Thursday, April 27, 2017
NASA makes their entire media library publicly accessible and copyright free
DIY Photography: No matter if you enjoy taking or just watching images of space, NASA has a treat for you. They have made their entire collection of images, sounds, and video available and publicly searchable online. It’s 140,000 photos and other resources available for you to see, or even download and use it any way you like.
Forgotten Hits: April 27th
Forgotten Hits: April 27th: Big movers on the chart this week include "Shake A Tail Feather" by James and Bobby Purify (up 18 places from #61 to #43), "Groovin" by The Young Rascals (which climbs from #91 to #48, a move of 43 spots!), "Happy Jack" by The Who (which jumps from #67 to #51), "Portrait Of My Love" by The Tokens (moving from #70 to #56, a move of 14 places), "Melancholy Music Man" by The Righteous Brothers (which climbs from #84 to #59, a move of 25 places), "Little Games" by The Yardbirds, up twenty spots from #80 to #60, "I Was Kaiser Bill's Batman" by Whistling Jack Smith, up thirty spots from #94 to #64 and "My Girl Josephine" by Jerry Jay (which moves from #82 to #65)
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
Jonathan Demme, R. I. P.
IndieWire: Jonathan Demme, the filmmaker whose career ranged from the David Byrne documentary “Stop Making Sense” to the Oscar-winning “The Silence of the Lambs” and “Philadelphia,” died this morning in New York. He was 73.
It's Like I Have a Twin!
Edward Gorey, Pack Rat: The famous illustrator was a devoted collector of… well, almost everything.
How the 'Servant Girl Annihilator' Terrorized 1880s Austin
Mental Floss: Before Jack the Ripper stalked the streets of London, another midnight murderer was prowling halfway across the world. In Austin, Texas, an individual who became known as the “Servant Girl Annihilator” was responsible for the deaths of eight people between late 1884 and Christmas Eve 1885. Attacking victims in their beds and then dragging them outside to mutilate their bodies, the killer eluded police, private investigators, and mobs of civilians who took to the unpaved streets of newly settled Austin in anger and panic. He—eyewitnesses claimed it was a man—has been called America’s first serial killer, and his crimes remain unsolved to this day.
William Hjortsberg, R. I. P.
The Rap Sheet: A “Gentle Soul” of Great Accomplishment: The New York City-born Montana novelist who gave us private investigator Harry Angel (in 1978’s Falling Angel), the lively detective pairing of Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini (in 1994’s Nevermore), and a drug-fueled nightmare excursion through 1960s Mexico (in 2015’s Mañana) passed away this last Saturday night of pancreatic cancer. Author William Hjortsberg, who was known to friends simply as “Gatz,” was 76 years old.
Bonus FFB on Wednesday: The Golden Spiders -- Rex Stout
George Kelley thinks The Golden Spiders is the best of the Nero Wolfe series, and Art Scott and Max Allan Collins also rate it highly, so I thought I'd reread it. I read the edition on the left, since that's the one I have.After reading it, I find that it's never going to be my favorite (I'm sticking with The Doorbell Rang) for one reason.* The setup is a good one. Archie, a bit irritated with Wolfe, brings in a neighborhood kid as a potential client. The boy says he was running the old windshield-cleaning gag, starting first with the driver's window, when the driver, a woman wearing golden spider earrings, turns to him and says, "Call a cop." The kid doesn't like cops, so he goes to Wolfe, who also doesn't like cops. Soon the kid is killed by a hit-and-run driver, as is a woman who comes to Wolfe claiming to have been the woman in the car. She isn't killed before handing Wolfe a $10,000 check, however, and he intends to earn the money because he doesn't like it that people who come to him for help are being killed with impunity. Saul, Orrie, and Fred are called in, and the game's afoot.
What they uncover is a scam operating within a charity designed to help displaced persons, and it's a complex situation. Wolfe figures all out, of course, and he makes an assumption or two that wouldn't occur to most detectives. That's why he's so good. Archie has plenty of opportunities for wisecracks and flirts with attractive women. Both he and Wolfe irritate Inspector Cramer, and all the familiar routines are observed or mentioned. The food sounds great, although Wolfe is irritated with one particular meal, and that sets everything in motion. Wonderful stuff for the most part.
*MASSIVE SPOILER ALERT: What sets this book apart from the others in the series (at least in my view) is the level of violence, particularly in one scene set in a garage. Using a technique called "the crisscross," Archie tortures a man to get information from him. Archie calls it "stimulating" him. It's not the kind of thing I expected from Archie, but it works well and shows that Archie is a true tough guy. There's more than torture, too. There's even a shootout. A good one. Not the usual thing in a Nero Wolfe book, but done very well. Still, the torture scene didn't sit well with me, and while I liked the book a lot, it's not going to wind up in my Top 5.
