| Me not discover new genre of fiction called Bizarro. It's nothing to do with the character from the Superman universe of the same name though. Although if we were still using the bizarre backward logic and manner of speaking as exhibited by the character Bizarro then it would mean that the two were linked - confusing! Anyway Bizarro sounds right up my alley so I think I'll be checking out The Bizarro Starter Kit as recommended by Bizarro Central. |
Friday, August 17, 2007
Him no come from same place as Bizarro #1
&bull posted by Matt Wharton @ 5:29 PM
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Angels and Demons: A mini-review
&bull posted by Matt Wharton @ 8:52 PM
Have just finished Dan Brown's Angels and Demons and I have to say that once you get past the science bit (and Brown has clearly researched the science but has utterly failed to understand it) there is a half-decent plot albeit with a rather obvious twist in the end.
It's better plotted than The Da Vinci Code as it does actually build to a climax rather than a series of anti-climatic cliffhangers.
The characters are as poorly sketched as they were in The Da Vinci Code though and are little more than stereotypes.
It's better plotted than The Da Vinci Code as it does actually build to a climax rather than a series of anti-climatic cliffhangers.
The characters are as poorly sketched as they were in The Da Vinci Code though and are little more than stereotypes.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Tell me about the rabbits, George!
&bull posted by Matt Wharton @ 8:02 PM
Sunday, November 12, 2006
The Google's Garden
&bull posted by Matt Wharton @ 7:23 PM
FAR! FAR away, the Google lives, in a land which only children can go to. It is a wonderful land of funny flowers, and birds, and hills of pure white heather.
Google wants people to stop googling or at least stop using the term googling as they view it as diluting their trademark much in the same as what has happened in the past to Xerox and Hoover.
However it would appear that not only have people been googling long before the search engine was even a twinkle in the eyes of Larry Page and Sergey Brin, but the Google also has existed for a long long time as well, in The Google Book by V. C. Vickers. [via]
Google wants people to stop googling or at least stop using the term googling as they view it as diluting their trademark much in the same as what has happened in the past to Xerox and Hoover.
However it would appear that not only have people been googling long before the search engine was even a twinkle in the eyes of Larry Page and Sergey Brin, but the Google also has existed for a long long time as well, in The Google Book by V. C. Vickers. [via]
Labels: books
Friday, October 06, 2006
goodthinkful
&bull posted by Matt Wharton @ 9:08 PM
I think Bruce Schneier's right on the money when he calls this Opinion Monitoring Software Orwellian.
It's like the sort of thing you can imagine a nascent Ministry of Truth using to separate the goodthinkers from the crimethinkers.
It starts out well enough and sounds like a useful tool to track world opinion on the US and its government's policies and as result make the US a more responsible player on the world stage.
It's like the sort of thing you can imagine a nascent Ministry of Truth using to separate the goodthinkers from the crimethinkers.
It starts out well enough and sounds like a useful tool to track world opinion on the US and its government's policies and as result make the US a more responsible player on the world stage.
A consortium of major universities, using Homeland Security Department money, is developing software that would let the government monitor negative opinions of the United States or its leaders in newspapers and other publications overseas.But like any tool there is scope for misuse of the technology should the research into it actually bear fruit in this case.
Such a “sentiment analysis” is intended to identify potential threats to the nation, security officials said.
Labels: books, Computer security, Security
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
I'll eat you up, I love you so...
&bull posted by Matt Wharton @ 11:36 AM
Where The Wild Things Are
by Maurice Sendak was one of my favourite books as a young child if not my very favourite.
I readily identified with Max and his wolf costume, and the wild things themselves were fascinating and a little scary.
by Maurice Sendak was one of my favourite books as a young child if not my very favourite.I readily identified with Max and his wolf costume, and the wild things themselves were fascinating and a little scary.
"And the wild things roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth and rolled their terrible eyes and showed their terrible claws".I've discovered that this children's classic is to be made into a motion picture and will be directed by Spike Jonze. Perfect.
Labels: books
Friday, June 30, 2006
Monster Island
&bull posted by Matt Wharton @ 1:45 AM
I just got through reading the novel Monster Island by David Wellington and thought it was pretty damn good for a first novel.
There's a bit of a zombie zeitgeist at the moment and though I'm a fan of the genre this is the first zombie novel I've read, I'm not even sure if there are any others. The novel does give the typical zombie story a wider scope than you get in a movie much in the same way as the events in the excellent The Walking Dead comic series written by Robert Kirkman does.
Basically civilisation has collapsed and the Earth seems to be overrun with zombies. Ironically states like Somaliland which were unstable and ungoverned are now the most stable places on the planet. Dekalb an American UN weapons inspector is captured by a female Somali warlord and despatched to New York (the monster island of the title) with a troop of Somali girl soldiers to retrieve much need medical supplies from the UN headquarters there.
In addition to your standard zombie fare there are a number of new ideas and expansions on the basic themes particularly in the case of the character of Gary, a zombie that has managed to retain his human faculties and intelligence.
I first learnt of the novel due to David Wellington's website on which he publishes his work chapter by chapter in a blog-like format that readers can read entirely for free. I read much of Monster Island there before buying the novel and as I couldn't wait I have already started reading the sequel Monster Nation online and will no doubt start on Monster Planet the final part of the trilogy in short order.
