The Agile Badger

Sept. 15, 2011 -- Reflections

2011-12-07T19:35:00.001-07:00

Sept. 15, 2011 -- Reflections, a photo by tim.zales on Flickr.

Oct. 1, 2011

2011-12-07T19:34:00.005-07:00

Oct. 1, 2011, a photo by tim.zales on Flickr.

Oct. 4, 2011 - Sun shining through clouds

2011-12-07T19:34:00.003-07:00

Oct. 4, 2011 - Sun shining through clouds, a photo by tim.zales on Flickr.

Oct. 12, 2011

2011-12-07T19:34:00.001-07:00

Oct. 12, 2011, a photo by tim.zales on Flickr.

Oct. 16, 2011

2011-12-07T19:33:00.005-07:00

Oct. 16, 2011, a photo by tim.zales on Flickr.

Oct. 24, 2011

2011-12-07T19:33:00.003-07:00

Oct. 24, 2011, a photo by tim.zales on Flickr.

Oct. 25, 2011

2011-12-07T19:33:00.001-07:00

Oct. 25, 2011, a photo by tim.zales on Flickr.

Nov. 5, 2011

2011-12-07T19:32:00.003-07:00

Nov. 5, 2011, a photo by tim.zales on Flickr.

Nov. 6, 2011

2011-12-07T19:32:00.001-07:00

Nov. 6, 2011, a photo by tim.zales on Flickr.

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2011-12-07T19:31:00.003-07:00

IMG_2073.jpg, a photo by tim.zales on Flickr.

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2011-12-07T19:31:00.001-07:00

IMG_2810.jpg, a photo by tim.zales on Flickr.

Nov. 3, 2011

2011-12-07T19:30:00.001-07:00

Nov. 3, 2011, a photo by tim.zales on Flickr.

Oct. 13, 2011

2011-12-07T19:29:00.001-07:00

Oct. 13, 2011, a photo by tim.zales on Flickr.

Oct. 14, 2011

2011-12-07T19:28:00.003-07:00

Oct. 14, 2011, a photo by tim.zales on Flickr.

Oct. 5, 2011 - Phoenix Sunset

2011-12-07T19:28:00.001-07:00

Oct. 5, 2011 - Phoenix Sunset, a photo by tim.zales on Flickr.

Sept. 26, 2011 - Sunset over downtown Phoenix

2011-12-07T19:27:00.005-07:00

Sept. 26, 2011 - Sunset over downtown Phoenix, a photo by tim.zales on Flickr.

Sept. 24, 2011 - Experiments in Candlelight

2011-12-07T19:27:00.003-07:00

Sept. 24, 2011 - Experiments in Candlelight, a photo by tim.zales on Flickr.

Sept. 20, 2011 - Downtown Gilbert at Night

2011-12-07T19:27:00.001-07:00

Sept. 20, 2011 - Downtown Gilbert at Night, a photo by tim.zales on Flickr.

Plane landing at Sky Harbor Airport

2011-12-07T19:25:00.005-07:00

Plane landing at Sky Harbor Airport, a photo by tim.zales on Flickr.

Tempe Town Lake at Dusk

2011-12-07T19:25:00.001-07:00

Tempe Town Lake at Dusk, a photo by tim.zales on Flickr.

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2011-12-06T17:55:00.001-07:00

IMG_4612.jpg, a photo by tim.zales on Flickr.

2011-08-27T21:13:00.002-07:00

How Heavy Metal Is Keeping Us Sane - The Atlantic

This is a great article about Heavy Metal. Very well done and fascinating. The author definitely gets to the bottom the the "purpose" or "thought" behind the genre.

Philip K. Dick: A 'plastic' paradox - latimes.com

2010-01-31T13:11:00.000-07:00

Philip K. Dick: A 'plastic' paradox - latimes.com

Philip K. Dick is an interesting writer. I've read quite a few of his novels, but can't say I'm a huge fan. But, he did lead an interesting life and wrote some of the most creative novels of all time. I guess his creativity is what I value most from his work.

The Iliad and what it can still tell us about war | Books | The Guardian

2010-01-31T00:49:00.000-07:00

The Iliad and what it can still tell us about war Books The Guardian

This is an amazing write-up of the Iliad. Even if you don't feel like reading the whole book it is well worth the time to read. It touches on the feel of the story and takes me back to the first time I read it.

Why do people gush over Proust? I'd rather visit a demented relative | Germaine Greer | Culture | The Guardian

2009-11-10T00:12:00.000-07:00

Why do people gush over Proust? I'd rather visit a demented relative Germaine Greer Culture The Guardian

I love this articel by Germaine Greer. I too have failed to grasp the greatness of Proust. I've tried to read the first book many times, and even tried to listen to it on the Naxos audiobook. Nothing works. I tend to forget the point of what I'm reading by the time I get to the end, something that is compounded listening to it in audiobook form. I think many of the people who claim to love Proust are fibbing or have never read it at all.

2009-08-15T00:28:00.001-07:00

Lee Siegel on the End of Episode Books and Novels - WSJ.com

This is a great article about narrative versus episodic stories. It really makes a writer ponder the direction of the work they are working on.

I can't recommend it enough.

2009-08-14T01:55:00.002-07:00

Is Author Richard Russo a Misogynist? Newsweek Books Newsweek.com

Newsweek has officially become a liberal opinion mag, nothing wrong with that, but this article is hilarious. Richard Russo is a misogynist? Really? He may have some holes in his abilities (all authors do) but to attribute it to sexism is crazy. The author of this article finally 'fesses up to this at the end. So, I guess this article's main purpose was to fire up the liberal base.

2009-08-14T01:46:00.001-07:00

Sony Plans to Adopt Common Format for E-Books - NYTimes.com

Great news in the e-publishing world. Sony will adopt a major standard for ebooks. When will Amazon join in? Not soon in my opinion. But, this is the first in a necessary move in the industry. It may take a few years but we'll have our own .mp3 format eventually.

WHEN NOVELISTS SOBER UP | More Intelligent Life

2009-07-30T21:01:00.000-07:00

WHEN NOVELISTS SOBER UP More Intelligent Life

Booze and writers go together like a horse and carriage. This article is great in its discussion of writers and battles with booze.

I think this quote tells the whole story:

Certainly, if what you’re used to is rolling champagne bottles down Fifth
Avenue beneath the light of a wanton moon or getting into the kind of barfights
that make a man feel alive, truly alive, the basic facts of recovered life—the
endless meetings, the rote ingestion of the sort of clichés the writer has spent
his entire life avoiding—are below prosaic.

Basically writers think they are special and being an addict is not special, it means you are like everyone else. Dude, life sucks.

More reasons to worry about ebooks than I thought | Books | guardian.co.uk

2009-07-30T20:56:00.000-07:00

More reasons to worry about ebooks than I thought Books guardian.co.uk

This article brings up my major problem with e-books.

I believe that they cannot become successfully established until the reader who owns the book reader also owns the content. Too many of the companies that sell electronic media try to claim ownership rights over the content. That will never be accepted by the public. If I buy a copy of a work, then I, as the reader own THAT copy just like physical books. Until that breakthrough occurs e-books will be a niche product. And there is no reason why they should be niche products at this point.

Why does crime still have such unpardonably low literary status? | Books | guardian.co.uk

2009-07-28T22:50:00.000-07:00

Why does crime still have such unpardonably low literary status? Books guardian.co.uk

I love John Banville's fiction, he is one of the best serious fiction writers out there. But, he stumbles into a mess when he says things like this:

"Writing under his own name, Banville manages around 100 sweated-over, teased, honed and polished words a day; but as Benjamin Black, he can manage a couple of thousand."

Now I'm a major fan of literature, but I'm alos a fan of genre fiction. This is an ugly statement that betrays what I believe is a serious problem in fiction. Genre fiction IS as good as literature, but only if you write it seriously.

He said essentially the same thing when he was interviewed by The Paris Review in the following article:

http://www.parisreview.com/viewmedia.php/prmMID/5907

It's well worth finding the whole interview to see his views. At worst I think he is suffering from a bit of ego. He knew better than to say it out loud.

2009-07-04T03:07:00.001-07:00

‘Moveable Feast’ Is Recast by Hemingway Grandson - NYTimes.com

I love the original a "Moveable Feast", but this new one sounds really good. An updated and, hopefully, more accurate version would be great. Who knows what Papa would have really wanted, we just want to get as close as we can and enjoy.

2009-07-04T02:53:00.001-07:00

Rethinking the Kindle - Megan McArdle

The article is about some issues with Kindle DRM. I hate DRM and think its a rip off. This is an example of how they get you. I've bought the damn thing. GIVE IT TO ME! For God's sake. The digital future will not become reality until they fix these issues. Permanently.