Tuesday, April 25, 2017
“The Not-So-Simple Art of Mystery Reviewing” (by Elizabeth Foxwell)
“The Not-So-Simple Art of Mystery Reviewing” (by Elizabeth Foxwell) | SOMETHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN: It’s our pleasure this week to present a post by a mystery reviewer. Over the several years during which this blog has been active, we’ve had only a couple of previous posts by members of that important profession. Elizabeth Foxwell reviews mysteries for Publishers Weekly, serves as managing editor of Clues: A Journal of Detection (the oldest U.S. scholarly journal on mystery/detective/crime fiction), and edits the McFarland Companions to Mystery Fiction series. She has received the George N. Dove Award from the Popular Culture Association’s Detective/Mystery Caucus for outstanding contributions to the serious study of mystery and crime fiction. She is also a writer of short mystery fiction, and an Agatha Award winner, whose stories have appeared in several anthologies. Her post gives a concise overview of the history of critical analysis of mystery fiction.—Janet Hutchings
The Real Zorro?
The Real Zorro? - Neatorama: Every cultural legend has to start someplace, even if it’s from just a kernel of truth, expanded and embellished until it bears no resemblance to the original. Here’s the possible origin of Zorro, the “bold renegade” who “carved a Z with his blade.”
I Miss the Old Days
Remembering What a Buck Could Buy in the 1950s and 1960s: A dollar really went far in the 1950s and 1960s — much farther than it does today. Before you get too nostalgic, remember that the average home was worth $7,354, a new Volkswagen Beetle could be yours for $1,280, and tuition at the University of Pennsylvania was $600.
Coin washer keeps Westin St. Francis' change shiny
SFGate: "There was a time," Holsen said, "when a cabdriver could look at a person after they paid their fare and ask, 'So, how was your stay at the St. Francis?' "
Overlooked Movies: Beau Brummell
Beau Brummell is another of those movies that impressed me a lot when I was a kid. It's one of those big, lavish MGM Technicolor productions that's (very) loosely based on a true story. If you want history, you'll have to watch something else, though. The movie's not historically accurate at all and doesn't care to be. It's entertainment.Peter Ustinov is the weakling Prince of Wales. Stewart Granger is the unbending Beau Brummell, who becomes the prince regent's unlikely friend and tries to make him into a man worthy of the crown. Elizabeth Taylor is the beautiful love interest who has to choose between the excitement and danger of Brummell and the security that someone more stable can offer. Brummell is something of a con man and rascal, but his affection for the Prince is real. The story of Brummell's rise and fall is carried off with wit and style, and the ending is [SPOILER] a real tear-jerker.
I've heard that Beau Brummell was a flop on its original release. I don't know why, but maybe the fact that it was bit of a downer had something to do with it. I liked it then, when I liked downers, and I like it now when I usually don't like them. Check it out and see what you think.
Monday, April 24, 2017
Robert M. Pirsig, R. I. P.
The Millions: Robert M. Pirsig, author of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and Lila: An Inquiry Into Morals, died today at the age of 88, according to a statement released by his publisher. Pirsig’s work explored a system of thought called the “Metaphysics of Quality,” which has been defined as “a thesis that quality is the basis of reality, and that this understanding unifies most East Asian and Western thought.”
The COPS Story
Neatorama: COPS has been a Saturday night TV staple for so long -28 years now- that it’s easy to forget what a groundbreaking show it was when it debuted in 1989.
What Every Writer Could Learn from Coaching Little League
Literary Hub: Unlikely as it might appear, there are lessons here for the burgeoning novelist. In fact, if we proceed genre by genre, you will find Little League fields surfeit with dark secrets, unspeakable tragedies, lacerating comedy, budding romance, and even a profound lesson or two about humanity.
Forgotten Hits: April 24th
Forgotten Hits: April 24th: The Monkees top both the album chart AND the singles chart this week with "More Of The Monkees", their second LP and their latest single "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You". "Somethin' Stupid" by Nancy and Frank Sinatra falls to #2 while "Happy Together" by The Turtles holds at #3. Tommy James and the Shondells are up a notch from #5 to #4 and The Supremes reach #5 with their latest, "The Happening".
Sunday, April 23, 2017
No One is Innocent: The Ronnie Biggs Story
No One is Innocent: The Ronnie Biggs Story - Neatorama: From small-time crook to family man to the world’s most famous punk-rocking, beach-basking fugitive, this brash Brit captured the heart of a nation...and drew the ire of Scotland Yard.
The Old Days Live!
The Lexington Candy Shop – New York, New York: The oldest family-run luncheonette in New York still serves food and drinks the old fashioned way, last renovated in 1948.
