The Evolution of Science Fiction discussion
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That's cool about the raven, Ed. I've never seen one doing that, either. We don't have many around, although we had some in the front yard a few weeks ago which is odd. Usually they stick to the fields & fringes of the woods. The pair of mockingbirds were not happy about it & harassed them until they left. The mockingbirds are pretty aggressive, so I can't hang a feeder from their tree which they've been using for over a decade. I'm sure it's not the same pair since Erin's cat got one a few years ago, but more often I see them chasing the cats. They were just chasing Raven, Marg's cat, the other day. He scrambled on to the front porch & tore in the door I held open for him while the mockingbirds dove in front of the porch - victory laps, I guess.
Mod
They aren't suppressing her books, just removing her name from an award.
Almost a bad idea to use a person's name on an award or memorial. Everybody has something unlikable about them if you dig deep.
...early on we all decided that the adults in the Harry Potter books should have been flogged...
It is typical in kids books for the kids to be abused, neglected or abandoned by grown-ups. The book was certainly not suggesting that the Dursley's were good people. The teachers, though, were treated more ambiguously. None of them was all good.
Not sure I would recognize a mockingbird. All birds look pretty similar to me. I can recognize a blue jay because they are blue! I even learned to tell a Stellar Jay from the non-stellar kind.
Can't reliably tell a raven from a crow, but a little googling led me to understand that ravens have been reported to do the barrel roll, but it is less clear whether crows have done it.
Mod
I found a beaten-up copy of Sock Monkeys in a little free library. It is 200 full-page portraits of sock monkeys. Coincidentally, a frame store is going out of business. So, I guess fate is telling me I should frame a bunch of these on my wall.
Ed, I did mistype & they are "just" removing her name from an award that she fairly won. Foul play which denigrates her books.I wasn't writing about the Dursleys, but Dumbledore & company. They knew the situation he was in.
Mod
We may be talking about different things. The news story that I know about is
"At its meeting on Saturday, June 23, 2018, the Association for Library Service to Children Board voted to change the name of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award to the Children's Literature Legacy Award."
So, that isn't about some award she won, but an award named after her. (Though she was also the first winner of that award, and they haven't taken that away from her. She still has the award, but the name is changed.) Like if someone changed the name of the "Hugo Award" to the "Rocketship Trophy" because they found out that Hugo Gernsback did a bad thing.
I wasn't writing about the Dursleys, but Dumbledore & company."
OK. Yeah, they were jerks, too. But there are 3 things I will not argue with strangers about on the internet: 1. Politics. 2. Religion. 3. Harry Potter.
Ah! No, I think I misread the article or read a different one. I had understood they removed an award from her book. Thanks for the clarification. I still think it sucks.The Harry Potter thing isn't really a point I'd argue, it's just something our family came up with discussing the books. It's an illustrative point on why kids should discuss books with adults. The oldest was taking biology at the time & had read about some monkey experiments where some were taken away from their mothers, others given a cuddly doll in place, & still others no mother thing at all, I think. The latter group had a far higher incidence of bad social behavior. He wasn't as enamored by the series as the younger two & was beating on them, telling them their hero was a scoundrel. It was a lively conversation.
My granddaughters are visiting. They brought some friends. Our house is filled with five teenage girls, aged 13 to 17. They love going to the beach, and we have gone with them. The other day at Blind Pass, between Sanibel and Captiva islands, the dolphins were playing around them and once came close enough to touch. they were ecstatic. We went to a little Mexican restaurant afterwards. We were a large group, so rather than wait for tables inside they seated us outside. It rained. We got soaked. What fun. I am working with an enormous sleep deficit.
Sounds like fun, if hectic. No afternoon nap?;)
No afternoon nap. The trouble is that teenage girls keep you up late, and I'm an early riser. They're on vacation. They sleep in and have breakfast at lunchtime. So we are going to the beach again today, but we will arrive at 2:00 at the earliest. I was able to get my work done this morning before the craziness started. *yawn*
Buck wrote: "The trouble is that teenage girls keep you up late, and I'm an early riser...."My daughter just turned 15. It's like living with a vampire.