2009-07-04T02:44:00.001-07:00

Malcolm Gladwell reviews Free by Chris Anderson: Books: The New Yorker

Given the changes that the Internet has brought the market of intellectual property Malcolm Gladwell's article on the subject is really prescient. His premise is ultimately that quality is important, no matter what you charge. Quality rises to the top. The most important thing that many people who think of giving away intellectual property free don't understand is that people want quality first. You can't over-look the human desire for something good, over their desire for something free. But, as a warning, never overlook the quality of free.

2009-06-23T23:24:00.004-07:00

Babylon 5

With the summer television season upon me I decided to take a plunge on a new show. I recently found Babylon 5 on sale at Best Buy, so I purchased the entire series. I started watching Season 1 this week. The first few disks were kind of disappointing, but I just watched the episode "Signs and Portents" and it looks like things are really picking up. I'm looking forward to watching the rest of the season.

I really like the character of Susan Ivanova, played by Claudia Christian, and I thin that so far she is the best of the lot.

I am pretty ho-hum about the character of Michael Garibaldi, played by Jerry Doyle, but I can see how he has some room to grow.

I'm still waiting for the various ambassadors to gel as characters before I make a decision on them.

But, I have to say that Commander Sinclair is bad. Real bad. Unbearably bad. He is like a caricature of all the bad sci-fi captains in history.

Hopefully, the series maintains it's current trajectory and get5s better and better.

2009-06-23T21:11:00.001-07:00

Currently Reading

I currently reading The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks. I have to say I'm about 25% of the way through and I think I found a winner.

I'll write it up when I'm done.

2009-06-23T21:02:00.004-07:00

Hood and Scarlet by Stephen Lawhead

I recently finished reading the first two books in the new re-imagining of the Robin Hood epic. It's by Stephen Lawhead and I've found it to be a great read.

I have never read anything by Stephen Lawhead and I decided it was time to take the plunge. I chose this series because it is his most recent and I love the Robin Hood setting. He takes the story in a new exciting direction by making Robin Hood a Welsh hero fighting against the Norman invaders. It works!

He has some great new takes on old characters like Little John, Friar Tuck, and Maid Marion that I think expand these characters and make them even more interesting. The story moves along at a brisk pace and reads like a movie, I mean that in a good way. It flows.

I won't get into the plot or anything to ruin it for you, but I'd say it's well worth reading.

Next up in the series is Tuck the conclusion.

Let's stop sneering at fantasy readers | Books | guardian.co.uk

2009-06-23T21:00:00.000-07:00

Let's stop sneering at fantasy readers Books guardian.co.uk

I love the fantasy genre. While I'll concede that it is often filled with deriviative drivel, I think that it among all the genres it has untapped potential. This article does a great job of discussing fantasy and what makes it cool, or not geeky. It also talks about the Gemmell awards which is a great new fantasy award that just started up.

2009-06-05T23:33:00.002-07:00

Fantasy master David Eddings dies aged 77 Books guardian.co.uk

This is very sad news if you are a fantasy fan. David Eddings has passed away. I am a huge Eddings fan! I loved both the Belgariad/Mallorean and the Elenium/Tamuli. He (and his wife) were wonderful influences on me.

I won't go so far as to say that Eddings was a genius, but he was one hell of a writer and a great storyteller. He was the master of writing that pulled the reader along, so that you had to read that next page, only to find out that you read ten more pages...

Rest in Peace.

2009-05-22T22:17:00.003-07:00

Greg Gutfeld, host of Red Eye on Fox

This interview with Greg Gutfeld from Reason magazine is hilaroius! I love Greg's show on Fox and watch every night. He's an equal opportunity offender.

2009-05-20T00:24:00.001-07:00

Scribd Invites Writers to Upload Work and Name Their Price - NYTimes.com

Finally.

A company is letting authors produce and distribute their books via electronic file. This is the future. I think that the market will be tough, editors and agents perform an important task filtering new authors for the marketplace.

It's sad, but must people who write don't have talent. No, I'm not being a jerk, they don't have "I'd pay money for that" talent, at least. Writers with commercial talent are rare, rare like opera divas. It's more than just being able to write, it's having a sense for what people want to read too. With writers being able to bypass the publishing houses the reader will need to filter the novels on their own. I don't see how that will work either.

2009-05-20T00:20:00.001-07:00

Hot Stuff in a Squeeze Bottle - NYTimes.com

Here's a great article about a great hot sauce. I love Sriracha sauce! Interesting to find out it's really and American product...hmmm.

2009-05-17T19:49:00.007-07:00

Styx, REO Speedwagon, .38 Special

I went to a concert on Friday. It was a blast! I haven't been to a concert in years, I avoid them due to the huge crowds, bad seating, and traffic. But, this one let me do some really cool stuff.

I finally got to try the new light rail system. I work on Washington and Priest and the concert was at the Dodge Theater on Washington and 4th Ave. So, I could take the light rail instead of fighting thousands of people in and out of downtown Phoenix. Win! All I can say is I'm glad I voted for the light rail, it is beautiful and a really nice way to travel downtown. I love it.

I also had never been to the Dodge Theater before and with Judas Priest coming in August (I HAVE to go to that) I wanted to see what the venue was like. The theater was really nice, I had seats in the 19th row, I had a great view and didn't feel too crowded. It only holds 6,000 people so it's a nice intimate venue.

.38 Special was the opening act and they did a real yeoman's job. They weren't awesome, but with the crowd only half there and little stage space they didn't have much to work with. They hit most of their hits, with high points being "Back Where You Belong" and "Rockin' Into The Night."

REO Speedwagon was the band that I was really wanting to see and they didn't let me down. All I can say is awesome! High points were "Roll with the Changes", "Can't Fight This Feeling", "Take it on the Run", and "Keep On Loving You." Kevin and the gang were on fire and well worth the ticket price themselves. I was worried that Styx was not going to be able to live up to the Speedwagon...my fears were unfounded.

Styx is one of those bands that I really like, but hardly listen to anymore. I was glad to finally get the chance to see them live, but probably wouldn't have gone if it weren't for REO Speedwagon. All I can say is that they were awesome! Lawrence Gowan is the new lead singer and he was great, not one of those boring keyboard players that stands in the back and bobs his head, he is right up front and a ball of energy. Tommy Shaw proved why he is a great rock guitarist and sang many of the bands biggest hits. High points were "Blue Collar Man", "Renegade", "Suite Madame Blue", "Fooling Yourself" and "Come Sail Away With Me."

I had to cruise half way through the finale, with members of REO Speedwagon and Styx all on stage together, but I needed to catch the train and had no clue where the eastbound stop was at.

A great night of fun!

2009-05-10T20:23:00.001-07:00

Elaine Showalter chooses the best novelists writing in the US today Books The Guardian

I don't agree with some of the victimology in this article, but I do think it gives a great overview of the best female novelists in the U.S. right now.

I've been trying to get to some the these writers for a long time, but outside forces keep me from reading them; Largely my own writing and the reading I need to do for that.

But, you can't go wrong with the ones listed here.

2009-05-01T21:47:00.002-07:00

Fiction Faces Hard Facts: Newcomers Are a Tough Sell - washingtonpost.com

This article from the Washington Post tells it like it is and it's not good for new authors. The recession has caused publishers to get cautious. The thing is, during a recession books sell well compared to other forms of recreation so it's not a good idea for them to cut back. The best time to overtake your competitors is during a recession.

The next J.K Rowling or Stephenie Meyer is out there somewhere and the $ goes to the company that finds her first.

2009-04-27T01:57:00.005-07:00

Reckless by Judas Priest

This is one of my absolute favorite Judas Priest songs and this is an amazing review of it. It's "Reckless" from the Turbo album from 1986. I love how so many of the articles on K. K. Downings site are in depth looks into individual songs. That's just not something we get anymore in music criticism.

http://kkdowning.net/specialreports/fotf/fotf8_reckless.html

And his site just plain rocks!

2009-04-26T18:57:00.002-07:00

Alan Alda Autobiography - The Best Book to Buy About Alan Alda

I love this article on writing by Alan Alda, he does a great job of describing a major A-Ha! moment. Every writer should read it.

2009-04-26T00:32:00.014-07:00

How the E-Book Will Change the Way We Read and Write - WSJ.com

This is the best article on the coming ebook revolution I have yet to read--this spoken by someone who tried to write one of his own. The author is Steven Johnson and it is published in the Wall Street Journal.

Here are the money quotes:

"It will make it easier for us to buy books, but at the same time make it easier to stop reading them."

This only puts more pressure on writers to keep the pot boiling. I think that wil lbe great for commercial fiction, how it affects literary fiction is up in the air. But, it will definitely put all writers on the block to keep their writing high on suspense and drop the boring digressions.

"Before too long, you'll be able to create a kind of shadow version of your entire library, including every book you've ever read -- as a child, as a teenager, as a college student, as an adult. Every word in that library will be searchable."
"Imagine a software tool that scans through the bibliographies of the 20 books you've read on a specific topic, and comes up with the most-cited work in those bibliographies that you haven't encountered yet."

