A car design you normally only see in Europe is finally going to make an appearance in America. [link]
First peek into hidden chambers in the Great Pyramid of Giza. [link]
Stockbrokers really are worse than psychopaths. [link]
This is interesting, but how are they getting electricity from the algae. [link]
The horror of SpiderDog.
Video of a volcano exploding. [link]
Marc Maron chatting with Robin Williams. [link]
This is how Gandolf found out Robin Williams was dead. She was upset. "No way. No good. What? What? What?"
Light brought to a stop. [link]
The man with 3 legs, 4 feet, 16 toes, and 2 genitals. [link]
Jupiter used to be much larger. [link]
What dessert is your state known for? [link]
How to call in sick for minor illnesses. [link]
Light spitting fish. [link]
Jack the Ripper identified by DNA. [link]
Hit men who specialize in getting Jewish women divorces. [link]
Pictures of California's drought. [link]
That's not a telescope. THIS is a telescope! [link]
The first stand-up comic. The racist everyone looked up to. [link]
Going into yourself. [link]
People who have seen me programming report seeing the same thing.
Pictures of a hitchhiking genet. [link]
Friday, September 12, 2014
Tuesday, September 09, 2014
faceless makeup experiment
My makeup fell to the side for a bit as I worked on my aquaponics system and assembling my Christmas light controller (more on that some other time). So here's something I threw on last night. This was experimental. I'd seen someone else do it, but I knew there'd be kinks to work out. So I did one that would be incomplete just to see how it went.
First, I need to get contacts before I do this again. I could see out, but the world was a blur.
If I could see better, I think I could have put on the tape better. That is, with less wrinkles.
I should have put cotton balls over my right eye just to add structure to that side. Some of the issues with the wrinkling was due to that eye socket collapsing.
I put most of the tape on vertically. A few horizontal pieces would have helped with the structure and the wrinkles
I might just want to put nylon stockings over my head and put latex on that.
I can see out of that tiny slit, but I'm going to need nasal breathing tubes or something so I can close up the mouth.
I've heard some talk about sanding latex. I need to figure out how.
First, I need to get contacts before I do this again. I could see out, but the world was a blur.
If I could see better, I think I could have put on the tape better. That is, with less wrinkles.
I should have put cotton balls over my right eye just to add structure to that side. Some of the issues with the wrinkling was due to that eye socket collapsing.
I put most of the tape on vertically. A few horizontal pieces would have helped with the structure and the wrinkles
I might just want to put nylon stockings over my head and put latex on that.
I can see out of that tiny slit, but I'm going to need nasal breathing tubes or something so I can close up the mouth.
I've heard some talk about sanding latex. I need to figure out how.
 |
| masking tape with one layer of latex |
 |
| more layers of latex and my friend |
 |
| 6(?) layers of latex? |
 |
| with makeup in poor lighting |
 |
| dang. Better lighting doesn't help |
 |
| longer shot |
Monday, September 08, 2014
Fiddling with acylic
Last week I posted about the fish tank that I patched up. Didn't read it all? I don't blame you. I blathered on for pages. The plan was to make it a small aquaponic system. I could cheap out and put a plastic tub on top... in fact that's what I did do, eventually. But before I resorted to the tub I had a dream. I wanted a custom made tank that fit perfectly over the aquarium and was decorative as well as functional. After all, I'm putting this in my front window for anyone to look at. I'm making a museum piece... out of a ugly, patched fish tank... perhaps not my best idea. Today I want to tell you what I did, where I succeeded, and where I went wrong.
There's my design. It sits on top of the aquarium with 3/4" legs hanging over the ends to keep it from slipping. The long edges hang over the front and back of the tank by about an inch each way. The gap at one end was where the automatic feeder would fit and hoses would come out.
I'm not sure if you can tell, but the corners of the long ends isn't square. It's rounded. Back in college I was shown how to use this strip heater to soften plexiglass so it could be shaped into a small picture holder. That stuck with me and I've been wondering for years if I could do the same thing with a heat gun. Turns out you can.
The trick is to control where the heat goes. You want only a narrow band heated. I accomplished this by putting aluminum foil over the plexiglass with only a millimeter or two exposed between sheets. I used masking tape to hold the foil in place, but put the tape on unheated side so it wouldn't melt or catch fire or something.
I clamped the plexiglass to a bench, slowly waved a heat gun back and forth over the gap, and gently lifted on the unclamped side. After a few minutes I was able to lift the loose end further and further until it was at a right angle. The outside of the curve had the same arc as the edge of a quarter.
The second curve didn't go quite as well. It wasn't bad. But it didn't curve as smoothly. There were flat spots. I think I rushed things. Since the first corner went so well I got cocky and lifted with too much pressure. The plexiglass bent, but wasn't as soft as I might have liked.
If I were doing it again, I'd have a dowel rod handy to wrap the plexiglass around to make a nice curve.
The ends were cut out with a band saw. It was all sealed up with silicone aquarium sealer.
I'm not sure if you can tell, but the corners of the long ends isn't square. It's rounded. Back in college I was shown how to use this strip heater to soften plexiglass so it could be shaped into a small picture holder. That stuck with me and I've been wondering for years if I could do the same thing with a heat gun. Turns out you can.
The trick is to control where the heat goes. You want only a narrow band heated. I accomplished this by putting aluminum foil over the plexiglass with only a millimeter or two exposed between sheets. I used masking tape to hold the foil in place, but put the tape on unheated side so it wouldn't melt or catch fire or something.
 |
| only a mm or two exposed. |
I clamped the plexiglass to a bench, slowly waved a heat gun back and forth over the gap, and gently lifted on the unclamped side. After a few minutes I was able to lift the loose end further and further until it was at a right angle. The outside of the curve had the same arc as the edge of a quarter.
 |
| At a right angle. |
If I were doing it again, I'd have a dowel rod handy to wrap the plexiglass around to make a nice curve.
The ends were cut out with a band saw. It was all sealed up with silicone aquarium sealer.
Friday, September 05, 2014
Friday Links: September 5
Global warming to make England to become penis shaped. (humor)
Taxonomy of climate change deniers. [link]
When the Beatles met Elvis. [link]
A cockatoo feeding the dogs.
This is what's replacing Clone Wars.
An intestinal microbe that prevents allergies. [link]
Man arrested for waiting to pick up his kid in a public place while black. Video of the incident included.[link]
The Daily Show comes back from vacation and does a nice bit on Ferguson and racism in general.
Related to how that previous video ended, here's a story about a black movie producer who was detained while heading to the Emmys. [link]
Pros and cons of police body cameras. [link]
New information on the moving stones of the Devil's Racetrack (a.k.a. Racetrack Playa apparently). [link]
Game: Bring peace to the Middle East. [link]
The disease that causes "demonic possession" identified and treated. [link]
Home is more stressful than work. [link]
You'll notice that most of the reasons are child related. Which is why I don't have any.
Make your own rooting hormone for growing stuff from cuttings. [link]
An elephant playing with a ribbon.
33 facts that are total bull. [link]
Horseshoe crab blood detects bacteria. [link]
Robin Williams named his daughter, Zelda, after the Nintendo character.
Steampunk music. [link]
I like "Steam (Prometheus)" the most.
Taxonomy of climate change deniers. [link]
When the Beatles met Elvis. [link]
A cockatoo feeding the dogs.
This is what's replacing Clone Wars.
An intestinal microbe that prevents allergies. [link]
Man arrested for waiting to pick up his kid in a public place while black. Video of the incident included.[link]
The Daily Show comes back from vacation and does a nice bit on Ferguson and racism in general.
Related to how that previous video ended, here's a story about a black movie producer who was detained while heading to the Emmys. [link]
Pros and cons of police body cameras. [link]
New information on the moving stones of the Devil's Racetrack (a.k.a. Racetrack Playa apparently). [link]
Game: Bring peace to the Middle East. [link]
The disease that causes "demonic possession" identified and treated. [link]
Home is more stressful than work. [link]
You'll notice that most of the reasons are child related. Which is why I don't have any.
Make your own rooting hormone for growing stuff from cuttings. [link]
An elephant playing with a ribbon.
33 facts that are total bull. [link]
Horseshoe crab blood detects bacteria. [link]
Robin Williams named his daughter, Zelda, after the Nintendo character.
Steampunk music. [link]
I like "Steam (Prometheus)" the most.
Monday, September 01, 2014
How to patch a crack in a glass fish tank
I came into a 10 gallon fish tank about a year ago. I came into it because it was cracked. No shortage of cracked fish tanks in the world. If you know how to repair them then you can build an elaborate system of scratch and dent tanks in just a few years1. I come across abandoned and broken-ish tanks at least once a year. And I always want to grab them. Until I moved to Baltimore I didn't have the room. But when I saw this one cracked tank in Grandma's barn I had dreams of a hydroponics system dancing in my head. The tank sat in my basement until about a few weeks ago when I decided to start fiddling with it. But I had only the vaguest idea how to repair it. And I'm betting you have the same issue if you're reading this2. And you're finding that when you start looking for "how to repair cracked 10 gallon glass fish tanks" (consider that a shout out to the Google webcrawler) you find a couple of guys filling their fish tanks after patching them and never telling you how they did it.
Before we start, I want you in the right mindset. If I have a crack in my wall I paste over it, smooth it, and paint it. It doesn't need to do more than look good. But here you need to have something that will hold back the pressure of 10 gallons of water or more. No problem? Go pick up 10 gallons of milk and tell me that's nothing. The patch I'm about to describe will go on the inside of the tank. If it were on the outside you'd have pressure from two pieces of glass pushing out at one point, right at the crack. The patch would either break or tear off. But if the patch is on the inside then the pressure is over the entire surface of the patch and all the surface from around the cracked glass is giving the patch extra strength instead of working against you. Or, how about this? If you were trapped in a big barrel with it's one hole closed up, would you rather have to reach through the hole and push off the patch or have to push the patch through the hole? Having the patch on the inside is better for keeping stuff in.
