Hodgepodge

Satellite Internet - 30 day report

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 15:35:31 GMT

We have had Satellite Internet (SI) via HughesNet (HN)for about a month now; sufficient time to give an honest report of our experience. I am doing this because when someone mentions satellite internet the reaction is akin to eating something with six legs while it is still squirming. I admit there are some drawbacks to broadband beamed in from the heavens, but if you go into it with realistic expectations, you will find it is a viable option, especially when dial-up is the ONLY other alternative.

I will address the six main areas of complaints about satellite internet: Speed, Reliability, Latency, Threshold limits, Equipment, and Price.

Speed: This used to be one of the big negatives with SI. Until just a few years ago about 256K was the fastest speed you could get and uploads used to be via a telephone modem. Two major changes have changed all that - TCP/IP spoofing (discussed in latency) and better, more powerful radios. The radio is the device mounted on the dish bracket that actually sends and receives the signal from the satellite. If you have have seen a TV satellite dish you see very small radio receivers because all they do is receive the signal. On our SI dish the radio is large (about the size of a brick). This newer radio can receive data much faster and also can upload at about 256K (faster with higher priced packages). The basic plan with HN offers 1Meg download speed which is a fast as the DSL we were using in Chicago before moving. You can pay more and get up to 5Meg speeds which until just a couple of years ago was faster than DSL and on par with cable. I know you can get 15Meg now from cable but even the 1Meg is fine for Janice and I to browse the web, get email, and even watch a few YouTube videos. I suspect we could even use it for streaming video if SI didn't have threshold limits. (more about that later).

Reliability: Another big knock on SI is that every time is rains or gets cloudy you can't get a signal. Not true. Yes if you have a heavy rainstorm you may lose signal for a few minutes maybe an hour. Satellite TV has the same issue and in fact the same week we got Dish Network we had some really nasty storms and did lose TV for about an hour one time and about 15 minutes the other. That was in September. Since then not one outage and since getting SI we have not had a weather related outage. Now we do have a extremely clear view of the southern sky and get a strong signal. If you are marginal on a clear day, I suspect weather is more of an issue.

The only reliability issue we have had is that the Web Accelerator software that HN uses to pack more data into the stream occasionally craps for a minute or two, but that has happened only a few times. The weirdest thing has been Quicken updates breaking the web accelerator and slowing things down for about 5 minutes when accessing secure financial institution sites. This seems to be a problem for any web service: SI, dial-up or even landline that uses the tech. We are still researching a way around it, but since we do this once or twice a month - not a real problem.

Latency: A major issue and show stopper if you want to use a VPN to access your work network form home or if you want to play online games (especially shooters or other games that require fast response). What is latency? It is the delay in the transmission time of the data between you and the web. On landlines or even wireless broadband the data only travels a few hundred miles most of the time and a few thousand at worst. It does this over wire at the speed of light. When you use SI it travels 22,000 miles to the satellite from your house, 22,000 miles from the satellite to the NOC (network operating center on the ground, 22,000 miles from the NOC back to the satellite and then 22,000 miles from the satellite back to you. Almost 90,000 miles round trip. Light travels at 186,000 mile a second so you can see how you get a delay of at least 500ms plus the delays from the hardware along the way make it about 6-700ms. Land-based systems typically run no more than 100ms and usually are less.

This latency is what causes VPN and gaming not to work, VPN because the security and encryption are designed to not work with long delays and gaming because by the time you trigger pull gets to the server and back your target has moved. This latency also used to cause slow speeds for everything because TCP/IP is designed so that if packet confirmations are slow, it slows down the transmission speed to prevent data loss. Due to the distances involved it can't so you just keep slowing down. This is where spoofing comes in. This technology "fools" TCP/IP by sending acknowledgments right away and then discarding the actual response when it finally comes in. Thus TCP/IP keeps feeding the signal with joy and verve.

The only thing you notice on web browsing is that there is a slight delay in starting a page but once it starts to fill it is as quick as any other system. Unfortunately spoofing can't help with VPN or gaming.

Threshold limits: This is probably the most hated aspect of SI and the one which gets the most play in the blogosphere. No matter what SI provider you use, you are limited to how much you can upload and download over a given period of time. The reason for this is simple - because the satellite beam can only handle so much data at one time, and thousands of users are sharing that beam, too many high bandwidth users would choke off the overall bandwidth for others. Providers use multiple satellites to help alleviate the situation (HN has 9) but they are expensive to build and expensive to launch and you can only put so many up there. Depending on how you use the internet this can be a real hard restriction to deal with. There are two main providers in the US - HN (HughesNet) and WB (WildBlue). WB allows 7.5Gig of download per rolling 30 day period. This means that if you download a large chunk today - say 3Gig for a Xbox game or a couple of streaming movies from Netflix - you have only 4.5Gig left for the next 30 days until that big d/l rolls of the table so to speak. If you exceed your limit in that thirty days, you are throttled back to something like 56K dialup speed until the large d/l are over 30 days old. Worst case is that if you d/l all 7.5Gig over a two day period, you would be restricted for almost a whole month.

