Book Roundup

I’ve written a lot about books recently, so please bear with me for one last book mega-post, and then we’ll move on to other topics.

During our recent cruise to the Panama Canal (more on that in a later post), I was perusing the ship’s library and came across the cool-sounding Ancient Sorceries and Other Weird Tales by Algernon Blackwood.  The summary on the back cover included lots of quotes by H.P. Lovecraft praising the author, so I figured it must be good.  I flipped to the table of contents and noticed a story named “Wendigo”.  I was hooked.

You will of course remember the book I recently read about Wendigos.  It occurred to me that I never explained what a Wendigo is; I hadn’t heard the term until recently.  Basically it’s a Native American myth about an evil spirit often associated with wind, severe cold, and starving to death.  The exact details vary quite a bit, and what appears in fiction usually doesn’t match the historical descriptions, but in a nutshell, that’s it.

Algernon Blackwood’s short story was the first instance of Wendigos in fiction.  It, along with the other short stories in the book, was excellent.  Most of them can best be described as creepy nature stories.  His work is now in the public domain, so you can find a lot of his stories online, in the Kindle store, etc, for free.  “The Willows” and “Wendigo” are both really good.

However, the inspiration for this blog post was not the Algernon Blackwood book, but the other book I read while on the cruise:  “Zodiac” by Neal Stephenson.

Several years ago, at a company book sale, I came across a book called “Snow Crash”.  I half-remembered hearing of it before and having some kind of positive association with it, but that was all I could recall at the time.  So I bought it and read it.  And it turned out to be absolutely insane, crazy, over-the-top cyberpunk fun.  As soon as I finished it I turned to Wendy and said “Best.  Book.  Ever!”

That started me reading other Neal Stephenson books.  A couple of books later I read “Cryptonomicon”, which blew my mind.  I’d forgotten how a book, when it completely captivates you, causes your entire reality to shift into two modes:  Reading-Your-Book and Not-Reading-Your-Book.  When you’re Not-Reading-Your-Book all you can think about is getting back to Reading-Your-Book.  So you do whatever you can to get back there.  That was me during Cryptonomicon.  (I remember Wendy going through those modes when she read the staggeringly-long “Lymond Chronicles” by Dorothy Dunnett.)  After I finished Cryptonomicon, I turned to Wendy and said “I have to modify my earlier statement about Snow Crash.  Snow Crash is the Most Entertaining Book ever.  Cryptonomicon is the Best Book Ever.”  Even better than the Count of Monte Cristo, which I read way back here.

Since then I’ve plowed through the remaining Stephenson books.  From The Baroque Cycle, to Anathem, his most recent, which I inhaled more than read because it was so fascinating.  Zodiac, then, was one of his earliest books, and the final book of his I had yet to read.  The cruise gave me plenty of time to finish it.  And when I was done, I had really enjoyed it.

Much of why I enjoy his books so much is they often involve and hinge upon complex, technical subjects he’s able to easily explain. So not only do you get an entertaining story, but it’s almost like you’ve gotten an introductory college course on a particular topic by the time you’ve finished one of his books.  At the very least, you’ve gotten a glimpse into a complex subject you may never have learned about otherwise.

Here’s a breakdown of his books and a few of the broad topics each covers.

Zodiac
* Toxic chemicals

Snow Crash
* 3-D virtual worlds, Hacking, Ancient Sumerian mythology

The Diamond Age: or, A Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer
* Nanotechnology

Cryptonomicon
* Math, Cryptography, Hacking, Information Theory

Quicksilver (Baroque Cycle, Part 1)
The Confusion (Part 2)
The System of the World (Part 3)
* Money, Finance, The Royal Society, Isaac Newton

Anathem
* Consciousness, Quantum Physics, Cosmology

If you’re interested in any of these, be warned that several of his later works are incredibly long (1000+ pages).  But, that’s part of the fun!

Merry Christmas!

OU vs Nebraska

A few days ago Wendy and I were talking college football, and I was telling her about one my favorite OU vs Nebraska plays, when I remembered another favorite, and then another favorite, and I thought “Hey, I should blog this”.

So here they are, in chronological order:

OU vs Nebraska, 2000

Probably my favorite, because I was at this game. Nebraska jumps out to a quick 14-0 lead, OU trims it to 14-7, and then on 3rd and 14, Heupel throws a long, arcing pass right as he's knocked to the ground. I looked downfield, there were no receivers anywhere, and I thought “Man, incomplete. 4th down.”. Out of nowhere, though, Curtis Fagan breaks free, sprints underneath the ball, catches and scores. Tie game! OU goes on to win 31-14.

