicing as well, but at least he was less blatant and stupid about it. You hardly ever hear about Sosa these days, for good reason. McGwire at least was a nice guy and a good player besides hitting HRs. Of course doping wasn't against baseball rules at the time.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 12:40 PM (39g3+)
519
Off topic, but it looks like the media maligned those MAGA Catholic kids for no good reason at all.
https://tinyurl.com/y76fza9w
https://tinyurl.com/y76fza9w
Posted by: Reggie1971 at January 20, 2019 12:40 PM (AZD0r)
520
Just looked it up to be sure. Yes, it was overturned, the game was later resumed AFTER Brett's home run, and the Royals won the game.
Posted by: BurtTC at January 20, 2019 12:31 PM (cY3LT)
Aha!.....and some people think the net is a waste of time.
Posted by: BurtTC at January 20, 2019 12:31 PM (cY3LT)
Aha!.....and some people think the net is a waste of time.
Posted by: BignJames at January 20, 2019 12:40 PM (cxHbL)
Posted by: Anon a mouse at January 20, 2019 12:40 PM (6qErC)
522
>>Sammi Sooser has to get the all-time greatest award, for corking his head and body, as well as his bat.
Sammy is going full Michael Jackson. It's creepy.
Sammy is going full Michael Jackson. It's creepy.
Posted by: JackStraw at January 20, 2019 12:40 PM (/tuJf)
523
but it looks like the media maligned those MAGA Catholic kids for no good reason at all. "
No, they had a reason they thought was good. For them.
No, they had a reason they thought was good. For them.
Posted by: Anon a mouse at January 20, 2019 12:41 PM (6qErC)
524
"The three year DACA extension would be law and put dreamers into a legal position. "
Yes, if Nancy wanted.
Obama's EO was illegal precisely because it went against existing law enacted by Congress.
Yes, if Nancy wanted.
Obama's EO was illegal precisely because it went against existing law enacted by Congress.
Posted by: Ignoramus at January 20, 2019 12:42 PM (1UZdv)
525
William Gibson is kind of going down this path of multiverses in his latest book arc.
Maybe some spoilers, but at some point we have the compute power to capture every single thing about a point in time and then let it go as a simulation. You can change things from outside to change outcomes. He does have a conceit for the stories that time is time, and you can't increase the clock cycles in the simulated worlds.
As an example, suppose you took a snapshot of the world as of September 2015, and then ran 100 versions manipulating electoral events. In one of them Trump wins, and probably in lots of them Hillary does.
That is too horrible to contemplate, really.
Maybe some spoilers, but at some point we have the compute power to capture every single thing about a point in time and then let it go as a simulation. You can change things from outside to change outcomes. He does have a conceit for the stories that time is time, and you can't increase the clock cycles in the simulated worlds.
As an example, suppose you took a snapshot of the world as of September 2015, and then ran 100 versions manipulating electoral events. In one of them Trump wins, and probably in lots of them Hillary does.
That is too horrible to contemplate, really.
Posted by: blaster at January 20, 2019 12:42 PM (ZfRYq)
526
MacGuffin has gone full circle -
American Thinker makes reference to
Chicago Boys who make reference to
Xanatos Gambit who, supposedly, was a character loosely based on Trump, who stole the MacGuffin from Greek named Hitchcock...
Anyway, the Xanatos Gambit is on tvtropes.org
American Thinker makes reference to
Chicago Boys who make reference to
Xanatos Gambit who, supposedly, was a character loosely based on Trump, who stole the MacGuffin from Greek named Hitchcock...
Anyway, the Xanatos Gambit is on tvtropes.org
Posted by: Burnt Toast at January 20, 2019 12:43 PM (1g7ch)
527
I don't know if this means anything but I've noticed that a lot of hobby and craft books on Amazon have the note: "only X number left, more available soon" or "Out of stock". Perhaps they just don't keep many copies in stock but maybe these sorts of books are selling faster than anticipated.
I would like to think these activities and physical books are becoming more popular, which would be beneficial on many levels. But that might be wishful thinking on my part.
I would like to think these activities and physical books are becoming more popular, which would be beneficial on many levels. But that might be wishful thinking on my part.
Posted by: JTB at January 20, 2019 12:44 PM (bmdz3)
528
The Xanatos Gambit was a great episode of TOS.
