Olivia Munn and The Threat of the Fake Geeks – Paging Dr. NerdLove

Cliff Breczinski accused Olivia Munn of being a fake geek girl and of appropriating nerd culture. Why are we inventing new boogeymen to “oppress” nerds?

This is a long read, but well worth the time. It points out how everyone is looking for someone to hate, to pick on, or otherwise make feel bad for some reason. In this case, it’s the love of geek things.

Source: Olivia Munn and The Threat of the Fake Geeks – Paging Dr. NerdLove

A Most Unholy Architecture: Six Devil’s Bridges | Atlas Obscura

Source: A Most Unholy Architecture: Six Devil’s Bridges | Atlas Obscura

Bridges are such wonderful devices, liminal transports from one side to another. Here’s a look at 6 which can take you from wherever you are to a fantastical place found on the outskirts of your imagination.

For me, I now have more places to see before I die.

Review: Nim’s Island

Nim's Island
Nim’s Island by Wendy Orr

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

To be perfectly honest, I bought this book when we found out we were pregnant. The baby was no more than a speck at that point but I figured I should start getting books for the little one. And I’d seen the movie so this seemed like a safe bet. Continue reading “Review: Nim’s Island” →

Review: Strangers on a Train

Strangers on a Train
Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
What a fascinating book. To admit something horrible, not only had I never read the book before, but I’ve never seen the Hitchcock film, either. Closest I’ve come is Throw Momma from the Train which is a far cry from Highsmith’s original novel. Even the film seems to stray quite a bit from the original text. The original text, though, might be worth a revisit in cinematic form. Continue reading “Review: Strangers on a Train” →

Dolphin Spotting

BumpWeek 23 and things are heating up, literally. Speck is about 29cm long and growing daily. Rasa is experiencing a textbook pregnancy, meaning if the book (we’re using the Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy, which we like better than the super scary What to Expect When You’re Expecting) says you might experience this, she’s experiencing it. Weird cravings (eating potato chips which she hates), muscle cramps, nausea earlier, low blood pressure, all of it.  Continue reading “Dolphin Spotting” →

IF Magazine: Internet Archive

54-05,IF2

One of the things I love about the Internet is the amazing amount of things which would be nigh on impossible to find elsewhere. For example, the Internet Archive, which collects and stores vast quantities of really stuff has just released the complete run of  IF Magazine (1952-1974).

I absolutely dig living in the future only written about in these magazines!

Review: The Paper Magician

The Paper Magician
The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Ceony Twill is a 19 year old recent graduate of a magic academy and despite her wishes, she has been apprenticed to Paper Magician Emery Thane. See, in this world, magicians can only work with (by being “bonded” to one material, and a man-made one at that. And, well, paper-folding is the lamest of the lame. Not nearly as impressive, we are told (not shown) as working with metal or glass. Continue reading “Review: The Paper Magician” →

Confessions of a Vinyl Junkie | David Bowie’s 25 Favorite Albums

The Record CollectorA little while ago, my friend JR made the comment that even though it’s been more than a month since David Bowie’s death, he’s still listening to the man’s music.

So am I.

Along those lines, I present a little tidbit which says that while we’re all listening to Bowie’s music, he was probably listening to other things. This is a great list and the commentary notes are fantastic.

Source: Confessions of a Vinyl Junkie | David Bowie’s 25 Favorite Albums

Review: An Anthropologist on Mars and Lost At Sea

An Anthropologist on Mars: Seven Paradoxical Tales
An Anthropologist on Mars: Seven Paradoxical Tales by Oliver Sacks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

 

Lost At Sea: The Jon Ronson Mysteries
Lost At Sea: The Jon Ronson Mysteries by Jon Ronson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

 

I’m putting these two books together becuase they both strike me as similar reads and I found the same issue with each. That said, they are different books and cover different subject matter. Continue reading “Review: An Anthropologist on Mars and Lost At Sea” →

Up and Down the Dial

85740-fullOne of the most interesting things about being in a relationship with someone who is both from a different culture and has a significant age difference is that you get to share things which may seem old hat or fond memory to you, but become something new and fun to them. With us, this happens whenever we’re talking about TV shows or commercials or music… pop culture references, really. Continue reading “Up and Down the Dial” →

Naming Rites

hello-my-name-isSo, we’re having a baby, right?

We’re in week 20, half way along, and it’s pretty spectacular. Rasa is showing, has been for a few weeks now, and the baby is kicking its little heart out. We figure Speck is going to be either a ninja, kung fu master or drummer at this rate. We also expect it to come out with perfect muscle tone and prepared to run a 100 meter dash.  Continue reading “Naming Rites” →