I've been using both a traditional book and an ebook version of the Catholic Bible when working on my novel. This has shown to me the truth of this statement; ebooks aren't so good for browsing, but searching is magnificent. Once a better navigation system has been developed ebooks will be in a strong position against traditional books.

"Amazon's early data suggest that Kindle users buy significantly more books than they did before owning the device,"

"My impulsive purchase of "On Beauty" has another element to it, though --
one that may not be as welcomed by authors. Specifically: I was in the middle of
the other book, and in a matter of seconds, I left it for one of its competitors."

The famous double edged sword! Easier to attract readers, but harder to keep them. Sounds like TV...

"As a result, I fear that one of the great joys of book reading -- the total immersion in another world, or in the world of the author's ideas -- will be compromised."

"Individual paragraphs will be accompanied by descriptive tags to orient potential searchers; chapter titles will be tested to determine how well they rank."

This will force writers to focus on the overall quality of their work, focusing on every sentence, every paragrah to make sure it lives up to the rest of the story.

"The 'free sample' component of a book will become as conventional as jacket-flap copy and blurbs; authors will devise a host of stylistic and commercial techniques in crafting these giveaway sections"

"For nonfiction and short-story collections, a la carte pricing will emerge"

The first chapter will only become MORE important than it already is.

The rebirth of the short story. I think this among all things is the biggest and most important change the ebooks brings to writing. The financial viability of short story writing as an art form.

2009-04-25T23:44:00.001-07:00

LRB · James Wood: James Wood writes about the manipulations of Ian McEwan

This is a great look at Ian McEwan's books. I've only read his Atonement and First Loves, Last Rites so far, but I've found him to be a magnificent novelist.

2009-04-25T23:40:00.001-07:00

Dissent Magazine

This article is amazing. It is a discussion of Orhan Pamuk's Snow, a novel I read a few years ago and found to be very impressive. This is well worth the considerable time it takes to read.

One minor issue I'll take with the article is simply this sentence:

"Genocide is so humanly inexplicable that we still don’t really grasp how it could happen;"

I know it's annoying when someone reads an entire article and they only cherry pick a single sentence for critique. But, it is one of the most simplistic statements I have ever read. I need to argue with this statement, but I'll need to address it later, I'm short on trime.

2009-04-25T23:05:00.001-07:00

The American Spectator : Love Affair With Evil

This review by P. David Hornik in The American Spectator of my next non-fiction read "United in Hate" by Jamie Glazov is very good. The book is about the Left's fascination and allegiance to totalitarian regimes and abominable idealogies.

It sounds like a very important book on a subject that is greatly neglected.

2009-04-25T21:34:00.007-07:00

Print on demand book machines...

This article about the new print on demand books is fascinating. These book printing/binding machines can sit in any bookstore and print any one of hundreds of thousands of different books on demand. The bookstore of the future will essentially be a print shop.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/apr/24/espresso-book-machine-launches

This is exactly what is needed for bookstores to compete wth Amazon.

2009-04-13T18:32:00.019-07:00

My Love Affair with the Kindle 2

I bought a Kindle 2 when they were released last month. I've been using it heavily over the last few weeks and I finally feel that I can make some comments about my experience.

To start I have to say that the Kindle 2 makes an awesome first impression. The packaging is beautiful, high-style, black and very modern. It contrasts with the creamy white color of the Kindle itself. It was actually painful to discard the box!

The Kindle 2 is really cool looking. It is thin and stylish, with well shaped keys and buttons. The buttons are well placed and fit perfectly where my hands naturally rest. I find that I never have to move my hand to turn the page forward or backwards, this makes casual reading effortless and comfortable. The alpha keys are a little small, I would have made them a little larger if given the chance.

The screen is very nice. It has crisp clear text with an easy on the eyes background. The screen is a little sluggish, but it isn't so slow that it interferes with reading. There are currently very few books that have pictures in them, but the few that do seem to have some issues when the image is enlarged. They become fuzzy and lack clarity. This is a "action item" for Amazon.

When I bought the Kindle I purchased a ton of books for it. But, the ones that I planned to read for the evaluation and owned in book form were: The Sun Also Rises (owned in trade paperback), Tender is the Night (owned in trade paperback), the Heart of Darkness (owned in Everyman's Library cloth hardcover), and last a newer book to see if it was any better, Hood by Stephen Lawhead (owned in trade paperback). The reading experience for all was very nice. The Sun Also Rises and Tender is the Night seemed to be exactly like their book counterparts (a good thing), there was no real difference. Heart of Darkness was a lesser experience on the Kindle than the book, though the problem was all in the ebook I used, not the Kindle 2. Hood was amazing to read. First of all the story was good, but the formatting and visual presentation in the book were superb. So, I've noticed that many of the ebooks that are available are widely varied on a quality level. Those from major publishers seem to be fairly nice like Sun and Tender, but many lack basic features or are essentially rich text files. There are some that even lack a Table of Contents, which is completely unacceptable. Hood was a brand new book and I found the type, layout and presentation to be the best of all of them. Here is how much I liked the ebooks in order: Hood, The Sun Also Rises, Tender is the Night, The Good Soldier. It is clear that the quality of ebooks needs to improve for the market to expand quickly.

The Kindle 2 does not come with a cover. I bought the M-edge Platform Jacket for Kindle 2 and find it to be perfect. It fits the Kindle 2 perfectly and I have no fear that it will fall out. It leaves the edge ports perfectly accessible when it is closed, so I can charge it up while the case is closed. I really like the fact that I can open the case and flip it over to prop up the Kindle, that comes in handy for hands free reading.

To wrap up, I love the Kindle 2! The reading experience is quite enjoyable and quickly becomes second nature. I now prefer to use the Kindle 2 as my primary mode of reading.

The problems that I see with the Kindle 2 are simply due to the development curve of new technology. The quality of the ebooks that are available are too variable, this can be alleviated by buying only newer books by big named publishers. The availability of books needs to be improved too, although Amazon has a huge library of available books, all publishers need to be pushed and prodded to accept the new format and release their back catalogs electronically. The basic design of ebook files needs to be improved too. One problem is the lack of Tables of Contents on a wide number of titles, this is totally unacceptable. Also, there needs to be a better way to navigate around ebooks, like a side menu that can be pulled out to jump to any part of the book. This should go hand in hand with a re-evaluation of how books should be organized, writers need to break up their work into smaller units and chapters and clearly label them. No more Chapter 1, Chapter 2 etc. Also, the screen of the Kindle needs to become full color and a full page in size. All of this will take time as people and companies adjust to these technological changes.

2009-04-13T16:46:00.005-07:00

Up Next

I'm reading The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. I hear it's great, but it may take a while to get through, it's over 600 pages (I think, I'm reading it on my Kindle).

2009-04-13T16:11:00.007-07:00

Review: The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett

So I'm a little late to come to the Terry Pratchett bandwagon. Sue me. He was one of those writers I knew I was going to enjoy so I put off reading him until I found a dry point in my reading. Since I'm still waiting for George R. R. Martin to finish A Dance with Dragons and I've been hesitant to get involved in another big fantasy series I decided to finally read Pratchett. I chose to do this because from what I've heard his work is pretty stand alone in that you don't have to read book #1 then #2...on and on.

Even if that's the case I chose to start at the beginning with The Color of Magic.

http://www.librarything.com/work/1044440/book/43848358

It tells the story of the failed wizard Rincewind and Twoflower, a tourist, and their adventures as they stuble from one hilarious disaster to an even bigger one. It all starts when Twoflower shows up in Ankh-Morpork with his intelligent and over protective piece of luggage. Here he meets Rincewind a wizard that is tasked with protecting and entertaining the tourist. They cause serious trouble in Ankh-Morpork and high-tail it out of town only to run into dragon riders, are stranded on the endge of the world, and finally are offered as sacrifice for then gods.

The characters are wonderful. Rincewind is a great cynical lecher that despite his best efforts is put into the role of protector. Twoflower is the prototypical innocent abroad, inadvertantly stumbling through a world hell bent on harming him, without picking up a scratch. Following them are Death and Fate both intent on harm; both very good at their jobs.

The writing is free and easy, not a simple thing to do. I really enjoyed his style and found that it helped to create a good flow through the story.

One thing I would have liked is more connection between stories. These seemed to be seperate stories that shared common characters, but there was no overarching plot. I think the novel would have been much stonger with a real plot.

I would rate The Color of Magic four out of five stars, well worth reading if your ready to start delving into Pratchett's world.

2009-04-02T23:32:00.003-07:00

BBQ Time!

It's been beautiful in Tempe over the last few weeks. This is certainly the time when we AZ natives reap the benefits of our climate. It's been sunny in the high 70's/low 80's. Eat your heart out East Coasters.

When the weather get really nice my thoughts turn to BBQ. I've got a nice Weber three burner barbecue on my back porch and I love to fire it up after work. I've been focusing on Chicken recently. I've grilled up over 6 whole chickens over the last two weeks, always trying different things. I finally settled on a nice rub and a Kansas City style sauce. It's really awesome!

