The Greatest (Trade) Show on Earth

Ok, considering I haven’t been too EVERY trade show on earth, and in fact, I’ve only been to a couple outside the US, my title might be pretty wrong.  But damn, E3 is awesome!  Imagine, if you will, a giant convention center full of massive high definition screens, young enthusiasts, celebrities, booth babes and people in outlandish costumes all set to a bone-jarring clash of music and sounds.  That’s E3.  Sure, it’s not for everyone but for those who love video games and interactive media, it’s pretty much heaven on earth.

If you don’t know, E3 is one of the biggest trade shows for the electronic entertainment industy.  That means video games and computer games plus some other tech that is tangentally related. All the makers of the aforementioned come on out and show off their latest/greatest projects or feature existing games for some extra media attention.  The show is designed to engage all your senses (except for smell and taste, thank god!) and it does it very well by blitzing your eyes and ears with an over the top audio visual experience that would shame most “IMAX” theaters.  And then there’s the whole free to play arcade aspect.  Most publishers have stations where you can play with their newest games to your hearts content, giving a taste of games to come.

It’s really hard to put a show like this into words, so I’m going to focus on a few things that I found to be most cool, either from a fun standpoint, an aesthetic standpoint, or a “cool new hardware” standpoint.  None of this can come close to communicating the experience;  all I can say is, if you like video games, if you like spectacles–find a way to attend, period.  On the other hand, if you hate sound, crowds, loud noises and bright lights, you may not want to be anywhere near LA for the next show.

One of the cooler tech products I saw was from a company called Peregrine. They’ve developed a glove with different hot spots on it that can be mapped to keyboard macros, hotkeys, etc. It’s useful for video games–they were demoing its use on Warcraft 3–but it can be used for just about any other program since the interface uses standard keyboard input software. In a way, it was almost disappointing, not for what it was but for what it could be. Currently, different hotspots on the glove allow you to bend your fingers and touch combinations, allowing up to 30 something unique inputs. What it doesn’t do, and what would be awesome, is if it was motion sensitive and recognized gestures along with the commands. I bet that’s on the drawing board as it seems a natural extension of the technology. That said, it was still very cool especially since it made the keyboard almost unnecessary. A tool like that in combination with a drawing tablet would be awesome for digital illustrators, I think. Here’s a pic of the prototype they were showing at the show:

Protoype of the Peregrine glove

A big highlight for me was watching the newly released Star Wars: The Old Republic trailer at the show. I’m a Star Wars fan, I love Bioware games, and I enjoy MMO’s so this thing is the perfect confluence of everything that is awesome for me. The trailer was played on the huge screen at EA’s booth, and when I say huge, I’m talking ginormous! I have no idea of the actual dimensions, but it was easily as big as an IMAX screen with a kicking sound system that had subwoofers built into the floor. As soon as the music started, i was swooning and as the story played out and the graphics and game play elements started flashing, I almost cried with joy (i know, pathetic, but there it is). And everyone around me seemed to feel the same way, which just made the whole thing cooler. Out of everything I saw, this made me drool the most. I did the have the presence of mind to snap a pic, poor as it may be. I’m sure you can find the trailer online at this point, and if you’re into Star Wars, you should definitely check it out.:

Star Wars: The Old Republic

And here’s a list of other cool stuff in no particular order: Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo had awesome booth presences; giant arcades full of giant screens and playable games. That said, Nintendo’s won, imo, for style: it looked like their booth was designed by Apple. The Ghostbuster game looks totally sweet and made me add the movie to my Netflix queue. Batman: Arkham Asylum: I thought I wouldn’t be interested, but the gameplay and controls are genuinely interesting. Dragon Age: Origins–yet another RPG that I must play, despite my vow to avoid fantasy themed stuff forever–at least there were no obvious elves. From the “WTF!? Department”, Sony’s Fat Princess video game. It actually looks pretty fun/funny. The DC UNiverse online MMO looks super sweet, and all we saw was a pre-Alpha build. I haven’t played many FPS games lately, but if I pick another one up, its going to be Modern Warfare 2. Very cinematic and intense looking. I’m not a Rock Band person, generally speaking, but the Beatles Rock Band demo we saw makes me want to be one.

You know what the best part is? Aside from getting to check out all the cool new stuff, we actually got a lot of work done! When your job and your personal passions coincide, life can be really sweet. Now if I can just figure out how to get them to buy me a Segway, my geeky dream life will be complete!