I'm convinced that publishing like this online or like Scott Sigler who records podcast audiobooks of his own work is the future and more and more writers will adopt it as a way to promote their work and interact with their readers.
by David Wellington and thought it was pretty damn good for a first novel.There's a bit of a zombie zeitgeist at the moment and though I'm a fan of the genre this is the first zombie novel I've read, I'm not even sure if there are any others. The novel does give the typical zombie story a wider scope than you get in a movie much in the same way as the events in the excellent The Walking Dead comic series written by Robert Kirkman does.
Basically civilisation has collapsed and the Earth seems to be overrun with zombies. Ironically states like Somaliland which were unstable and ungoverned are now the most stable places on the planet. Dekalb an American UN weapons inspector is captured by a female Somali warlord and despatched to New York (the monster island of the title) with a troop of Somali girl soldiers to retrieve much need medical supplies from the UN headquarters there.
In addition to your standard zombie fare there are a number of new ideas and expansions on the basic themes particularly in the case of the character of Gary, a zombie that has managed to retain his human faculties and intelligence.
I first learnt of the novel due to David Wellington's website on which he publishes his work chapter by chapter in a blog-like format that readers can read entirely for free. I read much of Monster Island there before buying the novel and as I couldn't wait I have already started reading the sequel Monster Nation online and will no doubt start on Monster Planet the final part of the trilogy in short order.
I'm convinced that publishing like this online or like Scott Sigler who records podcast audiobooks of his own work is the future and more and more writers will adopt it as a way to promote their work and interact with their readers.
Labels: books
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Alan Moore's Lost Girls
&bull posted by Matt Wharton @ 11:40 PM
Alan Moore writer of seminal graphic novels Watchmen and From Hell faces controversy and accusations of copyright infringement over his latest work Lost Girls.
Moore not only faces criticism for the pornographic content of the graphic novel but also because Great Ormond Street Hospital maintains that it holds the copyright for the character of Wendy Darling from Peter Pan, who is one of the main charcters in Lost Girls.
But is Peter Pan in the public domain and if it isn't are the characters copyrighted. Never Neverland: Peter Pan and perpetual copyright
Alan Moore discusses Lost Girls and the issues surrounding it in this BBC Radio interview.
Neil Gaiman has written in his online journal about Lost Girls.
and From Hell faces controversy and accusations of copyright infringement over his latest work Lost Girls.Moore not only faces criticism for the pornographic content of the graphic novel but also because Great Ormond Street Hospital maintains that it holds the copyright for the character of Wendy Darling from Peter Pan, who is one of the main charcters in Lost Girls.
But is Peter Pan in the public domain and if it isn't are the characters copyrighted. Never Neverland: Peter Pan and perpetual copyright
Alan Moore discusses Lost Girls and the issues surrounding it in this BBC Radio interview.
Neil Gaiman has written in his online journal about Lost Girls.
Friday, June 09, 2006
China bans Da vinci Code
&bull posted by Matt Wharton @ 6:53 PM
According to BBC News the movie The Da Vinci Code has been withdrawn from cinemas in China.
Officials in the country said the move was to make way for local Chinese films to be shown during the peak summer viewing period.Bizarre that a movie that has been attacked by Christians in the West is banned by China because it is too popular with Christians.
But others say the ban may have been implemented because of the religious content of the film.
The BBC's Quentin Sommerville in Beijing said there had been speculation that the film was proving too popular with Chinese Christians.
Friday, April 21, 2006
Real Ultimate Power: The Official Ninja Book
&bull posted by Matt Wharton @ 10:39 AM
I just bought the book Real Ultimate Power: The Official Ninja Book by Robert Hamburger.
Edit: 20:43:37 22/04/06 I have read it and it is indeed sweet.
Book DescriptionAnyone who knows anything about ninjas knows that this book is totally sweet. And by sweet I mean awesome. I shall read it immediately.
Dear Stupid Idiots,
A lot of you have been saying that I don’t know anything about REAL ninjas. But that’s a bunch of bull crap! You dummies don’t know anything. And maybe YOU should get a life. I bet a lot of you have never even seen a girl naked! You idiots believe that ninjas had some "code of honor." Yeah right! If by "code of honor," you mean "code to flip out and go nuts for absolutely no reason at all even if it means that people might think you are totally insane or sweet," then you are right. But if you mean a "code to be nice and speak nicely while sharing and not cutting off heads," then you’re the biggest idiot ever!!!!!! So if you have any brains, you will shut up and get a life. So go shut up, you stupid idiot.
No thank you,
Robert Hamburger
Edit: 20:43:37 22/04/06 I have read it and it is indeed sweet.
Labels: books
Sunday, April 09, 2006
Copyright common sense
&bull posted by Matt Wharton @ 8:12 PM
London's High Court has ruled that The Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown did not infringe the copyright of an earlier book, The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail by Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh.
The claim was clearly without merit as copyright law only protects the expression of an idea not the idea itself. Also if the idea itself is one which the authors claim is historical fact that would surely undermine their case further, but whether or not that is truly the case is pretty irrelevant.
Worryingly Jon Silverman a BBC legal affairs analyst does not think that the judgement represented a significant victory for creative freedom.