The teens are a fairly horrible time. My daughter turned into a crier. I had to pass messages to her through my wife. The boys just argued with everything. 6th-8th grade seemed to be the worst. I'm glad I didn't kill them because they became decent humans again before they hit 20. I really like them in their 30s. Seems worth it.
Oh boy. Our kids are only 6 and 9 and giving us daily headaches already.
Wait for the 13 year old mouth. You'll want to stuff them in a barrel.;)
Adolescence is a mental disorder that begins at age 13 and lasts about 7 years.
Buck wrote: "Adolescence is a mental disorder that begins at age 13 and lasts about 7 years."Well put, Buck.
I'm so glad it is Friday. I don't normally live for the weekend, but this week has been a tough one. I've had a lot of server trouble, a domino effect from one project leading to a needed change elsewhere that leads to another & on & on. It's been stomach-clenching & my mind is burned. Wednesday's issue with network cards was particularly tough. Who would think that a default advanced setting for "Virtual Machine Queues" would have to be enabled for the host NIC & disabled for the NICs & team that host the VMs? I sometimes wonder if programmers sit around & try to think up stuff that will make my life miserable.
It's also been rainy all week until yesterday which was sunny & hot as blazes. I finally got the north fence line weeded in the back yard, but it was a trial. Everything needs mowing again as it is all growing like crazy. I still haven't managed to spray the lane or fence lines nor ridden my pony in over a week. He got new shoes yesterday & was apparently a total jerk about it. Managed to put a hole in the blacksmith's hand.
I've also got something emptying the hummingbird feeder on the front porch. I think it's a big coon, so I bought a new, big Hav-A-Heart trap. I've had a big mother coon around for years that I haven't managed to catch. My old 'big' trap was only 32" long so I think her tail would keep it from latching correctly. This new one is 42" long, so hopefully I'll get her. I'm tired of fixing or replacing the bird feeders she destroys & dealing with her juvenile delinquents.
At least she hasn't torn up my pond this week, but something broke my lily tree which is growing up the front shepard's crook. Last year, they broke the biggest & best lily tree I had & killed it. They're gorgeous & just blooming now. The blooms are as big as my hand.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/orna...
Sounds like quite a week. I worked with a group of programmers. A bunch of very nice guys. They always invited me to their Christmas Party.
I'm a programmer myself & so are 2 of my kids, so consider the question rhetorical. As far as I know, none do, but sometimes we get our head so stuck in code that weird stuff comes out. Since we have the 4th off, I decided to take Monday & Tuesday off, so I've got 5 days to decompress. Then I'll only have to handle a 2 day work week. Yeah!
:)
The heat is brutal here. It's 96F (35.5C) & humid with very strong sun. l'm getting toasted even sitting on a mower. I've been reading about how hot it is in Scotland at only 30C (88F). There was a picture of tar coming out from under tiles on a museum or something. Hard to imagine.
We visited the UK in July two years ago. We wore our jackets most of the time. My wife wore a trench coat and knit cap. We saw a patch of snow on a shadowed peak in the highlands. Typically the temps ranged from 13C to 22C. (about 50F to about 72F) In July. Those are winter temps for us.Our temperatures here in the subtropics have been quite pleasant of late. Our summer temps usually range from lows in the low 70s to highs in the low 90s. I don't remember it going above 90 yet this year. But the summer is far from over.
I love watching the young Red-bellied woodpeckers. Our front porch has 3 feeders on it: 2 seed & the hummingbird feeder which is aligned with one of the porch columns. Tonight, there was a juvenile woodpecker at each one. They won't double up even though there is room for 2 in the tray feeder. The one drinking out of the hummingbird feeder clings to the porch column & leans over to drink. The Downy woodpeckers occasionally do that, but they can sit on the feeder, too. Needless to say, the hummingbirds aren't happy, but they stay clear. We only have 1 pair in the front while there are 2 pairs who have had at least one set of babies each in the back. They're drinking down about 16oz each day.