Next up....Ribs.

2009-01-18T22:15:00.005-07:00

New Member of the Team!

Please allow me to introduce Milly. I went to the pound on Saturday and adopted a new pet. I picked her up on Monday and so far we are getting along great. As you can see she is very photogenic! She's a real sweetheart.

2009-01-18T21:18:00.003-07:00

Review: The Alexandria Quartet

I have just finished reading the Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durrell. It consists of the books: Justine, Balthazar, Mountolive, and Clea. For the most part the first book tells a story, the second tells the same story, but with more details, the third expands on this and the fourth wraps the story up. I first heard about them from the Times Literary Supplement, which wrote an in depth article about them and got me interested. Durrell is largely unknown here in the United States as far as I can tell.

The story is about a group of expatriate Brits and local Alexandrians in the years before the Second World War. It is a world full of love triangles, deception, cruelty, ambition, and friendship. For all the lies and cheating the group stays close and seems to accept their basic nature's worst aspects.

Durrell was a British poet who wrote in the 1950's. You can really see his poetic past in the writing of the books. His prose is dense and evocative, drawing an engaging portrait of Alexandria. Making the city a character in itself.

The main character is Darley, a British teacher and aspiring novelist. He is living with a young consumptive woman named Melissa. Their relationship is only a modest love affair, but they stay together even though she is fully aware of his infidelity with Justine.

Justine is the Jewish wife of Nessim, and the lover of Darley and a few others. She is a mysterious beauty, who has an interest in mysticism and a desire for intrigue. Much of Justine's actions are left a mystery to the reader, and it's this lack of knowledge that helps propel the reader's curiosity for much of the series. She is without question the most fascinating character in the story.

Nessim is Justine's husband and a friend of Darley's. His behavior is often erratic and leads Darley to believe that his safety is in jeopardy because of his affair with Justine. But, Nessim is far more crafty than that and his behavior is strange for bigger reasons. His machinations are central to the story and the mystery of the group.

Clea is a young British painter who lives on the periphery of the group for much of the series, but is involved with Darley in the last book. Her relationship with him helps to close the series and settle this moment in the character's lives. She is young, beautiful, innocent and caring.

Alexandria is one of the characters in the novel. It is on one hand beautiful and seductive and at the same time disgusting and backwards. It is this dichotomy that makes the city come alive as it's own creature. It is bright and loud, with the sounds of the souk and smell of jasmine. But, at the same time full of prostitutes, orphan vagabonds and British pedophiles. They all combine to make a vibrant, bustling, engaging city.

There are a lot of other characters in the books and their lives interact and become intertwined again and again. But, ultimately, it's the relationship between Justine and Darley that makes the books fascinating. I won't get into any details to ruin anything, but it is an amazing and perplexing story. Durrell does a great job of telling you just enough that you think you understand what is happening, then coming back later and filling in more information and changing your view, then doing it again. That is what makes this story so compelling.

I would recommend this series to anyone interested in British literature of the 1950's. Durrell is a neglected master (in the U.S. at least).

2008-10-19T00:15:00.002-07:00

Review: The Name of the Rose

I've finished reading The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco and I'll give a few of my impressions. Overall, I thought the book was good, but not as good as many have claimed. It is really a great book in that it gives the flavor of the middle ages, the characters really think like people of the middle ages would have thought, at least as far as we can know. The detailed explanations of medieval philosophy and politics really livened up the story.

The mystery presented is: who is killing the monks at the abbey? Is it some satanic cult? Is it a homosexual cliche? Is it internal abbey politics? Or, is it something even more sinister? The heroes, Brothers William and Adso investigate the murders, explore the abbey and discuss the issues of the day.

The characters of William and Adso are really well drawn, William is a worldly monk with learning, common sense and a nice pair of glasses to aid him; Adso is a young, naive, and enthusiastic assistant. Adso tells the story, years after the events have taken place. I liked this approach as it allows us to see how Adso idolized his mentor without making his character weak.

I'm not much for mysteries, so I have to admit I didn't get too excited over the plot. I mainly read the book because of the time period it is set in. I love the medieval time period. But, the ending is not so far fetched that the reader isn't suspicious of who the bad guy is (even though it is disguised by some of the villains character traits). All in all I thought it was good, but it hasn't convinced me to read any of the other books by Eco. Maybe some day I'll crack Foucault's Pendulum, but no time soon.

2008-06-26T23:28:00.001-07:00

One Last Picture

I thought this was my best picture technically speaking.

2008-06-26T23:25:00.002-07:00

More Pics

Here is another picture I snapped. This was probably the single most colorful thing in the place. Being a Desert Botanical Garden it has a ton of gray, brown and green plants, but not much else close to this.

2008-06-26T23:17:00.003-07:00

Desert Botanical Garden Trip

I recently went to the Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden to try out my new camera. I got some interesting pictures. This one was one of my favorites, because he's such a cute little guy. He was very photogenic and was happy to pose for lots of pictures.

2007-06-24T23:43:00.001-07:00

Review: Seraphim Falls

I rented this based on Ebert and Roepers recommendation. It is a very good film. In the movie, which takes place in the late 1860's, Pierce Brosnan plays a hunted trapper who gets shot early on and spends the rest of the film trying to escape from a pursuing Liam Neeson. Bronsan is good, but he mumbles a lot; I think he has trouble with an American accent. Neeson is awesome as the pursuing avenger in this film, he really nails the hard-boiled character he portrays. The film is starkly realistic in the first half, but moves more into magical realism at the end. The end kind of fell flat for me. The film was good, but not great. I'd watch it again.

Grade: B

2007-06-24T23:39:00.000-07:00

Review: The Illusionist

It's been a long time since I could whole-heartedly endorse a movie, but The Illusionist is one I can back 100%. It is amazing. Ed Norton does a great job as Einsenhiem the Illusionist and Paul Giamatti is excellent as the investigator. Gianatti should be nominated for an Oscar for his work. I won't give a run down of the plot because its too good to spoil. But, beleive me if you see one movie this year make it The Illusionist.

Grade: A+

2007-06-03T23:32:00.000-07:00

Review: Madam Bovary

I finished reading Madam Bovary, by Gustave Flaubert, after two aborted starts. The beginning of the novel is slow and I kept getting sidetracked. I must say that the novel is excellent.

The story is about Emma Bovary and her husband Charles. Charles is a country doctor in a small French farming village. He barely gets his medical degree and settles down with an older widow that his mother chooses for him to marry. One day while setting a broken bone for an old farmer he meets Emma, the farmer's daughter. She is young and beautiful and Charles falls in love with her. His wife dies and soon he courts Emma; and they marry.While Charles is madly in love with Emma, married life is not the same for her. She becomes depressed and is unhappy, her only solice is reading novels, especially cheap romances.

He moves her to a new town hoping that a change of venue will do her good. There they meet Leon an aspiring lawyer and Mr. Homais the town chemist; two characters that will be very important in the story. Leon and Emma have a brief flirty affair that ends when Leon leaves to study in Paris, convinced that he will never consumate his affair with Emma. After Leon's departure Emma starts a torrid affair with a wealthy local playboy, Rodolphe Boulanger, who sees her as ripe for seduction.

Her relationship with Charles slowly disintegrates as Emma's unhappyness is compounded by her desire for a rich and extravagent lifestyle -- one that she leads by borrowing money from Mr. Lheureux. Emma wants to run away with Rodolphe, but he abandons her when she becomes too much trouble. This sends Emma into despair and she spends the next six months in her sickbed with a broken heart.

On her recovery Charles takes her to Rouen to see the opera. Here she meets Leon again. She and Leon conspire to meet again and this finally consumates their affair. They have a torrid affair in Rouen, with travelling to meet him under the lie that she is taking music lessons. During this time Emma is satisfying her desires for luxury and fine living; still on borrowed money from Mr. Leureux.

As her affair with Leon cools down Lheureux comes to collect in full all the debts that Emma had built up. She desperately tries to get money, from Leon, Rodolphe, and anyone else who she thinks could help her. No one will give her any money. In despair, she takes poisen and kills herself. Charles is heartbroken and later died a broken man, her duaghter is sent to a relative who sends her to work in a factory.

This novel is definitely a writers novel. It is starkly realistic and its tone is dark. The language used by Flaubert is amazing. The sentences work magic as the reader progresses through the story.

2007-06-02T23:01:00.000-07:00

Review: Death in Venice

I just finished reading Death in Venice by Thomas Mann. I must start by admitting that this is a very disturbing story. The main plot is that the main character, Aschenbach, goes to Venice on vacation. While there is sees a young boy that infatuates him and the rest of the novel he stalks the boy and his family around the town while a plague settles into the city. The theme of pederasty is tough to take. I understand the artist's license and personal past that Mann operated under and that he was making a point, but that did not make reading it any more comfortable. One thing is clear: this is NOT a simple story of pederasty. It is a discourse on the Platonic dialog of Phaedrus. Not being an expert in Plato I had to read up on the dialog on Wiki (see the link at the end of the post). In it Socrates discusses the two types of love: the lover and the non-lover. In it he argues against pederasty, that by overcoming this desire, it ennobles both the lover and the beloved. So in the end the story is about, in Socrates' words:

"And thus he loves, but he knows not what; he does not understand and cannot explain his own state; he appears to have caught the infection of blindness from another; the
lover is his mirror in whom he is beholding himself, but he is not aware of this."

