Mitosis

Mitosis is a short novella set between Steelheart and Firefight. Firefight has many references to it, so I was expecting something big. However, it is more of a comic interlude that helps set up Firefight.

The Reckoners now have the unenviable task of controlling the city that they have taken. Of course, the Epics don't like the idea of humans ruling a city, so it was inevitable that one come in to try to take it for himself. Mitosis wanders into the city and "divides" himself into many clones to try to find David to ask him questions. His clones can all communicate with each other, however, the clones seem to lose some fidelity and intelligence as they reproduce many times. Individual clones can be easily killed. However, they can all reproduce.

Before becoming an Epic, Mitosis was a classically trained member of a rock band. He hated his band's music, and the music ended up being the weakness that allowed him to be destroyed.

Once the destruction of the Epic was taken care of, people could go back to eating the authentic Chicago-style hot dogs. Yum!

This is the "TV episode" between the two movies. This is a universe that Sanderson can really have a lot of fun with.

Steelheart

In the typical superhero tale, the hero puts on his tights and goes out to round up the bad guys. Eventually, he may run into the "super villain", but that is not until after the "good guy" has shown his worth to society.

What if the tables were turned? What if the super villains came out first? And what if there were not any super heroes out there?

Steelheart is set in a near future Chicago that has been taken over by the eponymous Steelheart. He is an "Epic" with various super powers, including the ability to turn things to Steel. "Newcago" as it is called is now a city of Steel ruled by a super dictator. Steelheart does engage in acts of random killing. However, he provides general infrastructure and some sense of daily life for humans, making his city more desirable than many of the others.

David witnessed Steelheart killing his father a decade ago. In the intervening decade, David has been consumed by the thought of revenge. He had been spending most of his time researching Epics and finding their weaknesses, with a goal of eventually taking down Steelheart. He manages to meet up with the anti-Epic group, "the Reckoners" and help take down many of the Epics. Being a YA novel, he falls in love with Megan, a Reckoner with a few secrets of her own. However, here they are busy with the action.

The book is fast paced and loaded with plenty of twists and surprises that all seem to make sense in the end.

Each Epic has their own power and weakness, providing all sorts of fun in the story. David also has a knack for really bad metaphors, with explanations that manage to be even more over the top. Though Sanderson is best known for his Epic fantasy, he seems to have the most fun when he writes for younger ages.

QBQ: Question Behind the Question

You can be happier by not blaming others. This book is a power point deck of points that you can use to help take responsibility. Instead of getting upset trying to change others, you should frame questions and actions based on what you can do. That will make you happier and may even help others to be more likely to do what you want them to do. It makes sense. Doing it practice is the challenge.

Popular Tales from the Norse

Librivox can be hit or miss, even in a single book. Some "tales" in this collection were read with such thick accents I could barely understand them. Others had way to much "enthusiasm." There were even a few that were done really well. There were many short tales - some that seemed to have more space dedicated to the "librivox introduction" than to the actual tales. But, that is enough about the narration.

The book starts out with a long introduction. Then it jumps into a large number of Norse tales. Then we get a bonus West Indian tales featuring Anansi. (Scandinavia and the Caribbean. Uh, yeah, I see the connection.)

Some of the tales have been popularized (albeit in somewhat different forms) by Disney movies. Others seem to be half complete. There are plenty were the humble guy gets a great advantage by his smarts. There is also a good deal of supernatural behavior.

One tale had a man sell his soul to the Devil, then trick the Devil out of taking it. Since he was not a good guy, he was left without a place to leave and had to sneak into Heaven. The moral? Uh, not sure. But it is an interesting yarn.

While there are some moralizing, it seems that many of the tales are primarily for entertainment. Some are good, while some are bad. This collection would be better skimmed in print than listened to on audiobook.

Collected Fictions

I like Borges' style. I expected something much more pretentious, but I was pleasantly surprised. Borges has a playful knack for blending fiction with "nonfiction". The characters in a story may talk with an author. He may also provide a backstory for events in fictional works or even describe how something really happened. Characters may suddenly have something "magical" happen in a realistic story. This seems to be at the roots of magical realism, yet it is also reminded me of Kafka. In this collection we get the famous "Library of Babel" as well as many other "stories". There are a few that fall flat, but even those have their redeeming points.

Republic of Pirates

The original pirates of the Caribbean were the early new world democratic revolutionaries. They threw off the chains of repression and gave each man an equal say and his destiny. They achieved this destiny primarily by looting and plundering, but hey, you have to start somewhere, right?

The big pirates often started out with fairly normal "careers" before drifting into piracy. Some were originally privateers and then decided they could do even better without the official sanction. Others still held to some nominal allegiance to their comrades and the rule of law. Others were just in it for fun. What they all generally discovered was that you can appeal to a man's greed. By promising each man a significant share of the wealth and saw in the ship's activities, they were able to recruit and maintain a dedicated workforce. (They also resorted to conscription when they needed it.)

