Books and ebooks

I’ve got several started on my K3 but as I was cleaning last week, I found three hardcopies that I haven’t read yet. Once upon a time i would have told you there was NO WAY I’d enjoy an e-reader because I love books. I loved the feel, the smell of the pages and all the sounds associated with reading. Now I look at this tiny pile of books (three, actually) and wince. The idea of having to lug one around, keep my place… it’s just a hassle.

It was noticeable last night when I was plowing through Deadline. No hand cramping, no pages lost when I got up to let the dog out. I clicked through those pages so smoothly and quickly that it still impresses me how much they improved since the last gen. All of that is just to say it’s official – the Kindle has utterly converted me away from carrying text and preferring my e-Ink. Technology win.

K3 also gets extra bonus points for currently holding a couple hundred books on it, guaranteeing that I’m NEVER reading something I don’t want to be.

Additionally, I’m considering a new skin for the K3. My netbook skin arrived and has been inspiring (thanks, Decal Girl!).

Deadline (Mira Grant) kicks ass

Sometimes you read a book and it’s so big and awesome that you’re thrilled to have read it and sad that it’s over. I felt like that about Feed and then I was simultaneously delighted and horrified to find out it was the start of a trilogy. After all, how often to the other books measure up to that initial, amazing, blow-your-mind goodness?

Deadline delivers, in spades. From the start to the kick, it sinks its teeth in (ha! Zombie pun!) and doesn’t let go. The thing that made Georgia awesome – and some more – in Feed makes Shaun awesome and deranged in Deadline. If you’re like me, you were worried about the voice and how it would work out without Georgia. I can safely say you’ll enjoy the result. At the same time it’s a rip-tearing adventure, it’s also a chilling commentary about news, information and who decides which is which – and who should be controlling the flow (or not, as it were). In a time of wikileaks and Net Neutrality, the recent major corporate hack attacks are going to have those who pay off our representatives itching to pull the trigger on half-baked (if well-intentioned) legislation. More than ever, we need to be paying attention to this and speaking loudly about what ‘freedom’ really means. Pretty awesome that you get all that and zombies to boot.

I started Deadline and couldn’t stop clicking until I was done 4 hours later. It’s so good that I got out of bed to post about how awesome it is on the internet. It’s possible I’ve never been so excited about a third book coming out.

Addendum

Because it’s Memorial Day -

My dad was a vet. I remember vividly the stories he told me about his time in Vietnam. I remember just as clearly the stories that I sought out from others when he wouldn’t tell them. I love our country and the awesome, terrible, fantastic things it’s capable of.

That said, I can’t read the stories of amazing widows or triumphant orphans today because I already feel the stirring sadness and joy that accompany a place of many freedoms bought by so many lives. I’m sad that we can’t see each other as equals, regardless of race/gender/love interest. I think we should be better than this – be ABOVE THIS if only because so many have sacrificed.

I don’t think a single soldier has given his or her life because they were supporting one American over another. I think we’re in this together – like it or not – and the LEAST we owe our veterans is an honest and civil dialogue that is worthy of their sacrifice.

What you need to know

1. I am tuned up at 5:51 pm on a Monday. I made a pitcher of margaritas and all our guests drank beer. So I had to drink the margaritas. Motherfuckers.

2. We are having true Maybuary weather, as we grilled out and had flurries (with blue skies) until the blue skies vanished and our little deckwarming firepit could not withstand the snow(ish). Bastages!

3. The company and the food were amazing, and much fun was had regardless of our Maybuary storm.

4. We are going to continue our grand Memorial Day tradition of watching shit blow up on our TV.

5. Strawberry-rhubarb pie from City Market = surprisingly good!

Quick and dirty NOLA

Denver’s Day of Rock was nice but this post is full of NOLA updates for my friend who is about to make a trip.

One of the best things I put in my mouth the entire time we were in New Orleans is the Shrimp and Grits from the Desire Oyster Bar. PHENOMENAL.

Beignets are a must; Cafe du Monde or Cafe Beignet, makes no difference.

Cochon is the other place you need to visit – not far from the convention center and while the food is upscale, the prices aren’t. One of the best drinks I had was there (the Swinekiller) and their drink menu was nearly as incredible as the food.

Before you leave, hit up the Central Grocery for an original muffaletta. Plan on splitting it because they’re massive.

Crescent City Brewhouse has two floors and an excellent courtyard. The beer’s a little pricey but you’ll be glad you ordered a Red and Black half and half. SO GOOD. I ordered the duck and it was EXCELLENT.

Visit a Hemingway haunt at the Carousel bar inside the Hotel Monteleone. The Ramos Gin fizz is fantastic.