You're probably hoping that all you have to do is get some aquarium sealer and give the cracks a good once over. Alas, that stuff is flexible and will give the broken glass the wiggle it wants. You need reinforcement, first. Find yourself a piece of glass you can cut up. And you'll want to get a glass cutting tool. Available now at your local hardware store3. While you're there you need to get a tube of some aquarium friendly glue/sealer/caulk stuff. Silicone Aquarium Sealant most likely.
I had two cracks running from the bottom corner up the back of the tank reaching toward the middle. So I may have some bias towards my own personal fix. Deal with it.
You need to cut out a rectangle of glass. How big? Big enough to cover the crack. I don't mean cut out a piece of glass an inch wide and twelve inches long and place it over the crack at an angle. I mean measure how far it is horizontally from the far left point of the crack to the far right point. Add an inch beyond the crack. Add two if you like, but at least one. Do the same vertically from the top of the crack to the bottom. Since the crack probably runs clear from top to bottom that just means your piece will have to be the same height as the tank. If the crack hits or even gets close to the edge of the tank then you'll want your patch to go flush up against that side. Same with the bottom of the tank.
I couldn't mark my glass worth anything. Instead I measured and put a T-square on the glass. Then I pulled the glass cutter down the glass using the T-square as a guide. Ideally, you want to have some experience with glass cutters. I have and I still find them nerve racking. Not the sound they make as they score the glass (not fork scraping a plate irritating, but still enough to make your teeth itch). I mean actually breaking the glass. You keep applying more and more pressure and expect the glass to break at any second. If you're lucky you have a lovely piece of glass. If you didn't it could break anywhere and possibly throw sharp flakes around.
Oh! Are you wearing glasses? You should be wearing glasses.
If you did score the glass right you should be able to break the glass along the groove you cut. Please tell me you can see the cut. The whole thing? End to end? If not, do it again. Although, if you press too hard the glass will start to flake along the groove. Still, better it flakes than breaks in the wrong place. Dad has what are basically pliers with rubber grippers for doing his stained glass stuff. I had to put the glass on a table, put the score at the edge (facing up), and push down. And it worked! Alas, my second cut was less successful. I had much less glass hanging over the edge of the table and couldn't get the leverage. That's where I wanted Dad's pliers. Still, the break ran along the general area plus or minus a quarter inch. I just had to be sure not to touch the jagged part. Do I need to explain that jagged glass is bad? No? Fantastic. You're smarter than most of the neighbor kids.
Now, get a razor and cut away the aquarium sealer in the corners of the tank where you'll be putting your patch. In my case I stripped out the whole corner from top to bottom and about half way along the bottom. Dig for it if you have to. I want you to be able to stick the corner of your razor (or a toothpick or something pokey) into the corner and push it along without resistance. Remember hopping on your first skateboard and faceplanting over a grain of sand? You want to make sure that grain of sand isn't hiding in the corner of your fish tank. Your piece of glass should sit flush along the bottom or edge. Cut away everything that prevents that. You can wrap part of the razor in tape if it makes it easier to hold. Double, triple, and quadruple check for debris, sand, old gravel, whatever. I did, and I still found colorful bits of rock after I sealed everything up.
Now put the aquarium glue on one side of your piece of glass. Be generous. You're looking for something that will hold and will also look good. So place the beads of glue close enough together so that when you press this to the side of the tank there won't be air bubbles left between the pieces of glass. I mean, you can leave some. I left quite a bit, actually. But it'll look better if you get rid of the air bubbles. And if you can't get rid of them, you at least want there to be more glue than air. When putting pressure on it, don't just push from one side. Push from both. Or, set it on a table and put something under it for support. Your tank likely has a top and a base that prevent the glass from sitting flush on the table. You want something that keeps you from breaking the glass further by pushing on it.
Once you're happy with how your patch is sitting, you need to seal the edges. Take the Aquarium Sealant and put a bead along the edge of the glass all the way around. If you have rubber gloves you can use your finger to smooth the bead and make sure there's no holes for water to get through. Just make sure that there's no way for water to get between the panes of glass. If you broke one edge, make sure you're covering the sharp bits, too.
I put a bead down the outside of the crack, too. Partially for support, but mostly I wanted to cover the crack so no flakes would come off and I couldn't accidentally cut myself on it in a raging fit of incompetence later on. I used the razor as a putty knife to spread the bead, push it in, and smooth it out. It's obviously still there. It's just safer. I'm not making a pretty tank, here. I'm making a beginners level aquaponics system.
Let sit for 24 hours. Heck, let it sit for 48. No need to push our luck. You'll want some kind of moisture indicator under the tank. Newspaper or paper towels or tissue paper or a layer of flour should work. Even if you only lose a drop and it dries before you look again the water mark should remain.
What to do if you have a leak
If you have a leak you need to make it visible. To do this I put red food coloring in the tank and started filling it with water. I thought that I had to build up the pressure before it leaked, because it only leaked after around 2 gallons were added. No, dipshit, that means the leak is between 1/10 and 2/10 up the side of the tank. I could see red water between my patch and the original glass and I could see where it left the tank, but I couldn't see how it got behind the plate. So I dumped the water out, put the fish tank in the bathtub, and started filling up the bathtub. Once there was a couple of inches of water I saw the water rush in the bottom of the patch, fill it part way, and burble out in the corner about two inches up. I hadn't sealed properly. I made a bead, but hadn't used anything to press it down. It shouldn't have needed that, but now I know better. And now I know where the leak is. Once things dry out again, I can close that up.
Another way to narrow it down is to add one pitcher of water to the tank, and wait. Mark the water level with some masking tape or something and do it again. When it starts to leak you know the leak is between those two pieces of tape.
Here is what I'm going for in the long run.
See also https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aquasprouts/aquasprouts-aquaponics-self-cleaning-aquarium-and
1 The fish store I've been visiting for supplies sells damaged and used tanks cheap.
2 Note to regular readers: I love ya' but my most popular pages are those where I'm telling people how to make, fix, or harvest something. This page is likely to be getting hits for years.
3 Did you read that last sentence in The Voice? No? Then read it again!
Before we start, I want you in the right mindset. If I have a crack in my wall I paste over it, smooth it, and paint it. It doesn't need to do more than look good. But here you need to have something that will hold back the pressure of 10 gallons of water or more. No problem? Go pick up 10 gallons of milk and tell me that's nothing. The patch I'm about to describe will go on the inside of the tank. If it were on the outside you'd have pressure from two pieces of glass pushing out at one point, right at the crack. The patch would either break or tear off. But if the patch is on the inside then the pressure is over the entire surface of the patch and all the surface from around the cracked glass is giving the patch extra strength instead of working against you. Or, how about this? If you were trapped in a big barrel with it's one hole closed up, would you rather have to reach through the hole and push off the patch or have to push the patch through the hole? Having the patch on the inside is better for keeping stuff in.
You're probably hoping that all you have to do is get some aquarium sealer and give the cracks a good once over. Alas, that stuff is flexible and will give the broken glass the wiggle it wants. You need reinforcement, first. Find yourself a piece of glass you can cut up. And you'll want to get a glass cutting tool. Available now at your local hardware store3. While you're there you need to get a tube of some aquarium friendly glue/sealer/caulk stuff. Silicone Aquarium Sealant most likely.
I had two cracks running from the bottom corner up the back of the tank reaching toward the middle. So I may have some bias towards my own personal fix. Deal with it.
You need to cut out a rectangle of glass. How big? Big enough to cover the crack. I don't mean cut out a piece of glass an inch wide and twelve inches long and place it over the crack at an angle. I mean measure how far it is horizontally from the far left point of the crack to the far right point. Add an inch beyond the crack. Add two if you like, but at least one. Do the same vertically from the top of the crack to the bottom. Since the crack probably runs clear from top to bottom that just means your piece will have to be the same height as the tank. If the crack hits or even gets close to the edge of the tank then you'll want your patch to go flush up against that side. Same with the bottom of the tank.
I couldn't mark my glass worth anything. Instead I measured and put a T-square on the glass. Then I pulled the glass cutter down the glass using the T-square as a guide. Ideally, you want to have some experience with glass cutters. I have and I still find them nerve racking. Not the sound they make as they score the glass (not fork scraping a plate irritating, but still enough to make your teeth itch). I mean actually breaking the glass. You keep applying more and more pressure and expect the glass to break at any second. If you're lucky you have a lovely piece of glass. If you didn't it could break anywhere and possibly throw sharp flakes around.
Oh! Are you wearing glasses? You should be wearing glasses.
If you did score the glass right you should be able to break the glass along the groove you cut. Please tell me you can see the cut. The whole thing? End to end? If not, do it again. Although, if you press too hard the glass will start to flake along the groove. Still, better it flakes than breaks in the wrong place. Dad has what are basically pliers with rubber grippers for doing his stained glass stuff. I had to put the glass on a table, put the score at the edge (facing up), and push down. And it worked! Alas, my second cut was less successful. I had much less glass hanging over the edge of the table and couldn't get the leverage. That's where I wanted Dad's pliers. Still, the break ran along the general area plus or minus a quarter inch. I just had to be sure not to touch the jagged part. Do I need to explain that jagged glass is bad? No? Fantastic. You're smarter than most of the neighbor kids.