High Flying Wifi

I realize this is probably old hat to many people, but this is my first time flying on a plane with  in-flight wifi!  In fact, I’m posting from seat 5c right now!  I’m on a Virgin American flight to LA, but apparently all their planes are similarly equipped.  I can’t even begin to tell you how much more fun this makes it.  It’d even be productive, allowing me to get a bunch of work done if it wasn’t for the fact that I had to get up at 4am to catch this flight and am about to pass out.

When I get to LA, I’m grabbing my rental car then picking up Cal from the Grant store and heading to E3 !  I’m really excited for the show.  It’s been about 4 years since I last attended one, and I’m really curious to see how its evolved.  We’ll have a lot of running around to do, but we should have plenty of time to visit booths for fun and see what’s happening in the industry.  I’ll make sure to get lots of pics to post here “report” on what I saw.

BEA 2009

I attended the Book Expo of America in New York City again this year, and like previous visits, it was an exciting place to be for a book lover. Most American publishers and many international ones come out and show off their latest offerings in their booths, many of them with authors that will sign books for you or just hang out and chat.  Deals are made as sales people and buyers and marketing-types walk the halls looking for the next big thing, and authors and lawyers and publishers hammer out rights deals and all that other stuff that goes on behind the scenes which ultimately delivers books into readers’ hands.  All of it creates a great buzz of activity that is pretty cool to behold.

Despite the rumblings and portents of the dire state of the publishing industry due to the economy and ebooks and bugaboos, the show was busy.  That said, it was definitely smaller this year than ones in the past.  Less booths, smaller booths and fewer freebies and books were in evidence, and many publishers were showing less titles and new releases but it seemed to be busier than I’ve ever seen it.  Almost every person manning the booth on the first day was engaged in a constant stream of meetings with people selling, buying, and discussing.  Even though it was smaller, it seemed more efficient and every publisher I talked to said that they were filling orders non-stop with old and new customers.  While I certainly didn’t talk to every publisher–probably not even half of the ones in attendance (its still a huge show)–all of them seemed very pleased with the way things were going, and most of them were publishing titles that will surely do well in the market.  I’m thinking that rumors of the demise of the publishing industry are a little exaggerated.

Some booths in particular really stood out.  Chronicle Books had a great big  booth that distinguished itself for its size and look, and for the titles it had on display–not to mention the sexy tote bags they were giving away.  Every time I went through it, it was packed with customers browsing and reps selling, and cool, shiny books displayed everywhere.  Parragon was the same way, with great non-fiction books and a friendly staff that were doing all they could to keep up with the flow of customers.  We have a relationship with some of the people at Parragon, and they confirmed what we saw–the show was awesome for them.

Some of my favorite booths at the BEA are the art book publishers.  Their books are always so beautiful with large covers tastefully (sometimes) giving glimpses of their contents.  The array of subjects are dizzying:  paintings of different kinds, sculpture, photography, mixed media, fashion and others. It’s all fascinating to me and when you put those beautiful books into a tastefully designed booth, the impact is visceral.  Abrams with their translucent white shelving and subtle lighting made a perfect tableau for their titles, while the understated elegance of the Assouline made their large-sized and often weird (in a good way) books practically pop out into the aisles visually.  Abbeville with their luscious fine art titles printed in huge books made it seem like you were walking into an intimate gallery of great art staffed with friendly guides to point out things of particular beauty.

I could go on, but I won’t.  It would get boring and you’d think I was a weird fanboy like the Moleskines booth folk thought.  In their case, I guess I am, which must have been strange to them since they’re notebooks.  But they’re good notebooks, dammit!  My role at the show this year was different than past times.  I was in charge, which adds a whole new dimension of stress and worry to the experience.  Despite that, I did enjoy the show, and what’s not to like?  A big convention center filled with wonderful books and passionate people that are pretty much there to shop and talk about books.  I don’t think anything could dull that experience for me, and I was also being supported by the greatest helpers a book buyer could ever hope for.  None of us were new to the show, and  1 of them did my job before me.  A smart, hardworking, fun-loving group makes any job a treat and this was no different.

We’ll see what the post-show apocalyptic internet oracles say in regards to the show.  It should be amusing given how far off from reality they were, but I suppose they can always predict the end for next year, or the year after that.  As long as they keep having the show, I’ll keep going, looking for cool books and talking to interesting people.  Who knows?  I might even get into the oracle business myself.  Although if I can suddenly see the future, I think I’ll use those powers in Vegas rather than internet proclamations.  I need more books, after all.

Most Fabulous Dinner Ever!

This past Saturday, our family and friends were treated to what may have been the most amazing dinner I have ever experienced–and while I’m not the ultimate foodie, I’ve had some pretty amazing meals.  When your dad is a caterer, you tend to get a bit of food exposure   This one, however, was over the top.

