Legend of the Corsair

Thanks be to sunfell:

This is a list of the 50 most significant science fiction/fantasy novels, 1953-2002, according to the Science Fiction Book Club.

Instructions: Bold the ones you've read, strike-out the ones you hated, italicize those you started but never finished and put an asterisk beside the ones you loved.
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While I understand some of the choices on the list, I don't understand others. Nor do I like how they stopped with 2002. What's up with that? Oh. The list is a chestnut, apparently, and has been around since - of course - 2003. I wish there was some explanation of their criteria. Best sales, most influence on the genre, best writing -- something more than a list we're all going to spend far too much time debating and grumbling about who they left off. By the way, you aren't supposed to notice that 11-20 are alphabetical, eh? I like this commentary about the list - the comments back and forth and such. BTW: when you corner the bookseller (Science Fiction Book Club) to give out the top ten only they give this (to USA Today)as their answer:

J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings (1953-54) is the "most significant" science fiction and fantasy book of the past 50 years, say editors of the Science Fiction Book Club. The rest of the top 10:

2. Isaac Asimov's The Foundation Trilogy (1963) traces the life of Hari Seldon, a "psychohistorian" who attempts to map the best course for the next millennium after the fall of the empire.

3. Frank Herbert's Dune (1965) creates a desert planet whose sole commodity, the intoxicating spice Melange, drives its inhabitants to greed and destruction in the year 10,991. David Lynch directed the 1984 film.

4. Robert A. Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land (1961) features a child from Mars who adapts to life on Earth and founds his own church, which resembles a swinger's club.

5. Ursula K. Le Guin's A Wizard of Earthsea (1968) introduces a boy named Sparrowhawk who becomes a wizard's apprentice.

6. William Gibson's Neuromancer (1984) introduced cyberspace in the story of a young cyberspace cowboy challenged to hack the unhackable.

7. Arthur C. Clarke's Childhood's End (1953) tells of aliens who offer peace to humans, who sacrifice greatness in accepting.

8. Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968) imagines the world in 2021 after a war has destroyed most species and they are replaced by robotic clones and human-like androids; inspired Ridley Scott's 1982 movie Blade Runner.

9. Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon (1983) retells the story of King Arthur from the female point of view. Became a 2001 miniseries on TNT.

10. Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 (1953) creates a futuristic world in which books are banned and burned; remains a staple of high school reading lists and favorite of free speech advocates. A 1966 François Truffaut movie.

All of which I have read. Excellent.

Another interesting list is the top 50 science fiction and fantasy novels for socialists, of which I've read 9.

Thar she blows me hearties. Below, find a whole mess of links about a variety of subjects. Enjoy!

But first... Went into work for 6:15 am today to finish up a time sensitive project by 9 am. Gah. The whole day went pretty quickly. It's becoming quite busy at the office, with lots of work being generated by the fluctuating grain and fuel prices... Tired now.

While on a walk after lunch today my coworker and I spotted our neighborhood's resident turkey stalking around in the middle of the road at an intersection. It strutted up to the stoplight, cutting in between a stopped motorcycle and SUV, and proceeded to chase the motorcycle when it turned left when the light turned green. It didn't stop there. The evil little creature (yeah, he's great and we all love him) took his time exploring the intersection and kept traffic at a really slow speed while everyone in the area traversing through made room for the turkey. Yeah. It was quite a site.

I didn't find anything about turkeys chasing motorcycles, but here's one out in Ohio that looks just like our turkey, dangling chest feather and all, chasing a cop... Repeatedly.



And now - on with the posty post!

For the photographically inclined: Bokeh Photograph how-to wiki. Boke (often spelled bokeh) is a term used to describe images that have a sharply focused subject surrounded by a blurry background.

Example:


Speculation on possible voter fraud attempts is revealed in a 43-page study (PDF) that reveals the frausters methods:
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One solution recommended by the authors: Voters can use the website and call-in line of Election Protection, a national nonpartisan voter-protection coalition, to get accurate information. And don't forward e-mails about voting procedures, even if they look authentic.

Elsewhere: About 53% of working Americans have had a work-related phone call or email while in the bathroom. The survey (commissioned by Nokia) discussed in the article also talks about how the lines dividing work and personal life are also blurring; about 62% of workers have had their personal lives interrupted by work ten or few times each week and vice-versa.



It doesn't stop there, however, another study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project is raising questions about the value of "connectedness" that comes with increased use of the internet and cell phones by families. Sounds just like the stuff done by radio and for television when those two technological devices were marketed to the public. New habits for old, new habits for old!

And what if people are biologically unsuited for (achieving) the American Dream? Peter Whybrow, head of the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Behavior at UCLA paints a disturbing picture of 21st century American life, where behavioral tendencies produced by millions of years of scarcity-driven evolution don’t fit the social and economic world we've constructed. Foremost among Whybrow's targets is the modern culture of spending on credit.