Now, get a razor and cut away the aquarium sealer in the corners of the tank where you'll be putting your patch. In my case I stripped out the whole corner from top to bottom and about half way along the bottom. Dig for it if you have to. I want you to be able to stick the corner of your razor (or a toothpick or something pokey) into the corner and push it along without resistance. Remember hopping on your first skateboard and faceplanting over a grain of sand? You want to make sure that grain of sand isn't hiding in the corner of your fish tank. Your piece of glass should sit flush along the bottom or edge. Cut away everything that prevents that. You can wrap part of the razor in tape if it makes it easier to hold. Double, triple, and quadruple check for debris, sand, old gravel, whatever. I did, and I still found colorful bits of rock after I sealed everything up.
Now put the aquarium glue on one side of your piece of glass. Be generous. You're looking for something that will hold and will also look good. So place the beads of glue close enough together so that when you press this to the side of the tank there won't be air bubbles left between the pieces of glass. I mean, you can leave some. I left quite a bit, actually. But it'll look better if you get rid of the air bubbles. And if you can't get rid of them, you at least want there to be more glue than air. When putting pressure on it, don't just push from one side. Push from both. Or, set it on a table and put something under it for support. Your tank likely has a top and a base that prevent the glass from sitting flush on the table. You want something that keeps you from breaking the glass further by pushing on it.
Once you're happy with how your patch is sitting, you need to seal the edges. Take the Aquarium Sealant and put a bead along the edge of the glass all the way around. If you have rubber gloves you can use your finger to smooth the bead and make sure there's no holes for water to get through. Just make sure that there's no way for water to get between the panes of glass. If you broke one edge, make sure you're covering the sharp bits, too.
I put a bead down the outside of the crack, too. Partially for support, but mostly I wanted to cover the crack so no flakes would come off and I couldn't accidentally cut myself on it in a raging fit of incompetence later on. I used the razor as a putty knife to spread the bead, push it in, and smooth it out. It's obviously still there. It's just safer. I'm not making a pretty tank, here. I'm making a beginners level aquaponics system.
Let sit for 24 hours. Heck, let it sit for 48. No need to push our luck. You'll want some kind of moisture indicator under the tank. Newspaper or paper towels or tissue paper or a layer of flour should work. Even if you only lose a drop and it dries before you look again the water mark should remain.
What to do if you have a leak
If you have a leak you need to make it visible. To do this I put red food coloring in the tank and started filling it with water. I thought that I had to build up the pressure before it leaked, because it only leaked after around 2 gallons were added. No, dipshit, that means the leak is between 1/10 and 2/10 up the side of the tank. I could see red water between my patch and the original glass and I could see where it left the tank, but I couldn't see how it got behind the plate. So I dumped the water out, put the fish tank in the bathtub, and started filling up the bathtub. Once there was a couple of inches of water I saw the water rush in the bottom of the patch, fill it part way, and burble out in the corner about two inches up. I hadn't sealed properly. I made a bead, but hadn't used anything to press it down. It shouldn't have needed that, but now I know better. And now I know where the leak is. Once things dry out again, I can close that up.
Another way to narrow it down is to add one pitcher of water to the tank, and wait. Mark the water level with some masking tape or something and do it again. When it starts to leak you know the leak is between those two pieces of tape.
Here is what I'm going for in the long run.
See also https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aquasprouts/aquasprouts-aquaponics-self-cleaning-aquarium-and
1 The fish store I've been visiting for supplies sells damaged and used tanks cheap.
2 Note to regular readers: I love ya' but my most popular pages are those where I'm telling people how to make, fix, or harvest something. This page is likely to be getting hits for years.
3 Did you read that last sentence in The Voice? No? Then read it again!
Friday, August 29, 2014
Friday Links: August 29
Tina Fey and Rachel Dratch before Saturday Night Live.
Mashup of the songs Sunrise and Get Lucky. [link]
One or two Dune art themed Tumblrs I could understand, but there's enough to have a top 10 list? [link]
Braille sprung from an attempt to make a method for letting soldiers read in the dark. [link]
In Vietnam, the Ace of Spades was a psychological weapon. [link]
Winners and honorary mentions of the 2014 Bulwer Lytton horrible writing awards. [link]
The first Air Force One.
I wanna see this weapon fired. [link]
The real meaning of the pot calling the kettle black. [link]
Returning Star Wars to it's original version - A fan project.
A man talking about being shoved through the bottom of a river. [link]
Statements by Nick Offerman.
New games for the old Commodore 64. [link]
What airlines owe you when they strand you or your luggage. [link]
Koko the gorilla mourns the passing of Robin Williams. [link]
The only Pro-choice argument you'll ever need. [link]
ISIS slaughters Zoroastrians because one of them refused demands to convert to Islam. [link]
There's a great solar eclipse coming in 2017. [link]
Having the sex talk with a 9 year old. [link]
Seaworld's most rewarding and traumatic job. [link]
Norman Rockwell's reference photos. [link]
Bank of America's many court settlements and why I closed all my credit cards with them. [link]
Baby elephant learning to stand.
Mashup of the songs Sunrise and Get Lucky. [link]
One or two Dune art themed Tumblrs I could understand, but there's enough to have a top 10 list? [link]
Braille sprung from an attempt to make a method for letting soldiers read in the dark. [link]
In Vietnam, the Ace of Spades was a psychological weapon. [link]
Winners and honorary mentions of the 2014 Bulwer Lytton horrible writing awards. [link]
The first Air Force One.
I wanna see this weapon fired. [link]
The real meaning of the pot calling the kettle black. [link]
Returning Star Wars to it's original version - A fan project.
A man talking about being shoved through the bottom of a river. [link]
Statements by Nick Offerman.
New games for the old Commodore 64. [link]
What airlines owe you when they strand you or your luggage. [link]
Koko the gorilla mourns the passing of Robin Williams. [link]
The only Pro-choice argument you'll ever need. [link]
ISIS slaughters Zoroastrians because one of them refused demands to convert to Islam. [link]
There's a great solar eclipse coming in 2017. [link]
Having the sex talk with a 9 year old. [link]
Seaworld's most rewarding and traumatic job. [link]
Norman Rockwell's reference photos. [link]
Bank of America's many court settlements and why I closed all my credit cards with them. [link]
Baby elephant learning to stand.
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Gandolf goes dark
We're sitting out on the front porch. I'm working on a project and Gandolf is just chillin'. A little kid up the street starts crying "dAAAdee DAaaDee DaaADY daaaaady DAAADDY..." and on like that for a couple of minutes. Finally, Gandolf says,
That's right, I put your daddy in a blender. AHAHAHAHAHAHAH!When Gandolf goes dark she goes fast and really dark.
Monday, August 25, 2014
Scar Makeup
It's October 31 and you've just been invited to a Halloween party. Unfortunately, the closest thing you have to a costume is your Batman T-shirt. I have a quick fix for you. Find a local stage makeup store and get a bottle of Mehron Rigid Collodion.
 |
| The bottle I saw online was different. This is the same stuff, though. |
The stuff dries pretty fast, so it won't take long to get this done.
The first layer doesn't make much impact, but you can feel your skin is kinda stiff and moves differently than it did. And there's a shiny line running down your face.
The second layer, once dry, leaves a dent running down your face.
The third layer starts to look like a gouge. Layers 4-6 make it deeper.
I added layers 7-9 to the bottom of the scar after I took this picture and it make it a touch deeper. I was working from the top down so I had a full brush at the top and less full at the bottom. So there was some touching up to do.
Right there, you have a Halloween costume that took 10-15 min to do. If you want to make it more involved you could add makeup a few shades paler than your skin to lighten it up for an older scar. Or some red to make it look fresh.
If you put it on before you put the scar makeup on then the makeup will be protected and may look more real. Put some powder on it to take off the shine.
I saw some video where someone put on about thirty layers. I'm not sure their scar was much better than mine. Can't find it now, of course.
Friday, August 22, 2014
Friday Links: August 22
George Takei talking about his time in an Internment Camp. [link]
How the sun sees you.
Outbreak tracker. [link]
Self assembling robot swarms.
The Wright Brothers (and sister) and some of their later models. [link]
Computer maps a model's face and projects onto it even as she moves. [link]
Bird deaths due to solar tower being investigated. []
Yes, this is the solar tower featured in Fallout: New Vegas.
Viking ship found by Mississippi River. [link]
Declared winners of 990 Hide and Seek Championship.
What happens when cops wear cameras. [link]
Don Pardo, the Saturday Night Live announcer passed away Monday at age 96. [link]
Where Americans have moved, if they move, in the last century. [link
]
Starting removal of the John Hancock Building's west antenna. Just a bit of vertigo for you.
How the sun sees you.
Outbreak tracker. [link]
Self assembling robot swarms.
The Wright Brothers (and sister) and some of their later models. [link]
Computer maps a model's face and projects onto it even as she moves. [link]
Bird deaths due to solar tower being investigated. []
Yes, this is the solar tower featured in Fallout: New Vegas.
Viking ship found by Mississippi River. [link]
Declared winners of 990 Hide and Seek Championship.
What happens when cops wear cameras. [link]
Don Pardo, the Saturday Night Live announcer passed away Monday at age 96. [link]
Where Americans have moved, if they move, in the last century. [
]
Starting removal of the John Hancock Building's west antenna. Just a bit of vertigo for you.
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Zipperface
One of the things I'm having problems with in my makeup skills is smoothing the tissue. If I have to build up my tissue to build a welt or a claw or attach something to myself or just try to turn a lump of cotton back into something like skin I need to be able to smooth it out so it doesn't look like I'm masking a horrible rash. Generally, I'm making it look like I've got much bigger problems than a rash, but I want the rash gone. To practice, I decided to recreate something I saw online a few years ago that required attaching a zipper to my face. Here's the results.
I attached the zipper with spirit gum. I found out that I need to work on doing that, too.
I put a layer of latex on the zipper and face to help secure things and stick down edges.
The next layer held some tissue paper in place to try to build some tissue right away. But the tissue paper wrinkles no matter how hard I fight it.
