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neonvincentI posted a lot of comments this month, mostly on Booman Tribune but also on Infidel 753's blog and a new one on Ranch Chimp's. I'll start with a comment about science fiction in response to a request on Booman Tribune.
Steggles: "Hey! I'm looking for a recommendation for an SF book. You pulled 'Blindsight' out of your hat, so I'm wondering if I can ask ..."
(This was in response to my comment on The Left’s Pavlovian Response to Trump: "Yeah, 'Blindsight.' That was a very good story. It has all kinds of comments on the nature of intelligence and its usefulness. More on topic to the discussion, it finds that vampires were real and then recreates them.")
You can always ask. It turns out I'm a big science fiction fan, but I'm mostly into science fiction on film and TV these days. That written, I can give you a couple of recommendations. The most recent Hugo Award nominee I've read is "Leviathan Wakes" by James S. A. Corey. It became the first season-and-a-half of "The Expanse" on SyFy, which won Best Dramatic Presentation (Short Form) at the Hugo Awards this year. If you like Larry Niven's Known Space stories, you'll love this book and especially the TV adaptation.
The next newest book I'd recommend is "Snow Crash" by Neal Stephenson. Amazon is making it into a series and I'm looking forward to it. The book was a lot of fun and a TV show done with enough resources should be a visual treat.
That's it as far as books from the last 25 years I've actually read that I'd recommend. After that, I offer you three options -- older books from the 1970s and 1980s that I've actually read, newer books whose movie and TV adaptations I've watched, and critically acclaimed books I think I should read. In the first category, I'd recommend "The Martian" by Andy Weir. In the second, "Ringworld" by Larry Niven. That's also being made into a miniseries by Amazon. In the third, "Redshirts" by John Scalzi.
You're welcome. Glad that you found my suggestions helpful. Now to your new requests.
"Have you read any Kim Stanley Robinson?"
Robinson is in the same category as Scalzi -- someone I would like to read. I did read a chapter out of "Red Mars" at a bookstore in 2000 or so and thought it was good. I just didn't think it was good enough to buy at the time (I was buying more non-fiction then). The fans and writers like his work, particularly the Mars trilogy, with "Red Mars" nominated for a Hugo and winning a Nebula, "Green Mars" reversing its prequel's accomplishments by winning the Hugo and being nominated for a Nebula, and "Blue Mars" winning a second Hugo. "The Wild Shore" and "The Years of Rice and Salt" have also been nominated for Hugos and "2312" won a Nebula as well as being nominated for a Hugo.
"Can you think of any military sf that takes place largely on Earth? TV/movie/novel."
I'm glad you expanded the request to media; it makes my task easier. My top recommendation for TV is "Falling Skies," an alien invasion series that finished airing on TNT in 2015. In that post, I also mention "Defiance," which also finished airing in 2015, this time on SyFy. I characterized as "'Babylon 5' on Earth." The latter was less about war and more about diplomacy and intrigue, but it has military SF elements. If you want your military SF straight and in the near future, I recommend "The Last Ship," still being broadcast on TNT. It's based on a William Brinkley novel about a U.S. destroyer crew trying to stop a pandemic. They succeed, but not before 80% of humanity dies from the plague.
For movies, I recommend "Edge of Tomorrow," which is based on a Japanese light novel called "All You Need Is Kill." It stars Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt and it takes place during an alien invasion of Earth. I also recommend both the novel "Mockingjay" and its two-part movie adaptation. Yes, it's a Hunger Games book, but it's also the first novel listed on Wikipedia's Military SF page. Most of the books and series listed in that entry take place in space, but a good search might find some that have action on Earth.
I also know some of the Bolo short stories involving tanks with AI take place on Earth. You might check some of them out.
My comment(s) at Midweek Cafe and Lounge, Vol. 35
I had to think hard about the drink in honor of the deceased. Then I remembered that Petty was from Gainesville, Florida, home of the University of Florida Gators. Thus today's drink.
