We need a flag of our family coat of arms. I think the center would have to be the Emerald City from the Oz books (although I think I'd add a Space Needle just for fun). In the upper right would be a TARDIS spinning out of a vortex. The upper left would have "stars" that if you look closely would actually be mathematical symbols and short equations. The lower half would have a silhouette of a swimmer leading fishy friends, with an upside-down "V" in gold on his belt. There would be some sort of LEGO creation in the bottom as well, perhaps a progression of penguins that go from realistic to LEGO penguins over a distance. The dominant colors would be blue and green.
And this is what you get when I'm tired and grumpy and unwilling to put work into an intelligent blog post.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
We Need A Flag
Monday, June 29, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
A Sunday Review
TV this week:
- Primeval: "Episode 22" - It all still hinges on "Claudia Brown" somehow. The herd of "rhinos" was lovely work, and I enjoyed Connor's mad dash through the woods trying to escape. I love Lester's apartment and all the notes. Danny's... activities amuse me. I want to be amused by Christine Johnson's fate, but even for her that was a bit extreme.
- The Next Food Network Star: "Dinner at Ina's" - Wow, Teddy really screwed up there. Right then and there he became a goner to me. I didn't see what he did last week as throwing Melissa under the bus: Brett seemed to be the force behind that, while Teddy kept his mouth shut and looked intensely uncomfortable. But Teddy's betrayal of Debbie, especially after they worked so incredibly well together, was nearly unforgivable.
- Batman: The Brave and the Bold: "The Last Bat On Earth" - Mister Miracle in the pre-credits, with a mystery villain. Not bad. And the main story, with a title like that, has to be Kamandi! Fun enough. I've never been a big Kamandi fan, but he's ok in small doses.
- History Detectives: "Psychophone, War Dog Letter, Pancho Villa Watch Fob" - The Psychophone story is hilarious. The idea that it might have to do with the paranormal was natural, but the real story makes much more sense. The War Dog story was another moment of shame on the United States. I like the guest historian whose ancestors rode with Pancho Villa. It's always cool when an investigation pans out into truth.
This week's movie was Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb by director Stanley Kubrick and Starring Peter Sellers and George C. Scott. This 1964 black comedy is absolutely frightening. The situation set up is all too plausible when strategists overthink possible scenarios. The comedy is incredibly bleak, but somehow manages to still be funny. A lot of that is due to Peter Sellers, but the others also play their parts to the fullest. Brutal, brutal film. And yet I found myself grinning at the end of it.
This week's comic book related review is Torchwood: Rift War. This is a collection of comics from the magazine, and because of that, the quality is a bit uneven. The artwork is great in places, and horrible in others. The story holds together ok, but I found myself scratching my head in a couple of places at the choices made. Overall, it's a decent story although the ending was telegraphed almost from the first pages.
My library book this week was Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter. A small orange kitten was stuffed into the Spencer Library drop box sometime during the night before January 18th 1988. He was found by the library director and assistant director, named Dewey Readmore Books, and soon became a fixture in the library. He passed away on November 29, 2006 at the age of 19, a long life for a cat. In those years, he touched many lives, became moderately famous, and helped that library director deal with her own difficult life. This book is a brutally honest look at just what impact Dewey had on Spencer Iowa, and in Vicki Myron in particular. I picked up this book after reading Todd Klein's review and I truly enjoyed it. You get a lot about Myron's life in between information about the cat, a picture of life in the Iowa cornfields, and you also get a good sense of Dewey's life. I found myself looking up the library's website, and hoping to someday see the documentary that featured Dewey, Puss in Books. I do warn you, it may be a difficult read when you get to the chapters about death. But it was a good read.
Another library book I picked up this week was Dorp Dead by Julia Cunningham. I read this book as a teenager, and while bits of it stuck with me, other bits seemed entirely new reading it as an adult. I had entirely forgotten about the mountain tower and Hunter and even the dog. I deeply remember the ladder-maker and Gilly's spelling: "I purposely never learn to spell, which for the simple indicates stupidity." Because of this book, I never considered bad spelling to be a sign of low intelligence (although there have been times the spelling on the Internet has made me question that conclusion). This is a chilling little story, easy to read despite the unusual narrative voice. There is more than a little of the horror genre in it, as you wonder what Kobalt's real intentions are. In this particular edition, there is an essay (by Betsy Hearne) at the end of the book describing its impact when it was first published (1965) and critical reaction to the book. Put into historical context, the book is even better to my eyes. This is a gem of a book, well worth a read.
