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Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "That's how I feel about Ebooks. They can be changed with a key stroke, even the ones you already bought."Not if you remove DRM, create multiple file types, & back them up in your own system. We all should, too. It's one of the things Bradbury complained about in the afterword of the audio edition of Fahrenheit 451 that I listened to last year. Bradbury explains that fire isn't the only way that books get burned, every minority is a fireman when they remove words or content that offends them & he'll have none of it. He was shocked to find that previous editions had been edited down until 75 sections had been missing. He received letters in the same week complaining that he was prejudiced for/against the same group in the book.
Groups & people change the 'facts', too. I've been reading articles on the cost of ebooks for years & saw some contradictions from several publishers. When I went back to find their earlier statements, I couldn't in most cases. I'd copied some, so I knew I wasn't dreaming, but you couldn't tell it from the sites. They rewrote the narrative. Scary.
Jim wrote: "Not if you remove DRM, create multiple file types, & back them up in your own system. ..."Sure, sure. Isolated, 'kluge' (clumsy workaround) which will be effective for... how long? And: what if the book you mothball in this manner itself has errors in the source? Ones not spotted the first time around? What about necessary file updates? And what happens when your hard drive goes boom? Or when the next generation of e-readers refuse to accept your older format files?
Just look to the fine security model demonstrated by digital music and pirated Hollywood movies if you want to be similarly reassured about the stability of digital books. Sorry but pardon me while I GROAN. Hate to preach, but this is a sore point with me.
:*(
Consider now (in retrospect) the beauty of the printed book system. You sit in an easy chair and pull a book down from your shelf. It will read the exact same way and give the exact same pleasure as the last time you read it. Suddenly, about halfway through, you spot a tiny, microscopic typo you never noticed before. Well then--what to do? Just flip to the front of the book--and discover the publisher info. Contact the publisher with a letter documenting your discovery. A real live human being with a name, somewhere in America, will receive your letter and confer with the rest of the publishing team. The editor, the author (if living), even the printers. Human beings. Professionals.
Voila. Eventually, some later edition of the book will contain the correction.
Feliks wrote: "Jim wrote: "Not if you remove DRM, create multiple file types, & back them up in your own system. ..."Sure, sure. Isolated, 'kluge' (clumsy workaround) which will be effective for... how long? An..."
Hardly isolated, certainly not a kluge. It takes me a minute. I've still got files from my Atari in the 80's that are in fine shape even with a few failed hard drives & such over the years.
The 'beauty' of the printed book certainly isn't apparent in many reprints. Ace was notorious for poor reprints for years. Some of their books are practically unreadable. Bradbury pointed out in his afterword of the edition of Fahrenheit 451 I read, that he had found 75 edits, one piled on top of another, until he had to go back to his original to restore it. Those were print editions.
There is no perfect system & the format is certainly not the deciding factor. While I prefer print books, I have plenty of digital ones. Sometimes because that was the only way to replace an old paper book that is no longer readable due to time. I still consider ebooks an addition to my 'real' books, but a very good one. I love the ability to search out & copy bits of text for discussions & reviews.
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Agreed. I'll not read rebuttals to the points I've made so far; instead I'll stick to digging up obscure action movies for you in this thread. Anyway I'm focused on 'Metzger's Dog' BOtM anyway--very keen on that-- so no worries hereBy the way--any particular reason for your liking 'Dogs of War' so much? You know 'Wild Geese' is very similar and arguably even a match for it. Feels like a 'neo-noir actioner', really. Forsyth had such a flair for writing international intrigue and exotic locales. The way 'Dogs' develops is iconic. The incognito Irishman on his quiet scouting expedition, in the first 1/3 of the tale.
Unrelated, but have you ever seen Jack Nicholson in 'The Passenger'?
How about Sergio Leone's "A Fistful of Dynamite"?
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Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "Hey guys...I think we went through this on another thread. How about we simply agree to disagree?"I don't recall this. Old timers?