OU vs Nebraska, 2001

This was a defensive battle between the top 2 teams in the country, and what I remember most are the trick plays. OU ran a reverse to Mark Clayton, who stopped and threw back to a wide open Nate Hybl. Hybl, unfortunately, stumbled and fell while the ball was in the air. Incomplete pass. Later in the game, Nebraska ran the same trick play, but Eric Crouch did not stumble; he made the catch and scored a TD. Unbelievable. Both teams had been practicing the same trick play during the week. One worked, one didn’t. Nebraska won, 20-10.

OU vs Nebraska, 2006 (Big 12 Championship game)

Up 14-7 in the 3rd, OU had the ball at their own 1-yard line on 3rd and 10. Nebraska had momentum, and with a stop would get the ball with great field position. Instead, Paul Thompson hits Jermaine Gresham for a 35-yard completion and a 1st down. That kickstarts a 99-yard touchdown drive(!!), putting OU comfortably in the lead. Nebraska never recovers; OU wins 21-7.

And now I can add this to the list...

OU vs Nebraska, 2010 (Big 12 Championship game)

It’s too early to say what the most memorable play will be, but here are some nominees:

• OU falling behind 17-0, but rallying to tie the game in the 2nd quarter.
• Travis Lewis’ game-changing interception in the end zone, the first of 3 turnovers he recovered.
• In the 4th quarter, OU had 3rd and 24 when Cameron Kenney catches a 20-yard pass and fights, fights, fights for 3 more yards. That brought up 4th and 1, making it an easy decision to go for it. OU converts, throwing to Kenney again, for an 11-yard gain, which sets up the game-winning field goal by Jimmy Stevens. Go Jimmy!
• Late in the game, Nebraska attempts a fake punt on 4th and 4, but just as they start the fake, the play is whistled dead. Stoops realized it was a fake at the last second, and called timeout just before the ball was snapped. With the element of surprise gone, Nebraska is forced to punt.

Final score: OU 23, Nebraska 20.

Monsters Reloaded

I finished reading The Curse of the Wendigo (the sequel to The Monstrumologist), and it’s fantastic. It doesn’t have as much gore and viscera as the first book, but makes up for it in other ways. I won’t give anything away.

Both of these books are really top-notch, and deal with some impressively adult themes. For instance, Dr. Pellinore Warthrop is a so-called monster-hunter, but despises the term, preferring instead to be labeled a philosopher of “aberrant biology”. After all, what is a monster? Is a lion a monster for attacking and eating the antelope? Then what of the creature whose sole means of survival is attacking and eating humans? Is it a monster for trying to live, for trying to provide food for its young?

And speaking of young, how do these “monsters” propagate their species? At what rate? What is their natural habitat? Are they nocturnal? How do they capture their prey? These are the questions that drive Dr. Warthrop.

Similarly, as the Doctor’s young assistant, Will Henry, points out, “monsters” aren’t always giant, man-eating creatures. Sometimes they’re microscopic parasites living in your blood, inflicting... well, I won’t give anything away.

Coming back to reality, all of this talk reminds me of an article I read in New Scientist last year, about the closest thing Earth has to the alien from the Alien movies starring Sigourney Weaver. The best the author could find was a long, stringy, parasitic worm; I don’t remember the exact details, thankfully, but I do remember feeling sick to my stomach afterwards, and thinking “I wish I had never read that.” Trust me, it was gross.

To finish on a less gruesome note, the Monstrumologist books remind me of one of my favorite authors growing up, John Bellairs. He wrote creepy, gothic horror children’s books full of crypts, tombs, evil spirits, magic artifacts, and haunted dwellings. Almost as good as the stories were the illustrations, drawn by the macabre Edward Gorey. (Unfortunately, the more recent printings of Bellairs’ books no longer have Gorey illustrations. If you’re interested in reading Bellairs, try finding some older printings.)

Among the various characters Bellairs created, Johnny and Professor Childermass were by far my favorite. Will Henry and Dr. Warthrop remind me a lot of Johnny and the Professor: Johnny and Will Henry are both the same age; and while the Professor has a love of chocolate cake, Dr. Warthrop loves raspberry scones. But the similarities are only superficial, I must say. Johnny and the Professor are short, creepy stories for middle school kids; Will Henry and Dr. Warthrop are lengthy, gruesome books for young adults.