You haven't lived until you've had...SEX WITH AN ALLIGATOR! And it's not nearly as dangerous or deadly as you might imagine! This crazy shot is layered and super cool looking. The dark layer of Jager floats on top, with a delicious, green mix of melon liqueur and sweet and sour mix below. Resting on the bottom is the rich red-hued raspberry liqueur. This shot definitely has an interesting taste--the Jager is masked by the fruity flavors that come right after it, so it's hardly noticeable, making this a great shot for both girls and guys.
...
SEX WITH AN ALLIGATOR
1 part Melon Liqueur
1 part Sweet & Sour
1 part Raspberry Liqueur
1 part Jagermeister
Do you have a request for a drink more to your liking?
Here you go.
This is the song that popped into my mind when I heard that he died. I wasn't alone. At least one of my friends posted the lyrics on Facebook that day.
My comment(s) at Midweek Cafe and Lounge, Vol. 36
For today's selection, I looked up Ke$ha's favorite drink and found this from an Entertainment Weekly interview in 2010.
On her favorite drink: “I’m definitely a whiskey girl. Jim Beam or Jack. I’m southern.”
On brushing her teeth with Jack Daniels: “Literally, all I could find when I woke up in the morning in Vegas in the bathtub was Jack. It’s at least a disinfectant, so let’s go there.”
Based on the combination of Jack Daniels and dental hygene, I'm presenting the Jack Daniels Root Canal Float - Tipsy Bartender.
The JACK DANIELS ROOT CANAL FLOAT is a wild mix of jack daniel's whiskey, root beer and vanilla ice cream. It blends perfectly giving you a wonderful tasting ice cream float.Drink responsibly!
...
JACK DANIELS ROOT CANAL FLOAT 2 oz. (60ml)
Jack Daniels Whiskey 6 oz. (180ml)
Root Beer Vanilla Ice Cream
From the same source, I also found her mention another drink.
On her cure for a hangover: “A mojito. I don’t know. Honestly: glitter. It fixes everything. Just put some more glitter on.”
I have an entire post at my blog with Tipsy Bartender recipes for National Mojito Day. Here's the first: How to make a Mojito.
The Mojito is classic cocktail that was born in Cuba. It's the perfect mixture of mint, lime, rum, simple syrup and soda water. It's super easy to make and extremely delicious. Enjoy!
Check out our other mojito recipes and subscribe so you don't miss the next one!
MOJITO
1/2 Lime
12 Mint Leaves
1oz Simple Syrup
11/2oz White Rum
Top with Soda Water
Now that's some hair of the dog that bit you!
My comment on Midweek Cafe and Lounge, Vol. 37.
A Cabaret drink for a Cabaret band.
How to Make the Cabaret Mixed Drink. Part of the series: Gin Mixed Drinks. The Cabaret is a mixed drink with gin that's easy to make at home. Our professional bartender will show you how.
As the bartender said, bottoms up!
My comment on Sociopath.
Trump has an empathy problem? I'll let Iago respond for me.
My comment on The Left’s Pavlovian Response to Trump
"If he has a strategy it's all wrapped up with his narcissism."
The man is an addict in search of his next fix, only it's not a chemical; it's his supply of adulation, attention, and dominance.
My comment on Casual Observation.
At least Marino suffered the consequence of having to withdraw his nomination for "drug czar." That's nowhere near enough, but at least it's something.
My comment on Charles Pierce: Mahahahaha!
Who predicted a Trump victory? While no mainstream political pundit did, I can think of a couple of fringe characters who did. The most well known was probably Scott Adams, creator of the comic strip Dilbert. He saw Trump's first debate performance in August 2015 and thought he would likely win then. Another was John Michael Greer, known as The Archdruid. He thought Trump was likely to win in January 2016. He took down all of his blog posts from before this year, but not before the post with the prediction was posted on a mirror site. A cartoonist and a druid -- not exactly the kind of people generally taken seriously.
My comments on I'm Relieved Kid Rock Isn’t Running for Senate
AG, I have a song for you.
On a more serious note, Nate Silver gave Trump more of a chance than almost all the rest of the poll aggregators. He certainly did better than Sam Wang, who ate a bug on CNN because he lost his own wager about how well Trump would do. Wang gave Trump less than a 5% chance of winning, while Silver gave him a 28.6% chance. That's about the same chance he gave the Cubs to win the World Series and that happened, too. You want to bet that a coin lands heads up twice in a row? That's even worse odds than Trump winning according to Silver, but I bet you might take it.
