Sunday, June 30, 2002
Time Police: Vanished
by Warren Norwood
Even though I left the dream of being a writer behind, I still have a few story ideas that I occasionally kick around. One involves a stereotypical time travel organization -- but one that is trying to change history rather than preserve it. I had thought that this was a unique concept... until I found this book. Wouldn't you know it, the organization in this book -- the Time Police -- are looking to change history. Oh, well. The hero, Jackson Dubchek, is working for the Time Police agency when they appear to turn against him. He is totally confused, but manages to escape death and start to unravel some of the organization's shady dealings. Overall, things are kind of murky. Dubchek is never quite sure who are the bad guys or the good guys. (Truth to tell, I got confused myself at times.) In the end, the message seemed to be "Beware of bureaucracies." Of course, this is labeled volume 1, so maybe that message is incomplete. Anyway, I'll rate this one as waiting room material.
LibraryThing link
Even though I left the dream of being a writer behind, I still have a few story ideas that I occasionally kick around. One involves a stereotypical time travel organization -- but one that is trying to change history rather than preserve it. I had thought that this was a unique concept... until I found this book. Wouldn't you know it, the organization in this book -- the Time Police -- are looking to change history. Oh, well. The hero, Jackson Dubchek, is working for the Time Police agency when they appear to turn against him. He is totally confused, but manages to escape death and start to unravel some of the organization's shady dealings. Overall, things are kind of murky. Dubchek is never quite sure who are the bad guys or the good guys. (Truth to tell, I got confused myself at times.) In the end, the message seemed to be "Beware of bureaucracies." Of course, this is labeled volume 1, so maybe that message is incomplete. Anyway, I'll rate this one as waiting room material.
LibraryThing link
Labels: WaitingRoomMaterial
Monday, June 24, 2002
Quantum Leap: Mirror's Edge
by Carol Davis with Esther D. Reese
I used to be a fan of the TV series, Quantum Leap, at least before they started getting weird. (I suppose there's only so many interesting storylines you can eke out of the concept.) There are a number of novels based on the series -- this one is set right before the series finale. I picked it up because I wanted something to read on the plane. As far as plane reading material goes, it was okay. The author(s) captured the characters quite well and I could easily envision the story as if the actors were playing it out. The plot was a bit weaker. I was able to put the book down quite often. In the end I was rather dissatisfied. So I guess I have to say, read it at your own risk.
LibraryThing link
I used to be a fan of the TV series, Quantum Leap, at least before they started getting weird. (I suppose there's only so many interesting storylines you can eke out of the concept.) There are a number of novels based on the series -- this one is set right before the series finale. I picked it up because I wanted something to read on the plane. As far as plane reading material goes, it was okay. The author(s) captured the characters quite well and I could easily envision the story as if the actors were playing it out. The plot was a bit weaker. I was able to put the book down quite often. In the end I was rather dissatisfied. So I guess I have to say, read it at your own risk.
LibraryThing link
Labels: WaitingRoomMaterial
Tuesday, June 18, 2002
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Starting a Home-Based Business
by Barbara Weltman
I'm not starting my own business, honest. I did a stint as a freelancer in audio-visual production and learned that I am a horrible salesman. Much as I'd enjoy not having to follow someone else's rules, I have to admit that I would not be able to make a living in this modern world. So why read this book? Well, my wife is doing some teaching on a contract basis and I thought I should brush up on my small business accounting knowledge. This book was at the local library branch and contained a chapter on taxes and such. Print addict that I am, I ended up reading almost the whole thing. To those contemplating starting a business from home, I would have to say that this is a nice, complete introduction. She covers the whys and hows and gives a variety of tips regarding the process. Were I to give home business a go, I would probably seek out more in depth references, but this is enough to give one a start. Or scare one away, as in my case. All in all, it's good waiting room material.
LibraryThing link
I'm not starting my own business, honest. I did a stint as a freelancer in audio-visual production and learned that I am a horrible salesman. Much as I'd enjoy not having to follow someone else's rules, I have to admit that I would not be able to make a living in this modern world. So why read this book? Well, my wife is doing some teaching on a contract basis and I thought I should brush up on my small business accounting knowledge. This book was at the local library branch and contained a chapter on taxes and such. Print addict that I am, I ended up reading almost the whole thing. To those contemplating starting a business from home, I would have to say that this is a nice, complete introduction. She covers the whys and hows and gives a variety of tips regarding the process. Were I to give home business a go, I would probably seek out more in depth references, but this is enough to give one a start. Or scare one away, as in my case. All in all, it's good waiting room material.
LibraryThing link
Labels: WaitingRoomMaterial
Wednesday, June 12, 2002
When in the Course of Human Events
by Charles Adams
(This isn't the same guy who created the Addams family.) There are many hot topics out there on which people have strong opinions. It seems like one of the oldest is the whole question of the Civil War. Who were the good guys? Who were the villains? What the heck was all the fighting about? In my younger days, I wasn't aware there was a conflict. Being brought up in Illinois, I was definitely taught that the good guys wore blue, Lincoln was a saint, and the war was fought to end slavery. It wasn't until the past decade that I ever heard the arguments for the other side or even considered this era in American history. Anyway, Charles Adams has considered this and has definitely sided with the Confederacy. Mr. Adams is a Northerner and a scholar on the history of taxation. Not surprisingly he sees the cause for the war as economic -- the continuing rising tariffs which benefited the the industrial north at the expense of the agrarian south. He tends to downplay the role of slavery, quoting various sources, including Lincoln himself. He also quotes some European sources, to get their more objective view of things. Overall, the book is very interesting, definitely worth checking out. But did he change my mind? Well, not entirely. Nobody is without bias, not even the European thinkers of the 1860's, so I take Mr. Adams' words with a grain of salt. Adams didn't win me over to his views on slavery. Even if the Union government was originally willing to preserve that institution, slavery had been an issue from the country's inception and it certainly affected those planning and fighting the war. On the other hand, he did strengthen my opinion that the South did have a right to secede, and I agree with him that Lincoln and his compatriots made some substantial changes to the United States government. After reading this book, I probably would not vote for Lincoln were I given the chance to do so. Finally, this book did made me look at the War in the context of the spirit of "Manifest Destiny" that affected the U. S. in the 19th Century. (This is more a tangental thought on my part and not something clearly defined in the book itself.) There are many names for this conflict, and they reflect one's opinions about the war. I think I might start calling this the "The War of Enough Rope", where the ambitions of a people determined to master a continent were turned against themselves with some horrible consequences.
