Exactly what it says it is: a book of 365 recipes for juices, smoothies, tonics, and elixirs. If you have a juicer, you definitely want this book becaExactly what it says it is: a book of 365 recipes for juices, smoothies, tonics, and elixirs. If you have a juicer, you definitely want this book because it is full of great ideas (and attractive pictures) on where to start with your juicing -- what fruits and vegetables will taste good together? What kind of fruits/veggies have what kind of properties for restoring energy? Or boosting the immune system? Etc.
The focus is definitely on the juices (the first half of the book) but there are also some great recipes for dessert smoothies -- which are approximately infinitely better for you than a milkshake, be sure of that....more
If you already like Colbert then you know what you're getting into here; if you don't -- think of it as a No Spin Zone satire. The asides and footnoteIf you already like Colbert then you know what you're getting into here; if you don't -- think of it as a No Spin Zone satire. The asides and footnotes were a bit gratuitous.
Perhaps this is heresy but... I just don't find Hemingway's work to be all that interesting. It just seems like macho tough guy bullshit and maybe-jusPerhaps this is heresy but... I just don't find Hemingway's work to be all that interesting. It just seems like macho tough guy bullshit and maybe-just-maybe there is something humanized and vulnerable deep down in there but I'm not so sure.
Were we talking about mortality?
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UPDATE (like� 9 years later): Then I actually read Old Man and the Sea, which was pretty good and has some great stuff in it. Anyway there's that....more
IMPRESSIONS: * long-ish; but not so long-ish that I would have been unable to finish in the 3 weeks that I had this out from the library * not head-longIMPRESSIONS: * long-ish; but not so long-ish that I would have been unable to finish in the 3 weeks that I had this out from the library * not head-long surreal like Hard-Boiled Wonderland...; kept expecting something more like that * takes a while to warm up (I thought); fits and starts * expect to return to this one in a few weeks (months?) to polish it off...more
I picked this one up from the library to try to get a bit of background information, tips/tricks, and places-to-start with this new hobby of mine. It I picked this one up from the library to try to get a bit of background information, tips/tricks, and places-to-start with this new hobby of mine. It was a bit of a back-up, as I was originally looking for one of thesetwo -- but sadly their selection was thin.
Though I was reading it as fail-over and though parts of it did feel a bit dated, I got quite a bit out of reading this book. As I'm new to the sport, I was mostly looking for information about basic techniques, some specifics about the gear, suggestions for training -- that sort of thing. This book seemed to focus on outdoor climbing which certainly whet my interest but did not help me with my immediate, gym-based goals. Nevertheless, it was worth plowing through the first half of the book to get some of those core tips for the basics....more
Having never before read any H.P. Lovecraft, I held a deeply geeky shame. This was an author that was supposed to have helped define modern horror, heHaving never before read any H.P. Lovecraft, I held a deeply geeky shame. This was an author that was supposed to have helped define modern horror, helped define weird fiction and the truly-out-there sci-fi. The "Cthulhu Mythos" was something that I referenced frequently and yet ignorantly. All this time it was as if I had been brandishing a phony R'lyeh passport, muttering incoherently in the Elder Gods' tongue without any authority.
And since Great Cthulhu was the fulcrum here, the pivotal point of contention, I was certain to identify the Lovecraft collection at the library that actually held that short story. (Only doubling my shame for having imagined it to be a full-fledged novel for all these years...)
Working through this collection, I could see why Lovecraft became so well-known as a father-figure in modern sci-fi and horror. He seemed to have an odd relationship with his vocabulary. Reading his prose, I get the impression that Lovecraft latched onto a handful of peculiarly "advanced" words and significant mythological/literary images and then milked them for every atom of their worth. It is a shame that he died as young as he did; it would have been interesting to see what may have happened had he had another 20-30 years to develop his werk. As is, while his prose was far from high literature, he did manage some curiously well-executed pieces with respect to pacing and imagery.
