tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41254358106583126442024-03-24T19:32:59.131-04:00Liberty At All CostsMy space for ruminations, reviews, and quiltery. Welcome friends, and comment!Dannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15304572506298209357noreply@blogger.comBlogger1124125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125435810658312644.post-55706826617191905422024-03-04T16:41:00.001-05:002024-03-04T16:41:25.840-05:00Review: Way Station<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/190999.Way_Station" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Way Station" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1326490682l/190999._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/190999.Way_Station">Way Station</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/23012.Clifford_D_Simak">Clifford D. Simak</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2982951796">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This is a 3-star review. That is a charitable estimate of my experience with this book. I was expecting the classic of the SF genre and Hugo Award-winning "Best Novel" to be much better.<br /><br />The basic outline of the book is that our protagonist, Enoch Wallace, lucked into being contacted by an alien from outer space. The alien, named Ulysses by Enoch, asks Enoch to manage an intergalactic waystation. <br /><br />Essentially, beings are tossed across the galaxy. Dust and other galactic ephemera limit the distance that can be traveled in a single jump. Waystations are required to permit travelers to reach farther destinations.<br /><br />There are two major and a few minor elements of this book that undermine the reading experience.<br /><br />The first major element is the consistent use of internal monologues. Enoch carefully weighs each decision in his mind. He also reflects on the many new cultures and friends he has experienced courtesy of his position as a stationmaster.<br /><br />We rarely see Enoch interacting with other characters. We do not learn about new cultures and new alien species as part of regular interactions. Enoch just reflects and emotes. This one factor alone almost caused me to not finish the book.<br /><br />There are extended segments of the book where Enoch is faced with the choice between joining the galactic co-fraternity and leaving Earth or remaining on Earth with the hope that his new knowledge and experiences will help humanity survive. The essence of these sections is that this decision is hard. Not a surprise, but not terribly interesting after the first few pages of dithering.<br /><br />This book is a classic example of why "showing" is better than "telling".<br /><br />The second major element is the use of so many different aspects of alien cultures and technologies. One section will focus on a new system of mathematics. Another section will focus on alien "thaumaturgy" as a method for focusing spiritual essence to create a new being.<br /><br />Some of these sections pay off at the end of the book. There are extended discussions with Ulysses about intergalactic politics influencing where new waystations are located.<br /><br />Other sections just pad the number of pages. Enoch creates some spiritual friends using alien thaumaturgical techniques. They end up drifting away after Enoch fails to ignore the fact that they do not have and will never have a physical aspect. The presence of thaumaturgical "science" has no influence on the outcome of the book.<br /><br />It is as if the author could not decide which genre tropes he wanted to use. In his moment of indecision, he found himself using all of them. The result is a reading experience that wastes time on marginally explored and incomplete plot lines.<br /><br />There were a few minor nits to pick.<br /><br />The waystation system appears to exist solely for the transport of individual entities. It is never obviously used for the transport of freight. Here in reality-land, most transportation involves moving stuff rather than people. As the galactic system appears to be focused on colonizing new worlds, the absence of any freight traffic is a bit odd.<br /><br />Within the book, there is an object referred to as the Talisman. It ends up being a sort of McGuffin. The Talisman is a device that is used by a spiritually sensitive person to connect various populations with a spiritual essence. The sensitive person travels with the Talisman to each world. They turn it on and the Talisman's connection with spiritual essence fosters peace for that world/population. As a secondary effect, a world where the Talisman has not yet traveled still experiences a sense of hopefulness, peace, and unity with the rest of the galaxy based on the possibility that the Talisman might eventually visit their world.<br /><br />The entire concept appears to be an attempt to obtain the positive benefits of religion without the perceived obligations and objections that come with belief in a specific religion. It creates an appeal to authority without the need for anyone to submit to that authority.<br /><br />Which leads to a final criticism. Enoch is of the belief that the various peoples of the rest of the galaxy are in some morally superior to humanity. He presumes that by dint of their acknowledged technical superiority, those peoples are peaceful, cooperative, and otherwise better. Humanity on the brink of nuclear war is considered to be below the standard for acceptance into the galactic co-fraternity. Various non-humans seem to confirm Enoch's self-denigratory perspective.<br /><br />Yet at the end, a non-human shows up having stolen the Talisman. They are quite willing to commit acts of violence in the furtherance of their unexplored scheme. We also learn of factionalism within the galactic government based on competition for scarce resources as well as for the opportunity of pursuing policies that validate the pride and narrow interests of certain members of the galactic government.<br /><br />Sounds an awful lot like Earth and the conflicts that occur between our nations and even between various cultural groups within a single nation.<br /><br />"Waystation" is worth reading once for those interested in the overall history of the speculative fiction genre. Outside of that motivation, I see little to recommend in this book.<br />
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Dannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15304572506298209357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125435810658312644.post-64670857077658882662024-02-22T20:02:00.002-05:002024-02-22T20:02:47.621-05:00Review: Tower of Silence<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62707391-tower-of-silence" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Tower of Silence (Saga of the Forgotten Warrior, #4)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1664063297l/62707391._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62707391-tower-of-silence">Tower of Silence</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1136158.Larry_Correia">Larry Correia</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6254459102">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This is a 5-star review, but it's closer to 4.5 stars.<br /><br />Why the 1/2 star deduction? There were a few instances where the characters dropped into using early 21st-century idioms. And this is part of a series, so the tale is incomplete.<br /><br />This is a solid entry in the Saga of the Forgotten Warrior series. Our hero Ashok finds himself on Fortress, a nearby island. He should be dead, but he isn't. And he has to find his way back to the mainland so he can return to guarding Thera.<br /><br />In the meantime, the prophet Thera and the priest Keta must continue to lead their people despite Ashok's absence. <br /><br />More people encounter some aspect of the Forgotten Warrior. They begin to suspect that their culture is not all they were told.<br /><br />I don't want to go into too many details as they would spoil this book and it is a tremendous read. I will say that for a book with so many serious characters, it also has well-crafted moments of bust-a-gut humor.<br /><br />There is never a page where you aren't interested to see what comes next.
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Dannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15304572506298209357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125435810658312644.post-48313846052854589372024-02-21T17:00:00.001-05:002024-02-21T17:00:00.243-05:00Carolyn Callendar - In Memorium<p>The year was 1981. I was taking Advanced Composition in my junior year of high school. Carolyn Callendar had the misfortune to be teaching the class that year.</p><p>Mrs. Callendar taught the class every year, so she bears some responsibility for what followed. </p><p>It was a great class. She gave us daily and weekly assignments. Mostly they were writing prompts that we could take in any direction. Such an open-ended invitation proved advantageous to our group of young writers.</p><p>Mrs. Callendar had her preferences. One of us had a knack for ethereal treatments that I will stereotypically describe as "butterflies, flowers, and rainbows". That student always got an A on their work. The rest of us had to work for it. Or so it seemed to us at the time. Young student writers have a tendency to be precious about their early work.</p><p>My personal favorite piece was an extended bit of poetry that I produced in collaboration with my best friend. It was a dark and moody piece that was inspired by the works of Stephen King, Edgar Allen Poe, and who knows what else. We had the "dark" knob turned up to eleven. Naturally, we both lost our copies so it exists now as a vague reminiscence of our clear literary genius.</p><p>As one might expect, the class went through phases. The band RUSH released their quintessential album, "<a href="http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/movingpictures.html" target="_blank">Moving Pictures</a>", that year. The second track was the science fiction inspired song "Red Barchetta". The titular automobile had been saved in an old white-haired uncle's barn. A relic from before the Motor Law being chased down by gleaming alloy air cars. The driver was subsequently saved by a one-lane bridge that the air cars could not cross.</p><p>We were largely unaware that RUSH's primary lyricist, Neil Peart, had found inspiration in a piece of fiction that was first published in the November 1973 issue of "Road and Track". That story, <a href="http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/transcripts/19731100roadandtrack.htm" target="_blank">A Nice Morning Drive</a> written by Richard S. Foster, told the story of an old MGB roadster. Rendered obsolete by wave after wave of modern automobile safety standards had made surviving car crashes not only likely but predictable. The drivers of the newly designed cars expected to walk away from accidents unscathed. As a result, drivers of these Modern Safety Vehicles began targeting older vehicles leaving them in mangled heaps. Those driving older cars were likely to be left in a similarly mangled condition. The price for driving a classic. And so the driver of the old MGB engages in a race for his life pursued by a pair of MSVs.</p><p>Courtesy of Neil Peart's retelling of <i>A Nice Morning Drive</i> in <i>Red Barchetta</i>, a series of automobiles entered our classroom zeitgeist. We subjected Mrs. Callendar to seemingly endless stories that involved red sports cars. The model of the car would shift to suit the moods and tastes of various authors. Sometimes it was only glimpsed under a protective tarp. Other times the car would tear along country roads kicking up a stream of fall leaves.</p><p>We began to perceive that Mrs. Callendar was dissatisfied with our seeming enchantment with red sports cars that appeared in our work. So we shifted to blue sports cars. She was not amused. I think she secretly was amused.</p><p>Our appreciations of the roadster (red, blue, or otherwise) lasted a few weeks before Mrs. Callendar put a kind but firm end to our vehicular ruminations. Automotively-inspired expositions were no longer acceptable subject matter for the course. A few essays later in the year reprised our earlier fascination with motorized conveyances. She accepted these brief automotive interludes with humor and grace while simultaneously assuring the class that she would throttle any attempt to return to those halcyon days of transportational bliss. The fuel gauge was on "E" where cars were involved.</p><p>Mrs. Callendar retired a few years later. She and her husband moved to Georgia where they enjoyed the company of their grandchildren. She also enjoyed playing bridge and reading books, naturally.