Dick Contino, R. I. P.
The Fresno Bee: On the list of famous Fresnans, Dick Contino ranks as a superstar.
In the 1950s, Mr. Contino was a high-profile musician and actor who married starlet Leigh Snowden and appeared multiple times on “The Ed Sullivan Show;” more than 40 over his whole career. Author James Ellroy used parts of Mr. Contino’s life and name for his 1994 novella, “Dick Contino’s Blues” and in 1991 the actor was featured heavily in an episode of “Mystery Science Theater 3000.” In 2011, The Showbiz Society honored Mr. Contino at an event in Las Vegas that included the reading of a letter from President Barack Obama.
Saturday, April 22, 2017
Erin Moran, R. I. P.
Erin Moran, ‘Happy Days’ and ‘Joanie Loves Chachi’ Star, Dead at 56: Erin Moran, best known to TV audiences for her role as Joanie Cunningham on the classic sitcom Happy Days, has died, TMZ reports. She was 56.
Moran rose to fame when she was cast as the younger sister of Ron Howard’s Richie Cunningham on Happy Days, which ran for 11 seasons between 1974 and 1984. She later co-starred opposite Scott Baio in the short-lived spinoff Joanie Loves Chachi, which lasted for just two brief seasons between 1982 and 1983.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Moran rose to fame when she was cast as the younger sister of Ron Howard’s Richie Cunningham on Happy Days, which ran for 11 seasons between 1974 and 1984. She later co-starred opposite Scott Baio in the short-lived spinoff Joanie Loves Chachi, which lasted for just two brief seasons between 1982 and 1983.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
The Science Behind What Determines Your Taste In Music
Is This Your Song? The Science Behind What Determines Your Taste In Music: When we hit 18-20, our music taste is essentially solidified. It’s not an exact cutoff, but it’s pretty close. Researchers estimate that by this age, we’ve become less open-minded, and our neural circuits become almost fully structured based around our experiences, leaving little wiggle room for new associations.
Hollywood's Most Famous Lion
The Story of Hollywood's Most Famous Lion: Actually, there have been five of them
A Founder of Earth Day Looks Back on How It Began
Mental Floss: On the very first Earth Day in 1970, Denis Hayes stood on a stage in Central Park, stunned by the number of people who'd come to honor the planet. Now 76 years old, Hayes remembers it was like looking at the ocean—“you couldn’t see where the sea of people ended.” Crowd estimates reached more than a million people.
John Waters: By the Book
John Waters: By the Book: The film director and author of “Make Trouble” says that when a publisher asked him for a blurb for “Transit,” he sent back, “Rachel Cusk is too smart for her own good.”
Friday, April 21, 2017
The Fredric Brown Mystery Library
Hat tip to Chad Calkins.
A Complete History Of Paris Hilton At Coachella
A Complete History Of Paris Hilton At Coachella: Paris Hilton is the one true, actual queen of Coachella.
The Story of the First Card Catalog
National Library Week: The Story of the First Card Catalog: As National Library Week begins — it runs from April 9–15 this year — the Library of Congress looks back at the ancestor of the card catalog, in this excerpt from The Card Catalog: Books, Cards, and Literary Treasures (Chronicle Books, 2017).
FFB: Dillinger -- Harry Patterson
What if John Dillinger, when he escaped prison in 1934, had gone to Mexico? That's the question that Harry Patterson (aka Jack Higgins, James Graham, etc.) answers in Dillinger. Once in Mexico, Dillinger is forced to work for a brutal mine owner or to have his true identity made known. While he's there, the owner allows a number of his Apache workers to die in a mine cave-in, causing a small band of die-hard warriors to kidnap his daughter and attack a town. Dillinger and a group from the mine follow the attackers in a Chevy convertible and on horseback. So that's kind of fun. But the plot is slow to develop, and it's hard to work up any enthusiasm for Dillinger or the relationship between him and a beautiful half-Chinese, half-Mexican woman. So why did I reread the book? Just to see if it was as unsatisfactory as I remembered, and it sure is.
Now, though, I know why. The book is a complete rewrite of a 1964 Patterson novel, Thunder at Noon, a book which doesn't even include John Dillinger. I direct you to Ben Boulden's site for a discussion of the original novel that he published a couple of years ago. Boulden contends that the original version is very good and far superior to the rewrite. It would just about have to be.
As a point of interest, I'll note that in Dillinger Patterson uses the names Fallon and Chavasse for two minor characters in the book, names that were used for the protagonists in much better novels by Patterson. I don't know if those names appeared in Thunder at Noon.
Thursday, April 20, 2017
The World's Most Talented Wallet?
