Susan--thanks again for bringing albris.com to my attention; it is now one of my favorite sources of books, and it gives me the opportunity to support small businesses I would never visit in a thousand years. The computer interface is dandy--different from, but every bit as functional as that of amazon.com.
Last night I decided to get back to Darkover after a bit of a vacation. (I had set aside the novel I was working on when I came to a particularly tense difficulty with terran-darkovan cultural conflict, but I probably just needed some off-world R&R.) There was an electronic ad in my e-mail for the new Nook, and I decided to check it out. (I see several folks working the night shift at the hospital reading Kindles and other e-readers and can see the physical convenience of them.) So I looked up the e-reader; price OK, $134. Then I checked the prices of the four Darkover short story anthologies I had decided to read, and compared them to the alibris prices (including shipping from two bookstores). The e-book reader just doesn't pencil out, even ignoring the reader price and the facts that one is only purchasing partial rights to read the book and that like all electronic documents it is likely to become inaccessible within a couple of (or several) years. The paperbacks from alibris.com came to about half the price of the e-books. They have a huge inventory of good to very good quality used paperbacks for ninety-nine cents each plus postage.
Not a fruiting pear. We have one in our yard and the flowers are nowhere near as elaborate. Left to my own devices I would never have identified that flower as any sort of pear.
I must say that I flatly do not understand this frequent concern about e-books becoming inaccessible. To begin with, they will obviously be accessible so long as the computer or reader you downloaded them to remains operational. And so long as the retailer you bought them from remains in business, you can always redownload them to a new device. I've never seen any of the retailers I've used go out of business in the 5 years I have been buying e-books. Finally, if the e-book is not in a secure format (in my personal experience, the majority are not), you can simply make a backup copy and load it onto any computer or reader of your choice.
The few times I have bought books from alibris.com the postage has eaten up most of the apparent savings. But when the book is out of print, alibris or equivalent can be the only choice.
Thanks, Bill. Since the tree over the fence from us has been there a long while, I think we'd have notice if it had fruit. So I suspect it's some kind of ornamental flowering pear that doesn't produce, at least in this zone.
So far all we have had is wind here. But there was a mean ol' storm over the Bay where we sail with possibly 1" hail. I hope the boats and people related to them are okay!
Don't know how long I'll be on because we *just* got power back. We had tornado warnings *everywhere* yesterday. No touchdown, but we lost a shutter from the kitchen window, the wind broke my hummingbird feeder, a tree came down right between our house and the neighbor's house and the front of the house is plastered with leaves. I mean *plastered* in great quantity. We had golf ball-sized hail and lots of it. You could hear it banging on the windows, roof and cars. Our neighbors had holes punched in their screens, but we had no window damage. It was pretty hairy there for a while and we're having more thunderstorms right now. Nothing as intense as yesterday though. Trees down, wires down, transformers exploded and just a general mess. Don't know how the rest of the community fared because we only got power back a few minutes ago, had no phones, no internet, no TV or radio. Just zero info.
Jebus, Susan! Looks like Alan is about the only one we *needn't* need to worry about. I stand floods pretty good (I built for 'em), but I don't know how anyone prepares for *this* chit! Have some friends in Alabama who were put out of bidness by their tornadoes (green house/nursery) a few weeks ago. Doesn't seem like there's an end in sight, either.
At least it appears that FEMA is getting its act in order. They already have a check (no, not for everything, but *something*), at the point where I was still waiting for the inspector to show up. . . . So maybe New Orleans did the Agency some good.
Wish I could tell you I've been doing really wild things but, alas, I cannot tell a lie. More importantly, my imagination has gone into hibernation, or should that be estervation? Anyway, absolutely zilch to report.
I've missed y'all. Need to catch up, but will read today's page first.
Whew! This guy headed right along up next to me: Look at the size of that hail. . . .
32 Doppler Radar Detected Storms ID Max Top VIL Severe Hail Hail Max Hail Size Speed Direction (from) 1 [Mesocyclone] D6 71 dBZ 36,000 ft. 60 kg/m² 100% chance 100% chance 3.75 in. 27 knots SW (224)
Nothing going on here weatherwise as far as I'm aware. It's just warm and muggy. Without the humidity, the warmth would be very nice. But with it, everything's sticky and uncomfortable. Blaah!
Whew! About five minutes of hail. Only about an inch. I am *extremely* grateful it wasn't that 3 3/4 inch stuff. Good Lord! I was four years old the last time I saw hail that big!
The Fun Trivia editors accepted my second quiz!!! This one's also on Engelbert's music. I'll have to get back to the literary ones I started some time ago.
One person complained that "Blue Bayou" isn't really a Linda Ronstadt song. It depends on your age, I guess. I certainly never remember hearing it by anyone other than Linda Ronstadt until recently. It was only in researching for the quiz that I learned it was written by Roy Orbison, which explains his recording it. Sis never heard it by Orbison either until I had her check it out on YouTube for me. But, I reworded the question, no harm done. But, sheesh! Touchy. The player who sent in the error correction seemed really ticked off.
