The simpler life

ill

of

used Sci Fi

p.

Thanks for the recommendations. I=92ve not read either Stross or Banks. My biggest gripe is that there are no good used book stores around where I live anymore. Sure I can go online... but it=92s nothing like the experience of prowling book lined shelves, finding some treasure, paying my money, and immediately sticking my nose in a new story.

George H.

Yes, most was escapism, and a lot was full of errors, but it was for entertainment.

In my case, i was determined to be able to read faster that my school's new speed reading machines. It took almost six weeks, but I beat them. :)

I third grade, I was tested for reading ability while they were giving me visual training. I finally had enough errors at grade 12 they could stop testing. I couldn't pronounce physicist... ;-)

The teacher had a reading contest. She called me a liar to my face when I told here how many books I had read. I had really liked her up to that point. After that, I just didn't tell her.

Charlie

I read a lot of books, too but I hated to ruin one by writing a book report about it. I decided to only use a book I'd already read, and some were used more than once. :)

We had something like that in... let's see... 2nd or 3rd grade, but you had to write down the titles of the books you read. I reminder being annoyed -- even at that young age -- that "reading" a 20-page picture book garnered the same "credit" as reading a 200-page novel, though...

I also recall a teacher and I spending a good 15 minutes tracking down the value of "mach 1" in miles per hour. If only we'd had Google...

In 4th Grade I read Eisenhower's "Crusades in Europe" ;-)

I was lucky... schools in WV had windows so I could watch the trees and the birds... otherwise I'd have been so bored I'd have gone nuts. ...Jim Thompson

What was bad was showing her a book, going off and reading it, and then coming back (in about 30 minutes) and asking her to ask me questions about the contents. She wouldn't even do that... :-(

Charlie

How often did they clean those windows? ;-)

And soon every bit of "information" or "entertainment" will evolve into propaganda, pay-per-view or both and "they" will diligently monitor your consumption of it so that "they" can identify and preempt any subversive thinking before it spreads.

Perhaps all the "news" will be selected just for "you" to match "your" perceived interests and prejudices - so each person becomes an isolated island with nothing in common to talk about. To keep things quieter.

will

that of

Fi

I would read the book a second time to pick up things I missed. Some technical books took three or four passes, if I stopped to use formulas from the text to better understand them.

will

of

=46i

Vinge i have read, the previous three i had never heard of until this thread. One current author i like is Lois McMaster Bujold.

will

of

Yep, and the publishers have an obvious interest in things being that = way.

I'm impelled to mention here that there are certain movies and, yes, books (or at least stories) that can be watched/read over and over and continue to be good.

"The Stars my Destination" "Citizen of the Galaxy" "Lucifer's Hammer" Almost anything by Asimov Almost anything by Niven, Laumer, or Ellison

"The Princess Bride" "Adventures in Babysitting" "Labyrinth" "The Butterfly Effect" "Plan 9 from Outer Space" (haha, gotcha! ;-) )

etc.

Cheers! Rich

Iain Banks has a new book out:

I doubt it. It means if I watch a movie, I never go to the cinema again to watch it, nor buy the DVD. In fact, I never buy DVDs.

Most of my DDs came from 'Dollar Tree'. A buck each for over 50 of them.

I suppose I don't really want to pay for most movies at all, because they are generally not worth it. The only ones I have watched at the cinema have been the Harry Potters, Dark Knight, Avatar (for the 3D), LOTR and James Bonds. I am not an ideal Hollywood customer!

Books are a slightly different matter, but my reading off-line has crashed over the past 15 years. Perhaps it's because of the Net, but I find when reading a work of fiction I really just want a quick summary of the novel ideas! Reading for relaxation or fun is less relaxing and fun than it used to be, by a long way.

I have only seen two movies in a theater since 1987. They are noisy, crowded and not worth the trouble.

I have a good stockpile of paperbacks and hardbacks on hand to read. Since I spend more and more time in a hospital bed, I need something other than TV or the internet do entertain me.

will

of

movies.

way.

Thanks. I was put on 100% disability a few years ago, after working in electronics from age 13. Most of the TV I watch is the news & weather, and a few mindless comedies to try to take my mind off the 24/7 pain. I stay as busy as I can, but my legs swell up, and I have to lay with them at least six inches above my head to reduce it. The prescription medicine doesn't do much, except remove sodium from my body.