HN (which is what we chose) has a daily limit. With the basic plan we chose this is 200Meg per 24 hours. Over a month that is about 6Gig, a little less than WB. The other difference is that HN has a "free" download period from 1AM to 6AM our time where you can d/l as much as you want without counting against your daily limit. What this means is that if you have a large file to download you can stay up late or get up early and fire it up. A more practical approach is to use a download manager that will schedule your downloads so you can just leave your PC on overnight and it will download the file(s) while you dream. The other thing about a daily is that it resets every day. That doesn't mean I can d/l a 2Gig file today and suffer slow service for a day and all is good. During the d/l if you exceed your limit you will see the speed drop immediately.

For Janice and I the 200M limit has not been an issue. We have not exceeded it once. We use a GoGet for a download manager and just try not to indiscriminately download video etc. There are upload limits and they are less but are separate form the d/l limits and unless you are pushing video or a lot of photos (or running a peer-to-peer), they are not an issue. And if you need it, the higher priced plans offer higher limits in addition to speed. But streaming video is not an option for most SI users. Again for us not a problem, for others could be be.

Equipment: Certainly the least complained about item but worth discussing. Like satellite TV, SI needs a dish mounted either to the roof, a wall or on a post. If you can do it, I recommend a post because it is the most secure, but you need to have a good southern view and you want it to be in a spot where it won't get in the way. We opted for the roof because we are not sure where the addition will go and didn't want to have to move it later. The dish is much larger (about 3 feet in diameter) than the new smaller TV dishes but still not the monster dishes of old. It catches a lot of wind but so far it has stayed rock solid. With the TV dish and the SI dish we now look look the com center in town but who cares. Inside the equipment is the same as any broadband, a modem which plugs into your PC or a router if you want multiple users. One thing we have noticed is that the modem runs very hot so make sure it is in a well ventilated place.

Price: SI is more expensive than DSL or cable modem for a given speed - period. I don't know how it compares to wireless broadband. The 1Meg speed we have is $60 per month. DSL for that speed is usually around $20-30 depending on where you live and cable modem is usually around $40 but you get at least 3Meg speed for that. Plus the installation cost is higher. Currently you pay $200-300 for installation but there are so many promotions that you can get that down to $100 typically. On HN you can opt to pay for the equipment monthly and have no up front costs but you pay a little more in the end that way.

Overall we are pleased with our service because we went in with realistic expectations, knew the limitations and have been able to work with them. Would I rather have DSL or Cable modem? . Definitely. Are they available here - no. Satellite internet is a viable option when your only other choice is dial-up, but because of the limitations DSL or cable is always a better way to go. My advice is if you are considering SI but have been scared away by the negative stuff you read, don't be. Just make sure you can live with the realities of it.

We Has Shingles

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:31:05 GMT

No not the skin disease, but the kind you put on the roof. What was even cooler was that the delivery was able t back the truck up to the low edge of the roof, and we drafted the ramp we use to get to the second floor door (stairs are on the to-do list) and jgaleckas and I could just carry them up the ramp. All 45 bundles are now on the roof! That is way easier than lifting from the ground.

It;s overcast and cold but dry so we will probably get some nailed down before the rain tomorrow - hopefully it will be light.

Light Work Day

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 23:02:58 GMT

Since jgaleckas busted her butt yesterday finishing the roof panels in the waning moments of daylight, we took it a little easy today. We moved some boards from the ground outside into the newly roofed shop, moved 15 sheets of plywood and OSB from the Mousemobile into the shop and unloaded the trailer which has sat for a few weeks now while we focused on the roof.

While we did this, we started a fire in the fire pit that we made when we stayed in the shed (then we called it the "Cabin"). The fire was to burn the scraps we had left over form doing the roof. It was nice to have a warm spot to stand by when we took a break from the unloading and odd work.

Tomorrow the shingles delivered so we can have more fun!

It's Gotta Go

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:50:50 GMT

After four months and too many trips around the state of Missouri for tests and Dr. visits, the second opinion surgeon feels Mom's gallbladder has to go.

He said that even though a few of the tests were inconclusive, after a thorough discussion, exam and review of the tests, there is an 80% chance that the surgery will relieve her pain. If not, it points to one or two other causes that can be rectified.

