Thanks guys. 200 pages is kind of a neat milestone.
Hominids was the first of Robert Sawyer's novels I ever read. Caught it when it was serialized in Analog. I really liked the slow start. In fact, it's his generally laid back style that appeals most to me. It makes a nice contrast to and restbite from the frenetic pace of most American SF. I've finally gotten the second and third books in the series, but plan to reread Hominids before proceeding.
Have you read Starplex? That one's a bit less laid back than the others of his books I've read, but very good for all that.
I've run into a roadblock with the Dresden Files. Audible doesn't have vols 6 and 7. From the general notice, I gather it's either a rights problem or an audio problem. Of the two, I gather the latter is more likely to get solved sometime this millennium. But it's annoying. I really like the series. Oh well. Maybe I'll get started on The Neanderthal Parallax. Watch, the sequel to Wake is coming out this month. Must remember to get it. Sawyer is working on the third book, Wonder as we speak, and closing in on the end if I read his FaceBook status correctly.
No, I actually don't place Starplex at all. In Hominids I've just reached the point where Mary and Ponter are discussing religion and related otpics. Those are several chapters I could do without. Sawyer seems to love expounding on such things, but he and I simply don't connect on these topics. He also sometimes manages to put me off with his less-than-spot-on presentations of science, although the points at issue are not central to this book. (I don't know enough about quantum computing to know whether he's right or wrong there.) I enjoyed some of his earlier books, but I'm coming to the conclusion that recent Sawyer isn't really my thing.
Which I regret to say, because I knew the man on-line before he'd ever published a book.
And having noticed what time it is, I'm now heading for bed.
Hubby and I got there and back again safely. Thanks for the Traveling Mercies, Catreona! ♥ And super congratulations on your 200pp milestone!!
Thanks too for the nice remarks about the photos, puddle. Got the Paschal Candle delivered just fine tonight. We got there before anyone else and discovered that the candle they'd ordered was about 1/4" more in diameter than the hole in the candle stand that it needed to fit into. So, quick like a bunny, Hubby went over to the nearby general store and came back with a small sharp whittling knife and masking tape. He marked the candle at the correct depth to match the hole then carefully whittled the bottom end of the candle down all the way around, to fit.
We had everything in place and all cleaned up before anyone else even arrived. Then we went out to dinner and got back in time to get good seats.
It was great to see so many old friends.
I snuck a few non-flash photos during the service (totally verboten in an Episcopal Church...sorry Renee) but I have done something like 5 Paschal Candles now and figured it was about time I had a Kodak moment. (And I know this particular priest doesn't mind. :) )
The service was beautiful! {If you ever want to experience a liturgy done well, go to an Easter Vigil service at an Episcopal Church!} The priest has a gorgeous soprano voice and used all the optional chanting. We had to leave during Communion, though, because the service went way overtime and we still needed to get to our son's event.
THAT went well too...a fundraiser for The Root Center, his non-profit. They had a rock band, and we freaked out our kids by dancing. (Ol' Mom here can really cut a nice rug...we had to show those little kids how it's done.) Besides...their bass player tonight was older than we are! (He was 18 at Woodstock and we were only 15 that year. LOL!)
Won an espresso maker and a self-watering planter in the Silent Auction; oh, and a pretty turquoise necklace which we gave to our future-daughter-in-law, who was there.
So it's been some day....especially given that it all started with me opening the Library! Quite a stretch to go from Library Clerk to Easter Vigil Paschal Candle Artist to Rockin' Mom! I definitely worked off some of that Easter chocolate today. 8)
ALLELUIA!! (You'd be amazed how many syllables the word "Alleluia" can have when it's sung by someone with a fabulous voice!)
Always like the Greek Orthodox Easter celebration, where the Priest runs through the town, and/or from town to town at dawn shouting "He is risen!!!!" Seems so cheerful!!
Well done listener's squeeze! And listener, too.
Ma hunny's sis has been around all week (visiting from the bay area) and between that and my lousy line, communication's been spotty. This morning, a wonderful long, hopeful, joyous letter!! Life is good. . . .
Sawyer's views on religion are apparently fairly close to mine, so I'm quite comfortable with them. I also greatly appreciate that, unlike so many in the field, he does not directly equate faith with blind, brainless superstition.
