Lit, Flicks, and Pop Culture Hits: March 2009 Archives
Well, just when I'm getting ready to write off the Sony Reader, they come roaring back in the second period and throw a Hail Mary pass that sends the game into extra innings.
Sony announced today that they have reached an agreement with Google (It's All About World Domination, Man) to access the library of books that Google has been scanning and squirreling away in their Doomsday Bunker. Ok, I made the last part up. But if I had bunches of billions to play around with, I wouldn't spend it just on a widebody party plane. I mean I would do that too, but I'd also build a Doomsday Bunker. Not because I think Doomsday is close or anything but who doesn't want their own Doomsday Bunker. Anyone? Ok, maybe that's just me then.
Anyway, Google has been scanning books into a giant database for a while now and Sony has concluded an agreement to get access to those books, or at least the ones that are no longer in copyright. Which means pretty much anything from before 1923. Finally I can immerse myself in the entire oeuvre of my hero, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton.
Amazon - your turn.
The New York Times today had an article on people (ok, men) who build replicas of the command chair that Captain Kirk sat in on the original Star Trek series. This pleases me in so many ways. I love it when fans show their appreciation, nay, fanaticism for a show now over forty years old, by building furniture. I also like imagining the conversations with the significant others when one announces their plans to build full size copies - and these chairs aren't exactly small.
"Honey, I've decided that my life is not complete without an exact full scale replica of Capt. Kirk's command chair, so I'm gonna build one. It shouldn't cost more than a couple thou."
"But dear, what about your children, and our marriage, and the Little League team you coach, and the spare time you spend teaching the homeless to read? What about those things, don't they make your life complete?"
"Oh, sure, all those things are fine but we're talking about Kirk's chair here! That's something I've just now realized that I always wanted and....wait, we have children?"
I also like the fact that in the show it's the 23rd century and they're flying around the galaxy in a faster than light ship but the captain's chair has wooden arms? What's that all about?
In the article one man said his wife threatened to divorce him if he tried to put the chair in the living room. Mary said that if I ever came up with plans for Star Trek themed home décor, she'd be looking into 'an institution', for me. I didn't ask what kind of 'institution', because it's better not too, really. I believe the prohibition also extends to themes for Star Wars, the Matrix, Terminator, and My Little Pony.
Well, we're off shortly to attend the Frozen Dead Guy Days festival in
This is actually more Mary's thing as it was her research into the weird and possibly wonderful, that lead us to this festival. We'll see if it lives up to the advance billing. I'm going along because they have a beer tent. And I'm hoping there's funnel cakes. Hmmm, beer and funnel cakes.