Posted by: blaster at January 20, 2019 12:44 PM (ZfRYq)
529
Let me put it this way: theists have been claiming for millennia that the universe began to exist, while nontheists have been claiming for millennia that the universe did not begin to exist. Contemporary cosmology has confirmed the theists' claim and falsified the nontheists' claim.
Posted by: Jim S. at January 20, 2019 12:44 PM (ynUnH)
530
"suppose you took a snapshot of the world as of September 2015, and then ran 100 versions manipulating electoral events"
Isn't that the idea in Infinity War. Dr Strange wants to create the one simulation out of millions of possibilities that will save everyone.
Wow. Mind blown!
Isn't that the idea in Infinity War. Dr Strange wants to create the one simulation out of millions of possibilities that will save everyone.
Wow. Mind blown!
Posted by: Ignoramus at January 20, 2019 12:44 PM (1UZdv)
531
I'm reading "How Dare You Suggest Democrats Have Fallen So Far Off the Face of the Earth Harry Truman Wouldn't Even Recognize Them: A Recovered Memoir" by Zombie Clark Clifford:
"I remember many times when President Truman would tell Democrat donors "Listen, fellas; when you're injecting your buck negro boyfriends with crystal meth for an all night sodomy session, make sure you don't kill more than two or three of them. It wouldn't look good on this new-fangled television-thingy."
The president was just full of home-spun advice like that."
"I remember many times when President Truman would tell Democrat donors "Listen, fellas; when you're injecting your buck negro boyfriends with crystal meth for an all night sodomy session, make sure you don't kill more than two or three of them. It wouldn't look good on this new-fangled television-thingy."
The president was just full of home-spun advice like that."
Posted by: The Gipper Lives at January 20, 2019 12:45 PM (Ndje9)
532
It's always best not to overthink Shamalamdingdong's movies.
I liked Split. I loved Unbreakable. I haven't seen Glass.
I think it's amusing that he created his own "cinematic universe" here. Especially given how badly all the three big boys have messed theirs up (Marvel, DC, Star Wars), it's like this rank amateur has come along, thinking he's found the secret to fame and fortune... and everyone else is sick and tired of the model.
Oh, M-night, you silly silly person, you.
Posted by: BurtTC at January 20, 2019 12:35 PM (cY3LT)
I saw Split in the theater so I was unspoiled as to the fact it was an Unbreakable sequel. I really liked it, I thought McAvoy did a great job with the different personalities. I saw Glass last night and thought it was okay, although I didn't like how it ended. Plus I don't care for Sarah Paulson.
It's always best not to overthink Shamalamdingdong's movies.
I liked Split. I loved Unbreakable. I haven't seen Glass.
I think it's amusing that he created his own "cinematic universe" here. Especially given how badly all the three big boys have messed theirs up (Marvel, DC, Star Wars), it's like this rank amateur has come along, thinking he's found the secret to fame and fortune... and everyone else is sick and tired of the model.
Oh, M-night, you silly silly person, you.
Posted by: BurtTC at January 20, 2019 12:35 PM (cY3LT)
I saw Split in the theater so I was unspoiled as to the fact it was an Unbreakable sequel. I really liked it, I thought McAvoy did a great job with the different personalities. I saw Glass last night and thought it was okay, although I didn't like how it ended. Plus I don't care for Sarah Paulson.
Posted by: Jordan61 at January 20, 2019 12:45 PM (/74bs)
533
Yeah Sosa annoyed me so much. McGwire was juicing as well, but at least he was less blatant and stupid about it. You hardly ever hear about Sosa these days, for good reason. McGwire at least was a nice guy and a good player besides hitting HRs. Of course doping wasn't against baseball rules at the time.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 12:40 PM (39g3+)
As mentioned earlier, I'm currently watching the '89 World Series. McGwire is definitely a meathead by this point, as is Canseco, and probably Ricky Henderson. And everyone is raving about the fact that Dave Stewart came out of nowhere to be a great pitcher... so, early steroids.
I could pick on Sammy all day long, but I won't. He's a douchebag, was always a douchebag, and managed to turn himself from an average douchebag into a special douchebag. I don't see him as any worse than anyone else, really.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 12:40 PM (39g3+)
As mentioned earlier, I'm currently watching the '89 World Series. McGwire is definitely a meathead by this point, as is Canseco, and probably Ricky Henderson. And everyone is raving about the fact that Dave Stewart came out of nowhere to be a great pitcher... so, early steroids.
