Who inspires you the most?

This is kind of an ambiguous question. Who inspires me how? Musically it would be George Michael. As a writer, I'd have to say Stephen King. In terms of technological vision, Steve Jobs fits the bill. There are so many ways to answer that question. Honorable mentions would go to Anne Frank, J.K. Rowling, Leonard Nemoy, Sting, and Frank McCourt.

Ask me anything...maybe I'll even answer

What's your favorite sport?

If I'm going to answer some of these questions, they've got to have entertaining answers, right? Otherwise, what's the point in making people who already know me well read all this stuff? Baseball is slow and unimaginably boring to me, despite Stephen King's attempts to make it interesting in "Faithful" or "Blockade Billy". Basketball has too much scoring, (really, only the last five minutes matter). Football is simply lame. (No offense to any fans of the above sports, they're just not for me.) Hockey is the sport I've been a passionate fan of for a good portion of my life. My interest in it started with the 1980's MacGyver TV series, in which the title character is a huge fan, as was the actor who played him, Richard Dean Anderson. I'm a LA Kings fan, through and through, though I route for a handful of other teams when they're not the Kings' opponent. The Penguins and Blues in particular.

Ask me anything...maybe I'll even answer

Where's your favorite place to buy clothes?

I suppose the honest answer to this, as I don't particularly like buying clothes in the first place, would be the San Diego Comic Con. There's nothing like a new "Masters of the Universe", "Star Trek", or "Harry Potter" t-shirt or baseball cap to make a geek feel stylish!

Ask me anything...maybe I'll even answer

I should blog more

I haven't posted here in ages. I should rectify this, I know. The thing is, I don't think anyone actually reads this blog. Sad but true. Oh well.

Blogging from my iPhone

Yes indeed. I am blogging this from my iPhone. Perhaps the sheer convenience of it will cause me to post here more often. It seems to me, however, that mobile devices in general are better suited to Twittering. Ah well…no matter. I like having the option.

Pondering the State of the Blindness Organizations in the US

Once upon a time, I didn't have much feeling one way or the other on the various blindness organizations. I was aware of them, had presented at or attended chapter meetings and conventions for both the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) and American Council of the Blind (ACB), but my exposure to the groups, their missions, or general philosophies was limited.

Over the last several years, I have become more cognizant of both of these groups, as well as others, thanks in no small part to the Internet and the rapidity with which the visually impaired community came together and solidified online.

As I've learned and experienced more about these two groups in particular, I've become less and less impressed with what these groups stand for, and more and more horrified that, by the sheer virtue of being visually impaired, I am unwittingly attached to them. Like it or not…whether it is even true or not…we, the visually impaired community, are being represented by these organizations, whether we are members or agree with their projects. None of the groups does anything to dispel that perception in the wider world.

Now, I'm not claiming to be an expert on every minute detail of the ACB and NFB. This blog entry is just a collection of my own personal observations, opinions, thoughts, and feelings regarding them. I suspect that my views will probably offend some of their members. I also suspect, based on conversations I've had with many visually impaired folks who do not affiliate themselves with either group, that there are a large percentage of people out there who, for one reason or another, will agree with my points, and feel disenfranchised from both groups . I'm not writing this to change anyone's mind. If you are already firmly entrenched in one of these groups, chances are your mind is made up and nothing I could say would change the foundations of your beliefs. Maybe, though, some members of both groups will read this and come away with some ideas on how to improve themselves and their organization…or at least with a better understanding of how many view them.

The first and most visible aspect of both the ACB and NFB groups that put me off years ago is a surface problem which runs deeper than either group will ever admit. Ceaseless, endless, pointless finger pointing back and forth between the ACB and NFB colors everything they do, especially among their lower ranks. Snide comments abound, occasionally even from those who are held in esteem within their respective organizations. It's very much akin to the more appalling American politicians who put their party ahead of all else, regardless of which side of the fence they are on, and point fingers incessantly a the other side. Both the Republican and Democratic parties have their problems. When we Americans affiliate with one or the other, it is more often than not out of a need to choose the lesser of two evils. You find the party whose general principles run in parallel with yours and you cope with the baggage that goes along with the affiliation. In the same way, both ACB and NFB have their issues. Healthy debate and disagreement is one thing. Childish remarks and snide comments is certainly something else.

My first big run-in with the NFB was several years ago, when I was working for a huge international corporation which was hiring a significant number of visually impaired folks at one of its local call centers. The major intersection near this area was a difficult one for some, including me, whose hearing was not perfect. The corporation petitioned the city, requested an auditory crosswalk. The city refused, sighting the NFB and their opposition to auditory crosswalks. Eventually, the big international corporation won that battle, and we got our crosswalk, but it took far longer than it should have, and left a very bitter taste in my mouth regarding NFB. To them, their principles were more important than others' safety.

The NFB's argument, as I understand it, runs something along the lines of: "Blind folks should not rely on auditory crosswalks. They should be forced to learn the patterns of the traffic for their own safety crossing streets." However, this sort of logic has some gaping holes in it. For one thing, it leaves the visually impaired pedestrian at the mercy of the drivers on the road to be driving as they should. Anyone with an ounce of sanity can see the danger in that, especially living in a metropolitan area. If it was safe to trust our fellow humans invariably in this way, there would be no need for visual crosswalks either, would there? What about traffic lights? I mean, all drivers should be smart enough to know when to go or when not to, based on the traffic patterns, right? And what about folks who can't hear the traffic as well as a blaring auditory signal? They're putting their lives into the hands of strangers in the cars around them every time they cross a street. An auditory crosswalk hurts no one, and puts everyone on equal footing.

