Let’s talk about the Beatles’ White Album. Recording in 1968, after the Beatles went to India to study transcendental meditation with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the White Album, thirty tracks long, is famously bloated. The band came back from India with a wealth of material and the intention to record it all. Then the recordingContinue reading “A Single-Disc White Album”
The AV Club Weighs In on the “Elementary vs. Sherlock” Question
The Onion‘s AV Club has posted an insightful and nuanced take on Elementary and Sherlock in comparison to each other. Though I try not to compare the two series (because they really are different things with different aims), I find myself in agreement with a lot of it, frankly; I keep wondering how Sherlock‘s castContinue reading “The AV Club Weighs In on the “Elementary vs. Sherlock” Question”
Introducing… The Misadventures Project
Four years ago today, I made an interesting discovery — the text of Ellery Queen’s lost lost 1944 Sherlock Holmes anthology, The Misadventures of Sherlock Holmes, was online. It had been posted sometime before that — the webpage says 2007 — but the day I downloaded the PDF, a scanned edition of the third printing,Continue reading “Introducing… The Misadventures Project”
Dracula: Nearing the End
With only one more episode of Dracula left, which aired in the UK a few nights ago, let’s catch up on my TrekBBS posts on the series. (For those catching up, previous posts on Dracula are here (episodes 1 and 2) and here (episodes 4 through 7). From January 11th, on episode 8, “Come toContinue reading “Dracula: Nearing the End”
Raffles in the World of Sherlock
Sherlock co-creator Steven Moffat has said recently that Matt Smith, former Doctor Who star, could appear in Sherlock, if it were the “perfect part.” What could that “perfect part” be? My first thought was Stanley Hopkins, the best of the Scotland Yard inspectors and the one closest to Holmes in intellect. What if Sherlock hadContinue reading “Raffles in the World of Sherlock”
The GOP’s 2016 Straw Poll
I received an e-mail today from the Republican National Committee. They wanted my input — mine! — on who their 2016 nominee should be! Friend, You are one of a handful of conservatives whom I have selected to take the confidential 2016 Presidential Straw Poll. The battle for the White House has already begun. That’sContinue reading “The GOP’s 2016 Straw Poll”
Giving Readmill a Try as an eBook Reader
I have two eBook readers, a Kindle Fire and a Nook Touch. Why two? File formats. The Kindle handles MOBI files and things bought from Amazon. The Nook handles EPUB files. An EPUB will do me no good on a Kindle, a MOBI is useless on a Nook. Unless… What if I sideloaded an EPUB-compatibleContinue reading “Giving Readmill a Try as an eBook Reader”
When Janeway Fought Galactus
Over the years I’ve mentioned a story I plotted in the mid-1990s but never wrote (for obvious reasons) — Captain Janeway (of Star Trek: Voyager) vs. Galactus (of Marvel Comics). Star Trek? Galactus? What madness is this? Return with me to the halcyon days of late 1995/early 1996 when Marvel Comics announced that they hadContinue reading “When Janeway Fought Galactus”
Checking In on Dracula
I’ve been watching and enjoying NBC’s Dracula series, starring The Tudors‘s Jonathan Rhys Meyers. I made a blog post here about the series not long after it debuted, mainly talking about how different the series is from Stoker’s original (Dracula is a Tesla-like industrialist who is working with Van Helsing to destroy a secret societyContinue reading “Checking In on Dracula”
Thoughts for New Year’s Day
Bliadhna mhath ùr! (That’s Gaelic for “Happy New Year.”) At work yesterday, we discussed the silliness of New Year’s as a holiday. “You don’t see people making a big fuss when other months change. No one celebrates March 1st, for instance.” I said that, by the way. Then I thought about it. It’s the odometerContinue reading “Thoughts for New Year’s Day”