Author |
|
Robert Cosgrove Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 January 2005 Location: United States Posts: 1710
|
Posted: 14 June 2016 at 3:40pm | IP Logged | 1
|
post reply
|
|
I'm reminded of a by-mail interview I did with the late Russ Manning in which he mentioned that the (presumably editorially imposed) "4000 AD" as the time of the events of Magnus, Robot Fighter, struck him as implausibly far in the future for the world portrayed in the comic.
|
Back to Top |
profile
| search
|
|
Robbie Moubert Byrne Robotics Member
Evertonian
Joined: 16 April 2004 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 1496
|
Posted: 15 June 2016 at 6:52pm | IP Logged | 2
|
post reply
|
|
Jeeves and the Wedding Bells by Sebastian Faulks. As a huge fan of PG Wodehouse I approached this with some trepidation. A couple of chapters in and nothing alarming so far. You can tell it's not Wodehouse but Faulks has captured the general tone quite well.
|
Back to Top |
profile
| search
| www
|
|
Peter Martin Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 17 March 2008 Location: Canada Posts: 15970
|
Posted: 15 June 2016 at 7:16pm | IP Logged | 3
|
post reply
|
|
God Bess You, Mr Rosewater by Kurt Vonnegut.
|
Back to Top |
profile
| search
|
|
Robert Cosgrove Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 January 2005 Location: United States Posts: 1710
|
Posted: 15 June 2016 at 7:40pm | IP Logged | 4
|
post reply
|
|
A Passion for Leadership: Lessons on Change and Reform from Fifty Years of Public Service, by Robert M. Gates. Leadership interests me in the abstract, though personally I've been happier when I've been an indian than when I've been a chief, and I have no aspiration to head anything during the remainder of my working life. I liked the book. There are some good stories here, including one I'd never heard before about the acerbic Dorothy Parker. Gates draws his leadership anecdotes largely from his experiences as first, CIA Director, second, college president, and third, Secretary of Defense. While there are a few "I screwed up" stories, most of them, not surprisingly, reflect well on Gates. I listened to this in the car as a book on DVD, and candor compels me to say that when my wife happened to be along for the ride, she alternated between saying, "this is boring" and "I can't stand this guy; he's a pompous egomaniac."
|
Back to Top |
profile
| search
|
|
John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
Joined: 11 May 2005 Posts: 133413
|
Posted: 15 June 2016 at 7:47pm | IP Logged | 5
|
post reply
|
|
I'm reminded of a by-mail interview I did with the late Russ Manning in which he mentioned that the (presumably editorially imposed) "4000 AD" as the time of the events of Magnus, Robot Fighter, struck him as implausibly far in the future for the world portrayed in the comic.••• Trying to predict the Future, it's a good idea to look at the Past. If our story is set 200 years hence, think about what the world was like 200 years ago. How much has changed? And how much changed between 200 years ago and 100 years ago? How much change between now and fifty years ago? 25 years ago? Things change rapidly, and faster and faster.
|
Back to Top |
profile
| search
|
|
Don Zomberg Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 23 November 2005 Posts: 2355
|
Posted: 16 June 2016 at 6:57am | IP Logged | 6
|
post reply
|
|
PLAYER PIANO, by Kurt Vonnegut.
...mostly because I couldn't make it through BRAVE NEW WORLD a few years back.
|
Back to Top |
profile
| search
|
|
James Best Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 02 March 2014 Location: United States Posts: 890
|
Posted: 16 June 2016 at 9:35pm | IP Logged | 7
|
post reply
|
|
Now starting:
|
Back to Top |
profile
| search
|
|
Wallace Sellars Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 01 May 2004 Location: United States Posts: 17700
|
Posted: 17 June 2016 at 12:18pm | IP Logged | 8
|
post reply
|
|
Walter Mosley's CHARCOAL JOE
|
Back to Top |
profile
| search
| www
|
|
Robbie Parry Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 17 June 2007 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 12186
|
Posted: 17 June 2016 at 12:24pm | IP Logged | 9
|
post reply
|
|
Things change rapidly, and faster and faster.
***
Absolutely!
Reading up on the history of Microsoft and Apple recently, it is almost depressing to think of those big, clunky computers from years ago now with the floppy disks. And yet my mobile phone is not much bigger than the palm of my hand - and can do almost anything a computer can do.
Makes me smile now to think of futuristic fiction showing VERY big computers when the reality is that all sorts of mobile devices are now smaller.
And on that note, am reading INSIDE APPLE, an unofficial book about Steve Jobs' brand. Giving me a good insight into the company. Also, I do not wish to speak ill of the dead, but I'm not sure I'd have enjoyed working for Apple if the book is accurate. I am not sure Mr Jobs' personality and way of working would have been for me.
|
Back to Top |
profile
| search
|
|
Peter Martin Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 17 March 2008 Location: Canada Posts: 15970
|
Posted: 17 June 2016 at 4:32pm | IP Logged | 10
|
post reply
|
|
it is almost depressing to think of those big, clunky computers from years ago now with the floppy disks ------------------------------------------
Robbie, it may dismay you to find out that the US Dept of Defense that co-ordinates nuclears ICBMs still uses 8-inch floppy disks. LINK
|
Back to Top |
profile
| search
|
|
Robbie Moubert Byrne Robotics Member
Evertonian
Joined: 16 April 2004 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 1496
|
Posted: 18 June 2016 at 3:36pm | IP Logged | 11
|
post reply
|
|
My trepidation about Jeeves and the Wedding Bells turned out to be well-founded I'm sad to say. Too many jarring moments and instances of the author deciding to go places Wodehouse wisely steered clear of, particularly the ending.
|
Back to Top |
profile
| search
| www
|
|
Robbie Parry Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 17 June 2007 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 12186
|
Posted: 18 June 2016 at 3:40pm | IP Logged | 12
|
post reply
|
|
Peter, that HAS to be a joke, right? ;)
|
Back to Top |
profile
| search
|
|