Treats

1. While we were at the grocery store today, the X-Files theme song started playing.
2. For the first time ever, the grocery store had OU apparel for sale. I scored an OU shirt and cap.
3. A Halloween Android to add to my collection.
4. On Thursday, November 11th, a special SpongeBob episode will air: "Mystery with a Twistery". Our Tivo is set.
5. 5 Things SpongeBob SquarePants Can Teach You About Business

Boomer! Sooner!

I can’t let this week pass without mentioning college football.

Last Saturday, sometime around 6pm, there was a volcanic eruption of cheering centered around our house. OU, clinging to a 1-possession lead with a minute remaining, recovered a muffed punt to seal a victory against Texas!

I don’t think I’ve ever cheered so hard before. I’ve certainly screamed that hard in disgust (the Oregon game in ‘06), but this was a pure victory celebration. OU was in control for most of the game, but a bizarre series of plays tightened the game late in the 4th quarter, and only when OU recovered the muffed punt could we breathe a sigh of relief. Or, to put it more accurately, run all around the room, jumping up and down, screaming because we just beat Texas.

Boomer Sooner, baby!

Snap to, dear readers! Snap to!

Way back in January, at my day job, I came across a fantastic-sounding book review; a review so good I had to share it with Wendy. The book was The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey. This was the review, in part:

Grades 9-12. With a roaring sense of adventure and enough viscera to gag the hardiest of gore hounds, Yancey’s series starter might just be the best horror novel of the year. Will Henry is the 12-year-old apprentice to Pellinore Warthrop, a brilliant and self-absorbed monstrumologist—a scientist who studies (and when necessary, kills) monsters in late-1800s New England.

...

Yancey keeps the shocks frequent and shrouded in a splattery miasma of blood, bone, pus, and maggots.

...

Yancey’s prose is stentorian and wordy, but it weaves a world that possesses a Lovecraftian logic and hints at its own deeply satisfying mythos. Most effective of all, however, is the weirdly tender relationship between the quiet, respectful boy and his strict, Darwinesque father figure. “Snap to!” is Warthrop’s continued demand of Will, but readers will need no such needling.

Source: Booklist

Wendy shared the same enthusiasm as I. “Dude, that sounds awesome!” she said. I checked all the local libraries online, but it was checked out everywhere. The book had just won a Michael L. Printz Honor Award, which is how I heard about it, so it was no surprise the book was so popular.

Several months later, at the company book sale, we were winding down by going through the stacks of books we’d each found. As luck would have it, Wendy had found a copy of The Monstrumologist! Sweet!

The next several months, though, it sat in a big pile of books, nearly forgotten. However, I recently re-discovered it, remembered my earlier excitement, and decided to give it a read.

Well, I finished it last night.

And wow, that book has an astounding amount of gore! And it’s really good!

If you like your stories dark, grim, gruesome, appalling, with a LOT of gore, and with hordes of ravenous, man-slaughtering monsters, then you may have just met your match.

As for me, I think I’ll try something lighter for my next book.

But wait! There’s more!

I just discovered the sequel is about to be released! It’s called The Curse of the Wendigo and the Booklist review says it has "more honest emotion than any book involving copious de-facings (yes, you read that right) ought to have".

A One-Of-A-Kind Post

Several months ago I got a new Android smartphone. I hesitate to use the word phone, because it's far more of a hand-held computer than any kind of phone. There are apps galore that can be downloaded for it, and I've been having fun trying out a bunch of them, particularly astronomy apps. Some apps (Google Sky) are great for identifying stars and constellations, and others (Iridium Flares, Satellite Flybys) are great for spotting iridium flares, satellites, and the space station.

The Android OS has its own little mascot. This guy:

And a while back, a company started selling collectible Android figurines like this:

They turned out to be hugely popular, and sold out nearly instantaneously.

This brings me to my birthday! Wendy let it be known that:

1. She was making me a birthday present.
2. The magnitude of its dorkiness would be off the charts.
3. She waited too long to start it and was now hurrying to finish it in time.

I honestly had no idea what it could be.

So, on my birthday, the mystery was solved when I unwrapped this:

I loved it! It was way cooler than anything I had imagined she was making, and I was totally impressed with her mad crocheting skillz.