For music and drinks, we spent a lot of time at Maison on Frenchmen Street. Their fruit punch was on special and FANTASTIC, as were the bands. Make sure to catch dinner at the Praline Connection just up the street; it was one of our favorites.

Bourbon House has great food and impeccable service.

You’ll need strong drinks to tackle Bourbon Street and luckily they are available everywhere. I like loud music but Rue Bourbon is MOTHERFCKINGLOUD.

If you need a lunch break during your conference, hit up Mulate’s just across the street. Best sweet tea in town (among other things).

Take the St. Charles streetcar out to Tulane and see what a real university looks like.

The Haunted History tour was interesting. The Voodoo Museum is wicked cheap and takes all of about 10 minutes to get through.

It takes a bit of legwork to get to, but the Metairie Cemetery is worth a visit. Make sure you take something to drink.

The Brave New World of privacy

This week on The 404, the guys talked about Google’s new Wallet. Aside from the cool idea of being able to swipe your phone to pay for whatever you’re buying, Wilson brought up privacy concerns. Jeff’s response was “What do you have to hide?” and for me that rings some bells.

Also in the news this week, President Obama signed the Patriot Act extension. How specifically are these two news events related? Let’s see:

I make some inflammatory statements about how much I detest peas*, I think peas should be eradicated and people who like peas are fascist. Let’s say the government is a huge proponent of peas, probably because their congressional/presidential campaigns have been supported by the pea industry and pro-pea lobby groups. Worse, let’s say our leaders are less than bright**. They decide that peas are integral to the US economy and any anti-pea activist is a “terrorist.”

Thanks to Bush Deuce, any government can slap the “terrorist” label on any group and – because they’re a government – it’s suddenly an accepted fact. Let’s do a test: when was the last time you heard about a “terrorist” group on the news and actually did any research into what they do/did/planned? The label can be arbitrarily assigned.

The Patriot Act means the government doesn’t have to prove you’re a “terrorist” to start spying on you. Maybe an agent with a serious hard-on for the anti-pea movement decides to SUSPECT you of “terrorism” and then begins collecting information about you to prove it. Lets say you purchase ingredients (which are readily available over the counter) that could be used to create an explosive device***. These items were purchased for their INTENDED purpose, but thanks to the Patriot Act and the increased availability of all your information in one place, the government sites the Patriot Act and takes your purchase history from Google. You may have purchased all of these items over the course of a year (or two) but the Patriot Act does not require that a warrant is obtained. For all you know, the government is monitoring your purchases right now.

But what do you have to hide? Nothing, I guess, as long as the government doesn’t mind you hating peas. Just make sure you don’t hate anything that the government LIKES.

If you think only the people with something to hide have to be concerned, you’re deluding yourself. Any of your interests or hobbies can classify you into a group, and a group can be labeled pretty easily. Think about something you really like and what would happen if the government decided it was bad. Not because it IS bad, but because it wants people to THINK it’s bad.

*I became uncomfortable talking about my pro-choice positions in public places, like airports, when Bush 2 was in charge because – given his vehement pro-life stance – I wasn’t convinced that that kind of shit wouldn’t get me a full body-cavity search. Paranoid? Maybe. Possible? Yes.

**Because THAT NEVER HAPPENS. Raise your hand if you believe everyone currently in the House and Senate actually understand the implications of technology and privacy and how they could be used to hurt citizens rather than help the government.

***I resisted the urge to Google search for said ingredients because I don’t need a visit from any federal agency, thank you.

Netbook, ahoy!

I picked up a netbook for several reasons:

1. My laptop has eaten another battery. I figured if I was going to replace a second one, I might as well get a new device instead.

2. Clearance price. I got this little sucker for less than $200 (after tax), which was the only thing that made it plausible.

3. I’d been thinking it would be nice to have something I could take with me to work, so that I can write during my lunchbreak. The netbook is small enough that it fits in the tiny work lockers.

4. Last but not least, surprise money.

And here she is:

I’m calling her Shortcake since she’s tiny and cute and peppy. These things have very little logic. It’s an Acer D255E-13639 (which you can see in the photo) and I’ve already changed the wallpaper.

The stupidest thing about Windows 7 starter is that you can’t change the desktop wallpaper or themes. Me? I don’t give a hot damn about themes but there was no chance that I was keeping that standard background. I suspect this was the plan of the evil TechNOverlords to annoy the average joe into an $80 upgrade [jerks]. Doing a very quick google search (have I mentioned how much I’m liking the latest Chrome?) I found Oceanis to change the background. I’m not linking the site because it tried to install malware but my AVG Free/ZoneAlarm free caught it. Anyhoo, thanks to hackers everywhere I’ve got a set of nifty background images that I can rotate through as frequently as I’d like.