Agatha Christie this week was One, Two, Buckle My Shoe first published in 1940, and also published as The Patriotic Murders and An Overdose of Death. Poirot goes to the dentist and only hours later the dentist commits suicide. This one has layers on layers, and the extra two titles might give something away if you are reading closely enough. I wasn't. Nope. I had no clue to the murderer. I don't think I'm stupid, I just think Christie is far more clever than I'll ever be. I did like Christie's description of Poirot's moment of revelation, something we don't usually see quite like that. It was almost inspirational. This one is worth reading if you are Poirot fan if only to see Poirot in a state of utter terror. Heh.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Saturday Night Linkver
Comic Book Legends Revealed #212: Mike Grell, Batman Beyond, and Wild Dog.
If you want to know why DC Comics is so messed up: THIS! Crossovers suck the life out of a universe unless all creators are on board from the conception of the idea and have enough time to fit it into their own books.
PC Design Mistakes, 15 classic errors in the designs of personal computers.
Speaking of design errors: More Kindle DRM nonsense. Read the original article and the follow-up before getting angry. Still, Amazon has GOT to start explaining what they are selling better. And I refuse to purchase any books with DRM. I'd rather you embedded my name in the code for every page of the book than put restrictions on how I can read it.
Stolen iPhone recovered by three nerds and a laptop.
Three colors, not Four.
Haunt: an experiment to see if the feelings of a haunting can be recreated by controlling humidity, temperature, air movement, electromagnetic frequencies, and sonic frequencies to the norms that ghost hunters find on their investigations. Yes, science! Note: I lean toward a hypothesis that electromagnetic fields playing on human perceptions in ways we don't entirely understand account for a huge number of ghost sightings. I would love to be proven wrong or right with real science. This study won't do it, but it's a step in the right direction.
Pixar grants the last wish of a dying child.
Slashdot on Lockhardt's rant about Math education in the United States. In the comments there are links to HTMLizes versions of the essay.
Hey, the sunspots are finally returning, and scientist may even know why!
Zoo spends half a million dollars on escape-proof Prarie Dog enclosure, prarie dogs escape within 10 minutes of being introduced to it.
And lastly, a video for hubby-Eric to watch:
LEGO Linkdump
LEGO Pirate Theater.
LEGO at Maker Faire.
What Can't You Do with Legos?
Metafilter has links to LEGO Legends.
The Art of the Brick. Check out the gallery for some freaky images.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Linkdump
Comic Book Legends Revealed #211: Silent Issues, Starfox, and X-Factor.
Silver Age comics directs us to easter eggs.
Oh, I'm there: Simon's Cat, the book. I love the YouTube shorts.
Want.
Hey, remember Monterey Jack's? Here's explosion of the Box.
Huh, I'm going to die in a volcanic eruption. Maybe. Someday. In the future. Or not.
Boy hit by meteorite. Or something.
Promising progress in treating genetic diseases.
Bumping locks. Locks basically keep you safe from honest people and young kids.
Cannibul Cake.
LOLCat Theology affects dogs.
Pugs for the in-laws.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Rest In Peace
Wow, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson in one day.
Farrah was a part of my childhood, and I liked her as much as I liked any superstar of the era. I was told that I had Farrah Fawcett hair, but I never saw it.
Michael... what can you say about him? I think nowadays my favorite piece of his work is The Wiz. The "You Can't Win" song is so soulful and angry, and yet still very much pop. And Michael delivered it perfectly. His strangeness later on didn't detract from his earlier work for me, but it did make me shy away from talking about him.
Rest in Peace.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Links
Martian Space Penguins!
Salads aren't healthy unless you make 'em yourself and make sure you know exactly what's in it.
Somebody came up with a very nice, and very accurate graphic of on-line news page layouts from a few years ago versus today. The rise of clutter, the reduction of readability.
Freeze-Frame Vanity Cards.
This is just weird enough to post: Tautonyms.
Pulling water from the air. Like on Tantooine or Dune.
I think I would have worn these wristbands during the long time we were without health insurance. Now that we have insurance, I wouldn't feel right about wearing one, but that's ok because I can't afford one either (though he'll send them free to people who are uninsured and want one (because I have insurance I won't take advantage)).
Not for the weak of stomach, Darryl Cunningham posts a ten-page story about working in a dementia ward. Usually I post his Dalek drawings, but this is much more serious. He continues with other shorts: It Could Be You hits home because it is me. I suffer from depression and have all my life. I have had many people tell me to just "get over it" (thankfully never my husband). Some other shorts: Mad or Bad and Cut. Intense stuff, and I think I'd buy that book if I can afford it when it comes out.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Is it Tuesday?
