Geeking out

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Mary just got back from a week-long visit to St. Louis. While she was away, I let my inner geek run loose. There was the Saturday tech conference, of course. I finished the first season of Chuck, a show about a computer geek who accidentally ends up with government secrets downloaded into his brain. And my dad and I watched all three Lord of the Rings movies in 3 days. Inspired by that, I also sketched out an idea for a fantasy trilogy of my own if I ever decided to write one. Chuck is a fun show–a guilty pleasure Read more…

At the movies

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If you've worked at a movie theater before, this short Coen Brothers film will resonate. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMYAtgapMro?wmode=transparent] My own favorite conversation with a patron at the Grand went something like this: "What time does A Prairie Home Companion start?" "7:00." "Is it a good movie?" "It's great." "Who is the companion?" "I'm sorry?" "The companion. Is it a prairie dog?" "…" "Like Little House on the Prairie?" "No, A Prairie Home Companion is the name of a radio show." "So it's not about prairie dogs?" "No, it's about a radio program." "Oh, well then I'm not interested, thank you." "It's Read more…

I don’t want this job.

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Among connoisseurs of insect stings, it’s the equivalent of Robert Parker’s wine ratings. Schmidt has been stung by about 150 different species on six continents and seems to have opinions about all of them. In faux-Parker mode, he once described a bald-faced hornet sting as “Rich, hearty, slightly crunchy. Similar to getting your hand mashed in a revolving door.” Other researchers tend to regard his work with fascination. But hardly anyone tries to replicate his results. via happydays.blogs.nytimes.com Count me out! But the article’s worth a read.

Mark Cuban suggests a proposition I’d actually consider paying for …

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So to summarize. In addition to Fox websites from around the world, a $ 79 dollar annual value, you get: 2 books from our Harper Collins collection, with a value of up to $79; a subscription to the Weekly Standard, worth up to $64; a special $99 credit at The Fox Store where you can pick from an amazing selection of movies and TV shows. For a total value of $321. Because our Fox News Junkie Subscribers are critically important to us, we are offering this special package for a limited time only.  This amazing package can be yours for Read more…

I still love the book itself

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I very much enjoy reading a book on the Kindle. But I do love a really good hardcover even better.  A well designed dust jacket … uncut pages … seeing the visual progress with my bookmark … and a thick spine that promises countless hours of reading.  It has its downsides, and that’s when the Kindle can be nice See the full gallery on Posterous

“Free” by Chris Anderson

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I read Free for free on my Kindle. Anderson's put his argument (that giving something away for free can make you money) to the test, by offering free versions of his book for a limited time in a variety of digital forms. He also personally bought the rights to the audiobook, booked the studio time himself, and has made the audiobook free with no time limit. It's a proposition that seems to have worked, since the book debuted on the New York Times bestseller list and is still there (down into the 30s now). His book is well worth the Read more…