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”

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”

On Counting Down the Days to Bloomsday

This Saturday, June the 16th, is Bloomsday. A date on which the events of James Joyce’s novel, Ulysses, are celebrated. On June 16, 1904, Stephen Dedalus and Leopold Bloom wander separately and together through the streets of Dublin, and through them the reader explores the richness of life. This year’s Bloomsday will be particularly noted,Continue reading “On Counting Down the Days to Bloomsday”

On Rereading The Great Gatsby

Last week I reread The Great Gatsby. In writing a few days ago about the trailer for Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming 3-D film adaptation starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, and Carey Mulligan, I wrote that “it’s inspired me to reread Gatsby for the first time in a few years.” This also prompted me to check myContinue reading “On Rereading The Great Gatsby”

On Douglas Adam’s 60th Birthday

Douglas Adams would have been 60 years old today. Things to do in honor of his memory… Have a Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster. Find that moldering copy of The Worshipful and Ancient Law of Gallifrey that’s gathering dust in your attic. Recite Vogon poetry. Walk around with a towel. Blow a deadline just so you canContinue reading “On Douglas Adam’s 60th Birthday”

On Revisiting the Enigmatic Barsoom

In a week and a half, Disney’s John Carter, based on Edgar Rice Burroughs’ first Barsoom novel, A Princess of Mars, reaches theaters. I’ve not decided if I’m going to see the film; I know what the film is, because I know what Barsoom is, but the marketing for John Carter has been nothing shortContinue reading “On Revisiting the Enigmatic Barsoom”

On the Patron Saint of Beekeepers

Are you (like me) single and a Sherlock Holmes fan? Have no fear, you too can celebrate Valentine’s Day today! In addition to being the patron saint of marriage, St. Valentine is also the patron saint of beekeepers, and as all good Holmesians know Sherlock Holmes retired to the Sussex Downs to become a beekeeperContinue reading “On the Patron Saint of Beekeepers”

On Sherlock the Ratiocinative Android

Today I realized how entirely appropriate it was that Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss cast Martin Freeman as John H. Watson in the BBC’s Sherlock. No, it’s not Freeman’s unbridled everyman-neess nor his stolid Britishness. Rather, it’s the obvious fact that Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock Holmes is clearly the latest product of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation.Continue reading “On Sherlock the Ratiocinative Android”