Found: A 1950s-Era Wallet Belonging to a Women's Army Corps Veteran: While renovating a landmark Macy’s department store in downtown Spokane, Washington, an old wallet recently dropped out of a disassembled drainpipe.
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
Uh-Oh
Dark Horizons: MarVista Entertainment and IM Global Television have announced that they are teaming up to develop, co-produce, and co-finance the television series “King Kong Skull Island” which they make clear is completely unrelated to the recent “Kong: Skull Island”.
The project is said to be a serialized, contemporary continuation of the classic, exclusively endorsed by Kong’s creator, and will boast a female-led and multi-cultural ensemble that delves fully into the wonders and horrors of Skull Island and its origins.
The project is said to be a serialized, contemporary continuation of the classic, exclusively endorsed by Kong’s creator, and will boast a female-led and multi-cultural ensemble that delves fully into the wonders and horrors of Skull Island and its origins.
“My Father and Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine” (by Richard Chizmar)
“My Father and Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine” (by Richard Chizmar) | SOMETHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN: Richard Chizmar is the coauthor (with Stephen King) of the bestselling novella Gwendy’s Button Box and the founder/publisher of Cemetery Dance magazine and the Cemetery Dance Publications book imprint. He has edited more than thirty anthologies and has won two World Fantasy awards and four International Horror Guild awards, among other honors. His fiction has appeared in dozens of publications and has been translated and collected in book form; his latest collection, A Long December, was recently published by Subterranean Press. Rich’s EQMM debut was in our March 1997 issue, but until we received this post we had no idea his connection to EQMM goes back much further than that! Don’t miss the new Chizmar story coming up in our September/October 2017 issue.—Janet Hutchings
I'd Like to Have This
This House Hasn't Changed At All Since The '60s, And It's Pretty Incredible: It's an original Frank Lloyd Wright and it's up for sale.
Forgotten Hits: April 19th
Forgotten Hits: April 19th: Other bulleted movers on this week's chart include "Music To Watch Girls By" by Andy Williams (up to #42 from #51), "Casino Royale" by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass (now sitting at #44, up from #63), "Walkin' In The Sunshine" by Roger Miller (up to #45 from #56), "Here Comes My Baby" by The Tremeloes climbs from #65 to #49 and Engelbert Humperdinck seems poised to run up the American Charts just as he did back home in Great Britain as "Release Me" jumps from #76 to #56, a move of twenty places.
FFB: Cobra Trap -- Peter O'Donnell
Cobra Trap is the final (in more ways than one) book to feature Modesty Blaise and Willie Garvin. It's a collection of five short stories that carry the two from almost the beginning of their careers together to the end.Modesty is a mere twenty years old when "The Bellman" begins. It's a story of an attempt at long-delayed revenge. Modesty and Willie put Bellman in prison, and when gets out of prison, he has Modesty and Willie abducted and put on a deserted island where they'll be hunted by three professional killers (shades of "The Most Dangerous Game"). Things don't go as Bellman planned. In "The Dark Angels," Modesty and Willie are protecting a Texas oilman from a gang of psychopathic (and acrobatic) hit men. Things don't go as the hit men planned. The oilman appears at first to be an annoying parody, but it turns out that's a clue to a twist in the tale. "Old Alex" is a direct sequel to a novel, "Dead Man's Handle," and it's a compilation of outrageous coincidences. It's also another revenge story and my favorite story in the book. "The Girl with the Black Balloon" is about a gang of kidnappers. Modesty and Willie have only a short time to save their victim. Things don't go as the kidnappers planned. The final story, "Cobra Trap" is indeed the final story for Modesty and Willie, at least on this plane of existence. I can say no more.
This collection is just as entertaining as Pieces of Modesty (see my comments here). There are still a few books in the series I haven't read, but I'm going to get to them Real Soon Now. And I might even reread some of them. O'Donnell was a superb entertainer; he never lets me down.
TOC:
The Bellman
Dark Angels
Old Alex
The Girl with the Black Balloon
Cobra Trap
Tuesday, April 18, 2017
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Attention to Books of Possible Interest
https://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Roderick-Langham-Rafe-McGregor-ebook/dp/B06XYN5CRZ: Books Roderick Langham is a retired soldier, disgraced police inspector, and reluctant occult detective. He inhabits the world of Sherlock Holmes, investigates cases with John Watson and Sebastian Moran, and is able to perceive the reality concealed by the illusion of everyday appearances. These nine stories follow Langham from his first encounter with the inexplicable in the Himalayan hills to his investigation of the wreck of the Demeter and his growing realisation that the dales, moors, and wolds which surround his Yorkshire refuge are home to an evil far older than the honeycomb of medieval monasteries and Roman ruins suggests.
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