The third layer of latex coated the tissue paper to hold it down.
The fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth layers of latex were to build up the surface and smooth the transition from zipper fabric to face. Each layer takes forever to dry. If I'm doing 20 layers I need a life cast of my head to build it on before I transfer to myself.
I stopped there because it was getting late and I'd been working on this for 5-6 hours.
The red makeup was put on between layers 6 and 7 because I had time to kill. A bit of black was blended into the edges and a bit of white blended in on the tip of my nose and chin trying to make it look like there was some bone nearing the surface.
The flesh tone was applied after layer 8 was dry enough. I put some powder on first to make the latex a bit less sticky. The flesh coloring is just what seemed closest to my skin in my beginners kit.
I think I may put the next thing on a piece of glass and build it up there before transferring it to my face. That way I can build it up over several days. Maybe another zipper and I can work on making a Slitheen forehead zipper.
I attached the zipper with spirit gum. I found out that I need to work on doing that, too.
I put a layer of latex on the zipper and face to help secure things and stick down edges.
The next layer held some tissue paper in place to try to build some tissue right away. But the tissue paper wrinkles no matter how hard I fight it.
The third layer of latex coated the tissue paper to hold it down.
The fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth layers of latex were to build up the surface and smooth the transition from zipper fabric to face. Each layer takes forever to dry. If I'm doing 20 layers I need a life cast of my head to build it on before I transfer to myself.
I stopped there because it was getting late and I'd been working on this for 5-6 hours.
The red makeup was put on between layers 6 and 7 because I had time to kill. A bit of black was blended into the edges and a bit of white blended in on the tip of my nose and chin trying to make it look like there was some bone nearing the surface.
The flesh tone was applied after layer 8 was dry enough. I put some powder on first to make the latex a bit less sticky. The flesh coloring is just what seemed closest to my skin in my beginners kit.
I think I may put the next thing on a piece of glass and build it up there before transferring it to my face. That way I can build it up over several days. Maybe another zipper and I can work on making a Slitheen forehead zipper.
 |
| The removed zipper looks kinda dirty. My face makeup is still kinda creepy, though. |
Friday, August 15, 2014
Friday Links: August 15
Pictures of the abandoned Cincinnati subway tunnels. [link]
Matrix action sequence with 8-bit game audio.
There's a gun on the ISS and the Russians control it. [link]
"Muppet Thor" a short comic story. [link]
Authors coming to the Library of Congress Book Fest later this month. [link]
Doctors talk about their most oblivious patients. [link]
Quotes from Discworld books. [link]
The last one I've quoted here once or twice around Christmas.
A bunch of close calls.
Getting rid of lesbians in the Army could cause problems. [link]
Rate of un-vaccinated by state. [link]
Tennessee drug tests welfare applicants. So far only 1 out of 800 have tested positive. [link]
The evolution of scissors. [link]
Fetuses really are tumors. [link]
So we might get to the sci-fi world of all babies coming from vats because it's healthier for both fetus and woman.
Frozen steak vs thawed steaks.
Robin Williams was suffering from the early stages of Parkinson's. [link]
Ambient sci-fi sounds. [link]
Matrix action sequence with 8-bit game audio.
There's a gun on the ISS and the Russians control it. [link]
"Muppet Thor" a short comic story. [link]
Authors coming to the Library of Congress Book Fest later this month. [link]
Doctors talk about their most oblivious patients. [link]
Quotes from Discworld books. [link]
The last one I've quoted here once or twice around Christmas.
A bunch of close calls.
Getting rid of lesbians in the Army could cause problems. [link]
Rate of un-vaccinated by state. [link]
Tennessee drug tests welfare applicants. So far only 1 out of 800 have tested positive. [link]
The evolution of scissors. [link]
Fetuses really are tumors. [link]
So we might get to the sci-fi world of all babies coming from vats because it's healthier for both fetus and woman.
Frozen steak vs thawed steaks.
Robin Williams was suffering from the early stages of Parkinson's. [link]
Ambient sci-fi sounds. [link]
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Movie PreReview: Avengers 2 - Age of Ultron
I was in the comic book store the other day and found the Age of Ultron graphic novel. It's not an old storyline. The original comics came out in early 2013 which makes me wonder if the whole thing was written with the movie in mind. Then I have to slap down my own doubts when I see that the comic is not an Avengers comic. It spans much of the Marvel Universe. Major rewrites would have to be done since they can't use Spiderman, The Fantastic Four, or the X-Men in the Avengers movie. From what I've heard, they're even having to change who originally built Ultron from Hank Pym to Tony Stark since the Ant Man movie won't be coming out until after Avengers 2.
In the comics, Ultron is an AI created by Hank Pym (Ant Man) who various Marvel heroes, but mainly The Avengers, have been fighting since the late '60s. Destroyed again and again, he keeps coming back in new bodies. In this storyline, the body of a Spaceknight (not necessarily ROM's Spaceknights) is unearthed and Ultron wakes up inside it. He manages to elude the heroes. The comic then skips ahead to about six months after the Earth, the whole Earth, was attacked simultaneously and conquered in about eight and a half minutes. Most of the heroes are dead. Wolverine (X-Men) and Susan Storm Richards (Fantastic Four) go back in time and kill Hank Pym. When they return home they find that without Hank's help and without Ultron's creation, a robot Avenger named Vision, some key battles went poorly and the world is on the brink of being destroyed by the winner of the Asgard/Latveria (Thor/Dr Doom) War. So they have to go back and not-kill Hank Pym and figure out how to fix things.
As you can see, there's been very little mention of Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Nick Fury, or Agent Coulson. In fact, it's been almost exclusively heroes yet to be introduced and heroes whose rights are in the hands of other studios. Our Avengers are there, just not major enough to be part of a one paragraph summary. So major rewrites were needed.
Honestly, this is not a must-read graphic novel. It's there for those unwilling to wait until 2015 for the movie. If you get it, you may also want to look for the Age of Ultron Companion. It collects other titles and tells their shorter stories about actions taken to fight back against the initial Ultron invasion.
note: It should be stated that the comics took place while Doctor Octopus's mind was still in the body of Spiderman. I didn't follow the storyline closely, but from what I've seen Doc Ock made for a good hero.
In the comics, Ultron is an AI created by Hank Pym (Ant Man) who various Marvel heroes, but mainly The Avengers, have been fighting since the late '60s. Destroyed again and again, he keeps coming back in new bodies. In this storyline, the body of a Spaceknight (not necessarily ROM's Spaceknights) is unearthed and Ultron wakes up inside it. He manages to elude the heroes. The comic then skips ahead to about six months after the Earth, the whole Earth, was attacked simultaneously and conquered in about eight and a half minutes. Most of the heroes are dead. Wolverine (X-Men) and Susan Storm Richards (Fantastic Four) go back in time and kill Hank Pym. When they return home they find that without Hank's help and without Ultron's creation, a robot Avenger named Vision, some key battles went poorly and the world is on the brink of being destroyed by the winner of the Asgard/Latveria (Thor/Dr Doom) War. So they have to go back and not-kill Hank Pym and figure out how to fix things.
As you can see, there's been very little mention of Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Nick Fury, or Agent Coulson. In fact, it's been almost exclusively heroes yet to be introduced and heroes whose rights are in the hands of other studios. Our Avengers are there, just not major enough to be part of a one paragraph summary. So major rewrites were needed.
Honestly, this is not a must-read graphic novel. It's there for those unwilling to wait until 2015 for the movie. If you get it, you may also want to look for the Age of Ultron Companion. It collects other titles and tells their shorter stories about actions taken to fight back against the initial Ultron invasion.
note: It should be stated that the comics took place while Doctor Octopus's mind was still in the body of Spiderman. I didn't follow the storyline closely, but from what I've seen Doc Ock made for a good hero.
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
RIP Robin Williams
Robin Williams was not on my list of people I expected to die soon. I mean, I don't keep a formal list or anything, but we all have a mental one. He died yesterday at the age of 63.
Comedians tend to make the best dramatic actors. Comedy is hard and timing has to be perfect. If you can do that then you can do drama. Robin Williams was probably the greatest example of that. His stand up career got him Mork and Mindy, but after that he roamed freely among the genres doing whatever caught his fancy. That mindset was reflected in his comedy. One could get motion sickness trying to follow him on one of his improvisational tirades as he lept madly among impressions, voices, and subjects ranging from social, political, historic, religious, and "huh?" Often the challenge was trying to figure out what the reference was as much as where he pulled it out of. Much of the movie Aladdin was made by just letting Williams go off on a tirade and then animating around him.
One of my favorite stories about him is the one Christopher Reeves told.
I was a fan of the original, British version of Whose Line is it Anyway. My friends and I would talk about how awesome it would be if they could get Robin Williams on. In season 3 of the American version, they did just that. And it was awesome. Although, would have sworn that he wore his Mork suspenders.
Watch Robin Williams in Whose Line is it anyway? in Comedy | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com
Comedians tend to make the best dramatic actors. Comedy is hard and timing has to be perfect. If you can do that then you can do drama. Robin Williams was probably the greatest example of that. His stand up career got him Mork and Mindy, but after that he roamed freely among the genres doing whatever caught his fancy. That mindset was reflected in his comedy. One could get motion sickness trying to follow him on one of his improvisational tirades as he lept madly among impressions, voices, and subjects ranging from social, political, historic, religious, and "huh?" Often the challenge was trying to figure out what the reference was as much as where he pulled it out of. Much of the movie Aladdin was made by just letting Williams go off on a tirade and then animating around him.
One of my favorite stories about him is the one Christopher Reeves told.
