The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I was surprised at how fast I plowed through this book. So much drama and intrigue and history, I kept sneaking in chances to read wherever I could.
In a way, this felt like science fiction – the society and the culture was so strange and different from anything I understand that I could have read this for the world alone.
Well worth the 1000 pages of your time. Like reading a Neil Stephenson epic, but with a real ending.
The Martian by Andy Weir
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is the most exciting potato novel I’ve ever read.
Mark Watney is an extreme potato farmer who grows potatoes under the most unimaginable circumstances. We get great insights into his yields, his daily practice and the terrible calamity that befalls his crop.
***SPOILER ALERT***
None of the potatoes make it to the end of the book.
Let’s get some of the dust knocked off of this thing.
I’ve been doing a lot, but not writing much. Stalled on Orbital for a bit and hadn’t reached a publishing point on Project Munchausen.
Mainly been working on the upstate house, learning how to really raise a great kid and buried at work.
Starting to come up for air on all of those things so why not write again?
Parable of the Polygons – a playable post on the shape of society. I’m a fan of Vi Hart in general and this page is exactly what I hope essays are like in the future.
I heard this track on All Songs Considered and now I can’t stop listening to it. Feels like Alt-J.
They also had a song from the band Howard – Falling.
It’s dreamier and now I’m just playing these two songs over and over in my office.
Look, I know I’m hard to shop for. I don’t want things. Here is where that is a lie. I cannot possibly justify buying myself a TextBlade . I really can’t. But I have a deep inner need to possess this. You should buy it now for me. If you order now you’ll get it by April and you have plenty of time to gift wrap it for me.
And let’s also remember the last time I asked you for a birthday gift. You did not get it for me, but I forgave you.
I love me some low-budget creativity. If you have time and creativity you can do a hell of a lot with next to nowt.
Parts & Labor doesn’t have any cash, but I really like their stop motion videos:
http://youtu.be/wmkmsxsvISQ
http://youtu.be/YwCFP1qyz9k
There also used to be this company that specialized in grants to bands for $99 music videos. Check out this one from Care Bears on Fire:
And the band that made their name on a smart idea for a video and catchy tune:
This season the Barristers were undefeated and had the highest point differential in Floyd history.
Truly, this season the Bocce gods were with us.
Wow, looks like this is the last week I can see the river from my apartment. I’m gonna miss it.
Somewhere deep in the MTA offices, someone is quietly muttering “tation Name, tation Name, tation Name…”