tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2446932103172180245.post2802758861011443253..comments2023-11-15T21:54:30.888-08:00Comments on Greenspeak: Happy New YearJeff Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156559263867246922noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2446932103172180245.post-47719779531614815862009-01-14T13:58:00.000-08:002009-01-14T13:58:00.000-08:00This comment is a bit belated but I read Altered C...This comment is a bit belated but I read Altered Carbon a few months. It's a decent book. Not great. Maybe good, I'm still not sure how much I really liked this book. I think I may pick up the next one in the series. It's an interesting world. At least it held. I usually don't care as much for the 1st person perspective in books but this one pulled it off fairly well. Not sure why but I was expecting something along the lines of Blade Runner but it's nothing like that.<BR/><BR/>I just read this book a few months ago and for the life of me I can't remember how the main mystery of the book was resolved. I guess that doesn't speak very well of it after all.<BR/><BR/>Echoing what others have posted, it is a pulpy sci-fi murder mystery but I'm not convinced he was such a great writer. This book didn't really grab me. I liked it but didn't love it. I finished the book because I was hoping it would get better. <BR/><BR/>I may pick up the second book but I'm in no rush to. I'm wanting to read John Scalzi's The Last Colony and start back in on Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson's Dune: Machine Crusade and Robert Ferrigno's Sins of the Assassin.<BR/><BR/>If you like Alternate History or near Alternate Future type thrillers, you should try Prayers for the Assassin. It's a "what if" the islamist extremists won. It's not by some right wing nut job so no worries there. It's a bit silly in that I don't think its believable that America could fall like that but its a fun suspend your disbelief type of book. Kinda Red Dawn but for a different era.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2446932103172180245.post-3845042745012065492009-01-08T20:55:00.000-08:002009-01-08T20:55:00.000-08:00OMG Jeff. That line from your daughter gave me a ...OMG Jeff. That line from your daughter gave me a hearty laugh. Makes me look forward to having one of my own. Thanks bud.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11066127652412887468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2446932103172180245.post-4949293068298116282009-01-06T19:53:00.000-08:002009-01-06T19:53:00.000-08:00I do recommend "What is the What." But I confess ...I do recommend "What is the What." But I confess I was a little disappointed with "Milk." Penn is great, but it is really hard to escape the biopic gravitational pull....Bob Branmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17614724836985006280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2446932103172180245.post-61163562966213231262009-01-05T21:53:00.000-08:002009-01-05T21:53:00.000-08:00Dominion! My favorite game right now. I like it eq...Dominion! My favorite game right now. I like it equally well with any number of players...but I really like it online on BSW so I don't have to shuffle so much.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17019722136807104933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2446932103172180245.post-40397298110772903862009-01-05T13:26:00.000-08:002009-01-05T13:26:00.000-08:00Dominion is great! I've played several times follo...Dominion is great! I've played several times following the sets they recommend in the rulebook, but I find it better to randomly pick 10 sets of cards for our group. Loads of fun!hiddengroundshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14824381455379006875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2446932103172180245.post-73342486111021238282009-01-05T13:14:00.000-08:002009-01-05T13:14:00.000-08:00I learned Dominion last week, and I like it, I thi...I learned Dominion last week, and I like it, I think. I suspect it would be much better with more than two people, though, since we found only a couple of the cards really valuable.<BR/><BR/>Nice mechanics though, with the whole planning about how to set up a strong string of actions/buys.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2446932103172180245.post-49416616635457749122009-01-05T10:30:00.000-08:002009-01-05T10:30:00.000-08:00Ron Howard: Yeah, I find his movies, in general, t...Ron Howard: Yeah, I find his movies, in general, to be over manipulative and sentimentalized and obvious--typical Oscar bait stuff. (Though I did like Apollo 13, too.)<BR/><BR/>And Arrested Development doesn't count--he was just the executive producer. (And yes it was awesome)Jeff Greenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16156559263867246922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2446932103172180245.post-53403043017213803272009-01-04T23:57:00.000-08:002009-01-04T23:57:00.000-08:00What did you mean Frost/Nixon is good 'for a Ron H...What did you mean Frost/Nixon is good 'for a Ron Howard movie', you're not normally a fan of his other movies or tv shows? Like Arrested Development?<BR/>Frost/Nixon isn't something that appeals to me; being a foreigner and a Generation Y adult, but still, seems like a movie to grab on a weekend to ponder over.Michael Blackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13119352383485448676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2446932103172180245.post-20061391525574258762009-01-04T15:51:00.000-08:002009-01-04T15:51:00.000-08:00Tell your daughter that some random internet weird...Tell your daughter that some random internet weirdo said that the Beatles are lame. Then either one of two things will happen.