I'm not actually sure what Sawyer's religious views are. Certainly in the present instance Mary doesn't give a very good account of her religious views. Just as she doesn't give a very good explanation for the existence of races. In both instances what she says is not wrong, but it could be expressed in a more coherent, believable manner. I get the impression that in this whole extended section Sawyer is trying to cast modern-human society in a bad light. Although it's always dangerous to draw conclusions about an author's personal beliefs from the stories he writes. Sometimes plat development takes preference, donchknow? ;)
But, as I think I've mentioned before, I know from what Sawyer has posted on CompuServe that his view of the important questions simply don't coincide with mine. So I find the whole discussion rather boring. And so far as I can see at the point I've reached, it simply brings the plot to a halt for about 5-6 chapters. It looks like we're on the point of returning to story line about now.
Hi! More research for the Alaska case today, got started on tax returns, and am preparing for a thorough inspection of my nether regions tomorrow morning. Just routine followup, but worth a couple days' PTO.
Sounds like you had a great day, listener!
Yesterday we did some shopping in San Jose and visited Naomi in Berkeley. The new iMac we got her seems dandy; she says file transfers that previously took half an hour now take half a minute, and it handles pretty heavy-duty software with ease. Installed more RAM and left a big external hard drive for backup. I must admit to measuring to see if one would fit where our present one at home does...
Looked up Starplex. The plot synopsis doesn't sound familiar at all, although I see it made the Hugo ballot. Must have been something I missed at the time. But it's from 1996, which I think is when Sawyer was still writing stories rather than philosophical discussions (OK, not really fair), and it sounds interesting.
Howard's first on Easter Sunday and every day.
ReplyDeleteThanks guys. 200 pages is kind of a neat milestone.
ReplyDeleteHominids was the first of Robert Sawyer's novels I ever read. Caught it when it was serialized in Analog. I really liked the slow start. In fact, it's his generally laid back style that appeals most to me. It makes a nice contrast to and restbite from the frenetic pace of most American SF. I've finally gotten the second and third books in the series, but plan to reread Hominids before proceeding.
Have you read Starplex? That one's a bit less laid back than the others of his books I've read, but very good for all that.
I've run into a roadblock with the Dresden Files. Audible doesn't have vols 6 and 7. From the general notice, I gather it's either a rights problem or an audio problem. Of the two, I gather the latter is more likely to get solved sometime this millennium. But it's annoying. I really like the series. Oh well. Maybe I'll get started on The Neanderthal Parallax. Watch, the sequel to Wake is coming out this month. Must remember to get it. Sawyer is working on the third book, Wonder as we speak, and closing in on the end if I read his FaceBook status correctly.
No, I actually don't place Starplex at all. In Hominids I've just reached the point where Mary and Ponter are discussing religion and related otpics. Those are several chapters I could do without. Sawyer seems to love expounding on such things, but he and I simply don't connect on these topics. He also sometimes manages to put me off with his less-than-spot-on presentations of science, although the points at issue are not central to this book. (I don't know enough about quantum computing to know whether he's right or wrong there.) I enjoyed some of his earlier books, but I'm coming to the conclusion that recent Sawyer isn't really my thing.
ReplyDeleteWhich I regret to say, because I knew the man on-line before he'd ever published a book.
And having noticed what time it is, I'm now heading for bed.
H A P P Y * E A S T E R !!!
ReplyDeleteHubby and I got there and back again safely.
Thanks for the Traveling Mercies, Catreona! ♥
And super congratulations on your 200pp milestone!!
Thanks too for the nice remarks about the photos, puddle.
Got the Paschal Candle delivered just fine tonight.
We got there before anyone else and discovered that the candle they'd ordered was
about 1/4" more in diameter than the hole in the candle stand that it needed to fit into.
So, quick like a bunny, Hubby went over to the nearby general store and came back with
a small sharp whittling knife and masking tape.
He marked the candle at the correct depth to match the hole
then carefully whittled the bottom end of the candle down all the way around, to fit.
We had everything in place and all cleaned up before anyone else even arrived.
Then we went out to dinner and got back in time to get good seats.
It was great to see so many old friends.
I snuck a few non-flash photos during the service
(totally verboten in an Episcopal Church...sorry Renee)
but I have done something like 5 Paschal Candles now
and figured it was about time I had a Kodak moment.
(And I know this particular priest doesn't mind. :) )
The service was beautiful!