The dinner was held at The Studio at Ridgewell’s, a small demo dining room and kitchen that is used for tastings, experimental menus, and testing decorations.  My dad had set it up for several reasons, but mainly to sample some Spanish wines that are looking for markets in this country and to celebrate the arrival of Ari’s parent’s who had come to visit her during her stay here in DC.  On top of that, we’re all into food, and this provided the perfect opportunity for all of us to get together, feast, and hang out–something we do almost every weekend anyway, but this time we did it in style!  (Sorry about the picture quality, which does not do justice to the food or the venue.  I only had my phone cam, and we drank so much wine that I kept forgetting to take pics of the food before eating it)

Our table in The Studio at Ridgewell's, an intimate venue which we had to ourselves.

The dinner was a 12 course tasting menu prepared by CIA graduate and long time Coporate Chef of Ridgewell’s, David Keener.  When you’re in the hands of a master like Chef Keener, you’re in for something special.  Cooking, like any other vocation or art, has levels.  There’s homecooking, there’s standard restaurants, there’s high end restaurants and an entire continuum of levels in between.  When you’re being fed by someone like Chef Keener, the meal almost transcends eating as sustenance and shoots straight to artistry.  The balance and subtleties of flavors, the plating design and presentation, aromas.  All of it blends seamlessly to create an interactive masterpiece that is akin to a visit to the National Gallery of Art (defintiely the East wing).  The attention to detail and pride that Chef Keener puts into his medium is obvious, and I think we all felt honored to be the recipients of his latest masterpieces.  Seriously, this man is da Vinci and we ate the Mona Lisa.  Ahem.

The Menu (annotated with my reactions)

“Sandwich”

Foie Gras, Membrillo and Shaved Banana Bread

Passion Fruit Balsamic Glaze

A high end take on a PB & J, this little morsel was a wonderful little kick off to an extraordinary meal.  The sweetness of the membrillo, with the tanginess of the glaze and the mellow flavor of the foie gras made for a perfectly balanced nibble.

“Pave”

Roasted Beet, Honey and Cilantro Pearls and Cabrales Fondant

Normally, I’m not a beet fan, but this layered dish of roasted yellow and red beets might convert me.  Accented with a Cabrales cheese fondant and little pearls of honey and salty cilantro (made with some Molecular Gastronomy techniques so that they resembled multicolored caviar) the explosion of flavor with each bite was unlike anything I’d ever had.  The earthy sweetness of the beets and the sharp cheese and the pearls was something you wouldn’t think would work, but when they’re all dancing a rumba on your pallette, you quickly change your mind.

“Consomme”

Smoked Sable, Salt Cod and Saffron

with Cream Cheese and Brie Noodles, Scallions and Bagel Croutons

This dish was like a science kit when it arrived at our table.  Each bowl, filled with little bites of fish, was accompanied  by a small squeeze bottle and a red capsule on a little fork.  Chef Keener visited each guest and added a clear broth to each bowl, instructing us to put the capsule (a saffron concoction) into the bowl.  The gel coating quickly melted away turning the broth into a distinctive yellowish/orange saffron color. The aroma rising from the bowl was like the sea with a slight spiciness.  We were then instructed to squeeze the bottles of Brie into the bowl.  The ribbons of cheese solidified with the heat of the broth, creating very flavorful cheesy noodles with the texture of soft linguine. Amazing!

“Salad”

Watermelon, Jicama and Cara Cara Orange

With Fried Capers, Radish, Feta, Mint and Pickled Red Onions

This “simple” salad was an explosive study in contrasts.  The sweet, the salty and the spicy all blended together into an incredibly flavorful and refreshing interlude.

“Flan”

Cauliflower and Marcona Almond

With Candied Fennel and Manchego Crisp

This little beauty, served in an eggshell balanced on a small plate of brown rice was incredibly subtle. I think most of us are familiar with flan, but the only thing this had in common with it was the texture.  It was smooth and creamy and melted in your mouth, almost like a fine mousse.  The candied fennel created little notes of sweet and “fennelness” that accentuated the flan perfectly.  Looks like I’m forced to invent words to describe this meal!   This is one of the few dishes that I got a picture of, though its pretty poor quality.