A few years ago, the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), yet another organization, published a review of Apple's VoiceOver screen reader, then newly available in Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger. The article was full of inaccurate statements, and did a lot of damage to the visually impaired Mac community in general. The review came out after a couple of folks who attended an AFB convention reported that a person in power at AFB had been quite frank that he would do whatever he could to insure Apple's failure, to safeguard the assistive technology industry. I readily admit that this is anecdotal, but I personally trust these individuals. They have no reason to lie about these statements that I'm aware of, and even if untrue, there is simply no excuse for publishing false information.

The ACB wasted time and resources at one of its conventions to draw up a resolution against Apple as well, for the "inaccessible" iPhone when it was first launched two years ago. Their general view, as it has been explained to me, is that nothing should be allowed to exist unless it is accessible to the blind. One ACB member even proposed to me that all bookstores, grocery stores, and so on, should be forced to carry accessible copies of all their products. Cereal boxes with Braille? Mountains of Braille books they'll never sell? While this is clearly an extreme, I can't except the general philosophy that absolutely everyone should have to cater to us, whether it is feasible or makes business sense.

Even that aside, Apple is one of few companies that has demonstrated a proactive attitude toward access. Instead of drawing up hostile resolutions against these companies, I feel strongly that we should support and encourage them. As Apple has now clearly demonstrated with the release of the iPhone 3GS and its VoiceOver capabilities, access was always something they were working on in this device. The processors of the previous generations were unable to cope with the demand of a screen reader that was up to Apple's standards in addition to the phone's other demands, but the frameworks for access were clearly being put in place from day one. If they had not been, we wouldn't have access to so many third-party applications already. Has the ACB acknowledged this fact? Not to my knowledge. They, in conjunction with the NFB, are too busy attacking another ally.

In an attempt to force Amazon to make their Kindle device accessible, the ACB and NFB have joined forces to try to block use of Kindles at the university level. I find this course of action appalling, not least because I'd like access to the Kindle's content as much as anyone else. The methods being employed, however, I vehemently disagree with.

First, Amazon, like Apple, has demonstrated a commitment toward accessibility. They've developed an alternative UI for their Amazon.com site that is useful for some screen reader users. Most have little or no problem using the main site, as it is quite accessible. They have worked with access tech companies to include Audible support into many of their devices. (Audible is owned by Amazon.) Further, they have already integrated text-to-speech functionality into its Kindle device, and have publicly stated that they are working on greater access.

So why are the ACB and NFB trying to block the use of this device by those who could actually benefit from it? It's a significant question with no satisfactory answer. Even if the device was made accessible, thanks to DRM and the restrictions by some publishers and the Author's Gild, much of the content likely will not be. Since Amazon has already declared that they are working on access, and have a good record of doing so in the past, wouldn't it make more sense to focus efforts on convincing the publishers and Author's Guild to loosen restrictions so that we can have access to this content?

The Internet content that is available on the Kindle free of restriction, such as articles on Wikipedia.org, has been available in portable handheld devices for the blind for years, long before the Kindle.

That aside, the sheer hypocrisy of the stance is tremendous. The ACB and NFB claim that, since blind students cannot benefit from using this device, that the device should not be used at all. Of course, Braille'n'Speaks, PacMates, and a thousand other gismos that have been readily provided to blind students for years are perfectly acceptable, even though they would not be accessible to sighted students who don't read or write Braille. The BookSense and Victor Reader devices for the blind, among others, provide quite similar functionality to the Kindle. They, too, act as portable repositories for electronic books for quick and easy perusal.

I have heard two main rebuttals against this argument, which I'd like to address. The first is that the BookSense and similar devices are accommodations needed by the blind student. This is flatly untrue. Neither book readers for blind or sighted students are necessities. One of the primary purposes of both is to ease the learning process for the respective groups. Most sighted college students are perfectly capable of carrying around 20 pounds of textbooks with them. The Kindle makes this significantly easier and lighter. Likewise, blind students have a variety of means by which to read electronic texts that are bulkier and less convenient. Portable computers, such as notebook PC's, provide the same functionality as the more convenient BookSense or Victor Reader Stream. The question is, why should either group have to deal with bulkier, less efficient formats?

A sighted student should not be forced to carry around enormous textbooks instead of the lightweight Kindle, just because the Kindle is inaccessible. It makes no difference to either the sighted student or the blind student if the sighted student's books, in the form that the sighted student is using them, are accessible, because they do not belong to the blind student. Likewise, the sighted student does not care if the blind student's book reader has a screen, because the blind student is the one using it. For the blind student to demand that the sighted student's books have to be accessible to him or her makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. In fact, the idea that the sighted student cannot have the tools available to them because they are not accessible to the blind student simply makes it look like the blind student…or in this case the blindness organizations…are throwing a tantrum because they can't have the same new toy as the sighted student, even though the BookSense or Victor Reader Streams do, essentially, the same thing. You could take this argument one step further, and say that no sighted student can have a computer without a screen reader installed. Or, if we want to really enter the land of lunacy, let's take pens and pencils away from sighted students, as they are of no use to the blind student. As far as the ACB and NFB are concerned, it doesn't matter if the blind student has equivalent or, in some cases, superior tools than these.

One could argue that a problem might arise if, someday, the text books were not available in any form except the Kindle format. Blind students, however, got by for years without scanners, OCR, and BookShare.org. Is it ideal? Absolutely not. Would that circumstance ever rise? It is highly unlikely. And, it is not a fair argument, because the groups have been quite candid about the fact that this lawsuit is about the device, not the content. If it was about the content, they'd be focusing all their energy for this issue toward publishers instead. They aren't.