Fine. But that was impressive as hell! I can only *imagine* what Susan went through! Yikes and yikes. The trees didn't much like it either, kinda battered.
Home from the Library! Thunderstorm overhead (again).
8:09pm...Tornado Warning: located near West Groton, VT moving northeast at 40 mph. * Locations in the warning include but are not limited to... Groton... Newbury... Peacham... Barnet... Danville... Passumpsic... Lower Waterford... St. Johnsbury...
http://www.wunderground.com/US/VT/008.html#TOR
Sneaky tornado: waited until 9 minutes past the tornado watch expiration time!
Over the past few nights I've been rereading Stephenie Mire's novel The Host. It's a remarkable book. Highly imaginative and most thought provoking. Recommended.
Daughter-in-law-to-be's school was supposed to have an Open House tonight, but all after school and evening school activities were canceled through most of Vermont. She made it home safely (it's an hour and a half drive for her!).
BTW, today, before the storms hit, Governor Shumlin signed VT's Single Payer Health Care bill! http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20110526/NEWS03/110526013/Gov-Shumlin-signs-health-care-reform-bill-?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE
Here's a nice article about Vermont's firsts: http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/05/26-4
By the radar, it seems we're in for a long night of big storms. We're thinking of turning on the weather radio before we go to bed incase another tornado makes an appearance in the state.
Susan--thanks again for bringing albris.com to my attention; it is now one of my favorite sources of books, and it gives me the opportunity to support small businesses I would never visit in a thousand years. The computer interface is dandy--different from, but every bit as functional as that of amazon.com.
ReplyDeleteLast night I decided to get back to Darkover after a bit of a vacation. (I had set aside the novel I was working on when I came to a particularly tense difficulty with terran-darkovan cultural conflict, but I probably just needed some off-world R&R.) There was an electronic ad in my e-mail for the new Nook, and I decided to check it out. (I see several folks working the night shift at the hospital reading Kindles and other e-readers and can see the physical convenience of them.) So I looked up the e-reader; price OK, $134. Then I checked the prices of the four Darkover short story anthologies I had decided to read, and compared them to the alibris prices (including shipping from two bookstores). The e-book reader just doesn't pencil out, even ignoring the reader price and the facts that one is only purchasing partial rights to read the book and that like all electronic documents it is likely to become inaccessible within a couple of (or several) years. The paperbacks from alibris.com came to about half the price of the e-books. They have a huge inventory of good to very good quality used paperbacks for ninety-nine cents each plus postage.
TTFN
Not a fruiting pear. We have one in our yard and the flowers are nowhere near as elaborate. Left to my own devices I would never have identified that flower as any sort of pear.
ReplyDeleteI must say that I flatly do not understand this frequent concern about e-books becoming inaccessible. To begin with, they will obviously be accessible so long as the computer or reader you downloaded them to remains operational. And so long as the retailer you bought them from remains in business, you can always redownload them to a new device. I've never seen any of the retailers I've used go out of business in the 5 years I have been buying e-books. Finally, if the e-book is not in a secure format (in my personal experience, the majority are not), you can simply make a backup copy and load it onto any computer or reader of your choice.
ReplyDeleteThe few times I have bought books from alibris.com the postage has eaten up most of the apparent savings. But when the book is out of print, alibris or equivalent can be the only choice.
OMG, we're under a tornado watch!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Bill. Since the tree over the fence from us has been there a long while, I think we'd have notice if it had fruit. So I suspect it's some kind of ornamental flowering pear that doesn't produce, at least in this zone.
ReplyDeleteSTAY SAFE!!
ReplyDeleteSo far all we have had is wind here. But there was a mean ol' storm over the Bay where we sail with possibly 1" hail. I hope the boats and people related to them are okay!
ReplyDeleteOff to work in a minute. Dang.
Please be safe. My heart's in Vermont this afternoon.
ReplyDeleteDon't know how long I'll be on because we *just* got power back. We had tornado warnings *everywhere* yesterday. No touchdown, but we lost a shutter from the kitchen window, the wind broke my hummingbird feeder, a tree came down right between our house and the neighbor's house and the front of the house is plastered with leaves. I mean *plastered* in great quantity. We had golf ball-sized hail and lots of it. You could hear it banging on the windows, roof and cars. Our neighbors had holes punched in their screens, but we had no window damage. It was pretty hairy there for a while and we're having more thunderstorms right now. Nothing as intense as yesterday though. Trees down, wires down, transformers exploded and just a general mess. Don't know how the rest of the community fared because we only got power back a few minutes ago, had no phones, no internet, no TV or radio. Just zero info.
ReplyDeleteJebus, Susan! Looks like Alan is about the only one we *needn't* need to worry about. I stand floods pretty good (I built for 'em), but I don't know how anyone prepares for *this* chit! Have some friends in Alabama who were put out of bidness by their tornadoes (green house/nursery) a few weeks ago. Doesn't seem like there's an end in sight, either.
ReplyDeleteNope, Mother Nature is pi$$ed. Our basement flooded too. No electricity = no sump pump. Hope the power stays on! Sucks about your friends.