I could pick on Sammy all day long, but I won't. He's a douchebag, was always a douchebag, and managed to turn himself from an average douchebag into a special douchebag. I don't see him as any worse than anyone else, really.
Posted by: BurtTC at January 20, 2019 12:45 PM (cY3LT)
534
Agreed. What it all boils down to IMHO is that nobody really knows and that speaks to that "higher life form" Thingy that I find endlessly fascinating to contemplate, as futile as that exercise is. We just don't have the intellectual capacity to grasp that, whatever "that" is, so we just have to be content with it, which doesn't bother me in the slightest. After all, I am a Moron.
Posted by: BackwardsBoy at January 20, 2019 12:37 PM (HaL55)
Maybe I should add a #3 to my list above:
3) Transcendence is not Transcendent because we just haven't quite gotten to understand it yet. It is a concept that is fundamentally, substantially Different from the Universe. It isn't that we simply haven't scientifically understood what is "beyond" the limits of the observable Universe but gosh darn it we'll get there one day, it is that we *can't* even conceptualize what is beyond those limits.
otherwise, tautologically speaking, it wouldn't be Transcendent. Or, looking at it another way: in such a case we ourselves would then be Transcendent. Which we manifestly are not.
It's basically a "no true Scotsman" approach. Which isn't necessarily satisfying, but does at least have the benefit of working. And it gives a somewhat useful tack for reconciling the Materialist and the Religious viewpoints.
Posted by: BackwardsBoy at January 20, 2019 12:37 PM (HaL55)
Maybe I should add a #3 to my list above:
3) Transcendence is not Transcendent because we just haven't quite gotten to understand it yet. It is a concept that is fundamentally, substantially Different from the Universe. It isn't that we simply haven't scientifically understood what is "beyond" the limits of the observable Universe but gosh darn it we'll get there one day, it is that we *can't* even conceptualize what is beyond those limits.
otherwise, tautologically speaking, it wouldn't be Transcendent. Or, looking at it another way: in such a case we ourselves would then be Transcendent. Which we manifestly are not.
It's basically a "no true Scotsman" approach. Which isn't necessarily satisfying, but does at least have the benefit of working. And it gives a somewhat useful tack for reconciling the Materialist and the Religious viewpoints.
Posted by: Warai-otoko at January 20, 2019 12:45 PM (Ct55T)
535
I would like to think these activities and physical books are becoming more popular, which would be beneficial on many levels. But that might be wishful thinking on my part.
Posted by: JTB at January 20, 2019 12:44 PM (bmdz3)
Warehousing might be an issue now that Amazon carries everything and books are a side business.
I would like to think these activities and physical books are becoming more popular, which would be beneficial on many levels. But that might be wishful thinking on my part.
Posted by: JTB at January 20, 2019 12:44 PM (bmdz3)
Warehousing might be an issue now that Amazon carries everything and books are a side business.
Posted by: Burnt Toast at January 20, 2019 12:46 PM (1g7ch)
536
@529 exactly. Cosmology is sayin from nothing, everything, and I ask how, exactly, is that different from Let there be light?
Posted by: blaster at January 20, 2019 12:46 PM (ZfRYq)
537
Off topic, but it looks like the media maligned those MAGA Catholic kids for no good reason at all.
https://tinyurl.com/y76fza9w
Posted by: Reggie1971 at January 20, 2019 12:40 PM
~~~~~
And at least one of the kids is facing expulsion.
MSM: destroying Americans' lives one at a time pour encourager les autres.
https://tinyurl.com/y76fza9w
Posted by: Reggie1971 at January 20, 2019 12:40 PM
~~~~~
And at least one of the kids is facing expulsion.
MSM: destroying Americans' lives one at a time pour encourager les autres.
Posted by: IrishEi at January 20, 2019 12:46 PM (NtglE)
538
Sammi Sooser has to get the all-time greatest award, for corking his head and body, as well as his bat.
---------------------------
Sammy is going full Michael Jackson. It's creepy.
Posted by: JackStraw at January 20, 2019 12:40 PM (/tuJf)
I'm assuming this is a medical condition... right?
---------------------------
Sammy is going full Michael Jackson. It's creepy.
Posted by: JackStraw at January 20, 2019 12:40 PM (/tuJf)
I'm assuming this is a medical condition... right?
Posted by: BurtTC at January 20, 2019 12:47 PM (cY3LT)
539
I'm currently reading The Fallen Architect by Charles Bellfoure
And The Longest Day by Cornelius Ryan but don't worry; I won't yell ya how it ends.