Even less invasive laproscopic surgery will probably be used, there is the increased risk factor of her age (80's). But the cardiologist has checked out her heart and it's good so that is less of a concern.

The ball is in Mom's court and I told her whichever she decides I will support the decision. I suspect she will opt for the surgery though, since the bad attacks are pretty bad.

It will be a less fun Christmas though as that is probably around when the surgery will be.

And so it begins...

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:51:21 GMT

Thanksgiving day is over, the turkey has been consumed, the leftovers are nestled in the fridge and everyone has waken from the tryptophan induced malaise.

The Christmas season is in full swing - like it or not. The Black Friday shoppers have already stood in line for hours and have snapped up the "bargains" and done their best Arnold Schwarzenegger imitation trying to score this year's Turboman. Personally I never shop on Black Friday because I value my sleep time more than saving a few bucks buying something that may or may not be a bargain. I say this because a lot of the deals are not on the most current models or merchandise, often they are closeouts or other such things that would be going on sale in a few months anyway. This is especially true on tech stuff like BlueRay players and computers. Some are good deals and if you manage to score the very limited number of these then you get one attagirl (or attaboy)

Also the few holdouts that actually wait until the day after Thanksgiving to haul out the decorations and other accouterments will have them out now, the all Christmas music stations are pumping out the same Christmas songs you hear every year and that person (you know who you are) at the office will be wearing holiday stuff everyday at work.

Am I cynical - DUH! I am not Bah - Humbug but I do find that the commercialization of Christmas is tiresome and unfortunate. I understand that retailers are trying to make up for a dismal year all in one month and I understand the spirit of giving and making people happy, but it can be done so much simpler without the pressure of Christmas lists or finding the "perfect gift."

So I am making a suggestion for the holiday this year and every year; first remember why we have the season and make that the driving force behind your celebration of Christmas, second focus on your family and friends and re-connect and show them how much you value them over the ticky-tacky, and finally relax and just enjoy the season.

Feel free to forward this PSA.

I Miss My Old Pastor

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 02:34:07 GMT

Today jgaleckas and I were in Michigan to attend the final service our old pastor gave before retiring. His message was so moving and so personal to me that I had tears in my eyes and barely kept from breaking down and sobbing. We have attended services in a few different churches since the one Phil pastored closed for. No preacher has ever been able to touch me with his sermon's like Phil.

Janice was also very moved and at the thanksgiving lunch after the service, the comments from the congregation here in Michigan echoed similar thoughts. It is sad to think he will not be preaching anymore but I am happy that he is able to retire and do more things with his family.

Maybe the Lord will bless us with a church in Missouri with a pastor even close to Phil.

Rain Again

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:55:44 GMT

Tuesday was rain again so no work on the roof. Unpacked the van and went into town to take Mom shopping. Hopefully today the rain will let up enough to get some more trusses up.

Wet

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:25:57 GMT

Got back to the farm last night after driving through some heavy rain in the St. Louis area. As soon as we got out of the van we could hear the creek rushing and the rill beside the house was burbling pretty good.

jgaleckas Checked the rain gauge and it had 2 inches of rain in it. I talked to Mom and she said it probably all came since Sunday night.

The kitties were happy to have us back - all four were in the bed within 10 minutes of lights out.

Disney's "A Christmas Carol"

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:19:05 GMT

I have wanted to see this ever since we saw the train in Chicago that Disney sent around the country to promote the film. I was not disappointed.

I have seen many adaptations of this film over the years and while many were quite good, none capture the sheer terror, darkness and joy of redemption that this film does. The ghost of Christmas future sequence is the scariest thing I have seen in a long time and had my heart pounding. Then the metamorphosis that Scrooge undertakes as he realizes he is still alive and it is Christmas Day is so joyous that I was in tears. Yes - it is that powerful.

Jim Carrey is spectacular as Scrooge and all three ghosts. He should be nominated for an Oscar as well as the film itself. The performance capture technology has advanced considerably since Polar Express (also written and directed by Robert Zemeckis) and the detail in the visuals is stunning. I was especially blown away by the subtlety of the facial movements including the eyes.

The dark nature and scariness of the film would, IMHO, not make it a good choice for very small children so be advised.

I especially recommend seeing it in 3D if you can as it adds a depth to the film that is breathtaking.

Go see this movie!

I'm Back

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:51:40 GMT

If you read this blog, you may have noticed that I haven't posted here in over two months. The reason for this is because since moving to the farm, we have had only slow dial-up internet access. Since jgaleckas and I share this connection, there is barely enough time to check email, get news and do essentials like check investments and pay bills, etc. Time for social networking has been limited to popping on Facebook a few times a week.