I think that if the judgement had come down on the side of the plaintiffs and extended copyright law to cover ideas as well as the expression of those ideas then creativity would have been stifled. Corporations would start a landgrab of ideas and we'd find ourselves in a situation where every single new literary work would have to license the basic ideas from the corporate owners of those ideas.
But this is a nightmare situation that I believe is unlikely to come to pass as even corporations that otherwise lobby for extension to copyright protection could see that this would be an extension too far, it would be damaging to their own interests.
The claim was clearly without merit as copyright law only protects the expression of an idea not the idea itself. Also if the idea itself is one which the authors claim is historical fact that would surely undermine their case further, but whether or not that is truly the case is pretty irrelevant.
Worryingly Jon Silverman a BBC legal affairs analyst does not think that the judgement represented a significant victory for creative freedom.
But to suggest, as Gail Rebuck, the chief executive of Random House, did outside court, that the judgement represented a significant victory for creative freedom, is probably going too far.I wasn't at the court so I don't precisely know what the plaintiffs' case actually hung on. Was it just idea theft as was portrayed in the media or was there claims that passages of their book appeared in virtually the same form in The Da Vinci Code?
The judge himself acknowledged that nothing in the plaintiffs' case would have stultified creative endeavour or extended the boundaries of copyright protection.
I think that if the judgement had come down on the side of the plaintiffs and extended copyright law to cover ideas as well as the expression of those ideas then creativity would have been stifled. Corporations would start a landgrab of ideas and we'd find ourselves in a situation where every single new literary work would have to license the basic ideas from the corporate owners of those ideas.
But this is a nightmare situation that I believe is unlikely to come to pass as even corporations that otherwise lobby for extension to copyright protection could see that this would be an extension too far, it would be damaging to their own interests.
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Storycode
&bull posted by Matt Wharton @ 12:38 PM
I stumbled across the website Storycode yesterday and it may prove to be an excellent source of recommendations for my future reading.
So by looking at The Confusion by Neal Stephenson I saw that the book Some Danger Involved by Will Thomas was similar and liked what I read about it.
We'll have to see how this works out once I've read the novel, but I'm intrigued by the idea of Storycode.
StoryCode.co.uk is a unique source of inspiring book recommendations and a great way to find the next book to read. And its power comes from the collaborative passion of readers.Users of the site are asked to code the books by answering several questions using a sliding scale system i.e. is this book humorous or serious or somewhere in between. Then a profile of the book is built and can be compared to thers in the database to find similar books.
So by looking at The Confusion by Neal Stephenson I saw that the book Some Danger Involved by Will Thomas was similar and liked what I read about it.
Modeled after the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, but with a verve all its own, this debut mystery introduces a likable pair of sleuths and explores the Jewish quarter of Victorian London.And promptly purchased it from Amazon.co.uk
We'll have to see how this works out once I've read the novel, but I'm intrigued by the idea of Storycode.
Labels: books, Neal Stephenson
Saturday, November 26, 2005
Weekend downloads
&bull posted by Matt Wharton @ 5:17 PM
A number of things I recommend people download this weekend. All excellent and all free.
Civilization 2
The classic game of world building probably the best PC game of the 90s.
A 1200 page Physics textbook in pdf format.
This book from Motion Mountain is Both entertaining and fascinating. It is comprehensive but easy to read and is even better for being free to download. I believe everyone should have a knowledge of physics in addition to classic literature.
BlackLight from F-Secure
With the news that some CDs from Sony have installed rootkits on users PCs it would be wise for people to download the Blacklight rootkit scanner and remover. It's unlikely that you have a rootkit installed but for piece of mind take 10 minutes of your weekend to do this. There is an expiry date of 1st of January 2006 for this software so download and run before the end of the year.
Civilization 2
The classic game of world building probably the best PC game of the 90s.
A 1200 page Physics textbook in pdf format.
This book from Motion Mountain is Both entertaining and fascinating. It is comprehensive but easy to read and is even better for being free to download. I believe everyone should have a knowledge of physics in addition to classic literature.
BlackLight from F-Secure
With the news that some CDs from Sony have installed rootkits on users PCs it would be wise for people to download the Blacklight rootkit scanner and remover. It's unlikely that you have a rootkit installed but for piece of mind take 10 minutes of your weekend to do this. There is an expiry date of 1st of January 2006 for this software so download and run before the end of the year.
Monday, November 21, 2005
Crazy nutjob to sue Amazon
&bull posted by Matt Wharton @ 12:54 AM
That Jack Thompson really is a crazy nutjob. First he threatens to sue Penny-Arcade and now he's threatening to sue Amazon.com because his book has been receiving many negative and abusive reviews.
Check out the reviews, some of them are quite amusing as are the tags and the related items. He really has pissed off some tech-savvy people who are making him look more of a fool than he already has become through his own dimwitted actions.
Check out the reviews, some of them are quite amusing as are the tags and the related items. He really has pissed off some tech-savvy people who are making him look more of a fool than he already has become through his own dimwitted actions.
Labels: books
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Survival of the fittest on the Interweb
&bull posted by Matt Wharton @ 7:14 PM
It's funny how transient an experience the web is especially in comparison to books. Thoughts about Creationism v Darwinism have been in my mind recently and sitting in my living room I happen to come across a copy of the Darwin Awards book that I had forgot that I owned.