Mark Evanier expresses an opinion on calorie counts on menus that matches my own opinion almost perfectly.
Michael Ian Black praises Weird Al.
Um, I'll believe this when I see it, but it sure seems unlikely to me. In other Doctor Who news, the BBC has an article about the Doctor Who books (thanks Denise). Be sure to read the comment by Scott Peters (scroll down).
Wait. The "officers had a difficult time reading the addresses because of overcast skies." Tell me this is a joke. Overcast skies? If it had been sunny, would they have said the sun got in their eyes? These officers need to have their eyes tested before being allowed back on the streets. And a reading test to make sure they can distinguish different numbers might not be a bad idea as well. Sheesh. At the very least, they need a class in "making better excuses when you completely screw up and endanger innocent people."
And lastly, here's Moby the Mower, sitting in one of the rare non vegetated parts of the yard just after I'd spent some time today mowing. I lowered the body of the mower a notch and went over most of the yard, and figured out some places that I'm going to have to level soon.
I also took apart two sections of my temporary fence. While I was taking one section apart, a dog came up to me and examined the fence, which I'd put back in place to unravel the string. The dog looked up at me with a look that said, "Why is this here in my way?" He frolicked back and forth, wagging his tail at me while I worked. I attempted to take his picture, but apparently erased it. Finally I got the fence enough out of the way so the dog could go into my yard (despite me saying, "shoo! Go away!" to it constantly). He ran up to the new fence and then turned to me with a look that said, "What? Another thing in my way? Are you insane?" I told the dog that he was on his own, at which point he attempted to wiggle under the fence. He couldn't, he was too big. He wandered up and down the fence, and apparently decided that he couldn't get through the fence. With one last rueful look at me, he left the yard via the other side.
Tomorrow, if it isn't too hot, I plan to use Wimpy the Weedwhacker to clear up some of the bits and pieces that Moby couldn't get at.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Stepford House Fence Update Again
Saturday morning, I got up and took a couple of pictures of the fence. First up is the fencing as it leaned against the shed. The fence-like bit to the right in the picture is my temporary pallet fence.
Next image is the top bar of the fence. This was how much they got done on Friday. Early in the morning, the fence was still in the shade, so they tried to get as much done on it during that time as possible.
As the shade retreats, the guys (Hubby-Eric and his dad) managed to get the center and bottom bars installed.
After they finished getting the bars secured, they hung the fencing on nails from the top bar.
And these last couple of pictures were taken today. The fence is up. Little dogs and cats can get under the fence (as I discovered when I took this picture), but the larger children who were bothering me would have to climb it.
I eventually plan to have some clinging vines growing on the fence (that's what it's designed for), and some of the larger gaps under the fence will be filled in somehow. I have lots of ideas but haven't decided exactly how I'll do it yet.
Once I have something growing on the fence, I'll take more pictures and post 'em. But for now, I'm just delighted to have a fence.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
A Sunday Review
TV this week:
- Primeval: "Episode 21" - Wow, Abby's brother is a serious twit. First what he did to Rex, then his actions in this episode. As for the episode itself... major plot hole? (SPOILER ALERT!)What happened to the giant insect that was already through the anamoly?(END SPOILER) Overall I enjoyed the episode, but not as much as previous ones, mostly because I really don't like Jack.
- Batman: The Brave and the Bold: "Duel of the Double Crossers!" - Ah, we start with the Outsiders in the pre-credit sequence. Fun! And the main theme: Hex! I like the way the time travel is nicely explained using Mongul. And the ending confrontation was just lovely.
- The Next Food Network Star: "Holidays with Giada" - I like Jamika and Debbie. What Brett did in that final evaluation was horrid. I was not surprised by the result.
- Captain Britain and MI13 Annual #1 - Yay, a Doctor Who reference on the first page! I think I followed what was going on, but I'm not sure what to make of it.
- Astro City: The Dark Age Book Three #2 - SHIELD versus Kobra? Of course, all that is only a backdrop to the stroy of Charles and Royal.
- Green Lantern Corps #37 - Up-the-nose shot on the cover... not my favorite ever. Ah, Daxamites under a yellow sun. What will happen with that, I wonder?
- JSA vs Kobra: Engines of Faith #1 - Ah, yes, THIS is Kobra. I was hoping for a JSA story, but this seems like it's going to be a Checkmate story as well.