After a horrible dream, in which Aschenbach dreams of some feral Dionysian rite, which demonstrates the internal war Aschenbach is fighting with the god Eros, he takes ill while following the boy, and in his delirium he dreams of Socrates' lecture with Phaedrus. Thus he realizes his urges, and overcomes them. He dies a few days later while watching his beloved play on the beach.

The character of Aschenbach is a pompous, aging intellectual writer who has been widowed for many years. One of aspects of the story that the reader follows in how the self important, egotistical man becomes so completely obsessed with the young boy that even after knowing that Venice is beset by a Cholera epidemic he does nothing to warn the family of the boy, for if he does the family will leave -- depriving him of his stalking victim. That act alone demonstrates the base nature of the character. That nature makes it tough to identify with the character and makes it impossible to sympathize with him. Aschenbach does not enter into the pantheon of great, identifiable literary characters.

The theme of the red headed men runs throughout the story. Aschenbach sees an old evil looking red headed man in church before he goes on his trip. He later sees as he arrives in Paris an old fool who has dolled himself up with hair dye and makeup to look younger. This foreshadows Aschenbach's own attempt to do the same to remain young looking and vibrant. He never sees the correlation. There are a few more red headed men, most important is a gondolier that tries to take him on a round-about trip. I'm afraid the imagery is lost on me. I know it means something but I haven't been able to figure it out.

Mann's writing does not jive with me. I find it too flowery and flowing. The words seem to flow without any great direction or force. This style does not encourage me to read any other works from Mann.

Overall, this is a deep story that invites a great deal of re-reading. Unfortunatley, the subject matter discourages re-reading. I would not put this story very high on my list of great stories, if it got there at all. I had no clues on the Greek gods and philosophy that were being referenced in the story. I found that a little reading on the subject enhanced the impact, and lessened the disturbing nature of the story somewhat. And Plato is good to read on his own, but I'm no philosopher, so I end up dog paddling through Plato's words.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phaedrus_(Plato))

2007-05-22T23:47:00.000-07:00

World of Warcraft has pretty much worn me out. I log in for a bit and try to get into it, but no more magic happens. I guess after two level 70's, a level 65, and a level 52 I'm just done. I still love doing instances with my guild, but that doesn't seem like a focus of theirs right now. So I'm thinking of cancelling my account until something changes or a new expansion comes out.

Lately, I've been playing Lord of the Rings Online and that seems pretty cool. So far I have a level 19 Champion and a level 12 Hunter. The Champion is my favorite, it plays like a Gladiator -- high melee DPS, Medium Armor, and no aggro grabbing skills. It's fun for now.

My big wait is for Pirates of the Burning Sea which was supposed to be released June 1st, but was delayed. I'm hoping to get into the beta as they expand it at the end of June. This is the game I've been waiting for for a long time. Pirate ship combat, what could be cooler?

I'm also waiting for Gods and Heroes to be released this summer. It looks like a fun Roman themed MMO. It's party based so each player has a number of minions under his control. It'll be different at least.

So, I'm basically on holding pattern for games right now.

2007-05-22T23:36:00.001-07:00

Here's a post I think would be fun. The top eight things about me that no one knows:

1. I am a lifelong Republican, though I voted for a Democrat once (Dennis DeConcini, he was an incumbent and I had no clue who his opponent was)...I learned my lesson.

2. My favorite author is John Steinbeck.

3. My two favorite Barry's in music are Barry Manilow and Barry White.

4. My favorite movie is The Longest Day.

5. My computer wallpaper is a tasteful shot of Monica Bellucci.

6. My favorite WW2 general is Gotthard Heinrici.

7. I love watching Masterpiece Theater.

8. My favorite book is Anna Karenina.

2007-05-22T23:29:00.000-07:00

I took a creative writing course this spring. It was a nice introduction class that covered all of the genres, fiction, non-fiction, poetry and a little drama. I loved it! It was nice to get back into the swing of things again, it had been awhile. I'm hoping to take another class soon, but my work schedule may get in the way. I've been saying it for years, but eventually colleges and universities will have to accept that they are service organizations and offer classes when the students can take them. Colleges are a bastion of thick-headed liberal professors who think their jobs are above "common" concerns like making your customers happy. They won't have a choice eventually...

So I've taken the class and now I'm focused on my novel. I've always been good at doing research, but not so good at actually writing the novel. I'm taking a more writing-focused approach to the work and will go back and fix any inaccuracies that arise. I need to get it down on paper. Badly.

2007-05-22T23:24:00.000-07:00

My first post in quite a while has been long coming.

What's new?

Well, I'm buying a new house in Tempe. I love it. It's a nice three bedroom townhouse south of ASU. I signed today and get the keys next week I'll have a period of time where I will be busy with home improvements and upgrades. It's already in great shape, the previous owners did some nice work on it.

Top 3 things I'll love about my new place:

1. Being able to listen to my stereo again.
2. Grilling!
3. Designing and setting up my office.

I'll post some pics of the place once I get in and clean it up a bit.

2005-09-19T20:17:00.000-07:00

My new Mountain Bike

Fall is here in Phoenix...or as close to fall as we can get in September. It is finally cooling off enough for me to start riding a bike again. I have been jogging again, and muddling through that well enough. I have wanted to get a bike to allow me to ride to work and downtown Tempe. My onld Raliegh bike was ripped off a few years ago when I lived in the condo. Once a bike is ripped off it is never seen again...

I went to Adventure Cycle and picked up a hot new mountain bike. I decided to get something that would be step up from what I get last time. I went with the following:

http://www.harobikes.com/mtb/shift-r3.php

2005-09-19T20:04:00.000-07:00

Currently Reading

I have neglected the fantasy genre for a long time. The last serious fantasy reading I have done was Wiess and Hickman's "Death Gate Cycle" books and a re-reading of Roger Zelazny's "Amber Series".

I decided to try something new. I picked up George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" books. So far I have read A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings. So far they are really good.
He does a great job of capturing a magic lite style of fantasy. There seems to be more magic in the second book and probably the next, A Storm of Swords. I prefer the less magic approach. I prefer to get into the twisted political environment and medieval setting than to see magic everywhere to explain things the writer was too lazy to think through.

So far the epic battle between Hose Stark and House Lannister is really good. Characters of note are John Snow, Rob Stark, Tyrion Lannister, and the Lannister twins, Cersei and Jamie. They all battle for the throne after King Robert Barratheon's unexpected death. Good stuff.

2005-09-19T19:53:00.000-07:00

Well I'm back...

It's been a while.

I have been suffering from a nasty case of World of Warcraft addiction. I have been busy palying that game for the last nine months. I managed to level a dwarf hunter to level 60 and a gnome warlock to level 51. It's been fun! Now I am getting burned out on the whole WoW experience. I have seen most everything except the really high instances like Upper Black Rock Spire, Zul Gurub, The Molton Core, and Dragonwing Lair. But, my time has been well spent . I met some nice people in my guild and had a blast adventuring with them.

Lately, I have been busy playing EVE Online. So far I have played a Caldari Deties. I'll post some more when I figure out what the hell I'm doing.

Other than that I am trying to finish my MBA thesis. I am on my second extension and I'm not wanting a third. I want to have the paper itself done by October 1st so I can send it to the writing lab for a review. I have to have it completely finished by Oct. 20th.

2005-02-27T22:52:00.000-07:00

Reverse of the Medal

I have been reading all of the Aubrey / Maturin novels I can get my hands on lately. I've just finished reading The Reverse of the Medal.

This book finds Jack convicted of stock fraud -- he is really just a dupe. Stephens marriage has ended, at least Diana has run off with Jagiello to Sweden. The Surprise is being sold off out of the navy.

I found that this novel, largely set on the land to be one of my favorites. Along with Treason's Harbour and The Fortune of War the land based novels have much more character development that drives the story. I find that the advance of the characterization to be the best part of the novel series. The day to day of the naval action tends to get a little bogged down. The constant references to sails and stays gets numbing. The novels are still the best thing around! There are still parts that drag a bit with repetition.

I have purchased the Borders unabridged compact disk version of Master and Commander. I have listened to the first five disks and it is great. I definately suggest that you pick them up if you have ever considered it.

2004-10-17T15:44:00.000-07:00

Long time since I posted...Kerry's Bogus Med Plan

Sorry about my absence. I've moved and had some really awful stuff going on at work. In a nutshell the last three months have really sucked!

