Please spare us from these ninnies who keep insisting that the aughts aren't ending tonight. If we were discussing "the 201st decade," they'd have a point. We're not, so shut up. If you insisted that 2000 was the last year of the 20th century, you were being pedantic. If you insisted it was the last year of the '90s, you were just being stupid.
This picture has them stacked by decade. The 40's and 50's are on the left stretching all the way over to the 00's on the right. For those scoring at home, I've read the first two books from the 70's. Where is your cell phone? table
Significant other? tired
Your hair? missing
Your mother? baking
Your father? cat-owning
Your favorite thing? reading
Your dream last night? scary
Your favorite drink? cokezero
What room are you in? living
Your hobby? reading
Your fear? alzheimers
Where do you want to be in 6 years? westcoast
Where were you last night? home
Something that you aren't? athletic
Muffins? blueberry
Wish list item? books
Last thing you did? cuddled
What are you wearing? sweatshirt
TV? seventhheaven
Your pets? sleepy
Friends? solid
Your life? transition
Your mood? tired
Missing someone? yes
Drinking? soon
Your car? cold
Something you're not wearing? thong
Your favorite store? mcd's
Your favorite color? blue
When is the last time you cried? movie
Who will repost this? mom
Where do you go to over and over? work
My favorite place to eat? hawaii
Others have mentioned how seamless Heinlein's worlds are but I'm always gobsmacked by them, even now. You know that the writer was only showing the iceberg's tip of what he knew about any of his imagined outposts -- like Jubbulpore or the Free Traders' Sisu -- but what he chose to show was exactly what you needed to know. All of the needful stuff is condensed into the man's clear prose, which is never enamored with its own cleverness. In other hands, such concision could be a dull read but this reportorial approach works in Heinlein's hands.The Hugo project has led me to read lots of books and authors that are new to me. I haven't found any authors who quite hit the same balance that Heinlein consistently does with the narrative. Add in the enjoyable conversation and consistently interesting moral observations and that explains much of my love for the man.
While The Star Beast is ostensibly a coming of age story, it is more about the use of diplomacy. Mr Kiku* and his cohort Sergei Greenberg spend most of the book negotiating with the rest of Lummox's race in order to keep the Earth from being blown up by them. The passages about the Beast and John Thomas are interesting -- but it feels like Heinlein really goes off on one of his giddy didactic tears when he gets into the gritty details of status, power and gesture.My opinion differs. I've read it probably eight or ten times and never was bothered by the 'gritty details' and whatnot. To each their own, I guess. The author here is also bothered that 'Star Beast' focuses on boys relationships but I think that simply fails to account for the conditions under which it was written. Heinlein wrote his juveniles specifically for young boys. It's not fair to take him to task here, especially since one of the strongest characters in the book is his girlfriend Betty.
Wikipedia has a list of the highest grossing films of this decade so far, and kottke noticed that of the top 20 films at the box office, only one movie was not based on a past film or tv show (remake/sequel), or an adaptation of an established property (be it a comic, book, play, toy…etc).That movie? 'Finding Nemo'. In fact, there are only two of the top 30 that are new works, the other being 'Kung Fu Panda' at #30. At the link they list the top 50 of the decade and only nine aren't based on some previous something. Seven of the nine are animated, five of those being Pixar. Any guesses on the other two?
LONDON – Women faced their share of trouble at the Tower of London, including three queens who were beheaded there. But treachery has long been considered a thing of the past at the notorious 11th century fortress. At least until now.Um, are they really comparing 'bullying' with 'beheading'? There is a pretty steep difference between the two, no?
If charges made Monday are true, the Tower — a popular tourist attraction and home to Britain's Crown Jewels — will add bullying to the list of foul deeds committed there. The victim: the first woman selected to join the all-male ranks of the Tower's yeoman warders, popularly known as "Beefeaters."Ah. Ok then. I'm certainly not in favor of bullying and I hope that the woman from the article, Moira Cameron, is able to work there without problems. Having said that, I don't think you can really hold executing Queens against the current lot. Orders and all that.
There was an intense, sudden flash of light and a shocking roar. Both were cut off and faded without echo or warning. Then a split second of free fall and without warning, a hard impact. Abner was knocked to the floor. There was surge back up and then a lighter impact and he could feel it start to roll.
Abner grabbed an arm hold and hauled himself upright. The windows had shown nothing but night and lights. Now it was full day time. The rain was gone. So was the airport. And they were definitely moving.
He was back of the wing and could see some kind of prairie or big field in front of him. A herd of … something was running away. Or at least that was what the cloud of dust made him think.
He turned to the other side to see if that view helped him but it didn’t. More grass but also trees. A forest worth, at least. The trees helped him figure the speed of the plane, fast but not alarmingly so. For the first time he noticed how rough the ride was. A thought flashed through his head that he was not on any kind of runway.
Also, the trees were starting to get closer. If the plane didn’t swerve or the forest curve back, there would be some kind of collision. He started to make his way up the aisle toward the cockpit. The crash happened when he was about half way there. At least the first crash did. Again he looked out the port windows and he could see that the wing was starting to connect with the edge of the forest.
Abner took one more step towards the cockpit and then the jet spun suddenly toward the left and pitched him off balance. He stumbled and hit his face on a seat back. For a moment he was woozy, and then he blinked a few times and passed out. His last thought was, ‘Damn Pete, what the hell did you get me into?”
(yes, she did)Dear Mr. 8C:
The whole thing is worth reading. Now most seasoned travelers are nice, of course. They understand the vagaries of air travel when it comes to things like delays and sold out upgraded class seating. But the bad ones? Holy cats, they're awful! There is something about assumed privilege that turns full grown adults into the worst possible children.I'm sorry your Silver Elite status on Northwest Airlines didn't qualify you for a first-class upgrade on your recent flight from New York to Minneapolis. All of us, your fellow passengers, shared in the incredulity you expressed so vocally to the gate agent when informed that you would be flying coach.
The subsequent announcement that our departure would be delayed clearly inconvenienced you alone. Your expletive-laden denouncement of the airlines, while unsettling to many of those standing near to you, was an opinion that you obviously deemed necessary to share with all within earshot. It is shocking that the airlines would let a little thing like a mechanical problem with the plane interfere with your very important schedule. Trust me, we all heard you when you said how (expletive omitted) upset you were.