John wrote: "I had set up a feeder for the squirrels around my property...."Most people around here are more interested in keeping the squirrels out of their feeders, although some create obstacle courses for them. We did that at our last place & it's fun to watch them. Amazing critters.
Our humidity is high enough that we're getting heavy dew while in the mid 70s & it's not burning off until late morning when the temp is in the mid 90s. I need to spray the lane, fence lines & spots in the fields, but I haven't managed it yet. I was about to yesterday afternoon when I noticed it was clouding up. An hour later we got a 1/2" of rain in about 15 minutes. Then the sun came out & it was a steam bath again. Too wet to spray again. Sigh. Maybe today.
I'm getting caught up with all the little projects, but more keep appearing. For instance, we take the mats out & powerwash the horse trailer once a year. Did that & wound up painting the ramp with nonskid paint. Also the powerwasher isn't pressurizing properly. Starts up & runs fine, but only half the pressure so it took a lot longer to clean the trailer.
I've been fiddling with powerwasher & ruled out all the obvious stuff, so it's likely something in the pump itself like the valves. I'm not sure how much further to go. Getting the unloader valve out was a PITA since I got it 15-20 years ago when a friend left water in it over the winter which cracked the pump. He bought a new one & gave this to me. It cost me $60 to replace the pump back then. Now just the unloader valve is $50 & they don't list the pump any more. If I dig deeper, it's more likely I'll bust something that's welded into place by age & it won't work at all. I really don't need a gas powered one & can replace it with an electric one for about $150. No rush either since I only use it a couple of times a year & have already done everything I planned.
Anyway, that's pretty typical of projects lately. Do one & create or find a couple of others.
I think that's pretty typical for being a homeowner, John. There's a few more things with a farm, but pretty much the same. I agree with you. I'd rather have the chores & the lifestyle than live in an apartment with less.I finally got the rotten coon who has been making my life miserable. Not only have my fish pond & bird feeders all been left alone, but we finally got some zucchini. Actually, suddenly we had half a dozen. Too much to eat at once, so what to do?
Zucchini bread. No problem. I generally make a couple of batches every year using a recipe from my mother. Until my daughter talked me into using her bread machine since it's easier & makes less mess. Hah! I managed to put the ingredients in just backwards the first time. Well, the birds are happy. The second loaf came out looking & smelling pretty good, but I used up more time & dishes.
Garden Lasagna is basically lasagna made with zucchini taking the place of the noodles. Good stuff, easy to make. Again, a recipe from Mom & I won't be using anything but the regular oven this time!
;)
Mod
I have no TV, so only hear things from the internets. When there was ash on my car Sunday morning I thought it was pollen or something, because I had no idea there was a big wildfire near here.
The DVD I watched was the movie based on The Face of Another, which is a cool movie, and is almost sci-fi. Almost a Jeckyl and Hyde story about something like a face transplant. If you got a new face, would you get a new personality?
Toaster oven! Especially in summer, don't turn on the big oven. A medium-priced toaster oven with a convection setting bakes things like lasagna and quick breads very well. (I've not tried it with yeast bread... I gave up my bread machine because it just didn't make loaves as light as handmade..)
Ed, I'm so sorry for you. DVDs, oh my. I hope your area wasn't too torn up from the fire. That's bad stuff.Cheryl, I need another appliance to break like I need a hole in the head. The A/C unit is new & the oven well insulated. Besides, I've finally figured out its quirks. No need to learn those of another!
Yum! That looks good, John. Thanks. I'll try to make them today. I don't have any tumeric around, but I need to go out & get non-alcoholic gas today so I can pick some up. I think I have some jars & I will use the Crock Pot (like an Insta Pot) for the canning since we have a glass topped stove which supposedly can't be used for canning.Here are the recipes I mentioned:
Garden Lasagna
9x13" baking pan, preheat oven 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes
- 2 med zucchini sliced fairly thin - can cook out water first or use raw
- 1 lb ground beef
- 45 oz jar spaghetti sauce
- 16 oz cottage cheese
- 16 oz shredded Mozzarella cheese
- 1 tblsp parsley
- 2 beaten eggs
- Season bread crumbs
Frizzle beef & Optional (microwave/cook some of the water out of the zuchinni.)