BookShare.org is a resource only available to the blind and visually impaired. It provides books at low or no cost to them in an accessible format. How sighted students would love such a resource. Alas, they must pay for their books and download them to a Kindle. The blindness organizations are not fighting for equal access. They are fighting for superior or free access. Or, to put it more colloquially, they want their cake and eat it too.

Here's a question for ACB or NFB members and staff: If we had total access to everything available in the Kindle format, which includes many times the number of books available on BookShare.org, would you advocate for the immediate shut down of BookShare.org? I seriously doubt it.

Continuing the above rebuttal, proponents of the suit will claim that the comparison between the BookSense and other devices to the Kindle falls short, because of the Kindle's content. However, from all that I've seen, and by their own admission, this suit is not about the content, but about the device itself. I have been saying, for months in fact, that if these groups want to do something constructive, they would be better off working with publishers and the Author's Guild to ensure access, rather than trying to take Kindles away from college kids. You cannot say it is about the content, when it is the device, or as Darrell Shandrow, the ACB's public face for the lawsuit puts it, "the wrapper", which they are working to ensure access to with this action.

When I proposed that the main result of this lawsuit would be just to take Kindles away from college kids, the response I got was even more alarming. It was, in effect, that it didn't matter if we hurt sighted students. On the contrary, it wasn't at their expense at all, because they, the sighted students, already had the greatest access. Here's the quote:

Darrell Shandrow: "@Lioncourt Not at expense of others who are already the majority and automatically granted the greatest access."

I want to make it clear that I'm not singling out Darrell Shandrow. It just happens that he is the person with whom I was trying to discuss the issue. His responses to my arguments on this issue were perhaps the most disheartening, because they are indicative of the thought processes of these groups, as well as their unwillingness to consider other points of view. His stance was that the Kindle was only accessible to the sighted, while the BookSense and similar devices were accessible to all. This clearly demonstrates the sheer self-absorbtion from which the blind in general, and the blindness organizations in particular, suffer. It illustrates the depth of their own hypocrisy, which they excuse by saying that their job is to only look out for themselves. It is one thing to advocate for accessibility for your own minority, and quite another to do so at the expense of others.

Even if you could get the majority of sighted students to be willing to listen to, instead of read, their textbooks, what about deaf students? Not every tool is or should be meant to be used by every person. The more people that you can make a device accessible to the better, of course, but to attempt to bar the use of a device to one group just because you haven't been invited to play, is downright alarming.

The blindness organizations have no qualms about the fact that many of the devices provided to visually impaired students are inaccessible to some minorities, (i.e., the deaf), but when they are excluded, it is cause for lawsuits and recriminations.

If the ACB and NFB want to do something constructive, they should work with the publishers and the Author's Guild who stand in the way of true access. A company, which has a history of proactive accessibility, should not be their focus. Rather, the groups that are causing the bulk of the problem should be. The Kindle device will mean nothing, if the content is not available. If the content is available, this only provides further motivation for Amazon to complete the work on making the Kindle a more accessible device, as they will have a whole new customer-base. It is even possible, given Amazon's cooperation with the access tech industry in providing access to Audible content, that Kindle content could be eventually made available on those devices. However, none of this can be done without the publishers on board.

America is a capitalist society, like it or not. That means it is up to us to educate and convince manufacturers that we are a worthwhile group to support. Bruit force via the courts, which seldom changes anything, is not the answer. I have often wondered if the visually impaired folks behind these decisions are consumed with bitterness and anger, and this is their outlet. it would explain a lot.

I cannot support anyone who furthers their own agenda at the expense of others, even if those others do have superior access. The ACB calls for equal access, but nothing I have ever seen from them truly supports this claim. The visually impaired already have similar tools to those provided by the Kindle. The access is already reasonably equal. It's the content that is the problem. If a device like the Kindle is never made accessible, it would be unfortunate. However, I don't believe that those types of devices should be taken away from those who can utilize them.

Darrell said that, if all Kindle content was to be made available on BookShare.org, they'd likely drop the case. Not only does this contradict their own stated agenda, but it again illustrates how the organizations are not fighting for equal access at all. The sighted world does not have any comparable service where they can download essentially limitless, DRM free electronic texts for virtually nothing, and with no compensation to the authors and publishers whatsoever. However, ACB's philosophy is, apparently, that if the blind students never had to pay for anything, they'd give up their complaint.

While I want access to the Kindle's content as much as any avid visually impaired reader, I do not believe that the end justifies any means. I think ethics and integrity are absolutely crucial to ensuring accessibility in mainstream products. Bruit force seldom solves anything.

Just because you can sue someone, it doesn't mean that you should, that it would be advantageous, or that it is the right thing to do.

I could go on and really bring the steadfast members of the various organizations down on me with pitchforks and a passion of religious zeal, but I have said my piece. I am not alone in these views. I urge those members of either group to think about what I have said before rising up in righteous indignation. I ask them to think about what they really want. If it is truly equal access they are after, then it is time to change the way they go about their crusades. If, instead, it is a free ride they are wanting…by all means, carry on without us.

Dead and Gone

Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
I ran through this book so fast it didn't even make it to my "Currently Reading" shelf. What an amazing ride. This series, which I admit to being somewhat skeptical of liking initially, just keeps getting better and better. Book 9 is much more of an emotional rollercoaster than most of the others, and it leaves you waiting impatiently for another installment. My only complaint? It was too damn short.

View all my reviews.

The Black Unicorn

The Black Unicorn by Terry Brooks

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
This installment of the Landover series was better than I remembered it. I read it for the first time many years ago, but I enjoyed it far more this time. Willow and Strabo are just excellent characters, and the story, while a little formulaic like most of Brooks's tales, is still a fun ride. Once I've finished reading a couple of other titles, I'll move on to book 3 in this series.

View all my reviews.