The answers aren't easy, Whybrow goes on to caution — but they do exist. People can think creatively about jumping from the treadmills of bad jobs and unmeetable needs; and even if this isn't always possible, they can teach their children to live modestly and within their means. Urban engineers can design cities that allow people to live and work and shop in the same place. Governments can, at the insistence of their citizens, provide the social safety nets on which social mobility, stagnant for the last 50 years, is based. And we can — however much it hurts — look to Europe for advice. Oh. crabbyolbastard? He mentions ponzi schemes in relation to the economy. Heh.

"You can think about markets in the same way as individuals who mortgaged their future — except markets did it with other people's money," he said. "You end up with a Ponzi scheme predicated on the idea that we can get something now, rather than having to wait. And it all comes back to the same instinctual drive."

That's right, stagnant for the last 50 years.

Neither Whybrow nor you, my reader, should be surprised about there being more to be outraged over with AIG. It's a take the money and run type of attitude it seems. AIG seems to think it doesn't need to act responsibly nor soberly in the current economic climate.

Further elsewhere: Thousands volunteer to Expose DNA Secrets to the World. 'No need to ask, I'll tell' mentality gets even more personal.

Interruption of regularly scheduled grumblings:

Awwww. Baby giraffe Bonsu! More baby animals here!

On a lighter note: For a little YA reading for the cryptologist ENIGMA - A Magical Mystery by Graeme Base was just released. Of course, anyone who has read Graeme Base knows that the best parts are below the surface. Each page has its retinue of hidden images, some of which are clues, some visual puns, and some of which are just plain fun. Best of all, Enigma declares that he wrote down all the locations of the missing items, but in a code he no longer remembers. The secret to the code is in the back of the book: a machine with three dials and... well, you see where this is going. Cracking the code adds a whole new layer to the book.

Check out this truly bizarre set of counterintelligence posters some viewable here on Wired's Danger Room. All of the ones available on the ONCIX website are located here. Enjoy!

Okay zombie lovers Dead Space is launching their webisode finale! As space-zombie videogame Dead Space racks up kudos internet-wide with this week's release of the PC version, parent company Electronic Arts has unveiled the final webisode of No Known Survivors.

For six weeks, No Known Survivors has been streaming back-stories building out from the game's main scenario. The series is one branch of a multiplatform synergy attack from EA, which also includes a comic book spinoff (pictured) and a deal with Starz to produce an animated Dead Space movie.



Music addicts… that want to stay or go legit, check out LaLa.

In politics; as goes Colin Powell, so goes Google. Rather, Google's CEO, Eric Schmidt.

From one of the reviewers at the amazon listing:

"The premise of the book is simple - Megan Hustad has read a ludicrous number of self-help business books and has put together a book of the high points of a number of the unlikely ones, with each chapter focusing on a certain kind of idea and a book or author who is iconic to it. A few of these are familiar but dated, such as Carnegie's 'How to Win Friends and Influence People' or Covey's 'Seven Habits of Highly Effective People' but most of them are either much more obscure or far more unlikely to be useful. 'Sex and the Single Girl'. 'Dress For Success'. The etiquette writings of Emily Post. Even Donald Trump gets a nod.

The book walks a marvelous line between enthusiasm and criticism. Some chapters, especially dedicated to older or more obscure sources, seem to focus on uncovering lost jewels. Other chapters, usually dealing with more modern books, are all about cutting away the bulk of it for the one or two choice morsels inside. The author has no love of Stephen Covey, for example, and restricts her analysis so a single habit, but drills down into it very seriously."

Details about the book are further revealed in an interview Ms. Hustad did with Newsweek:

Hate Your Job?
Advice from the author of a new book, 'How to Be Useful.'
Daniel Gross
Newsweek Web Exclusive
Updated: 3:45 PM ET May 21, 2008

Just in time for college graduation comes a career guide for the smart liberal-arts grad who believes such guides are nothing more than a pile of self-help mush: "How to Be Useful: A Beginner's Guide to Not Hating Work," by Megan Hustad, 33, a history major at the University of Minnesota, and former book editor at Random House and Basic Books.

"How to Be Useful" draws on a century's worth of career advice--from Andrew Carnegie and Dale Carnegie (not related) to Helen Gurley Brown and Stephen Covey. But Hustad's book is more than an I-read-this-so-you-won't-have-to exercise. She believes there is plenty of career gold in these mines, and she intersperses her readings with anecdotes from the contemporary workplace. Hustad spoke with NEWSWEEK's Daniel Gross about the clichés of the career canon, what it takes to get ahead in the "creative industries" and the delicate art of managing your first boss. Excerpts:

NEWSWEEK: So, who is the target audience?
Megan Hustad: Recent grads, twentysomething or older, who would normally never pick up a book of good advice. I wanted to stop these lessons from being lost to a whole subset of pretentious liberal-arts grads like I once was.
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On the whole, I'm planning to at least sit down at the cafe in my local bookstore to browse through it. I wonder if she mentions thank-you letters at all? It could be an interesting read, or it could be dross. I won't have to pay for it if it seems like the latter, going the cafe route. I'm also wondering why it is being specifically aimed at recent graduates. What about career changers? People coming back to the workforce after whatever reasons?