As to the REST of Windows 7 Starter… I’m not noticing much of a difference from Home Premium (which I have on my laptop) probably because I didn’t get Shortcake to DO those things. This is not the machine you’re looking to stream movies from Netflix and get great picture/sound because it’s got a 10.1″ screen, for crying out loud. I’ve installed a couple of writing programs to play around with, the keyboard is comfortably sized and I haven’t had any issues getting the machine to do what I want. The hard drive is the same size on this as it is on my laptop (250G) and I’ve already used dropbox to add music to Shortcake.

In peripheral news, they have come a LONG WAY in wireless mouse technology. I love that this has a multitouch pad but I grabbed a wireless ($19 at Target) because sometimes it’s nice to have one. The usb interface is very nearly flush with the edge of the netbook, making it the tiniest usb input I’ve ever seen. Go you, Logitech!

I haven’t had any luck locally finding a sleeve that isn’t too big, but Office Max does stock a couple of TINY backpacks perfect for this.

This is probably where I should also do an endorsement of the free AVG and ZoneAlarm products, as in all of the years I’ve had PCs I’ve never gotten a single virus or trojan. Go free software! It also helps to download from cnet, as they make sure your programs come malware free.

A new skin from DecalGirl is already wending its way to the mountains. You can use DECAL10 and get 10% off right now, or like their facebook page and get a one-time only code. I’ve used their service for virtually all my devices in the last 4/5 years and I’ve got nothing but great things to say about them.

So yeah. Spouse has been at a work thing and I’ve been nerding out with my new toy ever since I got home this afternoon. There’s a solid chance I may even install Linux on this one. I haven’t touched my phone or looked at the television but I guess he’ll be relieved not to hear me TALK ABOUT ALL THIS since I’m just putting it on the internet.

THAT was unexpected

Today at work was shittier than usual, mostly due to a large number of incompetent people whose shortcomings all bumped up against each other TODAY and caused ME to do more work. When I came home I checked the mail, as per usual, and found a couple of envelopes. One was complete junk and the other was a check from a class action suit that I was opted into.

WHAT?!

I know, right? When you get those pieces of mail you always think they’re bullshit but apparently the system occasionally works. It’s not a huge payday but there is a very sweet, incredibly inexpensive little netbook in my future thanks to the check and the clearance shelves at Target. w00t!

Thanks to the boys at the 404 podcast, I’m re-evaluating my mistrust of Chrome. The latest release didn’t wow me as it didn’t have a lot of the extensions I’ve grown to love in Firefox but the speed is gradually winning me over. In addition, they HAVE added some more extensions that increase the functionality for me. If only I could get the GD import and sync features to work…

In unrelated news, I thought the Glee finale was maybe the worst episode of the season. Am I the only one?

FML

I slept okay from 10ish to midnight and then tossed and turned from midnight to 3:17 am at which point I decided FUCKIT, I’LL GET UP. This mostly means that I’m dressed, ready for work and thinking about changing the theme on my blog. Because that’s how I do.

Rapture party

Yesterday I sent out a text to a group of friends for an impromptu Rapture party at one of our favorite local haunts. Much beer was drunk and much fun was had. The attendees – Spouse and I, a museum director, a communications teacher, a mathematics PhD candidate and an IBM software engineer. One of the best things to come out of the party “Maybuary” – as in, “This is some fantastic Maybuary weather we’re rocking.” You might have to live in Colorado to understand how great it is.

Also, recapping the highlights of our Holy Land Experience experience was quite popular.

Podcasts, books and my DroidX

When I got my new DroidX, I began soliciting podcast suggestions from my friends. There were a couple of reasons for this: 1. Drive time. I’ve got a good chunk of it. 2. Faster processor. I loved my Eris but it didn’t manage podcasts well. I had previously had podcasts on my Zune, but who really needs a podcast when you’ve got 90 gigs of music, right?

I upgraded the memory card on the DroidX (from the 2 gig it came with to the 8 gig from my Eris, now to a 16 gig class 6) and combined with the 8 gig internal memory, it means way more room for media. Here’s what I’m listening to:

The Bugle. God DAMN is this podcast funny. Sadly, I’ve had a bitch of a time getting it to sync with WinAmp AND DoggCatcher, so I’ve resorted to putting it in my GReader rss feed subscriptions. If you like The Daily Show, you will like this podcast.

this WEEK in TECH. Kind of the standard nerdcast about tech stuff. Interesting, though not necessarily humorous.

