Book #15

Keeping It Real
Justina Robson

Imagine if something that never existed blew up.  And caused us to actually meet up with things that don't exist.

Well, that is the story that precedes the story in Keeping It Real, the first book in the Quantum Gravity series.  Is there anyone out there who remembers the Superconducting Supercollider?  It was a huge supercollider, like the one at CERN, but the funding never came through and it was never built.  Well, in the Quantum Gravity series it was built, I guess, and then one day it disappeared....and all hell broke loose, sort of.

Basically, it seemed to punch a hole in the Time-Space Continuum and connected Earth with five other dimensions.  Now, Earth is Otopia, and the other dimensions are Alfheim, Thanatopia, Demonia and Zoomenon, and a dimension of faeries.  So, here is where it gets real weird.

Alfheim is inhabited by elves, yep, elves.  Demonia...yep, you guessed it, demons.  Thanatopia, undead. Zoomenon is inhabited by elementals, primal beings of earth, air, water, fire, and also metal and wood, possibly others. And the realm of the faeries as well.

So, our hero, Lila Black is a cyborg, and her job is bodyguard to an elf rock star.

Okay, this keeps getting weirder, and it does.  What shows the talent of Robson is that she keeps the story moving forward without bogging you down too much with all of this backstory.  Also, despite all of this, the story is really more of a hard science fiction novel.  In many ways it fits in well with the genre of paranormal romance, only so far there are no vampires, just elves and demons, and yes they have magic.

I should just tell you to go read the book.  If you like paranormal romance, and you like science fiction, I think you will like this one.  However, be warned that this falls into the genre very tightly, and there is sex in the novel, fairly graphic sex, but only a few times, and in all cases it fits into the story neatly...mostly.

It's a good read, and a lot of fun, and I am moving on to book two in the series.

 

Apples and Oranges

I keep reading reviews of Windows 8/RT tablets that complain that they are too expensive.  I feel like it is time to answer that question once and for all.  Recently, I read another one, a review of the Lenovo Thinkpad Tablet 2, that ended with the conclusion that the iPad and Nexus 10 were more cost effective.

 

Lenovo Thinkpad Tablet 2 Review: Just Barely a Laptop

 

All of the prices I list, will be, so far as is possible, from the manufacturer's website.  Obviously, you can find better deals, but by using the manufacturer's list price, we are using level ground for our comparison.  Also, all models are compared with WiFi only.  This is a comparison of price, and not of features...for now.

So, here are the actual figures for the three tablets mentioned in the Gizmodo Review.

 

Apple iPad w/Retina Display

WiFi

16GB          $499

32GB          $599

64GB          $699

128GB        $799

 

Nexus 10

 

16GB          $399

32GB          $499

 

Lenovo Thinkpad Tablet 2

 

64 GB          $679

 

Now, we have one immediate problem, in that there is no Nexus 10 apple (note the lower case).  We cannot truly compare like models, because there is no 64GB Nexus 10.  And, there is no 32GB Thinkpad Tablet 2.  Now, we can extrapolate either way, and I think we will see that while the Thinkpad Tablet 2 and the iPad are virtually the same price, $20 different, any comparison/extrapolation of Nexus 10 or Thinkpad Tablet 2 prices will conclude that the Nexus 10 will be about $80 cheaper, and it is $100 cheaper than the iPad.

So, the first stage of the comparison shows that the assessment in the article is only half true.  The Nexus 10 is more cost effective, but the iPad is not...well, unless you know that you want 32GB or less in your tablet.

There is one other thing to remember.  The Lenovo Thinkpad Tablet 2 has many more features than either the iPad or the Nexus. 

 

Thinkpad Tablet 2 (but not iPad or Nexus 10)

• USB support (thumbdrives, mice, keyboards, etc.)
• MicroSD

You can claim these are not needed, but with the Thinkpad Tablet 2, you have them, rather than wishing you did.

 

And don't try to play the app card.  The Thinkpad Tablet 2 runs Windows 8, and will run every Windows app ever written, so it has a larger app ecosystem than iOS and Android put together.

 

And lastly, the Lenovo Thinkpad Tablet 2 has the longest name.