Magic Kingdom for Sale--Sold!

Magic Kingdom for Sale/Sold by Terry Brooks

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Great book...a classic if ever there was one. If you're a fan of the fantasy genre...and even if you're not...the sheer fun of the book is likely to appeal to you. It's a great, fun adventure story, with tongue firmly planted in cheek.

View all my reviews.

Peter and the Secret of Rundoon

I promise that, sooner or later, I'll post other tidbits on this blog besides book reviews...that will be even more likely with the eminent arrival of the new Star Trek movie...but, for the time being...

Peter and the Secret of Rundoon by Dave Barry

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Well…I've finished the the third and, until October, the final installment in the Star Catchers series. It ties up a lot of loose ends left dangling from the first two installments, and really illustrates the care with which these stories were crafted. I would have never believed these books would have been half as good as they were. The adventure is exciting, the mysteries thrilling, the story compelling, and the ending extremely moving. I really cannot say enough about this series.

View all my reviews.

Peter and the Shadow Thieves

Peter and the Shadow Thieves by Dave Barry

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
An excellent book. These Peter Pan novels from David Barry continue to surprise an impress me. I went in with very low expectations, but so far the first two installments have been fantastic. There's humor for adults, much like the Harry Potter books...not that I can honestly say that these books are even close to JK Rowling's caliber, mind you. The stories are engaging and frequently very suspenseful. I highly recommend these if you are a Peter Pan or fantasy genre fan.

View all my reviews.

Peter and the Star Catchers

I recently discovered www.GoodReads.com, and this is my first attempt at linking a short review I posted there to this blog. Enjoy!

Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
An excellent book. "Peter and the Star Catchers," despite its somewhat cheesy title, far exceeded my expectations. Not quite a prequel to either the classic novel or the Disney cartoon, this story takes the best from both incarnations and spins its own continuity. It's a wonderful book, with a heartbreaking ending, and I enjoyed it far more than I anticipated. I can't wait to read the sequel.
I've always been a Peter Pan fan in general. This book strikes all the right chords. Dave Barry gets it.

View all my reviews.

"Harry, A History" by Melissa Anelli

Wow.

I started reading this book a few weeks ago on the computer. Unlike a lot of blindies, I don't like reading books this way. Audio is my preferred format...well, Braille too, but obtaining a great book in Braille is only slightly easier than winning the California lottery. So, while I was enjoying the book, it was hard to stay focused on it.

On Saturday afternoon, I stumbled into a listing for the book on Audible.com. It had just been released there as an audio book a couple of weeks ago. I was very happy. I would get to read this intriguing book in a format that was more suited to my reading style. Great!

I knew about the book, released in printed form toward the end of last year, because its author, Melissa Anelli, runs The-Leaky-Cauldron.org, and hosts, along with others, the PotterCast podcast...both of which I'm very much a fan of. She's a funny, vivacious, and entertaining reporter, who has worked tirelessly for Potter fans such as myself...always bringing us the latest news as it breaks.

What unfolded off and on over the next 28 hours or so was amazing. The book exceeded any expectations I could have possibly had for it. On the OWL grading scale, it was definitely an O.

The book tells the story of the Harry Potter Phenomenon from all the angles that really matter: The birth of the fandom, its online explosion, J.K. Rowling's thoughts and genesis, the films, and the friendships that intersected, joined, and reenforced it all.

It's also Melissa's personal journey, from a somewhat closeted Potter fan sneaking reads between classes in college, through her rise to a strange sort of fan-fandom by the time the final installment of the series hit book shelves around the world.

To say I loved this book, would be an under statement of the most ridiculous level. It made me laugh. It made me cry. And, it gave me an escape on Sunday evening after some upsetting news came to me.

So much of it I could relate to, both in- and outside the Potter fandom. I was in a Barnes and Noble bookstore the night of the release of "Order of the Phoenix". I stood in that throng of people, many thousands of miles away from Melissa and her friends, but I experienced it in just the same way. It gave me the ability to relive the three midnight releases I'd attended in a way that I thought nothing ever could.

I can relate to the strange sense of unreality when Melissa is recognized and treated practically as royalty by other fans, when considering herself as just another fan in her own mind. I've been, for many years, a somewhat visible fan in the "Masters of the Universe" fandom, and have been stopped and treated much the same way by fans from He-Man.org at conventions.

The story of Heather, a girl who was told she had only months to live and inexplicably recovered, strangely mirrored my own story when, as a child, I too had become quite ill. For Heather, Harry Potter was her refuge. For me, it was Masters. I, too, experienced an inexplicable and miraculous recovery.

There will never be another Harry Potter book...not like those first seven, anyway. That feeling of anticipation, and reading the next installment of the saga will never come again. You can only read a book for the first time once...

Reading "Harry, A History" was as close to an eighth Potter installment as I could ever hope for. No, it wasn't the same. How could it be? But it gave me all the same feelings. It made me relive the fandom and the love for a boy wizard and his friends in a entirely fresh way that I thought was wholly lost, no matter how enduring that love has remained.

I wish I'd had the courage to say hello to Melissa and company last year at the San Diego Comic Con, when I attended their PotterCast panel.

If you're a Potter fan...and maybe even if you're not...you should read this book. It's a wonderful, emotional, and thoroughly incredible ride.

All I can say is...

Wow.

Reading Roundup - 2008

Well, another year's nearly in the bag, and as usual, I've read a ton of books. Some were new releases, some were titles I had meant to get around to and just hadn't until this year. I thought I'd give my opinions, in brief, on some books I read this year, and what I thought of them.

This list includes only titles that I read for the very first time this year, (I do re-read books often), and that I began and finished in the 2008 calendar year. I'll list the books in the order i read them, and give a star rating to each title, and some commentary.