- Super Friends #6 - Ok, that was fun. Love the Aquaman dress-up doll! I also loved Aquaman and Superman's reaction to their villains.
- DMZ #42 - The sadness in this tale is painful to read. But it will be interesting to see how this one plays out. We've seen part of the ending, but there's a definite choice there. I wonder which way it'll go?
- Doctor Who Classics: Series 2 #7 - The end of the Tides of Time was ok, but the following tale was so much better after all that high concept muckity-muck. Give me a UFO nerd on a derelict any day!
- Doctor Who: Autopia - This one feels very much like a classic Tom Baker story. Donna's role was lots of fun. I want a lot more stories like this.
- Muppet Show #3 - Didn't one of the movies tackle what Gonzo is? My main complaint with this book is that the music was so much of the original show that no matter how good the book is, it can never convey the sounds well enough for me to love it like I loved the show.
- PS238 #39 - oh. oh oh oh. Oh I loved this issue. The guest appearances were just perfect. And the redesign of Moon Shadow's outfit for the adventure was a nice touch. More please!
This week's movie was Gulliver's Travels, 1996 mini-series starring Ted Danson. We watched the second episode, in which Gulliver visits Laputa and the Country of the Houyhnhnms. These are the lands most unfamiliar to folks who haven't read the book. In Laputa, Gulliver meets a people who are so obsessed with science that they can no longer run their country. While trying to find his home, Gulliver is captured by a magician, then immortals. He finally gets on a ship toward home, but misfortune again sends him to another island, where he meets the Yahoos. Gulliver tells his final story in the hearing to determine whether or not he should be released. A nice a slightly stunning development occurs at the end. Overall a very good adaptation of a difficult work.
My library book this week was An Autumn War by Daniel Abraham. I got this along with last week's book, A Betrayal in Winter, through interlibrary-loan. I have the fourth book on "order" through the library for when it comes out (and my hold comes up). This book is set 15 years after the last one, so each book in this series is set 15 years apart and follows the lives of the same two men. Although our guys had a considerable amount of closure in the last book, this book tosses everything up in the air again. By the end of the book I was saying, "wow" to myself over and over, because I know of very few authors who are nearly as cruel to their creations while still being true to the spirit of their story. Definitely looking forward to the final book, because I honestly cannot imagine where it will go from here.
Note: Here's another review of the series. I may have been inspired to pick them up from this review, I'm not sure.
Agatha Christie this week was Sad Cypress from 1940. An heiress is accused of murder, and Poirot is called in to find the truth. This has some strange twists. The opening of the story is in the courthouse with the accused on the stand, from her point of view. The reader has to wonder, based on what we get of her thoughts, whether or not she is the murderer. It's hard to tell, and Christie keeps us guessing until nearly the end. There's a lot in this story about intent and desire, and if I say much more I'll certainly give away the big secret. But this was another engrossing mystery, and somehow managed to be different from all the rest of her stories. Not bad.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Fence
We spent the day making a fence and digging a trench to drain a boggy area in the yard caused by poor drainage from the neighbor's irrigation system. My yard won't be truly Stepford-like for a long time, but at least we got a start.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Stepford House Fence Update
Wednesday morning hubby-Eric got up extremely early and dug three post-holes for the new backyard fence. When I managed to drag myself from bed to help, I covered the holes with cardboard to hopefully keep any kids from breaking a leg by running through our yard and not seeing them.
Thursday morning, heroic-hubby-Eric managed to dig another five post-holes. Wowsa. Later in the afternoon, Eric's parents arrived and Eric and his father went to get the wood and concrete for the fence posts. We then went out for a lovely dinner.
This morning, Eric and I dragged ourselves out of bed late, and when Eric's parents arrived Eric dug the final post-hole and then Eric and his dad started putting the posts up while Eric's mom and I started to tackle the weeds in the yard.
Eric managed to set all nine posts. In the meantime, Eric's dad realized that the yard was too weed-covered for me to handle, and took me down to Ace Hardware and bought me a gasoline mower. I now have a little gas mower! I mowed the entire lawn, and would have mowed it a second time except I was afraid of going overboard. I've been informed that I must name the mower, so I'm trying to think of a male name that fits.
For lunch, we had leftovers from the lovely dinner and Eric and I had some strange Norwegian Soda that my brother brought to us:
It's a very good apple cream soda, I enjoyed it a lot and if I was a soda drinker anymore I'd certainly wish to have more of it.
