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Books / Articles, Reviews
Review: When Blood Calls, Vampires, Were-creatures, and Litigation?
08.25.10 | Permalink | 5 Comments

When Blood Calls (JK Beck) – Vampires, Were creatures, and Litigation? How in the world does this even happen? People often refer to Lawyers as vampires (and blood suckers, etc) but rarely if ever have the two plot elements actually met.

Luke is old as hell. He is a vampiric assassin for the shadow underworld just beneath the surface of our own. He is also incarcerated and going to court, being tried for the murder of another shadow dwelling individual. This will not be the first time he has had throw down fights with the law. Over the centuries, he has been involved in a number of conflicts, investigated and exonerated. Everyone knows he is guilty but evidence is always lacking. The difference this time is that the murder was of an underworld Judge… and enough evidence to damn him is practically white glove served to the cops.

Sara… Read the rest
Books / Articles, Reviews
Review – Eric Flint’s “1632″, screw paradox, lets start a war!
08.18.10 | Permalink | 1 Comment

1632 is part of the “Alternative History” genre of Fantasy/Science Fiction.

A flash of light kicks off the plot in this novel. In what is initially interpreted by everyone as a nuclear blast, light blinds the residents of Grantsville, West Virginia. When they realize they have not all been reduced to ash, they step outside and determine that something very wrong has happened, their town is no longer on the east coast of North America. Grantsville is now in the year 1632, residing in the Black Forest (what will later become Germany). They are smack dab in the middle of the 30 years war.

As readers, we all have the same paradox questions. The characters also recognized these potential issues, and they are addressed very quickly (first or second chapter). They came to the conclusion early on that there are only two real theories to work with.

- Time… Read the rest
Books / Articles, Film and Shorts, Geeky Stuff, Kick Ass
Possibly NSFW: An indecent proposal to Ray Bradbury and Fancy Women fighting, and a beer commercial…
08.17.10 | Permalink | 1 Comment

I have been wanting to post a link to a specific video for a couple weeks now, but it went very viral very fast, so i felt like a tag along poseur. Now I have a classy add-on video (thanks Mongo) that makes me less of the Poseur, and more of a super Poseur… you are welcome.
Let me know if any of these links die, I saved an archive copy of each I can reroute to.

Video: Fuck Me, Ray Bradbury
Music video by comedian Rachel Bloom detailing her love for Science Fiction. Fantastic video, may not be appropriate for work or kids, but book loving adults will get a kick out of it! As it is Bradbury’s 90th B-day on August 22, this is a super cool “gift”. Also check out this LA Times post for some classic Bradbury quotes

I love… Read the rest
Books / Articles, Geeky Stuff, Spotlight / Feature, Touchy Subjects
Spotlight: Freeing your Amazon e-books (5 easy steps)
08.12.10 | Permalink | Comment?

Part One of my e-book spotlight -

THIS IS NOT A GUIDE FOR PIRACY. These instructions will not assist in removing drm from a file someone else gives you, nor one you may have downloaded someplace. They will only remove DRM restrictions from books legally purchased via Amazon. The intent is only to allow you better use of what you already have.

Remember, copyright is everyone’s responsibility.

Folks looking for info on pirating books are gonna have to look elsewhere as this spotlight will not help you. :) Sorry Charlie.

==========================================

So, you bought an E-book from Amazon, and it hurts your soul that you cannot read it in the format you want or the devices you own.. This Spotlight is catered to you. contained here you will find information on the hacks that people have created. You do not need to know programming or anything silly like… Read the rest
Books / Articles, Reviews
Review: The American Alarm Clock – Historical fiction by Glen Wright
08.11.10 | Permalink | 6 Comments

The American Alarm Clock. An alarm to “[...] wake these people from their sleep!”. Historical Fiction, published in 1972, detailing the overhaul of Central American social structures.

In 1810, Mexico was an unsettled country. Manhandled and abused by Spain, they were in the midst of a hostile takeover by the Napoleanic French. Spain was relatively powerless.

300 years of oppressive rule had left the people (native born, immigrants, and those in-between) restless for a change. The Gachupine, those born in Spain, were blamed for most wrongs, including the national famine, high taxation, and violations of basic Human rights (referred to as the “Rights of Nature”).

This aptly sets the scene for the first Mexican revolution.

The American Alarm Clock (source of the book’s name) was the newspaper that was the primary voice for this revolution. Edited by Padre Francisco Severo Maldonado, it chronicled the ideas and core beliefs of… Read the rest
Books / Articles, Reviews
Review: The Magicians, one of the best Fantasy novels to come out of 2009
08.07.10 | Permalink | Comment?

“BURN THIS” wrote Lev Grossman on the inside cover of my book. Lev was surprised to see a copy of his first novel ‘WARP’ showing up a book reading for ‘The Magicians’. He stated that most of the remaining copies are being used to hold up his broken couch at home. A humorous idea and I wonder how many new authors end up with excess copies of their first printings lying about.

Unfortunately, I think I threw him off his game a bit, and feeling bad, I did not stick around to ask him any questions. Instead, I will ask them psychically, or maybe via email :)

‘The Magicians’ will not end up holding a couch off the hardwood floor of his living room. It was a phenomenal book.

In Magicians, magic exists. Schools for magic exist. Students go to these schools and learn a very large amount of… Read the rest
Books / Articles, Geeky Stuff, Spotlight / Feature, Touchy Subjects
Spotlight: DRM on E-books, How to check for it and remove it.. and should you?
08.05.10 | Permalink | 5 Comments

DRM impacts my every day usage of media that I legally acquire. Many people are frustrated by DRM when it comes to e-books but do not know how to limit the frustration. This article will focus on situations and workarounds. It is by no means a guide to piracy, but instead the beginnings of a how-to “jail break” your e-books, allowing you to use them how you feel is appropriate.

At this point, thanks to the movie, music, and software industry, DRM should be a household term that most people are already very familiar with. It affects the DVDs you purchase, the CDs you buy, music you download, and more.

||Explanation and Theory||

For those who are unaware, DRM = Digital Rights Management. DRM is industry designed to help keep a handle on how digital copyright is maintained. Each company has the possibility of employing different methodologies, code restrictions,… Read the rest