Book #14

Leave it to Psmith
P.G. Wodehouse

Yes, more Wodehouse.  Though Jeeves and Wooster are first in my heart, in the world of Wodehouse, you have already seen that I enjoy the stories told by Mr. Mulliner, and now, you will learn that I also enjoy the stories set at Blandings Castle.

The story revolves around a Mr. Psmith (the P is silent) and after starting off in London, he and the lady he has just met move to Blandings Castle, the fictional setting of many Wodehouse stories and several novels.  Blandings Castle is the home of the Earl of Emsworth, a rather doddy old man, his sister Constance, a rather formidable Lady, and yes, the capital L in Lady is appropriate, Emsworth's feckless son, Freddie Threepwood, as well as Beach the butler, Angus McAllister, the head gardener, and at least at the moment of the story, Baxter the secretary.  To those who have read any Blandings Castle stories, these are well known characters.

In typical Wodehouse fashion, the plot is convoluted, and set off with the most hilarious mistakes and missteps.  I would have to write a thousand words to do the plot justice, so I won't bother, except to note that this story actually involves gun play, which is most unusual in a Wodehouse story and also involves certain persons of a quite unsavory nature, but as it always does with Wodehouse, things work out in the end.  And in fact, one spoiler here, Mr. Psmith ends up replacing Baxter as Lord Emsworth's secretary.

Great fun and well worth the read.

Book #13

Red Prophet

Orson Scott Card

I really like alternate history novels when they cause me to go back and look up the actual history from the time of the story, and Red Prophet did exactly that.

In Red Prophet, Tecumseh, spelled Ta-Kumsaw in the book, and Tenskwatawa, Tenskwa-Tawa, are truly the main characters.  If we look at the books at part of the Tales of Alvin Maker, then the book is more about Alvin learns and experiences than about what he does.  Now you should not take that to mean that he is a minor character, just that the real story here is of the two Native American brothers, a story which Alvin sees first hand, well most of it, and has his part to play.

One of the big things that Alvin learns is how the Native Americans feel the land.  It sounds like some of the mumbo-jumbo we hear about how the Native Americans are one with the land, but here is not just a metaphysical...wish (for want of a better term), in Card's world, it is quite real.  The branches part as they pass, the twig beneath their feet softens so that it does not snap.  Their ability to pass swiftly and silently through the wild is not an advanced wood craft that anyone can learn, it is part of their direct relationship with the land, and clearly akin to the magical knacks that the white men have.

Along the way, we meet more historical figures, like the Marquis de Lafayette, Napoleon Bonaparte, and William Henry Harrison.  Harrison is a real bastard in the book, so much so that the author offers what might almost be an apology in the forward, pointing out that Harrison seems to have been a much nicer man in real life.

Alvin learns the way of the Native Americans, but in the end cannot stop the defeat of Tecumseh, though he does save his life.  After all his adventures, and all he has learned, Alvin returns home, and we must wait until the next book to learn what comes next for Alvin.

Book #12

Seventh Son

Orson Scott Card

 

This is the first book of the Alvin Maker series, or as the author names them, The Tales of Alvin Maker.  From one viewpoint, they can be called alternate history stories.  It is sometime in the early 19th Century, but the present United States is actually three countries.  New England is still controlled by the English, under The Lord Protector, which would be the successor (probably a few generations of) of Oliver Cromwell.  In this time line there was no Restoration.  The Stuarts set themselves up in the South Coastal states as a Kingdom.  Between the two, you have the United States, which covers the coast from New Amsterdam (New York) down to the Chesapeake Bay, but also extends inland to the great lakes....or at least the first one.

 

Now, most things don't make a lot of sense as you start this book, but you pick up some along the way.  There are states of Suskwahenny, New Amsterdam, New Orange, New Sweden, and the strangest of all, Irrakwa, which is actually a Native American run state.

 

Our story starts at the Hatrack River in the Hio territory, where Alvin is born as his family is passing through.  The family then moves on to the Wobbish territory, further west.  We are truly taking the frontier of the America at the time.

 

Now, the other thing that is different about the Tales of Alvin Maker is...there is magic.  Most of the magic is very small, and referred to as a knack.  Take note of the small that I just mentioned, it is important.  There aren't really spells per say, though they do mention hexes, calmings and fendings, but most of it is just having a knack for doing something.