Beat eggs, beat parsley in & then mix well with cottage cheese.
2 layers of each, so half each amount each time.
Layer zucchini - (if uncooked, add a thin layer of bread crumbs to soak up excess water.)
- Beef
- Cottage cheese
- Mozzarella cheese
- finish top with some bread crumbs.
Bake 30 to 45 minutes until top cheese browns. Let stand 15 minutes or so.
---------------
Zucchini Bread
3 cups shredded zucchini (2-3 medium)
1-2/3 to 2 cups sugar
2/3 cups Vege oil (or 3/4 cup butter)
2 - 3 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
(can swap amounts of b. soda & powder or just do either)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp grnd cloves
(Optional) 1/2 cup nuts &/or raisins
- Preheat oven to 350 & set rack so top of loaves in center.
- Mix all together & pour evenly into 2 greased loaf pans.
(Nuts & raisins best put on last & cut in as they'll sink to bottom otherwise.)
- Bake for 50-60 minutes, until knife clean when stuck in.
(Bake lower & slower, if anything. Center tends to be wet & heavy.)
- Cut sides free & dump out immediately when done.
This seems to be a pretty basic recipe for a lot of quick (batter) breads. Replace the zucchini with bananas or carrots. The amount of sugar can vary by a lot (1 cup to 2.5 cups) & it still tastes good.
I made zucchini pickles today & scalded my hand while pouring out the boiling water from canning them. It's not bad, but it sure hurt for a while after I did it. Supposedly I can try eating them after 24 hours, but I think I'll wait until I finish off my current bread & butter pickles. These are similar. Thanks, John. I got a few more tonight so I might make another batch.I made the Garden Lasagna recipe for dinner tonight & it needs some adjustment: NOT 2 layers of each, but 3 layers of zucchini.
- zucchini (about half)
- Beef
- Sauce
- zucchini (about 1/4)
- Cottage cheese
- Sauce
- zucchini (about 1/4)
- Mozzarella cheese
- finish top with some bread crumbs. Not too many or the top crust gets too hard.
I used about 2 lbs of zucchini, 2 medium sized ones, & microwaved each one about 4 minutes then set them aside to cool. I thought that would have cooked out enough of the water, but it didn't. I think I'll nuke them an extra minute each next time & still put some bread crumbs on the bottom.
The pickles sure seem like they'll be good from tasting the juice. This is the closest to my mother's lost Bread & Butter pickle recipe that I've found, so I'm excited. I dearly loved those & we both somehow lost our copies of it years ago. Very odd since I know I got it the same time I got her tomato relish recipe & I still have that.Thanks, the hand is OK. It's not happy with hot water yet, as I found out this morning, but no blisters. My own mistake. The pot holder slipped & the heavy pot twisted. Dumb.
The zucchini bread recipe is pretty standard. The cloves seem to be the one difference from most. That gives it a bit more of a zing & everyone likes it. I find the baking time to be the hardest to judge. It's easy to burn the outside & leave the inside gooey or cook it a bit too long & it gets dry.
I got a couple of eggplants yesterday. I was thinking of making moussaka & eggplant parmesan, but it's supposed to be dry today, so I doubt I'll have the time or the patience. I'm not much of a cook & used most of my patience up yesterday. I might just fry up slices in egg & bread crumbs. I can freeze most of them & use up the rest in something else. The slices are good if just dumped into chopped-stewed tomatoes with onion & green pepper. (Either canned or home-made is fine.) Bake it with some cheese on top for 30 minutes or so.
My wife has a delicate stomach & can't even stand the smell of onion or green pepper, so a few times a year I get on a cooking jag & freeze up a lot to get me through the rest of the year.
