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Book Review: A Game of Thrones, by George R. R. Martin
I get myself into trouble sometimes by ragging on Epic Fantasy as a genre, particularly to one of my Take Me To Your Reader co-hosts. The problem is that I'm just not into world-building, and much of Epic Fantasy delves deeply into it. So while I recognize the literary value of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings (and have read it twice), it's not really my cup of tea. (I've read it two and a half times. I quit midway though the third read-through of The Two Towers. So. Boring.)
So it's probably not surprising that I wasn't an early adopter on George R. R. Martin's (really, two middle Rs?) A Song of Ice and Fire series. HBO's Game of Thrones is a pop culture phenomenon, but one I've elected not to partake of, partially because the Honest Trailer description of it as a "medieval encyclopedia/dungeon master's guide/porno" is precisely 0 for 3 in terms of things I watch. (Medieval encyclopedia is the closest to something I'd watch.)
And yet, I feel a bit culturally illiterate not watching the show, so I've picked the brain of one of my less scrupulous Pavement Pounders (James) and gotten the download on what the show is about. Still not really interested.
I've heard a ton about the books, including that they're the greatest thing ever, or that they're totally perverse and filled with wall to wall rape and perversion. So when I discovered that Library2Go had the first book (and the rest of the series), I put a Hold Request in and gave myself some time to decide if I'd read them.
Well, A Game of Thrones came through, and a couple of things happened. One, I enjoyed it. If nothing else, it's certainly a page turner. Two, I didn't find it as offensive as I expected. I don't mind some depravity in characters in fiction, which is why I find Christian Fiction so underwhelming. I liked a couple of the characters and was repulsed (rightly) by a couple of the others. Three, I finished the book and have no solid intention to continue the series.
It's certainly not the worst thing I've read. In fact, it's pretty much right in the middle. But in the middle doesn't get you onto my list of things to keep reading. I've got so many books I'd actually like to read that there's almost no way I'll consider continuing the series. Maybe you'd like to convince me. Good luck.
Before I go, I want to gripe about dream sequences. Seriously, there must have been four or five detailed dream sequences. The one after a character had a terrible fall and was in a coma I kind of got. The others just irritated me. Okay, they all irritated me. I'm not sure I've ever enjoyed a dream sequence in fiction. It just seems lazy to me, getting that far into a character's head. But maybe I'm off my rocker about this.
I'll say one positive thing before I sign off and start receiving hate comments. (Actually, as my blogging has fallen off in frequency, so have the comments, so I'm not really expecting much.) I didn't fine Martin's world-building as painful as I have with some other authors. It all seemed to flow pretty organically from the story and the characters. So that's good. But I also found myself getting characters mixed up, or just not caring much about others.
To sum up: I enjoyed the book. Sort of.
Next up, Dr. Kevin Fong's excellent Extreme Medicine. I also still need to post something about Crisis on Infinite Earths, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and Rock Breaks Scissors.
Brief Book Review: Behind the Beautiful Forevers, by Katherine Boo
I finished this book in July, and though recent life events have gotten in the way, I can't say that if things were going along swimmingly, I'd be any closer to being able to collect my thoughts about Behind the Beautiful Forevers. If you want to just go off and read it and start stewing on it yourself, I'm giving it a big recommendation. It's absolutely tremendous. So you should definitely read it.
I actually didn't know it was a non-fiction book until I read the afterward, because it's written in a narrative prose style I normally associate with fiction. The book takes place in Annawadi, an extremely poor slum in Mumbai, India. Ironically, the trash pickers and sorters of Annawadi live on a substantial enough wage (still almost nothing) that many of them are considered to have risen out of poverty. Never mind that an injury could cost them their livelihoods or even their lives.
The book follows several characters through a series of events in Annawadi mostly related to a trial of one of the slum's leading businessmen: Abdul, a boy of perhaps sixteen who runs a recycling business out of his family's home. The reasons for the trial aren't really important, but the view into the screwy justice system in Mubai was eye-opening. At every turn, someone was making money in exchange for favors. The concept of guilt or innocence really didn't seem to matter to anyone but the accused.
Another person who gets a lot of attention in the book is Asha, who hopes one day to become the new slum lord. The sections about her make it really hard to hope for easy solutions to what's broken in India. Maybe we should give more in aid, either at the governmental or personal level? Fine, but with all the corruption, how do you know your money does any good? Or maybe sanctions against the corrupt authorities? Then what happens to those whose livelihood is connected in a tangential way to the corruption, and through no fault of their own? The easy answers just aren't there.
"The big people think that because we are poor we don't understand much," she said to her children. Asha understood plenty. She was a chit in a national game of make-believe, in which many of India's old problems---poverty, disease, illiteracy, child labor---were being aggressively addressed. Meanwhile the other old problems, corruption and exploitation of the weak by the less weak, continued with minimal interference.
In the West, and among some in the Indian elite, this word, corruption, had purely negative connotations; it was seen as blocking India's modern, global ambitions. But for the poor of a country where corruption thieved a great deal of opportunity, corruption was one of the genuine opportunities that remained.
I hesitate to write much more. Again, the book is absolutely terrific, though I can't guarantee it'll make you feel warm inside for having read it. I picked this one up on John Green's recommendation on his vlogbrothers channel. Here's his first video discussing it. He says basically everything better than I do. He's John Green:
I'm several books behind in my reviewingses, so maybe next I'll write up some brief words about why I don't really care if I ever read the rest of the Song of Ice and Fire series, and then I'll dodge fruit from the internet for a while. And then I'll write a bit about Dr. Kevin Fong's awesome Extreme Medicine, or maybe opine a bit about Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Or maybe I'll skip straight to writing about the awesome journey down memory lane that was my recent reading of Crisis on Infinite Earths!.
Book Review: Robogenesis, by Daniel H. Wilson
To say I was a huge fan of Daniel H. Wilson's Robopocalypse would be a bit of an understatement, I think. Not that it's the best thing I ever read, but it just hit so many of the geeky buttons in my brain that I had to go back to it a couple more times. I picked it up on audio, then re-read it in print (well, Library2Go) in anticipation of its sequel coming out.
So it's perhaps surprising that I think Robogenesis is superior to its predecessor. I've even already picked up the audiobook so I can enjoy it again, because it's really quite tremendous. It's as if the author said, "So you liked Robopocalypse, eh? Well, look what else my brain can spew out onto a page for your enjoyment."
The timeline of the book starts basically the moment the previous book ended and essentially turns it on its head. What was Archos's (Archos R-14 in the new book) endgame? What was the goal? Why was humanity attacked so viciously? Could it be that Archos had humanity's best interests in mind? What would that even look like? And even if he tells us he was looking out for us, would we ever believe him?
And what would happen to an army consisting of humans, robots, and robotically-enhanced humans after the war was over? (Hint: kind of what the U.S. and U.S.S.R, did after WWII, but with more actual fighting.)
And with all this is also the overarching question: in a world with true Artificial Intelligence, what is the line between life and non-life? Are you man? Are you machine? Is there a middle ground? What if all that remains of you is your brain, hijacked into a parasite exoskeleton attached to your decaying corpse? If your brain is still alive, are you still human?
If there's a major fault to Robopocalypse, it's the oral-history style. I certainly found it an effective storytelling technique, but it made the narrative a bit choppy. In Robogenesis, the broken-up narrative continues, but it's marginally improved by a shift to strictly first-person renderings, though I'm still not totally clear where they came from. But it seemed somehow more coherent.
The really great thing about a sequel book (or movie, when done well) is that it takes established characters and moves them forward, allowing the author to explore them further. And as I mentioned before, that line between human and non-human, machine and non-machine is where the character development really takes off. It's easy to see that Nine Oh Two, the Freeborn robot from the previous book, would easily side with other machines. And yet he doesn't find it quite so easy to do so. Whereas Mathilda Perez, with her artificial eyes, finds living among humans difficult and (at times) quite dangerous.
Most Robot Uprising kind of fiction has the idea that humanity steps just too far into creating AI. One person flips the switch and that's it. But this book actually brings forward the notion that when the time comes (if you believe in the inevitability of the Singularity), there could be multiple new AIs to contend with. (Reminds me a bit of Colossus, actually. Need to go back and read that for the Take Me To Your Reader podcast…)
I'm thinking there'll be a third book in this series. Totally cool with that. I'll go back and read the other two before it comes out. So geeky. So awesome.