</p><p>Carolyn Callendar <a href="https://obits.mlive.com/us/obituaries/jackson/name/carolyn-callendar-obituary?id=34215454" target="_blank">passed away</a> in 2022. While I don't know what comes next, I'd like to imagine that somewhere she is at the wheel of a red roadster from a better vanished time. Naturally, she would be gaily driving along with the top down, the wind whipping her hair, and stirring up a steady stream of autumnal yellow, red, gold, and brown.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijN5rXSkfLswJstwv_EAwgCNUF6v5RsYvomvp3Kq6LcomWlO6UoBia-zbzJQpMh-fIto3FMkoLpWPFwASVykikCY1CpITB5H-TOwyU8l2bFBqBFqoxgJSXP7n4lwburrnfaIIf4l6uxZZful-28lQmaPcm4SxhP45EDwb0rQb3zx_z6EzFa_L_oFORMYI/s500/Callendar.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="338" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijN5rXSkfLswJstwv_EAwgCNUF6v5RsYvomvp3Kq6LcomWlO6UoBia-zbzJQpMh-fIto3FMkoLpWPFwASVykikCY1CpITB5H-TOwyU8l2bFBqBFqoxgJSXP7n4lwburrnfaIIf4l6uxZZful-28lQmaPcm4SxhP45EDwb0rQb3zx_z6EzFa_L_oFORMYI/s320/Callendar.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><p><br /></p>Dannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15304572506298209357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125435810658312644.post-11757004357318967132024-02-04T22:12:00.000-05:002024-02-04T22:12:00.347-05:00Sexualizing Children??<p>This entry is part of an ongoing conversation taking place from time to time at File770, among other locations. As is frequently the case in passionate discussions, the topic tends to shift depending on the speaker.</p><p>For the most part, my interlocutors are aghast at the many legislative efforts to limit the books that are available in public libraries and public schools. And honestly? I share their concerns. Many of the books that end up being impacted by these initiatives are things that I read decades ago. Many of the newer titles are equally unworthy of attention either legislative or administrative. </p><p>Reasonable people can disagree about the relative merit of a children's book that features a farting main character. No reasonable person would suggest locking up a teacher or a librarian for including it in a school library.</p><p>The problem is that books featuring farting characters, or books by George Orwell (irony!) are not the subject matter that is driving the issue. Focusing on farting characters or on "To Kill a Mockingbird" or any other largely inoffensive work is a purposeful attempt to deflect the discussion away from the core issue.</p><p>Sexualizing children.</p><p>What follows is very much my part of an adult discussion that involves adult materials. If raw images of sexual body parts offend you, then please move on to something else. I have some very nice book reviews to read.</p><p>For everyone else...</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>For the purpose of this discussion, I am going to focus on children that are in the 11-14 year old age range. At the youngest, this cohort is definitely prepubescent. They are not physically prepared to engage in sexual relationships. They are not sufficiently emotionally developed to engage in a sexual relationship.</p><p>Below is a selection of images from the "<a href="https://readallcomics.com/butterscotch-the-flavor-of-the-invisible-1/" target="_blank">Butterscotch</a>" series by Milo Manara. "Butterscotch" is the story of a man who has been wiped down with an invisibility cream. He runs around groping, molesting, and raping women. The story also focuses on one woman who is the focus of his attention. How does she respond to his actions?</p><p>Is she repelled? Does she fight back? Is she in any way distressed at the situation?</p><p>Generally, no.</p><p>To paraphrase those philosophers of song, AC/DC, she cums and cums again.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNY7iOyafHlYAaUQ6ZL8c7r0byDVHjWpc_IaAfeq_O869aeJC53SfKFVEO-uywyBLKG1zXFQqk5ZH9-MEalojDUGnvzGa4aAKk0_jJACVJsSTLMSY54CBamMw7ba5YwRwk_FbnP7i7u6zNUomGq-wPQVUGdbBsrIfYJIAGAwp9V6JzBKvrcRdIsdpr_zk/s2000/Scotch5.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="2000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNY7iOyafHlYAaUQ6ZL8c7r0byDVHjWpc_IaAfeq_O869aeJC53SfKFVEO-uywyBLKG1zXFQqk5ZH9-MEalojDUGnvzGa4aAKk0_jJACVJsSTLMSY54CBamMw7ba5YwRwk_FbnP7i7u6zNUomGq-wPQVUGdbBsrIfYJIAGAwp9V6JzBKvrcRdIsdpr_zk/w400-h300/Scotch5.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click to embiggen if needed</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Is this the sort of material that a public school teacher or librarian should put into the hands of a young girl as a positive example of future sexuality? No.</p><p>This is porn. The action of a public employee handing this sort of material to a young girl includes an implicit suggestion that the behaviors being displayed are appropriate to the circumstances. Any public school teacher or librarian who purposefully puts this material in front of any youngster, boy, girl, or in between, should discover that they are a prime candidate for dismissal. A random adult providing this material to a child would correctly become the focus of some very pointed questions from law enforcement.</p><p>Milo Manara also has a series called "Click" where our protagonist is a young woman who has become the subject of a machine with the ability to inspire overwhelming sexual desire on her part whenever it is turned on. The person with the control of the machine who can turn it on and subsequently turn her on with a simple "click" is a man, natch. </p><p>I've been aware of Milo Manara's work for decades. He is a great artist. I would never suggest that his work is appropriate for young children. I'm guessing that Mr. Manara feels the same way.</p><p>Why is this relevant to the current discussion? Because there are a select number of graphic works that present the same level of sexual content that are being procured by public employees for inclusions in libraries that are used by young children.</p><p>Four such titles are:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Gender Queer</li><li>This Book is Gay</li><li>Flamer</li><li>Let's Talk About It.</li></ul><div>There may be more, but these are the four that seem to be the primary cause of concern.</div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiF6e6rxLJ7EnThtrVFugwCZe5Rd2u8d-l-onyzESlL4TleI43KUCzEzQnKepLLw2kdZSW5fMsaUUOl1MWydk00p-3eXHyBbxnEPtryUOR5N3XQ680WbuisnN3-ASNKS99t608tGLWWXwgkf-u1cjj_dwzWHpLbtuaWFm0cGIpOwxbS0vbsS-cqEf8suPc" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiF6e6rxLJ7EnThtrVFugwCZe5Rd2u8d-l-onyzESlL4TleI43KUCzEzQnKepLLw2kdZSW5fMsaUUOl1MWydk00p-3eXHyBbxnEPtryUOR5N3XQ680WbuisnN3-ASNKS99t608tGLWWXwgkf-u1cjj_dwzWHpLbtuaWFm0cGIpOwxbS0vbsS-cqEf8suPc=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click to embiggen if needed</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div>These books depict a wide range of behaviors that are inappropriate for young children.<div><br /></div><div>One book depicts two fifth-grade boys experimenting with oral sex. It doesn't matter if the book depicts two boys, two girls, a boy and a girl, or some other combination, no fifth grader should be provided with encouragement-by-example to engage in sexual relationships. The objection is not that gay sex is being depicted. The objection is that the book depicts children in the fifth grade (11 to 12 years old) engaging in sexual relationships as a normal and reasonable activity. It isn't.</div><div><br /></div><div>One book includes descriptions of the process for setting up an account on social media accounts designed to facilitate random sexual encounters (i.e. Tinder et. al.). The book also provides some "tips" for hiding those apps from parents and other responsible adults.</div><div><br /></div><div>Imagine recommending that young girls sign up for such services where they will inevitably meet older men.</div><div><br /></div><div>In "Let's Talk About It" one character is enthusiastically masturbating. In another image from that book, a character is spreading their butt cheeks wide with an invitation for another character to insert their penis.</div><div><br /></div><div>Let's be honest. In the process of passing from childhood, through puberty, and into adulthood, most people figure out masturbation. Humanity has survived for millennia without needing to provide illustrated instructions to children for people to figure that out.</div><div><br /></div><div>Also, let's be honest. Humanity has had homosexual activity and bisexual activity for millennia. Cultures have responded to that activity in various ways.</div><div><br /></div><div>What is new is the modern desire to push sexualized content on ever younger children.</div><div><br /></div><div>Adults are free (or should be free) to create sexually graphic images of adults for the benefit of other adults. Publishers should be free to choose to publish them. Distributors and retailers should be free to choose to sell them. Or not to - that's also a valid choice.</div><div><br /></div><div>But focusing the content and marketing of sexual material on young children should be beyond the pale. Such behavior by adults should be seen as a clear error.</div><div><br /></div><div>My challenge to my interlocutors is to address this situation described above.</div><div><br /></div><div>Do not deflect into a discussion about fanciful characters that fart alot.</div><div><br /></div><div>Do not deflect into a discussion about "To Kill A Mockingbird" or other classics.</div><div><br /></div><div>Do not deflect into a discussion about edge cases where teenagers who are days away from the age of majority are exposed to titillating content.</div><div><br /></div><div>Do not deflect into a discussion about whether children should be exposed to Michelangelo's "David" or other serious artwork.</div><div><br /></div><div>Address the issue at hand. Should young children be exposed to material designed to create the perception that it is normal and appropriate for children to engage in sexual relationships? Should young children be encouraged to hide those relationships from their parents? Should public employees be spending public money to make this material available to children?</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Understanding my interlocutors as I do, permit me to respond to the first spurious assertion that will be used. They will say, "Dann, you just don't want children to know about gay sex! You are a homophobe."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You are wrong. I'm not arguing against age-appropriate sex education. I'm arguing against gratuitiously sexualizing children regardless of their gender orientation.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Please constrain yourself to responding to that issue.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hopefully, I can return to doing normal book reviews soon.</div><p></p></div>Dannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15304572506298209357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125435810658312644.post-19471239579824372122024-01-16T17:35:00.001-05:002024-01-16T17:35:00.141-05:00Review: Aliens: Bishop<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/201821854-aliens" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Aliens: Bishop" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1699432764l/201821854._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/201821854-aliens">Aliens: Bishop</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7826255.T_R_Napper">T.R. Napper</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6146868869">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
T.R. Napper gets invited to play in the world of Aliens. Here we learn that Colonial Marines Master Sergeant Apone has a brother. His brother is a Captain in the Colonial Marines who is charged with tracking down Michael Bishop. Bishop is the progenitor of the Bishop series of androids. He also has a desire to investigate and exploit the xenomorphs.<br /><br />The mission to track down Michael Bishop reveals an opportunity to recover the physical remnants of the Bishop android from the Aliens movie. (That is the one with Newt.) Eventually, it becomes clear that Michael Bishop has grown more xenomorphs. Captain Apone wants some payback for the death of his brother.<br /><br />The events of the book take place after the <i>Aliens: 3</i> movie as one of the survivors of the prison planet eventually becomes part of the story.<br /><br />Napper does an outstanding job of filling out each character with unique motivations and history. There are many events where characters are faced with choices that pit a desire to settle past grievances with the desire to survive in the face of low chances of survival. Collectively and individually, they demonstrate the grit needed to rise to the most lethal of challenges.<br /><br />The book provides us with a raft of new characters and events without breaking the lore of the Aliens fictional world.