After lunch, Eric and his father started putting the top bar on the fence, which I haven't got a picture of yet. They finished the top bar, I finished mowing, mom-in-law weeded the property line between my yard and the neighbors. Then we all went and rested for a couple of hours before going out for dinner again. Ah, flan! How I love you!
Tomorrow we hope to finish the fence... well, hubby-Eric hopes to finish the fence. I will probably work with mom-in-law on the yard. Hopefully we'll have another day like today with lots of pleasant clouds instead of hot sun.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Linkdump
Want.
Betelgeuse may have exploded already.
Oh look, 10 places I don't want to visit.
You know this will happen.
Pike Place Market 1908. Now that I don't live near Seattle any more, I want to go visit and be a tourist.
Ah, the perils of posting your images to the internet.
No, really, Whose Line is it Anyway?
Another case of a photographer being harassed in the misnamed and poorly executed "war on terror".
Ouch ouch ouch.
Basement Cat bites it.
Pug for the in-laws.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Home...
We went away for the weekend, off to Seattle-side of the mountains to visit family (lots and lots of family!) which is why my blogging has been... off. We also did a PBS drive and an Androgum party while we were out there. And now... now we are home and resting and hopefully I'll manage to pull together a good link blog tomorrow. If I'm not too busy digging fence post holes for the backyard fence. Squee!
Monday, June 15, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
A Sunday Review
TV this week:
- The Next Food Network Star: "Press Party for Food Network's 16th Birthday" - The two that stood out for me from the introductions were Debbie and Jamika, although Debbie's shopping trip made her drop considerably in my opinion. She seemed only concerned with making sure her own dish worked. Jamika's dish was not perfect, but I didn't see her leaving. Michael grew on me quickly, despite being way over the top. If he can dial it down and has the food skills to back it up he might be the one. Jeffrey seems like the most obvious to be a winner based only on the first episode. I called the one going home, but didn't call the winner of the first challenge.
- Primeval: "Episode 20" - Oh yeah! A knight in shining armor, a dragon, and an anomaly! I really enjoyed this one, particularly how our noble historian convinces the kid to trust her. Good stuff.
- Food Detectives: "Barbie's Birthday Celebration" - I hate Barbie. I've hated Barbie for many many years. My burning hatred has mellowed over the years, but I'm still not fond of Barbie. But seeing Robert make a Barbie-sized meal is hilarious. The equipment failures were impressive in this one. Can't imagine how frustrating that would be.
This week's comic book related review is Chicken With Plums by Marjane Satrapi. This is the story of Marjane's great uncle, a musician who decided to die when his beloved instrument was broken. While the main framing was Nassar Ali's eight day death, we also see his attempts to find a replacement instrument, his mother's death, and folk and family tales. The art is similar to Persepolis, simple and elegant, ranging from detailed to almost cartoony. It works wonderfully for the subject matter. The framing of the book allows Satrapi to tell numerous stories and keep everything coherent. And Satrapi is, as always, a fantastic storyteller. The book as a whole is excellent. Worth reading, particularly if you've already read and enjoyed Persepolis.
My library book this week was A Betrayal in Winter by Daniel Abraham. I put this book on inter-library loan as soon as I'd finished reading A Shadow in Summer. I was expecting another book set in the same universe, but this is a sequel. The action takes place about 15 years after the events in the previous book, with two of the main characters involved in this storyline along with a couple of new folks to follow. This is a fantastic and original setting for a universe, particularly the skills of the poets and their andat. I don't know how well this book would read on its own, but I suspect it may be slightly confusing in parts if you haven't read the first book. In any case, I enjoyed it, and I've got the next book from inter-library loan to read next.
Agatha Christie this week was Murder is Easy (aka Easy to Kill) from 1939. After a chance meeting on a train, a retired policeman goes in search of a murderer in a quiet town. This one features none of Agatha's major sleuths, but is a good story nonetheless. And the red herring is absolutely perfect. I was caught, hook, line, and sinker. Hubby-Eric can attest to my reaction when I realized just how wrong I was. Argh! A great little book, worth reading if you want a nice standalone Christie mystery.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
The death of a Whovian
It sounds a bit morbid at first, but this Doctor Who-themed funeral sounds like a blast. If you've got to go, go out in style!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
School's Out?
It would appear that school is out for the summer, at least for hubby-Eric. Well, except for cleaning the classroom, sorting the textbooks, turning in all the grades, and everything else poor teachers have to do after the kids are gone. Yay.