Up next is the mind-blowing Behind the Beautiful Forevers. I'm also reading at least a few chapters of A Game of Thrones, but I do not promise to either love it or read the whole thing. Just wanted a peek under the hood. I had to take Stuff Matters back to my local booklender, but I'll get it back eventually. I'm also working on A Climate for Change, so who knows what I'll finish first.
On the podcast, we'll be covering The Day of the Triffids next, and you may recall I thought the book was amazing. The films…well, you'll have to wait to hear what I think of them.
Book Review: Innocence, by Dean Koontz
It's been a week or two since I finished reading Innocence, and I'm still not entirely sure what to make of it. I certainly enjoyed it and found the characters compelling, but I actually delayed writing this up so I could let it sink in a bit. Still sinking, I guess.
At the outset I'll say that if you enjoy Koontz, there's a strong likelihood you'll enjoy this one. It's a bit different and a bit the same as his other stuff. For a while, I was reading everything he'd put out, but then I read one that gave me too many nightmares (What the Night Knows) and another that was frankly creeping me out (77 Shadow Street) and that I actually decided not to finish.
Still, when Koontz is in his wheelhouse of gripping thrillers with fascinating characters, I'm totally there. Interestingly, though I'm huge fan of Odd Thomas, I'm generally not into books with much in the way of the supernatural. Still, Innocence has a sort of Odd Thomas vibe to it, with the main character being able to see things others don't. But it's paired with the fact that when other see him, they try to kill him.
That's the central mystery of the story: What is it about Addison that drives ordinary people to become violent if they see his face? And how do you tell a story about a character that other people can't stand to be around? The answer is that you introduce another character who can equal his quirkiness. Enter Gwyneth, who can't stand to be touched and makes herself up in the Goth style to discourage human interaction. She and Addison form an unlikely partnership based around a simple rule. She won't look; he won't touch.
Their interactions are really quite wonderful. The story is told, for the most part, in alternating chapters in the present day and then relating Addison's life before coming to The City. For once, this didn't bother me, because both storylines were compelling enough that it never felt like going from the A story to the B story, as it often does with shifting narratives.
As I'm writing this, I'm realize that I think I now know what to make of the book: it's terrific. The reveal of what it is about Addison that drives people to murder is certainly an interesting one, and I'd be curious to see it adapted to film or television. Though I'm not sure how easy it would be to have a main character not show his face for most of a movie.
If you're at all interested in the book, you might check out the interview David Barr Kirtley did with Koontz on The Geek's Guide to the Galaxy some months ago. (Transcript available here.)
I'm working through several books at the moment, including Robogenesis, Stuff Matters, and Behind the Beautiful Forevers. Not sure which I'll finish first, but I'm going to guess it'll be a robot uprising that wins the day.
Book Review: Earth Awakens, by Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston
There's something nice about the final book in a series. Any faults the book may have can be largely ignored on the strength of its wrapping things up. That's pretty much where I come down on with Earth Awakens.
I was surprised how much I enjoyed Earth Unaware for its depiction of asteroid mining and the rivalries between corporate miners and free-miner clans. I enjoyed Earth Afire a bit less because it really only had one storyline I cared for. With Earth Awakens, the various plot threads finally coalesced into a good climax I could get behind.
In the early going, I still got frustrated from time to time with the switching between storylines, but since they pretty quickly came together, I was basically okay with it. Aside from wrapping the series up, Earth Awakens also shows the nascence of the International Fleet, the Triumvirate (Strategos/Hegemon/Polemarch), and the Second Formic War. Geek out!
As with the previous books, this one takes me further from being able to accept the innocence of the Formics as portrayed in much of the Speaker series. I'm really going to be curious if OSC is moving toward a major revelation about them as he wraps up both the Shadow and Speaker series in Shadows Alive, but I'm willing to bet it won't happen. I still don't let these revelations hamper my enjoyment of Ender's Game or Speaker for the Dead.
So at this point I figure I should give my overall rankings for the various Enderverse series. So here it is for the series:
- Shadow Series
- Speaker Series
- First Formic War Series
Given my frequent assertion that Speaker for the Dead is my favorite book, you may find this surprising, but I love the military/geopolitical nature of the Shadow series, and Bean is such a great character that it gives that series the edge. But what about my book ranking?
- Speaker for the Dead
- Ender's Game
- Ender's Shadow
- Shadow of the Giant
- Shadow Puppets
- Shadows in Flight
- Children of the Mind
- Ender in Exile
- Shadow of the Hegemon
- Xenocide
- Earth Awakens
- Earth Unaware
- Earth Afire
- First Meetings
- A War of Gifts
Evidently there's a Second Formic War series coming out soon, as well as a YA series set in the Battle School after the end of the Third Formic War. So I guess I'll have to revisit the rankings later.
Next up, it's Dean Koontz's latest, Innocence. And I'm going to be picking up Robogenesis and Stuff Matters, so I'm totally geeked about both of those.
Book Review: Suspicion, by Joseph Finder
Joseph Finder is downright dependable. I'm not addicted to the thriller genre, but there's something about a good page-turner when the weather gets warm. So it's not surprising that Suspicion is pretty much the perfect summer read.
I won't go too in-depth about the plot or the twists thereof, but in broad strokes it's this: The main character is a single dad trying to give his daughter a better life after her mother dies, but he has a cash-flow problem. To keep up with the Joneses, he accepts the unexpected generosity of his daughter's best friend's dad and then comes to regret it. It's got extortion, kidnapping, gruesome deeds (though not bloody) and a good dose of realistic paranoia.
One of these days I need to go back and read Finder's pre-Paranoia works, some of which are closer to the spy genre. Which reminds me of an amusing sequence in the book (from memory, so probably not totally accurate):
Guy: "You've been reading too many spy novels."
Protagonist: "There's no such thing as reading too many spy novels."
I totally agree. Finder is extremely active on social media, actively posting on Facebook and sending out newsletters and even Christmas cards. (He even sent out book plates to his fans recently. Really quite cool.) I'll be surprised if he doesn't re-tweet me on this post.
So at this point I'll do a little more sucking up, all of it truthful. Suspicion is gripping and exciting, with believable characters and situations, and I found it genuinely hard to put down. Pesky day job got in the way, which was the only thing that really kept me from tearing through it in a couple of days.
One thing I found interesting in this book was the relative lack of profanity, particularly when compared to some of Finder's earlier books. It's possible I'm remembering incorrectly, but I seem to recall Paranoia had rather a lot of swearing in it. Not that I have a problem with language in books, so long as it seems to fit the characters. It's actually one major problem I have with Christian books and movies, that the language just doesn't sound authentic.
(Interestingly, I found a blog post from Finder about this very topic. He makes sense.)
I've made no secret of my tendency to shift-read, which I define as reading alternating chapters from two or more books. I had been doing that with Jurassic Park and Dean Koontz's Innocence, but that all stopped when I picked up Suspicion, and I expect that may be the case with my next read, the final installment in the First Formic War trilogy, Earth Awakens. It's possible I'll go back to shift-reading Innocence with it, but I'm not counting on it.
I'm also planning on a re-read of All You Need is Kill before we do a Take Me To Your Reader podcast about it, but I won't re-review it. By the way, go see Edge of Tomorrow. It's pretty awesome. But more on that in a couple of weeks on the podcast.
Book Review: Jurassic Park, by Michael Crichton
And here I am, back with another Take Me To Your Reader title, Jurassic Park. This is my second time reading this novel, though I believe I last read it in college, so we're talking about (sigh) twenty years or so.
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a book in possession of a decent plot must be in want of a film adaptation that won't live up to the book. And yet, The Princess Bride film is vastly superior to the book. (Opinions vary on this, but since my opinion is the only one that matters, go with me on this.) And now there's a second entry in this defiance of the natural order.
Jurassic Park the film is better than Jurassic Park the novel. Search your feelings. You know it to be true.
Oh, there's nothing particularly wrong with the book, and I recall enjoying it quite a lot when I first read it. And even then, I knew the movie was tremendous, but it's quite possible I underrated it due to its lack of including everything from the book.But my understanding of what makes a good adaptation has evolved somewhat since then. Maybe someday I'll write down my thoughts on that.
Where the film made cuts, it was addition by subtraction. Going back through the book, I couldn't help feeling that every change made in the adaptation improved the film. I literally can't think of an exception.