Well to get back on the horse that threw me, I'll post an interesting articel that I just found on the Financial Times.

FT.com / Home UK - Canada deals blow to cheap US drug imports

It says that many of the largest Canadien drug resellers are refusing plans for U.S. organizations to buy bulk drugs from them. That is a hallmark of JFK's plan to "fix" the prescription drug plan. They site Canada's concern that drug proces would rise in their country! When will we get smart and make these Cunucks carry their own weight? Stop selling them drugs at cut-rate prices!

2004-07-16T23:21:00.000-07:00

The Tragedy of Stalingrad

I tried to read Stalingrad about two years ago without success. There was nothing wrong with the book, it was just the wrong time. I recently picked it up and was quickly pulled into it. It was an enthralling and devestating read. Probably the best thing that Beevor does is present a battle without a good side to root to victory. While I can sympathize with the Russinas, their government was as brutal to them as the Germans. I have many images that stick in my mind from the book -- the huge Kondor transport filled with wounded crashing in flames, the lice-ridden soldiers desperately fighting in shattered buildings, and I could feel the desperation felt by the Germans as they realized that there would be no escape. After finishing the book I sat down and watched the movie Stalingrad agian, it was equally good, and brought it all full circle in my mind.

I give this one five out of five stars, a great book.

2004-07-16T23:10:00.000-07:00

Sharpe's Company

After The Fortune of War I moved on the the fourth book of the Richard Sharpe books by Bernard Cornwell. This series is impossible not to compare to the Aubrey Maturin novels, but it lacks the depth of those. Richard Sharpe is a great character if created in a more "Male Adventure" mold. In essense he is the strong silent type who is always ready for battle. That isn't to attack the series, it is a good series and quite worth reading.

Sharpe's Company brings us to Badajoz where Sharpe's wife and child are living in a French fortress city that Wellington must take. The battle scenes and descriptions are first class, the scenes of the British assault on the fortress are superb. But, the plot and personal story here is rather deliberate. He introduces Obadiah Hakeswill, an evil sergeant that had Sharpe flogged in India. This all happens as Sharpe loses his company by not having his battle field promotion upheld by the Army. All-in-all, this book is not as good as I feel it could have been. It felt thin and pushed.

I give this one three out of five.

2004-07-16T22:55:00.000-07:00

The Fortune of War A Great Comback

I recently finished reading The Fortune of War by Patrick O'Brian and it was quite a relief. The previous book Desolation Island was not up the par with the rest of the series. This one takes over where that one left off, with a rousing adventure that is a platform for Stephen's character development.

It takes us from South East Asia, where the Leopard is taken for a well deserved retirement after the previous book, to America. Jack is wounded when the frigate they are on is captured by Americans after hostilities break out in the War of 1812. While Jack recovers, waiting for a prisoner exchange, Stephen is beset by intelligence problems largely of his own making. This leads the book to a sad ending -- from an American viewpoint. But it is a rousing and wonderful read.

This book really makes Stephen's character an equal to Jack as a key to the series. Before this Stephen really rode Jack's coattails. He expands to be a fascinating guy and able to create a good deal of trouble for himself.

I would heartily recommend this book to anyone and give it five of five stars.

2004-07-05T10:26:00.000-07:00

Sharpe's Gold

I have been reading Sharpe's Gold by Bernard Corwell. This series is good, but it doesn't match up to O'Brien. It is strongly in the Male Adventure category. The main character is a bit too hard-boiled, and he always finds some swarthy young woman with which to shack up with.

In this episode Sharpe must retrieve a huge stash of gold for Wellington. The whole war is riding on this mission. The book contains a a Major who has "turned injun", an opportunistic Spanish guerilla leader, the previously mentioned young woman, a German cavalry officer, and the usual cast of characters.

This series really works when it focuses on the conventional battles of the time. But, it seems to fall down with the unconventional battles. This book falls with the latter. It just didn't hold up to my expectations. It was a bit slow in spots and had an unbelievable ending.

I give it three out of five stars.

2004-07-05T10:17:00.000-07:00

Desolation Island

I finished reading the fifth book in the Aubrey/Maturin saga. It was not the best I have read. It seemed a little stretched. The battle with the Dutch 74, Waakizaamhied(sp?) seemed too much and the novel sort of crawled along after that as they were stranded on the island. But, I did enjoy the fight to save the ship. It had a number of fascinating gems in it.

I thought that Maturin's addiction was handles very well. The Louisa Wogan episode showed a part of Stephen's character that had been missing. His intelligence work was usually glossed over. They would drop him off and his work carried on off stage.

This may have been the weakest of all the books, but I still love the series. After reading this I moved on the Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe series (which I love) and it was clear that this was "not O'Brien". The series still has magic.

The overriding mystery -- did the boats led by Mr. Grant make it to they Cape safely?

I give it two and a half stars out of five.

2004-06-12T19:03:00.000-07:00

Full Spectrum Warrior and Rise of Nations/RON Thrones and Patriots

I just bought Full Spectrum Warrior game for my X-box and let tell you it is awesome! I love it. It looks amazing on my HD TV in 480p mode. The cut scenes are as close to real footage I have seen.

I was a little hesitant to get the game due to the inability to control your soldiers directly. Let me say that this isn't a problem with gameplay. You get the real feeling of being a squad leader, giving orders and hoping no one gets hit. The controls are complicated, but you pick it up quickly. The interaction with officers and other units makes it feel real.

I'm only on the second mission, but have already logged about five hours on it.

I give this one four and a half stars out of five.

I have also taken the plunge on Rise of Nations and its expansion pack on the PC. It is the first PC game I have bought since Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark.

One word: addictive!

It removes the boring aspects of real-time strategy games, maintaining your cities and bases and focuses on conquest. It is great. The only real problem I have identified is that a lot of the civilizations are only powerful in the early or middle game and lose their competitiveness later. The real badass nations, Germany, Britain, Russia, and the U.S. are invincible if they get to the industrial age. another gripe is that the Conquer the World campaign is too much like Risk. It is the best way to use the other civilizations though.

I give this one four out of five stars.

I even deleted Ice Wind Dale 2 and Baldurs Gate 2 to make room for it.

2004-06-12T18:40:00.000-07:00

The Battle of El Alamein

I have recently been on a military history binge. Moby Dick was a real morale buster...it was BAD! I mean groan inducing BAD. So I retreated to familiar and comfortable territory.

I have read The Battle of El Alamein by John Bierman and Colin Smith over the last few weeks. This was a great book. I love to read about the desert war of 1940-2 and this book didn't let me down. I also felt that the author's did a fair job of evaluating the two huge personlaities that shadow the campaign -- Rommel and Montgomery. I have always been in the Rommel camp. But, after reading this I can see that he was a bit of a dramatist and didn't handle real adversity well. He was quick to blame supply and the Italians for his own mis-steps. He did make a number of key mistakes, but the British let him off the hook many times by their incompetance. Montgomery has always been a ogre in my mind. That was usually because of his arrogance and mis-steps later in the war. He was a good general and just what the British needed at that time. By focusing on only asking his army to do what it was capable of, without pushing them past their abilities he turned into a great general. I am still a Rommelist though, he woulda whacked Monty in a fair fight!

Overall, the desert war was where the western front turned from a gentleman's contest into a blood match. Understandign the British inability to learn modern war I am in awe over how quickly the U.S. picked it up. The British would never agree with that, but it is true. Overall, it is still my favorite period in WWII.

I have now moved on into Stalingrad by Anthony Beevor. I started it many years ago but never finished it. I'm well over 250 pages into it and I think it is great. I post about it later.

2004-05-31T20:12:00.000-07:00

PHOENIX Implemetation

Sorry for the lack of posts. I got drafted into a major implementation project at work and have spent the last month either working on it, or getting other work done ina flurry of activity in anticipation of it.

All in all, it was a good experience and everything was successful. SRP now has a new Customer Relationship Management System and I will get my old manager back. She had been tapped to manage the implementation of it.

2004-05-31T20:08:00.000-07:00

Moby Dick Fizzle

I started to read "Moby Dick" and utterly failed. It was a bit too much. Not difficult per se, but not rewarding. Ishmael seemed to introverted and meanered too much. The plot left me not caring about any of the characters. It didn't even spark my interest in old naval history, my admitted lack of interest in non-military naval history was a major part of it. But, I thought that it might spark some interest. After about 120 pages I dumped it.

I moved on to lighter fare. I am reading "The Battle of El Alamein" by John Bierman and Colin smith. Very ggod stuff, I have had my long standing beliefs in certain things altered by it. I post about it later.

2004-05-31T20:02:00.000-07:00

Persuasion Finished

Well, I finished "Persuasion" recently. It was good, but not one of Austen's best. All in all it is a good novel if you are an Austen fan (I am), but the main character, Anne Elliot, was billed as a strong woman, I did not get that impression.