But that has changed now. How you may ask? Did we get cable modem ? Nope - we are 25 miles from the nearest cable installation. DSL? We are too far from the access point and since we are in the middle of the Mark Twain National Forest, the sparse population makes it a loser for a phone provider to upgrade our access point. Wireless Broadband? Naw, we are 15 miles from the nearest cell tower so we don't even get cell phone service let alone broadband. So how is it we have broadband? A dish, a satellite 22,000 miles away and a modem equals hi-speed internet -Yay!

You have probably heard that Satellite internet is a real pain but I believe it's an undeserved rap and after we have had it a while I will post on the experience.So far it is waaaay better than dial-up.

We are getting unpacked slowly but surely. We consolidated some of the storage shelves in the back room and moved some boxes to the storage across the road so we have some floor space back, especially in the living room. The kitchen still needs a lot of work but that will be a winter or spring undertaking. We got satellite TV in time for the new season and are loving it. We actually broke down and got a DVR and it is way cool. Favorite new shows are: Trauma, FlashForward, NCIS LA and Stargate Universe.

October was wet and cool so we enclosed one end of the front porch as a greenhouse for all the exotic plants. We kept them in the basement in the old place but we have no basement here and no other inside floor space. We used some of the glass panels from the discarded patio doors we collected a few years back that we will use to build a large greenhouse next year. We put a heater in there and it is working well, even on the 30 degree nights. We will see how it goes when the days get colder.

The other major project is the completion of the roof on the shop building across the road. As some of you may recall, there is a 30' x 60' concrete foundation across the road. The house on it burned down years before Janice bought the property. about 5 years ago we cleaned out the debris from one end of the foundation and put up short walls and floor joists and closed off the open end. This is the machine shop section. Two years ago we added a second floor over for a storage area with lots of shelving. That leaves 40' of uncovered foundation. That is the area we are roofing over and when complete, it will be a storage area for building materials and other large items that are currently cluttering the floor of the machine shop and upstairs storage. Once those are moved out, those areas will be functional. The large area will then be able to be used for working on equipment and vehicles. It is going well and should be done before Christmas.

The other big thing has been my Mom's health issues. Since August we have taken her to doctors and hospitals 13 times. The most fun was the Monday after Archon when we got home on Sunday, got up at 3AM Monday morning, drove to Salem (30min) to pick up Mom, then up to St. Louis (2.5 hrs) for a 7AM appt at the hospital for a test. Fun stuff. The sad thing is that none of the tests have determined what's wrong. It is not life-threatening but is painful and Mom and I would like it resolved. We have more Dr.visits in early December and hopefully someone will figure it out.

So much for the quiet country life.

The writing has been virtually non-existent these last few months. I can blame part of it on the hectic schedule and such but truth be told I just haven't felt much like doing the work. I have put in several hours the last few days working on the first revision of the novel and hope to stick to it (less Xbox) and get the first revision done by the end of January. Then I can let Janice read it as well as a few test readers and get some feedback. I am sure a second revision will be needed and then I can start sending out query letters to agents.

Now that we have broadband I plan to be back on LJ regularly and enlighten you with details of life on the farm.

Happy Birthday!

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:04:02 GMT

Happy Birthday to my best friend, companion and life partner jgaleckas.

May it be joy filled!

Urban Living

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 18:12:39 GMT

As I promised after living in the Chicago metro area almost all of the fifty plus years of my life - I will miss some things and not miss others.

Things I Will Miss

Family - While I have no family in Chicago (only child, no children of my own and Mom is already down here) jgaleckas has two kids who both live in the Chicago area. The son and his family we see not so much but Tamara is like the daughter I never had. She is fun to be around and I love her a lot. We usually got together at least once a week and always have a good time. I will miss that a lot.

Urban Convenience - No doubt about it, it is nice to live within 30 minutes or less of Best Buy, Sam's Club, Menard's, Lowe's, Petsmart, and movie theaters. Here at the farm, it is 2 hours to St. Louis for most of these except Lowes and Movies which are an hour away. So no last minute running out for something. Trips into the 'big city' will have to be planned and shopping lists made. In between trips we will just have to get by.

Public Transportation - As a child growing up my Mom and I went everywhere on the bus. I even remember the old electric buses that ran got their power from overheard wires. (Yes I am that old). Later when I lived in the suburbs the Metra commuter trains were a great to avoid the parking hassle when going downtown for something. The last dozen years or so that I have lived with Janice in Cicero, we were tow blocks from the L and always used that for trips downtown and to ballgames. At least the traffic here is not so bad and parking rarely costs anything.