Now, don't misunderstand me here. I still enjoyed the book this time, but I can't imagine reading it again. But I could watch the film ten more times, easily. True, the book is much longer on technical detail. But that's exactly my point, isn't it? How would that greater detail reward a re-read? (It wouldn't. It'd be a drag. It was a drag.)
True, the characters are significantly altered. It's all good. Seriously, check it out. Here are some changes in the characters:
- John Hammond goes from being the typical corporate Jerkass (see TV Tropes for the definition) to being a basically likeable, albeit naive grandpa figure. Totally works.
- Lex goes from being dead weight and pretty annoying to being the computer nerd who can navigate the Unix filesystem thingy.
- Grant goes from being an older mentor type to Dr. Sattler's man, and has a nice character arc in that he starts off a kid-hater and nobly protects them throughout the film.
- Sattler gets to be the one to turn the power back on instead of distracting the raptors for Grant.
- Mr. Arnold is played by Samuel L. Jackson. It doesn't matter what he was in the book, because SLJ is always going to add awesome.
- Ditto for Wayne Knight playing Nerdy, er, Nedry. Newman!
- Ditto for Jeff Goldblum as Ian Malcolm. I actually can't read the book without hearing him say the lines.
Okay, so the last three of those items were all about the actors. Fine. But the fact that those actors elevated the material means the material could stand elevating, doesn't it?
Not to belabor the point, but I want to focus in on one particular scene to illustrate just how brilliantly the source material was adapted. In the book, there's a fairly lengthy (boooooring) section explaining the history of one Dodgson and his plans to target Nedry as an inside man for the purposes of stealing InGen trade secrets. The film does the same thing in the space of a brief and awesome scene between Wayne Knight and the actor portraying Dodgson. No background is given except by implication. None is needed. The simple conversation allows the viewer to pick up on the fact that Nedry is disgruntled and greedy. The fact that Dodgson is paying him to steal dinosaur embryos tells us everything we need to know about his motivation.
I have some other gripes about the book, but I'm going to save my detailed thoughts on that for the podcast, which we'll be recording in the next couple of weeks. If you've read the book and seen the movie, feel free to lob me some thoughts here and I'll gladly add them to my own and take credit for anything that makes me sound smarter. (I'll totally give full attribution, have no fear.)
To sum up, the book is highly worth reading. But it'll probably make you appreciate the movie even more. Or maybe I'm wrong. Feel free to tell my why (and to have me rebut your thoughts in front of an audience of ones of people).
Next up, it's Dean Koontz's latest, Innocence. It's totally not Odd Thomas, I think. Also, I just saw Edge of Tomorrow with my son, and we'll be eventually recording an episode about that film and the book it's based on, All You Need Is Kill.
Book Review: Robot Uprisings, ed. by John Joseph Adams and Daniel H. Wilson
Short fiction is awesome. I'm not sure why I didn't see it before. My preference for books is, of course, founded on the fact that I track how many books I read and generally only consider counting short stories when it suits my arbitrary fancy (read: when it pads my numbers).
But a short fiction anthology is totally a book, and John Joseph Adams has produced a bunch of them. I read (and loved) The End is Nigh, and now I've finished another terrific addition to his personal pantheon, Robot Uprisings. From the website:
At the helm of this project are Daniel H. Wilson—bestselling novelist and expert in robotics—and John Joseph Adams—bestselling editor of more than a dozen science fiction/fantasy anthologies. Together, they have drawn on their wide-ranging contacts to assemble a talented group of authors eager to attack the topic of robot uprisings from startling and fascinating angles.
Featuring work by Hugh Howey, Seanan McGuire, Scott Sigler, Charles Yu, Anna North, Robin Wasserman, Ernest Cline, Jeff Abbott, Julianna Baggott, and many more, plus a new novella from Daniel H. Wilson.
I normally link an image with an affiliate thingy, hoping that if someone buys the book it'll earn me a few pennies with Barnes & Noble, but in this case I'm linking back to John Joseph Adams's website, because I'd rather he get the credit. (The blurb above mentions that Daniel H. Wilson was also onboard, and he and Adams were recently Guest Geeks on The Geek's Guide to the Galaxy. Great stuff!)
It's true that I'm a fan of the robot uprising genre, having really enjoyed Robopocalypse (and recently re-read and re-really-enjoyed it in anticipation of the sequel coming out), but there's something really great about short fiction in regard to the genre. Robopocalypse has a great scope to it, taking us from the nascence of the uprising through its conclusion (though the sequel would seem to indicate it wasn't entirely concluded), but short fiction allows for cool concepts without the burden of having to chase down every idea and finish them off.
Plus, an anthology of stories has the benefit of getting looks not only from different authors, but from a variety of perspectives. What makes it a robot uprising? Does it have to be humanoid robots? What about nanomachines? And how sophisticated must the robots be? How might humanity recover from an uprising? All these and more are explored in the collection, and it's absolutely tremendous stuff.
On the whole, I'd still give the nod to The End is Nigh in terms of overall rating, but there's no question that if you're a sci-fi fan who likes to think about the Singularity and robot uprisings, you'll get a kick out of this one.
The standout story in this one, to me, was "We are All Misfit Toys in the Aftermath of the Velveteen War," by Seanan McGuire. I won't even spoil it, because it's absolutely tremendous. The concept is almost absurd, but that's what makes the story so compelling. I'd recommend the whole anthology just for this story.
(Just had to restrain myself from giving more details about that story. It's incredibly awesome.)
I need to get back to reading The Mad Scientist's Guide to World Domination (another John Joseph Adams collection) now that I'm on a short fiction kick. Alas, I'm reading the latest Koontz, and I've got Robogenesis and Earth Awakens coming out in the next month or so, and I'm re-reading Jurassic Park for the podcast. (BTW, we'll be recording about Death Race 2000 – based on a short story – this weekend, so if you have thoughts, head over to the website and leave some.
Book Review: Timeline, by Michael Crichton
I guess if I tried to make a case that I'm not a fan of Michael Crichton's books, the biggest line of evidence I'd have to overcome is the fact that I've read eighteen of his books. Seriously. Now, I haven't enjoyed them all or anything…(*cough* Micro *cough*)
For the most part, though, I definitely am a fan of his books. One summer I found that my sister had a shelf full of Crichton's books and I worked my way through them in a few weeks. If I recall correctly, the list was:
- The Andromeda Strain
- The Great Train Robbery
- The Terminal Man
- Sphere
- Eaters of the Dead
- Jurassic Park
- Congo
Eventually I caught up with Crichton's major publications, and then it was just a matter of keeping up with whatever he put out. In fact, I even kept up with some of his stuff that got published after he died! BTW, I'll let you in on a little secret here: Pirate Latitudes was pretty awesome. Micro was not.
So anyway, I thought I was done with Crichton since after Micro I've given up on seeking out further titles that get dusted off and finished. And then came the podcast. By the way, I host a podcast! Did I mention the podcast? It's called Take Me To Your Reader, and we talk about books or stories that turned into well-known films. Well, someone finally noticed long enough to lob a suggested title at us, and it was a Crichton I'd previously read and had the misfortune to have seen the film adaptation of: Timeline.
In a way, Timeline is Crichton at his best. He starts with a non-fiction premise, namely the rise of quantum physics and quantum computing, then weaves a fictional story around science fact. And it's fairly successful on a first reading. It didn't totally hold up on this subsequent reading, though.
So here's the plot: archaeologists and historians are at a dig in France when they make a discovery of an apparent modern artifact in a newly discovered site. And there's a note, written six hundred years ago, asking for help. And it's from the head of the dig. (Who had previously left the country.)
The Big Bad Overlord Corporation (TM) gives them a chance to rescue their friend. The characters are given a whirlwind introduction to the wonders of quantum teleportation, which cannot be used for time travel. Time travel is impossible. Except the professor totally ended up in the past. Still, quantum physics means never having to explain yourself, so we go with it. Just remember that there's no time travel. (BTW, we dig into this on the podcast.)
The team heads back (er, to another universe) to retrieve the professor, and it's a team specifically selected for historical knowledge, language and cultural knowledge, and some good old fashioned guts. And rock climbing. Can't underestimate the value of rock climbing. Also, some redshirts go along with them. What better way to show the situation is serious than having someone lose their head two minutes after arrival?