ReplyDeleteAlan, you're very welcome. I have loved Alibris for years. They're a treasure chest of goodness.
ReplyDeleteAt least it appears that FEMA is getting its act in order. They already have a check (no, not for everything, but *something*), at the point where I was still waiting for the inspector to show up. . . . So maybe New Orleans did the Agency some good.
ReplyDeleteHi guys! I'm back.
ReplyDeleteWish I could tell you I've been doing really wild things but, alas, I cannot tell a lie. More importantly, my imagination has gone into hibernation, or should that be estervation? Anyway, absolutely zilch to report.
I've missed y'all. Need to catch up, but will read today's page first.
Sending safety vibes♥
ReplyDeleteWelcome home! You've been missed. . . .
ReplyDeleteWelcome home! You've been missed. . . .
ReplyDeleteWelcome home! You've been missed. . . .
ReplyDeleteWhew! This guy headed right along up next to me: Look at the size of that hail. . . .
ReplyDelete32 Doppler Radar Detected Storms
ID Max Top VIL Severe Hail Hail Max Hail Size Speed Direction (from)
1 [Mesocyclone] D6 71 dBZ 36,000 ft. 60 kg/m² 100% chance 100% chance 3.75 in. 27 knots SW (224)
Thanks, Puddle!
ReplyDeleteNothing going on here weatherwise as far as I'm aware. It's just warm and muggy. Without the humidity, the warmth would be very nice. But with it, everything's sticky and uncomfortable. Blaah!
ReplyDeleteHope you're gonna be all right, Puddle!
Whew! About five minutes of hail. Only about an inch. I am *extremely* grateful it wasn't that 3 3/4 inch stuff. Good Lord! I was four years old the last time I saw hail that big!
ReplyDeleteThe Fun Trivia editors accepted my second quiz!!! This one's also on Engelbert's music. I'll have to get back to the literary ones I started some time ago.
ReplyDeleteAnd, it's had sixty plays already!
ReplyDeleteOne person complained that "Blue Bayou" isn't really a Linda Ronstadt song. It depends on your age, I guess. I certainly never remember hearing it by anyone other than Linda Ronstadt until recently. It was only in researching for the quiz that I learned it was written by Roy Orbison, which explains his recording it. Sis never heard it by Orbison either until I had her check it out on YouTube for me. But, I reworded the question, no harm done. But, sheesh! Touchy. The player who sent in the error correction seemed really ticked off.
Some peeps get that way, lol! But congrats!
ReplyDeleteFine. But that was impressive as hell! I can only *imagine* what Susan went through! Yikes and yikes. The trees didn't much like it either, kinda battered.
ReplyDeleteI think it's Obama who did the agency some good.
ReplyDelete=AWRIGHT!!=
ReplyDeleteTroo dat, lol!
ReplyDeleteHome from the Library!
ReplyDeleteThunderstorm overhead (again).
8:09pm...Tornado Warning: located near West Groton, VT moving northeast at 40 mph.
* Locations in the warning include but are not limited to...
Groton... Newbury... Peacham... Barnet... Danville... Passumpsic... Lower
Waterford... St. Johnsbury...
http://www.wunderground.com/US/VT/008.html#TOR
Sneaky tornado: waited until 9 minutes past the tornado watch expiration time!
On the way home we found a large branch down in the road and a neighbour's wooden, bench lawn swing was over on its side.
ReplyDeleteOn the way home we found a large branch down on our road and a neighbour's wooden, bench lawn swing over on its side.
ReplyDeleteOn the way home we found a large branch down on our road and a neighbour's wooden bench lawn swing over on its side.
ReplyDeleteThank Heaven!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
ReplyDeleteI'm very glad that's all you found, and that you are safe!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
ReplyDeleteCat's here...all's right with the blog.
ReplyDeleteOver the past few nights I've been rereading Stephenie Mire's novel The Host. It's a remarkable book. Highly imaginative and most thought provoking. Recommended.
ReplyDeleteYowser, Susan! That's too much weather!!
ReplyDeleteSo sorry about the tree. What kind was it?
So glad you came through it more or less okay!
Daughter-in-law-to-be's school was supposed to have an Open House tonight, but all after school and evening school activities were canceled through most of Vermont. She made it home safely (it's an hour and a half drive for her!).
Whoa. New and improved thunderstorm ensuing.
ReplyDeleteBTW, today, before the storms hit, Governor Shumlin signed VT's Single Payer Health Care bill!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20110526/NEWS03/110526013/Gov-Shumlin-signs-health-care-reform-bill-?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE
Here's a nice article about Vermont's firsts:
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/05/26-4
Whoo! That's too big too big too big!!!
ReplyDeleteBy the radar, it seems we're in for a long night of big storms.
ReplyDeleteWe're thinking of turning on the weather radio before we go to bed incase another tornado makes an appearance in the state.
In Defense of a Daily Donut
ReplyDeletehttp://health.yahoo.net/articles/mens-health/in-defense-of-a-daily-doughnut
Now *we've* got tornado warnings and flashflood warnings. Jeepers.
ReplyDeleteNot good!! Take care, you!!
ReplyDelete