The Bahamas were once the headquarters of pirate activity. The rule of law was largely ignored and the pirates had their saw. The man that came in and finally cleaned up the Bahamas ended up living in poverty due to his efforts to support the "honest" population.

Alas, while the pirates achieved notoriety, they rarely got to enjoy their riches, often dying at the sword or gallows. At least they went out in flames.

Republic of Pirates attempts to bring this early pirate era alive by focusing on a few main characters (such as Blackbeard.) The story is a little more than a biography, but a little less than a history. I would have liked to have a little more of both.

Caves of Steel

Caves of steel in six sentences: A cop is assigned a robot for a companion. They attempt to crack a murder case in "space town". The cop goes down a lot of false paths, manifesting his robot prejudice. Eventually he helps crack the case. The robot was not able to identify the culprit because his brain analysis did not reveal the guilt. However, the human realized an accidental killing would not manifest the guilt.

Caves of Steel in six words: Human outsmarts robot, solves Turing test.

Caves of Steel is OK as a mystery and OK as science fiction.

I wonder if this was one of the things I read in my youth. I remember reading a lot of Asimov, but not reading the foundation books. There must be some good stuff out there. However, it seems a lot of this is merely ok.

Earth Abides

Earth Abides is an optimistic post-apocalyptic novel. Some disease sweeps through earth and wipes out almost everyone. It manages to happen very quickly, yet orderly. We just have to believe the author on this one. The narrator was out in woods when things happened, and nobody else seems to provide details. It seems there was time to properly bury everyone, but not to shut down stores or bring cars home.

Utilities were also still running. The hydroelectric power and plumbing still kept chugging along for a while, even without anybody to attend to it. Roads were still usable, though gradually tree-falls and floods cut off some routes. (However, long distance travels were still possible.)

The few people that remained tended to stay by themselves. Nobody seemed to ask why or engage in serious conversation. At first, they were mere scavengers trying to gather what they could and live off the working utilities. Eventually, things broke down and they found themselves returning back to nature. However, they do take shortcuts. Instead of going all the way back to stone arrowheads, they use the metal found in coins.

The new generations soon lose all contact with "civilization". They have become hunters, obtaining their sustenance from nature. The stored up knowledge of society had been gradually eaten away by nature. The old ones that remembered the civilization are treated as deities.

The novel seems to be attempting a connection between "savage" lifestyles and our more modern society. Perhaps the "natives" that had been encountered by Europeans had had advanced societies, but saw them quickly disappear due to the diseases that were brought in. By the time there was large-scale cultural contact, they had fallen into a pure survival mode.

The book paints the new society in an optimistic way. Rather than roving bands of thugs, we have people that want to work together and be happy. The one "bad guy" that they do encounter is quickly removed. People can still be happy even after the fall of society.

The Gods Themselves

Asimov can get annoying. He spends too much time describing the science and the "people" and not enough time developing characters and story. However, he usually has an interesting premise and writes just well enough to keep things interesting.

Alas, in "The Gods Themselves" he managed to show us everything that can go wrong with science fiction. There are a few "deep thoughts" held together with a horribly executed story. The premise is a cross-universe energy exchange device that can seemingly produce endless amounts of free energy, with only one minor catch. Alas, the catch is that the sun in one universe gets hotter, while that of the other gets colder, eventually wiping out life in both universes.

The story structure seemed to serve the ego of the author. "I am so good, I can rearrange things just because." Long sections of the parallel universe and their "triad" relationships are just plain tedious. They may be computers or they may be slaves to the "hard ones". However, it didn't seem to matter much for the story. The section in our universe didn't matter much either. The people on the moon had some sci-fi utopia and helped "provide" for the earth. Most of the people in both universe enjoyed the cheap power and didn't want to change. (Asimov did add a quip about people trying to make "safer" cigarettes and more fuel efficient cars rather than smoking and driving less. It was a nice soundbite, but it didn't fit in with the story.)

Some beings in both universes decide to rebel and... the book ends.

Asimov thought this was one of his favorite books. This enjoyment must have been based on the writing process, for reading this book is pure tedium.

Random College Football Thoughts

So far the college football bowl season has been going good for a change. A few thoughts:

I guess they belong

Ohio State was the last of four teams in the college football playoff. Boise State was the "group of 5" team that squeezed into the access bowl. Both one close games, that really weren't all that close.