Robin spent a lot of time after Christopher's accident making him laugh. He did the same for Steven Spielberg during the filming of Schindler's List to help Steven fight off the depression the film brought on.Then, at an especially bleak moment, the door flew open and in hurried a squat fellow with a blue scrub hat and a yellow surgical gown and glasses, speaking in a Russian accent. He announced that he was my proctologist, and that he had to examine me immediately...it was Robin Williams...for the first time since the accident, I laughed. My old friend had helped me know that somehow I was going to be okay.
I was a fan of the original, British version of Whose Line is it Anyway. My friends and I would talk about how awesome it would be if they could get Robin Williams on. In season 3 of the American version, they did just that. And it was awesome. Although, would have sworn that he wore his Mork suspenders.
Watch Robin Williams in Whose Line is it anyway? in Comedy | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com
Saturday, August 09, 2014
Friday, August 08, 2014
Why you don't date dryads
I took some stagecraft classes in high school, but was never happy with it. We worked with stage makeup that was supposed to work when flooded with light and viewed from mid-audience. So it looked downright comical up close. I'm more interested in stuff that can be viewed from a few feet. Something I can wear on Halloween. Monster makeup. I've watched some videos online over the years and found some interesting techniques that I've never been able to apply. Some stuff I'll need to make a life cast to build. And some simpler stuff.
My house is in OK shape, but needs work. Alas, the work is done in short bursts because it's too humid and stagnant to work seriously for long. And Halloween is in a few months. So I'm working on some makeup techniques to be ready for a costume since it doesn't require moving around and getting overheated.
In these pictures I'm trying a bark making technique I learned at a sci-fi convention a week ago. It involves applying Kleenex-type tissue to my skin using liquid latex, being sure to fold it and give it wrinkles and texture, going over it with more latex, and then painting it. So art class and and YouTube videos are more applicable to what I'm doing than the stage makeup class. This is not to discredit the years to reflect on what was done in that class.
While writing this I've got more latex drying to help make a blister. This will be followed by using cotton to build up some growths.
My house is in OK shape, but needs work. Alas, the work is done in short bursts because it's too humid and stagnant to work seriously for long. And Halloween is in a few months. So I'm working on some makeup techniques to be ready for a costume since it doesn't require moving around and getting overheated.
In these pictures I'm trying a bark making technique I learned at a sci-fi convention a week ago. It involves applying Kleenex-type tissue to my skin using liquid latex, being sure to fold it and give it wrinkles and texture, going over it with more latex, and then painting it. So art class and and YouTube videos are more applicable to what I'm doing than the stage makeup class. This is not to discredit the years to reflect on what was done in that class.
While writing this I've got more latex drying to help make a blister. This will be followed by using cotton to build up some growths.
Friday Links: August 8
Native Americans bred corn to the form we know today. [link]
Peanut butter turned into diamonds as tech development to make metallic hydrogen continues. [link]
If you don't have a steamer trunk for your spare blankets, try a 55 gallon drum of Chanel. [link]
The first honest resume of a graphic designer. [link]
Frozen mummy is found to have relatives alive today. [link]
After the fraud that led to the Great Depression the Glass-Steagall law stopped that. It's repeal was key in the more recent Great Recession. [link]
An acre is the amount of land it takes a yoke of oxen to plow in one day. [link]
New wireless electricity tech uses sound instead of induction. [link]
Close up (only 130 km away) pictures of a comet. [link]
Video of sharks attacking the probe. [link]
A woman accused of animal cruelty was eaten by her dogs after she died. [link]
Help Grandpa remember about his photos. [link]
Play with a Koosh Ball brain. [link]
Playing a trombone for cows.
Sunday, August 03, 2014
Movie Review: Guardians of the Galaxy
Viewing is mandatory for Guardians of the Galaxy. Yep. Absolutely required.
I was skeptical at first. The trailers suck. They don't really inspire you to want to see the movie at all. And nobody would say what the movie was about other than "It's part of the Marvel Universe". Now that I've seen it, I kind of understand why they were keeping mum.
The only things leading into this movie was the appearance of a shadowy silhouette at the end of The Avengers and Asgardians leaving something with a Collector in the end credits of Thor 2. While Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, and Captain America all got movies to build them up for The Avengers, this movie is to build up the known MacGuffin's frightful power and give us a bit more about a villain whose story lines will both probably climax in Avengers 3.
But lets talk about the movie itself. In the first five minutes the movie brings the sadness. It's a cheap, manipulative trick, but it's more effective than "killing" Pepper Potts in Iron Man 3 or anything in Thor 2. It bonds you to our leading man more than we ever bonded with Jamie Foxx in Spiderman 2. Then it switches from that to light hearted and amusing and 22 years later. It manages to pretty effectively hold light hearted and amusing for the next 2 hours while still telling a solid story with plenty of action. This movie does what I thought The Fifth Element was going to do right up until they introduced Ruby Rod and screwed it all up. You'll find elements of Star Wars, The Chronicles of Riddick, The Fifth Element, The Avengers, The A-Team, and others while still being it's own movie.
I'd recommend this movie even if it weren't part of the Marvel Universe. This is a good sci-fi movie even without the rest of the movies that go along with it. They got Glenn Close to do a superhero/sci-fi movie. They must have been doing something right.
If you're following the Marvel Universe movies, this movie is required viewing. If you've not seen any of the super hero movies but like a good sci-fi action flick, you're still going to love this movie.
And... about the clip at the end of the credits...
Remember, Disney now owns Marvel and all the Lucas Films properties.
p.s. - Try to guess who Karen (Amy Pond) Gillan is without checking IMDB.
p.p.s. - This movie gives me hope that they'll do Star Wars right.
If you're following the Marvel Universe movies, this movie is required viewing. If you've not seen any of the super hero movies but like a good sci-fi action flick, you're still going to love this movie.
And... about the clip at the end of the credits...
Remember, Disney now owns Marvel and all the Lucas Films properties.
p.s. - Try to guess who Karen (Amy Pond) Gillan is without checking IMDB.
p.p.s. - This movie gives me hope that they'll do Star Wars right.
Friday, August 01, 2014
Friday Links: August 1
Pinky and The Brain return for their most hilarious bit ever. [link]
If you click no other links, you need to click this one.
Congress less popular than Jar Jar Binks. [link]
Ebola infected person was busted out of hospital and went on the run. [link]
She was found and died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. [link]
Virginia's teeth are so bad that health care expansion will mean literally buckets of pulled teeth. [link]
How the NSA defines terms. [link]
"Do you think I asked for a 12 inch pianist?" - The rest of the story. [link]
Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 according to Russia. [link]
Verizon accidentally admits to throttling NetFlix. [link]
"I Accidentally Started a Hoax." [link]
Mary Poppins quits. [link]
Some science fiction for women. [link]
Where's that one character that everyone seems to have, but me? [link]
The first video game song to win a Grammy. [link]
Is that air raid siren a hemi? [link]
Yes. Yes, it is.
How to make spiders even creepier. [link]
The 32 things you need to know from San Diego Comic Con. [link]
I've wondered if this would work. You've wondered if this would work. Somebody did it. [link]
I SO need a Vader stove. [link]
The cat uprising is coming. [link]
So that's how they milk an almond. [link]
When to buy generic. [link]
Pictures if all the ice on Earth melted. [link]
Edinburgh Castle should be awesome.
Walmart's ice cream sandwich won't melt.
8 century old how-to books that are still useful. [link]
Cocoa bean farmer tastes chocolate for the first time.
If you click no other links, you need to click this one.
Congress less popular than Jar Jar Binks. [link]
Ebola infected person was busted out of hospital and went on the run. [link]
She was found and died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. [link]
Virginia's teeth are so bad that health care expansion will mean literally buckets of pulled teeth. [link]
How the NSA defines terms. [link]
"Do you think I asked for a 12 inch pianist?" - The rest of the story. [link]
Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 according to Russia. [link]
Verizon accidentally admits to throttling NetFlix. [link]
"I Accidentally Started a Hoax." [link]
Mary Poppins quits. [link]
Some science fiction for women. [link]
Where's that one character that everyone seems to have, but me? [link]
The first video game song to win a Grammy. [link]
Is that air raid siren a hemi? [link]
Yes. Yes, it is.
How to make spiders even creepier. [link]
The 32 things you need to know from San Diego Comic Con. [link]
I've wondered if this would work. You've wondered if this would work. Somebody did it. [link]
I SO need a Vader stove. [link]
The cat uprising is coming. [link]
So that's how they milk an almond. [link]
When to buy generic. [link]
Pictures if all the ice on Earth melted. [link]
Edinburgh Castle should be awesome.
Walmart's ice cream sandwich won't melt.
8 century old how-to books that are still useful. [link]
Cocoa bean farmer tastes chocolate for the first time.
Thursday, July 31, 2014
Don't go there
Moving to a new city involves a period of learning where not to go. In DC that meant trying to check out a clock tower at night which led to being mistaken for a male prostitute, being offered drugs, walking a homeless woman to a bus stop who I used to avoid stopping for a very threatening thug. Driving in Baltimore, it threatened to draw me into my own personal version of Grand Theft Auto as I contemplated trying to rescue a prostitute on her first night out. Well, this new game on my phone has gotten me into inadvisable areas on not one, but two occasions recently.
The game is called Ingress. It's been going on for about two years. You have a map of the world and markers indicating the locations of energy portals. You pick a team and then go try to capture portals for your team. But to do this you must go to the real world location in which the portal is located.
My neighborhood has five portals within easy walking distance. As of now, I own three of them, my team owns the fourth, and the fifth is at the train station near my house, but is too powerful for me to mess with. But to get points and continue to level up I must find more. This was easier when I was fighting someone else for the local portals. So I had to travel a bit to access some others in the Cherry Hill neighborhood.