Of course, France in the 14th Century is a dangerous place, and they're thrown right into the middle of a conflict between the French and English. And they get separated, and something very bad happens to the transport room. So there's that.
I'm writing this as if I didn't enjoy the book, and the fact is that I did. The parts of the book set in the past are really engaging, and some of the characters are tremendously compelling. But this has always been a weak point for Crichton: he'll over-develop some characters and give others almost no attention. For instance, there's a love story that I guess has to happen, and it's straight out of the George Lucas Prequel handbook: take two good-looking people of opposite sex, and they fall in love. And that's the love story. Sparked by this gem:
Chris was still grinning, and he seemed so confident and amused, and she had the feeling that she had never noticed, never been aware, that he was quite an attractive man, that he had a certain genuine appeal.
Tell me that's not one of the worst lines of prose you've ever read, even eliminating the run-on nature of the sentence.
Crichton was never huge on character development, and his prose was never anything to wax rhapsodic about (unlike John Wyndham's amazing prose in The Day of the Triffids). He was all about the concept and execution of a technically plausible and compelling story. He never let a little thing like writing it well get in the way.
And do you know what? It works. His concepts are good enough that they drive the narrative despite some fairly ham-handed writing. Though he absolutely had a problem coming up with good endings. Timeline is a notably decent exception to that trend, though.
The main flaw of the book is that the present day story is mostly superfluous, showing the machinations of the Guy We're Supposed To Be Okay With Getting Totally Screwed At the End, but I'd argue that spending time to make us dislike someone is more on the telling, not showing scale of things. Even without those unnecessary scenes, the character was already intensely dislikeable.
Still and all, it's an enjoyable and quick read, just not quite as quick as I'd have liked.
As for the film adaptation, well you'll just have to give the podcast a listen in order to find out what we thought. And let us know what you thought.
Next up, it's another John Joseph Adams anthology, Robot Uprisings.
Book Review: The Fly, by George Langelaan
As with Farewell to the Master, it's difficult to classify this one as a book, but since you can find it bound as such, it totally counts even though it's listed at 69 pages on its Goodreads listing, it totally counts toward my yearly book reading.
There's something charming about old science fiction. If you tried to write a story today about how a man and fly's head and arm got swapped, you'd have a hard sell. You've got to make it more plausibly science-y these days. The 1986 film The Fly took a crack at it, but it's still basically what TV Tropes calls "Art Major Science." Okay, so a dude and a fly get in a teleporter together and get merged at the molecular/genetic level. Fine. But what about the air in the chamber? The bacteria on the surface of the telepod? Nothing?
I've now seen both major adaptations of the George Langelaan short story, and I can definitively say I prefer the 1986 film. The 1958 film is certainly more faithful to the book, and the screenplay was written by James Clavell, one of my favorite authors. But I think that in sticking so close to the source, the 1958 film missed an opportunity to elevate the material. Also, it botched the ending a bit.
If you haven't read the story, I have to recommend that you do so. It's included in a bazillion science fiction and horror anthologies, and it'll take you maybe an hour to read, and it's a pretty terrific story. Seriously, go do it. I don't want to spoil it for you. What I really want to do is write a bit about why I favor the 1986 adaptation over the original.
If you've seen the 1958 film, you've basically read the story, albeit with a slightly better and slightly worse ending, with an awesome animatronic spider and one of the great scenes in film history, but also with a conclusion that's a little too happy. I preferred the way the book handled it.
(By the way, did I mention we discussed the story and both films in the latest episode of Take Me To Your Reader?)
I'm actually writing up a piece about how I enjoy films that adapt a written work but take great liberties in doing so for the sake of crafting a better story. There's nothing terribly wrong with The Fly, but the 1958 film doesn't improve on the material. The 1986 film does.
What if the transformation wasn't instant? What if the new fly-man reproduced? How would his transformation unfold? Would he slowly become more bestial, or would it improve him? These are the questions the newer film answers, and it's crucial to note that there are almost always unanswered questions in fiction that should be answered by an adaptation.
Plus, the film is gorious. (This was not a typo, and it's totally a word meaning "gloriously gory.") The transformation into what the producers of the film called "The Space Fly" is relentless and just downright awesome.
Have you seen the 1958 film? The 1986 remake? Have you read the story? I'd be curious to get your thoughts on any of them, either here or over on the podcast episode I linked above. (Also linked here)
And what about film adaptations? Should they be faithful no matter what, or is it permissible to improve on a story by changing it?
I'm working on a couple of books right now, including Timeline, by Michael Crichton, which was suggested for our podcast. So I'll be reading that over the next week or so, and I've got a couple of other things in the works.
(Also, we have a podcast.)


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Property for sale near Brimsmore, Yeovil BA21 3NX
3 bed property for saleBoundary Close, Yeovil BA21
No onward chain. Situated in a cul-de sac on the West Side of town is this well proportioned, well presented 3 bedroom semi detached home ticking all of the boxes. More details
Note: Distances are straight line measurements
- Yeovil Pen Mill (1.8 miles)
- Yeovil Junction (2.6 miles)
Marketed by E-Volve, BA21. Call 01935 590148Offers over £230,000
3 bed bungalow for saleIlchester Road, Yeovil BA21
A well presented spacious property offering flexible accommodation that includes three double bedrooms one with en-suite, dining room, study, lounge, kitchen/breakfast/family room and separate utility room. Parking for approximately seven cars, ... More details
Note: Distances are straight line measurements
- Yeovil Pen Mill (1.6 miles)
- Yeovil Junction (2.5 miles)
Marketed by Connells, BA20. Call 01935 388003
Latest Brimsmore, Yeovil BA21 3NX property for sale
Zoopla is one of the UK's leading property portals, helping you to find property for sale and to rent and make smarter decisions when buying and renting homes in the UK. Discover information on homes in Brimsmore, Yeovil BA21 3NX by researching Brimsmore, Yeovil BA21 3NX property values, Brimsmore, Yeovil BA21 3NX house prices paid, our Brimsmore, Yeovil BA21 3NX property market overview and find Brimsmore, Yeovil BA21 3NX agents.

subset: commoncrawl


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Bird's-Eye Proteomics
July 1, 2014|
A guide to mass spectrometers that can handle the top-down-proteomics challenge
July 1, 2014|
A guide to mass spectrometers that can handle the top-down-proteomics challenge
July 1, 2014|
New approaches to diagnosing bacterial infections may one day allow the identification of pathogens and their antibiotic susceptibility in a matter of hours or minutes.
June 26, 2014|
Cell phones are populated with many bacteria commonly found on users' hands.
June 23, 2014|
Determining which critters are present in an infected wound could aid in treatment, particularly of soldiers injured in combat.
June 23, 2014|
Fungi that digest wood in novel ways could fuel new avenues of research on cellulosic ethanol, and suggest a need to move beyond traditional classification systems.
June 22, 2014|
ASC specks—protein aggregations that drive inflammation—are released from dying immune cells, expanding the reach of a defense response.
June 12, 2014|
A study implicates the breaking up of bacterial biofilms on fatty plaques in arteries as causing stroke or heart attack following stress.
June 9, 2014|
Humans and coral share a cell-death pathway that has been conserved between them for more than half a billion years.
June 9, 2014|
An advisory committee for the BRAIN Initiative says that to fully fund the goals of the neuroscience research program, taxpayers should fork over $4.5 billion.
June 1, 2014|
Assistant Professor, Department of Food Science, Purdue University, Age: 32


text:
Prem Geet (1981)
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Movie Info
Akash (Raj Babbar), a medical student from a rich family, is also a well-respected poet and singer commonly known as Nishant. Shikha (Anita Raj), an orphan and a dancer who has her own troupe, is a great admirer of Nishant's poetry and occasionally choreographs dances to his songs. When the two get the opportunity to team up in a creative endeavor, their working relationship soon turns romantic -- much to the disapproval of Akash's parents.