The book was a spin off from the website which I haven't visited in years and probably never would have ever again had I not seen the book. The site is as crudely designed as it ever was and in these days of pretty template based sites by the bucketload it is positively archaic looking. It looks to be updated still although I'm not sure how often it is.
It was a cult thing amongst the internet community that I was a part of in the late 90s but it faded away from my sphere and until now it's almost like it didn't exist until rediscovered the book. Do people still visit regularly? Do people still happen across it following links from elsewhere having never known of its existence?
The book was a spin off from the website which I haven't visited in years and probably never would have ever again had I not seen the book. The site is as crudely designed as it ever was and in these days of pretty template based sites by the bucketload it is positively archaic looking. It looks to be updated still although I'm not sure how often it is.
It was a cult thing amongst the internet community that I was a part of in the late 90s but it faded away from my sphere and until now it's almost like it didn't exist until rediscovered the book. Do people still visit regularly? Do people still happen across it following links from elsewhere having never known of its existence?
Labels: books
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Anansi MP3s
&bull posted by Matt Wharton @ 6:43 PM
Neil Gaiman's lastest book Anansi Boys is due to published as an unabridged audiobook (narrated by Lenny Henry) soon and will be available not only on Audio CD but also in MP3 format on CD.
Many of the downloadable audiobooks from Audible are now unabridged MP3 versions so there clearly is some kind of market for them. Perhaps I should do a premium podcast audiobook instead or in addition.
There is also an MP3 version of Gaiman's American Gods due to be published soon.
I've just found out that the two different versions of the two different audio editions are already up at Amazon. The CD version comes on 15 CDs. The MP3 version comes on two CDs.I'd be interested in how successful a venture it is to publish audiobooks as MP3s on CD as I'm currently investigating doing the same with a number of public domain works.
I've been lobbying for an MP3 version of books for years -- Harper Audio hesitated for a long time because they were worried about people buying them and then complaining that they didn't play on their CD players (a not unreasonable concern).
Many of the downloadable audiobooks from Audible are now unabridged MP3 versions so there clearly is some kind of market for them. Perhaps I should do a premium podcast audiobook instead or in addition.
There is also an MP3 version of Gaiman's American Gods due to be published soon.
Labels: books
Sunday, July 10, 2005
Sinophile
&bull posted by Matt Wharton @ 11:14 PM
I'm a big fan of the novels of China Miéville particularly Perdido Street Station, a book so crammed with wonderful ideas you worry it might be burdened by the number but somehow it works perfectly.
There is an in depth recent interview with him here.
There is an in depth recent interview with him here.
Labels: books
Thursday, June 23, 2005
wtf-WotW
&bull posted by Matt Wharton @ 5:14 PM
A customer asked me today.
Of course I didn't say that but I am constantly astounded that I have to explain what the big summer blockbusting movies are. I'd understand if it was some obscure European movie and I'm quite happy to describe what they are about, but when it is a movie that is advertised many times a day on television, is on magazine covers and is being indirectly promoted by articles about Tom Cruise and his recently announced engagement to Katie Holmes I'm almost literally struck dumb.
See also:
The official movie website.
I'm really looking forward to seeing this movie as it is a favourite book of mine and although Spielberg does tend towards schmaltz he is a very able director.
Dark Horse The War of the Worlds comic adapted and abridged by Ian Edginton with art by D'Israeli. This looks damn good as well, D'Israeli's art is beautiful.
There has been a slew of War of the Worlds adaptations in recent years, there has been another movie this unlike Spielberg's set in the original period and there was the Alan Moore comic The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Volume 2, which was an intersting twist on the original.
What is War of the Worlds?What the fuck planet you been living on lady? Have you never heard of the book let alone managed to miss the media blitz that has happened about the new movie starring Tom Cruise.
Of course I didn't say that but I am constantly astounded that I have to explain what the big summer blockbusting movies are. I'd understand if it was some obscure European movie and I'm quite happy to describe what they are about, but when it is a movie that is advertised many times a day on television, is on magazine covers and is being indirectly promoted by articles about Tom Cruise and his recently announced engagement to Katie Holmes I'm almost literally struck dumb.
See also:
The official movie website.
I'm really looking forward to seeing this movie as it is a favourite book of mine and although Spielberg does tend towards schmaltz he is a very able director.
Dark Horse The War of the Worlds comic adapted and abridged by Ian Edginton with art by D'Israeli. This looks damn good as well, D'Israeli's art is beautiful.
There has been a slew of War of the Worlds adaptations in recent years, there has been another movie this unlike Spielberg's set in the original period and there was the Alan Moore comic The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Volume 2, which was an intersting twist on the original.
Friday, June 17, 2005
Accelerando
&bull posted by Matt Wharton @ 5:44 PM
Not only is Charles Stross a kick-ass sci-fi writer, whose new book Accelerando is now available for download (under a CC-license of course), but he also shares my views on the National ID card.
Go download Accelerando then wait til the book is published in print form and buy it, or check out his other books. Particularly Singularity Sky and Iron Sunrise, both of which I really enjoyed.