Cauliflower and Marcona Almond Flan with Candied Fennel and Manchego Crisp

“Assiette of Seafood”

White Anchovy with Grilled Piquillo Peppers and Charred Leeks

Salmon Tartare with Crisp Rice Crackers

Yellowfin Tuna with Idiazabal and Lemon Sherry Pipette

Jumbo Lump Crab Cucumber Block with Smoked Tomato Aioli

Littleneck Clam on Pine Nut-Celeriac Puree with Chorizo Vinaigrette

WiAnno Oyster in Chervil Cucumber Gelee with Trout Roe

I can’t even describe the different tasty combos on this plate, so I won’t even try, however, there was a new (to me) presentation of one them, the Yellowfin Tuna.  The tuna was encrusted with the Idiazabal cheese and skewered with a pipette.  As you pulled the bite-sized tuna chunk off the pipette, you give it a squeeze and it fills your mouth with the lemon sherry sauce.  Incredibly simple yet shockingly flavorful, this not only had a very cool presentation, but was super tasty!  Here’s a pic of the plate:

An assortment of seafood bites

“Cartoccio“

Black Cod, Squid, Mussels, Shrimp and Scallops

Topped with Puffed Saffron Rice and Black Salt

This dish came out in small decorative bags in a bowl.  We weren’t sure what to expect (or do) but the wait staff quickly came back with scissors and cut open the top.  Immediately, the air was suffused with the most seductive seafood aroma I’ve ever experienced.  Despite its simplicity (or maybe because of it), this was probably my favorite dish.  The flavors were so distinct and fresh that I just wanted more and more of it!  I practically licked the bowl!  My only regret was not having any bread on hand to sop up all the tasty juices that I couldn’t reach with my spoon!

“Paleron”

Tender Rioja Braised Beef with Warm Truffle Potato Foam,

Wild Mushroom, and Crispy Potato Lace

This was a classic beef course, refined to amazing goodness.  The flatiron cut, though not normally as tender as other cuts, was braised to perfection and melted in your mouth, blending perfectly with the puree and the crispy texture of the potato lace.  I was fortunate enough to be sitting next to the only vegetarian at the table (who broke her veggie vows and sampled it anyway) so I got to eat two of them, though she kept the puree and lacy potatoes.  Can you believe how selfish she was?

“Grape Surprise”

Green Grape skewer Dipped in Chocolate Pop Rocks

This simple beginning to the dessert course was a wonderful trip down memory lane, thanks to the pop rocks.  As simple as it was, it was a perfect bite of old school confection mixed with modern cooking techniques.

“Cherry Tasting”

Cherry-Rhubarb Palette

Spiced, Freeze Dried and Brandied Cherries

Cherry Milk Bubbles and Baba al Maraschino

This dessert, while tasty, was probably my least favorite, but that’s mostly because I’m a diabetic and my palate has a low tolerance for sweets.  Though very yummy, it was more than I could handle so I limited myself to small tasting bites, which were enough to make me wish I could eat more.  The presentation was really cool, too.  The assorted bites were served on a plate on top of a cherry flavored gel with a small glass in the center.  The chef went around to each and poured a liquid into the glass that caused a chemical reaction making a mini-cherry-flavored volcano erupt on all our plates.  The lava flowed across all the morsels, tying them together with a delightful flavor.

Cherry Tasting

“Chocolate”

Crunch Bar

Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, they bring out these little beauties.  About the size of one of those mini-Snicker’s bars that people give out for Halloween, these things were a combo of chocolate mousse, some kind of crunchiness and a hazelnut flavor that was perfect.  By this point in the meal, I was so far in my cups that I can’t really describe it; all i know is, it was amazing!

“Dragon’s Breath Popcorn”

With Spiced Peanut Butter and White Chocolate Powder

This was a very cool way to cap off an amazing meal, though I’m not sure how the chemistry worked.  Basically, Chef Keener came around the table with one of the servers.  He had a metal bowl filled with deeply frozen popcorn (dry ice maybe?) and the server had two containers, one with the Peanut Butter powder and the other with the White Chocolate powder.  The server would spoon some of the powder into your palm and then Chef Keener would add some popcorn to it.  You toss the whole thing in your mouth and WHAM!  Delicious popcorn and chocolate or peanut butter flavor, depending on your powder choice.  To add an awesome level of playfulness, once the stuff hit your mouth, smoke would come billowing out of your nose and mouth, hence the “Dragon’s Breath”  It was really tasty, and very cool, and most of us went a couple of rounds with it, blowing smoke rings and being silly.  Here’s a pic of Roberto blowing smoke, though you can barely see the smoke thanks to my photography skills, or lack thereof.  Chef Keener is behind him.

Roberto and the Dragon's Breath Popcorn

That’s pretty much it for the one of the coolest meals ever  My only regret is not having had a few other people I know join us that are serious foodies.  I think the creativity and mastery on display here would have really been appreciated by them, but they live out west, so their presence wasn’t really possible.