I'd write more, but frankly I'm just tired of thinking right now.
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Monday, June 08, 2009
Sunday, June 07, 2009
A Sunday Review
TV this week:
- Batman: The Brave and the Bold: "Hail to the Tornado Tyrant!" - Green Arrow and Batman compete again. And then Red Tornado makes himself a son. I prefer the original Red Tornado. Heck, I prefer the DCU's modern Reddy to this one. So I wasn't that into this episode.
- Greatest American Hero #3 - Boy, I wish I'd remembered to order issue #2!
- Incredibles: Family Matters #2 - I like the finale of this issue. You gotta admit, Mr Incredible sure wasn't being smart in this one.
- Oz/Wonderland Chronicles: Jack & Cat Tales #1 - Um. I think I followed this one. I liked the inside back cover. One full-page cartoon.
- Tiny Titans #16 - No way could most of them keep up with those speedsters. I like who won the race though. Great choice for PE teacher.
- Doctor Who: Time Machination - Ah, I wondered if that would be revisited. I hope it's touched on in the show, but seeing that particular twist show up in the comic was pretty good.
- Green Lantern #41 - Flashback issue with another origin tale. I'm getting slightly tired of origin tales.
- Usagi Yojimbo #120 - Nice little done-in-one story.
- Justice League of America #33 - I like Doctor Light a bit more in this one. But I don't know who any of those other characters are, so I felt a bit clueless while reading this.
- Justice Society of America #27 - Wow. More like this, please.
- Batman: The Brave and the Bold #5 - The two-page set-up story wasn't as fun in this one, but the story as a whole was pretty freakin' good. I'm enjoying this book (and the cartoon as well).
- Northlanders #17 - A done-in-one story of a duel on a beach. This one will require a reread.
My library book this week was Donde Viven Los Monstruos con texto e ilustraciones de Maurice Sendak, traducción de Teresa Mlawer. Ok, I admit my Spanish is pretty weak, but I figured I could get through a picture book without too much trouble. I was right, but I also checked out the English version to make sure I stayed close to the heart of the story. A book like this, which is basically an illustrated freeverse poem, has got to be difficult to translate. While some passages are literal, there is a difficulty getting the connotations of words through. In Spanish, Max is called a "monster" by his mother. In English, he's called a "wild thing". It may not seem like such a difference, but part of the feel of the book is the connotations, both positive and negative, of the word "wild" over a mostly negative word like "monster". Moving on, the ocean "suddenly appears" in Spanish, while it "tumbled by" in English. This creates a decidedly different feel. Max's world grows organically and naturally happens in English... it is wild. I'm not sure that same sense of wonder is brought out by the choice of Spanish words. I'm glad I checked out the book, and I'm very glad I decided to try it in Spanish as well as English. The rereading and comparison brought more to the story than simple reading can. I'm looking forward to the movie this Fall, but I honestly can't see what they'll be able to do with this book. It's very short. I hope it doesn't get turned into something it's not.
For another bit of Wild Things, check out Terrible Yellow Eyes, a blog devoted to artwork inspired by the original book.
Agatha Christie this week was The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories from 1939. Finally, a collection that interlibrary loan could find! This is a pretty good one, with a great variety of stories with Parker Pyne, Poirot, and Marple, and one of her more supernatural tales thrown in as well. I enjoyed the variety more than anything, although the quality of the stories is generally as high as most of her works.
- The Regatta Mystery - When a diamond is stolen, the suspect calls in Parker Pyne. This was fairly easy in some ways. I figured out how the diamond left the room, for example. But the rest is pure Pyne.
- The Mystery of the Bagdad Chest - Poirot is called in when a dead man is found in a chest after a party. Didn't figure this one out, though I got some ideas when Poirot found the critical clue.
- How Does Your Garden Grow? - A woman is murdered after appealing to Poirot for help. Same start in many ways as Dumb Witness, but a very different murder.
- Problem at Pollensa Bay - Parker Pyne's vacation is interrupted by a mother who has a problem with her son's lovelife. Very typical Pyne story.
- Yellow Iris - A mysterious phone call sends Poirot to try to prevent a murder. This one builds up nicely. I like the solution, although the ending isn't quite satisfying.
- Miss Marple Tells a Story - Marple writes a letter to her nephew in which she describes solving a murder. Miss Marple scares me. The logic is impeccable, especially when you put all the testimonies together, but still!
- The Dream - A man is apparently driven to suicide by a dream that he recounted to Poirot before his death. This is another one of the fantastical ones. It works, sure, but the murderer was taking quite a big risk, like the murderer in that Christmas tale.
