Kniviness

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Tidying up

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Eight years since I last posted on this blog, that I'd almost forgotten existed. Time to perform some digital necromancy, and see if I can resurrect this thing before Blogger gets turned off. More than half the posts on here were done via Posterous - a service that no longer exists, so the posts themselves make little sense any more (no images if they were hosted on posterous, links that go nowhere). From what I remember, Posterous' big selling point was being able to send blog posts via email and have it do all the formatting and presentation for you. It would also then syndicate out that post to whatever other sources you wanted  - like Blogger, for instance, or Facebook. They got into the blogging business just as everyone moved onto social media, and they never worked out how to make any money. I'll go through and delete all the useless posts over the next few days. So many online services are dead and gone (or dying), that at the time I thought were great. Remembe...
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(fre)ebooks

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Tor are currently giving away free ebooks as part of a promotion for their new website. Just sign up for their newsletter and once a week they'll email you a link to download it in html, pdf, or mobi format. They're on their third book at the moment: " The Outstretched Shadow " by Mercedes Lackey and Someone Else Whose Name Isn't As Distinctive. The previous two were " Old Man's War " by that nice Mr. Scalzi, and " Spin " by Robert Wilson. I have a decent-sized screen on my PDA-phone-thing, and reading "Spin" was quite comfortable. There were advantages over the paper version (reading in the dark; not as heavy; easier to read one-handed while swaying on the commuter meat wagon; I always have my phone with me so I've always got a book too), and disadvantages (could not read at the beach; or anywhere in bright light; not as high contrast as print on paper which did give me a slight headache after an hour or so; my book now depe...
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Yiddish tattoos

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Oy, have we got a bargain for you: two reviews for the price of one! First up is " The Yiddish Policemen's Union " by Michael Chabon. (My apologies to my large(ly imaginary) Jewish readers for my first line. I've never met anyone that talks like that, but I've seen them on tv and tv would never lie to me) Meyer Landsman is a detective in an alternative future where the Jewish homeland is in Alaska. He's investigating the murder of a heroin-addicted, chess-playing, deadbeat who may have been the Messiah. Or just a very naughty boy. Excellent writing, as always from Mr Chabon, that perfectly immerses you in Sitka, Alaska. A good plot, twisty and turny just like a good detective story should be. Loved it, great book. Next, Bradbury's classic collection of short stories, " The Illustrated Man ". I found this in the 50% off pile at Reader's Feast in Melbourne (thanks Tessa ). I don't think I'd have picked it up if it wasn't a bargain ...
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