- Rating:
- Unrated
- Genre:
- Art House & International
- Directed By:
- Sudesh Issar
- In Theaters:
- Sep 25, 1981 Wide
- On DVD:
- Jun 20, 2000
- Runtime:
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- Thank you so much for your response! :)Sep 11, '13
- Forum: Advanced Practice Nursing
- O' I'm so glad that was helpful. Yes, you are correct, the accelerated doesn't seem very "accelerated" compared to other programs that do complete in 12-18 months. I think they might be adding open...Sep 3, '11
- Forum: Missouri Nursing
- Hello! It's so good to hear a little of your story and plans! Both the traditional route and the accelerated track are great programs at UMKC, even for a mommy of three! The two programs aren't...Aug 25, '11
- Forum: Missouri Nursing
- (I possibly should have made this a blog about this subject instead...? Staff: is it possible to move this to a blog posting?) So exciting news!!...I GOT ACCEPTED to the traditional BSN program at...Jul 27, '11
- Forum: Missouri Nursing
- I am currently a BSN nursing student. I am committed to doing international medical missions in some capacity. After graduation from my BSN program I will be going on to complete a Doctorate of...Jul 25, '11
- Forum: Advanced Practice Nursing
- Wow! What a great friend! I'm curious to find out if an iPod is able to sync with a Windows 7- PC or if that's even necessary. How do you go about downloading the programs? Does it come right to...Mar 27, '11
- Forum: Mobile Apps For Nurses
- Any recommendations for or experience with PDA's on the market these days? I don't want a phone version (not allowed in clinical AT ALL). I'm hoping to stay in the $100-$200 range for the device...Mar 27, '11
- Forum: Mobile Apps For Nurses
- Does anyone have recent (2010-2011) PDA recommendations? :stdnrsrck:Mar 27, '11
- Forum: Mobile Apps For Nurses
- I like that!! :yeah:Mar 26, '11
- Forum: Nurse Practitioners (NP)
- Absolutely! My pleasure. :up: I think your plan is excellent! It's really good that you are asking these questions now. I think that shows that you're a "planner." You will be glad that you do your...Mar 26, '11
- Forum: Kansas Nursing
- Metropolitan Community College, Penn Valley location (downtown) also has an evening & weekend ADN program that accepts applications every ODD year (so this year they are accepting for the next...Mar 26, '11
- Forum: Kansas Nursing
- Hi CNM, I am a pre-nursing student. I will hopefully start my nursing program next school-year at UMKC. I live in the KC area. I've been here for about 5 years. The consensus seems to be that...Mar 26, '11
- Forum: Kansas Nursing
- Okay, yes that makes sense. Thanks for the response! :up:Mar 24, '11
- Forum: International Nursing
- Would it be a different allowance for nurses who have obtained a Bachelor's degree in nursing? (As far as being able to work in the UK from the US) Just wondering, thanks!Mar 23, '11
- Forum: International Nursing
- Here's a useful website you might want to visit when you get to microbial genetics. http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/ You can do a practice version of transcription and translation plus a bunch of...Mar 23, '11
- Forum: Pre-Nursing Student
- As another future nurse, this was a great story to read. I agree with the others. :) I hope that I can find teachers, clinical instructors, nurses, and others that are able and willing to extend a...Mar 23, '11
- Forum: General Nursing Discussion
- To follow up with this post a little, we had a group of current UMKC BSN students come visit our Nursing 101 class @UMKC yesterday. We got to ask them any questions we could think of. Here are some...Mar 23, '11
- Forum: Missouri Nursing
- Here is another good link to TONS of helpful nursing-student related: http://studentnurseconnections.com/ ;)Mar 23, '11
- Forum: NCLEX Discussion Forum
- Unfortunately, I don't think any of these links still work. I tried each one.Mar 23, '11
- Forum: NCLEX Discussion Forum
- :rolleyes: There does not seem to be a lot of information/input regarding the UMKC Traditional BSN program. I see a few sparse threads here and there. I would really like to see a good strong thread...Mar 13, '11
- Forum: Missouri Nursing
- I am currently finishing my last semester of prereq's for the UMKC traditional BSN program, and I am also hoping that there will be some more input from graduates (or CURRENT students) of UMKC BSN...Mar 13, '11
- Forum: Pre-Nursing Student
- Thank you! That's great advise. In a way it's still sinking :idea: in that as a nurse I really can carve out a niche in any area where my heart is if I just commit to it! I believe what you said is...Dec 5, '10
- Forum: Holistic Nursing
- Hi, I have done a good amount of research looking into both of these programs. At first I thought I wanted to go to Rockhurst. I would be able to do the tuition reimbursement program that they...Aug 14, '10
- Forum: Missouri Nursing
- This is a great question. It is a very wonderful highlight to nursing that you can choose from so many areas. I was intrigued to see quiet a few responses indicating Forensic nursing as an area of...Jul 21, '10
- Forum: Pre-Nursing Student
- That's awesome! I'm so glad you responded. What state does your sister practice?Apr 14, '10
- Forum: Holistic Nursing


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Hello and welcome to my advert for my beloved Rover 827 Sterling.
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Top of the Range, Rover 825 2.5 V6 Sterling Auto Coupe.
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Here we have a by now extremely rare Rover Sterling 827 � rare as it�s a Mk1 and even rarer due to it being factory black � to those in-the-know, these are amazing cars to drive and wonderful cars to .....
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ABSTRACT Using a set of nine figure drawings arranged from very thin to very heavy figures, 248 male and 227 female undergraduates indicated their current figure, their ideal figure, the figure that they felt would be most attractive to the opposite sex, and the opposite sex figure to which they would be most attracted. For men, the current, ideal, and most attractive figures were almost identical. For women, the current figure was heavier than the most attractive figure, which was heavier than the ideal figure. Both men and women err in estimating what the opposite sex would find attractive. Men think women like a heavier stature than females report they like, and women think men like women thinner than men report they like. Overall, men's perceptions serve to keep them satisfied with their figures, whereas women's perceptions place pressure on them to lose weight. The sex differences we report are probably related to the greater incidence of dieting, anorexia, and bulimia among American women than among American men.
- Citations (0)
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Article: Behavioral sensitivity to interaural difference cues in the budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus).[Show abstract] [Hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Interaural time and level differences cues (ITDs and ILDs) allow organisms to localize sounds and detect and discriminate signals in noise. Behavioral sensitivity to these important cues has only been studied in humans and a few species of animals. Although the abilities of budgerigars to localize, detect, and discriminate a variety of sounds in quiet or noisy conditions are well known, this is the first study to equip birds with headphones so that their sensitivity to ITDs and ILDs can be measured using lateralization procedures. In one experiment, thresholds are measured behaviorally in budgerigars using pure tones (0.5-8 kHz) and broad-band noise as stimuli in a two-alternative (left-right) identification task. In another experiment, sensitivity to changes in ITDs and ILDs of binaural sounds within a repeating background (discrimination task) is measured using the same stimuli as the first experiment. Budgerigars appear to be less sensitive than humans to both ITDs and ILDs, but similar to cats and monkeys. Overall, these lateralization results are generally consistent with the free-field localization abilities of these birds, but their relatively acute sensitivity to interaural difference cues adds support to the idea that budgerigars may be using their connected interaural pathways to enhance directional hearing.The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 03/2010; 127(3):1894. · 1.65 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: MIMO systems can offer high multiplexing and diversity gain, but the increased complexity hampers the practical applications. Through antenna selection, the complexity and cost can be greatly reduced while the gain of MIMO systems can be reserved. In this paper, a fast sub-optimal antenna selection algorithm based on norm and correlation is proposed for maximizing the channel capacity. Compared with the near-optimal selection algorithm of M. Gharavi-Alkhansari and A. Greshman (2004), our sub-optimal algorithm can capture most of the capacity property while the complexity and memory requirement are greatly decreased. Simulation results show that our algorithm is very effective when SNR is high and the number of the selected antennas is relatively small. Especially for a rank deficient channel matrix, the sub-optimal algorithm outperforms the norm-based selection algorithm. Our algorithm also shows capacity advantages when compared with the correlation based method (CBM) algorithm of Y.S. Choi et al. (2003)01/2006; 2:734-739.
