No Middle Name

Waiting for fireworks Originally uploaded by No Middle Name

December afternoon Originally uploaded by No Middle Name It's good to be in the southern hemisphere.

Is it wise to review a book when half-pissed, on the train home typing on the crappy iPhone virtual keypad? Probably not; every lurch of the train turns my stomach, every acceleration reminds me of the Thai red curry I've just eaten. Anyway, " Blindsight " by Peter Watts, is another discourse on the nature of consciousness, like Neal Stephenson's Anathem. Where it differs is in its conclusion: Anathem takes consciousness as a quantum phenomenon, harnessing the many worlds theory for fun and profit; Blindsight takes consciousness as an epiphenomenon, a side effect. It is all wrapped up in a decent story, a good read with thought-provoking ideas.

The most awesome toilet in Australia Originally uploaded by No Middle Name Old eagle comics as wallpaper. Fan-fucking-tastic.

I forgot to push the "clear" button before starting my run this morning, meaning that trailguru dutifully added it on to the end of Monday's run. A 6km run that took two days - not even I am that unfit. But here is where Trailguru brings out the awesome: it has a "split track" option. Which is cool in itself, but it also recognised where to split it (those two days where I was stationary must have been a give-away). I pushed the button, clicked the link, hit save and it was all done. Awesomeness.

An early sixties childhood in Florida. Roadside attractions, racism, a child's relationship with his father. All of these things are in Will Shetterley's " Dogland ". You can read it that way and you'll get an enjoyable memoir where the point of view character, eight-year-old Chris, learns a lot about people. A seasoned SF or fantasy reader can't help but pick up on the strange cast of supporting characters, who could possibly be Satan, Mary, Joseph, Odin, Thor, or other more obscure mythical people. It's never stated, but the clues are there. It adds a clever extra layer to what was already an interesting, moving tale. A mashup of "To Kill A Mockingbird" and Neil Gaiman's "American Gods". Good stuff.

Danger! Originally uploaded by No Middle Name I believe this stuff is made from nuclear waste and ground glass. It made my eyes sweat.

Smiley Face Originally uploaded by No Middle Name The Moon, Jupiter and Venus are putting on a show right now. Say hello to the big smiley face.