I was sitting on my front patio, sipping an IPA and listening to Fascism: A Warning by Madeleine Albright. The blue jays were making a ruckus, so I turned off the audiobook and strolled out into the street to look up into the tree canopy to see what was the matter. I saw movement. A largish bird taking flight. Didn't see it well but it looked to be a red-shoulder. Then I understood what the blue jays were saying, " Hawk. Hawk, hawk. Hawk!"
John wrote: "Hope everyone had a happy fourth of July."I did, but did very little except pruning a few more trees & trying to spin up the rest of a bag of wool. I had a pretty good pickup truck load of branches from the front yard & mentioned it to both my wife & daughter. Neither noticed I'd done anything! I guess it's just me on the lawnmower that notices.
I mentioned that the juice from the pickle recipe tasted like Mom's B&B pickles. I told her about it this morning & she laughed. Apparently she used to use cucumber or zucchini & never bothered to tell anyone. We never knew the difference. She was pretty happy to know about this recipe, although she says she'll probably never can anything again. It's a shame because she made good stuff. Her elderberry jelly was great.
Today didn't seem very productive, but I was busy the whole time. I got the last of the wool spun up & dyed it today. That takes forever since I can only do one skein at a time & I had 6 at 30 minutes each. It came out OK, but I'll need a lot more for the afghan I plan to make out of it. I'll have to keep my eye out for a good deal on more wool.This afternoon I thought I'd use up a bunch of zucchini, so I made up 5 loaves of zucchini bread. I only used one large one! Still, they came out really well including the one for my daughter. Hers didn't use regular flour, but spelt & a gluten-free flour. I mixed them as she thought that would taste better. We'll see. The loaf looks good.
Since I had the stove going, I made Eggplant Parmesan for dinner. It was easy since I'd already fried up the eggplant. Just layered it with Ragu spaghetti sauce & cheese. In between times, I did other short chores & got to read more of my book. Yay! It was nice having time to do that.
Mod
Actually, they needn't worry. I'm obsessive about returning books after I've finished them because I don't want any more objects in my house. But I'm not sure I like their new policy. If I sign-up for a hold on a book someone else has, it would bug me that they have no particular reason to return it on time.
I've never heard of such a policy. Do you know why they implemented it?
Mod
They still will charge a replacement fee if you never return the book.
The tool-lending department still will charge fines, which are much larger than those for books. But they are considering changing that practice as well.
Interesting. Hope it works out. Libraries are one of the best resources for us all, especially those without much money. I sure appreciated them when I didn't have much.
Mod
I haven't actually read reviews on that site for a while. I've just been letting the Al Gore Rhythms* decide what I watch. But I feel sorry for the folks who have been writing reviews.
* This lovely pun comes from "The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt."
I'd find out what the seller will do. Contact them through Ebay & show them the damage. I don't know anything about collecting books & I assume it varies, but doesn't that sort of damage make the book practically worthless? Maybe they'll refund you some of the price or you can return it.
wow.. massive Goodreads update on the android App... completely revamped with book cover scanning and all!
Hmm. I seldom use Goodreads on my phone. I checked for an update. Nothing on the iPhone version.
Jim, I myself have been collecting fine bound books for a while, usually Easton Press or Franklin Library, and some antiquarians. I'm less than amateur at it mind you, as I typically just buy nice bound editions of things I like, but that damage would indeed drastically reduce the value. Btw, I have pictures of some of my collection on my profile picture and other pics.
Yeah Buck, they completely changed the App on android. I'm still exploring bits. You can now scan a book cover and it'll search for it. I have yet to test this but it would be a great feature.
JonSnow wrote: "Jim, I myself have been collecting fine bound books for a while, usually Easton Press or Franklin Library, and some antiquarians. I'm less than amateur at it mind you, as I typically just buy nice ..."Nice collection. Loved view & the bike. Probably too easy to get looking out that window, though. I had a Yamaha 80 when I was a kid in the early 70s. Fun bikes.