One final note before we begin: I read a wide variety of stuff, so even if you don't like the first few, read through the list. THere might be a good recommendation for you in here somewhere.

Duma Key -- by Stephen King -- 5 Stars

As usual, Stephen King delivers a gripping and spooky tale full of ghosts and utterly believable characters. This time, the story takes place in the warmer climes of Florida, instead of the Maine and New England backdrops we're used to seeing in most of King's works. From its tragic opening to its heart-pounding climax, you will find it impossible to put this baby down. It's a must-read, muchacho.

The Journals of Eleanor Druse -- by Stephen King -- 4 Stars

This short book, also available on Audible.com, is a companion work for the short lived television series Kingdom Hospital. It recounts the strange and ghostly happenings at a hospital in rural Maine from the perspective of an elderly woman who possesses psychic abilities of her own. While not entirely a complete or satisfying tale, it nonetheless is a great read that does not require familiarity with the series.

The Callahan Chronicals -- by Spider Robinson -- 5 Stars

What can you say? These quirky tales of the mythical bar "Callahan's" somewhere in New York are a sheer joy to read. The unlikely gathering of average Joes, time-travelers, aliens, and talking animals, coupled with delightfully horrifying puns and the heartwarming atmosphere is a mix that has seldom, if ever, been matched. If you want an uplifting book to get you through a week or two, and rekindle your faith in the human species, make yourself an Irish coffee and pick up a copy of The Callahan Chronicles<.

Variable Star -- by Robert A. Heinlein and Spider Robinson -- 4 Stars

This novel was begun in the 1950's by the legendary Robert Heinlein, but never completed. A few years ago, the equally legendary Spider Robinson got the job of a lifetime to complete the book that Heinlein had hardly even started. It's an interstellar tale of romance, treachery, and tragedy. It's the kind of science-fiction novel that puts characters first, and makes them every bit as human as us primitives of the early twenty-first century. LIke all of Robinson's work, it's both thought provoking and imaginative. An excellent book.

Callahan's Key -- by Spider Robinson -- 3 Stars

This is a fun book than continues the adventures of the patrons of the bar known as "Callahan's". Like the Chronicles, these stories include outrageous events and characters that will push hard against the boundaries of believability, and you won't care one bit. While not quite as compelling as some of the shorter Callahan

What Would MacGyver Do? -- by Brendan Vaughan (and others) -- 3 Stars

Yes, that's right. MacGyver. The guy from the 1980's classic action/adventure series who could disarm bombs with little more than nerve, patience, bubble gum and a paperclip. This book takes the MacGyver spirit to knew and frequently bizarre heights, as real people recount real-life situations when they had to use quick thinking and ingenuity to get themselves out of sticky situations. It's a fun book, but it didn't quite live up to the hype.

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West -- by Gregory Maguire -- 4.5 Stars

Maguire takes the creepier elements of the classic Oz tales by L. Frank Baum, amplifies them, and then takes Oz's most memorable villainess and turns her into a sympathetic and misunderstood soul, whose deviltry is the veil behind which she hides. It's a marvelous reworking, and an utterly riveting story. Forget the musical. It can't do this book justice in any way.

Son of a Witch -- by Gregory Maguire -- 1 Star

You know everything you just read about about Maguire's Wicked above? Yeah, well, you can forget all of that when it comes to Wicked's sequel. This dismal follow up to the brilliance of the previous title is slow, boring, and utterly uninteresting. The book's problems are compounded by the fact that, in the audio version, the book is read by Gregory Maguire himself. He's an excellent writer, but not a very good narrator for audio books. His characters sound alternately constipated or ready to fall asleep, and this only enhances the books poorer qualities.

The Audacity of Hope -- by Barack Obama -- 4 Stars

Whether you like Mr. Obama's views or not, you can't help but admire his honesty and unwillingness to be subverted by the corruption that plagues America's politics today. In this book, Mr. Obama chronicles his journey into the realm of political America, his political opinions, and many personal experiences he had along the way.

Twilight -- by Stephenie Meyer -- 3.5 Stars

Twilight opens the vampire romance saga that has captivated both men and women of all ages around the world in recent years. Seventeen-year-old Bella leaves Phoenix Arizona, and her mother, to start fresh in Forks Washington, the rainiest little town in America. She soon discovers that not all of her fellow classmates at Forks High School are entirely human. While not a work of genius on its own, you have to love it for paving the way for the titles to follow, much in the way that Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone did for that series.

New Moon -- by Stephenie Meyer -- 4.5 Stars

In the follow-up to Twilight, Stephenie Meyer takes us deeper into the world of mythical creatures she has created around the little community of Forks, Washington. It takes up where Twilight left off, and really begins to show case what a talented writer Meyer really is.

It's Superman -- by Tom de Haven -- 4 Stars

Despite it's campy title, this novel is a dark, serious, and incredibly realistic retelling of the Kansas farm boy's transformation into the man of steel. I've never been a Superman fan. I've always found the character to be silly, boring, and a completely generic comic hero. This book, however, places a whole new spin on the character and his life, placing the story in the 1930's, (when the first Superman comics were printed), and shows the conflicts and triumphs of the young Clark Kent, as well as the early days of Lois Lane and Lex Luther. It's an incredible read.

Eclipse -- by Stephenie Meyer -- 4 Stars

After a short break to visit the man of steel, I returned to Meyer's world of vampires and werewolves. In Eclipse, she continues to develop her talents, producing a compelling and nail-biting narrative that is significantly more action packed than her first two outings. If you weren't entirely sold on Bella, the Cullens, and the Blacks after the first two installments, you will be by the time you're a hundred pages into Eclipse.