A few days after my birthday, the company got more figurines in stock, so I jumped at the chance to get some friends (minions?) for my custom-made Android:

The little guy on the right, by the way, is a glow-in-the-dark "radioactive" android.

The Android wasn't the only hand-made gift I got, either. Long-time readers of our blog know that Wendy and I love books, and we have a lot of them. So, some months ago, when my Mom mysteriously asked for a list of authors and books I like, I knew something was up. And when Cory blogged about his Concorde birthday gift a few months ago, I knew something cross-stitch-y was up.

Once again, the mystery was solved when I opened the box and found this:

(click to embiggen)

A very cool, not to mention very creative, gift that goes quite well with our tall bookshelves and stacks of books piled high.

A Monumental Report

Recently, I came home from work and Wendy was at the laptop surfing the web.

"I just finished reading an article about the 20 least-visited national monuments in the U.S. Guess how many we've been to!" she said.

It was a leading question, to be sure, so I knew the answer was greater than zero.

"Um, two?"

"You're right!" she replied. "Now guess which ones!"

Hm, a much tougher question. I thought about it for a bit and made a few wrong guesses. Then said: "George Washington Carver National Monument?"

"That's one!"

We wrote briefly about our stops at the GWC National Monument a few years ago. I'm surprised it made it in the top 20 least-visited monuments, but according to the article it comes in at #13, with 39,000 visitors last year.

So, one down, one to go. I tried a few more ideas, but with no luck. "Ok, I don't know. What's the other one?"

"The Capulin Volcano in New Mexico," Wendy said.

Ah, Mount Capulin. I would never have come up with that. It's a cinder-cone volcano in northeastern New Mexico.

Back in our Colorado days we took a continuing-ed Astronomy class at Colorado State University. From the class we learned about Star Hill Inn, an astronomy retreat in the mountains of New Mexico. You rent a cabin in the woods and get access to over a dozen telescopes of all different types to use for stargazing.

We went a few times and really enjoyed it. It was during one of those stays we visited the Capulin Volcano which was nearby. The thing I remember most is thinking we picked the right day to go; it was cloudy and cool, while the day before and day after were sunny and very hot. Had it been sunny and clear, though, we might have seen portions of four states from the highest point (New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Colorado).

I am sad to report while writing this post I discovered that Star Hill Inn is now closed. Bummer. It was a very cool place.

Finally:

"Now guess what the least-visited monument is and how many visitors it had last year."

"Well, it has to be in Alaska. 50 visitors?"

"Aniakchak, Alaska. 14 visitors!"

More Turtle Videos!

Turtles have a long and storied tradition on our blog: from sunbathing on logs to the annual migration across our yard. This year, we've decided to super-size that tradition! I now present to you, courtesy of the Springfield Zoo, a Galápagos Tortoise:

For the past few years we've been meaning to visit the Lincoln Museum in Springfield, IL. We've heard a number of good reviews of it, so over Easter Weekend we drove down for a few days.

Because rain was forecast for the latter part of the weekend, we decided to do the outdoors attractions first. Thus, our first stop was the Springfield Zoo. It was fairly small as one might expect, and a few exhibits were closed until later in the spring, but it was still a decent outing. Our encounter with Mr. Galápagos was alone worth the price of admission.

Afterwards, we visited the Dana-Thomas House which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. We went on an hour-long tour of the house, but pictures were not allowed inside, so you'll have to make do with these exterior shots. The interior, by the way, was very elaborate with lots of winding passageways.

Finally, at the end of our first day we visited Lincoln's Tomb. This was much more moving than either of us expected it to be.

Day 2 was devoted exclusively to Lincoln. We spent the entire morning exploring the Lincoln Museum, and yes, it is quite good. There's a lot of information presented very effectively. Again, no pictures were allowed of the exhibits, so you'll have to take our word on it.

One of the highlights was seeing one of Mr. Lincoln's top-hats on display (there are only 3 left in the world, the very helpful volunteer told us), complete with thumbprints on the brim where he would tip his hat. Lincoln wore the hats partly because he liked to carry papers inside of them.

Finally, from a gift-shop book I learned that Lincoln had quite a temper as a young politician, published vicious letters anonymously in the paper attacking his opponents, was found out by one of those opponents, and was challenged to a duel. Both men met with swords at the alotted time before a peace deal was struck at the last minute. (The entire affair is rather funny; you can read a full account here.)

