Made by Mikal – Page 45

Igniting The Reaches

Post author:mikal
Post published:July 18, 2011
Post category:Book

1,000 years after interstellar society has collapsed, a new empire which is suspiciously like Canada rules most of the planets and their most valuable resources -- slaves and automated silicon chip factories. Two gentlemen from Venus set of to make their fortunes as what can only be described as slavers and pirates. They're clearly not nice people, but they are the heros of this book. The book is very readable, and like other books by Drake it is clear that the heros aren't always nice, and are haunted by their crimes. Yet they continue, and in the end might have accidentally done something nice. Overall, a good if different book. [isbn: 0441001793]

The Big U

Post author:mikal
Post published:July 7, 2011
Post category:Book

This book is really good for a first book, and you can see some of the ideas that Stephenson explores in later books starting here. The characters are believable, and the story line interesting if a bit odd. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. [isbn: 9780380816033]

And Another Thing

Post author:mikal
Post published:June 23, 2011
Post category:Book

I was disappointed by this book. The previous Hitchhiker's books set a very high bar, and the humor in this one falls flat for me. Additionally, the seemingly constant "guide note" interjections are just plain annoying. Overall, I didn't like this one.

Von Neumann’s War

Post author:mikal
Post published:June 7, 2011
Post category:Book

A Von Neumann probe is an automated self replicating machine which is sent into space to map and possibly prepare for human exploration. What would happen if we were the victims of someone else's Von Neumann probes run amuck? This book is typical Ringo in that it is about an apocalyptic invasion from outer space, and you just know that most of the worlds population is going to die. However, the book is also exceptionally detailed in its handling of rocketry, and the science behind finding out more about the incoming threat is very well done. Overall and good book that I enjoyed, although the end is definitely fishing for a sequel. [isbn: 1416555307;9781416555308]

Princess of Wands

Post author:mikal
Post published:May 24, 2011
Post category:Book

This book is very different from John Ringo's books (or at least the ones I have read). This one revolves around a cross between a soccer mom and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Its a fun, relatively light read and doesn't have nearly as much combat as the other Ringo books I've encountered. The book takes the form of two short stories and a novella, with the novella having a pretty obvious dig at David Drake, which I thought was a bit odd. Overall, I enjoyed this book. [isbn: 1416573860;9781416573869]

The Stainless Steel Rat Returns

Post author:mikal
Post published:May 16, 2011
Post category:Book

Harry Harrison is back to reprise his Stainless Steel Rat series. This book is much like the others -- think light fiction with contrived situations, but a bit of fun. In other words, much like the rest of Harrison's work. This book isn't the best Rat book, but it also isn't the worst and given the drought I think something is better than nothing. It is also much much better than the terrible Bill the Galactic Hero series. [isbn: 0765364034;9780765364036]

Canberra’s LCA2013 bid

Post author:mikal
Post published:May 15, 2011
Post category:Conference

I'm really proud of the hard work that all of the Canberra 2013 team has done in preparing our bid for LCA 2013. I just sent off the emails making our bid formal. Here's what I said on the linux-aus mailing list: Hello. I am pleased to present Canberra's bid for linux.conf.au 2013. It is traditional to produce a PDF document for distribution to the linux-aus mailing list. Instead, we have produced a small web site covering the same information that would normally be in such a document. It is our hope that this will be a more dynamic and accessible document than a static PDF. This website will form the basis for our conference site if Canberra is selected. The website is located at http://lca2013.clug.org.au. Sincerely, Michael Still Canberra 2013 bid lead

The Princess Bride

Post author:mikal
Post published:May 9, 2011
Post category:Book

To be honest, I think the movie is better. The story in the movie is simpler, but also more beautiful. I think the embroidery around the edges of the story in the book detract from the overall story, and the asides start out cute but end up just being annoying. [isbn: 0345348036]

The Light Fantastic

Post author:mikal
Post published:May 2, 2011
Post category:Book

A short little note about this one, as I am sure everyone has already read it. This was better than The Colour of Magic (more polished, cleverer, funnier), but still not as good as I remember the Pratchett books being from my childhood. This book to ages to read, I suspect because it just wasn't compelling enough to overcome the general business in my life. [isbn: 0061020702]

Mistress of the Empire

Post author:mikal
Post published:April 22, 2011
Post category:Book

This is the third book in this series (preceded by Daughter of the Empire and Servant of the Empire). I didn't enjoy this book as much as the other two, and put off reading it for ages. I think the problem is that the book feels padded, and keeps going for too long. I liked the conspiracy subplot, but it would have been nice for the resolution to be a bit more believable. Overall, the weakest book in the series. [isbn: 0553561189]