PR firms don't help on the football field

Baylor hired a PR firm to plead their case for inclusion in the playoff. They had only lost one game and beat the other one-loss team in their conference, therefore they should be in the playoff. What the conveniently did not mention was that they also lost by two touchdowns to West Virginia - a team that TCU beat. And that victory over TCU? Well, it was come-from behind win by 3 points at Baylor. If you go by Sagarin's example of a 3 point home edge, that amounts to a tie. A quick eye test shows that TCU looks like the better team. They also had a stronger non-conference schedule, with the game against Minnesota. The playoff committee saw that also and had TCU ranked higher than Baylor. Alas, Baylor played spoiled brat, and claimed it should be conference champion and thus be in the playoff. Luckily, Ohio State provided an easy way out. Its dominant performance in the Big 10 championship game allowed it to take the final playoff spot. The rankings could then show Baylor ahead of TCU. However, the result was largely meaningless as they would both make New Years games. TCU then pummeled Mississippi, while Baylor lost as Michigan State managed a come from behind win. The law of averages to the rescue.

Boise State to the rescue

Marshall had left the playoffs in a pickle. They were undefeated, but they hadn't played a strong schedule. The playoff rankings barely even included them. But they had not lost. Florida State was also undefeated and seemed a shoe in, despite barely squeaking by many of its opponents. Luckily, Eastern Carolina defeated Marshall in overtime, freeing things up. Boise State was conveniently the Mountain West champion and had only two loses. They had the brand reputation. Everybody heard of them and nobody would complain if they played in a "big bowl". It was also very convenient that they lost a game to Air Force early in the season. Without that loss, Boise's only loss would be to Mississippi. That's the same team that gave Alabama its only regular season loss. It would make for a nice controversy if Boise and Alabama both won. Luckily, the Air Force loss meant there was no argument for playoff inclusion. Boise's victory over Arizona further showed that Boise belonged with the Big Boys.

Florida State really was that bad

It was a good thing we had 4 teams in the playoff this year. Otherwise, we may have ended up with a Florida State/Alabama snooze-fest. One was the lone undefeated team. The other had a few recent championships under their belt. How could you go against either? Ugghh. Luckily, there were four teams. Oregon nicely avenged their lone loss to Arizona. Alabama and Ohio State were one-loss conference champions that were both playing well. TCU also looked great. That would make a great playoff. Alas, we still had to have some politics. Florida State was the undefeated defending champs. They had to be in, even though they were not that great. There was also the bickering in the Big-12. Put the two together and Florida State takes TCU's position. Oregon promptly destroyed Florida State and Ohio State held on to beat Alabama. Was the SEC really deserving of all its championships or did it just get the luck of the draw?

How do the conferences look?

Looking at the Conference Rankings, Conference USA was on top. Alas, none of their teams were ranked. Perhaps we will see some ranking love in the final poll? The Pac-12 was the best of the major conferences. The two loses were both by less than 10 points in Arizona bowls. Oregon also won a semifinal bowl game. The SEC was the next major conference. Alas, their position was held up by the bottom of the conference and the "weaker" eastern division. Ranked teams were 2-5, with all teams in major bowls losing. Big-10 ended up at .500, with victories in the big bowls. Sun Belt, Mountain West and American were all right at or below .500, with the lone ranked team (Boise) vindicating itself well. ACC and Big-12 did finish above the MAC. Can you say overrated?

The Life and Works of Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach was one of many Johanns in his family. His parents died when he was an older kid, leaving him to be raised by older siblings. He was a musical genius fairly early on and he knew it. He had 20 kids and bounced around a few esteemed musical jobs before settling in Leipzig.

I had always thought of him as a "Lepzig guy". However, it appears here that he was primarily the "family man" there. A lot of his more wild years and creative output happened earlier in his career where he worked in other cities in Germany. During his time, he seemed to be well renowned as an accomplished musician, yet not nearly venerated the way he is today. He managed to keep incredibly busy, teaching, performing and composing, while also having a large family. Here he is portrayed as a boisterous man, capable of having a good time, yet fairly socially inept. He would tutor individual students while writing great works for others. He has a produced a very significant output. However, there are some works credited to him that may not actually be his. (He kept notebooks of music for others that included some of his own work as well as those of others.

What would Bach be like today? Perhaps a David Byrne or Peter Gabriel? Or maybe a Yo-Yo Ma? Nah. He'd probably just be a pop-punk musician that incorporates some Organ with his guitar.

Praise of Folly

In Praise of Folly uses humor to present a scathing critique of 16th century society. Erasmus personifies "folly" and notes how well she is respected by people. Folly does not need a whole lot of additional praise because people give her so much respect. Erasmus is at his best when he carries things to their absurdity. (We all must be fools, because we were the offspring of people that were foolish enough to get married.)

The first part is the best. Closer to the end he starts to get more critical of the church and society. However, even in his "serious" sections, some of the dark humor remains.

Converting Overdrive WMA to MP3

I love to listen to audiobooks on my Android phone. My local library has a bunch to check out. Most are in MP3 format. With those, I run them through some SOX scripts to speed them up (and reduce their size.) WMA files are a different story.