And The Longest Day by Cornelius Ryan but don't worry; I won't yell ya how it ends.
Posted by: JT at January 20, 2019 12:47 PM (4kWLV)
540
From an author's perspective, the multiple universe thing is lousy writing. DC showed this very well: if anything and everything is true all at once, then there's no drama, no tension, no conflict.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 12:48 PM (39g3+)
Posted by: Anon a mouse at January 20, 2019 12:48 PM (6qErC)
542
And we're pikers. I have a friend who has become so obsessive that he's buying books he knows he will never read. He's really getting to be like Smaugh, sitting on a pile of loot which is no use to him. At least Scrooge McDuck could swim in his money.
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 09:45 AM (VaN/j)
I think a lot of people are concerned, even at a subconscious level, that history is being erased. Hence the desire to collect books.
encryption. At least I've never had luck with it.
Posted by: WOPR at January 20, 2019 10:41 AM (J70i0)
When we had the book auction on Dad's estate, basic reference books such as the Encyclopedia Britannica went for much more money than I expected. A few years ago, you couldn't have given them away.
The woman that regards books as "clutter" obviously has the intellectual curiosity of a goldfish. While pop culture books such as Brown's "DaVinci Code" stuff is crap to be read once and then discarded, there are a lot of books out there worthy of preservation.
Posted by: Eeyore at January 20, 2019 09:45 AM (VaN/j)
I think a lot of people are concerned, even at a subconscious level, that history is being erased. Hence the desire to collect books.
encryption. At least I've never had luck with it.
Posted by: WOPR at January 20, 2019 10:41 AM (J70i0)
When we had the book auction on Dad's estate, basic reference books such as the Encyclopedia Britannica went for much more money than I expected. A few years ago, you couldn't have given them away.
The woman that regards books as "clutter" obviously has the intellectual curiosity of a goldfish. While pop culture books such as Brown's "DaVinci Code" stuff is crap to be read once and then discarded, there are a lot of books out there worthy of preservation.
Posted by: Retired Buckeye Cop is now an engineer at January 20, 2019 12:49 PM (5Yee7)
543
NOOD
Posted by: HA at January 20, 2019 12:49 PM (MAstk)
544
>>I'm assuming this is a medical condition... right?
Maybe. But it's not just his skin color, the shape of his face appears to be changing as well.
Maybe it's just all the juice leaving his body but he looks like a different guy.
Maybe. But it's not just his skin color, the shape of his face appears to be changing as well.
Maybe it's just all the juice leaving his body but he looks like a different guy.
Posted by: JackStraw at January 20, 2019 12:49 PM (/tuJf)
545
I did not buy the multiple personalities in Split because MNS plays fast and loose with the rule set for them.
The idea that one would try to pass as another seems like rulebreaking to me.
The idea that one would try to pass as another seems like rulebreaking to me.
Posted by: blaster at January 20, 2019 12:49 PM (ZfRYq)
546
Huh.
Meijer is currently running an ad (valid this week starting today) for a $5 coupon on your next purchase after spending $25 on P&G products in the same visit.
How long does it take to spin up a promotion like that and print all the ads? Is that happenstance, coincidence, or enemy action?
Meijer is currently running an ad (valid this week starting today) for a $5 coupon on your next purchase after spending $25 on P&G products in the same visit.
How long does it take to spin up a promotion like that and print all the ads? Is that happenstance, coincidence, or enemy action?
Posted by: hogmartin at January 20, 2019 12:50 PM (t+qrx)
547
529 Let me put it this way: theists have been claiming for millennia that the universe began to exist, while nontheists have been claiming for millennia that the universe did not begin to exist. Contemporary cosmology has confirmed the theists' claim and falsified the nontheists' claim.
Posted by: Jim S. at January 20, 2019 12:44 PM (ynUnH)
Another stray thought:
The Bible (esp. Genesis and John's Gospel) heavily points to the idea of the whole Universe being the Word of God, or perhaps a sustaining, continuing Thought of God.
Well... look at what the Universe "is". Basically just packets of information smacking around and scattering and interacting in various mind-boggling ways (the cheapest paraphrase yet of the Standard Model, but screw it, you see where i'm going with this.)
There is no "stuff" there that makes up the universe. It's all just information at the end of the day, bouncing around in the squishy, malleable arena of Space-time four-vectors.