I was going to write yet another rambling post about the government's transport scheme but Charles has written a much better piece in his blog which pretty much says what I would have written anyway. He seems to have buggered up his permalinks on his blog though so I'll just link to the frontpage and ask you to scroll down until you find Stupid, stupid on Tuesday 14 Jun 2005.
Go download Accelerando then wait til the book is published in print form and buy it, or check out his other books. Particularly Singularity Sky and Iron Sunrise, both of which I really enjoyed.
I was going to write yet another rambling post about the government's transport scheme but Charles has written a much better piece in his blog which pretty much says what I would have written anyway. He seems to have buggered up his permalinks on his blog though so I'll just link to the frontpage and ask you to scroll down until you find Stupid, stupid on Tuesday 14 Jun 2005.
Labels: books
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
Dr Tatiana
&bull posted by Matt Wharton @ 11:48 AM
Last night I watched the crazy shit that was Dr Tatiana's Sex advice to all creation, the world's first science musical!
What could be more fascinating than copulating Honeybees exploding and kinky Dolphins that have sex with Turtles, not to mention the Sea Hares who form mating chains with each impregnating the creature in front.
The tv show is based upon the book of the same name by Dr Tatiana aka Dr Olivia Judson of Imperial College London.
What could be more fascinating than copulating Honeybees exploding and kinky Dolphins that have sex with Turtles, not to mention the Sea Hares who form mating chains with each impregnating the creature in front.
Dear Dr TatianaThere's more to come tonight.
I’m a queen bee, and I’m worried. All my lovers leave their genitals inside me and then drop dead. Is this normal?
Perplexed in Cloverhill
For your lovers, this is the way the world ends – with a bang, not a whimper. When a male honeybee reaches his climax, he explodes, his genitals ripped from his body with a loud snap. I can see why you find this unnerving. Why does this happen? Alas, Your Majesty, your lovers explode on purpose. By leaving their genitals inside you, they block you up. In doing so, each male hopes you will not be able to mate with another. In other words, his mutilated member is intended as the honeybee version of a chastity belt.
The tv show is based upon the book of the same name by Dr Tatiana aka Dr Olivia Judson of Imperial College London.
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Shun Da Vinci Code
&bull posted by Matt Wharton @ 5:40 PM
Reuters: Cardinal Urges Catholics to Shun Da Vinci Code
Sure shun the book but do it because it ain't a great piece of writing not because it is heretical. It is after all just a story...
or is it.
The cardinal leading the Vatican's charge against The Da Vinci Code urged Catholics on Wednesday to shun it like rotten food and branded the bestseller "a sack full of lies" insulting the Christian faith.Lies and inventions eh? I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure that the book is a work of fiction, albeit one that many readers have taken as being based upon fact. Surely by expressing an opinion officially The Vatican is adding fuel to the fire of the 'truth' of the Da Vinci Code.
In an interview with Reuters inside the Vatican, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone also said Catholic bookstores should take the thriller off their shelves and accused U.S. author Dan Brown of "deplorable" behavior.
"Don't buy this. Don't read this because this is rotten food," said Bertone, the highest ranking Catholic churchman to speak out against the blockbuster...
The central tenet of the book is that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and had children. Christians are taught that Jesus never married, was crucified and rose from the dead.
"We can't keep quiet about the truth when faced with all the lies and all the inventions in this book," Bertone said.
Sure shun the book but do it because it ain't a great piece of writing not because it is heretical. It is after all just a story...
or is it.
Labels: books
Thursday, January 27, 2005
Schoolboy greater authority than Britannica
&bull posted by Matt Wharton @ 5:11 PM
Boy brings encyclopaedia to book
I have to say that the following statement made by Lucien's father Gabriel George comes as a bit of a surprise to me.
I'm not sure how he can be sure he can rely upon it now that he is aware of the fact it contains mistakes, or how any argument can now be settled by facts contained within concerning the depth of the English Channel.
This of course does nothing to solve the problems of the Wikipedia but it does undermine the Encyclopædia Britannica's claim of superior authority.
A schoolboy has uncovered several mistakes in the latest edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica - regarded by readers as an authority on everything.I think this is quite ironic given the article written last year concerning the lack of authority of the Wikipedia by Al Fasoldt and former Encyclopædia Britannica Editor in Chief Robert McHenry's views.
Lucian George, 12, from north London, found five errors on two of his favourite subjects - central Europe and wildlife - and wrote to complain.
The book's editor wrote back thanking him for "pointing out several errors and misleading statements".
I have to say that the following statement made by Lucien's father Gabriel George comes as a bit of a surprise to me.
Gabriel, who works as a publishing editor, was not surprised by his son's discoveries.I would have thought that he would be quite aggrieved given that he has paid hundreds of pounds for an encyclopaedia that has mistakes that his son discovered in an area where he has some expertise and who knows how many mistakes that his son hasn't discovered in areas that he has lesser knowledge of.
He said: "I know how easy it is to make mistakes. Hopefully they can be corrected.
"The encyclopaedia cost me £700 [$1,320] and it's nice to know you can rely on it.
"It's a huge work and is full of fascinating information on virtually everything. The other night we had an argument about the depth of the English Channel and all the facts were there."
I'm not sure how he can be sure he can rely upon it now that he is aware of the fact it contains mistakes, or how any argument can now be settled by facts contained within concerning the depth of the English Channel.
