"Tin Men" by Christopher Golden (2015, Ballantine) shouldn't work as a novel. Golden combines the current geopolitical landscape with a somewhat plausible extrapolation of the US as the "world's policeman" and near-future drone technology. I read the book synopsis in the library and thought it just sounded overstuffed and dry. "Tin Men" is anything but…
Category: Books
Make Your Own Pulp Magazine Cover!
How much do I love the "Pulp-o-Matic" pulp magazine cover creator? So so much! Thank you, "Professor Cornelius Zappencackler in the Experimental Research District of Retropolis" — aka Bradley W. Schenck, artist and web developer! You are part of what makes the internet so damn awesome. Make your own here!
Amazing “Y: The Last Man” Fan-made Film (video)
"Y: The Last Man" is one of the most acclaimed comics of the decade, a dystopic scifi series that builds an elaborate universe around the premise of what would happen if every man on earth was wiped out by a plague. The characters are indelible and unique and the adventure is heart-pounding. Created by Brian…
“Swing Dancing” Book Chronicles Lindy Hop from Slavery to Today
Swing aficionados generally use words like "happy" and "fun," when describing their dance, and Lindy Hop the original style of swing, is often referred to as "an outward expression of an inner joy." Sometimes silly, sometimes cool, it's a dance that lifts the spirits. And to those that catch the bug ( the "Jitter"-bug, that…
Ready Player One: 80s Era Gaming Meets Snow Crash (review)
"Everyone my age remembers where they were and what they were doing when they learned about the contest." — Opening sentence of Ready Player One I finally got around to reading Ready Player One, by Earnest Cline, after friends told me I had to read it. A near future scifi adventure, Ready Player One…
Tim Ferriss Tackles Spirituality in “The Four Hour Spirit”
For those of you who are die-hard Tim Ferriss fans, having quit your normal 9-5 to travel the world and live off of your mail-order oven mitt business, working on your killer abs and having great sex, you might be wondering what is next from the "4-hour" wunderkind? Well I have it from reliable sources…
“Sorry, apple knocker, no barneymugging, the bank’s closed” : The Flapper Dictionary
Blogger Bookflaps came across this fantastic "Flappers Dictionary" from the July 1922 issue of Flapper Magazine. It's chock-a-block with choice flapper-isms. Some of my faves: Apple Knocker : A hick; a hay-shaker. Barlow: A girl, a flapper, a chicken. Bank’s Closed: No petting allowed; no kisses. Barneymugging: Lovemaking. Brush Ape: Anyone from the sticks; a…
“The Four-hour Work Week”: Revisiting the Work-Happiness Equation, Becoming “New Rich”
I just finished reading Timothy Ferriss's best-selling self-help book The Four-hour Workweek, first published in 2007. I found it to be a breezy, thought-provoking, entertaining and at times inspiring read. Ferriss's central thesis is that — surprise — you can have it all now, as long as you are willing to get creative about how…
“The Lifecycle of Software Objects”: Intriguing Free Novella about Digital Lifeforms and Virtual Worlds
"The Lifecycle of Software Objects" is a fun and thought-provoking novella that should captivate anyone who is interested in artificial intelligence, virtual worlds, or robots. A near fiction story by Ted Chiang about a young zookeeper who is hired to help develop a line of new digital pets in a virtual world. Things are going…
Re-kindling My Passion for Reading
It's been a few months since I got my Kindle as a birthday present, and it has slowly inched its way into both my heart and my backpack. I've been wanting some kind of e-reader to try and restart my love affair with reading that goes back as long as I can remember. I wanted…