Well, what else is a Word but the transmission of information?
Posted by: Jim S. at January 20, 2019 12:44 PM (ynUnH)
Another stray thought:
The Bible (esp. Genesis and John's Gospel) heavily points to the idea of the whole Universe being the Word of God, or perhaps a sustaining, continuing Thought of God.
Well... look at what the Universe "is". Basically just packets of information smacking around and scattering and interacting in various mind-boggling ways (the cheapest paraphrase yet of the Standard Model, but screw it, you see where i'm going with this.)
There is no "stuff" there that makes up the universe. It's all just information at the end of the day, bouncing around in the squishy, malleable arena of Space-time four-vectors.
Well, what else is a Word but the transmission of information?
Posted by: Warai-otoko at January 20, 2019 12:51 PM (Ct55T)
548
Plus I don't care for Sarah Paulson.
Posted by: Jordan61 at January 20, 2019 12:45 PM (/74bs)
Oh my! I love her in the American Horror Story series.
I won't see this movie for a few years, so I'm not looking for any spoilers... probably won't much remember them if I do, and it won't make much difference anyway.
Posted by: Jordan61 at January 20, 2019 12:45 PM (/74bs)
Oh my! I love her in the American Horror Story series.
I won't see this movie for a few years, so I'm not looking for any spoilers... probably won't much remember them if I do, and it won't make much difference anyway.
Posted by: BurtTC at January 20, 2019 12:51 PM (cY3LT)
549
I'm assuming this is a medical condition... right?
----------------------------------------
Maybe. But it's not just his skin color, the shape of his face appears to be changing as well.
Maybe it's just all the juice leaving his body but he looks like a different guy.
Posted by: JackStraw at January 20, 2019 12:49 PM (/tuJf)
Well if the internet is to be believed, and I don't see why it wouldn't be, Mike Jackson was murdered. By them.
Who them?
Exactly.
So I'm sure they have it out for Sammy as well. It all makes sense, when you see it from that perspective.*
*Do I need to sarc tag this?
----------------------------------------
Maybe. But it's not just his skin color, the shape of his face appears to be changing as well.
Maybe it's just all the juice leaving his body but he looks like a different guy.
Posted by: JackStraw at January 20, 2019 12:49 PM (/tuJf)
Well if the internet is to be believed, and I don't see why it wouldn't be, Mike Jackson was murdered. By them.
Who them?
Exactly.
So I'm sure they have it out for Sammy as well. It all makes sense, when you see it from that perspective.*
*Do I need to sarc tag this?
Posted by: BurtTC at January 20, 2019 12:53 PM (cY3LT)
550
Thanks for another weird and wonderful book thread, Hordlings. I guess it's time to go face the day even though I've told the day to f-off in no uncertain terms.
Posted by: Bob the Bilderberg at January 20, 2019 12:54 PM (qc+VF)
551
Yes, but it was never going to happen if Billy Martin doesn't call for it. Martin tried to gain an advantage, and even though it was settled after the fact (I think?) in Brett's favor, I believe Martin was smart for doing it, because he managed to get into the head of the best player in the game at that time.
Posted by: BurtTC at January 20, 2019 12:22 PM (cY3LT)
I wasn't a Martin fan (I thought he burned out pitchers) but I agree it was a smart move. Hell, if they had a Roger Goodell type commissioner nothing would have been done.
Ironically when they replayed the game, Brett's homer stayed but so did his ejection.
Posted by: BurtTC at January 20, 2019 12:22 PM (cY3LT)
I wasn't a Martin fan (I thought he burned out pitchers) but I agree it was a smart move. Hell, if they had a Roger Goodell type commissioner nothing would have been done.
Ironically when they replayed the game, Brett's homer stayed but so did his ejection.
Posted by: Captain Hate at January 20, 2019 12:54 PM (y7DUB)
552
What it all boils down to IMHO is that nobody really knows and that speaks to that "higher life form" Thingy that I find endlessly fascinating to contemplate, as futile as that exercise is. We just don't have the intellectual capacity to grasp that, whatever "that" is.
I don't see any reason why we couldn't know something about God. Of course we cannot completely comprehend God, but knowing everything about something is not a prerequisite to have genuine knowledge that it exists and has certain properties.
I don't see any reason why we couldn't know something about God. Of course we cannot completely comprehend God, but knowing everything about something is not a prerequisite to have genuine knowledge that it exists and has certain properties.