What I was not prepared for (however) was some of the -- how shall I put this? -- ideological artifacts of his era. I posed the question to some friends: Was Lovecraft a racist? Or was he just exploiting the overt physical differences between European-descended and African-descended peoples for the sake of otherness? Take "Herbert West -- Reanimator", for example; simply peppered with what we would consider racists perspectives! Meanwhile (I had a friend point out) many of these perceptions and opinions were quite commonplace for the period. As my friend remarked: "He lived in a United States that was toying with the idea of eugenics, phrenology still hadn't been fully dismissed, and decades before desegregation." Fair enough -- but I still was not fully prepared to encounter some of the expressions kicked around in the text.
I found this to be a pretty well-balanced book that is targeted at amateur photographers that are trying to take their photos to the next level. The bI found this to be a pretty well-balanced book that is targeted at amateur photographers that are trying to take their photos to the next level. The book is technique driven rather than focused on the hardware. Because the chapters are organized topically, it's easy to skip over some to get down to the meat of what interests you -- for example, I skipped over the portrait photography chapters to move on to the landscape/nature photography and techniques for night shots. The book is full of good tips and is fairly accessible, reiterating certain tips in-context, re-covering some basics even though the introduction says that it assumes you (the reader) will already know about them.
The book's biggest strength is definitely that it is topically driven -- having the focus on the techniques means that most of the tips will apply to you regardless of if you're shooting with a pocket-sized point-and-shoot, a "prosumer", or high-end DSLR.
It also does a decent job of covering "digital darkroom" work such as creating HDR images, re-touching white balance, etc.
The frustration I experienced with this book was that I was looking for more information about when to use specific aperture/shutter speed combinations and what kind of lenses work for specific situations. That said, the introduction does specifically state that it expects that you already have a decent background in photography and working knowledge of those techniques. To the author's credit, while he does not dedicate a chapter to apertures and shutter speeds, he does bring up "recommended settings" in context with detailed explanations of why he recommends them. There is also a few pages that detail "focal length equivalents" with respect to lenses....more
Got through about half of it; did the core exercises for setting up and working with SVN. Didn't really get too deep into the more advanced stuff; my Got through about half of it; did the core exercises for setting up and working with SVN. Didn't really get too deep into the more advanced stuff; my work (at work) isn't technical enough to require that knowledge and my personal projects weren't going to "go there" either.
I found the book clear enough to get the specifics across; I think it assumes a working knowledge of version control concepts though. (That said, it makes a token effort at giving the "high-level overview" for version control more generally. But if you need anything more than what it offers, you're not in the target audience anyway.)...more
Neat little non-linear cruise through the solar system courtesy of NASA images and some National Geographic writing. A bit like a long NatGeo article.Neat little non-linear cruise through the solar system courtesy of NASA images and some National Geographic writing. A bit like a long NatGeo article. Picked it up on a whim, for the gorgeous pictures. Then realized that most of the images were ones I had already seen a bunch of times (e.g., that famous Voyager snapshot of Saturn that appears on the cover of Delerium's album "Spheres"). The book shows its age a bit but isn't without some merits for someone such as yours truly that doesn't necessarily want all the hard science....more
A dense volume packed full of a nice variety of scifi and fantasy from some well-known authors (and a few I'd never heard of). It just happened to be A dense volume packed full of a nice variety of scifi and fantasy from some well-known authors (and a few I'd never heard of). It just happened to be on the shelf at the beach house we rented for our '07 vacation. So when I finished A Dirty Job and Oryx and Crake and Cat's Eye, this one was there to fill in.
