So I just started reading The Postman by David Brin. A post-apocalypic sci-fi novel which spawned a really bad Kevin Costner movie (according to what I've read about it — I haven't seen it).  I'd forgotten how good a writer David Brin is. I remember being very affected by Earth and enjoying the Uplift series.

Now, if you haven't seen the unspeakably wonderful Joss Whedon TV series Firefly, this will mean nothing to you, but when I came across the following passage in The Postman, my eyes popped out of my head:

"Hal an' Peter died in th' war, but I counted me an' Sally blessed that all three girls grew up. Blessed!"

"Sonny, it's not your fault. It was just bad luck."

"Bad luck?" The farmer snorted. "One raped to death when those reavers came through, Peggy dead in childbirth, and my little Susan… she's got gray hair, Gary. She looks like Sally's sister!"

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"The Last Track (A Mike Brody Novel)" is a fast-paced mystery suspense novel, by first-time author Sam HIlliard.  It introduces Mike Brody, smoke-jumper, former Special Forces operative, and expert tracker, who is forced by circumstances into tracking a missing teenage boy.  As he does so, we are introduced to a cast of characters whom we (and Mike) are never sure whether to consider allies or villains.

This novel zips along at breakneck speed, even when we take detours away from the main action to the various side plots.  We are pulled along as the hero advances unrelentingly, evading or neutralizing one obstacle after another, until the final climactic scenes.

"The Last Track" should definitely appeal to readers who enjoy their suspense to be informative and action-packed.  If I had any complaint, it would be the minor (and to me, unnecessary and jarring) insertion of a bit of the supernatural.  Brody has the ability to feel the "emotional imprints" left behind by those he's tracking.  That veers a little too much into the paranormal for my taste, especially considering how steeped in reality the majority of this novel is.  Aside from that minor quibble, I commend Mr. Hilliard for a job well done.

My son's class is doing a project where each kid colors in the character "Flat Stanley" from one of their books and then sends it out to someone somewhere else in the country, and that person takes pictures of Flat Stanley doing things that people do in that part of the country.

My wife's friend in Texas is helping out my son with his project.  She took Flat Stanley on a road trip.  He wasn't sent to Texas with a cowboy hat, but he somehow acquired one there. 

Enjoy.

I am: Hal Clement (Harry C. Stubbs) A quiet and underrated master of "hard science" fiction who, among other things, foresaw integrated circuits back in the 1940s.

And I've never even read any of his stuff.

Since she was kind enough to interview me for her blog, I am happy to link back to Sue London's blog "Thoughts That Get Stuck in My Head".  I am still somewhat nonplussed that she would find me interview-worthy, but I am at the same time very thankful.  Her "Fresh Voices" series will continue every Friday.
 

Go check out her stuff.  You'll find plenty of stuff to draw you in and keep you engaged.

At the time of this story, the firm I worked for was considered an "interactive media shop".  These days, it would probably be called a web design shop, but in the late 1990's, the web was still in its infancy, and not all of the work we did was for the web.  There were about a dozen of us in a small suite of offices in the Theater District in Manhattan.
 

IBM hired us to work on a project for the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.  We were to build the software which would be used by the athletes living in the Olympic Village to communicate with fans, build home pages, play games, and surf the web.  A large room was set up by IBM in a central concourse, filled with computers running our applications.  Today, that room would be called an Internet café, but IBM branded it the "Surf Shack".  It was going to be staffed by people from IBM who would assist the athletes and basically keep the place up and running.
 

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The first paragraph, and I love it already: 

A writer never forgets the first time he accepted a few coins or a word of praise in exchange for a story.  He will never forget the sweet poison of vanity in his blood and the belief that, if he succeeds in not letting anyone discover his lack of talent, the dream of literature will provide him with a roof over his head, a hot meal at the end of the day, and what he covets the most:  his name printed on a miserable piece of paper that surely will outlive him.  A writer is condemned to remember that moment, because from then on he is doomed and his soul has a price.

Whatever strongly held political belief you may hold, there is a very high probability that I disagree with you, no matter where on the political continuum your opinions fall.  That doesn't make me stupid, evil, or misinformed. 
 

If I think it's a good idea that the country have a pointed debate on whether torturing detainees is acceptable, that doesn't make me a terrorist sympathizer or a tool of Harry Reid or Nancy Pelosi.
 

If I think it's a good idea that the country have a pointed debate on the desirability and shape of a massive government-mandated overhaul of an industry comprising a major fraction of our economy, that doesn't make me a Fox News ball-licker.
 

I seldom post on political hot-button items, and on the rare occasion when I do so, I take significant care to avoid insulting or demonizing those with whom I disagree.   Some people believe that anyone who disagrees with their particular platform must necessarily be a moron, or unpatriotic, or unAmerican.  Such an automatic belief about someone who disagree with you is intolerant and ill-informed.
 

All strongly held opinions should be questioned, especially your own.  All "authority" should be questioned.  All people with power over others should be questioned thoroughly and at length.  Anyone with power over others should automatically be distrusted.  Someone who has the power to enact things you may approve also has the power to enact things you may abhor.  Any law you may wish to see passed has the potential to be misused in a way which would shock you.
 

My dissent is patriotic, and I will continue to dissent whether the Republicrats or Demolicans are in charge.
 

War Is Peace; Freedom Is Slavery; Ignorance Is Strength.

For people who enjoy going to outdoor festivals and fairs, Abby will have a booth at the upcoming Bridgehampton Historical Society’s Annual Heritage Fair.  She will be selling her items from Abigail’s Knits and Pie Fairy Princess, as well as items made especially for this fair, and she will also be taking orders for custom items. 

According to this article in 27east.com:

The Fair will take place on Saturday, August 8, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Corwith House on Montauk Highway. This year’s event celebrating Bridgehampton’s rich history will be bigger than ever and include a craft fair, a program on Long Island’s birds of prey by the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary and Audubon Center and a puppet show by Goat on a Boat Puppet Theatre. Long Island Folk artists will demonstrate their talents under a tent all day, and a vintage baseball doubleheader will pit Smithtown’s Atlantics against the Bridgeport, Connecticut, Orators. Blacksmithing by James DeMartis in the historic Strong Wheelwright Shop will complement a vintage tractor and farm engine display. A large model train exhibition will be run by the Gerry Manders in the society’s Engine Barn. Live music will be provided by Americana band Edna’s Kin under a huge tent. Admission is only $5 for adults, and children under 12 get in for free.

Here is a map of the Corwith House in Bridgehampton at 2368 Montauk Highway (although Google Maps says it’s actually Sag Harbor), with links for driving directions.

This is an incredibly easy, incredibly tasty, very simple white bread.  Impossible to mess this up.  Unless, of course, you are like me in some way.


Ingredients:

• 2 cups warm water
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 6 cups bread flour

Directions:

1. In large bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water, and then stir in the yeast. Proof until a creamy foam has formed, about 10 minutes. Mix the salt and oil into the yeast mixture.
2. Mix in the flour 1 cup at a time (keep count!). Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth and no longer sticky. Place in an oiled bowl and turn to cover. Cover with damp cloth. Allow to rise in a warm area until doubled (1 hour).
3. Punch the risen dough down. Knead for a few minutes. Divide the dough in half. Shape into loaves and place in 9×5 loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes more or until dough is about 1 inch about the top of the pan.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 – 30 minutes or until tops are golden brown and loaves sound hollow when you tap on them.