This of course does nothing to solve the problems of the Wikipedia but it does undermine the Encyclopædia Britannica's claim of superior authority.
Labels: books
Thursday, December 16, 2004
Alternate strategies for alternate histories
&bull posted by Matt Wharton @ 4:38 PM
Matt Jones shares more than just a first name with me as we are both fans of fiction about alternate timelines and what-ifs.
It's thanks to Matt that I learnt that Robert A. Taylor of Today In Alternate History will be serialising some of his timelines.
It's thanks to Matt that I learnt that Robert A. Taylor of Today In Alternate History will be serialising some of his timelines.
Beginning today, TIAH will be selling our novels in serial format - 1/3 of a book every month. At the end of the 3rd month, the serialized parts will be replaced with the complete novel for sale, and the next serialization will begin. By responding to our polls, you will determine which timelines produce novels and which remain curiosities only available here on TIAH. The price for the downloads will be very reasonable - each serialized part will be US$1.50, the complete download will be US$5.00, and the trade paperback version will be US$12.00.At those prices especially given the exchange rate between the Dollar and the Pound I'm sure to be downloading some of these. Best of all the first of his serialisations concerns the enigmatic alien beings the Mlosh in Warp.
In 1720, the alien race known as the Mlosh landed on earth. The warping effect that their presence has had on society leads a band of human racists to drastic measures in this alternate London of 1861.
Labels: books
Friday, November 12, 2004
The future is now
&bull posted by Matt Wharton @ 4:55 PM
BoingBoing heralds the return of Futurefeedforward "the best science fiction site on the Internet." The reason for the hiatus was apparently due to the forthcoming Futurefeedforward novel an extract of which is available.
Be warned though as readers of the "BOOK" are subject to a fairly stringent END-READER LICENSE AGREEMENT.
In other future related news Slashdot reveals that the DaVinci Institute has set its sights on creating a Museum of Future Inventions.
This will be a museum where they exhibit things that haven't been invented yet, like spray on clothing, instant sleep, genetically engineered Velcro sheep, and metric time. Pretty creative stuff. Some of the people they have involved are Dr. Paul MacCready, inventor of the Gossamer Albatross and Paul Dusenbery, Founder of the Space Science Institute.
Be warned though as readers of the "BOOK" are subject to a fairly stringent END-READER LICENSE AGREEMENT.
IMPORTANT—READ CAREFULLY: This End-Reader License
Agreement ("ERLA") is a legally binding agreement between
you (the "READER") and Hamlet Monkeys Media (the
"COMPANY") concerning your licensed use of the subtended
text (the "BOOK"). By stipulation of this agreement, the BOOK
includes all material printed on pages affixed to the binding at
the time of purchase. The BOOK is also deemed to include any
marginal notations made by you or any other user, authorized or
unauthorized, and to include any and all ideas, notions, plans,
designs, or intuitions formed by you, whether or not fixed in
tangible form, during use of the BOOK or within thirty (30)
minutes before or after its use.
This agreement is a binding "flip-wrap" agreement; you agree to
be bound by its terms by opening, reading, or flipping through
the BOOK. If you do not agree to these terms, close the BOOK,
place it back on a nearby shelf with the cover in a forward-facing
position, and forget all of its contents. You may find it difficult
to forget the contents of the BOOK. Do not be alarmed.
In other future related news Slashdot reveals that the DaVinci Institute has set its sights on creating a Museum of Future Inventions.
This will be a museum where they exhibit things that haven't been invented yet, like spray on clothing, instant sleep, genetically engineered Velcro sheep, and metric time. Pretty creative stuff. Some of the people they have involved are Dr. Paul MacCready, inventor of the Gossamer Albatross and Paul Dusenbery, Founder of the Space Science Institute.
Labels: books
Friday, September 10, 2004
Ebay booksellers: Insanely optimistic or just insane?
&bull posted by Matt Wharton @ 6:30 PM
In Retrospect
Starting bid: US $49,000.00
I'm not sure why the seller is asking for about 10 000 times what this book is going for second-hand at Amazon.
Original, Unpublished Fiction Book / Manuscript
Starting bid: US $200,000.00
Would you buy the publishing rights for Return of the Czar by James Alan without having read the manuscript? He gives virtually no information about the manuscript in his auction explanation. Does he seriously expect someone to even go to the effort of emailing him to find out more about it let alone buy it with such a description.
Human Behavior. Continuation of the Species.
Starting bid: US $1,000,000.00
This is the most unusual of the lot. A book that is to be published in 2008 by Angelo A. Fella III of which only four copies will be made.
Starting bid: US $49,000.00
I'm not sure why the seller is asking for about 10 000 times what this book is going for second-hand at Amazon.
Amazon.com: The #1 national bestseller--an indispensable document for anyone interested in the Vietnam War. McNamara's controversial book tells the inside and personal story of America's descent into Vietnam from a unique point of view, and is one of the most enlightening books about government ever written.
Original, Unpublished Fiction Book / Manuscript
Starting bid: US $200,000.00
Would you buy the publishing rights for Return of the Czar by James Alan without having read the manuscript? He gives virtually no information about the manuscript in his auction explanation. Does he seriously expect someone to even go to the effort of emailing him to find out more about it let alone buy it with such a description.