I was supposed to talk about the wine in this post–after all, it was the one of the major reasons behind this meal, but honestly, it was totally secondary to the food.  Don’t get me wrong-it was excellent wine and well paired with the food, but a meal like this deserves its own blog post.  Maybe I’ll write about the wine in a future post;  there’s some bottles of it still kicking around here somewhere.

Huge thanks go to Dad for setting this up and to everyone that was there for making it so fun.  It was quite the raucous international group:  Ari and her parent’s from Spain, Tesa, who was visiting us from Canada and didn’t know what to expect when we told her that we had a dinner with my family planned during her visit (I think she was pleasantly surprised ), my brother Tony who came down from Long Island and everyone else.  In fact, we had so much fun that had the venue been a public one, we would have been cut off from the wine and kicked out by the 8th course, I’m guessing.

Many thanks to Diane Robertson, Ridgewell’s uber Event Designer (and the lady that made my wedding the easiest, most stress-free and beautiful wedding ever–though my siblings might debate that!) who put the whole thing together with her usual style and panache.  And Jennifer Dolan from Exquisite Deisgn Studio who put together the beautiful room decor.  Jennifer, were you aware that those little white and orange gel balls make excellent projectiles?  I hope the clean up crew didn’t have to much trouble picking them up.  Unfortunately, when you give my brother-in-law Roberto a little bit of wine, he starts throwing stuff.  Fortunately, they weren’t sharp, pointy things or else we would have all left the table with major lacerations!  You can take the boy out of Verea, but you can’t take Verea out of the boy, I guess.  (I’ll be paying for that comment, guaranteed!)

A special thanks to Chef David Keener and Chef Stephan Carter:  the stuff you prepared for us might have been no big deal compared to the class of cooking you guys do on a regular basis, but for me, it was special, and wonderful and an absolute blast.  Thank you for blowing my mind and my taste buds.  They’ll never be the same again.

Review: The Golem by Edward Lee

I’m a huge fan of Edward Lee.  I’ve read most of his books, and while some of them have been kind of “meh”, the majority of them are totally entertaining, twisted gorefests with a healthy dose of sadism and evil.  In fact, I’d say City Infernal is in my top 10 of fun reads of all time.  Its almost a fairytale set in hell, and one of the more twisted, graphic books I’ve ever read.  His subsequent novels have varied in their subject matter and my enjoyment, but I always find myself tearing through them really quickly just to see what kind of perverted stuff he’s going to abuse his characters with.

The Golem,  is still pretty twisted, and if it were read by someone that hasn’t ever experienced his books before, they’d probably be horrified.  But for myself, it just didn’t have the impact of his previous novels.  The book follows two storylines:  in the present day, wealthy game developer, recent widower and recovering alcoholic Seth buys a historic mansion outside a small town in Maryland that he’d wanted ever since his dead wife and him saw it in the past.  Even though she died, he fulfilled his dream and purchased the place and has moved in with his new girlfriend Judy, a rehab-ed crack whore and college professor (yeah, I know ).  The house was built by the towns patriarch centuries ago, a Jewish practitioner of the dark side of kaballah, and, as you may have guessed, something isn’t quite right.

The second storyline takes place in the late 1800’s and chronicles the events of the town’s immigrant Czech-Jewish population as they deal with the anti-semitism that the locals heap on them.  This isn’t your modern day antisemitism:  the immigrants and the locals are in a full-blown war with lots of murder, torture and other messed up stuff occurring on both sides.  As I mentioned before, the Jewish patriarch is a dark sorcerer, and he uses his powers to create a golem to get vengeance on the locals for their persecution, and since he’s evil, he gets rich and all that other good stuff that evil folk like to do.

As the present-day storyline develops, we’re introduced to some seriously bad cops, some disgusting Maryland redneck bagmen, a seemingly peaceful Rabbi and Jewish community, and the mysterious murders–dismemberments– of a whole mess of crack heads and dealers.  Seth and Judy, hoping to start a new life in their new rural digs are inadvertently at the center of a maelstrom of hate, black magic, racism, drugs and a murderous mysterious monster (the golem).

So it seems like the elements were all there for me to enjoy it, but despite that, the book didn’t really do it for me  Don’t get me wrong, it was a fast and fun read, but it lacked the visceral impact of Lee’s past novels that I enjoyed because they almost never failed to shock me in some way.  Nothing in this book ever left me thinking “Damn, thats FUCKED up!” which is a common reaction to his books in the past, and frankly, something I look forward to.  I’ve been thinking about this a lot, and I hate to say it, but the problem might be mine, not Lee’s.  I think I’ve been so desensitized to his violent, sadistic prose that, like the crackheads in the book, I need more and stronger scenes of horror to get my fix.  Which is pretty disturbing.  I’m not a violent guy; quite peaceful and friendly actually and to not be moved or disgusted by some of the stuff that takes in the book is pretty weird  “Oh.  He got his foot, scalp and intestines torn out and shoved down his throat while he was still alive.  That’s nice.”  Make of that what you will; I’m clueless.  I’m hoping this isn’t a sign that I’m “maturing.”  I’ve perfectly enjoyed my 13 year old mind set for the last 30 something years, thank you very much.