Posted by: Jim S. at January 20, 2019 12:57 PM (ynUnH)
553
432
we use all of our brain
even during simple tasks, most of our brain is active"
That is not true. All you have to do to know that that is bullshit is listen to Nancy Pelosi for 10 seconds.
we use all of our brain
even during simple tasks, most of our brain is active"
That is not true. All you have to do to know that that is bullshit is listen to Nancy Pelosi for 10 seconds.
Posted by: Donna&&&&&&V at January 20, 2019 12:59 PM (d6Ksn)
554
Of course we cannot completely comprehend God, but knowing everything about something is not a prerequisite to have genuine knowledge that it exists and has certain properties.
Right, that's the flaw of postmodernism. The theory is that you cannot know anything completely and perfectly, so you don't really know anything. And that's nonsense. You can know something enough without knowing it exhaustively.
Right, that's the flaw of postmodernism. The theory is that you cannot know anything completely and perfectly, so you don't really know anything. And that's nonsense. You can know something enough without knowing it exhaustively.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 20, 2019 01:00 PM (39g3+)
555
I don't see any reason why we couldn't know something about God. Of course we cannot completely comprehend God, but knowing everything about something is not a prerequisite to have genuine knowledge that it exists and has certain properties.
Posted by: Jim S. at January 20, 2019 12:57 PM (ynUnH)
Maybe it ought to be view as a simple asymmetry.
"God" is Transcendent to the Universe.
The Universe is *not* Transcendent to God.
Just because the characters in a novel do not interact with the author, doesn't man the author cannot interact with the characters in the novel. Indeed, the author can "break the fourth wall" and allow the characters to "talk" with the author. But if a fictional novel were to start writing and altering itself without the author's consent that would be.... unnerving, at least.
Maybe that's a crappy analogy, but it's a springboard, at least.
Posted by: Jim S. at January 20, 2019 12:57 PM (ynUnH)
Maybe it ought to be view as a simple asymmetry.
"God" is Transcendent to the Universe.
The Universe is *not* Transcendent to God.
Just because the characters in a novel do not interact with the author, doesn't man the author cannot interact with the characters in the novel. Indeed, the author can "break the fourth wall" and allow the characters to "talk" with the author. But if a fictional novel were to start writing and altering itself without the author's consent that would be.... unnerving, at least.
Maybe that's a crappy analogy, but it's a springboard, at least.
Posted by: Warai-otoko at January 20, 2019 01:04 PM (Ct55T)
556
In the first place, the Kindle books on your device are wrapped in a DRM layer which which incorporates the debit or credit card you used for the purchase into the encryption.
Posted by: OregonMuse at 09:30 AM
Actually, Amazon uses the serial number of the device for which you download the ebook. That's not a bad choice. The device doesn't need any additional information to decrypt it. It's unimportant and easily changed if compromised. It's linked to your account, so you probably need to disconnect the device from your account when the device is lost, but you should do that anyway. (You should probably also disconnect the device if your computer is compromised or any account where you store encrypted ebooks, since breaking the encryption could potentially allow somebody to buy ebooks from your account using the device id.)
As I recall, B&N may use (have used?) the credit card number (there is a security nightmare to keep you awake at night). No experience with Google.
I've never had an ebook from Amazon unexpectedly disappear. However, if you check a book out from your local library and read it through Amazon, that book will disappear at the end of the check-out period. When Amazon removes a book from your device, they typically replace it with a "letter" that says what happened.
Amazon has run into problems in the past where a publisher removes the right to distribute the book, often within some limited portion of the world. I'm not sure how that works, but Mickey Mouse seems to have nearly unlimited influence in Congress, so he gets to write all the copyright laws that both we and Amazon must live with.
If you are worried about keeping copies of ebooks, I highly recommend Calibre. There are assorted ways to remove DRM from ebooks - how depends on who you got the book from. Doing so for backup purposes may or may not be legal (IANAL), since it would appear to be needed to protect against loss of your device (the only thing that can read that file) and against the loss of Amazon itself.
Posted by: OregonMuse at 09:30 AM
Actually, Amazon uses the serial number of the device for which you download the ebook. That's not a bad choice. The device doesn't need any additional information to decrypt it. It's unimportant and easily changed if compromised. It's linked to your account, so you probably need to disconnect the device from your account when the device is lost, but you should do that anyway. (You should probably also disconnect the device if your computer is compromised or any account where you store encrypted ebooks, since breaking the encryption could potentially allow somebody to buy ebooks from your account using the device id.)