Jim wrote: "JonSnow wrote: "Jim, I myself have been collecting fine bound books for a while, usually Easton Press or Franklin Library, and some antiquarians. I'm less than amateur at it mind you, as I typicall..."Thanks Jim. Got that 1984 Honda XL80S last October. She's a nice old bike. The view of the ocean there is the opposite side of the road, down the hill toward the water. I can see the mountain from my house. The view can be a bit distracting actually, haha. Book collection has been building for a decade or so now. So much time and effort gone into finding everything. But well worth it.
The other day in a local diner I asked the waitress about their craft beers. She asked if I meant draft beer and started listing Bud, Bud Light, Coors Light, Miller Lite... I stopped her. Those aren't craft beers. Oh, she said, you mean like local beers? Yes, I said. She named one from a local brewery that I know and like. I told her that would be fine. I was pleased. It's a tasty dark beer not widely available; She brought a bland pale yellow beer. Soon the manager came by to chat. I asked about the beer. He told me that the beer I had ordered isn't available. He drew me a local IPA.I've had similar experiences more than once. Is asking for a craft beer so unusual? In restaurants that say on their menu to ask about their craft beer, why don't the servers know anything about them?
Is it just me?
Mod
Depends on where you live. Around here, you'd have trouble finding a Bud or Coors in a bar, if that is what you wanted.
When out in the sticks, I'd probably ask whether they have any "special" beers rather than "craft". Craft sounds too much like draft.
Storms to start off the day here. Poor Marg got woken up in the middle of one early this morning by the dogs barking. She had just gotten her boots on & her rain coat over her nightgown when Pip jumped through the dog door with a dead racoon in his mouth. What a good boy!I saw a fawn by the side of the road. I didn't have time to stop, but I think its mother might have gotten hit. I don't particularly want to raise a fawn right now. Maybe if/when I retire.
Mod
🦄 Then I saw a unicorn a few blocks from my house! 🦄
OK, it was actually a buck with only one horn.
They often come into the suburbs, but this is a highly built-up urban area. He was totally un-phased by all the cars and people around.
I want to know how'd he lose the other horn? How can you misplace a horn? I posted my unicorn picture on FB as an example of a silicon valley unicorn and nobody thought it was funny. I guess my sense of humor is just too sophisticated.
Ed wrote: "Buck wrote: "Is it just me? ..."Depends on where you live. Around here, you'd have trouble finding a Bud or Coors in a bar, if that is what you wanted.
When out in the sticks, I'd probably ask whether they have any "special" beers..."
Thanks Ed. That's a good suggestion
Bucks with one horn are funny looking. Takes a lot of force to break a horn, too.I got home from work today - another crappy one - & the power went out about 4pm. Cooked dinner of leftovers on the grill & finally decided to get the generator out at 8pm. I had it running & was just pulling the extension cord in when the electric came on. Well, that's better than dealing with all the plugs first.
The Evolution of Science Fiction
Books mentioned in this topic
A History of the English Speaking Peoples, 4 Vols (other topics)Charmian Kittredge London: Trailblazer, Author, Adventurer (other topics)
A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through? (other topics)
Bleak House (other topics)
A Night in the Lonesome October (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Winston Churchill (other topics)Roger Zelazny (other topics)
Felix Salten (other topics)
Sam Kean (other topics)
Chuck Tingle (other topics)
More...
Kids should never read a book without adult input. Mine never did & I was never the most cuddly or attentive parent. I'm not saying I read every book, but I read or at least skimmed most if I hadn't read it already. We almost always discussed their books & the ones Marg & I were reading, though. I doubt there is a book that I fully agree with & I vehemently disagree with some of the attitudes expressed in some of the best.
For instance, early on we all decided that the adults in the Harry Potter books should have been flogged. Poor Harry was totally abused as a child. Experiments done with monkeys in his situation have turned out psychopaths with good reason. Kids need to know that it's a fictional plot device & not something that should ever be tolerated in reality, IMO.
As for being offended by statues, I can't think of any that I don't see as anything but historical. So long as they aren't harmed, I'm OK with moving most around & putting up new ones. Just removing them because they offend some people isn't reason enough, IMO. It just shows that most don't know the history behind them or have the proper historical perspective. Like the books, they should be teaching tools.