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ABSTRACT: Background Body dissatisfaction is a robust risk factor for disordered eating and is thought to be especially problematic in the presence of high levels of perfectionism. The aim of the current study was to investigate what types of perfectionism were associated with body dissatisfaction. Participants were 1083 women aged 28 to 40 years, with a mean age of 35 years (SD=2.11). Self-reports on perfectionism (using the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale), weight, height, desired weight, and current and ideal figural stimuli were analysed for the current study. Two measures of body dissatisfaction were utilised: discrepancy between the current and desired weight, and discrepancy between the current and ideal figural stimuli. Results Linear regressions controlling for current body mass index (BMI)/current silhouette examined the relationship between desired BMI/silhouette and simultaneous entry of the 6 subscales of the perfectionism measure. A lower desired BMI was associated with higher levels of Concern over Mistakes and Organisation, and a smaller ideal silhouette was associated with higher levels of Concern over Mistakes and Doubt about Actions and Organisation. Conclusions These findings confirm the pertinence of different dimensions of perfectionism to body dissatisfaction, and suggest avenues to explore in terms of universal prevention work.Journal of Eating Disorders. 01/2013; 1(1).


text:
Properties in Harrow, Outer London between £30,000 and £2,000,000
Properties in Harrow, Outer London
Gallery view List view Map view 195 properties found
To provide you with the best possible service we only show properties for which estate agents have provided full and valid postcodes. You may find more properties in our List or Gallery views.
£179,950 2 Bedrooms Harrow Weald, Harrow Weald HA3
A two double bedroom purpose built ground floor flat in this popular block on College Road in Harrow Weald. The property is ideally situated within walking distance of shops and transport facilities. The property is offered for sale in good decorative ord
Hinton & Downes - Harrow
£189,950 2 Bedrooms High Road, Harrow Weald HA3
Hinton & Downes - Harrow
£194,950 2 Bedrooms Manor Parade, Sheepcote Road, Harrow-On-The-Hill,
Brian Cox - Harrow
£215,950 2 Bedrooms Kenton Lane, Kenton HA3
Presenting a refreshing 2 Bedroom Flat with a spacious living area, separate fully fitted kitchen, one double sized bedroom, a single room and a family bathroom. There is front parking facility and access to a rear communal garden.
Man & Co Estate Agents - London
£249,950 Under Offer 2 Bedrooms Sefton Avenue
A 2 double bed, ground floor, purpose built, maisonette with own front and rear gardens. A well presented property with potential for off-street parking (subject to planning permission). *11'2 x 10' kitchen/diner. *14'2 x 10' reception room. *UPVC
Blacklers - Harrow
£254,950 2 Bedrooms Glenwood Close, Harrow HA1
Hinton & Downes - Harrow
£254,995 2 Bedrooms Kenton Lane, Kenton, Harrow HA3
Hinton & Downes - Harrow
£259,950 3 Bedrooms Rosslyn Crescent, Harrow HA1
Reuben Sadler Estates
£259,950 2 Bedrooms Lower Road, Harrow HA2
A N Estates - Harrow
£269,950 Sold STC 2 Bedrooms Vernon Court
A 2 double bed first floor purpose built maisonette. Situated in a highly regarded residential area in a cul-de-sac overlooking a small green. A spacious and well presented, modern, interior. *17' x 14'6 lounge/diner Side 'courtyard style' garden
Blacklers - Harrow
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4 Wentworth Ave, 2000 Sydney, Australia – Show map
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Travelodge Sydney has independent accommodations just a 2-minute walk from Hyde Park and trendy Oxford Street. It features rooms with a kitchenette and an LCD TV with satellite channels.
Score from 1000 reviews Good
Excellent location Very friendly staff
Radio not working
Location was ok. Walking distance to most of the sights ...
Breakfast room located in a windowless basement, little choice... Not very exciting
The hotel staff was friendly and prompt to help. The apartment was very comfortable with excellent facilities and utilities. A highly recommended hotel.
Location so close to Hyde Park and public transport.
Check in was a little inefficient by one staff member, who seemed flustered by many checking in at once.
Hotel Stellar was in close proximity to a range of public transport options and funky restaurants/bars/cafes/boutiques. A very clean and safe spot to base oneself for a range of Sydney experiences. Very pleased with staff and facilities and would definitely stay in future and recommend to others.
Very convenient for walking the CBD in Sydney. Close to Hyde Park and easy enough walking to both harbours, bridge, opera house etc. Helpful staff, and pleasant rooms.
Parking very tricky. Not much on site for restaurant, but lots close by.
Comfortable bed, spacious room, location, great staff, clean...
Great position fabulous rooms, beds good , towels beautiful big white and fluffy
Parking ????????????. None available hotel parking was full??. Drove a couple if blocks to private facilities $20 per night. However needed to leave on Sunday morning at 8am , when I walked to get my car the facility was closed , opened at 8.30.am :( A heads up may have been nice from the front desk on that one. The front desk would benefit from having someone on it with a personality , even a smile would actually be nice ,as these people are our first and last contact with the hotel
Good location near downtown/centre (20-30 min. walk), clean rooms, friendly staff
Receptionist was exceptionally friendly and helpful. When we checked in, he gave us a city map informing us about restaurants, sights and footpaths around the harbour. Good location, only a 20 to 30 minute walk to Circular Quay (Sydney Harbour) and Darling Harbour. Wireless Internet very fast.
A six-lane busy street in front of the hotel causes considerable noise, which is quite disturbing at night (earplugs may be useful). Our studio included a kitchenette but there was no kitchen table in it so we had to sit at the desk when drinking tea or coffee.
Easy access to airport, Central railway, Eastern suburbs, CBD close to Museum Station and bus routes. We had a studio apartment which was a good size with a kitchenette with fridge, micro wave, toaster, sufficient utensils and crockery. Great size en suite with good shower. Staff friendly and helpful, cleaning staff excellent room always vacuumed and clean sheets on 3rd night, excellent quality bath towels. Cannot not comment on Wi Fi, breakfast or parking. A few restaurants close by, but you will need to walk down towards George Street for bigger selection. Excellent IGA in Oxford Street 2 minute walk away. Hyde Park just across road if you feel like a leisurely stroll with no traffic. We would recommend Hotel Stella to our family and friends.
Part of our stay was on a weekend and although our room was down the side there was a lot of traffic noise even though windows are double glazed not a problem week days. Timber blind in en suite needs adjustment not functioning!!
Parking was a NIGHTMARE yet with one person navigating we managed.
Location is great. Right on Hyde park next to Measum airport train link stop. Right around the corner from the nightlife of oxford street and all attractions are with-in a 20-30 min walk. Staff are really friendly and helpful. Wifi is free and our twin delexe studio was great with very comfortable beds and loads of space.
Liked the location, great restaurant around the corner called Quattro Passi - wonderful owner - great meal!! Nice 6th floor suite with a mini kitchen, new furniture lovely view down College St and to Hyde Park.
-Staff were so friendly! -Room was a really good size and modern -Room service/minibar was a reasonable price -A short walk away from bus/tram or 20mins from main attractions/food/drink -Nightlife on Oxford St close by, but not too close -cafe food and drink was very nice
-The cafe wouldn't open/close when the timings stated missed breakfast due to early closing -The shower went cold after about 30mins - I could hear people upstairs walking about in the morning
Location New fresh
As above
Minimal in-house bar/restaurant facilities and nearby eateries.
The kindness of the staff. One male member delighted us with the way he went out and hailed a taxi for us in a style not usually done in NZ. The bed was luxurious and shower out of this world. James Bond woulld hsve been in his element.
We were not told thst there was a charge for car parking. The psrking was in a different building and we found it very difficult to park the Hyundai I20 (small car) in tje space provided.
Walking distance to many of Sydney's highlights. Roomy, clean & comfortable accommodation. Lovely complementary toiletries.
Clean, modern and well maintained room. WiFi that works!
Due to the close proximity of room entrance doorways on our floor, you are awoken early each morning with doors banging closed. Not very restful! I think this is a combination of cleaning staff and guests. The doors need some adjustment to address this problem - ? soft close mechanism?
Room was clean and modern Coffee shop on ground floor where guests can get breakfast is excellent - value for money, delicious food/coffee, nice staff!
Our door passes didn't seem to work properly on the front door of the hotel (after hours) so we had to wait til staff could let us in or other guests were also going in.
There were shops and restaurants nearby. It was close to Hyde Park, China Town, etc.
It was on a busy road. When we first arrived, the room was freezing cold and took a long time to warm up.
Loved the location. Stayed for 12 nights and everything is within a 10-15 minute walk. Train station in the park just across the street so public transport in convienent. Stayed on the 6th floor, corner room overlooking the park. Was quiet and restful. Many places to eat within 5 minutes. Rooms were clean, staff was friendly. Just an all around great expierence
Could use better hot water. Warm showers most days. And the lift must be the slowest in Sydney. (:
The rooms were a very good size and the quality of the towels was fantastic.