There are a few options:
1) Transfer to iPhone, then use a program to pull the files off the phone. (sort of works, but requires an iPhone)
2) Use a tool to DRM from WMA and another to convert to MP3. (Looked at it, but the tools either look sketchy or require Windows XP)
3) Burn to CD and rip. (Some software automates this with virtual cds, but there is a mixture of shareware, sketchiness and convoluted here.)
4) Record the file as you play it.

I opted for 4. This also had the bonus of including the speedup step in one fell swoop.

First, I updated my sound drivers to try to get "stereo mix". However, now it was called "Rec. Playback". I had to right click on the volume task bar icon to bring up "recording devices. Then right click in empty area to "show disabled devices". Then enable RecPlayback. It still didn't say it worked (even when I set it as default.) But Audacity seemed to work, so I was happy.

Install Audacity http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
(To export MP3 files, you will need to install LAME. When you export for the first time, it will give a link to download. On my system, the file was placed in: C:\Program Files (x86)\Lame For Audacity)

In Audacity, under Preferences, select default sample rate of 11025 Hz under Quality.
Under devices, select the appropriate input stream (Microsoft Sound Mapper - Input) and change to 1 Channel. (Mono)

Adjust volume to a comfortable level. (I set it fairly low.) Plug in headphones so you don't hear it.

Go to Overdrive or Windows Media. On the "Play Speed" time icon, select Fast 2X Normal (or whatever speed sounds good for the book.)

Go to Audacity and hit record.

Go to Overdrive and hit play.

Make sure you so some output on the Audacity screen. Stop both. Play audacity output and verify that it sounds ok.

Now delete the audacity project and start over.

Let it run overnight (or however long it needs to go to finish playing it all.)

In the morning, stop Audacity if it is done.

Now tweak the audacity project.

If there is a bug chunk of silence at the end, delete that. (Select the range then Edit->Delete)

Normalize the volume: (Select All, then Effect->Normalize)

To split into smaller tracks, you can find silence (Analyze-Silence Finder) This may take some tweaking. I used 1.5 dB, 1 second and .5 seconds for the values.

File->Export Multiple
Select Split Files based on labels and check "Include audio before first label"
Use MP3. Options: 32Kbps, Joint Stereo. For naming, pick one method that works well. (I use numbering after prefix)
Click Export and then the tag screen will appear. Enter the info.
If you don't mind having all tracks have the name "S", just click ok a bunch of times.
It pays to upload to a single folder.

Now the folder of tracks can be uploaded to the phone and enjoyed.

Ender's World

Ender's World is made up of a number of essays about Ender's Game. Most are by literary types describing how the novel impacted their lives and writing career. Interspersed with the essays are some short Q&As and other short bits from Card providing details on the book and his writing process.

What I found most interesting was some of the commentary about the end of Ender's Game. One started out describing how he initially wanted to change the ending to keep a strong "action" story. After reading again, he later realized the ending was useful after all and decided to keep it. I had almost the exact opposite experience. I did not care much for Ender's Game. It just seemed to be a lame action story. However, the ending really turned me on. It showed that there was some promise, and lead me to read the excellent sequel, Speaker for the Dead. (In one of the essays, Card mentions that the novel form with its ending was written to set up Speaker for the Dead.)

When Ender's Game was released, I was reading a lot of Science Fiction. However, I have no recollection of the story. Either it had no impact on me, or I never read it. (I'm guessing I never read it, since I did enjoy some of Card's other Mormon humor and Commodore 64 computer writings.)

Did Ender's Game really have a big role on literature and society? One essay talked about the true independent world-changing child protagonist. Previously, children would have things happen to them, but now it seems every story is lead by a child or a teenager. Was Ender's Game really that influential in bringing out the strong-willed child? Or did it just go along for the ride? The Narnia children did a pretty good job of saving the world on their own. Roald Dahl's children lead the narrative. Charlie Bucket may have been dominated by Willy Wonka's machinations, but Mathilda sure enacted plenty of change on her own. Today we have Percy Jackson, Hunger Games, Twilight and Harry Potter. All are stories where a child or teen needs to make decisions to help save the world. Have we swung too far in the direction of strong-willed child? Are adults just not interesting anymore? Do books need to be centered on functional adolescents to be successful?

Another interesting essay was from a military leader who used Ender's Game to train other military officers. I was amazed to hear that Card did not have any military experience. He seems to dive deeply into the experience of a true leader - the person that controls rather than the person that wears the stripes. I can see how the story would be useful in modelling leadership. The "crusty" military are concerned more with their own position and rank, and are more able to sit in an office than fight a war. The "leaders" need to be able to think on their own and value the goal above personal gain. (It is interesting to hear that both Card and the military leader were giddy about their meeting.)

InterGalactic Medicine Show: Big Book of SF Novelettes (InterGalactic Medicine Show Big Books)

The nice thing about story collections is that you can quickly get past the bad stories. The downfall, is that once you find a story that has characters you really like, it is over too soon. The novelettes in this collection are a little longer than typical stories, but still in the "short" category. Few of the stories were really memorable.