LibraryThing link
(This isn't the same guy who created the Addams family.) There are many hot topics out there on which people have strong opinions. It seems like one of the oldest is the whole question of the Civil War. Who were the good guys? Who were the villains? What the heck was all the fighting about? In my younger days, I wasn't aware there was a conflict. Being brought up in Illinois, I was definitely taught that the good guys wore blue, Lincoln was a saint, and the war was fought to end slavery. It wasn't until the past decade that I ever heard the arguments for the other side or even considered this era in American history. Anyway, Charles Adams has considered this and has definitely sided with the Confederacy. Mr. Adams is a Northerner and a scholar on the history of taxation. Not surprisingly he sees the cause for the war as economic -- the continuing rising tariffs which benefited the the industrial north at the expense of the agrarian south. He tends to downplay the role of slavery, quoting various sources, including Lincoln himself. He also quotes some European sources, to get their more objective view of things. Overall, the book is very interesting, definitely worth checking out. But did he change my mind? Well, not entirely. Nobody is without bias, not even the European thinkers of the 1860's, so I take Mr. Adams' words with a grain of salt. Adams didn't win me over to his views on slavery. Even if the Union government was originally willing to preserve that institution, slavery had been an issue from the country's inception and it certainly affected those planning and fighting the war. On the other hand, he did strengthen my opinion that the South did have a right to secede, and I agree with him that Lincoln and his compatriots made some substantial changes to the United States government. After reading this book, I probably would not vote for Lincoln were I given the chance to do so. Finally, this book did made me look at the War in the context of the spirit of "Manifest Destiny" that affected the U. S. in the 19th Century. (This is more a tangental thought on my part and not something clearly defined in the book itself.) There are many names for this conflict, and they reflect one's opinions about the war. I think I might start calling this the "The War of Enough Rope", where the ambitions of a people determined to master a continent were turned against themselves with some horrible consequences.
LibraryThing link
Labels: CheckItOut
Thursday, June 06, 2002
What Ever Happened to the Trolley?
by Robert P. Carson
This is "a micro historical and economic study of the rise and decline of street railroads in Syracuse, New York, 1860-1941." Now you may be asking why I would ever bother trying to read such a thing. Well, let me tell you. Y'see, recently I've been tracing my family tree and my grandfather, as well as his mother, was born in Syracuse. Being into history, I wanted to read some of the history of the city from where my ancestors hailed. Unfortunately, the Seattle public library is not real strong in their Syracuse collection. I really didn't find any book that filled the bill for my purposes, but I did discover this little tome. Since my great-great uncle was listed as a street railroad conductor in 1900, I figured I'd check the book out. Maybe he'd be tucked into some picture somewhere. Well, I suppose it's possible that he was one of the few people pictured, but since nobody was named, I'll probably never know. I did enjoy reading this little book, though, in light of Seattle's own transit controversy. It shows that even 100 years ago, businesses existed to make a profit, not necessarily to benefit the common good. The infrastructures that have been passed down to us are rarely the result of unaltered, altruistic planning, but rather the remnants of political and financial projects, affected by market forces and public opinion. In regards to practical application, I still prefer to see a monorail in Seattle rather than the over-budget subway that's being pushed through, but I'm not going to feel so victimized if I don't get it. As for this book, it's really just waiting room material.
LibraryThing link
This is "a micro historical and economic study of the rise and decline of street railroads in Syracuse, New York, 1860-1941." Now you may be asking why I would ever bother trying to read such a thing. Well, let me tell you. Y'see, recently I've been tracing my family tree and my grandfather, as well as his mother, was born in Syracuse. Being into history, I wanted to read some of the history of the city from where my ancestors hailed. Unfortunately, the Seattle public library is not real strong in their Syracuse collection. I really didn't find any book that filled the bill for my purposes, but I did discover this little tome. Since my great-great uncle was listed as a street railroad conductor in 1900, I figured I'd check the book out. Maybe he'd be tucked into some picture somewhere. Well, I suppose it's possible that he was one of the few people pictured, but since nobody was named, I'll probably never know. I did enjoy reading this little book, though, in light of Seattle's own transit controversy. It shows that even 100 years ago, businesses existed to make a profit, not necessarily to benefit the common good. The infrastructures that have been passed down to us are rarely the result of unaltered, altruistic planning, but rather the remnants of political and financial projects, affected by market forces and public opinion. In regards to practical application, I still prefer to see a monorail in Seattle rather than the over-budget subway that's being pushed through, but I'm not going to feel so victimized if I don't get it. As for this book, it's really just waiting room material.
LibraryThing link
Labels: WaitingRoomMaterial
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