There was nothing we were unhappy with.
clean, tidy, comfortable.
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This is new to me....harder to figure out than the classic CDB. I got them for my nephews and their kids to remember the days they had them.Published 2 months ago by croc lover
I first read this book almost 20 years ago. I couldn't believe I found it on Amazon. Once you catch on, just going from page to page is fun trying to figure each one out.Published 6 months ago by KM Ferry
Formatted like a children's picture book with drawings more appealing to adults, I think. Oh, such fun to figure out the coded captions under each drawing. Read morePublished 6 months ago by bird lover
Middle-school children have to wrestle with this deceivingly simple book, often with better success than adults, which is what makes it so compelling!Published 8 months ago by M. J. Calcagno
Bought for gifts and people love them. I had purchased this book years ago and really enjoyed it. A lot of fun.Published 15 months ago by Cheryl A. Lieberman
I remembered this book from years ago and it was just as great as I remembered it. A fun phonic little romp through the alphabet, made into sentences.Published 15 months ago by Sally J. Penley
I bought this for our 7 year old and was very disappointed. I thought it would be fun to decode it but one of the pages was "Emmanuel is insecure", with a grown man... Read morePublished 17 months ago by Momoftwo
My daughter and I discovered this book when she was eight years old. We had to pull our car over to read it because we were laughing so hard. Read morePublished 17 months ago by stevens


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$33 + free shipping
Refurb Linksys Dual 802.11n WiFi Gigabit Router
Amazing Deals Online via Amazon offers the refurbished Linksys Smart Dual-Band 802.11n Wireless Gigabit Ethernet Router, model no. EA3500, for $32.95 with free shipping. That's $2 under our August refurb mention and the lowest total price we've seen for this router. (It's also $57 less than the best price of a new unit.) This 300Mbps router features Cisco Connect Cloud support, simultaneous 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies, four Gigabit Ethernet ports, and USB port for shared storage.
Note: A 90-day warranty is supplied, although it's unclear who backs it.
Posted October 20, 2014
Buy Now from Amazon
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Open-Box Apple 802.11ac AirPort Extreme for $144 + $5 s&h
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HooToo WiFi 6,000mAh Travel Router / Charger for $40 + free shipping
Sunvalleytek via Amazon offers the HooToo TripMate Elite 802.11n Wireless Travel Router, model no. HT-TM04, for $44.99. Coupon code "ANDROIDP" cuts it to $39.99. With free shipping, that's $7 belo... (more)Posted 2 days ago More Routers Amazon Coupons


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dudishly is a valid word in this word list. For a definition, see the external dictionary links below.
The word "dudishly" uses 8 letters: D D H I L S U Y.
No direct anagrams for dudishly found in this word list.
Adding one letter to dudishly does not form any other word in this word list.Words within dudishly not shown as it has more than seven letters.
Try a search for dudishly in these online resources (some words may not be found):
Wiktionary - OneLook Dictionaries - Merriam-Webster - Google Search
Each search will normally open in a new window.
List all words starting with dudishly, words containing dudishly or words ending with dudishly
All words formed from dudishly by changing one letter
Other words with the same letter pairs: du ud di is sh hl ly
Browse words starting with dudishly by next letter
Previous word in list: dudish
Next word in list: duds
Some random words: puke bench if immaculacies crwth weigela ngultrum
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Cost Accounting Manager

Our client is currently seeking a driven and ambitious Cost Accounting Manager to join their team. This is a unique opportunity for a highly motivated professional who has a go-getter attitude.

1) Plan, study and collect data to determine costs of actual business ...
Nov 21 -
Cincinnati - Everything else
Customer Service/ Collections Rep
Collections Specialist
We have a full-time, permanent opportunity as a Collections Specialist with a growing company in Mason, Ohio. This is a great career move for someone that is motivated and excels in a fast-paced environment. The average total compensation ...
Nov 21 -
Mason - Customer service
Senior Tax Associate
Our client, a leading organization in pharmacy services, is seeking a Sr. Tax Associate to join their team
The Indirect Tax Senior Tax Associate is an integral part of the sales and use tax compliance function and assists with audits, protests and accounting issues related ...
Nov 21 -
Cincinnati - Accounting & finance
Property Management Specialist
SCOPE: This position is responsible for performing functions necessary to ensure the proper and efficient operation of a property management office.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: include, but are not limited to:
Assist in leasing apartments. Prepare packets of information for ...
Nov 21 -
Cincinnati - Administrative & office
Tax Manager
Our client, a leading organization in pharmacy services, is seeking a Tax Manager I to join their team in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The Tax Manager I is an integral part of the indirect tax team and is responsible for providing knowledge, experience and processes to ensure the ...
Property Manager
SCOPE: This position reports to the Assistant Director of Asset Management and is responsible for the management of CMHA residential rental property.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: include, but are not necessarily limited to:
Manage a property portfolio consisting of elderly, ...
Nov 21 -
Cincinnati - Real estate
Contract Technical Writer
Position Description:
Responsible for writing, editing, and revising corporate training materials and communications. Working with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and development teams across the company, this position will work on a variety of projects in a variety of ...
Nov 21 -
Cincinnati - Writing & editing
Senior Manager, Federal Tax
Responsibilities:Provide tax compliance and advisory services to partnerships, corporations, and S-corporations for a variety of clients from Fortune 100 to emerging businessesWork as part of a multi-disciplinary team helping to provide industry knowledge and ...
Litigation Claims Specialist
Litigation Claims Adjuster
Cincinnati, OH
Investigation, evaluation, negotiation, disposition and settlement of Auto and General Liability claims, to determine legal liability, damages, and coverage. Assigned claims may involve serious injuries and/or damages, requiring ...
Nov 20 -
Cincinnati - Sales & biz dev
Web Application Penetration Tester
root9B, a Premier Alliance Company, is a dynamic provider of cyber security and advanced technology training capabilities, operational support and consulting services. Combining cutting-edge technology, tactics development, specialty tools, and deep mission experience, ...
Nov 20 -
Cincinnati - IT & software
Brand: FranchiseReq# F610002Description: Aspirational StatementAaron's has a long legacy as an industry leader, with continued growth regardless of the economy. In business since 1955, we have grown to over 2,000 stores across North America built on a foundation of ...
Nov 19 -
Madison - Everything else
Sales Manager
Brand: Aaron'sReq# C15018VDescription: Aaron's has a long legacy as an industry leader, with continued growth regardless of the economy. In business since 1955, we have grown to over 2,000 stores across North America built on a foundation of excellence, customer focus, ...
Nov 19 -
Covington - Everything else
Brand: Aaron'sReq# C0800TYDescription: Aaron's has a long legacy as an industry leader, with continued growth regardless of the economy. In business since 1955, we have grown to over 2,000 stores across North America built on a foundation of excellence, customer focus, ...
Nov 19 -
Cincinnati - Everything else
Administrative Assistant
Our client, a Cincinnati-based manufacturer and recognized leader in their industry, is looking for a full-time Administrative Assistant for a temp-to-hire opportunity. This role performs administrative and accounting support for management while maintaining solid customer ...
Nov 19 -
Cincinnati - Administrative & office
Director of Accounts Receivable
The position of DIRECTOR OF ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE is with an Ohio based organization that manages Long Term Care facilities in the Midwest, employs 5000, and is headquartered in Southwest Ohio. Our client is seeking a proven experienced Director of Accounts Receivable with ...
RHIT Cert. - Medical Records
We are looking for Registered Health Information Technicians, who are seeking employment in the downtown area in a hospital setting. The shift for this position will be 1 st shift 8:00 am-5:00pm. It is a full time position, Monday through Friday. The pay ranges from $25.00 ...
Nov 17 -
Cincinnati - Everything else
West Chester, OH - Mover / Driver (non-CDL)
Mover / Driver (non-CDL) West Chester, OH Job Description Launch your career with TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® as a mover and discover the opportunities for growth into a mover/driver position, office position or movement to other franchises. At TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® your ...
Nov 17 -
West Chester - Everything else
Senior Uplift Case Manager
The UPLIFT Counselor will provide an evidence-based mental health intervention model to seniors 50 years or older that live in Butler County suffering from depression and/or anxiety. This position will be part of a team consisting of other Counselors, a Supervisor and a ...