Content list available at producer's site

Introduction by Edmund R. Schubert, read by Stefan Rudnicki - A nice introduction of the advantages of development that can take place in novelettes (and the disadvantages of longer stories costing more on a per-word basis.)

“Sojourn for Ephah” by Marina J. Lostetter, read by Arthur Morey - something with some church and colony.

“Brutal Interlude” by Wayne Wightman, read by Paul Boehmer - A pet-shop owner is attracted to a woman who runs a tea shop across the street. He finally gets the courage to talk to her, and she returns to his shop to ask him a favor. But then she gets chosen for a reality show that monitors every last minute of their life. Contestants are paid well and get what they want, but they can't leave the show as long as they produce good ratings. She is miserable at first, but then she transforms herself into a new personality. She uses this notoriety to manipulate her fans to carry out their base desires and eventually destroy all of those that set up the show. It all makes a strong statement on the gradual debasement of society.

“Under the Shield” by Stephen Kotowych, read by Stefan Rudnicki - Something about revisionist history, Russians and a death ray.

“Hologram Bride” by Jackie Gamber, read by Roxanne Hernandez - Some girls go as part of a marriange exchange program to another planet. They discover the marriage isn't what they thought it was. (Something about being shared, and hormonal craziness of men and outward appearance of women.) They also end up foiling a plan of a older woman there. It's a little farfetched. Somehow these aliens have very similar deep-set values, but very different physical values.

“The Curse of Sally Tincakes” by Brad R. Torgersen, read by Emily Rankin - Some type of race where all the women seem to die, and this woman just ends up in the hospital at the end.

“The Absence of Stars” by Greg Siewert, read by Arthur Morey - Something about a roving black hole that wiped away Pluto.

“Essay: Making Ender Smart” by Orson Scott Card, read by Orson Scott Card - It all seemed very logical.

“Mazer in Prison” by Orson Scott Card, read by Stefan Rudnicki - I think I read this in another of IGMS collection before.

“When I Kissed the Learned Astronomer” by Jamie Todd Rubin, read by Paul Boehmer - A simple love story that happens to lead to a discovered alien ship. Not a "great" story, but the simple innocence made it one of my favorites in this collection.

“Body Language” by Mary Robinette Kowal, read by Gabrielle de Cuir - A motion capture pupeteer uses her skills to help rescue a kidnapping victim, and in turn unravel a number of different cover-ups. It almost tries to be a thriller.

“Tabloid Reporter to the Stars” by Eric James Stone, read by Stefan Rudnicki - I remember reading this one earlier as a flash-fiction short story. This version expands on the characters, but still relies on the main hook. I think I liked the shorter version better.

“On Horizon’s Shores” by Aliette de Bodard, read by Emily Rankin - An alien race on an important commercial planet is proving difficult to interact with. Some people receive a treatment that allows them to become more like them. They need to carry out there mission and return before they loose their humanity for good. One person is in it for relative and ends up staying. Or something like that. There was an interesting premise, but I seemed to have lost the story.

Earth Awakens (The First Formic War)

Two gung-ho youth bankrolled by a billionaire's son infiltrate an alien ship and make a plan to defeat it. Through the help of a crack military team (MOPS), they are able to go back and use the ship's weapons and some A-team type ingenuity to defeat the alien formics.

Like the other books in this "first formic war" series, this is all action with just enough plot and character to cause conflict and keep things moving along. (This just leads itself to a Jerry Bruckheimer/Michael Bay summer action flick.) And in the action vein, it ends with a character discovering that this alien ship was only a scout ship that split off from a huge armada.

The "good" characters in the book always seem to know what to say and how to lead the other characters. The only real growth in character we see comes from the billionaire's son. He wants to be appreciated and wants to help, but he has trouble distinguishing between friend and enemy (and acting appropriately.) It is almost painful to watch him because we always know who will be good or bad (because the other characters are so black and white.)

The story is a fun quick read, but not something worth investing a lot of time.

Lovelock: Mayflower Trilogy Part I

The narrator of this book plans an incestuous relationship with his own daughter, but murders her when he discovers she will not bear his children. He also throws excrement when he gets mad. He is also nosy, and peaks in on other people's secrets. (From this he is able to discover an incestuous relationship between a teenage daughter and her father.) He works as a servant to an esteemed biologist. The biologist has plenty of problems with her family. Her mother in law is an overbearing, melodramatic rich snob. Her father in law is subservient, but eventually leaves the family for single life (and dies after engaging in hard work.) Her husband has an affair with her friend, but that seems to be more of an excuse to leave the relationship and hide the true affair with another man. It all makes for a great uplifting story, right?

