Daily Thoughts 1/29/2010

There is nothing like a good book. Life Cartoons 1905.

Daily thoughts 1/29/2010

A very nice review of the Apple Ipad. It looks promising. I am not an early adopter. Maybe in a while the price will go down. http://blogs.semantico.com/discovery-blog/2010/01/what-apple%e2%80%99s-ipad-and-ibookstore-mean-for-publishers/

I walked up to my local library and picked up two paperbacks. I am attempting to read Ender In Exile by Orson Scott Card, but for some reason, I just cannot get into it. I know it will be a book that many other people will love to read. I have read the first thirty pages, but find myself wanting to read something else. It is on the Locus Paperback Bestseller list. It is well written, but I think I will probably read the other book instead. I will probably purchase the book for our library. The other book which I picked up is Star Trek Mirror Mirror Universe The Sorrows of Empire by David Mack. Hopefully, it will be entertaining.

The book is rather enjoyable. Over a period of many years, Spock seizes control of the evil empire. It is a story of intrigue, murder, and power in alternate Star Trek universe. Right now, in my reading Spock has become emperor. He is affected by his vision of an alternate Kirk. David Mack is the author. The book is different from most of the other Star Trek novels in that it is on a grand scale over a long period of time. Also, the members of the Starship Enterprise are all villains which is rather refreshing.

Daily Thoughts 12/31/2009

Edward Burne-Jones (left) and William Morris (right) in the garden of Burne-Jones's home the Grange, Fulham, 1890. Scanned from Waggoner, Diane, The Beauty of Life: William Morris & the Art of Design, Thames and Hudson, 2003, ISBN 0-500-28434-2. The image is c1890. Found on Wikimedia

Daily Thoughts 12/31/2009

Tonight will be New Years eve. It is snowing outside right now, so I am not planning on going anywhere. I am reading book III in the Vulcan's Soul trilogy, Epiphany right now.

Took a break and read some of Publishers Weekly online. There is a nice article on Turning Classics Into Comics. http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6712404.html

I finished reading the Vulcan's Soul trilogy. It was nice light and fluffy entertainment. My favorite character in Star Trek is Spock. He is the most interesting character in the show. "Live long and prosper." I do like watching the show sometimes. It is a chance to escape away from the mundane.

Daily Thoughts 12/29/2009

Calliope, Muse of Epic Poetry

Daily Thoughts 12/29/2009

New and Creative Leniency for Overdue Library Books, article from New York Times. http://bit.ly/72KGbt Our library did a Food For Fines drive where we collected can goods in exchange for library fines which we donated to local food pantries. It is an excellent way to both help the hungry and generate positive publicity.

If a person checks out five dvds at a maximum and has a $2.00 a day late fee per dvd if they are returned late, it can very quickly add up to a considerable amount of money after a few late days. Sometimes people can forget very easily. With more expensive items like video games and even preloaded thumb drives, the fine amounts tend to be higher than books.

Where it can get difficult is with teenagers who are absent minded with videos or video games from the library. They can easily add up very high fines which are difficult for them to pay back. Sometimes libraries do "Read Away Your Fines" programs where they reduce a persons fines for every hour they spend reading in the library. Ths program is especially good for children and teenagers.

There is also the option of doing an amnesty for fines for books and materials. Some of the dvds and oversize books can be quite expensive. It is nice to just have the books back sometimes.

I was looking through Locus Magazine and decided to put The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart by Jesse Bullington on hold. I also saw a book which looked interesting on Linked In,
Choosing civility : the twenty-five rules of considerate conduct by P.M. Forni.

I had a chance to walk up to my local library. It was very cold out. I still try and walk a little bit every single day as a form of exercise. I picked up a trilogy of paperbacks, Star Trek Vulcan's Soul, Volumes 1, 2, and 3 by Josepha Sherman and Susan Shwartz. Josepha Sherman and Susan Shwartz wrote two other novels based on Vulcan, Vulcan's Forge, and Vulcan's Heart. They have been writing for the paperback series for a very long time and have the formula down pat. This story features Ambassador Spock.