Includes: * "The Wedding Album" by David Marusek - ★★★★ * "10^16 to 1" by James Patrick Kelly - ★★★★� * "Winemaster" by Robert Reed * "Galactic North" by Alastair Reynolds - ★★★★ * "Dapple: A Hwarhath Historical Romance" by Eleanor Arnason * "People Came From Earth" by Stephen Baxter - ★★★★ * "Green Tea" by Richard Wadholm * "The Dragon of Pripyat" by Karl Schroeder - ★★★★� * "Written in Blood" by Chris Lawson - ★★★★� * "Hatching the Phoenix" by Frederik Pohl * "Suicide Coast" by M. John Harrison * "Hunting Mother" by Sage Walker * "Mount Olympus" by Ben Bova - ★★� * "Border Guards" by Greg Egan * "Scherzo with Tyrannosaur" by Michael Swanwick - ★★★★� * "A Hero of the Empire" by Robert Silverberg * "How We Lost the Moon, A True Story by Frank W. Allen" by Paul J. McAuley - ★★★★ * "Phallicide" by Charles Sheffield - ★★� * "Daddy's World" by Walter Jon Williams * "A Martian Romance" by Kim Stanley Robinson * "The Sky-Green Blues" by Tanith Lee * "Exchange Rate" by Hal Clement * "Everywhere" by Geoff Ryman * "Hothouse Flowers" by Mike Resnick * "Evermore" by Sean Williams * "OF Scorned Women and Causal Loops" by Robert Grossbach * "Son Observe the Time" by Kage Baker
(disclaimer: dropping in ratings for the stories that I remember actually reading...)...more
Short version: my first exposure to Greg Bear; seemed a bit tedious (the pacing seemed a bit off -- like in fits and starts); the climax/wrap-up went Short version: my first exposure to Greg Bear; seemed a bit tedious (the pacing seemed a bit off -- like in fits and starts); the climax/wrap-up went well but seemed to start too early and fold in on itself, dragging out. Some neat concepts presented and certainly a chilling and plausible future (even if he seems to be beveling the edges of his science a bit (if you know what I mean))....more
With one of the best opening passages (well, one of the best opening chapters) I have read in years, Crooked Little Vein thrusts you headlong into itsWith one of the best opening passages (well, one of the best opening chapters) I have read in years, Crooked Little Vein thrusts you headlong into its bizarre narrative immediately. Like a warning. "If you can't take the thought of a rat pissing in a cup then GET OUT NOW!!"
A quick-moving, surreal piece of art-imitates-life-fetishizes-art recursivity (yes: I am making up that word right now), Warren Ellis hands over a great dissection of of how culture's little fringes have all bent backward to tickle us all on the nose. Every scene seems to attempt to out-weird the previous one only to have some apparently off-stage voice remind us that nothing is obscure anymore; teh internets bring it all into your lap, no matter how impossible you think that fetish or kink might be.
At its core, Crooked Little Vein is a weird wild goose chase detective story that is at once quite modern and instantly recognizable as drawing on the pulp tradition. That said, our hard-boiled protagonist Mike McGill is more comical than severe -- and though apparently tolerant, you have to wonder if his shit-magnet tendencies have simply helped him build up an immunity.
In any case: this one had me laughing out loud repeatedly and frequently. Secret rat knowledge, indeed.
--- --- UPDATE: it took me about 24 hours but I think I finally get the complete irony of the "Ben Franklin wrote the second, SECRET, possibly evil Constitution" part of the story. ...more
If you're going to own one (and only one) Vermont trail guide, this is it. It seems easy to find resources about hiking the Long Trail -- everyone knoIf you're going to own one (and only one) Vermont trail guide, this is it. It seems easy to find resources about hiking the Long Trail -- everyone knows a starting place, every visitor center points out a trailhead, every VT hiking guide references the white blazes... But there are also dozens of hikes throughout the state that are harder to find, that fewer people have heard of, that are rewarding but kept nearly a secret. This is the book that has THOSE hikes. It has great, easy-to-follow maps and is well-written in that "actually, we do kinda live here" Vermont sort of way (e.g., "watch out for the aggressive dog that lives around here")....more
Malmont manages to pull off some neat tricks with this book. Using some of the classic pulp authors as his protagonists, he creates his own pulp aboutMalmont manages to pull off some neat tricks with this book. Using some of the classic pulp authors as his protagonists, he creates his own pulp about them -- a delicately over-the-top yarn full of larger-than-life villains, narrow escapes, square-jawed heroes, and a skin-of-their-teeth ending. And he does this all rather thoughtfully: he stays true (or true enough) to the pulp style while giving it his own, somewhat more modern spin.