Culture and the Lake front - If you have never been to the Lake front it is really beautiful. The city has done a wonderful job with the beaches and landscaping along the Lake and I have never seen any city do it better. That along with Grant Park and Millennium Park add to the joy of just walking around downtown, admiring the architecture and the plantings. The there are the great museums and such. It will be fun to discover what St. Louis has in addition to the riverfront and the Arch but I will miss those walks around downtown Chicago.

Baseball - I have been a White Sox fan since I was three years old, I remember my father taking me to the games (he was a HUGE fan) and how the ballpark was like a whole new world filled with people, sounds, smells and excitement. At that time I didn't care who won but I knew some of the player's names and shouted them along with the rest of the fans. By the time the Sox were in the 1959 World Series I knew a lot about baseball. I was a little bummed I has to watch the the Sox win the 2005 Series form our resort room at Disney but talk about the best of both worlds! I may catch a Sox game occasionally if it works out on return trips to Chicago and I will always be a fan even if I don't see them play much. I also enjoyed going to a few Cubs games and some Kane County Cougars minor league games as well. I don't see myself becoming a big Cardinals fan although I do follow them more since we have been coming down here.

Broadband - As I write this I am connected a whopping 28K over dial-up. Because we are on a very small trunk we are not cost effective for DSL. There is no cable here and we are too far from a cell tower for wireless. The only way we can get broadband is to go with a satellite dish and that has the disadvantages of hundreds for upfront costs, high monthly rates and a dish on the roof. We may have to go that route if we finally pull enough hair out of our heads over the crawl of dial-up but I miss my 1 Meg DSL.

Things I Will NOT Miss

The Neighbors - While most of the folks on the block are good, the one house next door has a family with several youth who are borderline delinquent. They sit o the front stoop every day drinking alcohol, smoking dope talking loud and profanely and throwing their garbage in out yard. The people they hang out with probably are the ones who stole our orange trees earlier this year and try repeatedly and unsuccessfully to break into the garage. Yeah I won't miss them at all.

The Noise - We live one block off Cicero Avenue near two railroad yards between two of the busiest expressways in the metro area. Trucks pound the pavement all day and night bouncing over bumps, using engine breaks and blowing their air horns. Add to that motorcycles screaming down the road, airplanes from Midway flying overhead and loud car stereo's rattling the windows and it's a wonder I got to sleep at all. The only noise I will miss is the train whistles - I love that sound and unfortunately all the tracks in the vicinity of the farm are abandoned. Of course here at the farm we have crickets, peep frogs, birds chirping and the occasional hoot owl but who's complaining?

The Foul Air - The same trains, semis, buses and airplanes spew huge amounts of soot into the air. When it lands it becomes a gray dust that gets on everything. In a week the fans on the computer are clogged with it and it coats everything. At the farm it takes weeks to build up dust and it is white. I breathe easier now.

The Traffic - Too many cars, not enough lanes. This applies to local streets as well as expressways. The Eisenhower is the worst culprit. That road can be backed up any time of day, any day of the week in either direction. Here at the farm if two cars go by an hour it is busy. The advantage to living on a road that turns into gravel less than a mile down the road. Yeah I like that.

Living on top of your neighbor - Lot size in Cicero 35' by 150'. Lot size at the farm 27 acres. Do I need to say more?

Too Many Rats In the Box - Cook County Population approx 6 million, Reynolds County Population approx 6 thousand. How's that for orders of magnitude?

I will miss Chicago for sure but I believe I will be happier here at the farm, surrounded by the person I love, four cats and the beauty of the forest. A new chapter begins.

Asimov's September 2009

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 16:48:07 GMT

A disappointing issue with two exceptions:

Broken Windchimes by Kristine Kathryn Rusch is a novella about a singer who leaves a life of perfection and discovers a whole new world of music. Touching, with a twist of irony. Rusch rarely writes a poor story and this is no exception.

Soulmates by Mike Resnick and Lezli Robyn is a tale of a human befriending a robot and both of them growing out of the experience. Mike writes these kinds of story with insight and feeling that is not often seen in short fiction. If you see his name on the cover of an anthology or magazine - buy it. His writing is always excellent.

Corrected to add Lezli's name to Soulmates. I overlooked her name in the credit. My deepest apologies to Lezli and thank to Mike Resnick for pointing it out.

Analog October 2009

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 16:27:48 GMT

A typical issue with only three stories worth mentioning:

Michael Flynn's novella Where the Winds Are All Asleep has a very Journey to the Center of the Earth feel to it and is exciting to the conclusion where it falls it a little flat.

The Autumn of the Empire by Jerry Oltion is a short that looks at what happens when the Emperor is always right on a planetary scale in a humorous way.

The real gem is Shallow Copy by Jesse L. Watson. It is a novelette that looks at what responsibility we have when creating an A.I. from both sides of the equation. IT is wonderfully written and conveys a great depth of emotion and is very thought provoking. Definitely going on the Hugo list.