;)
How many "Jim" 's does this group have! ha. I can't get away from them. heh hehAnyway yes enough with that entire topic. No more tech talk! :p
Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "Hey guys...I think we went through this on another thread. How about we simply agree to disagree?"Where did this conversation take place?
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Sorry if I attributed you a role you hadn't filled.
For sure, it was some other Jim. This Jim's okay.
Feliks wrote: "For sure, it was some other Jim. This Jim's okay."::blush:: Thanks.
There are 7 Jims in this group & a dozen Jameses. Don't know why you should confuse us. I'm still the only one on a pony.
;)
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Dear Jims, I've renamed my bathroom from John to Jim. It now feels great to say I go to the Jim everyday :]
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Paladin!y'know I've not yet read 'Dogs of War'. Mulling over whether I should do so. I've seen most of the movie, so I sorta let the task of reading the source novel slide.
Would you care to highlight some of its finer points for me sometime? I really dig when someone can emphatically state 'this is my favorite ____ of all time'. I always want to know 'why'.
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I will say the I still picture the protagonist as Christopher Walken so I saw the movie.
Forsyth's books tend to concentrate on the "trade craft" of the protagonists than the actual characterization. I tend to like that if done well (have you read The Day of the Jackal?)
Forsyth was a journalist in the 1970 Biafran war so he draws on some of his experiences.
It is about a mineral related coup so you kind of picked up on that.
Have I read 'Day of the Jackal?Have I read 'Day of the Jackal?!
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I agree there's a lot of lean, technical detail in FF's books but he occasionally gives a more fatty mixture. 'Odessa File' for instance. Or, 'No Comebacks' (short, personable story collection). 'The Shepherd' is an exception as well.
Oh well. If you think of anything further to add to what you've said already, I'm here. p.s. Yay for 'Argosy' magazine.
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This is the Bad Jim!https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
(p.s. well, he's not really bad, but I just grew weary of the drama)
I devote a healthy section of my moderated groups to 'men's action' mags. They're a hoot!
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Very Politically incorrect.
And they are great for that very reason. At least they are honest. Human nature does not change from decade to decade. A scumbag is still a scumbag no matter what the date on the calendar says. What do you do with a scumbag? Blow his godamn head off. No ifs ands or buts. We don't invite war criminals or convicted murderers to children's birthday parties--I don't care what yappy bitches on daytime TV talk shows say is proper. Where's their degrees in social science? Who are they? We either execute murderers, or we let them rot to death in an 8x10' sq ft cell. We don't hand them the keys to the city. Let's get back to reality.
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Classic. 'Created, the Destroyer'? Warren Murphy. What a fun author. He started this other series called 'Grandmaster' which went nowhere but that's where I caught him. I kinda think some tie-in to the current Batman saga: orphan raised in Tibet by monks, etc. But he doesn't stay there. (The usual BS)
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I feature them *strongly* in my moderated group. 'Spy / Spec Ops'. I think the Huntress is a member, she will corroborate. I added droves of these titles to the group bookshelves hoping to enlist new fans. You're welcome to join.Wasn't aware of 'Marksman' though. Thx!
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I see Frank Scarpetta picked up 'Marksman' after installment 3. Originated by someone named Peter McCurtin? Neat
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Action/Adventure Aficionados
Books mentioned in this topic
The Day of the Jackal (other topics)Fahrenheit 451 (other topics)
Fahrenheit 451 (other topics)
I'm sure that's a 'given' considering the complexity of the subject matter. We simply live in a society which re-gurgitates every possible story and scenario from every angle and every perspective, and sadly it's not authenticity that most folks care about at the end of the day. We're a leisure culture with insatiable demands for entertainment. Huge problem endemic in all our arts and pasttimes, really.
I myself hardly trust anything I absorb anymore (except books). I mean, even if you're watching a football game--is it really authentic anymore? Can we really be sure we know what we're seeing? They stop the games for tv commercial breaks, for cryin out loud. A fight breaks out and the camera quickly pans away. Its all BS.