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Dannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15304572506298209357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125435810658312644.post-46735261825374003012024-01-15T17:19:00.001-05:002024-01-15T17:19:00.131-05:00Review: System Collapse<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/65211701-system-collapse" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="System Collapse (The Murderbot Diaries, #7)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1674575978l/65211701._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/65211701-system-collapse">System Collapse</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/87305.Martha_Wells">Martha Wells</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6171373390">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
While I have thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the books in The Murderbot Diaries, I found this installment to be a bit pointless. We don't learn anything new or interesting about Murderbot. <br /><br />Read the rest of the series. It's very well written. If there ends up being an eighth installment, then be sure to read this book. But if this is the end of the line, then you can stop at the sixth installment and not have missed much.
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Dannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15304572506298209357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125435810658312644.post-43105497462296178272023-12-04T21:08:00.003-05:002023-12-04T21:08:54.317-05:00Spotify 2023<p>We have arrived at that time of year when Spotify rounds up the statistics related to my music listening over the last year.</p><p>It turns out that I have listened to 4,039 songs this year for a total of 31,783 minutes. That works out to about 87 minutes per day.</p><p>Peak listening was on August 26th with 776 minutes or almost 13 hours in one day. I was in the top 11% of listeners. I promise to do better next year, Spotify.</p><p>I listened to 1189 artists. Finding a new artist and doing a deep dive into their catalog is a favorite activity.</p><p>The band I listened to the most was Styx at 995 minutes. I was in the top 0.5% of all Styx fans.</p><p>My top five artists:</p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Styx</li><li>Rush </li><li>Queen </li><li>K/DA </li><li>Van Halen </li></ol><p></p><p>The five songs that I played the most were by K/DA. I blame YouTube. The song/video Pop Stars was recommended to me last spring. It is a very catchy tune with an awesome video. Whenever I need a little pick-me-up, I add a little K/DA to the music queue.</p><p>My top five songs:</p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Pop Stars by K/DA</li><li>More by K/DA</li><li>The Baddest by K/DA</li><li>Drum Go Dum by K/DA</li><li>I'll Show You by K/DA</li></ol><p></p><p>You can see the whole wrap-up <a href="https://open.spotify.com/wrapped/share/share-17439c1ae5674210964a488e2962cbaa-1080x1920?lang=en&destination=datastories&si=YWUxYzc4NTUtYTIzNS00MjZjLWEzYWEtYzEyY2MxNDU3YmI4" target="_blank">on Spotify here</a>. </p>Dannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15304572506298209357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125435810658312644.post-6759949219434127582023-12-04T19:11:00.001-05:002024-02-09T13:39:26.170-05:00Diplomacy - December 7th<p>This isn't my story to tell, but it is a story that should not be lost to the mists of time. Credit to <a href="https://twitter.com/TheDiplomad/status/1731824242356830547" target="_blank">The Diplomad</a>/<a href="https://thediplomad.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Lewis Amselem</a>.</p><p></p><blockquote><p>A Little Lighthearted Diplomatic Mayhem re Pearl Harbor</p><p>I served in Guatemala in the 1980s. While there, I attended countless diplomatic receptions and functions. Most have long slipped from my memory. One, however, I always remember when December 7 rolls around.</p><p>Among others in the U.S. Embassy, I got invited to an event at the Japanese Embassy in honor of the Emperor. You guessed it, the reception was on December 7. A couple of us joked about it, but, off we went. Japanese receptions were always among the best: superb food and drink; everything artfully and tastefully done; and their diplomats were nice, well informed, and seemed to like Americans. As the party was winding down, I slid over to one of my Japanese contacts and kidded him about the date, "You have guts throwing this event December 7."</p><p>He seemed perplexed, "We decided to hold it today instead of tomorrow, because of American sensitivities about that day."</p><p>Now I became the perplexed one, "What's so sensitive for us about December 8?"</p><p>My Japanese friend looked at me as though I were the biggest ignoramus on the planet, he whispered, "You know, Pearl Harbor attack day."</p><p>I couldn't help but laugh at this bit of international miscommunication. I told him, "On this side of the international date line, the attack took place on December 7."</p><p>He, however, did not laugh. Mortified, he turned bright red. I thought he would order the entire staff to commit seppuku on the lawn. He was so embarrassed, I got embarrassed. He could not stop apologizing for the error; I started apologizing for having brought up the matter. For weeks afterward, whenever he saw me, he would apologize; I would apologize, too.</p><p>A day after the reception, the Japanese Ambassador sent our Ambassador a bottle of very expensive sake with a long note. Our Ambassador, a wonderful, rough, tough oil man--and a Marine in the Pacific during WWII--called on me in a staff meeting, "What the hell is this about? Why is the Japanese Ambassador apologizing to me?"</p><p>I explained.</p><p>He smiled and said, "Ah! Well, then this is yours." He handed me the sake.</p></blockquote><p>It is my privilege to be the host/MC for this year's Pearl Harbor Day observance being held at the USS Arizona Memorial of Michigan. The ceremony begins at 1 PM. Please attend if you can.</p><p></p>Dannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15304572506298209357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125435810658312644.post-69724962541275874872023-12-04T18:46:00.001-05:002023-12-04T18:46:00.133-05:00Review: MARVEL-VERSE: AMERICA CHAVEZ<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58340838-marvel-verse" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="MARVEL-VERSE: AMERICA CHAVEZ" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1646651665l/58340838._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58340838-marvel-verse">MARVEL-VERSE: AMERICA CHAVEZ</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/439887.Kieron_Gillen">Kieron Gillen</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6024081545">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This is a 3-star DNF review.<br /><br />I don't recall why I picked up this book. Someone was mentioning America Chavez as an underutilized character. I thought I'd give it a shot.<br /><br />I enjoyed the artwork. It was pretty standard Marvel art. I enjoy standard Marvel art.<br /><br />The story was OK. Not great, but enough that I'd usually keep moving on.<br /><br />America has two moms. Ok.<br /><br />Then there are two male characters that seem into each other. Ok.<br /><br />Then America goes into a house flying a rainbow flag - to have a make-out session with her girlfriend.<br /><br />A couple of those elements and I'd have continued on. Everyone has to make room for everyone else. But the book was turning into an identitarian screed bent on excluding non-gay characters while hiding behind the tatters of a superhero story.<br /><br />Moving onto something better as quickly as possible. Dorothy Parker can have her fun.
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Dannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15304572506298209357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125435810658312644.post-75996125450015440562023-11-30T17:46:00.000-05:002023-11-30T17:46:02.725-05:00Review: Stand Alone: Wolfhounds - Book One<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199143280-stand-alone" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Stand Alone: Wolfhounds - Book One" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1695695874l/199143280._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199143280-stand-alone">Stand Alone: Wolfhounds - Book One</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4875990.John_Van_Stry">John Van Stry</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6014619731">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This is a 5-star review. My experience is closer to 4.5-stars, but this a great book. Go read it. Some modest spoilers are in my summary. Just go read the book.<br /><br />Our protagonist, Chase, is not what he seems. Only he doesn't know it yet.<br /><br />The society he inhabits is somewhat stratified. There are the common folks living common lives. It appears that moderate success is available to anyone who elects to put in the effort.<br /><br />Then there are the "royalty". In reality, these are the genetically enhanced humans who can interface with artificial intelligence systems. Being genetically enhanced, the AI interfaced is passed down to their children. Humanity had previously experienced AI systems run amok. It took wars for humanity to reassert control over those computer systems. Now, AI systems require human input before they can carry out complex tasks. Those humans with the genetically engineered interface provide that input. <br /><br />But wait! Not every interface is equal. Some interfaces provide better access and control of AI systems. The best interfaces are those possessed by the "imperial" family that are passed down to their children.<br /><br />At some point, a commoner who lacks this interface gains enough governmental power to attempt to overthrow the entire system. He installs an authoritarian system to make things more "fair".<br /><br />In the meantime, Chase just wanted to improve his position within the criminal world. Some judge tosses him into the Imperial Navy. Chase doesn't understand the judge's motivations. But he quickly adapts to the Navy and learns how to be useful.<br /><br />His unit gets stuck in a sort of cryosleep. When they awaken, the unit discovers that they have been out of circulation for over a decade. The revolution has killed off the entire imperial family. Other "royals" are now forced to provide the control for the AI system; frequently at gunpoint. The new government is being about as effective as one might imagine.<br /><br />And Chase might well be the most unlikely person in the universe with the possibility to influence the future.<br /><br />A great story. Hard to put down. The author has put in a ton of work to make the plot logically consistent and interesting. There simply aren't any unexplained incidents.<br /><br />I have two critical notes. The first is spelling and grammar. There were less than a dozen instances of poor spelling/grammar.<br /><br />The second is the concept of "hot". As in "the smokin' hot babe sitting in my Camaro" type of hot. I've read several of this author's books. The women are always "hot". Brother, find a different way of describing women. This wouldn't have been an issue if I hadn't read those other books. But I did. And so it is an issue. Perhaps a minor issue, but an issue.<br /><br />I will be nominating this book for the Best Novel category of the Hugo Awards of 2024. I think it is that good of a book despite my minor criticisms.