I've got a handful more articles lined up to read and some research about fuel efficient vehicles pending. Perhaps you will see another post or two today, perhaps not. I'm almost afraid to look at yesterday on the calendar and see how many posts I made. Nooooo... That's not a hint to go looking for them, read them, and comment on them at ALL. :D

Just twittered about this book I'm reading currently: After the King, an anthology of stories by some truly respected authors, stories written in honor of J.R.R. Tolkien.

I've enjoyed all the stories so far, and I'm about 2/3 of the way through. When I originally saw this book, sitting on my brother's bookshelf this weekend, I didn't even bother looking at the individual story titles or authors. I was grasped by the wonder that I have for all things Tolkien and just grabbed the book and stuffed it in my overnight bag.

I am now on a story by Emma Bull titled Silver or Gold and it had this particular line that leapt out of the page at me and demanded that I blog about it.

"My weed, my stalk of yarrow. You're not a child anymore. When I leave, you'll be a grown woman, in others' eyes if not your own. What people hear from a child's mouth as foolishness becomes something else on the lips of a woman grown: sacrilege, or spite, or madness. Work the work as you see fit, but keep your mouth closed around your notions, and keep fire out of water and earth out of air."

The underlined part is what smacked me around, demanding to be posted here. And for some reason, now I'm getting this urge to play Red Shoes by Kate Bush...

However, if I write anything about it... I'd give it all away. The only thing I can give away is that there is no Stefan (or vampires at all) in this one... The last one concentrated on the Seethe, this one concentrates on the Fae. Fabulous. Terrifying in parts. All what we would expect from the rising star Briggs.

We are given more insight into the world of the Fae, as well as the powers of the walker... and of course, there is a resolution of the Samuel/Adam/Mercy triangle.

Something that I discovered today, after deciding to post about this, is that there is a short story (Alpha and Omega) in an anthology (On The Prowl) which is turning out to be a preview or setup for a novel that she decided to write after the story was already in the publishing process. The book itself will be called Cry Wolf and will feature the character Charles (another son of the Marrok) and give some insight into where the kidnapped were's in the first novel, Moon Called come from. So. I will get Barnes & Noble to order the one and pre-order the other. Cry Wolf doesn't even have cover art yet!

Apropos: I am listening to the soundtrack for Blood and Chocolate... Movie sucked for the most part compared to the book, but the soundtrack ROCKS!

May 14, 2006

Scan This Book!

By KEVIN KELLY
Correction Appended

In several dozen nondescript office buildings around the world, thousands of hourly workers bend over table-top scanners and haul dusty books into high-tech scanning booths. They are assembling the universal library page by page.

The dream is an old one: to have in one place all knowledge, past and present. All books, all documents, all conceptual works, in all languages. It is a familiar hope, in part because long ago we briefly built such a library. The great library at Alexandria, constructed around 300 B.C., was designed to hold all the scrolls circulating in the known world. At one time or another, the library held about half a million scrolls, estimated to have been between 30 and 70 percent of all books in existence then. But even before this great library was lost, the moment when all knowledge could be housed in a single building had passed. Since then, the constant expansion of information has overwhelmed our capacity to contain it. For 2,000 years, the universal library, together with other perennial longings like invisibility cloaks, antigravity shoes and paperless offices, has been a mythical dream that kept receding further into the infinite future.

Until now. When Google announced in December 2004 that it would digitally scan the books of five major research libraries to make their contents searchable, the promise of a universal library was resurrected. Indeed, the explosive rise of the Web, going from nothing to everything in one decade, has encouraged us to believe in the impossible again. Might the long-heralded great library of all knowledge really be within our grasp?
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In other news, haute chefs make recipes for EZ Bake Ovens?! I want proof! (Comment read from an exerpt of an upcoming book, Rejuvenile : Kickball, Cartoons, Cupcakes, and the Reinvention of the American Grown-up. Anybody?

I just finished Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. AARRRRRGHHHH!

The HPB wasn't anyone I'd guesses at - even though it was obvious afterwards. The rumors are right (and this was on JK Rowling's site so it isn't a spoiler) someone, a main character, gets offed... ::sniffles::

I found a couple of blatant errors that I wanted to know if it was in other people's copies:

Page 38; american edtion, first paragraph: the word fug should be fog...

Page 261; american edition, fourth paragraph: the word swilled should be swirled...

I won't spoil anything for anyone, but if any of you have read it (or parts of it so far) and want to talk about it feel free to send comments.

I'm off to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory later this evening - I hear it follows the book much better than the 70's version of the movie. Goodie. Although I have to admit, unlike Batman Begins, I decided not to see this film in the IMAX theater even though it is offered as one.