All in all, the book was a fun and fast read with a lot of entertaining stuff, particularly if you’re a fan of gory horror.  If you’ve never read Lee before, this book will probably disgust you–and well it should.  But if you’re a Lee fan from way back like myself, I’m curious to see what your reactions to the book are.  I’m still trying to figure out whether I’ve changed, or whether Lee’s writing has.  Either way, it’s perfect for the beach this summer or a plane trip or for any other activity that will let you slip in some “just for fun” reading time.

Review: The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon

David Grann’s The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon is an excellent true story about obsession and the Amazon, and the explorer’s who  braved its green depths seeking fame, adventure, wealth, knowledge and sometimes a mixture of all four.  The book mainly chronicles the life and adventures of Percy Harrison Fawcett, a Victorian age British explorerer who was one of the most colorful adventurers of that era, and plumbs the mystery surrounding his final deadly foray into the Amazon in search of the fabled city “Z”.

Even though the book is primarily about Fawcett, Grann does a great job covering the history of Amazonian exploration, the genesis of the Royal Geographic Society in London and the psyche of obsession.  I’m not usually one that pines for bygone eras–I’m a futurist at heart–but Grann captures the essence of the unknown and the thrill of discovery so well, that it almost makes me wish that I could have been around in the 1830s just so I could hob-knob with all the characters and explore a world that still had mysterious and exotic locales.  These days, we’re pretty much left with space and underwater, neither of which is very conducive to solo exploration.

Drawing from correspondence, the Society’s archives, newspaper accounts and diaries, Grann is able to piece together surprising detail about what Fawcett’s forays into the Amazon were like.  All I can say is, these weren’t pleasant trips by my standards.  Horrific heat, violent indigineous peoples, snakes, pirahnas, poisonous frogs, starvation, disease and the insects.  Dear god, the insects!  The book is full of first hand accounts of people getting devoured by ants, implanted with larvae that then eat through your flesh, maggoty wounds, fish that’ll swim up your uretha or anus and latch on with barbs so that the only way to remove them (in those days) was to cut off your bait and tackle.  And thats the relatively visible things.  The protozoans, bacteria and disease were everywhere as well, including one nasty bugger that would infect your brain and you won’t even know it until 20 years later when your head explodes (not really explodes, its much more slow, painful and oozy)!  I’ll be honest, as much as that stuff creeped me out, it was awesome, in a horror movie kind of way.

Fawcett it seems, was a black hole of obsession.  He was obsessed with the Amazon and the city, and he inflamed those around him with obsession as well, both during his life and after his disappearance on his last trek into the Amazon with his son Jack.  Countless people disappeared trying to find his whereabouts, and in some circles, his “Z” and the mystery of his fate has created cults, attributing otherworldly, spiritual elements to him and his quest.  One of the things that makes this book so interesting is that the author, Grann, also got sucked into the obsession, to the point where he risked it all for his own foray into the Amazon a few years ago.  It’s not as dangerous these days, of course, with our medicines and communication and gps and whatnot, but its still pretty frikken crazy–you can still get ambushed by tribes, the bugs and disease are still there, and these days, bandits and ranchers will abduct/rape/murder/kill most people that they can get a hold of.  The local governments aren’t so nice either.

Ultimately, a book like this isn’t going to have a nice  neat ending without loose strings, but there is closure, however unsatisfying (I wanted a first hand account of the discovery of Z, dammit! ).  Grann’s storytelling and research and obvious personal obsession drew me in and infected me with the Fawcett bug, luring me towards the end, wishing that it would continue.  Never fear, though!  There’s no way in hell I’m every going into the Amazon to invite flesh eating worms to burrow through my flesh until we develop personal force fields that’ll keep a secure barrier between me and all the little nasties that infest the jungle!

Garden Update: Holy Crap! It’s working!

Much to my surprise, we haven’t killed everything we started growing in our garden.  Between inconsistent care on my part, a puppy and a baby rampaging in the yard, and clay-ey fill soil, I thought for sure our attempt at gardening would end up with a desolate wasteland covered with the brown skeletons of desiccated plant life.  So far the only thing we’ve lost was the Thai Basil, but i was expecting that based on descriptions of its ideal growing conditions.

