Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Nazca Lines
The photo is one I took when we flew over the Nasca lines a few years ago. I'd been curious about them for a long time, and getting to see them was a highlight of our trip to Peru.
Ravi Shankar, R. I. P.
Indian sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar dies: With an instrument perplexing to most Westerners, Ravi Shankar helped connect the world through music. The sitar virtuoso hobnobbed with the Beatles, became a hippie musical icon and spearheaded the first rock benefit concert as he introduced traditional Indian ragas to Western audiences over nearly a century.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Christmas Shopping?
Stark House has what you're looking for: Happy Holidays from Stark House Press!
Earlier in the season we offered our first ever Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale to our newsletter subscribers. In an effort to reach out to all our readers, however, we're now making a similar buy 2 get 1 free sale on all in-stock titles from now until midnight on Christmas Day, 2012. And did we mention the FREE SHIPPING?
Details and a complete book listing are available here. Happy Holidays, everyone!
Earlier in the season we offered our first ever Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale to our newsletter subscribers. In an effort to reach out to all our readers, however, we're now making a similar buy 2 get 1 free sale on all in-stock titles from now until midnight on Christmas Day, 2012. And did we mention the FREE SHIPPING?
Details and a complete book listing are available here. Happy Holidays, everyone!
First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .
Naples Daily News: During a beachfront wedding on Marco Island, police said a drunken local disrupted a couple’s nuptials by running back and forth behind the altar, shouting obscenities and lobbing unopened beer cans, at one point hitting the best man in the back, police said.
So It's Come to This
How Ernest Hemingway's cats became a federal case: The descendants of Ernest Hemingway's cats – dozens of them – freely roam the writer's former home, now a museum. In a controversial court case, a judge says the felines must be regulated under federal law.
Doc Savage: A Hero from the Golden Age of Pulp
AbeBooks: Doc Savage: A Hero from the Golden Age of Pulp: Heroes don’t come more heroic than Doc Savage. This superhero was so special that he didn’t need any special powers. Created by Lester Dent, who wrote as Kenneth Robeson, in 1933, Doc Savage has entertained several generations of comic and paperback readers with his thrilling battles against evil.
Overlooked Movies: Operation Petticoat
Curtis is a con man, not at all devoted to his military service, but he proves so adept at providing needed supplies and in making money when necessary that Grant's happy to have him around. As the movie goes along, Curtis begins to change his attitude, and the ending of this one is like the ending of Soldier in Rain in that respect.
Since this was made back in the late '50s, you can imagine that there are a lot of sexist jokes that might not play too well these days. They seemed amusing enough at the time, however. I haven't seen this one in years, but I have a feeling it would make me laugh if I saw it again.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Blowback -- Kristine Kathryn Rusch
At the same time, Iniko Zagrando is conducting a dangerous undercover operation for the Earth Alliance. As the investigation progresses, we can see that it has major implications for the one Flint is conducting.
Besides that, there's DeRicci's own investigation, along with that of Jin Rastigan among an alien race, and they too begin to point in the direction that Flint wouldn't have thought possible when it all begain.
There's a lot going on in Blowback, and Rusch makes the details and the characters absolutely convincing. This is fine entertainment if you're a fan of mind-stretching SF. I have to warn you, however, that the ending is just the beginning. There's closure, but at the same time you know there's a lot more to come. Check it out.
Sunday, December 09, 2012
Sir Patrick Moore, R. I. P.
BBC News: British astronomer and broadcaster Sir Patrick Moore has died, aged 89, his friends and colleagues have said.
He "passed away peacefully at 12:25 this afternoon" at his home in Selsey, West Sussex, they said in a statement.
Sir Patrick presented the BBC programme The Sky At Night for over 50 years, making him the longest-running host of the same television show ever.
Link via Boing Boing.
He "passed away peacefully at 12:25 this afternoon" at his home in Selsey, West Sussex, they said in a statement.
Sir Patrick presented the BBC programme The Sky At Night for over 50 years, making him the longest-running host of the same television show ever.
Link via Boing Boing.