The other highlight is Stan Schmidt's editorial on blindly following what today's technology tells us.

Herding Cats

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 12:48:01 GMT

Today we take our four cats down to the house in Missouri. The oldest cat has been there once just to see how she traveled (8 hours in the van). It went well so we are optimistic.

We only have two cat carriers so the the twins will have to ride in a large cardboard box. Once we get on the road we will let them roam the van for self preservation – 8 hours of mewling tends to fray one’s nerves. That means of course making sure when we stop at rest areas we have to prevent an escape. I am thinking of Steve McQueen on a motorcycle…

It will be interesting to see who catches the first mouse at the farmhouse since we have recently seen signs of an incursion – my money is on the boy cat Sammy.

Moving the cats means we are for all intents moved to the farm even though we still will be coming back to Chicago to attend to the house until something is finalized but the trips up here will be shorter and less frequent.

In the next day or so I will share what I will miss and not miss about life in the big city.

Checking off the List

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:54:40 GMT

On this last trip to the farm, we didn’t do a lot of physical work like clearing the foundation, but we did get more of the moving stuff done - I got my Missouri driver’s license, we got the house fully insured, and moved the van and truck insurance down there.

We also got the washer and dryer hooked and did our first load of laundry – woo hoo!

We will get the van plated in Missouri in a week or so and once Janice gets a few items up here cleared up she will get her Missouri driver’s license.

The exciting thing is that later this week we plan to take the cats down and then for all practical purposes we will be moved. There are still some things to bring down and we are still wrestling with the rent or sell issue on the house in Cicero which will require some return trips but not the every week like we have been doing.

I am happy - yes

Book Review - Denver Is Missing

Sat, 08 Aug 2009 17:21:50 GMT

TITLE Denver Is Missing
AUTHOR D. F. Jones
PUBLISHER Berkley –mass market paperback -256pp
COPYRIGHT 1971
PRINTING 1974

Written in the era of great disaster films such as The Poseidon Adventure, Towering Inferno and Earthquake, this book could have been made into such a film with one exception – it focuses more on the four main characters than the disaster.

The event that underlies the story is the release of huge volumes of nitrogen when a expedition to penetrate the earth’s mantle succeeds. He release is not a onetime event, however, as the nitrogen continues to spew causing a great cloud to drift over the U.S. mainland. While the nitrogen is harmless, in the high concentrations, it actually thins the oxygen to a dangerous level, causing problems for people with breathing or heart problems and eventually worsens to affect any body.

The four main characters are:

Mitch - a geologist who was a key member of the team that released the gas

Bette – a doctor who is friends with Mitch who is deeply scarred by her experience in Denver

Bill – The English captain of the sailing yacht Mayfly. He is a friend of Bette who is a very good sailor.

Karen – the girl friend of Bill who has an interesting past.

As things gets bad in Northern California – a tidal wave among other things – Our impromptu band sails south on the Mayfly looking to escape and start over. Things are not good in San Diego so they end up sailing for Australia. The main story deals with this odyssey as well as the inevitable personal relationships that develop in such close quarters.

The pace of the novel is steady, and while not quite a page-turner, it kept my interest up. We don’t learn a lot about the characters past but we do get to know how they feel now in a close sense. The Sailing details are solid and exciting at times. What I liked about the novel was that while Jones focuses on the four main characters, he brings the pending disaster back into focus when needed and the description of the aftermath once the geological climax has occurred is well done and believable.

Not a must-read novel but if you run across it in a library or used book store it will be worth your time.

Rating Three Rings of Saturn

Book Review – The Stars my Destination

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 14:17:42 GMT

TITLE The Stars My Destination

AUTHOR Alfred Bester

PUBLISHER Vintage -Trade paperback -258pp

PRINTING 1996

Considered by some to be Bester's best novel, it is the tale of Gully Foyle, a spacer of no renown who speaks gutter and gets only the lowest jobs on a ship. His life changes drastically when he is marooned for six months as the only survivor of the wreck of the Nomad. The Vorga passes by close enough to hail but it goes on leaving Foyle stranded. He gets so worked up over this he manages to find a way to leave the ship and lands in the asteroid belt where a group of people rescues him but disfigures his face.

The story from here is all about the grudge against the Vorga, and no one holds a grudge like Gully Foyle. He rapes, maims, and murders to find the crew of the ship that left him to die. He becomes the most wanted man in the solar system and poses as a circus master to cover his tracks. In the end, he finds out why he was passed by and even more shocking information.

This is a fantastic story, but it is quite dated, as are many classic science fictions stories of the 40 and 50. I also felt that the character of Gully Foyle is not very well developed and that many of his escapes from certain capture are too contrived to be believable.