Since the last update, we’ve added a few things.  I planted 3 varieties of heirloom tomatoes, 3 raspberry bushes, 3 varieties of strawberries, and a few rows of mesclun, peas, and wildflowers from seed (the other stuff was all from baby plants either uprooted from my mom’s garden or purchased at the nursery).  All but the wildflowers are growing vigorously–in fact, I’m now starting to wonder if I planted everything too close together.

Oh, and for shits and giggles, I stuck a potato in the ground to see if it would sprout.  Nothing yet, but I’ll keep you posted.

Ultimately, I think our success at this is going to depend on how well everything “fruits.”  Even if most things get eaten by birds and squirrels, as long raspberries, peas, tomatoes and strawberries start to pop up, I’ll consider the whole venture a success.  For next year, i can take precautions and set up some defenses against the beasties.  It’s only a rough idea, but I think it would be best for me to sit in the backyard 24/7 with a shotgun across my knees, ready to shoot down any winged or furred intruders.  If nothing else, it’ll be restful and I’ll get lots of reading done.

We’ve also discovered the newest inhabitants of the area: rats.  Big gray city ones, about 8 inches long not counting the tail.  According to our neighbors who’ve lived next door forever, they come and go and she didn’t seem particularly concerned.  Trenna?  Concerned.  Celsita?  Fascinated.  She sees every new thing as a potential toy or assesses it for its ability to dispense food or fun.  Me?  I’m spinning them as Secret of Nimh-style friendly rats with a sophisticated civilization living somewhere nearby.  Either that or as Splinter-esque ninja rats, likely training a cadre of squirrels to fight off evil republicans.  My dad?  Traps.  My mom? “I’m never going near your house again.”

So opinions vary but for now, the rats are here to stay  Our neighbor assures us they’ll move along.  *shrug*

Here’s some pics of the current growth:

Basil, Thyme and Lavender

Parsley, Oregano, Mint

Unknown (to me) flowers and plants transplanted from my mom's garden

Close up on the flower. Oooo, pretty!

2 Parsleys and Sage

3 tomato plants (right row) and unknown transplants (left row)

2 raspberry bushes (against the fence) and 3 strawberry plants

Rows of mesclun (to the left) and sweet peas (to the right, closest to the fence)

Review: The Temporal Void

The Temporal Void, Peter Hamilton’s 2nd installment in the Void Trilogy has a lot a to like and some things I could do without.  This trilogy takes place in the same universe as his earlier books Pandora’s Star and Judas Unchained though set about 1300 years in the future.  After recovering from the Prime war, humanity continued its expansion across the galaxy and divided into several factions: ANA, a post-physical collection of human minds centered around earth, the “Higher” worlds of people close to earth with enhancements that make them practically immortal and the external worlds, a loose federation of planets further out with different ideologies.

As we discovered in The Dreaming Void, there is a massive “something” at the center of our galaxy, another universe that occasionally grows and shrinks, devouring everything near it.  While this artifact is largely a mystery to inhabitants of our universe, Inigo–the First Dreamer–has dreamed of its interior and revealed a place of simplicity and happiness for humanity.  A place where one’s mind has the power to interact and shape the world around them, and containing a mysterious city built by unknown entities named Makkarath that has been occupied by humans for several millenia.  Inigo’s dreams follow the story of Edeard, the Waterwalker, a young man from the country who comes to the city and discovers that he has great powers and the ability to communicate with the city. While outside the Void Edeard’s life and the city of Makkarath is viewed as a paradise, the inside is actually more like feudal England with mind powers–not my cup of tea.

Outside the Void, in our universe, a religion has sprung up around Inigo’s dreams, with the goal of entering the Void and achieving ultimate happiness.  Inigo, after having led the religion for a while, has disappeared, and everyone is scrambling to find him since the Dreamers are mounting a massive pilgrimage to the void, spurred on by the dreams of a Second Dreamer, an unknown person that is channeling visions of the Void.  Both books chronicle the search for Inigo and the Second Dreamer by various factions, as well as the response of the rest of the races of the galaxy and their reaction to the pilgrimage, an act which is widely thought to bring about the destruction of the galaxy.

Once again, Hamilton has woven an intricate plot from the threads of many different characters, each pursuing their own agenda with regards to the mystery of the Void.  The return of familiar characters from the first book and the Prime War series brings a comfortable familiarity to the book that I find appealing.  Additionally, the future history he describes is very compelling to me:  high technology, fully integrated into people’s lives and an extentsion of their own minds and bodies.  Human’s are effectively immortal, and the “biononic” enhancements of some humans are so extensive and powerful, that they’re essentially magic.  For me, the ideas he presents of the evoloution of technology is one of the best parts.  I’ve read some reviews of his books that cite humans’ motivations, desires, and personalities as so similar to contemporary people that it doesn’t ring true, but for me, it just facilitates my visualizing of “what it would be like.”