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Dannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15304572506298209357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125435810658312644.post-13764959800802885922023-11-13T17:00:00.001-05:002023-11-13T17:00:00.142-05:00Wha Choo Readin'?<p>A question/survey was running around on X the other day. This one seemed a bit more interesting to me. </p><p>Omitting collected works, who are the top 5 authors in your library by number of books on your shelves?</p><p>Stephen King ~15</p><p>E.E. Knight ~12</p><p>Christopher Nuttall 11</p><p>Dave Duncan 11</p><p>Miles Cameron 9</p><p>I included both physical and ebooks in my count. Most of my Stephen King and E.E. Knight books were physical, so I don’t have an accurate count close to hand.</p><p>After considering it a little longer, I would probably have to include Piers Anthony on the list. I owned a whole stack of his books before I figured out that some of his content was a little…erm…troubling. And I wouldn’t want to drop Miles Cameron off of the list in favor of Piers.</p><p>If shared universes with multiple authors are included, then Dragonlance would easily make it into the top five. Sorry, Miles. That one would bump you off.</p><p>What are your top 5 authors of books you own?</p><p>The rest of the best is based almost exclusively on my ebook library and so it runs towards a younger author demographic. I am loath to dig through my physical books to tally up those older authors, but I know there are a few that would be well deserving of inclusion here.</p><p>Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman 10 - As a duo, which I took as violating the spirit of the question.</p><p>Nick Cole 8</p><p>Mark Lawrence 8</p><p>Emma Newman 6</p><p>Sebastien de Castell 6</p><p>Peter V. Brett 6</p><p>Martha Wells 6</p><p>SM Anderson 5</p><p>Frank Cho 5</p><p>Damien Black 4</p><p><br /></p>Dannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15304572506298209357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125435810658312644.post-66200423433774398842023-11-03T06:39:00.061-04:002023-11-08T08:43:12.009-05:00Their Opinions Are Not Correct: Episode 133<p>They only vaguely seem to be opinions as there doesn't seem to be much in the way of fact going on.</p><p>Yes, I am listening to the "Our Opinions Are Correct" podcast by Charlie Jane Anders and Annalee Newitz. Episode 133 features a discussion of Ayn Rand and her influence on Silicon Valley. There are quite a few misrepresentations and misunderstandings in just the first 18 minutes.</p><p>One should be familiar with the relevant facts surrounding an issue before issuing opinions. Their facts are sorely lacking.</p><p>As an initial observation, they routinely conflate Randian ideals with how Silicon Valley moguls behave. No utopian vision is ever fully realized. The personal flaws of Silicon Valley executives are not indictments of Ayn Rand's utopian ideals. All utopian systems eventually fail to meet the challenges of reality. </p><p>Early on, Ms. Anders suggests, and Ms. Newitz agrees, that Randian philosophy is centered on greed. They assert that, under Randian economics/philosophy, people should take all that they can get. That is a misrepresentation of Randian ideals.</p><p>The Randian ideal is that a person should be compensated based on the value that the deliver to the rest of society. In a Randian world, the person who discovers a proven preventative for dementia (better still a cure) should receive a large amount of compensation because they will have provided a valuable benefit to everyone else. By comparison, a person who flips burgers for a living should receive less compensation because the value they deliver is less. For the record, I once flipped burgers for a living. The Randian ideal is that the value of compensation should be driven by the just value the person has delivered. That is not greed. That is exchanging value for like value.</p><p>Later they refer to Rand's perception of governmental regulations are a funhouse mirror version of regulations. They are implying that all government regulations are sensibly crafted and sensibly enforced. That ends up being coupled with criticism of a "who is going to stop me" approach in favor of a "who gives me permission" perspective.</p><p>Ladies, welcome to America. We are an exceptional nation. The definition of "exceptional" being used here is [that we are] different from others; not better and not worse. Where people of other nations must look to the government for guidance and permission before creating new and useful enterprises, Americans routinely express an absolute right to enter into such enterprises despite what the government (or other private competitors) may say about the matter.</p><p>We are glad you are here. Please adjust your Overton window accordingly.</p><p>They discuss a plot point (I think in one of Rand's books) where the tax code is designed to keep the most successful companies constrained by limiting profitability. Essentially, a successful company will pay more taxes so that less successful companies can compete. They do acknowledge that "progressives" might want to nationalize some industries but suggest that no one is supporting a tax code with rates established based on how successful a company is.</p><p>Clearly, they do not understand how the US income tax code works. It is a progressive code where the percentage of tax collected increases based on the amount of money that a person or a company makes. There is a reason why so many companies and wealthy individuals spend so much effort to take advantage of the tax deductions to lower the amount of income that is considered taxable by the IRS. Reducing the amount of taxable income not only lowers the amount of tax that is collected, it can shift the applicable tax bracket to one with a lower rate. </p><p>If that isn't a good example of tax regulations limiting the income of successful companies so that less successful companies can "compete", then I don't know what is a good example.</p><p>There is a one-off comment about "crony capitalism". Which, again, is a reference to the individual flaws of the barons of Silicon Valley rather than an integral component of the Randian utopia. Most fans of Ms. Rand's books will point out that they include examples of crony capitalism being used to undermine individual freedom.</p><p>At one point, Ms. Newitz uses the phrase "individual authoritarianism". The two halves of that term are mutually exclusive. An authoritarian state immediately subsumes and supersedes the interests of the individual while a state that prioritizes the individual ultimately protects them from the authoritarian tendencies of the collective. Ms. Newitz might well have uttered the phrases "dry water" or "military intelligence" or "healthy corpse".</p><p>They focused on William Hickman and his supposed influence on an unpublished story by Ayn Rand. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Marion_Parker#Ayn_Rand's_The_Little_Street" target="_blank">Hickman abducted, murdered, amputated, and disemboweled a young girl</a>. They suggested that Ms. Rand found Hickman to be worthy of admiration. That is a misrepresentation of Ms. Rand's interest in Hickman.</p><p>I pause here to give our duo credit for knowing how Ayn Rand's work has influenced other creators through the years. While they were obviously a bit more supportive of authors that wanted to engage in criticism of Rand's books, they were also aware of creators, such as the prog-rock band "Rush", that positively engaged with Randian ideas.</p><p>They noted that several Rush songs deal with dystopian worlds that illuminate Ayn Rand's perspectives. One example given was the song "<a href="https://youtu.be/rMPdKmyYg9Q?si=e21Pty8VBefSodPj" target="_blank">Red Barchetta</a>" which tells the story of a young man who gets to drive his uncle's well-preserved car despite it being clearly against the law.</p><p>This song is immediately criticized as being in some way opposed to ecology. That comment is reasonably related to another comment about Silicon Valley magnates retreating to their personal versions of Galt's Gulch as a dystopian world comes crashing down.</p><p>What I find curious is that they never seriously interrogate the context of Ms. Rand's philosophy. They do note that she and her family suffered under communism and that Ms. Rand was able to escape to the west. But they never explore why Ms. Rand was so passionate about her beliefs.</p><p>Socialism and communism have collectively been responsible for over <a href="https://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/" target="_blank">100,000,000 government-imposed deaths</a>. On a per capita basis, that far exceeds every other type of government available to modern humanity. Ayn Rand personally tasted the fruits of socialism/communism. Those experiences informed her passion for supporting the principle of valuing the individual and individual liberty above the interests of the collective.</p><p>Our hosts never seriously consider the idea that there is an alternate ideology being fostered in our culture. They never engage with the question of which ideology, the Randian utopia or the collectivist utopia, provides the better prospect for improving the human condition.</p><p>In my experience, discussions of popular leftist talking points are rarely about specific issues. Instead, they are part of a larger narrative that is opposed to individual autonomy. Discussions about climate change are rarely about climate change alone. Instead, they are about limiting the freedom of movement afforded an individual who owns their own car. The objective of climate alarmists is to make car ownership unaffordable so that people will then either be coupled to a specific location or dependent upon government-managed mass transportation systems.</p><p>"Red Barchetta" is about a "better managed time" where the individual need not seek the permission and assistance of the government to move about the country. Again, welcome to America, ladies. Where no individual ever needs to ask permission from the state before exercising their rights.</p><p>Likewise, the fantasist visions of a Randian Galt's Gulch exist only within the context of a society that is embracing the predictably destructive ideals of socialism/communism. No one needs to retreat to a fortress if a mob isn't using the permission structure of government action to seize the wealth, livelihoods, and lives of those who have earned their position in the world.</p><p>Later, they invited UCSD professor and philosopher Matt Zwolinski and author Matt Ruff to comment. Professor Zwolinski does yeoman's work by correcting their misconceptions of Ayn Rand's philosophy. It appears to me that the ladies did not expect to encounter someone who could accurately present and engage with Randian ideals. Mr. Ruff is certainly a critic of Randian ideals, but he demonstrates an equal commitment to accurately present them before he engages in a critique. Our hosts found both gentlemen's perspectives a bit baffling. They did not seem to perceive any value in accurately representing Ms. Rand's perspective.</p><p>Outside of their commentary, I find their use of audio intros/outros/stingers unimpressive Most of that music is pretty cool. But the podcast is mixed so that they have hard starts and stops without any fading. It is very disjointed. Adding just a bit of fading so the music modestly overlaps the commentary would improve the listener experience.</p><p>While I did complete listening to this episode, I believe I will skip the next episode that I had previously added to the queue. That episode is from 2021 and is regarding JK Rowling. Given the duo's inability to accurately present Ayn Rand's philosophy, I have no doubt that they will be unable to do any better with Ms. Rowling.