Daily Archives: October 14, 2009

Reverse-Engineering the Steampunk Novel with Style: Cherie Priest and Boneshaker | GeekDad | Wired.com

I’ve been pretty sedentary in my fiction reading, I’ll admit. But I really need some new writers. Turtledove’s latest series haven’t quite grabbed me. Ferrigno ended his Assassin series more than a bit predictably. King finished the Dark Tower books and nothing since has satisfies. Clancy wrote himself into a corner with the Jack Ryan books years ago.

Gibson is into modern mysteries and hasn’t found his old touch. Stephenson is getting more and more involved with his created worlds that he’s frankly getting hard to follow. Stirling’s Emberverse is about all I can follow, though I still have my Star Wars books and the latest is – literally – a scream.

So, along with my GeekDad recommendations and Stacy’s work (hi!) I picked up Boneshaker and boy am I glad I did. Here’s the review from GeekDad.

A fun take on alternate history and a well written book to boot. Hell, the ivory pages and brown text just screams “Read me! I’m different!”. Pick it up and thank me later.

For a free sneak peek into the steampunk world by the same author, check out Tanglefoot.

Political Irony › The Democrats start growing a backbone?

From the episodes in this article, I really do hope the Democrats are realizing they have had the majority in Congress for coming on three years now.

Who cares if the GOP doesn’t want to reform health care as long as a large majority of Americans do? I’m not saying cram things down people’s throats that they don’t want, but Christ.

Why should we torture people? Why should we outsource EVERYTHING to private companies who have zero interest in America’s image? Why should people suffer, get fleeced, hell, get raped and killed just to satisfy some corporate lobbyist’s wet dreams?

Fix it. You’re the only ones we seem to have that will do so. The Republicans are all in a lather about rejecting anything you or the President come up with. Until that changes, screw them.

Golf In Cross Hairs Of Venezuela’s President : NPR

Most people know that I have little use for golf. I think courses are a waste of property and help create an environment of smug privilege.

Now, I also don’t have a whole lot to say about Hugo Chavez. I admire his goals but really think being a thug is absolutely the wrong way to go about it. That said, I kinda like his plans to take over Venezuela’s golf courses and turn them into public parks.

Just to add fuel to the fire for doing something similar here, the Secret Service is investigating an incident at a Massachusetts golf course where a swastika was carved next to the President’s name, presumably by a golf cleat. Here’s a local report on the event.

And this is in supposedly liberal Massachusetts. We already know how the traitors down South feel.