| Author |
Topic: BEER |
randymar
Cool Runner |
 posted May-23-2006 09:09 AM
  
quote:
Originally posted by MikeMills:
What are you a sci-fi snob?
Quite the opposite, my friend. I'm strictly mainstream. Old School, even. Verne, Wells, Clark, Asimov, Bradbury, Vonnegut. Douglas Adams and Harry Harrison are as New School as I get / got. I gave up on ST:TNG after Worf adopted a kid - irony there, huh??? Once Picard made it to the big screen, that franchise was done for me (although it was nice to hear Data say "Sh!t")
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La Tortuga
Cool Runner |
posted May-23-2006 09:17 AM
Love Adams
Love Bradbury
Really Love-Love-Love VonnegutData freaks me out - go figure. Funny how Dr Who keeps showing up though - maybe there are videos available.
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randymar
Cool Runner |
posted May-23-2006 09:32 AM
Plenty of DVDs, Princess. Why don't you burn one of those Borders coupons I sent you???MM: Which episode should she get first??? The first one I saw was "Robot" It has the best Dr. Who quote ever Doctor: 'There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes.'
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La Tortuga
Cool Runner |
posted May-23-2006 09:47 AM
Good idea!I'm off - see you guys tomorrow.
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MikeMills
Cool Runner |
posted May-23-2006 10:17 AM
My dad was cool with books - even though I probably wasn't ready for most of them he let me read them anyways. He threw Asimov and Heinlein at me first (to this day I remember, word for word, this quote from one of Heinlein's books (maybe "The Cat Who Walks Through Walls") that was probably the first of its kind I'd ever read - "we kissed so hard our teeth ground together and my t!tties went 'sproing!'" To my twelve year-old eyes that was pure gold). Most of it went over my head, though, until he passed on The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, by Stephen Donaldson - those books mean almost as much to me now as LOR. And I definitely cut my grown-up teeth on Douglas Adams.
Never read Vonnegut - is that wrong? However, I did pick up Farenheit 451 recently - my first Bradbury. Bloody brilliant. Nobody told me he could write - I mean really write - so well.
Most of my sci-fi/fantasy these days is Terry Pratchett.
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randymar
Cool Runner |
posted May-23-2006 10:43 AM
quote:
Originally posted by MikeMills:
Never read Vonnegut - is that wrong?
Maybe not wrong, but certainly not right, especially if you made a conscious decision to skip him over, in favor of some British yaya.
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MikeMills
Cool Runner |
posted May-23-2006 10:58 AM
quote:
Originally posted by randymar:
Maybe not wrong, but certainly not right, especially if you made a conscious decision to skip him over, in favor of some British yaya.
Nah - just never thought about it before. I never met anyone willing to sell him to me, till now.
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MikeMills
Cool Runner |
posted May-23-2006 11:27 AM
On Doctor Who: haven't seen it literally in years. I grew up with Tom Baker, so he's my favorite by proximity (just like Roger Moore is my favorite Bond - the rest of the world be damned!) Probably a good place to start - or possibly John Pertwee (the guy before Tom). Before that I think it was all black and white.
Personally I would start with Davros and the Daleks - the penultimate time lord adversaries. Don't know when they first showed up, but they are still sorta scary despite being unbelievably inplausible.God dang I am a dork.
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randymar
Cool Runner |
posted May-23-2006 11:32 AM
Of course, as a starting point, everyone would tell you to read "Slaughterhouse Five." I would, however, recommend "Cat's Cradle"You could probably blow through it in a day or two. Notes:
The Grateful Dead's publishing company is called Ice-Nine. There is a verse in "Franklin's Tower" that goes "if you plant ice you're gonna harvest wind" Jerry Garcia had owned the rights to "Sirens of Titan" (anothr Vonnegut novel) for many years.
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randymar
Cool Runner |
posted May-23-2006 11:39 AM
quote:
Originally posted by MikeMills:
God dang I am a dork.
At least, you (probably) don't have this page bookmarked: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Who I found THIS interesting: quote:
The United States broadcast of the 2005 series began on March 17, 2006 on the Sci Fi Channel.
"Consult your local listings for dates and times."
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MikeMills
Cool Runner |
posted May-23-2006 03:51 PM
We don't have cable at the moment, but my Dad watches the new Doctor Who. I don't know if it would do much for me, though...
Alright, I'm all over Vonnegut. Can you recommend a beer for "Cat's Cradle"?
Speaking of the Dead, I'm listening to these guys called the Mother Hips right now - described by some as "California Soul". They got a whole alpha band thing goin' on. Worth checking out.
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paskesm
Cool Runner |
posted May-23-2006 08:23 PM
As I was invited to the beer thread, I thought I should make a post. Good topic by the way. As my contribution, I'd like to give a plug to Pacena (should be an accent on the end). I live in Bolivia currently, and it's pretty much the only beer worth drinking here. They also have nice ads with scantily clad women, as they do for everything else in South America from concrete to real-estate. This might be the only place on earth where you can't find a Bud.------------------
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randymar
Cool Runner |
posted May-24-2006 07:32 AM
Cheers and welcome ...Now tell us about your book ...
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paskesm
Cool Runner |
posted May-24-2006 08:17 AM
Well this certainly seems to be a more accomodating venue. Why I might just crack open a beer and pretend I'm telling you about the book at a bar. I'll try and keep it short.
It's called Breaking Stride, it's scheduled to be in print sometime in August (though there could always be a delay), and it's more of a novella than a novel, as it's about 25,000 words (a two-hour read more or less).