Human Behavior. Continuation of the Species.
Starting bid: US $1,000,000.00
This is the most unusual of the lot. A book that is to be published in 2008 by Angelo A. Fella III of which only four copies will be made.
The winning bidder will be obtaining a book (approximately 2000 pages) like no other ever written, for no one has ever studied human behavior as the author has! Only the buyer will read this book. There will only be 4 copies made with 3 staying within the family. The price is set allow total concentration of the writing and uniqueness. The general populace will not be able to understand or psychologically deal with its contents.The author is the creator of the Fella Management System (FMS) and seems to be a covert human behavioural scientist in that he studies the behaviour of humans in 'the wild' without their knowledge.
Labels: books
Monday, September 06, 2004
Two for the Money
&bull posted by Matt Wharton @ 3:15 PM
 | From Max Allan Collins the writer of the magnificent The Road to Perdition comes Two for the Money a veritable modern 'Pulp Classic'. I know very little about this book but I just couldn't resist the cover. There is a chapter excerpt available to be read online here along with other pulp fiction from the same publisher. |
Labels: books
Thursday, July 29, 2004
Pillow Talk
&bull posted by Matt Wharton @ 4:19 PM
The Pillow Book done in the style of a blog.
Found via BoingBoing.
Found via BoingBoing.
A blogger named Simon Cozens is translating the classic Japanese text The Pillow Book (Makura no Soshi) by Sei Shonagon into English and republishing it as a blog. It's easy to forget the fact that these words were written in the tenth century, because the results in this format read -- well, rather like a blog.The Pillow Book was a book of observations and musings recorded by Sei Shonagon during her time as court lady to Empress Sadako during the 990s in Heian Japan. This is an interesting project that offers an unique insight into Japanese culture that is in its way still relevant today.
Labels: books
Monday, July 05, 2004
The Beginner's Computer Handbook - Understanding & Programming The Micro
&bull posted by Matt Wharton @ 2:11 PM
Yet more computer nostalgia, it is becoming a bit of an obsession of mine at the moment.
Found on currybetdotnet
I'm pretty sure I had this book or something very much like it as having just seen pictures of it on currybetdotnet has brought back a lot of memories. Hours spent typing in code from books or magazines to get a crappy little game, god what was I thinking.
Found on currybetdotnet
Anyway yesterday for the princely sum of 30 pence I purchased a 1983 hardback edition of "The Beginner's Computer Handbook - Understanding & Programming The Micro" by Judy Tatchell and Bill Bennett, edited by Lisa Watts, published by Usborne Publishing.
It has been a very entertaining read, and one that has really brought home to me how much the arrival of computers in the home has changed things for society over the 21 years since it was published. It still seems to have that wonderful utopian feel I normally associate with the 60's that computers are going to make everything easier in the future.
I'm pretty sure I had this book or something very much like it as having just seen pictures of it on currybetdotnet has brought back a lot of memories. Hours spent typing in code from books or magazines to get a crappy little game, god what was I thinking.
Labels: books
Monday, May 03, 2004
What can I say - I'm behind, okay?
&bull posted by Matt Wharton @ 4:30 PM
Tom Coates of Plasticbag.org and Barbelith wrote
What can I say - I'm behind, okay? (May 01, 2004)
I know the feeling. I am the procrastination king at the moment. Regular readers may have noticed the changes to the site but I have made a complete half-arsed job of it and have links to pages with no content. I must get round to sorting them out so I stop looking like a twat, but instead I'm writing this new post for the weblog.
Also I should be writing my book on computer security for the technophobe but I'm having doubts over who I'm writing it for and whether it is necessary. I may have pinned my hopes on this project when what I should have done is found myself a proper job instead of working at the cinema.
What can I say - I'm behind, okay? (May 01, 2004)
So basically what can I say - I'm behind, okay? I'm not doing all the things I want to do as effectively as I like. And yes - there's a lot of procrastination in there as well. It's not like I'm busy all the day and night. I'm hardly busy at all, except that when I am doing things, they're kind of head-intensive and I'm having trouble maintaining concentration on them. So what can I say - I'm behind, okay? more...
I know the feeling. I am the procrastination king at the moment. Regular readers may have noticed the changes to the site but I have made a complete half-arsed job of it and have links to pages with no content. I must get round to sorting them out so I stop looking like a twat, but instead I'm writing this new post for the weblog.
Also I should be writing my book on computer security for the technophobe but I'm having doubts over who I'm writing it for and whether it is necessary. I may have pinned my hopes on this project when what I should have done is found myself a proper job instead of working at the cinema.