- In a Glass Darkly - A man has a vision of a woman being choked in a mirror, then meets and warns the woman. This is another supernatural tale. There is no explanation for the vision, and the vision eventually comes true. Also, none of Christie's sleuths appears in it. But it's still a good little yarn.
- Problem at Sea - A woman is killed in her locked cabin aboard a ship. Poirot is on the scene, and solves it with his usual flare. Maybe a bit more than usual for him.
Morning Linkin'
Comic Book Legends Revealed #210: Jerry Siegel’s father, Batman: The Mask of the Phantasm, and Gary Larson's louse.
I'd like to read this. Wonder if the library will get it any time soon?
Silver Age Comics looks at compressed storytelling and why it worked.
Over on Boing Boing, William Gurstelle suggests licensing drinkers so people can learn how to drink instead of the usual American-style binge drinking.
Practical Joke Cocktails are evil, never serve them.
I wish I could afford a car inverter. Maybe not this one in particular, but a good inverter for long trips (across mountains and such).
Scottish Dalek. I love Darryl's work.
Never before published pictures of Marilyn Monroe.
Another big problem with DRM: what happens when the content provider goes away.
The Guardian has a story about a woman stalked by her neighbor. What I didn't understand from the story... if the guy was banned from a building with women in it, how could his flat share a wall with hers?
Pug Puppy for the in-laws.
Saturday, June 06, 2009
Linky-Dinky-Do
A cheerful event by Improv Everywhere.
A complimentary review of Land of the Lost, the original show... not the movie. Thanks Joe, I needed to read this.
Observing the Earth change.
The musician in me wants to try playing this instrument.
Do Not Want. I swear, I'm going to LINUX as soon as XP gives out on me.
Science funding explained.
Men In Black Arrive when a construction crew hits a fiber-optic line that wasn't marked on maps.
School Lunch from Around the World.
Snopes takes on Bible Study story.
The wrong kind of praise can do lasting damage. It's better to admire the qualities that lead to success: hard work in particular. Brains does you no good if you do nothing with 'em.
Pug for the in-laws.
The four LOLCats of the Apocalypse. Someone could write a terribly funny essay/thesis on LOLCat Theology.
Friday, June 05, 2009
Home Maintenance
Last week the power outlets went out in our master bathroom. It had happened once before, and I found that flipping the switch on the circuit breaker panel off and on again seemed to reset them. So I went out and did that. This time it didn't work. Grr. Luckily, we have another bathroom upstairs in which the outlets are fine, and neither of us use the bathroom outlets regularly. As soon as we can afford it, we'll get an electrician in to fix them.
Then, Monday morning, Eric's shaver burst apart while he was cleaning it... and he thought he saw a critical piece fall into the mostly full garbage. Ooops. He was unable to fix the shaver that morning, and asked me to look for the piece while he went shaggily to work. I put on some gloves and went through just about the entire bag of garbage, finding nothing that looked like it belonged to a shaver. So I took a closer look at the shaver itself. I noticed a small metal piece jammed deeply into the side, and grabbed a pair of tweezers and pulled it out. It was the joint, the piece Eric thought was missing. I rehooked it (with some difficulty) and snapped the thing back together. It worked perfectly. Whew, no need to buy a new shaver! I just wish I'd looked at the shaver before going through the garbage.
Monday afternoon I decided to take a warm bath. As the tub was filling, I realized it was a muddy red color. I checked the water in the sinks. Hot water: muddy red. Cold water: clear. Uh-oh. Hot water heater problem! I exercised my Google-fu and discovered that it was probably just normal build up in the water heater tank. So, when Eric got home I bullied him into helping me rig up the hose to the water heater tank to give it a flush. I checked carefully... there are two types of water heater cleanouts that homeowners can do (and should do regularly) themselves. What we were doing was just a flush: attach a hose, open the spout, let the water run until it is clear. The second is a drain, when you turn off the water to the heater, then drain the entire thing, then refill it. The flush is what folks should do at least once a year (some pages said twice a year). In any case, after the flush, I went upstairs and ran some water. It took a LONG time, but eventually the hot water ran clear. Whew. No need to call the plumber.