</p><p>An effective polemicist should be able to accurately present a position before engaging in criticism of that position. As someone who wanders between conservative and libertarian perspectives, I am well acquainted with the arguments that are offered in favor of various leftist initiatives and can generally offer an accurate representation of leftist positions. In my experience, leftists are rarely able to do likewise for conservative or libertarian perspectives. </p><p>My experiences are bolstered by surveys suggesting that leftist ideas can be reasonably stated by people of almost every perspective while leftists are rarely able to return the favor.</p><p>I will be skipping this podcast for the foreseeable future. Ms. Anders and Ms. Newitz cannot engage with difficult issues in good faith. They can only engage when faced with a person-of-hay of their own fabrication.</p><p>Nothing to see here. Move along. Move along.</p>Dannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15304572506298209357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125435810658312644.post-42005156289038099332023-10-30T17:51:00.002-04:002023-10-30T17:51:00.132-04:00When Greta Meets Reality<p> Courtesy of Mad Mike via Tom Kratman</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">H/T Mad Mike<br /><br />One crisp winter morning in Sweden, a cute little girl named Greta woke up to a perfect world, one where there were no petroleum products ruining the earth. She tossed aside her cotton sheet and wool blanket and stepped out onto a dirt floor covered with willow bark…</p>— Tom Kratman (@TKratman) <a href="https://twitter.com/TKratman/status/1718305666022936809?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2023</a></blockquote><p><br /></p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><br /><p></p><p>The full thing:</p><p><br /></p><p>H/T Mad Mike</p><p>One crisp winter morning in Sweden, a cute little girl named Greta woke up to a perfect world, one where there were no petroleum products ruining the earth. She tossed aside her cotton sheet and wool blanket and stepped out onto a dirt floor covered with willow bark that had been pulverized with rocks. “What’s this?” she asked.</p><p>“Pulverized willow bark,” replied her fairy godmother.</p><p>“What happened to the carpet?” she asked.</p><p>“The carpet was nylon, which is made from butadiene and hydrogen cyanide, both made from petroleum,” came the response.</p><p>Greta smiled, acknowledging that adjustments are necessary to save the planet, and moved to the sink to brush her teeth where instead of a toothbrush, she found a willow, mangled on one end to expose wood fibre bristles.</p><p>“Your old toothbrush?” noted her godmother, “Also nylon.”</p><p>“Where’s the water?” asked Greta.</p><p>“Down the road in the canal,” replied her godmother, ‘Just make sure you avoid water with cholera in it”</p><p>“Why’s there no running water?” Greta asked, becoming a little peevish.</p><p>“Well,” said her godmother, who happened to teach engineering at MIT, “Where do we begin?” There followed a long monologue about how sink valves need elastomer seats and how copper pipes contain copper, which has to be mined and how it’s impossible to make all-electric earth-moving equipment with no gear lubrication or tires and how ore has to be smelted to a make metal, and that’s tough to do with only electricity as a source of heat, and even if you use only electricity, the wires need insulation, which is petroleum-based, and though most of Sweden’s energy is produced in an environmentally friendly way because of hydro and nuclear, if you do a mass and energy balance around the whole system, you still need lots of petroleum products like lubricants and nylon and rubber for tires and asphalt for filling potholes and wax and iPhone plastic and elastic to hold your underwear up while operating a copper smelting furnace and . . .</p><p>“What’s for breakfast?” interjected Greta, whose head was hurting.</p><p>"Fresh, range-fed chicken eggs,” replied her godmother. “Raw.”</p><p>“How so, raw?” inquired Greta.</p><p>“Well, . . .” And once again, Greta was told about the need for petroleum products like transformer oil and scores of petroleum products essential for producing metals for frying pans and in the end was educated about how you can’t have a petroleum-free world and then cook eggs. Unless you rip your front fence up and start a fire and carefully cook your egg in an orange peel like you do in Boy Scouts. Not that you can find oranges in Sweden anymore.</p><p>“But I want poached eggs like my Aunt Tilda makes,” lamented Greta.</p><p>“Tilda died this morning,” the godmother explained. “Bacterial pneumonia.”</p><p>“What?!” interjected Greta. “No one dies of bacterial pneumonia! We have penicillin.”</p><p>“Not anymore,” explained godmother “The production of penicillin requires chemical extraction using isobutyl acetate, which, if you know your organic chemistry, is petroleum-based. Lots of people are dying, which is problematic because there’s not any easy way of disposing of the bodies since backhoes need hydraulic oil and crematoriums can’t really burn many bodies using as fuel Swedish fences and furniture, which are rapidly disappearing - being used on the black market for roasting eggs and staying warm.”</p><p>This represents only a fraction of Greta’s day, a day without microphones to exclaim into and a day without much food, and a day without carbon-fibre boats to sail in, but a day that will save the planet.</p><p>Tune in tomorrow when Greta needs a root canal and learns how Novocain is synthesized.</p> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Dannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15304572506298209357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125435810658312644.post-1235974305741334292023-10-26T16:27:00.003-04:002023-10-26T16:27:44.299-04:00Poetic Timbre and Root<p>I was recently participating in a discussion about using poetry/songs as part of non-poetry-based stories. One primary example was the many people who complain about the poems/songs that are part of The Lord Of The Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. </p><p>I generally do not enjoy seeing poems/songs in narrative fiction. That is mostly because the poems/songs are passive methods of integrating a backstory that could be accomplished more effectively via other means.</p><p>I'm not a big fan of poetry in general because poetry in an educational setting was presented as a decoding challenge where the reader is expected to have sufficient knowledge to understand obscure contextual references or "cute" phrasing. In my experience, the effort expended acquiring that knowledge rarely justified the experience of decoding the context or appreciating the "cute" phrasing. My Junior High humanities teacher always got the vapors over the poetry he used in class. I found those poems underwhelming.</p><p>As an example, I recall a poem that was ostensibly about the supposed beauty of lapis lazuli; a semi-precious stone. There were several pages containing stanza after stanza about a hunk of rock. Ostensibly, lapis lazuli was actually a subtext for something else. All the clues were there if the reader had sufficient knowledge to decode plain text to reveal the subtext.</p><p>It may be that the type of poetry matters in establishing a connection with the reader. I generally enjoy (and have collected) the poetry of e.e. cummings. I have a volume of Robert Frost's poetry at my bedside that I read and enjoy occasionally. And there are some epic poems (such as The Song of Roland) that I really got into.</p><p>Poetry is a form of expression with rules, traditions, and tropes that rarely connect with me. It is difficult for an author to make effective use of poetry/songs in actively moving the narrative of a larger non-poetic narrative forward. I've read the songs in the Lord Of The Rings. Those songs are (for me) an extended aside that does little to move the story along; a respite from an active story that offers passive illumination of characters.</p><p>That has generally been my experience with most poetry/songs that are included in larger, non-poetic tales.</p>Dannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15304572506298209357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125435810658312644.post-46868053285729627202023-09-09T19:45:00.001-04:002023-09-09T19:45:34.572-04:00Review: The Wrong Game<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/195412066-the-wrong-game" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Wrong Game (The Eden Chronicles #5)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1690744586l/195412066._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/195412066-the-wrong-game">The Wrong Game</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17742637.S_M_Anderson">S.M. Anderson</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5778224586">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This is a 3-star review which is a reasonable estimate of my experience with this book.<br /><br />The saga continues. People from our Earth have escaped to a parallel Earth called "Eden". They are fighting a war against another group of humans that came from a third parallel Earth. There is a fourth parallel Earth waiting in the wings.<br /><br />Honestly, if you have read the first 4 books, then there won't be all that many surprises. The author is turning the crank on an established series. If you like the first 4 books, then this one will be fine. I'd have ordinarily given it 4-stars. But...<br /><br />There are so many editing issues. Being an author whose work I have enjoyed, I forgave the errors for quite a while before making notes in my Kindle edition.<br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Chapter 22 - One of our heroes encounters an enlisted person who starts the scene as a Private, becomes a Corporal (magically), and ends up as a Private by the end.</li><li> The word "and" is repeated in Chapter 24</li><li> Chapter 28 - There is a "The" that should be "They".</li><li> Same chapter - It should read "of its" rather than "its"</li><li> Chapter 30 - The phrase "the this". Either one works, but using both of them is wrong.</li></ul>Poor editing gets in the way of a decent tale.<br /><br />
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Dannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15304572506298209357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125435810658312644.post-92078663591469113012023-09-09T19:29:00.004-04:002023-09-11T15:14:19.895-04:00Review: The Darkness That Comes Before<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/301538.The_Darkness_That_Comes_Before" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Darkness That Comes Before (The Prince of Nothing, #1)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1421630062l/301538._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/301538.The_Darkness_That_Comes_Before">The Darkness That Comes Before</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8587.R_Scott_Bakker">R. Scott Bakker</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2188312366">1 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This is a 1-star review which is a reasonable estimate of my experience.<br /><br />I didn't make it 10% through the book before Dorothy Parker's purported ghost launched it across the room. Within that span, we meet three different individuals. None of them are supplied with sufficient detail to establish a connection with the reader.<br /><br />There are tons of references to other social/cultural elements of this world. There are several different "1000 shrines of..." or "1000 temples of..." references that feel a lot like Robert E. Howard's Conan stories. The difference is that the number of references to cultures existing outside of a Conan story are relatively few and eventually Conan takes center stage.<br /><br />At 10% of the book, I was still trying to figure out which characters mattered and why. All of the references to mythic events, people, and other civilizational elements detracted from my engagement with the story.