Nov 17 -
Hamilton - Everything else
Lockbox Associate
Adecco is currently assisting a local client in their search to fill lockbox jobs in Cincinnati. These are potential temp to hire opportunities. As a lockbox associate you will be responsible for preparing transactions for deposit by performing a variety of routine duties ...
Rental Sales Agent - Payless Car Rental
As a Payless Rental Sales Associate, you will assist customers with their vehicle rental to ensure a positive customer experience, while also promoting our additional products and services. The ideal candidate for this position is energetic, motivated by money, has a passion ...
Nov 17 -
Erlanger - Everything else
Dairy Regulatory Specialist (Southeast) - Board of Animal Health
Job Description:
Incumbent is responsible for determining whether dairy facilities, equipment and personnel are in substantial compliance with federal and state laws and regulations regarding the production and processing of dairy products. Incumbent accomplishes this task ...
Nov 17 -
Versailles - Biotech, R&D, & science
We receive a high amount of interest for this position.
Sales Agent Job Description
Whether you're looking for a new career or you are a sales veteran, Outside Sales Representatives at Future Payment Technologies have found our company to be a rewarding place to work. Our outside sales agents meet with local businesses every ...
Nov 17 -
Middletown - Customer service
Regional Account Manager - Specialty Chemicals - (ID:434)
Job Title: Regional Account Manager - Specialty Chemicals
Location: Midwest Region - Home Office Based
Compensation: Base Salary plus Bonus Plan
Benefits: Full Benefits provided
Travel: 50% travel within the Midwest US region required
Company Overview:
With over ...
Nov 16 -
Cincinnati - Sales & biz dev
Inventory Taker - US - Dist 342 - Covington, KY - Northern Kentucky
RGIS Inventory Takers are members of a team (called Team Members) that work together to physically count inventory for our clients and enter information into RGIS equipment. Inventory to be counted varies depending on the client and location to be audited. Items may be ...
Nov 15 -
Covington - Everything else
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Related Category (1)
Manufacturing Area
Category: Temperature Control Switches
Detailed Product Description small size bimetal thermostaT auto-reset thermostar horizontal terminal aluminum shell free holder KSD301 thermostat ;1. with CQC,VDE,UL certification; 2. ...Keyword : electric heating thermostat
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Product features: Professional manufacturer. Excellent color consistency. Uniform brightness. Low power consumption. Solid package, High stability. Easy installation. large viewing angle. G ...
Category: Wire harness and TFT LCD cable assemblies
Solid or stranded, tinned copper conductor, 26-16AWG Silicone rubber insulation and fiberglass braid jacket Rated Temperature: 200C, Voltage: 300Volts. Passed VW-1 & CSA FT1 Vertical Flame Test Pr ...Keyword : ELECTRIC WIRE
Category: CNC Machines
designed to bring latest technology in grid casting. It is suitable to process both low antimony and calcium alloys. It is equipped with many new features which bring user friendly operation, quality ...
Category: Electrical Refrigerators and Parts
APPLICATION - Air conditioners - Refrigerators - Freezers - water heaters - Potable water heaters - Air Warmers - Washers - Disinfection Cases, - Wa ...
Category: Nickel and Nickel Alloys
Nichrome alloy basically constitutes of Nickel and chromium elements. It has excellent resistance to oxidation, elevated temperature strength and prolonged service life. It has high temperature coeffi ...
Category: Switching Power Supplies
Application 1. Vehicle and vessel Equipment Series: Military vehicle, police cars, ambulances, ships, trucks, cars, etc. 2. Office Equipment Series: Laptop computers, printers, desktop computers, cop ...
Category: Thermostats
You can add me MSN for online communication:wuyuyanzi1985@hotmail .com Product Description TX-128 7-days Weekly programmable heating thermostats are suitable for controlling boiler, electric hea ...
Category: Thermistors
High reliability, stability and sensitivity Wide range of resistance: 0.5K to 1,000KΩ Usable in high-temperature and high-moisture environments due to glass wrapping Small, light, firm str ...
Category: Quartz Heater Pipe
With the adoption of distinctive technique this milky quartz glass tube has its typical characteristics of good visual aspects and stable physical & chemical properties. It is used as material of infr ...Keyword : QUARTZ HEATER | QUARTZ HEATER BOX
Category: Glass Instruments
email@example.com firstname.lastname@example.com skype:cici2011636 tel:86 020 36399307 (Heat resistant borosilicate glass, Fireplace Glass, Fireplaces Glass, Crystallized glass, Crystallized glass ...Keyword : heat resistant glass
Basic Info. Model NO.: KI31 Certification: TUV Max. Current: 16A Max. Voltage: 250V Operating Temperature Range: 0 ~250centigrade Differential: 10~25centigrade Normal Close: or No ...
Category: Hardware, Hand tool and Garden Accessories
Listing description: 1. double assurance of temperature and pressure safety 2. good reputation in this field using method: temperature and pressure relief valves is suitable for bearing the p ...
Category: Household Electrical and Mechanical Parts
‧ Stainless Steel cartridge heater Cartridge heater with elbow is cylindrical electrical heating elements. Protected with a stainless steel sheath, their watt density can reach 25 W/cm2 an ...Keyword : cartridge heater | 12 cartridge heater | Stainless Steel tubular heater
Category: Oil Manufacturing Machines
This Double Stage Transformer Oil Filter Machine is brought to the clients at competitive prices. The Double Stage Transformer Oil Filter Machine undergoes rigorous quality control tests to make it de ...
Category: Electronic Components, general
Product InformationVoltage:110V-380V Power:300~6000W The size of example(Left):130x106x15mm and 120X107X15MM CompositionHeating Elements :silver electrode PTC heating elements Silica ge ...
Category: Electric water heaters
electric water heater 1, high-quality enamel interior, corrosion resistance, the safe use of 2, the operation simple and quick 3, anti-dry, high efficiency and energy saving 4,High-definition full-col ...Keyword : electric water heater | storage water heater | hot water heater | water heater
SF-series water heater Characteristic: 1. This kind's water heater is specially designed for tropical & sub-tropical area 2. Sealed storage electric water heater 3. The shell is made of ABS, which ...Keyword : electric water heater | water heater | electric storage water heater | small water heater
L-Series water heater Characteristic: 1. Classic European vertical style water heater 2. Sealed storage electric water heater 3. Stainless Steel 316 / Incoloy 840 / Incoloy 800 / Enamel / Copper heat ...Keyword : electric water heater | water heater | electric storage water heater | electric hot water heater
Characteristic: 1. Classic European vertical style water heater 2. Sealed storage electric water heater 3. Stainless Steel 316 / Incoloy 840 / Incoloy 800 / Enamel / Copper heating element, safety ...Keyword : electric water heater | water heater | storage electric water heater


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Monday, May 16th, 2011
Propane tank to trailerhitch
OK now you know this is just not going to end well. First the weight of the tank vs the rope used. Hope he doesn't get hit in the rear.
Sunday, May 15th, 2011
Now Lean to the left…
Unless you're playing Hokey Poky this can't be a good idea. I hope they're almost there because this load it going over.
Sunday, May 15th, 2011
Crap Overload
Have you ever wondered how much crap you can put on one car or truck? Well now you know its a LOT! My personal favorite is all the heads by the wheel… WTF?!?!?!
Sunday, May 15th, 2011
Car for sale
What you can't even spare a sheet of paper? I would say use some of your kids notebook paper but they probably don't attend school.


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Two Regina men sentenced for manslaughter in 2012 appeared in provincial court Monday morning after being charged wit hit and run and assaulting a police officer over the weekend. Ashton J. Lavallee-Raphael (also known as Ashton Joseph James Lavallee), 25, and his cousin Ronald Devon Zerr, 27, are charged with failing to remain at the scene of an accident and assaulting a police officer with a weapon (a truck).
A trial date has been set for a 24-year-old Regina man — previously convicted in relation to a fatal stabbing — who is facing new knife-related charges. Ashton Joseph James Lavallee appeared at Regina Provincial Court on Tuesday by video link from the Regina Provincial Correctional Centre. During his brief appearance, a defence lawyer appeared with him asking that his newest charges — possession of a weapon, assault with a weapon and possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking — be set down for trial on July 31 at provincial court. Crown and defence evidence at trial is expected to be presented within a day.