I walked along the water for a long ways and encountered four portals. The first was out of phone range, so I couldn't claim it. The second and third I claimed in the name of England. The fourth was too powerful to take, but I could gather the energy around it to power some of my other portals. Then I went deeper into the neighborhood toward a cluster of four portals. The road I was on was U shaped and would drop me off back near the beginning of my route. The first half was a bit run down and ghetto looking, but reasonably safe. I passed my accountant, talked to some random people, and generally had a nice walk. But beyond the cluster of portals things changed. The neighborhood looked much better, but felt much less safe. Two guys in their teens started following me. One of them was singing a tune that went something like "Yo, nigger, yo, nigger, yo, nigger, yo, nigger..." and on like that. And they were closing the distance between us. As they got close I stepped into a driveway, got a good look at them, and let them pass. They moved on and put some distance between us. About a block and a half later someone came across the street and attacked the both of them. And I mean he laid them out with a couple of punches. They got back up and ran off while the assailant went on his way. I would have dearly loved at taxi at that point.
The rest of the walk was pretty quiet. I found and ate some blackberries. I walked along quickly decaying sidewalk and around some ill placed trees, and went home. If I go back to those portals it will be with my car.
I mentioned gathering energy around enemy portals. I do that frequently to the portal at the train station. One time I tried it at 1:15 in the morning. In my pajamas. It had just stopped raining. I thought I was safe. Instead, three guys tried to corner me and make me pay a toll. I was supposed to be scared. I was more annoyed than anything.
First, two of them stayed back and the third came over to ask me for money. I told him I left my wallet at home and looked down at what I was wearing. He left. A minute later he came back and asked to borrow my phone. "Nope." This wasn't the answer he was expecting. He explained he wanted to call his mom in prison. "Can't." "Why not?" "Security reasons. It's a government phone. I'm not allowed to let anyone else use it. Spies and what not. You know." And I smiled at him. He just looked at me. I put the phone in my pocket and walked past him towards the two others. Yeah, I was surrounded at that point. Or, could be easily. As I approached the two others I had I different trick in mind. I kept smiling. And what's creepier at 1:20 AM? Three teenaged wanna-be thugs who can't stop giggling or one white guy in his pajamas walking among them with a grin? The two started telling me that if I wanted to come out here I had to cop to them. So I asked them to repeat that a couple of times. Then I asked "I have to ... cop? Comp?" They repeat it a few more times. "I'm not sure what that word is." And then. "Well, I gotta get on home. I'll talk to you later." as I got past them. One of them made a move like he was gonna hit me in my peripheral vision. I was supposed to jump. I didn't. I stopped. I turned and looked over my shoulder with more teeth showing than before and gleam in my eye. He stopped giggling and ran to catch up with his friends.
So that's another thing I won't be doing again.
The game is called Ingress. It's been going on for about two years. You have a map of the world and markers indicating the locations of energy portals. You pick a team and then go try to capture portals for your team. But to do this you must go to the real world location in which the portal is located.
My neighborhood has five portals within easy walking distance. As of now, I own three of them, my team owns the fourth, and the fifth is at the train station near my house, but is too powerful for me to mess with. But to get points and continue to level up I must find more. This was easier when I was fighting someone else for the local portals. So I had to travel a bit to access some others in the Cherry Hill neighborhood.
I walked along the water for a long ways and encountered four portals. The first was out of phone range, so I couldn't claim it. The second and third I claimed in the name of England. The fourth was too powerful to take, but I could gather the energy around it to power some of my other portals. Then I went deeper into the neighborhood toward a cluster of four portals. The road I was on was U shaped and would drop me off back near the beginning of my route. The first half was a bit run down and ghetto looking, but reasonably safe. I passed my accountant, talked to some random people, and generally had a nice walk. But beyond the cluster of portals things changed. The neighborhood looked much better, but felt much less safe. Two guys in their teens started following me. One of them was singing a tune that went something like "Yo, nigger, yo, nigger, yo, nigger, yo, nigger..." and on like that. And they were closing the distance between us. As they got close I stepped into a driveway, got a good look at them, and let them pass. They moved on and put some distance between us. About a block and a half later someone came across the street and attacked the both of them. And I mean he laid them out with a couple of punches. They got back up and ran off while the assailant went on his way. I would have dearly loved at taxi at that point.
The rest of the walk was pretty quiet. I found and ate some blackberries. I walked along quickly decaying sidewalk and around some ill placed trees, and went home. If I go back to those portals it will be with my car.
I mentioned gathering energy around enemy portals. I do that frequently to the portal at the train station. One time I tried it at 1:15 in the morning. In my pajamas. It had just stopped raining. I thought I was safe. Instead, three guys tried to corner me and make me pay a toll. I was supposed to be scared. I was more annoyed than anything.
First, two of them stayed back and the third came over to ask me for money. I told him I left my wallet at home and looked down at what I was wearing. He left. A minute later he came back and asked to borrow my phone. "Nope." This wasn't the answer he was expecting. He explained he wanted to call his mom in prison. "Can't." "Why not?" "Security reasons. It's a government phone. I'm not allowed to let anyone else use it. Spies and what not. You know." And I smiled at him. He just looked at me. I put the phone in my pocket and walked past him towards the two others. Yeah, I was surrounded at that point. Or, could be easily. As I approached the two others I had I different trick in mind. I kept smiling. And what's creepier at 1:20 AM? Three teenaged wanna-be thugs who can't stop giggling or one white guy in his pajamas walking among them with a grin? The two started telling me that if I wanted to come out here I had to cop to them. So I asked them to repeat that a couple of times. Then I asked "I have to ... cop? Comp?" They repeat it a few more times. "I'm not sure what that word is." And then. "Well, I gotta get on home. I'll talk to you later." as I got past them. One of them made a move like he was gonna hit me in my peripheral vision. I was supposed to jump. I didn't. I stopped. I turned and looked over my shoulder with more teeth showing than before and gleam in my eye. He stopped giggling and ran to catch up with his friends.
So that's another thing I won't be doing again.
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Movie Review: Snowpiercer
I watched the independent sci-fi movie Snowpiercer last weekend. If you're lucky, it's showing in your local independent theater. If not, then Netflix plans to get the DVD once it comes out. You can look it up and save it now.
The planet has frozen. An experiment in stopping global warming has frozen everything. All but one long train full of people. It drives on a track that winds over the whole planet once a year and never, ever stops. In the back of the train is the vast unwashed masses crammed together for 18 years in such a way to make diesel submarines seem roomy. At the front of the train it's all obscene decadence, luxury, and anything you could want.
There have been revolts and revolutions before, but all have been put down brutally. But Captain America has a plan. He wants to take the next war all the way to the front of the train.
The story is a familiar one. It could as easily be about the French Revolution or the fears of the 0.1% today or some of the Living Dead movies. The train makes the difference this time. It give it a hint of Masque of the Red Death (people hiding from death in a long string of rooms) as well as gives the audience a new world to explore.
This movie also would have gone well as a video game. At least then there'd be a good reason for progress to be on rails.
I'm still not sure if I'll get it on DVD, but it's been one of my favorite movies so far this year.
The planet has frozen. An experiment in stopping global warming has frozen everything. All but one long train full of people. It drives on a track that winds over the whole planet once a year and never, ever stops. In the back of the train is the vast unwashed masses crammed together for 18 years in such a way to make diesel submarines seem roomy. At the front of the train it's all obscene decadence, luxury, and anything you could want.
There have been revolts and revolutions before, but all have been put down brutally. But Captain America has a plan. He wants to take the next war all the way to the front of the train.
The story is a familiar one. It could as easily be about the French Revolution or the fears of the 0.1% today or some of the Living Dead movies. The train makes the difference this time. It give it a hint of Masque of the Red Death (people hiding from death in a long string of rooms) as well as gives the audience a new world to explore.
This movie also would have gone well as a video game. At least then there'd be a good reason for progress to be on rails.
I'm still not sure if I'll get it on DVD, but it's been one of my favorite movies so far this year.
Sunday, July 27, 2014
Friday, July 25, 2014
Friday Links: July 25
Potty trained parrot.
David Copperfield once made muggers think he had nothing on him to steal. [link]
Diggy Diggy Hole - music video
Comic book character inspirations. [link]
Vegetables are any plant you eat. [link]
The only non-indian survivor of the 7th Cavalry at Little Bighorn. [link]
Finally, a good reason for disliking Jimmy Carter. [link]
Spot on Peter Griffin impersonator with iffy audio.
A penguin that goes to the shops. [link]
The Science of Doctor Who by Brian Cox. [link]
Some of Weird Al's new stuff. Word Crimes and Tacky. [more]
Harrier makes an emergency landing on a cargo ship.
Kid dies because school wouldn't let him carry his inhaler. [link]
Coyotes and badgers sometimes hunt together. [link]
This explains the holes my brother has been having to fill up in his fields.
Bird migration wasn't something people knew about until surprisingly recently. A crane with a spear through it's neck introduced the idea. [link]
Queen Elizabeth aging via money. [link]
3D print Barbie some armor. [link]
Game: Purrmageddon - play a cat in a giant mech suit smacking down the best defenses the planet can muster. [link]
Man vs TGIFriday's Endless Mozarella Sticks. Careful notes of a day spent choking down breaded cheese. [link]
Pictures of Hitler practicing his hand gestures. [link]
Ultra-black material invented. [link]
Thanks to anti-vaxxers, the immigrant children are better vaccinated than Texans. [link]
Stand your ground laws don't stop crime, do increase homicides. [link]
What happens when you decriminalize "indoor" prostitution? Rhode Island accidentally found out. [link]
A timeline of indian land loss. [link]
Bacteria that live solely on electricity. [link]
Sleeping in colder rooms helps you lose weight. [link]
Seaweed beer. [link]
14 fact about the child-migrant influx. [link]
Spray cake in a can. [link]
Video of the creation of a nuke-built lake. [link]
There's an airborne version of MRSA. [link]
David Copperfield once made muggers think he had nothing on him to steal. [link]
Diggy Diggy Hole - music video
Comic book character inspirations. [link]
Vegetables are any plant you eat. [link]
The only non-indian survivor of the 7th Cavalry at Little Bighorn. [link]
Finally, a good reason for disliking Jimmy Carter. [link]
Spot on Peter Griffin impersonator with iffy audio.