As I recall, B&N may use (have used?) the credit card number (there is a security nightmare to keep you awake at night). No experience with Google.
I've never had an ebook from Amazon unexpectedly disappear. However, if you check a book out from your local library and read it through Amazon, that book will disappear at the end of the check-out period. When Amazon removes a book from your device, they typically replace it with a "letter" that says what happened.
Amazon has run into problems in the past where a publisher removes the right to distribute the book, often within some limited portion of the world. I'm not sure how that works, but Mickey Mouse seems to have nearly unlimited influence in Congress, so he gets to write all the copyright laws that both we and Amazon must live with.
If you are worried about keeping copies of ebooks, I highly recommend Calibre. There are assorted ways to remove DRM from ebooks - how depends on who you got the book from. Doing so for backup purposes may or may not be legal (IANAL), since it would appear to be needed to protect against loss of your device (the only thing that can read that file) and against the loss of Amazon itself.
Posted by: half a mind at January 20, 2019 01:05 PM (np68J)
557
Maybe the horde should be called the hoarders for this thread from now on.
Posted by: Jim S. at January 20, 2019 01:08 PM (ynUnH)
558
Descartes once compared knowledge of God to touching a mountain. We can touch it, come in direct contact with it, but that doesn't mean we can put our arms all the way around it and so encompass it.
Posted by: Jim S. at January 20, 2019 01:09 PM (ynUnH)
559
Zoltan at January 20, 2019 09:48 AM (u1x0c)
I have all the Cadfael series - 20 books. Bought them as soon as they were published.
I have all the Cadfael series - 20 books. Bought them as soon as they were published.
Posted by: Grannymimi at January 20, 2019 01:10 PM (u5LFV)
560
559 Zoltan at January 20, 2019 09:48 AM (u1x0c)
I have all the Cadfael series - 20 books. Bought them as soon as they were published.
Posted by: Grannymimi at January 20, 2019 01:10 PM (u5LFV)
Excellent series, highly recommended. I believe by Ellis Peters. I have managed to read nearly all of them through the local library.
I have all the Cadfael series - 20 books. Bought them as soon as they were published.
Posted by: Grannymimi at January 20, 2019 01:10 PM (u5LFV)
Excellent series, highly recommended. I believe by Ellis Peters. I have managed to read nearly all of them through the local library.
Posted by: half a mind at January 20, 2019 01:28 PM (np68J)
561
552 What it all boils down to IMHO is that nobody really knows and that speaks to that "higher life form" Thingy that I find endlessly fascinating to contemplate, as futile as that exercise is. We just don't have the intellectual capacity to grasp that, whatever "that" is.
I don't see any reason why we couldn't know something about God. Of course we cannot completely comprehend God, but knowing everything about something is not a prerequisite to have genuine knowledge that it exists and has certain properties.
Posted by: Jim S. at January 20, 2019 12:57 PM (ynUnH)
Free will is one possible reason why you can't have genuine knowledge about God. If you had definite knowledge of God and had a clear indication of God's will in some matter, you have lost free will - how can you choose in opposition of God's will? If you can't make that choice, you have lost the ability to make choice.
Far smarter people than I spent their lives exploring what it would mean to be able to prove or disprove the existence of God. Philosophy can be a fascinating subject when explored honestly.
I don't see any reason why we couldn't know something about God. Of course we cannot completely comprehend God, but knowing everything about something is not a prerequisite to have genuine knowledge that it exists and has certain properties.
Posted by: Jim S. at January 20, 2019 12:57 PM (ynUnH)
Free will is one possible reason why you can't have genuine knowledge about God. If you had definite knowledge of God and had a clear indication of God's will in some matter, you have lost free will - how can you choose in opposition of God's will? If you can't make that choice, you have lost the ability to make choice.
Far smarter people than I spent their lives exploring what it would mean to be able to prove or disprove the existence of God. Philosophy can be a fascinating subject when explored honestly.
Posted by: half a mind at January 20, 2019 01:36 PM (np68J)
Posted by: BackwardsBoy at January 20, 2019 01:41 PM (HaL55)
563
Free will is one possible reason why you can't have genuine knowledge about God. If you had definite knowledge of God and had a clear indication of God's will in some matter,
Those are not the same thing. You can have definite knowledge of God without having a clear indication of his will in some matter.
you have lost free will - how can you choose in opposition of God's will? If you can't make that choice, you have lost the ability to make choice.