The 10 Best Films You Didn't See In 2012
The 10 Best Films You Didn't See In 2012
I've seen two of them.
It's an annoying slideshow.
Hat tip to Walter Satterthwait.
I've seen two of them.
It's an annoying slideshow.
Hat tip to Walter Satterthwait.
Hey, Y'all
Why Does a Southern Drawl Sound Uneducated to Some?: Stereotypes based on accent are deep rooted and they have profound consequences. Accents influence who we select as friends, who we respect with authority and leadership, where we prefer to live, employment, and to the very real extent our personal aspirations in life as a consequence of self-perception directing ambition in education and other endeavors.
The Heyday of A&C Black
AbeBooks: Wodehouse to Who’s Who: The Heyday of A&C Black: A&C Black, founded in 1807 by Adam and Charles Black, is best known for spotting the talent of P.G. Wodehouse. It published Wodehouse’s first book, The Pothunters in 1902 and continued to publish his work, including notable books like the Psmith series, into the 1950s.
New Story at BEAT to a PULP
BEAT to a PULP :: Pulp of the Week: The True Story of Boy Kaleen
Patti Abbott
Sjalvklart
‘English is a Scandinavian language’: New linguistic research has concluded that residents of the British Isles didn’t just borrow words and expressions from Norwegian and Danish Vikings and their descendants. Rather, claim two professors now working in Oslo, the English language is in fact Scandinavian.
Link via Neatorama.
Link via Neatorama.
Croc Update (Excess Baggage Edition)
ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation): Passengers on a flight from Darwin to Brisbane today were blissfully unaware they were sharing the aircraft with a monster crocodile.
Saturday, December 08, 2012
Happy Hanukkah!
Reinhold Weege, R. I. P.
latimes.com: Reinhold Weege, who created the popular Emmy-winning sitcom "Night Court" about an often-anarchic, after-hours New York courtroom and its cast of memorably loony characters, has died. He was 62.
This Could Be the Beginning of a Whole Series of SyFy Movies
FWC announces '2013 Python Challenge' in hunting the invasive snakes: Beginning on January 12, Florida's python permit holders and the general public are invited to compete to see who can harvest the longest and the most Burmese pythons.
Friday, December 07, 2012
Even Weirder than Texas?
Florida weird news: 2012 year in review: The year's 20 weirdest stories from Florida, America's weirdest state
First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .
. . . and not the spoon attack!
Spoon attack stirs up trouble in Vero Beach
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Spoon attack stirs up trouble in Vero Beach
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Book a Seat Now!
The Washington Post: It had to happen: A start-up company is offering rides to the moon. Book your seat now — though it’s going to set you back $750 million (it’s unclear if that includes baggage fees).
I'll Just Have One of Those Little Sausages on a Toothpick
The Rare Pleasure of Cod Semen in San Francisco: Chef Corey Lee decided to serve a liquified version of cod sperm in shot glasses as a passed appetizer.
Forgotten Books: A Memory of Murder -- Ray Bradbury
This is Ray Bradbury week on Forgotten Books. I did a post on a Bradbury book about one year ago, so I'm reprinting that post with a couple of small changes.A Memory of Murder has been out of print since 1984, so I figure it's at least as forgotten as any Bradbury book. If there's a more recent edition, let us know in the comments.
This is a collection of Bradbury's very early crime stories, some of his first fiction sales. It comes complete with a short but revealing introduction that explains why the book is dedicated to Leigh Brackett.
One of the stories in the book, "Small Assassin," is likely to be familiar to a lot of readers, but that's the only one. The others, from places like Dime Mystery Magazine and Detective Tales, probably aren't. These aren't great stories, but they're interesting if you care about the development of a young writer who really hit his stride a few years after their publication. Not essential, but certainly worth a little of your time.
Thursday, December 06, 2012
Yet Another List I'm Not On
Books of the year: Page turners | The Economist: Books of the year
Page turners
The best books of 2012 were about Richard Burton, Titian, Rin Tin Tin, the revolution in Iran, the great famine in China, secret houses in London, good oil companies, bad pharma and management in ten words
Hat tip to George Kelley.
Hat tip to George Kelley.
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