Saturday, April 03, 2004
Review of Ulysses at Amazon
&bull posted by Matt Wharton @ 4:09 PM
Let me just begin by stating how much I loathe Ulysses. I hate Stephen Dedalus. I hate Leopold Bloom. I hate Molly Bloom. I even hate their cat. They're all fatuous and arrogant and dull and dishonest and insecure and insincere and superficial and greedy, and they all take part in a story that's a boring, tedious, frustrating, incoherent, big fat waste of my time and energy. Anyone who claims otherwise is either a massive liar or a sick masochist who deserves to have a bag slipped over their head and be taken away from society. As such it remains one of the most astoundingly honest and ambitious works in modern literature. There is not a book currently existing which is simultaneously as repelling and compelling. Is there a more divisive stirrer of passionate debate in the field of art? Normally a very relaxed, some may say apathetic and pacifistic, individual, I once heard my English teacher saying that Ulysses was nothing but complete garbage. I calmly stood up and punched him in the throat, and I received polite applause as I was escorted from the classroom. Later on, when I reread a section of Ulysses near the middle, I discovered that he was completely right. But you know what? That's life. And that sense of living pours off Joyce's pages and through his eccentric mouldings of the English language like a waterfall. It's almost too much to bear at times. We eat, we drink, we urinate, we defecate, we sneeze, we fart, we stink and we have sex, and after a few decades we die. No hidden wisdom. No great awakening. No grand nobility. No spiritual nirvana. That's LIFE. And the sooner you come to terms with that, the more depressed you'll be. Wonderfully, wonderfully depressed.
Found and published in an act of bizarre serendipity.
Found and published in an act of bizarre serendipity.
Wednesday, March 31, 2004
Neal Stephenson Confusion
&bull posted by Matt Wharton @ 12:55 PM
This morning I received a message from Harper Collins.
Hello electricinca
Your selected author, Neal Stephenson, has the following new book(s) going on sale in two weeks!
The Confusion: Volume Two of The Baroque Cycle (Hardcover). For more information about this book go to:
http://www.harpercollins.com/rd_om/authortracker/book/0060523867
Best regards,
HarperCollins Publishers
I should soon be receiving the copy of 'The Confusion: Volume Two of The Baroque Cycle' that I pre-ordered from Amazon, I can't wait.
Hello electricinca
Your selected author, Neal Stephenson, has the following new book(s) going on sale in two weeks!
The Confusion: Volume Two of The Baroque Cycle (Hardcover). For more information about this book go to:
http://www.harpercollins.com/rd_om/authortracker/book/0060523867
Best regards,
HarperCollins Publishers
I should soon be receiving the copy of 'The Confusion: Volume Two of The Baroque Cycle' that I pre-ordered from Amazon, I can't wait.
Labels: books, Neal Stephenson
Tuesday, October 07, 2003
Neal Stephenson's Quicksilver
&bull posted by Matt Wharton @ 4:02 PM
Quicksilver : Volume One of The Baroque Cycle
Neal Stephenson
In this wonderfully inventive follow-up to his bestseller Cryptonomicon, Neal Stephenson brings to life a cast of unforgettable characters in a time of breathtaking genius and discovery, men and women whose exploits defined an age known as the Baroque.
Daniel Waterhouse possesses a brilliant scientific mind -- and yet knows that his genius is dwarfed by that of his friends Isaac Newton, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, and Robert Hooke. He rejects the arcane tradition of alchemy, even as it is giving birth to new ways of understanding the world.
Jack Shaftoe began his life as a London street urchin and is now a reckless wanderer in search of great fortune. The intrepid exploits of Half-Cocked Jack, King of the Vagabonds, are quickly becoming the stuff of legend throughout Europe.
Eliza is a young woman whose ingenuity is all that keeps her alive after being set adrift from the Turkish harem in which she has been imprisoned since she was a child.
Daniel, Jack, and Eliza will traverse a landscape populated by mad alchemists, Barbary pirates, and bawdy courtiers, as well as historical figures including Samuel Pepys, Ben Franklin, and other great minds of the age. Traveling from the infant American colonies to the Tower of London to the glittering courts of Louis XIV, and all manner of places in between, this magnificent historical epic brings to vivid life a time like no other, and establishes its author as one of the preeminent talents of our own age.
Neal Stephenson
 US Edition Buy from Amazon.com |  UK Edition Buy from Amazon.co.uk |
In this wonderfully inventive follow-up to his bestseller Cryptonomicon, Neal Stephenson brings to life a cast of unforgettable characters in a time of breathtaking genius and discovery, men and women whose exploits defined an age known as the Baroque.
Daniel Waterhouse possesses a brilliant scientific mind -- and yet knows that his genius is dwarfed by that of his friends Isaac Newton, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, and Robert Hooke. He rejects the arcane tradition of alchemy, even as it is giving birth to new ways of understanding the world.
Jack Shaftoe began his life as a London street urchin and is now a reckless wanderer in search of great fortune. The intrepid exploits of Half-Cocked Jack, King of the Vagabonds, are quickly becoming the stuff of legend throughout Europe.
Eliza is a young woman whose ingenuity is all that keeps her alive after being set adrift from the Turkish harem in which she has been imprisoned since she was a child.
Daniel, Jack, and Eliza will traverse a landscape populated by mad alchemists, Barbary pirates, and bawdy courtiers, as well as historical figures including Samuel Pepys, Ben Franklin, and other great minds of the age. Traveling from the infant American colonies to the Tower of London to the glittering courts of Louis XIV, and all manner of places in between, this magnificent historical epic brings to vivid life a time like no other, and establishes its author as one of the preeminent talents of our own age.
Labels: books, Neal Stephenson
Thursday, October 02, 2003
&bull posted by Matt Wharton @ 10:03 AM
Quicksilver : Volume One of The Baroque Cycle
by Neal Stephenson is published in the UK today.
by Neal Stephenson is published in the UK today.
Labels: books, Neal Stephenson
