I love reading Slate. It’s an online magazine with eclectic content. Politics to video games, pop music to the ethics of cloning, columnists from Christopher Hitchens to Timothy Noah, Slate has insight into almost everything. Here are my two finds of today. First, a 45-minute audio discussion of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. OneContinue reading “On Fun With Slate”
Category Archives: Reading
On H+ Magazine
When I was a junior in high school, I had to write a major research paper for my English class. Semester long project, that sort of thing. What did I want to write about? I pondered this. I pondered this some more. And then I read a review of Hans Moravec’s book, Mind Children. TheContinue reading “On H+ Magazine”
On the BBC’s HMS Surprise
For people, like myself, enchanted with the Age of Fighting Sail, the BBC is broadcasting online a radio dramatization of HMS Surprise, the second book in Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey and Maturin series of novels, on Afternoon Play. It’s 1804, the Napoleonic Wars are in full swing, and Lucky Jack Aubrey is back at sea! It’sContinue reading “On the BBC’s HMS Surprise”
On Re-Reading VALIS
A discussion on TrekBBS a few days ago prompted me to pull out some of my Philip K. Dick books and take a look at them. Dick was one of the authors I discovered in college and went on a “binge” in reading everything by Dick that I could possibly get my hands on. InContinue reading “On Re-Reading VALIS”
On New Hitchhiker’s
Eoin Colfer, author of Artemis Fowl, will be writing a new novel in Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series. I don’t know what to say. I mean, yes, I’ll be curious. But at the same time, I just don’t know. I mean, I really don’t know. Colfer himself says: My first reaction wasContinue reading “On New Hitchhiker’s”
On Subway Reading
An observation. I tend to notice what people read on the subway and light rail. It’s curiosity, pure and simple, and I try to be subtle about it. Often as not, it’s the newspaper. Either the Baltimore Sun, occasionally something from out of town like the Wall Street Journal or the Washington Post, but moreContinue reading “On Subway Reading”
On Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen
On a mailing list I subscribe to, discussion turned recently to Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns and Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen. The series were published in 1985 and 1986. Watchmen is credited with beginning the era of “realistic” superheroes, Dark Knight is credited with turning Batman “serious.” It was noted that theContinue reading “On Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen”
On a Mystery That’s No Mystery
I’m currently reading a mystery novel. I have a problem with it, though. It’s not much of a mystery. Here’s the problem. The way the murder is set up, at the end of the first chapter, there are only two characters that have the opportunity to commit the murder. At the end of the secondContinue reading “On a Mystery That’s No Mystery”
On Free eBooks
Tor is making available a number of their books as free eBook downloads. Science fiction and fantasy, they have both. The selection is interesting. Some stuff I’ve heard of. Some stuff I’ve not. Also, they have a nice selection of desktop wallpapers based on covers and other sfnal art. Check it out, before it’s gone.Continue reading “On Free eBooks”
On Barnes & Noble and Borders
I heard at work today that Barnes & Noble has made an offer to buy Borders. There may be some anti-trust investigations, but it’s a formality. Much as when GameStop — itself a division of Barnes & Noble — bought EB Games three years ago. The real issue is probably online sales. I’m sure partContinue reading “On Barnes & Noble and Borders”