The setting is on a ship set to go on a long interstellar colinizing voyage. The narrator is a super-genius monkey that is trained to be a "witness" to record all the details of his master. He realizes that he has been denied the ability to reproduce and longs for it, thus trying to hatch his own spouse from some stored embryos. His daughter does not do well without a full time mother, and he later discovers there are separate "enhanced" monkeys like himself that are out there.

The ship is divided into groups, such as "Mayflower" and "Ganges" that are extreme caricatures of real life. The biologist and her family are also overly stereotyped. The only moderately believable characters are the children, and they only play a minor role in the story.

The story feels like a first pass at an interesting concept. Perhaps it would have been fleshed out better if the next two books in the planned trilogy were ever written.

Why Economies Rise and Fall

The rising tide lifts all boats. As such, wouldn't everybody want their economy to rise? If so, why do economies sometimes fall? This teaching company course presents a historical overview of what has caused the rise and fall of various economies and lessons that can be applied today. The approach is much more historical than quantitative.

Countries seek to raise the standard of living of everyone. Through trading, specialization and industrialization, they can seek those results. Many different ideologies and policies have been used to help grow economies. These lectures, however, intentionally dismiss the ideology arguments and focus on what has worked. Some policies from opposite ends of the political spectrum have in their respective times produced impressive economic growth. At other times, each has fallen on their face. There have been numerous "miracles" of outsized economic growth. However, these miracle growths are often followed by a sharp fall. The US has become one of the largest economies by growing only a percentage point more than other economies - but compounding that over many years. Will China be able to sustain its growth rate?

These lectures though short on hard science were fairly interesting in "magazine article" sense. Only in the ending did he drift off into conjecture of the future. (Is the US ceding its place? Will other countries really stop lending so much money to the US, and how will that impact the country? We don't know.)

I and Thou

There were some interesting parts of this work. However, wading through the text to get to them was a challenge. The audiobook started with plenty of commentary before getting to the actual work. Then there is the matter of it being a philosophical work originally written in German. This was not intended to be easy for the average English speaker to read. The commentary even admits that some may be lost in translation. The work has some religious undertones, but is more philosophy than religious. He posits that relationships, especially to God are very important, yet he doesn't care what type of relationship. There also seemed to be a good deal about the meaningless material "you" vs. the more important eternal "thou". I imagine this may have been clearer with the grammatical constructs of Germany. Alas, in English, it is very muddled.

Erik the Red's Saga

Erik the Red's saga is a nice adventure story that includes people getting lost, engaging in hyperbole to sell real estate and deciding it is better to leave in peace than stay and fight. It also has bits about conflict between Christianity and the "old" religion. Everything together makes for an interesting story.

What makes it even more interesting is the setting and passing remarks about location. These guys just happened to voyage from Norway out to Greenland. That is quite a trip. But that what was not all. They also made it even further, out to what seems to be Newfoundland. They seemed to like it, but decided they would have to spend too much time fighting the natives, so they stayed away. It all seems so Scandinavian. Sure, they discovered all this stuff way before the other Europeans. But, they didn't want to rock the boat, so they never made a big deal about it. We only know about it, because it just happens to be part of a good story.

The Long Shadow of the Ancient Greek World

The Long Shadow of the Ancient Greek World covers Greece from early civilization to Alexander the Great.

The Greek society has been an important base for modern western thought. These lectures start with early Greek thinkers from the "archaic" age. We get the originator of democracy. He did not necessarily create it out of some high-minded ideal, but merely thought it was a could we to keep order and reign in some of the problems in his current society. It didn't really hold, but was eventually restored.

We also get the origins of "Draconian" law. The law was finally written down. However, the punishment for nearly everything was death. Well, at least that was what was going to happen without the law. At least now, there is some support of the state.

Then we have the history of Sparta. They evolved into a warrior state. Even the women had to be strong in order to birth strong babies. They were able to keep their warrior state going by enslaving some of the neighboring communities.

There are many details of Greek history that we just don't know for sure. We do have plenty of records, but they tend to be very opinionated. You could easily argue both sides of an issue and find some support.

The Persian wars were a dividing line between archaic and classical Greece. Athens got a little too cocky in the end. Greece had a very slave-driven economy, thus giving people free time to engage in things like arts, war and democracy.

Ian Worthington had a very personable opinionated style of lecture delivery. He would present the "common" historical view, but also give balanced weight to his "heresy". His views often run somewhat counter to historical consensus, but are well supported. He also presents them in such a way that makes it easy to pick to believe in either view (or adopt one of your own.) He tends to view people like Alexander the Great as being overrated, while some others as underrated. It makes for a very well done series of lectures that not only teaches that facts but also gets you thinking.

Oh Strava, why did you not start?

I turned on the Strava app and set out on a bike ride. Today, I went over the Aurora bridge. There were a couple cyclists and a jogger on the bridge today, but all gave way really well to make it work. At the end, I decided "what they hey!" I'll just continue on Aurora.