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Dannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15304572506298209357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125435810658312644.post-76763484784154629452023-09-08T16:34:00.001-04:002023-09-08T16:34:27.872-04:00Review: Yumi and the Nightmare Painter<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/68320227-yumi-and-the-nightmare-painter" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Yumi and the Nightmare Painter" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1689034199l/68320227._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/68320227-yumi-and-the-nightmare-painter">Yumi and the Nightmare Painter</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/38550.Brandon_Sanderson">Brandon Sanderson</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5803070237">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This is a 5-star review. He earned every drop of it.<br /><br />Two star-crossed lovers. Separated by space? Time? Who knows. Yet joined by spirits in an attempt to free themselves. What has the spirits in chains? Read the story.<br /><br />Yumi and Painter are in conflict with one another when they meet. He must abide by the social structures of her world. Structures that make no sense to him. She is terrified every time Painter violates her cultural protocols. <br /><br />She then finds herself in his world where there aren't as many cultural protocols. And she slowly learns that Painter has made many mistakes in his life and hurt his friends. He does his best to hide the truth about himself for as long as possible.<br /><br />Eventually, they discover the ability to see beyond the superficial and appreciate one another's perspective. Their strengths end up covering for each other's weaknesses in ways that ultimately make them better.<br /><br />And there are spirits to be freed. So there is a mystery that needs to be unraveled. A mystery that impacts both of their worlds once it is fully revealed.<br /><br />The narrative takes place in an obviously Japanese-inspired setting. Painter's world is akin to a neon-lit modern Japanese city while Yumi's world is more traditional and rural. The process of and inspiration for creating art is at the forefront of the tale.<br /><br />Just go read the book. It is worth the time. There are moments of great humor as well as great sorrow. There is sympathy for those who are perceived as being least worthy of it. The ending is so well-earned.<br /><br />This will be on my nomination list for the Hugo Awards in 2024
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Dannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15304572506298209357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125435810658312644.post-41324549578161798822023-09-01T12:10:00.002-04:002023-09-01T17:05:24.276-04:00Review: Bob the Wizard<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/95260530-bob-the-wizard" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Bob the Wizard" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1689886011l/95260530._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/95260530-bob-the-wizard">Bob the Wizard</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/26076418.M_V_Prindle">M.V. Prindle</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5633699511">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This is a 3-star review. My experience would be closer to 3.5 stars, but I cannot justify rounding it up to 4 stars.<br /><br />The premise of the book is that our hero, Bob, watches some otherworldly figure murder his family. He is handed a magical device that will allow him to jump between astral planes/parallel-worlds/time/etc. He follows his family's murderer through space and time.<br /><br />Bob eventually finds himself in a place where he discovers that he isn't the good guy anymore. He outright kills a couple of good guys. He didn't know, but the deaths are the result of Bob arrogantly thinking that all of his prior actions had been appropriate.<br /><br />He soon discovers who the bad guys are and is enslaved by them. He eventually helps his fellow slaves escape and they all meet up with the good guys. He discovers that he is a descendant of a unique race. He learns to use some powers. His side eventually wins the day.<br /><br />While I was fully engaged with the characters and the general narrative, there were just too many instances of poor writing for me to overlook. Also, this is obviously the first book in a series. I discount books in a series that are not self-contained story arcs.<br /><br />In the early scenes, Bob finds himself up high on a building that has banister. Bob hangs from the banister rather than standing on a ledge that the banister would be protecting. I think the author wanted the cool image of Bob hanging off the side of a building. A little later on, Bob jumps from the building to follow his objective through a dimensional portal. He ends up landing on the grass without much fuss. All of that momentum from the fall apparently doesn't matter when passing through a portal that is hanging in midair.<br /><br />At another point, Bob suggests that he is "wondering" the "Astraverse". I think he meant that he is "wandering". There is an instant where it is apparent that the author doesn't know how guns work. There is a reference to a deer having "fauns". The word is "fawns".<br /><br />With a little copyediting, this would be a solid 4-star book.
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Dannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15304572506298209357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125435810658312644.post-20043172249878380312023-08-31T17:00:00.001-04:002023-08-31T17:00:00.137-04:00Review: Cloud Castles by Dave Freer<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60152285-cloud-castles" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Cloud-Castles" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1642500499l/60152285._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60152285-cloud-castles">Cloud-Castles</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1917064.Dave_Freer">Dave Freer</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5724028384">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This is a 4-star review which is a reasonable estimate of my experience.<br /><br />Cloud Castles was written by Dave Freer and it won the Prometheus Best Novel Award for 2023 that is presented by the Libertarian Futurist Society. The award is named for the mythic hero, Prometheus, who stole fire from the gods and gave it to mortals. Prometheus represents human effort and in particular the quest for scientific knowledge even while risking overreach and unintended consequences. The Prometheus Award is presented for works that illustrate either the positive benefits of individual liberty or the negative consequences of a larger society imposing restrictions on the individual.<br /><br />The book follows our protagonist, Augustus Thistlewood, as he embarks on a personal mission to help the less fortunate citizens of the planet Sybill III. Augustus, later just "Gus", is a scion of the Thistlewood family. While focusing on an engineering degree, Gus wandered into a sociology class and decided to add to his courseload by taking sociology courses. From there, he was inspired to "help" the less fortunate by "uplifting" them. Gus hails from the Azure civilization of humanity.<br /><br />Sybill III is a gas giant with a dense solid core surrounded by a gaseous environment. There is an elevation range with the right gas mixture to support humanoid life. There are clouds that are thicker than Earth clouds. There are plants that have evolved to live on/in those clouds and end up creating a sort of spongy surface where people can walk. Other lifeforms have also evolved to live on the spongy plant/cloud structures. There are some interesting features to this biome.<br /><br />The only "city" is called Big Syd. It exists on a massive antigrav plate. The descendants of a crashed prison ship now live on a few square miles of the plate. The only effective "government" are the many street gangs that run their various territories.<br /><br />The population is dominated by the warring remnants of two alien races; the Thrymi and the Zell. The Thrymi are quite aggressive and will take humans as slaves to work on their cloud castles (roll credits!). The Zell generally leave the humans alone unless they encounter them out on the plant/cloud platforms. The Zell then capture the humans, sterilize them, and drop them back on Big Syd regardless of where the Zell first encountered those humans.<br /><br />The one stabilizing force is that an Azure admiral arrived with his fleet in the wake of the deaths of Azure citizens visiting Sybill III. He threatened everyone with death if another Azure citizen ended up dead. This limits the ability of the Bid Syd denizens to respond to Gus' arrival.<br /><br />Gus received field training from a charitable organization known as the "Blue Men". He is ideologically motivated to help out those whom he believes are beneath his status. Gus is also a bit clueless. Upon landing on Big Syd, he promptly has his bag and watch stolen by Briz. Gus thinks that Briz is leading him to the one good hotel on Big Syd and follows along.<br /><br />A few narrow alleys later and Briz ends up saving Gus from a predator (human variety). Gus has no idea that he had been a victim of theft (courtesy of Briz) and narrowly avoided being murdered (also courtesy of Briz).<br /><br />This sets the tone for much of the book. Gus wanders around trying to "uplift" the locals. He is delightfully unaware that each of his endeavors almost uniformly ends up crushing a criminal enterprise without meaningfully "uplifting" anyone. The sole exception is when he teaches mathematics to a bunch of trafficked underage girls. Gus thought he was visiting a normal school for girls and wanted to "uplift" them. He taught them the skills needed to know that the brothel owner had been shorting their pay and responded accordingly.<br /><br />None of the locals in Big Syd are interested in being "uplifted".<br /><br />Knowing about the admiral's threats, the street gangs (and others) are hard-pressed for an easy solution to Gus' interference with their various rackets. Eventually, they find a way to give him to the Thrymi. This ends poorly for the Thrymi. Gus and Briz eventually free themselves and discover that there are people living on the cloud/plant platforms.<br /><br />This new population has fewer resources but has much better societal relationships. They farm what they call "the outback". <br /><br />Gus discovers a different way of dealing with these farmers. They value hard work and Gus is willing to work hard. Eventually, he applies his engineering knowledge to build things that improve the lives of the farmers. In return, they improve his life as well. The free-will commercial exchange of goods fosters positive growth in the local culture.<br /><br />The story ends well for almost everyone. The Thrymi, the Zell, and the various gangs are set for a bit of a rude awakening. Gus, his old family, and his new friends find they have many mutually beneficial opportunities.<br /><br />And Briz...gets a piece of the action, but not the piece one would expect based on the beginning of the book.<br /><br />There are several elements that work well. Gus is generally clueless which leads to some amusing circumstances. Gus learns that the best "uplifting" is when it is done with people instead of "for them" or "to them". Briz has several moments of self-discovery. The biology of the flora and fauna living on the clouds is logical as is the impact of coming from a home world with slightly higher gravity. There weren't any logical breaks in the worldbuilding to undermine the suspension of disbelief.<br /><br />One element that is less effective is the general observation about sociologists and other "do-gooders" who seem to have no practical knowledge about how the world actually works. The plot elements of that assertion are a little too "on the nose". For example, I took the "Blue Men" to be an aspect of our modern United Nations.<br /><br />Another questionable element is the binary contrast between the city and the country. All of the Big Syd denizens are morally compromised. All those living in the outback are hearty, honest, and hard-working. The manufacturing giant Thistlewood family is also presented as being almost uniformly good. A bit more nuance in this book and it would be a solid 5-star effort.<br /><br />Cloud Castles is a solid choice that illuminates the objectives of the Prometheus Award and the Libertarian Futurist Society. It illustrates the benefits of people participating voluntarily in mutually satisfying relationships. To a lesser extent, it illustrates the harm of letting small powerful groups control society.<br /><br />There is a strong Australian flavor to the language and perspectives used in this book. Language aside, there are references to old Australian outlaws. Also, the city's name "Big Syd" is an obvious reference to Sydney, Australia.<br /><br />This is a fun if not terribly difficult book.<br /><br />Dave Freer's acceptance speech for the Prometheus Awards is presented in <a href="https://www.lfs.org/blog/a-rebel-i-became-dave-freers-2023-best-novel-acceptance-speech-for-cloud-castles/#more-6175" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Part 1</a> and <a href="https://www.lfs.org/blog/the-foundations-of-liberty-and-of-cloud-castles-part-2-of-dave-freers-2023-best-novel-acceptance-speech/#more-6183" rel="nofollow noopener">Part 2</a>.