It's about two high school runners in Minnesota (where I grew up) and tells their story in alternating chapter format. Basically, it's set up so that early on, each runner is given a reason for becoming obsessive about their training. The reason isn't necessarily rational, but runners aren't exactly rational people when it comes to training. What matters is that these two runners become aware of each other, and it drives their training to absurd levels, along with their feelings of insecurity.
The book is largely based off my own insecurities I had as a competitive runner, and tries to get inside their heads as they essentially give up everything else for the sake of winning a title. The problem is, only one can win. And by the way, there's a bit of a twist in the end that ties the stories together.
The website for the book is www.stephenpaske.com
Excellent Pacena, thanks guys.
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MikeMills
Cool Runner |
posted May-24-2006 08:44 AM
Yeah, we're all about beer and books here. And running, I guess... Congrats on the book! Will it be available on that website once it's published?
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randymar
Cool Runner |
posted May-24-2006 10:22 AM
Um, Mike, maybe you don't understand the way things work here in America.If he wanted to give it away for free, he'd put a PDF on a website; if he wanted to make some money, he'd get it published, but put a couple selections on a website. Much the same as giving away MP3's. If a band just wants some exposure, they'll put some MP3's up here: http://www.archive.org/audio/etreelisting-browse.php Specifically: http://www.archive.org/details/motherhips2006-03-11_dsbd_matrix_44.1 You can download or stream, and get an idea. FWIW - First song: Nice fuzzy intro, but needs some vocal help
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MikeMills
Cool Runner |
posted May-24-2006 10:38 AM
Hey, I only play whip out my "gimme a break I'm English" passport when I'm feeling sorry for myself - didn't you figure that out yet? I hate to admit it, mate, but the truth is I'm almost as American as you are these days...
Anyways, I wasn't implying he intended to give it away. I wanted to know if he was selling it on his site, and if not, where.
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paskesm
Cool Runner |
posted May-24-2006 10:42 AM
My intent is to post a sample chapter if the publisher allows it. I think they'd be foolish not to. Though it is interesting to note, I saw an article by an author who seems to think posting a whole book online is not a bad idea for sales. He cited the fact that with several of his books, sales were much better once he put the whole thing on an Internet library. And he might be right. I didn't buy Once a Runner until I'd borrowed it from a friend and read it. The question is, do people buy books to read? Or do they borrow books and buy them because they liked them? I'm inclined to think the second option might be correct.------------------
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MikeMills
Cool Runner |
posted May-24-2006 10:49 AM
Honestly, I do both. If I read a book my dad loaned me, and I enjoy it, then I have to own it. They're sort of like trophies to me (not sure whether that's sort of pathetic or not). But I think it's a common trait of the true bibliophile - it's not just the reading, it's the having.
So I can see how posting an entire book online might not hurt. To Randy's point (actually, one step beyond it) Wilco have posted their last two albums online in their entirety, and the figures apparently showed a slight increase in sales over expectations. Although, most bands do make their real money on tour, so who knows...
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randymar
Cool Runner |
posted May-24-2006 11:01 AM
quote:
Originally posted by MikeMills:
Anyways, I wasn't implying he intended to give it away. I wanted to know if he was selling it on his site, and if not, where.
Fair enough, sorry.
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randymar
Cool Runner |
posted May-24-2006 11:11 AM
quote:
Originally posted by MikeMills:
But I think it's a common trait of the true bibliophile - it's not just the reading, it's the having.
To paraphrase Steven Wright: I have the world's largest book collection and keep it a libraries around the world. Many of the books I own, I bought for the pure pleasure of lending out, since they may be hard to find at the library ("Swoosh: the Unauthorized Story of Nike" for instance). Sure, some have disappered over time, but thanks to Alibris.com, they have been replaced. Others I have trashpicked (a first edition of "The Razor's Edge") or bought for at a yard sale for 50¢ (a 1937 vintage edition of "A Child's Garden of Verses" by Robert Louis Stevenson with illustrations by Jessie Wilcox Smith; a 1949 edition of "Typee" by Herman Melville [one of the first descriptions of surfing to the public; not from a ship's log]). Besides that, I rigorously support my library by providing funding in the form of late fees (even though I can renew my "lendings" online, I still seem to forget).
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MikeMills
Cool Runner |
posted May-24-2006 11:12 AM
Hey, that's pretty English of you. I'm not rubbing off, am I?
Anyways, no apology necessary - I wasn't exactly clear about what I meant.
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randymar
Cool Runner |
posted May-24-2006 11:18 AM
quote:
Originally posted by MikeMills:
Wilco have posted their last two albums online in their entirety, and the figures apparently showed a slight increase in sales over expectations. Although, most bands do make their real money on tour, so who knows...
True. As you all know, I am a recovering DeadHead and longtime "tape" trader. I have converted many of my old tapes to CD - actually, downloaded them all over again, and then some. This is the aspect of the "jam scene" that people focus on, but it's not just that bunch. Many other (metal, fpunk, funk, emo, etc.) bands will offer some or all of their catalogue - at a lower quality than the CD, of course - on their website. If you throw in your "10.99 pay as you go legal bootlegs" ... the market gets bigger. Of course, Lars Ulrich would say we're all stealing ...
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randymar
Cool Runner |
posted May-24-2006 02:23 PM
quote:
Originally posted by MikeMills:
Anyways, no apology necessary - I wasn't exactly clear about what I meant.
It's okay, after 3 years, I'm getting used to it.
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randymar
Cool Runner |
posted May-24-2006 02:29 PM
Correction ... 4 years ...
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