However, they do not make it easy to do so. While there is a crosswalk from the bridge sidewalk to the sidewalk on Aurora, there is a drop of almost a foot down. Not the easiest thing to do on bike.

I eventually made it down. Since it was after 7, the bus lane had "opened up". There were a few cars parked in it. (Love how it works. It takes just a couple cars to eliminate an entire travel lane.)

I saw a RapidRide bus go by. Since it was after rush our there would probably not be any more going by. (and there weren't) So, I just continued down Aurora. The bus lane made for a great bike lane, with cars also avoiding it.

I was cruising fast down Aurora. There were no lights until I got past Green Lake. The few red lights after there turned green quickly. It was a nice fast cruise. I couldn't wait to see how fast I'd gone.

Then I pulled out the GPS.

There was the Strava app, showing 0. Ok. That sometimes happen. It will quickly refresh and show the current time.

Only it didn't. It had never started.

Ugghh! It often takes a few seconds to "really start" after I press the button. I had gotten into the habit, and thought that it had started. Only this time, it never did.

I pieced together some other activity from the phone to guess when the start time was. But, it is just not the same to not be able to get personal records and see exactly how fast you are going. And it would have been nice to see the line down Aurora.

Oh well.

Maybe this means it is time to get a new (more powerful) phone.

Catch the Lightning

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Anatomy of a good bike commute

What makes a good bike commute? Here are a few of the key points that I can think of.

Weather

I've had great commutes with temperatures above 100 and high humidity. I've also had a great commutes in sub-zero temperatures. Snow can be a blast. Even rain can be fun. Strong winds can be great (as long as they are in the right direction.) Thunderstorms? I'll avoid those, but lightening in the distance looks nice.

A Danish friend once told me "there is no such thing as too cold, just not enough clothing." For bike commuting, that can be reworked to include "appropriate clothing". When I first started biking in sub-zero temperatures I boiled, then froze. I dressed so I was warm enough when I started. After pedaling a little, I was soon overheating in my warm gear. Then the sweat kicked in, and I started to freeze. The trick I learned was to start out a little cold, then the ride worked well. It was also good to make sure every part of the body was covered. The ski goggles looked weird, but they got the job done.

I used to hate getting stuck in warm summer downpours. I would try to pedal in it, then show up in my wet clothes, freezing in the indoor air conditioning. Then it dawned on me to bike in swimwear with sandals and bring a change of clothes (in a water-proof bag). Problem solved.

For hot weather, I like to load up on fluids beforehand. A place to shower afterwards is also really nice.

While there is no such thing as weather too poor to ride in, nice weather can make things very enjoyable. A nice warm ride with a pleasant breeze can't be beat.

Route options

A commute with one direct route, can get old quickly. I'm sure there are some people that enjoy going the same way every day, but I'm not one of them. I like to have multiple options that don't add significantly to the distance. The options may simply be alternate parallel streets. However, the ideal route will have different types of options. The scenic bike path can be nice for a gentle cruise at a consistent pace. The high traffic arterial provides the "fast" option. (I always seem to work myself faster when there is car traffic zooming along with me.) The quiet residential street can be the slow option. Different hill options are also useful. A steep hill with many traffic lights is great for going up, but not much fun for going down. The long, gently sloped downhill is great for going down (but may seem to take forever when going up).

On a bike route, there are often "choke points" You may be able to choose from many options, but everything will have to go through this point. The fewer the choke points, the better. Sometimes, I'll even take some crazy 20 mile detour just to "prove" I can avoid a certain choke point.

Traffic lights

Traffic lights are the bane of bike commuting. It seems they are always set to turn red right when I reach maximum velocity. The worst ones are those with an eternal cycle that sit at the bottom of a hill (especially when there is another hill to climb on the other side.) After commuting for a while, you get to know the timing of a traffic light. (I've found myself silently cursing the car that shows up just in time for the opposing left turn, thereby delaying my carefully plotted gradual slow down.)

Urban lights on timers are the lessor of evils. With a good sight path, you can see the change from a distance, and plan your approach so you hit it on green every time.

Lights that sense traffic can be more of a challenge. Occasionally, I've tried to time the approach based on the typical traffic pattern, only to be burned when it ran on a shorter cycle due to different traffic.

On my routes, I end up categorizing the traffic lights. The "evil" ones have ridiculously long cycles that often cause me to wait a long time. The "ok" ones tend to cycle quickly, thus not requiring me to worry about much. The "fako" ones are almost always green (though they'll probably pick my fastest day to decided to turn red.) The alternate fakos have an easy right turn option (or a one-way to one-way left turn option) if they happen to be red when I get to them.

Sometimes, I'll pick a route with a stop sign, rather than a light just because I want to be in control. It may mean a longer wait for a break in traffic, but the wait involves actively trying to find a slot to go, rather than passively waiting for a light change. The working brain cells seem to make a difference.