Our yard still looks awful, and we don't have any money for any sort of landscaping this year. I still need 70 feet of fencing for the back to keep the neighborhood kids out when I start my gardening. The temporary fences (complete with "No Trespassing" signs) are working to keep people from cutting across my yard, finally. The kids still wander up to my porch and peek in my window for no apparent reason, but at least they aren't making a trail in my yard. I think we'll get more respect from the neighborhood once the yard is landscaped somehow. Until then, people seem to think no one lives here, despite the Norwegian flag and my comings and goings. *sigh*
Thursday, June 04, 2009
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Late Linkdump
Er, want? Maybe not. If it were a train instead, maybe.
Geek Crossword.
Best. Revenge. Ever. (warning, links contains strong language)
Linguistic analysis says, once and for all, that Neil Armstrong said, "One small step for man. One giant leap for mankind", and yes, he left out the "a" between "for" and "man".
Speaking of astronauts, what is the new European astronaut's greatest fear?
Yes, the house in Up could really fly.
Would you like some grey squirrel pie?
A memorial for Flight 93... but what about the folks who own the land?
Last survivor of the Titanic dies. She was nine weeks old when the ship sank. She died at age 97.
LOLCat Theology.
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Zuda Comics
Cory over at Boing Boing made me take another look at Zuda Comics with his review of Bayou. So I thought it might be time to revisit the site and see how they've gotten along since it debuted.
I ignored it when it debuted mostly due to complaints about unfair contracts. I can't find any indication that they've improved the contracts at all, but there seem to be a number of comics being published on the site now so apparently those contracts weren't a concern for many people.
The site itself is a bit annoying. There's a Flash interface instead of nice plain images. However, as much as I dislike Flash, I'll grant that this is about a simple an interface as could be managed for this purpose. The default size of the image isn't too bad, unfortunately some of the lettering in Bayou was unreadable at the default size on my computer screen, and I had to zoom in to read the text, which is annoying at the best of times. There is a fullscreen option, but I usually avoid going fullscreen because I'm pedantic about having access to other programs while browsing. Still, it makes the comic much easier to read, and it's good to have the option. I don't see any indication on the page of when the comic is updated, which is annoying. I got to the last page of Bayou and now have no idea when the comic will next be updated. Most webcomics have either a schedule or note that updates are irregular. Note: After a search of the website, I found a link to a blog that seems to indicate that Bayou updates on Wednesdays, but I don't see any indication of that on the comic page itself, which is unfortunate.
There's a link to "Explore Comics" which takes you to a page with a snapshot of various comics, a list of genre's to explore, and the information that there is nearly 200 comics to choose from. Given some time and a desire to try something new, I might start to explore, but for the moment I'm overwhelmed. There's no "highest rated" or "most hits". Even a "recently viewed", "recently updated" or "random" would be nice. Just something to narrow it down a little.
The link to "Competition" supplies a page of titles trying to get one of those infamous contracts. I'll note right now that my friend Danny Donovan has a comic in the current competition. But until writing this note, I had not registered, so hadn't yet voted for it. I decided to register to vote for Danny's comic, Kogoshii. The process was simple, but requires an e-mail verification. I haven't got my verification e-mail yet, and may not for awhile, so I can't comment on what it's like to be a registered user.
Overall impression of Zuda? It's an ok site, with at least one or two outstanding works so far. There are a great many improvements that could be made, including RSS feeds for individual comics (just to let readers know when they've updated) and more options for display size of the comics. More annoyingly, I can't tell if the 194 listed comics on the site are all ongoing comics, or every single submission. I do see the June 2009 submissions listed in the total list, so I'm assuming that the comics include all submissions. Maybe some indication of which ones were ongoing would be useful.
Without an RSS for updates on individual comics, I don't think I'll be regularly reading this site. I may make an attempt to keep up with Bayou, and I'll certainly follow how Kogoshii does in the competition, but at the moment the site is still too unwieldy for a reader like me.
Monday, June 01, 2009
Monday Morning Linkdump
Comic Books Legends Revealed #209: The Yellow Kid.
Comics are educational.
Eight ways that comic book fans and shops are stereotyped on TV. I'd only seen two of them, personally.
Want.
DRM turns users into pirates. It's pretty simple, really. If your product doesn't work because it's got some crappy "protection" on it, people will look for a copy that works.
Fixing a space telescope? No problem! Playing a DVD? Problem. One expects it wasn't a case of crappy DRM...
Just because a check has "cleared", doesn't mean it's actually a valid check. Oops.
There are monsters in the water.
Wired reports on hobbyists building "fully functional" Wall-E replicas. By "fully functional" do they mean they pick up garbage?
Yup, you can find anybody on Facebook.
LOLCat Theology.