Breaking Dawn -- by Stephenie Meyer -- 5 Stars

In the final installment of the Twilight Saga, Stephenie Meyer entirely outdoes herself. This last suspenseful journey through the life of Bella Swan is the best of the lot. It's the perfect finality to the series, and it's full of surprises that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page. I really can't say more without giving too much away. Just read it. Read them all.

The Gypsy Morph -- by Terry Brooks -- 3.5 Stars

In the final volume of Brooks's Genesis of Shannara trilogy, we resume the tale of the Knights of the Word, the street kids who call themselves the Ghosts, the Gypsy Morph, and the demons who wish to destroy them all. It's a satisfying finale to a narrative whose primary purpose was to bridge the divide between Brooks's Word/Void and Shannara series. While quite enjoyable, the book does not capture either the magic of Shannara or the gritty realism of Word/Void. Still, it's a fun read.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland -- by Lewis Carroll -- 3 Stars

I'm quite sure I'm not the first to note with solemnity, that this is quite possibly one of the most bizarre books ever written. What was Mr. Carroll smoking? In any case, it's a fun, if utterly nonsensical, story, aspects of which have become part of popular culture. The best part of this novel was hearing the audio book performance by Mr. jim Dale, (best known for his brilliant narration of the US Harry Potter audio books). If you're going to read this one, get the audio.

The Host -- by Stephenie Meyer -- 5 Stars

In The Host, Stephenie Meyer tries her hand at science-fiction, and succeeds brilliantly. We watch as a member of an invading alien race fights for control over a human host body, and in the process begins to understand the "savage humans" her people have come to possess. It's a fantastic story, and a well-written work that could have gone horribly afoul. Let's face it, it sounds like the premise for a bad '50's sci-fi B movie. Instead, we are left with a beautifully told novel that you will never want to end.

The Graveyard Book -- by Neil Gaiman -- 5 Stars

When I heard that Neil Gaiman had written a novel that was a sort of retelling of the classic story The Jungle Book, where an orphaned boy is raised by the ghostly inhabitants of a derelict graveyard, I knew I had to read it. This book was written specifically for me personally. Seriously! It's the sort of story I feel that I should have written. It's funny, and scary, and thrilling all at once. It was the first book by Mr. Gaiman I'd ever read, and now I'm a huge fan. It's one of the absolute best books of the year.

American Gods -- by Neil Gaiman -- 4 Stars

American Gods is a surreal trip through past and present-day America, which has become the ultimate battleground for the gods of the old world and the gods of the new. The novel's protagonist, a likable ex-con named Shadow, finds himself caught between the two sides when he's hired by the "Old Father" to be his messenger boy. It's one of the most imaginative stories I've read in years. If you liked Stephen King's The Dark Tower saga, then American Gods will be your cup of tea. I loved it.

The Jesus Family Tomb -- by Simcha Jacobovici -- 4 Stars

In this nonfiction account of a mysterious tomb found in Israel in the early 1980's and the subsequent investigation around it, we are presented with what may be the greatest archaeological discovery of the age. Unfortunately, that discovery is so controversial that many have tried to discredit it, even in the face of overwhelming evidence. Whichever perspective you come from, this is a fascinating book that well worth a read.

Anansi Boys -- by Neil Gaiman -- 5 Stars

What can I say? Neil Gaiman's got me hooked. In this semi-sequel to American Gods, we're treated to a much lighter and fun adventure involving the sons of the African spider god Anansi, king of all the stories there ever were or ever will be. It's told with Gaiman's trademark intellectuality, wit, and style. At times, it seemed like he was channeling the late and very great Douglas Adams, as much of the humor is of a very similar stripe. This book is destined to be a classic, if it isn't already. If you haven't read it, you absolutely must do so. American Gods is not required reading before this title, though there are a couple of references to that novel, and Anansi Boys clearly takes place after the events recounted therein. American Gods is also a much darker sort of story, and the tone of the two books is so varied that it is nearly impossible to compare them. Read it!

Thanks for reading. Again, I only included books that I both began and finished in the 2008 calendar year. I hope this list may have given you something new to read. See ya!

Christmas

A child's awe of Christmas time,
The snow, the fire, the smell of pine.
I remember,
Sweet Decembers,
When all the world could still be mine.

When grown-up things were abstract dangers,
Put some hay in church-side mangers,
The future bright,
What may and might,
When fear and heartbreak still were strangers.

I see the lights still on the tree,
Cocoa then, instead of tea.
The sights and smells,
The silver bells,
All right there, where they ought to be.

A gift for sister, Mom, and Dad,
When arts and crafts were all we had.
Carols sung,
Lights were hung,
We'd rise together, pajama-clad.

Unwrap the presents, save the bows,
Say a prayer for others' woes.
Steal sister's toys,
Such simple joys,
And pretend a child never grows.

But time has flown, been lost and spent,
And I wonder where the magic went.
For I remember,
Sweet Decembers,
And all the things that Christmas meant.

An Exercise in Brevity

Who do you love?

• I love my wonderful twin daughters.
• I love my beautiful girlfriend.
• I love my family.
• I love my friends.

What do you love?

• I love music.
• I love books.
• I love writing.

Where do you love?

• I love to be at my beloved's side.
• I love London, one of the few places on Earth I've felt at home.
• I love to be in the snow.

When do you love?

• I love the 1980's, when the world was a little less crazy and a little more kind.
• I love it when it rains.
• I love it when the coffee's done.

Why do you love?

• Because I'm human.
• Because it's easier to remember to love, than to forget to hate.

How do you love?

• With passion.
• With compassion.
• Unconsciously.