With lights, there is also the concept of "evil cars". Sometimes cars will block the bike lane turning right. Or they may simply crowd the intersection. It is the pits when you end up missing a perfectly timed light due to somebody else getting in the way.

Transit options

I love it when there are frequent, viable transit options connecting my home to my commute destination. (It is even better when my employer provides a free transit pass!) If my bike breaks down or I'm not feeling well, I can just hop on a train (or bus). I may rarely use it, but it comes in handy when I do. And the fact that it exists helps me to feel better about biking. Typically I've found biking to be a little faster than transit for different reasons. A train may be super fast, but add in getting to the station on both ends and it slows down. A bus may go directly from point A to point B, but meanders along at a slow pace. There is also the matter of adhering to a schedule. Transit just isn't as flexible as biking. But it provides a nice safety net.

Terrain

I like options in terrain. I can always seem to get my heart pumping when I'm going up or down hills. "Dips" provide the greatest motivation. I want to power down as fast as possible to make it up the other side. Short, steep hills are also a great motivation to get going. Sometimes, however, I just feel like the easy flat route. If I am forced to go up, then I'll get a workout no matter what. Otherwise, I might try the "easy way up". Options are nice, but sometimes a forced hill gives you a needed kick in the pants.

Facilities

Bike lanes are nice. A locker room and shower at the destination are extremely useful, especially for a long bike ride. A place to park your bike is also important. (A secure parking place is ideal - then you can feel comfortable bringing any type of bike.) Bike racks are a bit more of a gamble, depending on location. I once had a low-end bike that I parked daily at a bike rack. A coworker's nice bike was stolen the first day he parked it at the same rack. I also had a bike stolen from a bike rack the first day at a new job. Then I parked a new bike at the same place (with a better lock) for the next few years without a problem. It is also really nice to have a parking area indoors or otherwise sheltered from the elements.

Distance

I think somewhere around 10 miles is a good biking distance. I've had bike commutes that were under a mile. It is hard to justify something so short. (It was barely faster than walking once you added in the overhead of locking up the bike, etc.) Up to about 3 miles is a good distance for a "casual bike commute". Here you just bike in your regular clothes and don't need to shower or anything else. In this case, you are usually looking for the quiet, slow street. After about three miles, I find myself in the awkward range. I'll want to go faster, but that will cause me to work up a sweat and then I'll need to take a shower, slowing me down. There is also the matter of getting the "bicycle rip" in clothes.

Once you get up around 8 miles, you can easily justify putting on some bike clothing. I typically go with the padded mountain bike shorts and a t-shirt. Others may like "real" bike gear. This gives you the freedom to really pump it up as fast as you want. It is long enough to be a good workout.

Above 15 minutes, things start to be a drag. You are probably spending over an hour each way on the bike. While some people like it, I find that distance starts to get old quick. I've done 40 and 80 mile "commutes" a few times, but these are more "one off" things. It feels nice to provide that you can get somewhere on bike, but it is not something you would like to do every day.

Other bikers

It is fun when there are lots of cyclists on sections of a bike commute. Some days you just feel motivated to get in an impromptu race. Other times you see if you can try an alternate route that is faster than the one somebody else is taking. Other times, you may look back and see what looks like a pack of bicycle racers waiting with you for a bridge to go down. Other cyclists also help you to feel more confident about your route choices. It also increases safety and reduces obnoxious car behavior. (You are not likely to hear a "get on the sidewalk" yelled from a car when you are one of a dozen bikes on that street.)

Venus

This reminded me a lot of an Orson Scott Card book. The audiobook was produced and narrated by a Stefan Rudnicki, who also narrates many of Card's works. It also has a focus on youth and family relationships, combined with concern of a future world facing environmental issues.

Venus focuses on a boy who is rather estranged from his billionaire father. Dad just does not respect him, and always belittle's him as being the inferior child. Alas, Dad's favorite boy has died on a Venus exploration mission. So, he offers a 10 billion credit reward to the person that brings back the body. (And to help pay for it, he cuts of his living son's allowance.) The son feels obligated to go and do it, as does the father's former rival.

They both go out in ships to Venus. They have to battle all sorts of challenges. The son is attracted to one of his crew members (the cloned daughter of his ship's captain.) However, his ship has trouble and they are rescued by the other ship, piloted by the rival. It turns out he is actually the son of the rival. (His mother was the rival's former wife before he was "stolen".) They succeed in rescuing the body and return to earth to obtain his prize. He proclaims his love to the girl, but they break up, and he has a good time telling off his "fake" father. (Alas, his real father died on the mission.)

It all makes for a fun read. If you pay too much attention, you'll notice characters that just don't act "real". However, the story is interesting and well paced, with plenty of "science" thrown in there.