There is a quote on the cover that states this is considered by many to be the greatest science fiction novel ever. I dispute that strongly. Several novels by Heinlein, Clarke, Asimov and others wrote much more interesting stories that stand up today. In fact, I would say this isn't near as good a novel as The Demolished Man. The novel is worth reading certainly and I enjoyed it, but it has its flaws.

Rating

Book Review – Blood and Iron by Elizabeth Bear

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 14:15:28 GMT

TITLE Blood and Iron

AUTHOR Elizabeth Bear

PUBLISHER Roc - mass market paperback - 431pp

PRINTING 2008

This is first in the Promethean Age series. It is a story about the Prometheans - a group of mortal mages - and the fairies. These two forces are at an uneasy peace but that's about to change. The catalyst is the knowledge that a new Merlin is in the world. Merlins only appear every generation or two and they are special - they do not use magic they control it. That power makes them a valuable ally so as you can guess, both sides decide to woo the Merlin.

The story winds through a complex plot that involves werewolves, power struggles within the fae world, and even the minions of hell get involved. The climax takes place in Times Square in front of the mundane world and that will require some clean up.

I have not read many books that deal with the world of the fae and so many of the in jokes and plot lines were not easy for me to get. That combined with the pace of the book in the beginning, made me almost put it down after the first few chapters. I persevered and enjoyed the book somewhat. I felt the book suffered from an identity crisis; it couldn't decide if it was action, fantasy, or romance. In the end it gets sorted out but not clearly.

If you are a fan of this type of fantasy, you will probably like it more than I did. Other wise - I would recommend you pass.

Rating

Perfection

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 20:48:11 GMT

Congrats to Chicago White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle, who pitched a perfect game today against the reigning American League champion Tampa Bay Rays.

Buehrle retired all 27 batters he faced to achieve something only 17 other pitchers have done in the history of the game. The last was Randy Johnson in 2004.

This gem comes just two seasons after he pitched a no-hitter against the Texas Rangers.

As is often the case, a spectacular play saved saved the perfection. The first hitter in the ninth hit one to left-center field and Dwayne Wise (who was put in the game in the top of the ninth for defensive purposes) leaped and caught the ball before it went over the wall for a home run. He hit the wall so hard it jarred the ball loose but he caught it with his bare hand.

This is why the game of baseball is the most exciting for me.

Way to go Mark!

Asimov’s – August 2009 Issue

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 19:11:15 GMT

Unfortunately a very thin mix of stories. One of the two novelettes was interesting – California Burning by Michael Blumlein – if it had had a stronger ending I would have added it to my Hugo list but a good read nonetheless.

Of the five short stories, only one was worthwhile. The Consciousness Problem by Mary Robinette Kowal is a wonderful tale about clones that examines the emotions in a powerful way. It is on my Hugo list and is worth buying the magazine for.

The other item of note in this issue is the results of the Reader’s Awards.

I have come to expect this kind of issue from Asimov’s. TO me they have fallen into the trap of publishing stories from authors that are known in the genre but the stories have no connection to the genre. A dangerous trend if you ask me. I for one will not renew if they continue down this path.

Review – The Edge of the World by Kevin J. Anderson

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 12:28:21 GMT

TITLE The Edge of the World

AUTHOR Kevin J. Anderson

PUBLISHER Orbit - trade paperback - 574 pp.

PRINTING 2009

COVER ART Lee Gibbons

After writing nearly a dozen novels in the "Dune" universe (with Brian Herbert) and the outstanding seven-volume space epic The Saga of the Seven Suns, Anderson has turned to fantasy in his latest series. This book is the first part in an expected trilogy call Terra Incognita.

The world he creates is two continents connected by an isthmus. There is just a hint of magic, sea creatures are large and scary but have no super powers, and much of the mystique is in the legends. The technology and knowledge level is comparable to 12^th or 13^th century Earth. The northern continent is called Tierra, and is populated by a culture that is Scandinavian-like. The southern continent is called Uraba and is very western Asian/Mid-Eastern.

The main story line revolves around a holy war that is ignited by accident when a fire breaks out in the Uraban section of Ishalem, a divided city on the isthmus much like Jerusalem. It occurs, ironically, when the two leaders are meeting there to celebrate a treaty that will assure peace and prosperity for the future. Tempers flare as both sides think the other started the fire and in the end the city is totally destroyed.

The secondary storyline is about discovery; the Tierrans send a ship to the unknown waters west which leads to disaster, and the Urabans send an expedition south across the vast desert to find another civilization and possibly a way to defeat the Tierrans.