My comment on Space Case.
I'm flattered to have inspired you to write this. You have indeed found a colorful candidate who has already been elected to office. The Miami Herald article reported "Rodriguez Aguilera was a Doral councilwoman from 2012-14 and served as the city's first economic developer." As for her earning the Republican nomination, I'd bet against it. That same article lists Miami-Dade Commissioner Bruno Barreiro and former school board member and Miami-Dade County mayoral candidate Raquel Regalado as also running in the Republican primary. The ex-political journalist in me thinks that Barreiro is the favorite, at least on paper. Now I'll have to follow this contest to see if he's good in person, too.
My comment on Videos of the day -- the sincerest form of flattery.
My first thought wasn't how pitch perfect these PSAs are, it was "hey, look at the subway I helped build!" I was paid to be an inspector for paleontological and archeological resources in the first leg of the subway, a provision of the federal money used for the subject. I went down in all of the station excavations between Union Station and MacArthur Park for two years ending in August 1989. That written, those are really good ads and I can say that as a former bus rider in Los Angeles, the people need this advice.
BTW, any complaints of cultural appropriation yet?
My comments on Midweek Cafe and Lounge, Vol. 38.
Happy Halloween! Tonight's special is A HREF="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pey03hKTOn4">Halloween Glow in the Dark Vodka Ghosts.
Glow in the Dark Ghost Jello shots loaded with vodka and rum!That's an appropriately spooky creation.
...
GLOW IN THE DARK GHOST JELLO SHOTS
3 oz. Blue Jello
1 Cup Tonic Water
1/2 Cup Vodka
1/2 Cup Coconut Rum
2 Packets Unflavored Gelatin
Any requests?
For the teetotalers, I recommend a Virgin Mary. I have two versions of the recipe, British and American. First, the British version from Videojug.
Now, the American version from Expertvillage.
The U.K. video has better production values; the U.S. video is more useful to Americans.
Since you posted a song by David Byrne, here's my favorite Talking Heads song.
Hey, that's a request for the DJ, not the bartender!
Since the subject has changed to music, I'll return to Talking Heads for Take Me to the River from the movie "Stop Making Sense."
While "(Nothing but) Flowers" is my favorite Talking Heads song, this is the one that made me a fan of the band.
My comment on Link round-up for 29 October 2017
Once again, thanks for linking to my post that you and Ranch Chimp inspired. Speaking of which, it probably helped Ranch Chimp comment on my blog for the first time. It made me happy (waves at Ranch Chimp).
That post on thoughtstoppers is a very good guide to techniques of cutting off lines of inquiry and argument. However, it is by someone that I also read and consider your opposite in many ways. You argue on behalf of rationalism and scientific progress. John Michael Greer is an occultist (his religious title is The Archdruid) and a sceptic of technological advancement. When you two blog about the same subject, you come to very different conclusions. How both of you treated the subject of Hypatia comes to mind. You took Hypatia's side in Agora -- death of a woman, and a world. Greer sympathized with the mob that killed her in Dark Age America: The Sharp Edge of the Shell. I could go on with example after issue after topic, but I consider that one to be the most striking. I've been refraining from mentioning him on your blog for the past couple of years because doing so would be catering to my propensity for making trouble, which I don't want to inflict on you intentionally. Now that you yourself brought him up, I think I have a reason to do so.
My comment on HALLOWEEN TRIBUTE RANCH MUSIC 2017: "Broken Peach- This is Halloween", "Therion- The Falling Stone", "Bauhaus- Bela Lugosi's Dead", "Diamanda Galas- Exeloume", "Anton LaVey/ Blanche Barton- Satan Takes a Holiday" "Alien Sex Fiend- I Walk The Line" ... (HALLOWEEN PT.9)
Thanks for finding Broken Peach. I'll be posting this song and "Hocus Pocus" on my blog later this week. Last year, it was Dancing German Witches. This year, Singing Spanish Witches.
I also enjoy "Bela Lugosi's Dead," but I prefer the cover by Nouvelle Vague to the original by Bauhaus. It gets all the lyrics with less of the filler.