<BR/><BR/>1) She'll blow it off. (more likely)<BR/><BR/>2) She'll go on an EPIC rant saying how people on the internet are dumb. They don't know what their talking about and need to STFU. (It isn't likely, but if it happens bring the popcorn because it's bound to be entertaining!)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2446932103172180245.post-82464588476081111392009-01-04T15:24:00.000-08:002009-01-04T15:24:00.000-08:00Shadow of the Wind has been sitting in my house, r...Shadow of the Wind has been sitting in my house, ready for me to read, for a year now. Hoping to finally read it in '09.<BR/><BR/>Starting Girl With The Dragon Tattoo today, and from what everyone says I should be breezing through it. Then next is Altered Carbon, for those anxious for me to read it! <BR/><BR/>I really enjoyed Deadhouse Gates, MUCH more than Gardens of the Moon. All the Chain of Dogs stuff was fantastic, as was the stuff with Kalam on the boat. It's still so damn dense though, which is both the awesomest part of it but also the hardest. I consulted wikipedia a LOT while reading, just to help me keep it all straight. So: I'm taking an Erikson break, for now, just to plow through a few "easier" books before getting back to Memories of Ice.<BR/><BR/>The Wrestler: On top of my movie list--hopefully next.<BR/><BR/>WoW: I've leveled twice this break. Can't believe I forgot to talk about gaming in this post. So I'm level 76 now and climbing, plus nearly done with Prince of Persia, which I loved.<BR/><BR/>Across the Universe: Yeah, that's what turned my daughter on to the Beatles. Uneven, but great film overall. Never thought "Why Don't We Do It In The Road?" was a good song until I saw this movie.Jeff Greenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16156559263867246922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2446932103172180245.post-85413010268786413022009-01-04T11:25:00.000-08:002009-01-04T11:25:00.000-08:00What are your impressions of Deadhouse Gates? To b...What are your impressions of Deadhouse Gates? To be fair, it's better written than Gardens of the Moon, but Erikson really hits his stride with Memories of Ice, which is just as dense, but much easier to follow.<BR/><BR/>I don't know how fast/often you read, but if you are into anything as long as it's well written, you should read The Shadow of the Wind by Zafon.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2446932103172180245.post-49542781922207502992009-01-04T10:42:00.000-08:002009-01-04T10:42:00.000-08:00lol that Bach response was priceless.lol that Bach response was priceless.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2446932103172180245.post-54078519124409368892009-01-03T21:14:00.000-08:002009-01-03T21:14:00.000-08:00Glad you had a good NY! Here in Perth we just chi...Glad you had a good NY! Here in Perth we just chilled out with a barbeque, with yes, shrimps! <BR/><BR/>The Richard Morgan SF series goes :<BR/><BR/>Altered Carbon<BR/>Broken Angels<BR/>Woken Furies<BR/>Black Man<BR/><BR/>I recommend Altered Carbon, Broken Angels (although much the same as AC) and Black Man (SUPER SUPER GOOD!)<BR/><BR/>Woken Furies just seemed more of the same as the last two without pushing the boat out too much.<BR/><BR/>RM decided to write some fantasy bow and his latewst novel is The Steel Remains. I havnt seen it here in Aus yet but I hope its as good as AC!<BR/><BR/>Hope '09 is a great one for you and the family Jeff!Chris Chambershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09763163192123419098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2446932103172180245.post-60119237768500948802009-01-03T17:58:00.000-08:002009-01-03T17:58:00.000-08:00I've been interested in The Girl with the Dragon T...I've been interested in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo for awhile. And now it's being compared to Charlie Huston on Amazon so now I'm even more intrigued. How is it so far Jeff? I don't suppose you've read any Huston? <BR/><BR/>I'm waiting on my signed copy of the last Burke book by Andrew Vachss now. It's depressing that it's ending.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2446932103172180245.post-60421749537096191342009-01-03T15:15:00.000-08:002009-01-03T15:15:00.000-08:00"Still, I did tell myself that I would do a few se...<I>"Still, I did tell myself that I would do a few semi-productive things on this break, and it turns out I kinda did none of them..."</I><BR/><BR/>Ah, the Gamers Lament.Stephenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02075159923074548914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2446932103172180245.post-21763465829910771042009-01-03T14:57:00.000-08:002009-01-03T14:57:00.000-08:00I've just bought a brand new MacBook - and what's ...I've just bought a brand new MacBook - and what's one of the first things I've chosen to do with it? Why, post a comment at Greenspeak of course. (I'm hoping that somehow this will bring me some good luck.)<BR/><BR/>Last night, while heading down to my favorite coffee shop to do some writing, I slipped on some ice, and my nice, white MacBook, which was tucked safely away inside my satchel (or so I thought) was completely ruined. That's what happens to your notebook when you fall and land right on top of it. The screen actually cracked right down the middle. I nearly threw up when I opened the lid and saw it.<BR/><BR/>So this morning I had to go out and buy a brand new laptop (I bought the aluminum version of the MacBook... fifteen hundred clams for that sucker). Hopefully, though, after this unforeseen expenditure, I'll still be able to buy my Dell XPS 730x, which has the new i7 chip in it. This will replace my old 3GHZ P4 rig from four years ago - but really buying two computers during the same month was not a part of my master plan.<BR/><BR/>Yeah, so great start to the new year for me.<BR/><BR/>I also tripped on the stair five minutes after Midnight on New Year's Eve. I landed on the floor at the bottom of the stair and just lay there in a heap for five minutes feeling sorry for myself.