I'm currently reading 'The Road Ahead' by Bill Gates. Unfortunately, the old Win-95 CD that comes with the book won't run on my computer.
Looks like Bill was right about nearly everything except when he said HD-TV wouldn't sell...he thought television stations wouldn't upgrade their signals.
Otherwise, stunning predictions about the future use of the internet and practically everything else was spot-on.
Twelve years ago...a lifetime really, if you think about it.

quote:

Twelve years ago...a lifetime really, if you think about it.

Certainly a lifetime for a twelve-year old!

Just finished reading Farewell Summer this morning. I'm in a quagmire of books as I keep picking them up and reading a few pages and then I'm hooked in. Currently and simultaneously reading Count of Monte Cristo, Frankenstein, Dracula, and now of all things Whitley Strieber's Communion. Also finished a good non fiction piece on the Salem witch hunt and trials. Can you tell I love Halloween!

I just tried to log on to the old site and there was a message that it is temporarily closed due to maintenance. That may signal the old haunted house/ghost town's death knell. I will miss it sorely. I hope somehow that all of those interesting yet sometimes non-pertinent conversations get transferred over to this site. I also hope that Grasstains makes her way here too and doesn't get lost.

Yeah, pretty disquieting; wondering what will happen to the Old Place where we all met for the first time, rejoiced in a common love, and shared a lot... I, too, hope Her Grassiousness makes it over this way anon...

By the way, I'm in the midst of Colin Dexter's second Inspector Morse story. A cracking good yarn! I'm also pleased that he likes crosswords, as do I. British-style crosswords are called "cryptic" here in the States. I find them much more challenging and, therefore, more enjoyable than the straight definition-type.

I just finished "Jeeves In The Morning" by P.G. Wodehouse. Always delightful, is the old Plum.

Of course, I'm also enjoying reading stories from "I Sing The Body Electric" just before retiring.

I bet we see a rise in the pages of "Ruled Paper-A Miscellany of Topics" exponentially.

Finally got a copy of “Farewell Summer”. Opened it at random to Chapter 19 and read up to the word “echo”. It’s just too good. I’m going to wait. I’ve had a taste and now there will be a beautiful Bradbury sitting on the shelf waiting for me.

Have been reading Washington Irving’s “Old Christmas” from the “Sketchbook”. I find the following paragraph haunting:

“It is indeed the season for regenerated feeling—the season for kindling, not merely the fire of hospitality in the hall, but the genial flame of charity in the heart.”

And then, from the annual reading of “A Christmas Carol” by Dickens:

“God bless us, everyone!”

I asked for "Farewell Summer" for Christmas. My mom always wants to get me something I really want, but it is difficult waiting.

Order a limited edition of Farewell Summer 3 months ago...and just got a response (Dec 7th) from an email to tell me the slipcases have just arrived, and it'll be at least 3 weeks before shipment. Good Grief.!

Dystopian articles: If you are the extreme optimist - don't bother reading this!

(Soylent Green, Mad Max, Time Machine, Blade Runner, or F451 ~ Anyone?)

http://www.forbes.com/2007/06/11/third-world-slums-biz-...0611slums_print.html


The future - "Plastic!?"
No! "LAND!"

After reading "The Exiles" again, I made note of a few of the books mentioned therein that I hadn't read. Well, I'm reading "The Willows" by Algernon Blackwell now. Pretty creepy!

Butch, add "A Clockwork Orange" to your dystopian list. (And THX 1138, if movies count...)

I stumbled upon this website, www.librarything.com, today. It allows you to catalogue your book collection. The first 200 books are free. This may be of interest to some of us who want to catalogue what we are reading.

Just finished another creepy story: "The Man Who Liked Dickens" by Evelyn Waugh.

Just starting "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team : A Leadership Fable" by Patrick Lencioni.

Picked up some Lovecraft too, again inspired by "The Exiles".

Oh, and I'm still reading "The Illustrated Man" from time to time.

...and "The Authoritative Calvin and Hobbes"...

All labelling, very carefully and keeping up on news items related to shipments from outside of the US. We have become even more comitted to local purchasing and homegrowing. It is not always easy, or practical, however, the options may be sickening. (A flashback of F451 and the multi-colored pills and then the men in plastic suits arriving with their vacuum hoses!)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070614/bs_nm/colgate_fake_dc

"Hu Jintao's Dentifrice...Hu Jintao's Dentifrice...Hu Jintao's Dentifrice......"

Hmmm..Just doesn't trip off the tongue like the old slogan.