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Dannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15304572506298209357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125435810658312644.post-51719612779153591152023-08-29T17:00:00.002-04:002023-08-31T12:49:44.058-04:00Review: On the Beach<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39965897-on-the-beach" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="On the Beach" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1524769016l/39965897._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39965897-on-the-beach">On the Beach</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21477.Nevil_Shute">Nevil Shute</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5796996421">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This is a 3-star review which is a reasonable estimate of my experience with this book. Spoilers follow. Read at your own risk.<br /><br />On The Beach is a book about a group of largely Australian and American people in the months following a nuclear war that encompassed all of the northern hemisphere. The fallout from that war is slowly drifting ever southward killing everyone in its path. Due to the differences in weather patterns, it takes time for the fallout to reach the southernmost points of inhabited land masses.<br /><br />The book was written in 1957 and was hailed at the time as a significant anti-nuclear war book. The story is reasonably well told within the context of the time in which it was written. The women are largely accessories for the men who are the focus of the narrative. The cities and villages all adhere to a stereotypical 1950s ethos of civility. [The book also unironically views government officials as capable and competent - think Raiders of the Lost Ark and the "top men" researching the Ark.]<br /><br />The book is notable in that it never offers the characters a chance of hope of survival. In every instance where survival is discussed, it is dismissed out of hand with a note that everyone will die. The characters then go on with more mundane activities such as planning parties, planting gardens, and caring for children. The women are most likely to ask if there is a chance of survival with the men being more likely to offer a kind-hearted but stoic version of "nope, now let's think about something else".<br /><br />The war was conducted using cobalt bombs launched between Russia and China. However, Russia has been giving away bombers to other nations and cobalt bombs are "cheap". Egypt used a Russian-supplied bomber to drop a cobalt bomb on Washington D.C. The Russian markings on the bomber cause the US military to believe that the Russians have attacked and counterattack. This draws the rest of the northern hemisphere into the war.<br /><br />There are several issues that undermine the narrative. Some of those issues are best understood as resulting from having seventy additional years of science to help inform how nuclear weapons work.<br /><br />- The book focuses on cheap cobalt bombs. There is no hard evidence of any nation developing such a bomb. It is theoretically discussed by anti-nuclear activists, but no military has ever developed, much less deployed, such a weapon.<br /><br />- The book's presentation of nuclear fallout is not in keeping with any understanding of how it would happen in reality. Irradiated debris would certainly end up in the air, but it would come back down again quickly enough. The idea of a global cloud of radiation slowly settling over the earth is contrary to how such things work.<br /><br />(For the record, nuclear fallout will kill millions and is very serious business. People can still survive if they live far enough from where the bomb explodes and if they take certain precautions.)<br /><br />- The characters in the book take no precautions to help them survive. It is possible to decontaminate surface soil contaminated with cobalt-60. Mostly, that involves scraping off a thin layer of soil and storing it somewhere until the 5-6 year half-life has reduced any life-threatening potential. It isn't easy, but it is possible if precautions are taken.<br /><br />- The author has given the characters uniform patterns of speech. Almost everyone sounds as if they stepped out of a 1950s vintage British movie where the characters are all erudite. It is only towards the end of the book that we encounter someone who is more workaday in their speech patterns. <br /><br />-- The book involves Australian and US naval personnel. Both sides have remarkably similar speech patterns.<br /><br />- "suicide pill kits" are distributed to pharmacies in sufficient potency and quantities to permit anyone who wishes to use them. Most people wait until the symptoms of radiation exposure become clear before doing so. This is all presented as an example of sound government planning.<br /><br />- Everyone carries on as if nothing has happened. People still run their stores. Patrons still pay for goods. There is a concern for having gainful, if somewhat relaxed, employment. Coal mining continues so that the power plants can produce electricity. People plan for events in the years to come despite the narrative making it clear that people will not survive the coming radioactive fallout that will arrive in months. More human reactions would include a certain level of chaos.<br /><br />-- As an example, some government minister has to be persuaded to allow the fishing season to start a few weeks early so that people can go fishing before the fallout arrives. People are otherwise prepared to abide by the prior restrictions on the fishing season. The minister passes this change as a "one-time only" circumstance after a bit of persuasion by other members of his social club.<br /><br />The most realistic actions within the book are where people begin to cut loose from the formal social/military structures that otherwise defined their lives. In one case, a sailor leaves a submarine that is exploring the west coast of the United States. Being below water protects the submarine from radiation. The sub surfaces off the shore of the sailor's hometown. He swims ashore without permission to explore.<br /><br />In the other case, a scientist came to own a Ferrari racing car in the days following the nuclear war. That sub-plot terminates with the last Australian Grand Prix. The drivers race with little concern for their personal safety as they would prefer to die doing something they enjoy than spending a week succumbing to radiation-induced illness. Much death and wreckage is the predictable result.<br /><br />On The Beach is a satisfying read for those who want to experience an emotional case against nuclear weapons. It is an otherwise unproductive experience.
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Dannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15304572506298209357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125435810658312644.post-82350851241204665522023-08-24T17:00:00.002-04:002023-08-24T17:00:00.140-04:00The Continuing Fukushima Scare Mongering<p>Gird your loins. There will be another round of scaremongering associated with the shuttered Fukushima nuclear power plant. For some, the concept of nuclear power is too scary to process.</p><p>The motivation for the coming round of alarmism is the <a href="https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/world-news/fukushima-radioactive-waste-dumped-ocean-30775683" target="_blank">pending release</a> of water from the plant that contains tritium. Tritium is a radioactive molecule that is rarely formed in nature. It has a half-life of roughly 12 years.</p><p>The alarmists will point to 31,200 metric tonnes of water that will be dumped between now and next March. That is a lot of water, the alarmists will say. And it is.</p><p>But how much of that water is radioactive? How much of actual tritium is in that large volume?</p><p>About 2.1 grams. The radioactive potential of that amount is 760 TBq.</p><p>Again, they will point at that "T" and point out that it stands for "tera". 1 "tera" anything equals 1,000,000,000,000. That is a big number! Big numbers mean scary things will happen!</p><p>How about <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tritium#Production" target="_blank">some context</a>.</p><p>In 2018, the Bruce nuclear generation station located near Michigan's Great Lakes emitted 756 TBq of liquid tritium and 994 TBq of tritium contained in steam discharges. Total 2018 tritium emissions were 1,750 TBq.</p><p>Also in 2018, the French La Hague reprocessing plant emitted 11,400 TBq of tritium combined with water/liquid emissions. In 2020, South Korean nuclear power plants emitted 211 TBq of tritium in the water/liquid stream and another 154 TBq via steam.</p><p>All of those emissions continue on an annual basis without any documented negative environmental consequences. Diluting tritium and then disposing of it in a larger body of water is an accepted method with no known/documented risks.</p><p>Nuclear power is the only safe, reliable, and proven method for generating electricity. Don't let the scaremongers convince you otherwise.</p>Dannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15304572506298209357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125435810658312644.post-32478782351452621972023-08-18T16:45:00.012-04:002023-08-18T16:45:00.144-04:00Review: Beware the Dog<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60144319-beware-the-dog" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Beware the Dog (Junkyard Dogs #1)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1642406104l/60144319._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60144319-beware-the-dog">Beware the Dog</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14426831.Dominique_Mondesir">Dominique Mondesir</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5778109008">1 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This is a 1.5-star review. I'm being charitable.<br /><br />Our mild-mannered protagonist is tasked with delivering a memory stock. He boards a rocket ship. It gets raided by pirates. But they are the "nice" kind of pirates. He swallows the stick. Instead of gutting him, they take him along.<br /><br />He later attempts to escape his captors while drinking with them at a dive bar. He ends up on the floor of a very poorly maintained restroom. His captors get into a gunfight. None of them die. They escape the bar and pile into a car.<br /><br />In the post-adrenaline-high, our hero and one of his captors (the one girl in the crew who is also easy on the eyes) end up snuggling up together in the back of the car. While he is still soaked in the residuals from the floor of that very poorly maintained restroom.<br /><br />Many miles and many chapters later, he finds her in his bed. Because...of course he does.<br /><br />Wish fulfillment fantasy. Many spelling/grammar issues. Written to be made into a movie rather than read as a serious book. Several instances where characters repeat information that the reader already knows. Then there is a bag of clothes that mysteriously appears after our protagonist has been through various assaults, rapid escapes, and other events where picking up a bag is neither convenient to the plot nor actually mentioned in the text.<br /><br />I made it 29% through the book before theoretically hurling it across the room in a manner purportedly reminiscent of Dorothy Parker.