For the last stop on our Lincoln Tour, we spent a while touring the neighborhood and house Lincoln lived in for 17 years.

Lincoln did quite well as a lawyer in Springfield.

This house was remodeled twice during his stay.

Lincoln's sofa. It was actually long enough for him to recline in.

His work desk in the bedroom.

We left Springfield the next morning, but took a longer route home so we could meet Danny and two of his friends in Champaign, IL. We had a delicious Easter brunch at Carmon's restaurant (their crepes are quite good), and enjoyed catching up on the latest news.

Kitto Katsu!

A few weeks ago I strode confidently into the living room and announced:

"I have an announcement!"

Wendy, perhaps mildly bemused, looked up from the laptop and cupped her hand around her ear.

"I am ordering Nestle Kit Kats from Amazon!" I stated, proudly and boldly. She cracked up, we exchanged a high five, and off I went to complete my purchase.

Rewinding several days, I was telling Wendy everything I had just learned about Kit Kats. I'd read a BBC article comparing Kit Kats and bananas as snacks, and it became apparent that Kit Kats in the rest of the world are vastly different than Kit Kats in the U.S. So I turned to the Kit Kat wikipedia page to fill in the details. Here are the things I learned:

• Kit Kats were created in England by a company called Rowntree, supposedly after a factory worker put a suggestion in the suggestion box for a snack a "man could have in his lunch box for work".
• Kit Kats are made by Nestle everywhere except the U.S., where they're made by Hershey.
• U.S. Kit Kats taste differently than those in the rest of the world (the U.S. version has more sugar and less milk).
• Nestle bought Rowntree in 1988 thus acquiring the Kit Kat brand, but they had to honor a 1969 licensing agreement Rowntree had made with Hershey to sell Kit Kats in the U.S.
• The deal is that if Hershey is ever sold, the U.S. Kit Kat rights revert back to Nestle. Hershey did try to sell itself in 2002, but failed, partly because if someone bought Hershey, they would immediately lose the Kit Kat brand.
• Kit Kats have become very popular in Japan, in part because of the Japanese phrase "Kitto Katsu" which translates to "You will surely win!" They've become a popular good luck charm for parents to give to students during exams.
• Finally, there are a huge variety of Kit Kat flavors, none of which are available in the U.S. Here are some examples: Mint, Orange, Caramel, Capuccino, Apple, Hazelnut, Banana, Strawberry, Green Tea, Passion Fruit, and Lemon Cheesecake.

Fast forward to last weekend, and my package of international Nestle Kit Kats had arrived. I had been eagerly awaiting them all week, and I'd read a number reviews praising how much better Nestle Kit Kats were than the U.S. version. I opened a pack, broke off a piece, and took a bite.

And it was a disappointment. "It's just a Kit Kat," I said to Wendy. I'd read so much about them, about how people "would never eat another U.S. Kit Kat again" after tasting the Nestle version, that my expectations had risen too high. My life did not change after that one bite.

So, I took a few more bites, then ate another piece, finished the package, and finally decided that they are actually pretty good. Probably better than most U.S. candy bars. The chocolate is definitely much better. And now, after having sampled... numerous... packages, I have to say that they are delicious and are indeed superior to the U.S. version.

Finally, if you would like to try these Nestle Kit Kats for yourself, now is the time of year to do so. The Amazon page states "Customer takes responsibility for melted chocolate (happens mostly during summer months)".

P.S. Wendy's reaction after her first bite: "Oh, that's good!"

The Legend of Tiny Gallon!

After one of the craziest Christmases in recent memory (see last post), we enjoyed a remarkably peaceful New Year's Eve by staying home. The highlight of the evening for me was:

1. Finding out OU has a basketball player named Tiny Gallon.
   
2. Watching Tiny Gallon do this:

There was a 50-minute delay while they brought in and set up a new basketball goal. Thus, the last game of the decade turned into the first game of the new decade. OU lost badly, but provided the most interesting highlight by far.

Also, props to the OU football team who, earlier in the day, won its bowl game (finally!) against a tough Stanford team.

To complete the OU-sports theme, I'll leave you with this quote from ESPN Big 12 blogger Tim Griffin, regarding Alabama's recent victory over Texas:

A victory would have made Texas the favorite for team of the decade in the Big 12. A pair of national championships would have been hard to argue with.

But now, Oklahoma's six Big 12 championships and one national title trumps the Longhorns' two Big 12 titles and one national championship in 2005.