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Random Thoughts on a Sunday
Sep. 28th, 2008 05:06 pmI had a social engagement Friday night (tickets to see Sleuth at College of DuPage) so I DVR'ed the Presidential debate. Basically, the current debate format is set such that one doesn't win the debate - one looses it. Since neither candidate lost, that scores as a draw. Debates are still important - they are a crucial way for people to see the candidates think on their feet, and if done well, they draw out the critical policy differences between candidates.
CNN is telling me that it appears we have a bailout deal. If John McCain claims he helped craft it, it would have to be via immaculate conception, since he doesn't appear to have ever been in the same room with the deal. I'm not real happy with the need to have a bailout, and downright pissed with Republicans trying to pretend they had nothing to do with causing the crisis. You just can't be the majority party in Congress from 1994 to 2006, hold the Presidency since 2000 and not have at least some responsibility for disasters like this.
I just finished reading Jerry Pournelle's book Exile and Glory
. It's a reprint of a bunch of his early 1970s stuff, and quite entertaining. Basically, Pournelle's world is that of a "whimper" dystopia - Earth has gone to hell not with a bang but with a whimper. Various small groups are trying to use private space flight to fix the mess, with some successes. It's got some dated technology and political back-story, but overall an enjoyable read.
I've moved on to L. Timmel Duchamp's magnum opus Alanya to Alanya. It's "Book One of Five" and although somewhat interesting, not enough so for me to get the other four. When I've finished, I'll post a review over on POD People. Since Duchamp co-founded the publisher, it's technically self-published.
Talking about the next POD People review is probably a good segue into noting that we're running our monthly Free Book Friday with the giveaway being David Louis Edelman's latest novel MultiReal. If you are interested, get on over before midnight tonight and post a comment to be entered in the drawing.
CNN is telling me that it appears we have a bailout deal. If John McCain claims he helped craft it, it would have to be via immaculate conception, since he doesn't appear to have ever been in the same room with the deal. I'm not real happy with the need to have a bailout, and downright pissed with Republicans trying to pretend they had nothing to do with causing the crisis. You just can't be the majority party in Congress from 1994 to 2006, hold the Presidency since 2000 and not have at least some responsibility for disasters like this.
I just finished reading Jerry Pournelle's book Exile and Glory
. It's a reprint of a bunch of his early 1970s stuff, and quite entertaining. Basically, Pournelle's world is that of a "whimper" dystopia - Earth has gone to hell not with a bang but with a whimper. Various small groups are trying to use private space flight to fix the mess, with some successes. It's got some dated technology and political back-story, but overall an enjoyable read. I've moved on to L. Timmel Duchamp's magnum opus Alanya to Alanya
. It's "Book One of Five" and although somewhat interesting, not enough so for me to get the other four. When I've finished, I'll post a review over on POD People. Since Duchamp co-founded the publisher, it's technically self-published. Talking about the next POD People review is probably a good segue into noting that we're running our monthly Free Book Friday with the giveaway being David Louis Edelman's latest novel MultiReal. If you are interested, get on over before midnight tonight and post a comment to be entered in the drawing.