{If you ever want to experience a liturgy done well,
go to an Easter Vigil service at an Episcopal Church!}
The priest has a gorgeous soprano voice and used all the optional chanting.
We had to leave during Communion, though,
because the service went way overtime and we still needed to get to our son's event.
THAT went well too...a fundraiser for The Root Center, his non-profit.
They had a rock band, and we freaked out our kids by dancing.
(Ol' Mom here can really cut a nice rug...we had to show those little kids how it's done.)
Besides...their bass player tonight was older than we are!
(He was 18 at Woodstock and we were only 15 that year. LOL!)
Won an espresso maker and a self-watering planter in the Silent Auction;
oh, and a pretty turquoise necklace which we gave to our future-daughter-in-law, who was there.
So it's been some day....especially given that it all started with me opening the Library!
Quite a stretch to go from Library Clerk to Easter Vigil Paschal Candle Artist to Rockin' Mom!
I definitely worked off some of that Easter chocolate today. 8)
ALLELUIA!! (You'd be amazed how many syllables the word "Alleluia" can have when it's sung by someone with a fabulous voice!)
Happy Easter. That's some good report, Listener. :)
ReplyDeleteAlways like the Greek Orthodox Easter celebration, where the Priest runs through the town, and/or from town to town at dawn shouting "He is risen!!!!" Seems so cheerful!!
ReplyDeleteWell done listener's squeeze! And listener, too.
Ma hunny's sis has been around all week (visiting from the bay area) and between that and my lousy line, communication's been spotty. This morning, a wonderful long, hopeful, joyous letter!! Life is good. . . .
Happy Easter!
ReplyDeleteTruly, He is risen!
Sawyer's views on religion are apparently fairly close to mine, so I'm quite comfortable with them. I also greatly appreciate that, unlike so many in the field, he does not directly equate faith with blind, brainless superstition.
ReplyDeleteThanks, listener.
ReplyDeleteMy goodness, but I'm exhaustified just thinking of everything you did yesterday.8)
Candles:
ReplyDeleteAlly
http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candles.cfm?l=eng&gi=allys
Charlie
http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candles.cfm?l=eng&gi=Graps
TC
http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candles.cfm?l=eng&gi=TC
I'm not actually sure what Sawyer's religious views are. Certainly in the present instance Mary doesn't give a very good account of her religious views. Just as she doesn't give a very good explanation for the existence of races. In both instances what she says is not wrong, but it could be expressed in a more coherent, believable manner. I get the impression that in this whole extended section Sawyer is trying to cast modern-human society in a bad light. Although it's always dangerous to draw conclusions about an author's personal beliefs from the stories he writes. Sometimes plat development takes preference, donchknow? ;)
ReplyDeleteBut, as I think I've mentioned before, I know from what Sawyer has posted on CompuServe that his view of the important questions simply don't coincide with mine. So I find the whole discussion rather boring. And so far as I can see at the point I've reached, it simply brings the plot to a halt for about 5-6 chapters. It looks like we're on the point of returning to story line about now.
It's ALWAYS something to post when you are able, puddle. HAPPY EASTER!!
ReplyDelete7.2 earthquake in Baja, California about 4 hours ago.
ReplyDeletehttp://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/ci14607652.php
Jovana says they felt the buildings sway in L.A..
Has anyone heard from tc since her surgery on Wednesday?
I believe she's in San Diego.
Hi! More research for the Alaska case today, got started on tax returns, and am preparing for a thorough inspection of my nether regions tomorrow morning. Just routine followup, but worth a couple days' PTO.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had a great day, listener!
Yesterday we did some shopping in San Jose and visited Naomi in Berkeley. The new iMac we got her seems dandy; she says file transfers that previously took half an hour now take half a minute, and it handles pretty heavy-duty software with ease. Installed more RAM and left a big external hard drive for backup. I must admit to measuring to see if one would fit where our present one at home does...
Minus five points for unclear reference. I must admit to measuring to see if a similar big iMac would fit where our present G4 tower Mac does...
ReplyDeleteLooked up Starplex. The plot synopsis doesn't sound familiar at all, although I see it made the Hugo ballot. Must have been something I missed at the time. But it's from 1996, which I think is when Sawyer was still writing stories rather than philosophical discussions (OK, not really fair), and it sounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteAlan...please remind me of where you are in CA.
ReplyDeleteWere you southerly enough to feel the quake?