Recently, out of curiosity (though a friend of mine called it “masochism”), I read one of Glenn Beck’s books — Glenn Beck’s Common Sense. In some respects, I live in a bubble, and I will say that my knowledge of Beck is nil, or very nearly so. I know he’s a Fox News personality ofContinue reading “On Glenn Beck’s Common Silliness”
Category Archives: Reading
On Tristram Shandy and Book Buying
I’ve decided that I’m going to use Barnes & Noble’s website more often for my book-buying needs. Our story begins two nights ago. I’d recently acquired Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story on DVD for less than five dollars. When it came out in 2006, I wanted to see it, despite never having readContinue reading “On Tristram Shandy and Book Buying”
On Restored Hemingway
A few months ago, in a production meeting at work, the marketing director said, in regards to an article I had written, “We’re not writing Hemingway here.” My retort went unvoiced: “No, I try and write like Fitzgerald, thanks.” Ernest Hemingway. F. Scott Fitzgerald. Two of the great American writers of the 20th-century. Both ex-pats,Continue reading “On Restored Hemingway”
On URLs as Written by Charles Dickens
Imagine, for a moment, that Charles Dickens wrote URLs. For the non-technical, a URL is a website address. A “Universal Resource Locator.” I presume you’re reading this from http://www.allyngibson.com/, though there are other places and other ways you might have found your way here. But, again, let us suppose that Charles Dickens wrote URLs. WeContinue reading “On URLs as Written by Charles Dickens”
On Hemingway’s Papers
A few weeks ago, during our weekly Friday production meeting at work, our marketing director announced, “We’re not writing Hemingway here.” This was in reference to something I had written for the company’s website, on something I had some knowledge of and interest in — Tolkien, the Volsung Saga, and the new Tolkien book comingContinue reading “On Hemingway’s Papers”
On the New h+ Magazine
The second downloadable issue of h+ Magazine is now available. It’s a magazine on transhumanism and other futuristic trends. I enjoyed the first issue immensely. This issue has an interview with Vernor Vinge on the subject of the Singularity. If this is of any interest, give it a shot.
On This Week’s Subway Reading
As long-time Allyn-ologists know, I have a Saturday routine. I get up, I drink coffee, I put on NPR so I can listen to Weekend Edition with Scott Simon. I love listening to Scott Simon. His voice has the most incredible cadence I have ever heard, and with every word he enunciates, you feel itContinue reading “On This Week’s Subway Reading”
On an Excess of Zombies
What is the fucking deal with zombies? I swear, sometimes it feels like the world has gone zombie-crazy. Everybody’s talking zombies. Zombies this, zombies that. Zombies, zombies, zombies. I don’t get it. Why, just today, I pounded my desk at work, lest I shout at the top of my lungs, “Stop with the fucking zombies,Continue reading “On an Excess of Zombies”
On Newt Gingrich’s 1945
I own Newt Gingrich’s 1945. Confession time. I paid full price for it. On the day it came out. 1945. It’s legendary in science fiction circles. Then-Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich made a deal with Baen Books for a series of alternate history novels. Co-written with William Forstchen, 1945 posited a world where AdolfContinue reading “On Newt Gingrich’s 1945”
On The Century of the Black Ships
Recently I was given a history book on a narrow, though interesting, subject — the literature of Japanese/American warfare written between 1900 and 1940 entitled The Century of the Black Ships. It was written by a Japanese scholar, Naoki Inose, and published in Japan in 1993. Viz, a manga publisher, translated the book into EnglishContinue reading “On The Century of the Black Ships”