It wasn’t all great, however.  Close to half the book is the telling of Edeard’s life through Inigo’s dreams.  These are basically fantasy interludes embedded into the sci-fi plot.  I’ll admit, they’re not awful and in a few instances they’re pretty great, but I almost feel cheated when he spends so much time in the fantasy world when I signed up for a sci-fi adventure.  It’s not a deal breaker, however, and his story telling is so good that the Edeard stuff isn’t awful, but I felt deprived that there was this awesome sci-fi universe out there and we were stuck with medieval psychics.

Regardless, I loved the book.  Like most of his titles, sex and violence abounds, and a subtle, wry humor is woven is throughout.  The only downside for me at this point is having to wait for the conclusion of the series which doesn’t even have a release date yet.  Get to work, Mr. Hamilton!  I’m dying over here!

Computer back up!

I haven’t posted much lately since my computer was in the shop and busy-ness abounded.  I’ve got a couple of posts written up (on paper!!!) that I have to type over–I should have a chance this week.

It is so nice to get my Mac back!  I didn’t realize how attached i was to it until it broke!

Precious…

Los Angeles Times Festival of Books

Last weekend, I attended the LA Times Festival of Books on the UCLA campus.  From their FAQ:

What is the festival of Books?
The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books began in 1996 with a simple goal: to bring together the people who create books with the people who love to read them. The festival was an immediate success and has become the largest and most prestigious book festival in the country, attracting more than 130,000 book lovers each year.

I’d never been, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect, and what I found was exciting!  To begin with, the day I was there, the weather was beautiful!  65 degrees and sunny;  perfect for an outdoor festival.  The main body of the festival took place on the main campus of UCLA with tents and vans set up in the common areas and green spaces which cover a good chunk of the campus.  I got there right as it started, and even at that “early” hour, the place was packed with book lovers enjoying the day.

The festival was broken up into a several loose areas:  food courts, a children’s area, traditional publishers and bookstores, independent publishers and authors, event stages and local bookstores and shops sprinkled throughout.   Everywhere I wandered, people were packing the tents, checking out books on a huge range of subjects or chatting with members of literacy organizations, professional trade associations, non-profit groups, or just waiting in line for a chance to get their book signed by their favorite author.  Book mascots wandered the fields posing for pictures with children and the young at the heart and everywhere you went, the smell of kettle corn and roasting meat from the food vendors tempted people over to their kitchens.

This isn’t a show we normally attend for business.  In fact, I think this was our first year with someone there, but from everyone I talked to in the publishing industry, I’d heard it was a pretty big deal with lots of potential opportunities.  While I did find this to be the case, the atmosphere was so chaotic with people wandering everywhere and so much selling going on, that having a deep conversation with a publisher or vendor was kinda tough.  Despite this, I met some cool people and laid the groundwork for future relations, and I think with some refinements to my itinerary, this could be a regular stop on the annual show circuit.

All in all, I had a great time, met some some cool people and I now know more about the nuts and bolts of the show so that next year I can arrange things differently so that we can get even more out of it, specifically, book buying.  While this trip will inevitably lead to some good deals in the upcoming months, I have other ideas about how our business might benefit now that I’ve been there and seen how the show dynamics play out.  As with most things, its all about timing and my timing on this trip was less than ideal.  For what I do, visiting the show during times when there isn’t as much chaos would definitely be more productive.  While I enjoy the hustle and bustle of a busy show on a personal level, its hard to sit and have an in-depth talk with a vendor about stuff when they have 50 customers trying to buy books from them.

From the shopping to the dining to the musical acts or just lying on the grass taking in the sun or playing frisbee, the show was without a doubt a big hit.  I’m often pretty bummed about how little our society seems to value reading or literature, but events like this make me hopeful.  Seeing the young and old get enthusiastic about books and reading is a big morale boost to someone in my profession.  Without that enthusiasm in people, I and everyone else that works in the book trade, from authors to publishers to vendors would be out of a job, and for many of us, we’d lose a passion.  Its hard to explain the impact of a meaningful book on a person and what that in turn does to those around us.  It makes us more thoughtful, empathetic and civilized, I think, and that was evident from the peaceful happy crowd at the festival.

If you’re interested, I have a few more pics of the show up on my Flickr page.