 

But, Alvin Junior is the Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, and that means something a little different.  Now, the story only follows Alvin to the age of ten, so we do not see a lot of what he can do and even he does not understand it, and.....I'm not going to give any more of it away.

 

I bought the books used some time ago, and never read them, because I wasn't sure I would like them.  I am somewhat surprised to say that I liked the first one.

Books #10 & 11

This is the sort of thing that comes from reading more than one book at a time.  I finished two books on the same night.

Mulliner Nights

P.G. Wodehouse
 

This is the next collection of Mr. Mulliner stories.  More silliness as told by the Hot Scotch and Lemon at the Angler's Rest.  Other than Mr. Mulliner, everyone in the pub is referred to by their drink selection.  Though all the stories are funny, there is no real thread to the collection, but there are two about a certain cat, named Webster.

The Anglo-Saxon Age

John Blair

 

This is a rather short introduction to the Anglo-Saxon Age, which reaches from the departure of the Romans to 1066.  It is a very informative little book with a good bibliography, and is part of a series of books on British History.  Among the fun parts of reading a book on Anglo-Saxons is the names, which are always fun.  Many Anglo-Saxon names start with the double letter Æ, like Æthelred and Ælfgyfu.  Yes, both of those are real Anglo-Saxon names.  The Æ becomes both A and E, depending on the particular name.  Ælfred becomes Alfred, while Ædward becomes Edward.  I am not an expert on names, but I have learned a bit, especially about Anglo-Saxon names from reading. 

This is an interesting period in British History, because of course, the Angles of the 5th and 6th Centuries are the origin of the name eventually given to the people and the place, the English and England.

Fun stuff, but Wodehouse was more fun.

Windows 8 and Expectations

Will 90 percent of users always hate Windows 8?

 

I am torn by this post.  I found it intelligent and well thought out, and I found the points to be cogent and thought provoking.

But, I think it is all wrong, but now I understand why.

iOS was totally different from anything that came before it, yet millions of users have adopted it and learned it.  Some will say that is because it is intuitive, but I do not really buy that.  What it was, was internally consistent...mostly.  You had to learn new skills to use iOS, and you did, and once you did, it was easy.

So, why doesn't this work with Windows 8.  The Modern UI is as radical as iOS, and like iOS, it requires new skills, but no one seems willing to learn those skills.

We learned new skills when Windows 95 replaced Windows 3.1.

The problem is expectations.  Now, let's look at those three groups.

Experts...were willing to put in the time to learn the new skills.

Willing Adopters...this is where I would put a lot of the naysayers, as well as those who are enjoying Windows 8.  Willing Adopters are usually willing to learn new skills, but they are also the ones who get frustrated first.

Mainstreamers...they buy Windows, they expect Windows, and honestly, the Modern UI is not really Windows.  To me the idea of Windows sort of implies the functionality which both MacOS and Windows have used, where you open a small box, a window, and the app runs inside the window.  The modern UI doesn't do that, and I really think that MS would have been better served with a new name for the OS...sometimes.

But, most people have become used to the way Windows works, and the Experts and Willing Adopters will know that Windows 8 doesn't work like Windows 95/98/ME/2000/XP/Vista/7, whether they like it or not, they will know.  This cannot be said for Mainstreamers.  Mainstreamers will expect Windows.

Microsoft has done a terrible job with managing expectations.  They have shown off the fancy new UI start screen, but given little information about how it actually works.

Windows 8 is following in Vista's footsteps in one way, and that is that Microsoft seems to be doing nothing to manage expectations.  Vista's only real failure was that it required up to date hardware to run properly.  People upgraded old machines and the experience was bad.  People bought underpowered Netbooks with the new OS and the experience was bad.

Windows 7 was nothing but Windows Vista fixed.  The problem is that there is nothing to fix on Windows 8.  The Modern UI is not broken, it is just different.  Many people may not want it, but that does not mean it is broken.  iOS wasn't broken because it did not work like MacOS, and Windows 8 is not broken because it does not work like Windows 7.

But, there is a real problem with people's expectations, and if they want Windows 8 to be a Windows 7 style success, they need to deal with those expectations.  One big part of dealing with those expectations will be convincing people that once they learn the new UI things will be simpler and easier.  That may be a very tough sell after 17 years on the same UI.