Buzz Out Loud. First of two cnet podcasts, this is longer and has a chick on it. I kind of think of this as Attack of the Show, but audio. Frequently good for chuckles.

This American Life. As with the NPR radiocast, it’s hit or miss for me but worth having.

Doug Loves Movies. Dude, this thing makes me laugh out loud in the breakroom so that people give me the crazy eye. If you want to start somewhere, grab the Adam Carolla, Jerry O’Connell and “Bald” Bryan Bishop ep.

The Nerdist. This is an odd tech-but-not-tech, comedy-but-not-comedy podcast. Not a variety show but it tends to have interviews that lurch wildly from topic to topic. Consistently entertaining.

The 404. Oh my god. This is the second cnet podcast, about 30 minutes long and featuring 3 dudes pretty close to my age group because I get ALL their pop culture references. This show slays me, every day. See show 820 for an awesomely hilarious, dystopian version of The Game of Life. I snickered about that ALL DAY.

The Moth. I just added this and I dig it. It’s like short form fiction standup.

Stuff You Missed in History Class. I think the title is self-explanatory and I’m a history nerd.

You’d think there would be a lot of overlap in my tech podcasts but it’s broken up by the different viewpoints. Where Buzz Out Loud was all worked up about the Android unsecured wifi exploit, the 404 guys were like “Uh, isn’t it ALWAYS a bad idea to get on unsecured wifi?” If I could only recommend two, I’d tell you to get The 404 and The Bugle. Number three is Doug Loves Movies.

On to books. According to GoodReads I’m three books ahead of my ’55 books this year’ schedule. Let me clarify, that means 55 books worth telling people about. I read various amounts of crap and sundry that I don’t count against my ‘real’ books goal because I’m not going to talk about them even if you ask me, because they’re crap and sundry. Not even braincandy. So yeah, I’m looking for 55 books I’ll admit to having spent time with and/or provoke enough thought that I want/need/am interested to discuss.

Yesterday I finished Mockingjay, the last book in The Hunger Games trilogy. I know you’ve heard a lot of hype about these books because JESUSwhohasn’t? That said, the hype is well-deserved. I can’t think of a better executed, more ambitious, sweeping, engrossing and engaging series in recent years (and I’m including other series books I LOVE like Chelsea Cain’s Heart series). It’s brutal and honest and awesome and inspiring and discouraging and real. Not only that, each individual book is fucking great. As a series, you’ll finish Mockingjay and then immediately want to start the series over so you can remember what it was like before you lost your innocence. What I’m saying is that if you haven’t read these books, you need to read these books – immediately, if not sooner. Here’s where I give a plug to booklending.com which is where I borrowed Mockingjay and raced through it in about 4 hours. Gripping, y0.

In related news, if you’ve got book and/or podcast suggestions SHARE THEM! I can use all the audio distraction I can GET at work…

You should see Bridesmaids

Yeah, yeah there’s been a lot of talk about the film and frankly, it’s good.

Is it as funny as The Hangover? If you’re a chick, hell yes. If you’re a dude, probably not (but it’s still damn funny).

Kristin Wiig is brilliant and the film combines slapstick with cringe-inducing hilarity, balanced by seriously nice female relationships. Don’t get me wrong, it’s also got all the bad parts of female relationships, albeit played for the laughs, but overall it’s the best female comedy I’ve seen in years and doesn’t rely on stereotypes for jokes.

Dear Rand Paul

Slavery. This does not mean what you think it means.

1. No one, including the government, is FORCING people to become doctors against their will.

2. Not only do you have to CHOOSE 8 additional years of schooling, you have to SUCCEED at it.

3. You get paid. In fact, you get paid better than 90% of the population.

4. Government healthcare would, in fact, GUARANTEE you get paid because it eliminates welshers who don’t have insurance and an inability to pay. Government healthcare ENSURES that you get money for your services.

Let’s review: Not only is this NOT slavery, it’s NOT indentured servitude.

I don’t put a lot of politics in the blog but this isn’t about politics – it’s disingenuous and flat out wrong. In terms of political discourse, this is especially disappointing as you sound increasingly like the Captain of the Wingnut Brigade. When it comes to “libertarianism” there are a lot of good arguments for smaller government – LOTS of them, arguments that even sound REASONABLE if you don’t resort to lazy hyperbole.

Also, I’m going to call bullshit on THIS particular argument because – as a physician – you know full fucking well that the private sector is epically and irreparably broken when it comes to providing healthcare for Americans. If you’re going to pretend that things are fine, you should do a better job of it. You’ve got a staff, fucking use them.

In closing, what the fuck?