A penguin that goes to the shops. [link]
The Science of Doctor Who by Brian Cox. [link]
Some of Weird Al's new stuff. Word Crimes and Tacky. [more]
Harrier makes an emergency landing on a cargo ship.
Kid dies because school wouldn't let him carry his inhaler. [link]
Coyotes and badgers sometimes hunt together. [link]
This explains the holes my brother has been having to fill up in his fields.
Bird migration wasn't something people knew about until surprisingly recently. A crane with a spear through it's neck introduced the idea. [link]
Queen Elizabeth aging via money. [link]
3D print Barbie some armor. [link]
Game: Purrmageddon - play a cat in a giant mech suit smacking down the best defenses the planet can muster. [link]
Man vs TGIFriday's Endless Mozarella Sticks. Careful notes of a day spent choking down breaded cheese. [link]
Pictures of Hitler practicing his hand gestures. [link]
Ultra-black material invented. [link]
Thanks to anti-vaxxers, the immigrant children are better vaccinated than Texans. [link]
Stand your ground laws don't stop crime, do increase homicides. [link]
What happens when you decriminalize "indoor" prostitution? Rhode Island accidentally found out. [link]
A timeline of indian land loss. [link]
Bacteria that live solely on electricity. [link]
Sleeping in colder rooms helps you lose weight. [link]
Seaweed beer. [link]
14 fact about the child-migrant influx. [link]
Spray cake in a can. [link]
Video of the creation of a nuke-built lake. [link]
There's an airborne version of MRSA. [link]
Monday, July 21, 2014
Bye bye, Walgreens
So, I'd stopped in to my local Walgreens to pick up some medications and snacks when a rather hostile employee drove me out. I had a couple of plastic bags in the car, so I brought them in with me to reuse them. Hardly the first time I've done that in this or any other store. I'd gotten my meds, some snacks, and was getting some foot powder when someone shelving some stuff asked me what I was doing. Confused, I answered that I was picking up some foot powder. "You can't put that in a bag." Thinking she was joking I asked "What?" Her hostility increased. "You can't be putting stuff in a bag." "I can't use a bag to carry my groceries to checkout?" "No! You might be stealing!" I can kind of understand the thinking. Sure, there's security stuff on the meds to sound alarms as I leave and I'm pretty sure someone would object if I just walked out with bags of stuff. But, sure, I suppose. So I emptied the bag and handed it to her. I then started picking my stuff up. "YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" "I can't carry my groceries up to the register in my hands, either? You're really going to have an attitude about that?" I had a bit of attitude myself at this point. "You can't do that!" So I set everything back on the ground and said "Fine. I'll get them somewhere else." and started walking out. She followed me and called a code something or other. Presumably it meant shoplifter. I turned, pulled the other empty bag out of my pocket, "Here, you can have my other bag, too, if it'll make you feel better." and left the bag hanging there in the air. A few steps later I pulled out my wallet, took out my Walgreens card, and tossed it at her. "Here. You can have this, too. I won't be needing it after this." I then left, went to the CVS a mile up the road and spent $78 there.
I've e-mailed Walgreen's customer service about it. It's not really fair to stop doing business with someone and not tell them what happened to make you stop.
I've e-mailed Walgreen's customer service about it. It's not really fair to stop doing business with someone and not tell them what happened to make you stop.
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Friday excuses
I had family in town and work to do. So this got zeroth priority and you get no links.
Friday, July 11, 2014
Friday Links: July 11
Some vampires were staked through the legs. [link]
Monkeys and humans fight over water supply. [link]
How morning sickness helps the fetus. [link]
Chimp in a zoo shows advanced planning skills. [link]
Birth control for men that we can't get our hands on. [link]
Poor boys get PTSD when moving to better neighborhoods, but poor girls thrive. [link]
Hawaii's beaches are made of fish poop. [link]
The founding fathers were hard drinkin' men. [link]
"That's 54 bottles of Madeira, 60 bottles of claret, eight of whiskey, 22 of porter, eight of hard cider, 12 of beer, and seven bowls of alcoholic punch. And what will your friends be drinking this evening?"
We can't take pictures of the Milky Way from the outside, so what galaxy is it that's shown in pictures? [link]
NASA can take tax deductible donations. [link]
Goldman Sachs demands Google unsend an e-mail. [link]
August 23
More on the Stargate movie reboot. [link]
We let you carry your guns openly for one day, ONE DAY!, and you're already drawing on each other in the QwikEMart. [link]
Monkeys and humans fight over water supply. [link]
How morning sickness helps the fetus. [link]
Chimp in a zoo shows advanced planning skills. [link]
Birth control for men that we can't get our hands on. [link]
Poor boys get PTSD when moving to better neighborhoods, but poor girls thrive. [link]
Hawaii's beaches are made of fish poop. [link]
The founding fathers were hard drinkin' men. [link]
"That's 54 bottles of Madeira, 60 bottles of claret, eight of whiskey, 22 of porter, eight of hard cider, 12 of beer, and seven bowls of alcoholic punch. And what will your friends be drinking this evening?"
We can't take pictures of the Milky Way from the outside, so what galaxy is it that's shown in pictures? [link]
NASA can take tax deductible donations. [link]
Goldman Sachs demands Google unsend an e-mail. [link]
August 23
More on the Stargate movie reboot. [link]
We let you carry your guns openly for one day, ONE DAY!, and you're already drawing on each other in the QwikEMart. [link]
Tuesday, July 08, 2014
Late night thought
Everybody should kill one person at some point. It's a once in their lifetime experience.
Monday, July 07, 2014
Neighborhood landscaping
This is my hood. You should be able to click to enlarge the picture. The street names have been removed to make it harder for my old university to find me.
Let me tell you what you're seeing.
The blue rectangles are properties I own at the moment. This will likely be added to, soon. If I had the money there'd be a lot of blue on this map.
The green rectangles are lawns that I've been caring for this summer. Four of them I've been taking care of all summer and they look great. Two others straight across from my house have only been taken on recently. One has a little old lady on oxygen whose son is worthless. As of this weekend I'm hopping her privacy fence and mowing her lawn and doing battle with the Virginia Creeper on both sides of the fence. The other is owned, but neglected. It houses many rats that you can hear dying at night. I'm committing lawn genocide and picking up the trash dumped in her yard. This weekend I started some flowers that bees like in pots so I can transplant them once the genocide is complete.
The red rectangle are yards that I took care of last summer. One was abandoned because the house was sold and is being repaired. Another was abandoned because of heavy dumping. All four had fences that were torn down.
The green line is the route that Gandolf and I walk on our Poison Ivy extermination walk. Last summer I only covered my block and the one north of it as well as weeds on sidewalks around those blocks. This year I started covering the full length of my alley. My alley still gets sprayed for all weeds, but the full alley was being targeted for Poison Ivy. I expanded to the next alley when I was looking at properties on that street and saw how horrible they were in the back. It was about a month before I could complete the circuit of the alley and get back home before the bottle ran empty. Any empty house's yard is a target. And stuff I can reach in occupied houses. I just started doing the alley to the west in the last few weeks. I had probably half a bottle of spray left when I get home.
The black dots are points of particular interest.
First, you see my route take a little jog beside a building north of my block. That building was once 1/5 covered with Poison Ivy. Deformed versions of it continue to try to come back. I won't let it. Other stuff is moving in and I'm trying to be picky about what I allow.
Second, far to the north is an amorphous black blob. That's a field of Curly Leaf Dock. That weed was a major target of last year's genocidal campaign and is included in this years. I poked at the field a bit, but didn't do any serious damage. I may get serious now that the second growth of the summer is starting. One of my neighbors is going to get me some bamboo to plant over there to crowd out the dock and serve as a decorative sound barrier for the trains that pass on the far side.
Third, by the loop-de-loop, is the abandoned community garden. Ten foot fences surround it and are covered with honeysuckle, English Ivy, Virginia Creeper, and Poison Ivy. I was able to target the Poison Ivy fairly successfully. It was a daunting task, though.
Fourth is a batch growing along the side fence of a yard. I can only get what's near the alley.
Fifth is just a messy yard that I use to gauge weed behavior in the area. Poison Ivy moved in that yard this year. That yard also tells me when to watch out for more Curly Leaf Dock.
If I have some left when I get close to home I then cut over to
Six. Former nice landscaping for a back fence. It will be nice again once I get rid of this major infestation. I blew a quarter of my bottle on that last week.
Seventh is a row of bushes that were heavily infested. The more I kill the more I find.
Eighth is an alley that starts with a condemned house that's overgrown. I'm trying to kill the vine back enough that I can move in with limb nippers.
Then I come back and finish on the other side of the fence from dot number one.
Let me tell you what you're seeing.
The blue rectangles are properties I own at the moment. This will likely be added to, soon. If I had the money there'd be a lot of blue on this map.
The green rectangles are lawns that I've been caring for this summer. Four of them I've been taking care of all summer and they look great. Two others straight across from my house have only been taken on recently. One has a little old lady on oxygen whose son is worthless. As of this weekend I'm hopping her privacy fence and mowing her lawn and doing battle with the Virginia Creeper on both sides of the fence. The other is owned, but neglected. It houses many rats that you can hear dying at night. I'm committing lawn genocide and picking up the trash dumped in her yard. This weekend I started some flowers that bees like in pots so I can transplant them once the genocide is complete.