She seemed to sit around and let the world push her into things. When things did work out for her she seemed to only be lucky. Other complaints were that the father and sister characters were uninspiring. They were antagonists, but mainly by their not caring for the main character. I found that too simple and it did not have an expected impact on Anne.

But, it was worthwhile to read. I give it three out of five stars.

2004-05-02T23:22:00.000-07:00

Environmental Lies And Corrupt NGOs

I have been saying for years that the environmental movement was full of crap. They predict these cataclysmic events that will destroy thousands of species and broadcast them to a gullible world. These groups don't give a damn about the envirnment, all they care about is getting cash to keep their useless jobs and buy influence with corrupt politicians.

I don't have any doubt that the earth is warming. The questions are: "How fast is the temperature changing?" "How much do humans have to do with it?" and "If the world has been warming for the last 20,000 years (since the last glacial period), should we do anything to stop it?"

The biggest and most hotly debated issue facing biology and species identification is classification. To these environmental goons any new populatation that is even 5-10% different from what we classify as a species is a new species. That is disengenuous and junk science. They then use these inflated figures to predict doom. Now researchers at Oxford have released a study claiming they do it only for fundraising money.

A few money quotes:

"By this means . . . conservation charities generate donations and politicians gain an agenda that may attract votes and enhance careers. This could increase public cynicism and complacency about climate change and biodiversity loss."

I couldn't have put that better myself.

The report, Crying Wolf on Climate Change and Extinction, examined environmental charities' responses to climate change research conducted by the University of Leeds in January.

The original research found that up to a million species could become extinct by 2050, but it also contained a substantial margin of uncertainty - speculating that anything from 5.6 to 78.6 per cent of species might be at risk.

However, the subsequent press releases from conservation charities ignored this margin. A flyer from WWF-UK sent on January 12 was headed "Conservation emergency!" and continued: "By 2050 global warming could wipe out one million species of animals and plants."

This exaggeration of real research is widespread, with The New York Times being especially bad in the U.S.

"Even the idea of modelling climate change is mostly theoretical at the moment, so it is impossible to make these kind of predictions or counter-predictions about species."

Exactly, I don't doubt that there is a reson to continue the examination of this issue, but the current hyping and exaggeration of the results are simply lies.

2004-05-01T22:37:00.000-07:00

Persuasion

The next book I am going to read is 'Persuasion' by Jane Austen.

I have read 'Pride and Prejudice' which was great. I tried to read 'Sense and Sensibility' but after 150 pages I still couldn't tell the two sisters apart. I quit.

This one is starting out pretty well and I don't forsee stopping. So I'll keep you posted when I finish.

2004-05-01T22:35:00.000-07:00

Finished 'Far From The Madding Crowd' By Thomas Hardy

Well I finally finished the book. It took a while, I got involved in a project at work that played havoc with my schedule. It wasn't too much of a surprise because I had seen the Masterpiece Theater version about two years ago. I had always promised myself that I would read it.

Let's see. There were four main characters. Each was distinct, interesting and relatively well-rounded.

Bathsheba Everdene was a great character. Arrogant and self-important, she was set up for a fall in life. Hardy made her just likeable enough that you cared for her welfare, but expected the worst. A great heroine in literature, a soft caring, strong woman.

Gabriel Oak was not quite as fortunate. He is the original spurned lover that faithfully servers Bathsheba throughout the novel, while still being truly in love with her. He has no real faults and is therefore not as dynamic as he should have been. I kept wondering why no other women were ever interested in him.

Francis Troy is a great male character. A true self absorbed rake that destroys the lives he touches. Of course, Bathsheba falls madly in love with him, even though he only wants her money. He is made interesting by his tragic love for Fanny Robin. If that fact were not shown he would have been too bad and despicable.

Farmer Boldwood was a well crafted character that was stiff and repressed. He was a lifelong batchelor who was duped into loving Bathsheba through a prank, it brought tragic consequences.

I have to admit the first part of the book was too bland and slow for me. Once the love triangle between Bathsheba, Troy and Boldwood got going it was a wonderful book. If you decide to read it, be sure to be patient. Hardy is windy and takes a long time to set the table, but once he does it is great. The ending is a good and believeable, with each character behaving just as you would expect.

I give the novel three out of five stars.

2004-04-28T00:25:00.000-07:00

Strip Search

I watched this short movie the other day and can say without doubt it is complete trash. It stars Maggie Gyllenhall(sp ?) and Glenn Close. It parallels two people caught in a terrorist investigation and its brutal interrogations.

It contrasts the U.S. FBI (Glenn Close)with what seemed to be Chinese security police. It greatly overdid the similarities by having the dialog parallel exactly. It tried to say that the two are the same. This is typical over-dramatic garbage.

A perfect example of what happens when too much politics is put into a work of art. To be honest it wasn't a work of art, it was a political rant on film.

Don't waste your time with this.

I give it zero stars.

2004-04-28T00:19:00.000-07:00

Insomnia

This is a GREAT movie. I watched it on HBO HD the other night.

Al Pacino and Hillary Swank were awesome. Pacino plays a compromised detective in alaska who is investigating a murder while slowly losing it in the unending daylight. Robin Williams plays one of his looney killer roles. The movie is well acted all around.

The scenery of Alaska is amazing. Having gone to Alaska on a cruise a few years back I can tell you it is accurate and just that beautiful in real life.

It has a well written plot and moves quick with just enough twists to keep you on you toes.

I give it five out of five stars.

2004-04-28T00:14:00.000-07:00

Once Upon A Time In Mexico

I have been catching up on movies recently and I watched this the other night. It was good. Not great, but really good. Johnny Depp and Antonio Banderas were great in their roles. Enrique Iglesias and the other actor were great and El Mariachi's companions. The rest of the film seemed to be lacking something. The group action scenes were too comic book like or not choreographed enough. They could have made the film a lot better.

Overall, I give it three out of five stars.

2004-04-28T00:11:00.000-07:00

Big New Purchase!

Well I've been dying for it for a long time and I finally took the plunge! Last week I bought a brand new 51" Sony High Definition Projection TV. It is awesome. I upgraded my cable to HD and have been mesmerized by it for the last week. It spoils you that's for sure. I can't watch regular TV anymore. I spend all my time watching the HD stuff. But, there isn't a whole lot being shot in that format. Bummer.

Anyway, it is great and fun and I would sugggest it to anyone else.

2004-04-18T14:13:00.000-07:00

EA MVP Baseball 2004

I have been playing a lot of the new EA baseball sim MVB Basball 2004. So far it is very impressive. It is a straight up recreation of the game. I have seen it do things that up to now were only in the real game. "Excuse Me" swings that get by for hits, shattered bats that fly to the mound, hit batters, passed balls, bounced splitters and curves and each park is faithfully rendered with all the idiosyncracies that make them special.

Best things about the game:

Accurate pitching system -- there is a pitch meter that allows for pitch effectiveness and accuracy that is fully controled by the player. This function rules. Great pitchers can make mistakes, bad pitchers can find some mojo in tight spots, and when runners are on base it is tougher to throw great pitches. A+ on execution with this option.

Tough, but not too tough batting system -- The swing chosen, pitch thrown and timing all come into play on this one. You can slap a ball into the opposite field or pull one deep, the results are consistent with the physics of the game.

Fielding throw meter -- this works well, if you rush too much after catching the ball, especially in the infied, you will throw a wild one. It is also easy to hit the cutoff man.

The statistics for play are right on -- Your homerun hitters will park it often, just not every game like other games out there. After a dozen games the players have relaistic stats -- no more .600 batting averages. In other games stealing bases is almost automatic if you have a fast player, not in this one. You goota know when and where to attempt it or you'll get thrown out.

Bad things I've found:

Basrunners do not react consitently to you commands. It is either too hard to control them, especially with multiple runners or they hesitate too much. I gave a command for a runner to head from first to third on a single to right field and he stopped at second and then started to third after about 4 seconds! Way too hard in this aspect.

They do not show the pitchers names on screen. Relief pitchers come in and you have no idea who they are.

Sound problems -- the announcers should call "strike two" but call "two outs" instead? There are other minor mistakes too.

The usual problems with weak fly balls or slow grounders -- not defaulting to the proper fielder or cycling through multiple players to get to the proper one.

The players don't cover bases properly -- especially the catcher and pitcher.

The ball is hard to find when it hits the ground. I have been standing next to it an not even noticed. I have had players get an inside the park HR when the fielders can't find the ball in the outfield.

Literally, one dimensional spectators -- this is OK, because the parks are beautiful!

But all-in-all this is the best baseball video game I've ever played. I especially like the way the stats generated on the field are realistic. No more three homerun games by a skinny shortstop. And that's a good thing!

I give it five stars out of five. I'll be wasting a lot of time with this gem.

2004-04-17T20:38:00.000-07:00

Zinni Is Right On Iraq

Here is a good article about Gen. Zinni's opinions on what is going on in Iraq.