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Dannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15304572506298209357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125435810658312644.post-52715055007411274392023-07-28T17:00:00.030-04:002024-02-22T21:25:46.854-05:00Hugo Nomination Pool for 2024<p>Works that made it onto my nomination ballot in February of 2024. Updated as time, needs, and circumstances permit.</p><p><u>Novels</u></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://libertyatallcosts.blogspot.com/2023/05/review-ferryman.html">The Ferryman</a> by Justin Cronin </li><li><a href="https://libertyatallcosts.blogspot.com/2023/09/review-yumi-and-nightmare-painter.html">Yumi and the Nightmare Painter</a> by Brandon Sanderson</li><li>House of Gold by C.T. Rwizi</li><li>Stand Alone by John Van Stry</li></ul><div><u>Novelette</u></div><div><ul><li>Metamorphoses at the Gate by Lysander Arden appearing in Cirsova, Issue #16/Fall 2023 </li><li>Fossils of Truth and Grace by E.E. King appearing in Cirsova, Issue #16/Fall 2023</li></ul></div><p></p><p><u>Graphic Novels</u></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://www.drivecomic.com/">Drive</a> by Dave Kellett</li><li><a href="https://www.giantitp.com/Comics.html">The Order of the Stick</a> by Rich Burlew</li><li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/berkeleybreathed" target="_blank">Bloom County 2023</a> by Berkeley Breathed</li></ul><p></p><p><u>Dramatic Presentation - short form</u></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Long, Long Time - Last of Us, Episode 3 - HBO - Honestly, I have zero interest in watching two "bears" bumping uglies. But the writing and acting in this episode were so good that I watched the entire thing. There are many excellent episodes in this series, but this episode shone far beyond the rest.</li></ul><p></p><p><u>Dramatic Presentation - long form</u></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Last of Us - HBO - I found the entire series to be great. As the series is one long story arc, I believe it qualifies for the long-form category.</li></ul><div><u>Fancast</u></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://cinemastoryorigins.com/" target="_blank">Cinema Story Origins</a> - Paul Hale. Simply one of the best podcasts I've ever heard. Paul's podcast began as Disney Story Origins where he compared the Disney animated films with the story (or stories) upon which the movies were based. He has since expanded beyond Disney works. He is currently publishing a series on J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit". Very entertaining stuff. He includes several audio "stingers" along the way. Episode 2 (CSO 11b) includes a "stinger" that applies on so many levels.</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjKC1V-BWoFRVLAmYeoPCWw" target="_blank">Casually Comics</a> - Sasha Wood. I enjoy graphic novels/comics. I do not make enough money nor have enough time to follow all of the properties that entertain me. I am sad. However, I really enjoy Sasha Wood's deep dives into various comics properties and issues surrounding comics and graphic novels.</li></ul><div><u>Best Series</u></div></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/284952-the-eden-chronicles" target="_blank">The Eden Chronicles</a> by S.M. Anderson. Book 5 (<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/195412066-the-wrong-game" target="_blank">The Wrong Game</a>) dropped this year. Book 5 was a solid entry into the series, but it is not a stand-alone novel. The series is great and well worth the effort to read.</li><li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/150976-saga-of-the-forgotten-warrior" target="_blank">Saga of the Forgotten Warrior</a> by Larry Correia. Yup. It is that good. Yup. If you won't read it because of the Sad Puppy imbroglio, then you are denying yourself a top-tier reading experience.</li></ul><blockquote><div><i>I want to point out that I am way behind in several series that did have new installments this year. I also want to point out that I am 100% opposed to nominating any series based novel in the "Best Novel" category unless a) it is the first in the series or b) all previous entries have been nominated and won in the "Best Novel" category. The "Best Series" is where series-based genre fiction belongs. And no where else.</i></div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div><u>Short Story</u></div></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The Dusk Next Door by Mark Pelligrini appearing in Cirsova, Issue #16/Fall 2023</li></ul><div><u>Best Editor, Short Form</u></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>P. Alexander - Cirsova</li><li>Beth Tabler - Grimdark Magazine</li></ul></div><div><br /></div></div>Dannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15304572506298209357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125435810658312644.post-85120797962935020062023-07-17T22:12:00.002-04:002023-07-17T22:17:28.874-04:00Vietnam Veterans Memorial of Michigan<p>I had an opportunity to visit the <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Michigan+Vietnam+Memorial/@43.6093926,-86.0001896,9z/data=!4m10!1m2!2m1!1smichigan+vietnam+veterans+memorial!3m6!1s0x8822035bbdb41e2f:0x3159c1657cc1d7ae!8m2!3d43.6093926!4d-84.7807072!15sCiJtaWNoaWdhbiB2aWV0bmFtIHZldGVyYW5zIG1lbW9yaWFsWiQiIm1pY2hpZ2FuIHZpZXRuYW0gdmV0ZXJhbnMgbWVtb3JpYWySAQ1tZW1vcmlhbF9wYXJrmgEkQ2hkRFNVaE5NRzluUzBWSlEwRm5TVU10ZERWcFUyOW5SUkFC4AEA!16s%2Fg%2F11f7bv38lr?hl=en&entry=ttu" target="_blank">Vietnam Memorial of Michigan</a> a week or so ago. The memorial is in Mount Pleasant, MI. Experiencing a memorial is always a moving experience. So many good men and women have sacrificed so much for us without really knowing the reality of what they were purchasing for us with their lives.</p><p>One cannot visit a memorial without being humbled and experiencing the quiet hope that we are living up to the expectations of their sacrifice.</p><p>They have added a memorial to veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan at the Vietnam Memorial. The two named veterans include one of my brothers from another drill instructor, <a href="https://www.goldstarfamilyregistry.com/heroes/JUSTIN-ELLSWORTH-10263" target="_blank">LCpl Justin M. Ellsworth</a> of Charlie Company, 7th ESB Combat Engineer, 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion. The other veteran is <a href="https://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/garodriguez.htm" target="_blank">SFC Gregory Rodriguez</a> of the 709th Military Police Battalion, 18th MP Brigade.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTZUOEEiNO6Qtd6zd9WW8x34mXV1bzv2_sMoTmN7bjKvk24ngBcqtXo2WYCunTVXQeyK1CKUfOm2WXt9Tvk2WbE91zJymM_sPYKJmlSkMJnPnQNYDYUcCtvaLxOAd_jyOPqFmQM85KMtrXGhy6O6XJAUJuvv2RJJEFkhSIV1nrvtG4A8kkfH5DIyTNgw4/s4032/IMG_1648%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTZUOEEiNO6Qtd6zd9WW8x34mXV1bzv2_sMoTmN7bjKvk24ngBcqtXo2WYCunTVXQeyK1CKUfOm2WXt9Tvk2WbE91zJymM_sPYKJmlSkMJnPnQNYDYUcCtvaLxOAd_jyOPqFmQM85KMtrXGhy6O6XJAUJuvv2RJJEFkhSIV1nrvtG4A8kkfH5DIyTNgw4/s320/IMG_1648%5B1%5D.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjETwXODEt6hHMBFouB0652RRLG9nLEoC9hwZKl-ETYnJivMjMbCqG-2TrVrQeJZw_xbJ4dt_hC4yqSkTtQ4rpOURk8prnYWwc5vxp7gr0KZZZDjrDRkv5byA6Zz9o7kA4FQNODpyvj2haoCY47KOu-9e2BsM3UY9q9CE54dSlWYFY7muZNjwpu0UxycdQ/s4032/IMG_1649%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjETwXODEt6hHMBFouB0652RRLG9nLEoC9hwZKl-ETYnJivMjMbCqG-2TrVrQeJZw_xbJ4dt_hC4yqSkTtQ4rpOURk8prnYWwc5vxp7gr0KZZZDjrDRkv5byA6Zz9o7kA4FQNODpyvj2haoCY47KOu-9e2BsM3UY9q9CE54dSlWYFY7muZNjwpu0UxycdQ/s320/IMG_1649%5B1%5D.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The majority of the site is dedicated to veterans of the Vietnam War. It is a beautiful and moving memorial. All photos are of the "click to embiggen" variety.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ2k9q6hoBJ2VOWaJvWLZJNiLPQ077ZvOCw0FC-Bqya5CwsD0J-qg7WjVC39i0fIKJoOvCZDzaPyvCzPa03LNS7f450v9CZ_8SJJOnYpJyokg7DMwGxT74yUbI6v6m8rocILLDFiFi5HsJ9Aduf4p4qJmSCdrQt4jbkubHs-ghM9bbeYCKZcqnRccLHzo/s4032/IMG_1647%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ2k9q6hoBJ2VOWaJvWLZJNiLPQ077ZvOCw0FC-Bqya5CwsD0J-qg7WjVC39i0fIKJoOvCZDzaPyvCzPa03LNS7f450v9CZ_8SJJOnYpJyokg7DMwGxT74yUbI6v6m8rocILLDFiFi5HsJ9Aduf4p4qJmSCdrQt4jbkubHs-ghM9bbeYCKZcqnRccLHzo/s320/IMG_1647%5B1%5D.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLgt9-E6vRL539xx6NvFF5HPVi0S75mRiEdz1fIIvVXR--4GI1M29yUf0htcJnPzyurJWmdGy9mz5LbzMi-I9BjBc2PV-K5UVe3_Kw9U3j7UL1YoFI7ekfO_sB9xm4LHpvJ_SnHKXRLZ5Mt_WeUY8d-3RlSVeC-vwPeN-CR6S2_-Cp7BxD7E4dpdMP28o/s4032/IMG_1659%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLgt9-E6vRL539xx6NvFF5HPVi0S75mRiEdz1fIIvVXR--4GI1M29yUf0htcJnPzyurJWmdGy9mz5LbzMi-I9BjBc2PV-K5UVe3_Kw9U3j7UL1YoFI7ekfO_sB9xm4LHpvJ_SnHKXRLZ5Mt_WeUY8d-3RlSVeC-vwPeN-CR6S2_-Cp7BxD7E4dpdMP28o/s320/IMG_1659%5B1%5D.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><p></p>Dannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15304572506298209357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125435810658312644.post-10259831692351762262023-07-17T09:07:00.003-04:002023-07-17T11:42:37.877-04:00Review: This is How You Lose the Time War<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43352954-this-is-how-you-lose-the-time-war" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="This is How You Lose the Time War" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1653185078l/43352954._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43352954-this-is-how-you-lose-the-time-war">This is How You Lose the Time War</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4175512.Amal_El_Mohtar">Amal El-Mohtar</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5698945127">2 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This is a 2-star review which is an accurate representation of my experience with this work. I made it 60% through before giving it the purported Dorothy Parker treatment.<br /><br />Heave, ho! - across the room.<br /><br />There is nothing to spoil in this book. It is a romance novel wrapped in "science fictinite". "Science fictinite" is a bit like pyrite in that it looks like "science fictium" but is really closer to outright fantasy.<br /><br />This novella won a Hugo award. Based on the context of other Hugo award-winning works, this one does not belong in that category.<br /><br />It tells an intertwining story of two characters that putatively "work" for opposing sides. Each side has agents roaming up and down the threads of time weaving strands that work towards their favor.<br /><br />And that is all you get about the mechanics and impact of time travel. Have a nice day.<br /><br />The rest of the book is a series of letters. They begin with each side more or less taunting the other. The tone of the letters eventually mutates into affection and ultimately romance of a sort.<br /><br />The letters imply extensive preparation. One is left in a weaving pattern created years earlier and handed down as craft to the person that unknowingly created the object read by the recipient. Another is a message hidden in some sort of lava (or other superheated material). <br /><br />If you are looking for an unusual romance to read, then give this a try. If you are looking for some good science fiction, then pass this on by.<br /><br />Much better time travel works include The Fires of Paratime by L.E. Modesitt Jr. (which ultimately became "The Time Lords") and Replay by Ken Grimwood. If you want some actual time travel, then please read those much better works.
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Dannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15304572506298209357noreply@blogger.com0