<BR/><BR/>Anyhow, worst case scenario: by the end of the week I'm dead. So if you don't hear anything more from The Goose then you'll know that The Goose somehow managed to cook his final egg.<BR/><BR/>Ah, but maybe now that I've posted here my luck will surely turn around. After all, isn't Green the master at turning his luck around?<BR/><BR/>The GooseAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2446932103172180245.post-17385866832025757682009-01-02T23:44:00.000-08:002009-01-02T23:44:00.000-08:00As a parent, the smartest thing I ever did was exp...As a parent, the smartest thing I ever did was expose my kids to everything I like.<BR/><BR/>It's a treat watching them dig on Inspector Gadget, Spider-Man and Indiana Jones, and you never heard anything as funny as a six-year-old running around singing "I am Iron Man".<BR/><BR/>Granted, I'm dooming two innocent children to a lifetime of nerdhood, but on the other, I'm saving myself from all that Hannah Montana crap.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2446932103172180245.post-29559963153033623832009-01-02T19:27:00.000-08:002009-01-02T19:27:00.000-08:00More like, "What did you miss out on, Aeschylus?" ...More like, "What did you miss out on, Aeschylus?" Just kidding.Tydigamehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15493256286590683717noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2446932103172180245.post-19433276052780757682009-01-02T18:36:00.000-08:002009-01-02T18:36:00.000-08:00You're not the Lord of the Rings!!happy new yearYou're not the Lord of the Rings!!<BR/><BR/>happy new yearAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2446932103172180245.post-52764580461109007332009-01-02T18:00:00.000-08:002009-01-02T18:00:00.000-08:00"Across the Universe" (Rated PG-13 For some drug..."Across the Universe" (Rated PG-13 For some drug content, nudity, sexuality, violence and language) was a good movie/musical from the past year that does a great job setting the beatles music against a backdrop of the vietnam war. if you or your daughter haven't seen it i recommend it. i'm not a huge beatles fan myself, but i still thought it was really good.jasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10619119741398996248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2446932103172180245.post-80078106651649585872009-01-02T16:10:00.000-08:002009-01-02T16:10:00.000-08:00Sorry Jeff, but I've got to take you to task for a...Sorry Jeff, but I've got to take you to task for an innacuracy that just shouldn't be allowed to stand. You can really tell that you've left journalism as the editorial standards have really dropped to the pavement with this one.<BR/><BR/>Regarding "I did tell myself that I would do a few semi-productive things on this break, and it turns out I kinda did none of them."<BR/><BR/>I'm afraid that there is a major innacuracy there since spending quality time with loved ones is extremely productive!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2446932103172180245.post-78675896077991265182009-01-02T15:18:00.000-08:002009-01-02T15:18:00.000-08:00It is great watching an offspring discover the joy...It is great watching an offspring discover the joys of good music. My daughter is only 7, but she has loved the Beatles for the last two years already. Her latest discovery: Aerosmith. The earlier stuff stuff of course. Listening to her sing along to "Dream On" and hitting those high notes is a joy every parent should have. Happy New Year!Scothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18346460549712538729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2446932103172180245.post-40697872136434323692009-01-02T14:08:00.000-08:002009-01-02T14:08:00.000-08:00"Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" is an incredible boo..."Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" is an incredible book. I blew through it in like 3 or 4 days, I just could not put it down. Can't wait for the next one, though it's sad that there will only be three books in the series.Wetzelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09813400329606329717noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2446932103172180245.post-35355407907860447652009-01-02T14:00:00.000-08:002009-01-02T14:00:00.000-08:00That's a nice quip from your daughter. So, I'm gla...That's a nice quip from your daughter. <BR/><BR/>So, I'm glad you finished Deadhouse. I've been slowly ploughing through it for a month or so now. I'm having a harder time getting large chunks of this book for the same reason as you, it's so damn dense. (Btw, I actually owe my act of finally starting through the books to you. Erikson had been on my list since way back when the books were only available as imports, but I just never got around to them. So thanks as this is a refreshing change of pace for me in terms of fantasy. I tried a bunch of other authors, but nothing interested me as much as a George R.R. Martin or Robin Hobb until Erikson. So, thanks.)<BR/><BR/>I wish you coulda started Altered Carbon as that's been on my "to do" list for a while now and I could've used a personal opinion because all the input I've gotten on it come from Amazon. I trust your opinion a bit more than random Amazon user.* You can always find someone online who likes <I>something</I> so, really, what good is their opinion?<BR/><BR/>*Note: That doesn't mean I'm going to start playing WOW. Your opinion counts, just doesn't drive me to addictions. :Pgarion333https://www.blogger.com/profile/03481346757760427323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2446932103172180245.post-80437265446191589472009-01-02T13:58:00.000-08:002009-01-02T13:58:00.000-08:00Happy new year, JeffHappy new year, JeffAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com