Updates, book notes, and more, much more!
Updates:
Finally, got it done, I hope. Change pointers, bookmarks and links: www.astrofish.net/xenon should finally work right.
Stupid Apple Tricks:
I was fooling around with the “make a poster” link, and I ordered up a poster from the “best of” 2004, early gift for the parental unit since they are always curious as to exactly what I do, what I see, and where I go. Then I got to poking through the photo files, really, just digital images, and I thought about a poster of all the fish in 2004. So I toyed with that while I was waiting on a software update (to this journal) to update.
One white bass, two hybrid bass, a lot of dinky black bass, and a couple of big ones. Plus one I tired buck I caught twice in a single afternoon. While I had fun throwing together the images, I’m not sure that it makes a valued poster. Sometimes, though, just the process of knocking around with the collage helps spur new ideas. Besides, it was really too cold for me to fish.
Book notes:
I finished reading The Piano Tuner the other evening. It was a quick read, and the first half of the novel was luxurious in detail, descriptions, plotting, and a curious echo. I couldn’t place the echo until, some point, about halfway? The protagonist starts a trip up a jungle river. Suddenly, it’s like, Apocalypse Now in imagery, which, of course, alludes to Conrad’s Heart of Darkness.
Look, the writing, the text, it’s very good. Lyrical, with a nice flavor to it. But the story line, and the ultimate resolution? I felt just a little cheated. could’ve been better. It’s a first novel for a med student, and unlike my previous assumption, it’s not a British author, but a Yank. Because I picked the book up overseas, with a British imprint, it is a little bit better of a book, better binding, nicer printing.
But I did feel cheated when I realized that it was a new idea grafted onto an old story. Plus, I didn’t like its conclusion. But that’s often an ailing of modern literature, shooting for the easy way out. Reminded me of some of Hemingway’s early short stories, in fact. The plot to the The Piano Tuner is a simple set-up: stationed on the edge of what’s now Thailand, in the jungle, there’s an eccentric British Major who has this rare piano, and he orders up a piano tuner from London, all circa 1886.
The voyage, the trip, the travels, the travails, the stories and myth of the fellow travelers, and ultimate resolution? So good. A very near miss, in my estimation. The historic detail and the metaphors about British colonial expansion work well. Just because I wasn’t satisfied with the ending? Doesn’t make it a bad book. I’d be interested in more work from the doctor, as I’m guessing he’s done with med school by now.
I had a quick after thought, too, which is an indication that it is a passable bit of lit, couple of points. It’s not “macho”” literature, that’s good. Unlike some of the criticism I seem to recall leveled at Hemingway. Plus the prose in imminently digestible. Finally, it did evoke a strong response from me, and maybe that was part of the intent.
Unrelated:
Fish wine & beer?
What will they think of next?
Mac Project sidebar:
This guy plugged a Mac Cube into that SE case.
iPod goodness? Is it really a free accessory?
fredlet pointed this out first, apparently, and after I cruised the catalog, it looked right, a $30 product (mini speakers powered by a single AA battery, and the assembly rides on top of the iPod) with a rebate for the full price. In other words, shipping is the only other cost, $8-12 depending on options.
The catch? The only one I cold tell is that the “free” (after 6-8 weeks plus shipping) is for an older version of the product, and there’s a newer one out now, supposedly incrementally better. Which is why I tend not to buy the first rev. of anything these days. Except some times, knowing full well that “Kramer’s law of computer prices” is in full effect.
“Kramer’s law of computer prices?”
That new CPU/Keyboard/Display? Before it’s out of the box, before it’s even been powered up the first time? It’s now worth half what you paid for it.