Book sidenotes

I’ve been reading and not updating, being the bad blogger I am. In the last couple of days though, I read a couple books worth pausing to post about.

1. Tangled Threads by Jennifer Estep. This is a series I started because I got book 2 for free on the Kindle. It was so good that I went back and bought book 1. I read that, reread book 2, bought book 3 and and just last week picked up this book (number 4). Suffice it to say the series has been engaging, entertaining and consistently solid. The characters are well-developed, the writing is tight and the plot has enough twists and turns to keep you involved. It’s one of the ONLY series I’ve purchased consistently on the kindle, despite the $7.99 price tag (I tend to be cheap about books that are in paperback, preferring the $5 or less variety). Each book has been more than worth the purchase price, withstands a reread and has me hooked enough to be looking forward to the next title. Highly recommended, even if you’re not a fan of urban fantasy as it’s not too deep in the genre (more like fiction with fantasy elements). If you pick up the first book, I guarantee you’re going to want to read the rest – and I don’t say that lightly. Spider’s Bite (book 1) Web of Lies (book 2) Venom (book 3) Book 5 is due out later this year.

2. The Center of Everything, Laura Moriarty. This was another kindle free/cheap read and as it stands, it’s only a littler more than $5. I nearly loved this. I’m not sure if it’s because it’s the first litfic I’ve read to reflect the pop culture references of my generation or because there was a LOT of parallel in Evelyn’s character and me, but it was an engaging and honest coming of age story that left me a little wistful when it was done. I cared enough to want to know what happens to Evelyn next and I immediately wanted to reread the whole thing. It’s been a while since I felt that way upon finishing a book, which made it worth mentioning.

3. Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen. I reread this (the first reading was years ago with my book club in Saginaw) and I enjoyed it as much this time as I did the first. Let me start by saying this is not great lit. It’s not. On the other hand, if you’ve ever thought about joining the circus I can just about guarantee you’ll like it. It’s high melodrama (as one might expect in such a dramatic setting) and a couple of love stories and a great vacation from your life for as long as the reading takes. I’m not convinced I want to see the film but this is a thoroughly enjoyable and fun read.

NOLA

The first thing people ask about when I mention NOLA are beignets. Weird, right?

These were at Café Beignet. While we did visit Café du Monde a couple of times, I actually preferred the beignets here. They were a bit lighter and fluffier but don’t get me wrong – beignets in any incarnation are delicious. This was the spot on Bourbon Street which wasn’t actually on Bourbon – a little courtyard just off the sidewalk, with the tables and counters deep in the lot. The live music which was always playing distracts from the strip clubs and pounding dance beats that make up the majority of this part of Rue Bourbon, such that it’s kind of a shock to get back to the sidewalk and the noise after your interlude and treats.

Our first two days though, were all about French Quarter Fest. I wish I had a single picture that captured what it was like, but this is the best of the bunch.

We arrived to hotter than usual weather, which was LOVELY. I, who hate extreme heat and humidity, was thrilled by the change in latitude. I believe my exact words were, “It’s as hot and moist outside as it is on my insides!” This was said with an inordinate amount of joy. We walked from the CBD to Bourbon a couple of times the first day, checking out the Fest and Rue Bourbon. While it’s no Red Light District, I’ll say Bourbon Street lives up to its hype.

The French Quarter Fest comprised of some major stages right on the Mississippi which – if you haven’t seen it from NOLA – looks like a completely different body of water when compared to the crossing at St. Louis, as well as a bunch of smaller stages throughout the quarter. In addition, there were a boatload of buskers and bands playing virtually anywhere they found free sidewalk or streetspace. The end result was the loveliest, largest street party you’ve ever seen and the best food I’ve ever put in my mouth.

The band in this picture was a Dixieland Jazz band from Belgium.

The balconies and galleries everywhere were lush with greenery as well as chock full of decoration. They made walking an especially interesting adventure.

We were lucky and had Marlene to show us around on Sunday. I think we must have walked the entirety of the Quarter (she was a champ) and gave us the lowdown on local favorites and history, not to mention all the dirt on local film shoots. In keeping with my experiences thus far, meeting an old internet friend (8 years? A bit more?) for the first time in person was wonderful. She also went above and beyond the call of duty with an amazing gift baskets of snacks and goodies, of which we made SERIOUS use.

One of my favorite buskers during the Festival:

We spent a fair amount of evenings during the week on Frenchmen Street listening to local music. This was one of my favorite doorways:

Food and drink will likely have to be another post, but this picture really captures the mood during our vacation. The best part was that this sign was off Bourbon Street at a small, out of the way neighborhood bar.