And he manages to blur his own lines of "what's real and what's pulp?" a few times as well.
A decent but not terribly impressive or memorable werk; I think there is a spark of talent buried in there and I hope it matures. This little collectiA decent but not terribly impressive or memorable werk; I think there is a spark of talent buried in there and I hope it matures. This little collection has a few fleeting moments of brilliance but overall doesn't linger with much substance. For every passage that suggests depth and insight, there are two on each side that feel vapid -- heavy on the style, like he's searching for his voice and spends too much time imitating others....more
Argh. This book was maddening. Coming off the heels of Generation X and Microserfs, I suppose my expectations were pretty high but this really felt Argh. This book was maddening. Coming off the heels of Generation X and Microserfs, I suppose my expectations were pretty high but this really felt like the literary equivalent of bottoming out.
With All Families Are Pyschotic, Douglas Coupland thrusts us into this absurdly over-the-top comically dismal present tense-ish Florida that just doesn’t ever seem to come together. It’s unreliably realistic that’s as much a future-proofed snapshot Now as it is an immediately dated fantasy of yesterday’s tomorrow.
Sure, there are a few choice lines but every time it seems like it is starting to ramp up, we discover that he is feeding us a false start. It was like vintage GenX-era Coupland was rearing his head every 10 pages or so, about to start the novel only to find that he had lapsed into � I don’t know, some feeble attempt at co-opting Oprah’s book club. It was like reading a book that hemorrhaged interest and the further I got, the more desperate I became to enjoy it. By page 201, I had my enthusiam defibrillator paddles out and was shocking myself. Clear! *BZZZT!* Is it good yet? No? Clear!
I suppose I am not sure what else to say about this one. The surreal nihilism of Generation X overlaid on the mortality subject matter? Mushroom clouds instead of pill caddies? Was I looking for Microserfs� sensitive onion layers of humanity trying on some new clothes? Costco lamentations instead of preposterous bullet wounds to the liver?
It's no wonder Coupland saw literary success after this book. It really is a triumph on all the scales thatThe book you hate to love? Or love to hate?
It's no wonder Coupland saw literary success after this book. It really is a triumph on all the scales that authors and their critics measure each other. It's devilishly clever, rife with scythe-like word-play, well-paced... It's everything a novel should be.
But at it's kernel, this is a book about some of the most pathetic folks to walk the face of the imagined Earth. A couple of burnt-out hipsters, wallowing in the hole of self-pity that they dug for themselves in the Coachella valley -- a trio of not-really-losers but mid-to-late-20-somethings that self-righteously reject materialism and yet seem to cringe under the comparative psychic weight of their forced rejection of consumerist standards (the only yardstick they seem to have). And yet they won't take any risks. For lack of what I can only assume is courage, they do not deviate from their course. Sure, you can pick apart the prose for clues to the contrary but the notes in the margins spell it out for you. They're doomed. Even our closing act has the melancholy stench of cautious abandonment hanging over it.
Which is why I could not help but kick myself for enjoying it as much as I did....more
If Microserfs were a Jeopardy contestant, its dream board would be:
* Nerd vs. Geek * Literary Encryption Techniques * Esoteric Double Entendres * SiliconIf Microserfs were a Jeopardy contestant, its dream board would be:
* Nerd vs. Geek * Literary Encryption Techniques * Esoteric Double Entendres * Silicon Valley: Then & Now * Material and/or Mental * The Body Sucks?
NOTE TO SELF: Do not read this book again as long as I’m still working in software.
Re-read after a (10-15?) year hiatus from my original reading. Crichton makes for a quick read and he throws out some compelling ideas in his prose. Re-read after a (10-15?) year hiatus from my original reading. Crichton makes for a quick read and he throws out some compelling ideas in his prose. This one is a real page-turner. I enjoy the novel-as-historical-document style that he adopts here (and (if I recall correctly) in some of his other work) but it also colors the text a bit and makes for some awkward passages in places....more
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