He states:

"I'm surprised that he is surprised because there was a lot of us who were telling him that it was going to be thus," said Zinni, a Marine for 39 years and the former commander of the U.S. Central Command. "Anyone could know the problems they were going to see. How could they not?"

I agree with this statement. I have begun the Rumsfeld Termination Watch after all.

" The problems in Iraq are being caused, he said, by poor planning and shortsightedness, such as disbanding the Iraqi army and being unable to provide security. "

Again, I agree with this assessment. Without providing proper security for the country we have allowed these troublemaking elements to grow to a danger point. Disbanding the elements of the Iraqi Army that stood aside in the invasion was a HUGE mistake. They could have provided much needed manpower and guidance for the coalition.

"Several things have to happen to get Iraq back on course, whether the U.N. decides to step in or not, Zinni said.

Improving security for American forces and the Iraqi people is at the top of the list followed closely by helping the working class with economic projects."

This is the most important thing we can do, get the average Iraqi on our side. They won't beleive us until we improve their lot.

This is the type of constructive dissent on the war that the left wing is lacking.

2004-04-17T18:30:00.000-07:00

Palestinians Blame Bush for Killing

"Bush has Rantissi's blood on his hands," said Khamis Saadi, among tens of thousands who swept into Gaza's shabby streets.

"All doors to hell should be opened against the Israelis and against the Americans,"

This from a Yahoo News article found here .

He's right in one aspect -- Muslims definitely hold the keys to Hell and are on best terms with its ruler.

2004-04-17T12:22:00.000-07:00

Rumsfeld Termination Watch

The Weekly Standard weighs in with an article by Robert Kagan and William Kristol calling for Don Rumsfeld to be terminated. The conservatives are turning on him. I have written previously that I feel he is on the way out of the administration.

"Rather, it is the failure of policymakers at the highest levels to fashion a military and political strategy that maximizes the odds of success."

"And while we certainly do not hold the administration responsible for everything that has gone wrong in Iraq, it is clear that there have been failures in planning and in execution, failures that have been evident for most of the last year. Serious errors have been made--and made, above all, by Donald Rumsfeld's Pentagon."

"Above all, it is the product of Rumsfeld's fixation on high-tech military "transformation," his hostility to manpower-intensive nation-building in places like Afghanistan and Iraq, and his refusal to increase the overall size of the military in the first place."

I largely agree with this assessment of the situation. I like Rumsfeld, but I see his one big flaw as not reacting to previous mistakes properly. I believe this has cost us in Iraq. He has done as good job, but that does not mena that he is invulnerable when he makes mistakes.

2004-04-17T00:19:00.000-07:00

Kill Bill

I just bought Kill Bill. Once again Tarantino does a great job. I loved it. I was determines to buy it as soon as it came out on DVD, as a Taratino fan I knew I wouldn't be disappointed.

The cartoonish blood was a bit much. I realize he wanted it campy, but it distracted from the action. There is a difference between cartoonish and garishly cartoonish. Uma Thurman was awesome, though she seemed a little shaky with a sword. She was the perfect choice to be the leading character.

I think it should have stayed one movie. I don't think that it will flow properly in two movies. An example is the scene in the hospital with Darryl Hannah -- she is largely absent in the rest of the movie. That should not have been left standing. It doesn't really work in the story. The rest of the characters are left as shells to be filled in later. Don't get me wrong -- the movie was great. I just think that one three hour movie would have been better.

I give it four stars out of five.

2004-04-17T00:04:00.000-07:00

More Garbage From The Left On Iraq

Where do you start with the traitorous left?

This article "Sarajevo on the Euphrates in The Nation is horrid. It is written by an "aide worker", which is a euphemism for a dedicated no hope liberal and we all know how fair minded they are. First he tells of going to Fallujah during the cease-fire. The cease-fire was only to allow the Iraqi Governing Council a chance to try and mediate an end to the battle with as few civilian casualties as possible. It has gone nowhere because the rebels do not care about the civilians and want as many of them to be hurt -- with "aide workers" there to witness it. But the author, Dahr Jamail, sees only U.S. brutality in the city.

He establishes that Fallujah is a hotbed of rebellion, but everything he sees is either U.S. defeat or U.S. brutality.

He states:

"At one overpass we rolled by an M-1 tank that resistance fighters had destroyed. Smoke and flames still billowed from its burning guts. Down the road were more fires--the whole thirty kilometers to Fallujah was strewn with burned-out fuel tankers, trucks, armored personnel carriers (APCs) and tanks."

This claim is unsubstantiated, but well within the realm of possibility. My question is if it is this bad for the U.S. military, why the shock when they use serious means against these rebels? We all know that war includes casualties on both sides, but why should we accept this and hold back against them as the rest of the article states?

"At one of the city's clinics I saw dozens of freshly wounded women and children, victims of US Marine Corps munitions."

Yes, we finally get to the point of the article -- U.S. brutality against innocent civilians. Apparently, to the author, this is the whole point of the operation. The Marines are doing what they can to avoid these casualties, but the rebels insist of hiding behind them. The rebels plan to stand up to the U.S. and cause massive civilian casualties to raise the ire of the rest of the world. The U.S. cannot sit by and let this situation get worse, so we need to move in and defeat them. In that case these things will happen, it is not solely the U.S.'s fault.

"Fallujah itself was virtually empty, aside from groups of mujahedeen fighters positioned on every other street corner, their faces covered by kaffiyehs. Many were armed with Kalashnikov assault rifles; some had rocket propelled grenade launchers. In all, I saw hundreds of Iraqi fighters."

"The Marines have occupied the northeastern edge of Fallujah, but most of the town is occupied by mujahedeen--both local Sunni as well as Shiite members of Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army who have come in from Baghdad and the south."

The rebels are widespread and heavily armed. We are showing considerable restraint in not moving into these urban areas that the rebels are hiding in. We do this to avoid civilian casualties. Dhar then goes on to describe in great detail the many civilian wounded in the most graphic terms. Again, we have no verification that what is claimed is true, but it is believable that this situation exists.

Hmm, I wonder why the Marines are there? No wondering for Dhar though. It seems perfectly natural that these rebels be in control of the city and no idea whatsoever that the Marines are only there to get rid of them.

Why does it seem that liberals want this to happen? They claim to see the world in shades of grey, but really only see black. They want to say, "If only the Marines weren't there!" They will be there as long as Fallujah is in inhabited by thugs and brigands. To stand against what the Marines are doing is to support the failed and barbaric way that the Middle East is governed. It is racism. The idea that breeds this belief is that the Iraqis don't deserve better. That this is just how they are. I've heard this argument a lot from them lately.

To let this situation get worse would be to condemn these people to suffering through more rule by despots. They can do better, they need the opportunity to establish their own peaceful society. They need help to do so. Cleaning out Fallujah of the scum inhabiting it is one of the first steps.

Don't misunderstand my point on liberals. They have loved many despots in their history -- Stalin, Mao, Ho Chi Minh, Castro, and Lenin. They stand against anyone who wants the world to be a better place and is willing to do something about it. They deny evil exists in the world, while ignoring the evil in themselves and those they support. There is no claiming that they do not support these thugs. They publish this garbage without checking its accuracy and encourage our enemies in thinking that they are succeeding in turning the weak away from the cause. It's time we stand up to them and let them know that this cannot be accepted any longer. They need to address the horrors that they have created in this world over the last 100 years. This isn't another Vietnam, a "fun" war where they can chant slogans and believe in their own superiority. They helped make the world a worse place in Vietnam and they are attempting to do so now.

They chose sides long ago and it isn't ours.

2004-04-13T23:09:00.000-07:00

Will Rumsfeld Lose His Job?

I like Don Rumsfeld, and I think he has done a good job driving the military to modernize and re-evaluate the way it wages war. He was right about the battle plan in Iraq; going in with light lethal units in a swift drive to Baghdad.

But, I feel he dropped the ball by not sending in a larger contingent of troops immediately after the fall of the Baathist regime to help establish order in Iraq. It may be a situation where the troops are busy elwhere, but they were needed none the less.

My question is will he be losing his job soon? I get the feeling someone in the administration will. Colin Powell is too valuable, for his perceived moderateness, to the President to fire; and Condi Rice has done a good job too. I've noticed that Rumsfeld has not been too visible lately, albeit he had one news conference a week ago. But, other than that he has been obviously absent.

If someone gets axed over the problems popping up in Iraq I am getting the feeling it will be Rumsfeld. Too bad.

2004-04-08T17:04:00.000-07:00

Howard Fineman is off the mark

Here is the article
I was able to see about an hour of Condi Rice's testimony to the 9-11 Congressional Committee before I had to run off to work. I though Dr. Rice did a fabulous job. This whole episode is just political grandstanding by Bob Kerry for the Democratic Party. He was shameless.

At one point he asked her to answer a question, when she tried, he claimed that she was "filibustering". Ha! Ha! real funny, Kerry is a complete jackass. With the 9-11 Commission we basically have a publically funded Democratic attack machine.

This committe will not accomplish anything.