I don't get this. People choose in opposition to God's will, even what they know to be God's will, everyday. It's called sin.
I suspect you're referring to God's knowledge of what we will do before we do it. If so, that issue has effectively been solved with modal logic. God's knowledge of what we will do is not what causes us to do it: our free choice is what brings about God's foreknowledge of it.
I would also point out that most atheist philosophers are determinists because free will is inexplicable without God. If all that exists is the interplay of atoms, how can a particular collection of atoms act independently?
Far smarter people than I spent their lives exploring what it would mean to be able to prove or disprove the existence of God. Philosophy can be a fascinating subject when explored honestly.
God, yes.
Those are not the same thing. You can have definite knowledge of God without having a clear indication of his will in some matter.
you have lost free will - how can you choose in opposition of God's will? If you can't make that choice, you have lost the ability to make choice.
I don't get this. People choose in opposition to God's will, even what they know to be God's will, everyday. It's called sin.
I suspect you're referring to God's knowledge of what we will do before we do it. If so, that issue has effectively been solved with modal logic. God's knowledge of what we will do is not what causes us to do it: our free choice is what brings about God's foreknowledge of it.
I would also point out that most atheist philosophers are determinists because free will is inexplicable without God. If all that exists is the interplay of atoms, how can a particular collection of atoms act independently?
Far smarter people than I spent their lives exploring what it would mean to be able to prove or disprove the existence of God. Philosophy can be a fascinating subject when explored honestly.
God, yes.
Posted by: Jim S. at January 20, 2019 01:54 PM (ynUnH)
564
Well I have downloaded the latest version of Calibre and it is supposed to be compatible with Windows 10. I have converted one book and opens OK, but I don't know if I have removed the DRM or not.
Posted by: Vic at January 20, 2019 02:46 PM (mpXpK)
565
Amazon exists to have sex with your wallet and walk away laughing.
Posted by: Burger Chef at January 20, 2019 04:03 PM (RuIsu)
566
Ace of Spades keychain and bookmarks are up at my shop. A couple of people were interested. More can be made. Thanks!!
Posted by: Jewells45 at January 20, 2019 10:19 AM (dUJdY)
Want!
Posted by: Jewells45 at January 20, 2019 10:19 AM (dUJdY)
Want!
Posted by: SandyCheeks at January 20, 2019 04:20 PM (tGSHk)
567
I download all my Amazon ebooks and run them through a de-DRM program. It isn't illegal, so long as you don't give them away, and you can also use different e-readers after they are stripped.
Posted by: Heresolong at January 20, 2019 09:36
Any advice on which program?
Posted by: Heresolong at January 20, 2019 09:36
Any advice on which program?
Posted by: redclay at January 20, 2019 07:13 PM (nVN5G)
568
Any advice on which program?
Posted by: redclay at January 20, 2019 07:13 PM (nVN5G)
I use calibre to manage ebooks and Apprentice Alf's package to deal with drm. The code is open source and written in python so you can check that it's doing what it claims to do.
https://calibre-ebook.com
https://apprenticealf.wordpress.com
Posted by: redclay at January 20, 2019 07:13 PM (nVN5G)
I use calibre to manage ebooks and Apprentice Alf's package to deal with drm. The code is open source and written in python so you can check that it's doing what it claims to do.
https://calibre-ebook.com
https://apprenticealf.wordpress.com
Posted by: gingeroni at January 20, 2019 07:58 PM (/XPvv)
569
568 Any advice on which program?
Posted by: redclay at January 20, 2019 07:13 PM (nVN5G)
I use calibre to manage ebooks and Apprentice Alf's package to deal with drm. The code is open source and written in python so you can check that it's doing what it claims to do.
https://calibre-ebook.com
https://apprenticealf.wordpress.com
Posted by: gingeroni at January 20, 2019 07:58 PM (/XPvv)
thank you.
Posted by: redclay at January 20, 2019 07:13 PM (nVN5G)
I use calibre to manage ebooks and Apprentice Alf's package to deal with drm. The code is open source and written in python so you can check that it's doing what it claims to do.
https://calibre-ebook.com
https://apprenticealf.wordpress.com
Posted by: gingeroni at January 20, 2019 07:58 PM (/XPvv)
thank you.
Posted by: redclay at January 20, 2019 09:08 PM (nVN5G)
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