'cause I Gotta Have Faith

A few weeks ago, someone challenged my religious views, based largely on my political opinions. As a liberal, I don't believe religion should have any part whatsoever in government...at least, not as long as we advocate for religious freedom. Religious freedom is one of the things that America has been built upon, and by legislating based on any faith, you are automatically infringing upon others' rights, not to mention flying in the face of the very liberties this country has been founded on. Religion and politics should not mix. The rest of this post, which are merely my own personal musings, will not focus on the political side of this at all. Instead, I want to examine the charges leveled against my beliefs in the religious context.

Before going forward, however, I should note two crucial points. One is that I don't expect to change anyone's mind. The vast majority of people of any religious stripe are so close-minded in this regard, that nothing anyone says will even be taken into consideration. To them, there is no room for discussion. To them, they are right and everyone else is wrong, and the morality, validity, or even the consistency of their beliefs is irrelevant in their eyes. I pity them. The other is that I was raised and continue to be a Christian, though admittedly not a wholly orthodox one by conventional standards.

The gist of the accusation that was brought to bare was that, if I did not follow the doctrine of the church, as presented in the canonical gospels, I was an ignorant, lost soul, who knew nothing of Christianity. The Bible, in their view, was to be taken literally, unquestioningly, and to be interpreted exactly as the Catholic church originally intended it to be. This last part is important. It was the Catholic church that originally determined what was or was not canon in the original gospels. It was the Catholic church which edited, reinterpreted, and even altered the texts for hundreds of years after Jesus lived and died. This is a matter of undisputed historical fact.

The next part of the argument for those who subscribe to unquestioning faith in the church is typically something to the effect of, "Well, God wanted it that way. The texts were only changed based on how He wanted them changed, and therefore must still reflect his ultimate word." This point breaks down in several key areas.

First, these folks who call themselves Christians and believe that the Almighty must have guided the edits of the holy texts over the centuries are the same people who say they revere the words of Jesus and his Disciples above all else. Yet, they have no qualms about the fact that what they are reading in their modern Bibles are not necessarily the words of their savior or his followers. They are effectively saying that, they revere the things that are falsely being reported about Christ over what he truly said or did, because at some point down the line, God had a light bulb go off in his head and thought, "Hmmm. Maybe I shouldn't have had him say that. Let's change it to this instead. There. That's better."

Second, the politics being played by the Catholic church over the centuries are easily discerned in historical retrospect. Many things were changed in the canonicals, not to make them more accurate, but to tighten Rome's hold over the masses, further agendas, and conform to the culture of the times.

Third, Christians, guided by whatever church they may follow, largely pick and choose which parts of the Old Testament are still valid arbitrarily. When asked why they do not adhere to certain rules and prescribed in Old Testament or Jewish law, they will say it is because the New Testament was meant to replace the old. And yet, they do not hesitate to point to passages in the Old Testament when it suits their purposes, or the political agendas of their church.

Finally, the biggest flaw in this kind of argument is so huge that I cannot fathom why it does not bother even them. Over the the intervening twenty centuries since Jesus performed his ministries, countless variations on the basic faith have emerged. Both Islamic and Mormon faiths, among others, have their routes in Christianity and the New Testament. If God only allows the Bible to be altered as he divines, then surely these faiths must also be of his design as well. If they are not, and it is possible for the holy Word of God to be desecrated by man, then it is possible...even highly probable...that the Catholic church is guilty of the same warping of the gospels.

In the end, I am more interested in the truth. If there is a higher power, and if He sent a messenger in the form of Jesus Christ to Earth to deliver it, then I want to know what that message was, not the message as it has been tailored by a power hungry church.

To that end, my mind is open. I have read the Gnostic Gospels. I have read the reports of the discovery of what may have been the tomb of Jesus and his family. I believe that the Catholic church has wrongly vilified Mary Magdalene, a woman who even many modern Christians celebrate, though the reasons why have been largely obscured by the dark veil the church has tried to place over the Bible.

The church, beginning with the Catholic and spreading outward to most, if not all, the denominations in the world, is a cancer upon Christianity. As long as we Christians continue to follow their lead like blind, brainless, senseless sheep, the malignant seeds planted centuries ago will continue to eat away at the true message of our faith.

"Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you," Jesus is reputed to have said. Is that what we're doing when we deny loving couples the right to marry? Is that what we're doing when we force our faith upon those who do not share it?

I am not saying that everyone should follow the road that I have walked upon, far from it. Spirituality is a private journey. The path we travel is different for each and every one of us. I believe that whatever higher power is out there knows that. In the end, the core of every religion teaches us to love. The roads to get their, and the details along the way may be different...but the basic message is always the same.

It's time we started listening.

On the Tip of Your Tongue

Fandom, the term used to describe the community and/or mania surrounding a particular entertainment property, is a strange thing. The number of fandoms that exist is staggering, and that number has grown exponentially since the introduction of the Internet, which has proven to be an ideal breeding-ground and meeting-place for fans of all sorts to share their love of...well...virtually anything.

I'm no stranger to these phenomena. In fact, anyone who knows me is well aware that I'm a first-class geek of the highest order. I might not be a black belt in the category of geekiness, but I'd be close. I count myself among the "He-Fans" and "She-Ravers" who obsess over the fantasy property Masters of the Universe first and foremost. I'm a Trekkie too. (I refuse to use the term Trekkor.) I know the wizarding world of Harry Potter well enough to be appointed Minister of Magic, and I'm no stranger to the Jedi.

Hands down, Star Trek and Harry Potter have the largest legions of voraciously dedicated fans, with Masters of the Universe in hot pursuit, but it is the Trekkies in particular that I want to discuss for just a moment.