The red rectangle are yards that I took care of last summer. One was abandoned because the house was sold and is being repaired. Another was abandoned because of heavy dumping. All four had fences that were torn down.
The green line is the route that Gandolf and I walk on our Poison Ivy extermination walk. Last summer I only covered my block and the one north of it as well as weeds on sidewalks around those blocks. This year I started covering the full length of my alley. My alley still gets sprayed for all weeds, but the full alley was being targeted for Poison Ivy. I expanded to the next alley when I was looking at properties on that street and saw how horrible they were in the back. It was about a month before I could complete the circuit of the alley and get back home before the bottle ran empty. Any empty house's yard is a target. And stuff I can reach in occupied houses. I just started doing the alley to the west in the last few weeks. I had probably half a bottle of spray left when I get home.
The black dots are points of particular interest.
First, you see my route take a little jog beside a building north of my block. That building was once 1/5 covered with Poison Ivy. Deformed versions of it continue to try to come back. I won't let it. Other stuff is moving in and I'm trying to be picky about what I allow.
Second, far to the north is an amorphous black blob. That's a field of Curly Leaf Dock. That weed was a major target of last year's genocidal campaign and is included in this years. I poked at the field a bit, but didn't do any serious damage. I may get serious now that the second growth of the summer is starting. One of my neighbors is going to get me some bamboo to plant over there to crowd out the dock and serve as a decorative sound barrier for the trains that pass on the far side.
Third, by the loop-de-loop, is the abandoned community garden. Ten foot fences surround it and are covered with honeysuckle, English Ivy, Virginia Creeper, and Poison Ivy. I was able to target the Poison Ivy fairly successfully. It was a daunting task, though.
Fourth is a batch growing along the side fence of a yard. I can only get what's near the alley.
Fifth is just a messy yard that I use to gauge weed behavior in the area. Poison Ivy moved in that yard this year. That yard also tells me when to watch out for more Curly Leaf Dock.
If I have some left when I get close to home I then cut over to
Six. Former nice landscaping for a back fence. It will be nice again once I get rid of this major infestation. I blew a quarter of my bottle on that last week.
Seventh is a row of bushes that were heavily infested. The more I kill the more I find.
Eighth is an alley that starts with a condemned house that's overgrown. I'm trying to kill the vine back enough that I can move in with limb nippers.
Then I come back and finish on the other side of the fence from dot number one.
Friday, July 04, 2014
Friday Links: July 4
NASA plans to put a greenhouse on [The Moon] and [Mars].
Starfish are an apex predator and they're turning to mush. [link]
How to calculate pi by dropping matches. [link]
Eli Roth showed the movie Cannibal Holocaust to an isolated tribe. They thought it was a comedy. [link]
An abandoned plane that landed itself. [link]
Understanding egg expiration date codes. [link]
I want this watch. [link]
The last jew in Afghanistan. [link]
Martian sunsets are blue. [video and explanation]
Paul McCartney did release a song under a pseudonym just to see if it'd still be a success. [link]
Heavy metal construction.
Starfish are an apex predator and they're turning to mush. [link]
How to calculate pi by dropping matches. [link]
Eli Roth showed the movie Cannibal Holocaust to an isolated tribe. They thought it was a comedy. [link]
An abandoned plane that landed itself. [link]
Understanding egg expiration date codes. [link]
I want this watch. [link]
The last jew in Afghanistan. [link]
Martian sunsets are blue. [video and explanation]
Paul McCartney did release a song under a pseudonym just to see if it'd still be a success. [link]
Heavy metal construction.
Thursday, July 03, 2014
Book Review: Icehenge
"Icehenge" started life as three short stories in a sci-fi magazine in the early 80s. They were modified, apparently heavily, for this book. Man went to Mars and the asteroids, but not much further. Most everything is run by a corporation more intent on exploiting what and who they have than expanding and exploring. Change comes slow now that humans life for about 600 years.
The first story is about a woman on a ship that is supposed to be the last piece of a secret mission to build an interstellar space craft. They meet with two other space craft that have gone missing over the last decade and their ship is supposed to be incorporated into the new space ship. It'll take a long time to get where they want to be, but they have the time. What they don't have is a recycling system that will get them all the way there. They'll be short just a few years and they need her help to make it work. She does her best and returns to Mars where a brewing revolution will help distract those in charge from the ship fleeing the system. The revolution is put down brutally.
The second story comes decades later. An archaeologist who lived in a dome that was collapsed during the revolution finally has permission to investigate the ruins. He's old enough that he really shouldn't remember any of it anymore. While researching there, a ring of standing ice blocks is discovered on Pluto. It's much like Stonehenge or some similar structure on Earth. He discovered a crashed rover on Mars with papers that indicate the henge was built by a group escaping the star system using stolen ships and the involvement of the woman from the first story.
The third story comes later still. While there has been some reforms since the corporation was forced to admit it's brutality in the revolution, they're still pretty much in charge. Mankind has expanded on to Saturn and beyond, but still not out of the star system. The great grandson of the archaeologist in story two is a historian. He talked to someone at a New Year's bash who makes a believable claim about building the icehenge. This starts the historian on a mission to correct the history. If not the fleeing revolutionaries, then who?
Kim Stanley Robinson, the author, does good work, but often his books get bogged down and you have to wait until the last 100 pages for the story to pick up again. He's just lucky his books are so good. His Mars Trilogy pretty much eliminated the need for other Mars colonization books since he covered it so thoroughly. Since this book is three short stories that's not such a problem as it is with full novels. The first story goes pretty well. The second gets kind of tedious until the archaeologist goes on his one man quest across Mars. The third has places where you think the author has completely lost the thread and then he jumps into or out of a flashback and brings you back into the story.
The first story is about a woman on a ship that is supposed to be the last piece of a secret mission to build an interstellar space craft. They meet with two other space craft that have gone missing over the last decade and their ship is supposed to be incorporated into the new space ship. It'll take a long time to get where they want to be, but they have the time. What they don't have is a recycling system that will get them all the way there. They'll be short just a few years and they need her help to make it work. She does her best and returns to Mars where a brewing revolution will help distract those in charge from the ship fleeing the system. The revolution is put down brutally.
The second story comes decades later. An archaeologist who lived in a dome that was collapsed during the revolution finally has permission to investigate the ruins. He's old enough that he really shouldn't remember any of it anymore. While researching there, a ring of standing ice blocks is discovered on Pluto. It's much like Stonehenge or some similar structure on Earth. He discovered a crashed rover on Mars with papers that indicate the henge was built by a group escaping the star system using stolen ships and the involvement of the woman from the first story.
The third story comes later still. While there has been some reforms since the corporation was forced to admit it's brutality in the revolution, they're still pretty much in charge. Mankind has expanded on to Saturn and beyond, but still not out of the star system. The great grandson of the archaeologist in story two is a historian. He talked to someone at a New Year's bash who makes a believable claim about building the icehenge. This starts the historian on a mission to correct the history. If not the fleeing revolutionaries, then who?
Kim Stanley Robinson, the author, does good work, but often his books get bogged down and you have to wait until the last 100 pages for the story to pick up again. He's just lucky his books are so good. His Mars Trilogy pretty much eliminated the need for other Mars colonization books since he covered it so thoroughly. Since this book is three short stories that's not such a problem as it is with full novels. The first story goes pretty well. The second gets kind of tedious until the archaeologist goes on his one man quest across Mars. The third has places where you think the author has completely lost the thread and then he jumps into or out of a flashback and brings you back into the story.
Wednesday, July 02, 2014
Book Review: Triggers
You know how I am with Robert J Sawyer books. I'll grab every one that comes along. And that's what happened with "Triggers". I didn't need to know anything else.
You may recall that his book "Flashforward" was adapted into a TV series. The show departed radically from the book, but that's to be expected. I got the sense from this new book that he got a taste of Hollywood and wants to go back. I say this because the book starts like an episode of "24" or some manner of political suspense novel. Terrorist attacks across the country going on for a couple of years. Major landmarks destroyed. The President has a horrible secret plan to stop them for good. Then a conspiracy within the Secret Service puts a sniper's bullet in him while speaking on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial followed by blowing up the White House! dunt. Dunt! DUUUUUUUN! t.
This is a serious departure from Sawyer's normal fare. Typically he's more into copying brains into computers, reversing the aging process, mind swaps, that sort of thing. And as the book progresses you see the old Robert J Sawyer come out to play. The President is being treated at a hospital just one floor removed from an experiment to go into a soldier's head and fix his PTSD. The EMP resulting from the bomb at the White House causes the field enveloping the soldier's head to expand for a brief moment and cause 24 people within that field to be able to read the minds of another. As in person 1 reads the memories, but not the thoughts, of person 2. Person 2 reads the memories of person 3. Person 3 reads the thoughts of person 4. And on like that. And yes, that means someone can read the mind of the President of the United States.
While the main plot continues, the story settles down into the lives of the connected. One guy can read the mind of a woman who was molested as a child even though she can't remember it herself. One black Secret Service agent can read the mind of a racist old woman. A doctor can read the mind of a nurse who has turned to drugs to escape her life with her abusive husband and secretly has a crush on the doctor. Two others end up in a relationship because she now knows what he likes in bed and can enjoy the memories of being him in bed. And the President getting an attack of PTSD because he's linked to the soldier who was the subject of the original experience.
Of course, eventually someone has to find out what the President has planned and it must be stopped before the book ends.
If you're a James Patterson lover I think this book would be a good jumping point to Robert J Sawyer. Mind you, I haven't read any James Patterson so I'm going off of what I think James Patterson writes. This is definitely a good place if you're a fan of shows like "24".
Tuesday, July 01, 2014
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