As you would expect from Anderson, there are many characters whose stories are woven into the web of the story. I found two that were very interesting. Adrea, a young Tierran, sees her new husband off on the ship that sails to the unknown and then is captured when the Urabans raid her village. She finds favor with the young leader of Uraba and ends up bearing him children and in the end is forced to do something terrible. The second is Prester Hannes who is send to Uraba as a religious spy, almost burns to death in the fire, is nursed back to health by the daughter of the old Uraban ruler, and escapes to cause havoc for the Urabans. His descent into darkness is very well written.

Surprisingly, I was a little disappointed at the end of the book. Anderson wraps up a few of the main storylines, but too much was left for the next book making it somewhat unsatisfying. I know that in a series some things need to be left hanging, but the book also needs to be good as a stand-alone. This book reads much like Hidden Empire, the opening volume of Seven Suns, but it is not as exciting or compelling as that series was, not to mention it doesn't have the awesome ending of Hidden Empire.

Make no mistake, this is an excellent novel and I recommend it. I am confident the next two volumes will pull it all together and make the trilogy a satisfying read but my expectations are high when reading Kevin Anderson and this one misses just a little.

Rating

Farm Update

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 23:31:23 GMT

Over the holiday weekend jgaleckas and I took another load of stuff down to the farm. We are about two or three more trips from being their permanently. We will still have to come back here for a day or two do take care of selling the house and some issues that may pop up but we are very close.

The bulk of the move this time was the entertainment electronics - Xbox 360 plus widescreen TV at farm - life is good.

The garden is looking fab - cabbage starting to form heads, lots of flowers on the tomatoes and the potatoes are really growing. I see some good eating later this summer. The garden is a real source of joy for Janice. She was out every morning weeding and nurturing. This is the first time we have been down often enough to properly care for the garden and it is showing.

Still having troubles with the telephone. A few weeks ago there was a couple of sever thunderstorms that rocked the farm while we were up here in Chi town. The last time down it took two service calls to get a new network interface box which helped the buzz in the line and we were finally able to get on the internet but at a slower connection than we normally get which is crappy.

This time down there is still a lot of static in the line and a hum from time to time. We have checked the internal wiring and are good there so the problem is somewhere in the line to the house. With the last weekend being the holiday we chose not to call CenturyTel but next time down we will have to start bugging them. The cable that serve our area is probably 20 or thirty years old and everyone on our circuit has slow dial-up and other issues. Maybe with enough complaints they will have to replace it and we can finally get some decent dial-up. DSL is not in the cards due to so few people served by the access point, but if we could get 40k+ dial-up we could manage.

Looking forward to the next load this weekend.

Traveling Cat

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:24:57 GMT

As most of you know, we are in the midst of the world’s longest move. As we are down to our last few loads, we decided to take the oldest cat down this time to see how she traveled and how she reacts to the new house.

We set her carrier just behind the front seats in the van so she could see us and once we got on the interstate, I took her out of the carrier and put her on my lap. (Janice was driving)

This helped calm her down a bit but after a while she wanted back in the carrier. She continued to meow more than usual – I don’t think she liked the constant movement of the van – but after a few hours she quieted down and we were able to let her out of the carrier and she would go from a lap, to sitting on top of the cooler in between the front seats to curling up on the back seat.

Considering the longest trip we ever took her on was 2 miles to the vet’s office, Flicker did well.

Oh and she really has enjoyed the farm. A new place to explore and with no other cats around she is getting more attention and she really likes that.

Pelham 123 Review

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:52:17 GMT

When I first saw the original (released in 1974 and starring Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw and Martin Balsam) on late night TV (yes they actually showed movies at 10:30 in those days) in the late 70's, I was blown away by the taught acting, gritty sets, excellent plot and poignant ending. I haven't seen the original for at least ten years so with the anticipation of two quality actors - Denzel Washington and John Travolta - I figured it would be worth seeing this remake.

I loved it!

Washington plays a high ranking MTA official who is under investigation for bribery who happens to get the dispatch console that includes the Pelham train on the day when baddie Travolta executes a well thought out plan to hijack the train for ransom. The main story revolves around the odd relationship the two form during this ordeal.

This remake is every bit as well-acted as the original - I especially like James Gandolfini's performance as the lame duck mayor of New York who can't wait to finish his term and get out, but John Turturro's performance as the NYPD negotiator was forced and lackluster. The action is much more intense in this version, (what else would you expect form Tony Scott) especially the scenes involving the police getting the ransom to the subway station and the motivation for the hijacking is different than the original and the ending is similar but not the same.

The strength of the film is Washington/Travolta chemistry. They both play their roles extremely well and I doubt any other two actors would have worked this well. I highly recommend this film is you like action and fine acting.