I'm a Trekkie. I'm a really big Trekkie. That being said, I'm not the sort of fan who agonizes over the least of canonical inaccuracies in the franchise's forty-some years of historical continuity that spans several centuries in the Star Trek timeline. Because of that, I'm able to be very much looking forward to the 2009 film from J.J. Abrams, which seems to be breathing new life into the franchise, building new civilizations of Trekkies, and boldly going where Rick Berman has never gone before.

Still, I'm in awe of the lengths to which some Trekkie's have gone in their dedication to the universe of vulcans, klingons, and Romulans. In the words of Mr. Spock: "Fascinating."

One of these extremities has been in the birth of several languages, largely produced by acclaimed real-world linguists, for various Star Trek alien races. Did you know you could get Shakespeare's works translated into Klingon? It's true.

Strictly by accident...ahem...I was...uh...searching the Internet for...um...well, anyway, I stumbled into links to some fascinating resources.

The Klingon Language Institute (KLI) provides a scholarly environment, activities, and other resources to teach and spread the joys that is the warriors tongue. Yes, not only could you get Shakespeare's Hamlet in Klingon, but you could actually learn to read it.

Perhaps the Klingons are a little much for you. Maybe you're a more of an isolationist sort. You might find The Central Institute of the Romulan Language more to your taste. The Romulans have always been the most fascinating of Star Trek's alien races to me, and this site illustrates much of the reason why.

Finally, for those with a more logical disposition, the Vulcan Language Institute will certainly bring out your inner-Spock. Learning to speak the tongue of Surak's people just might lead you to live longer and prosper.

As geeky...or even ridiculous...as these projects may seem to some, I think they serve a multitude of important purposes, and help to display what can be done by us mere humans when we band together.

Do I think these languages should be taken seriously? Actually, I do. Every language known to mankind is pretty much arbitrary. Someone, somewhere, decided that one set of sounds was better than another set of sounds to express a given concept or to represent a given thing. The primary difference here, is that the inspiration for the language sprung out of a common love for a story in which the human race finally cleans up its act, cleans up its planet, and lives together in a cooperative, peaceful way. I can think of worse things to encourage. Can't you?

A Jinx for the Jinxed: Limeriticus Totaluss

Excerpted from "Jinxes for the Jinxed" as found in the HOgwarts library.

Throughout the wizarding world, there are a great many hexes and jinxes that can be legally used against your foes in defense...or more frequently against classmates whilst out and about in the grounds around Hogwarts. Few are as terrible as Limeriticus Totalus, which causes the target to speak in endless limericks. Let's learn about this horrific hex from one of its pitiable victims.

To be used when confronting a threat,
'twill bamboozle Death Eaters I bet,
For as you can asee,
It was once cast on me,
And I've not found a cure for it yet.

You ask for the counter spell,
You believe it is mine to tell,
But I'm sorry to say,
If this hex comes your way,
The best defense is to just run like hell.

Juggling Books

It's a rare thing that I juggle anything heavier than C++ modules in a software development project...unless you count the projects themselves. I try not to do that. If I thought about all the projects I take on at once, I'd never get anything done. But I digress.

I'm just about always reading something. I've been an avid reader for as long as I can remember, whether that meant the mini-comics that came with my Masters of the Universe figures when I was a wee lad of four and twopence, the Hardy Boys books of my youth, or the latest thriller by Stephen King. Literature is in my blood. But it is very rare that I read more than one book at a time.

By "reading," I of course mean actually reading. I have a fondness of falling asleep at night with the talented narrations of Jim Dale reading the Harry Potter series. These nighttime wanderings through Hogwarts, Hogsmead, and the Ministry of Magic, are completely random and seldom in any sort of coherent order. So I don't really count those as reading, per se. Besides, I've read the Potter books so many times that I can, by and large, recite them verbatim in perfect synchronization with Mr. Dale...but, again, I digress.

At present I'm reading three books, all wildly different from one another. One is the recently released "Just After Sunset" by the afore mentioned Stephen King. It's a collection of short stories and novellas told by the master storyteller in only the way he can deliver. As usual, they're presented with a level of excellence that few writers...particularly American ones...can even hope to aspire to. So far, "The Gingerbread Girl" is probably my favorite, though all the stories thus far have their merits. It's a bit on the heavy side. I wouldn't recommend it if you're battling depression or are particularly adverse to a case of the hopping heebie geebies.

At the other end of the galactic literary spectrum, I'm also reading David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. It's a classic that I might not have ever gotten around to if not for the coaxing of my beloved. Not that I generally have anything against classics, mind you...I just don't gravitate toward them as a general rule unless they contain legendary swords, fairy creatures, or vagabond outcasts named after fruity pie fillings. It's an excellent read, full of the sort of wit and dry humor you'd expect from a Dickens masterpiece. I'm enjoying it more than I thought I would. Not that that comes as a total surprise. My girl adores classic literature, and she's not steered me wrong yet.

Finally, I'm also working my way through American Gods by Neil Gaiman. I'm a newcomer to Gaiman's strange worlds and terrifying, twisted tales, but I'm finding that I rather take to his style and prose. I read his latest book The Graveyard Book just a few weeks ago, and found it delightfully spooky. (It's a retelling of sorts of The Jungle Book, where the boy is raised by ghosties, ghoulies and vampires in an old abandoned graveyard.) It was a great read that led me to try Gaiman's other works. American Gods is a surreal trip through the world's various mythologies distorted and warped by the lens of modern society. It's brilliant, unsettling, and remarkably insightful. It's likely that Neil Gaiman will become one of my preferred writers if the rest of his stuff is as good as these.

Well, I've rambled on long enough, I suppose. Hopefully some of you will have found this entertaining enough to leave a comment. (Hint! Hint!) If not, I'll just set Neil and Stevie on you. Ha! Take that!