Think about it: personal computers were first becoming popular in the early 1980s -- about 40 years after World War II, at a time when many of the last WW II planes were being grounded or scrapped. And we all know that those planes were infested with gremlins (I have it on the word of veteran who served in the Army Air Force in the war.) So what was a gremlin to do when he was kicked out of his airplane home? The little guys have an affinity for machines, so I think they found new homes in PCs. In fact, I'm sure of it, because they're still up to their old tricks, causing trouble.
Monday, April 20, 2020
Wednesday, April 15, 2020
not-to-be-forgotten authors: daphne du maurier
not-to-be-forgotten authors: daphne du maurier
Not-to-be-forgotten authors -- some have a cult following, some have titles studied as classics, some you may never have heard of if you're under a certain age, but all have been popularly read for pleasure, and are worth a seeking out for a good read.
On windswept moors or tangled corridors and alleyways -- or in everyday, ordinary, homey settings -- British author Daphne Du Maurier (1907-1989) delved into the dark corners of the human mind. She's best known as the author of The Birds and Rebecca, which were made into movies by Alfred Hitchcock.
There's a list of her works, including any alternative U.S. titles, on her Wikipedia page.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daphne_du_Maurier
Not-to-be-forgotten authors -- some have a cult following, some have titles studied as classics, some you may never have heard of if you're under a certain age, but all have been popularly read for pleasure, and are worth a seeking out for a good read.
On windswept moors or tangled corridors and alleyways -- or in everyday, ordinary, homey settings -- British author Daphne Du Maurier (1907-1989) delved into the dark corners of the human mind. She's best known as the author of The Birds and Rebecca, which were made into movies by Alfred Hitchcock.
There's a list of her works, including any alternative U.S. titles, on her Wikipedia page.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daphne_du_Maurier
Tuesday, April 14, 2020
not-to-be-forgotten authors: nevil shute
Not-to-be-forgotten authors -- some have a cult following, some have titles studied as classics, some you may never have heard of if you're under a certain age, but all have been popularly read for pleasure, and are worth a seeking out for a good read.
Nevil Shute (1899-1960) was a British-Australian author who usually wrote about aviation and/or World War II and/or Australia. One of these, What Happened to the Corbetts, is a novel of The Blitz -- written two years before The Blitz. His autobiography, Slide Rule, is a fascinating account of his aeronautic engineering career.
He was quite popular in Britain, Australia, and the United States during the War and in the postwar years, and today he's best known now for his novels that were made into movies or television mini-series, including:
On the Beach (1959)
starring Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Fred Astaire, Anthony Perkins
A Town Like Alice (1981 television mini-series)
starring Helen Morse, Bryan Brown, Gordon Jackson
The Thorn Birds (1983 television mini-series)
starring Richard Chamberlain, Rachel Ward, Christopher Plummer
There's a list of his works, including any alternative U.S. titles, on his Wikipedia page.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevil_Shute
Nevil Shute (1899-1960) was a British-Australian author who usually wrote about aviation and/or World War II and/or Australia. One of these, What Happened to the Corbetts, is a novel of The Blitz -- written two years before The Blitz. His autobiography, Slide Rule, is a fascinating account of his aeronautic engineering career.
He was quite popular in Britain, Australia, and the United States during the War and in the postwar years, and today he's best known now for his novels that were made into movies or television mini-series, including:
On the Beach (1959)
starring Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Fred Astaire, Anthony Perkins
A Town Like Alice (1981 television mini-series)
starring Helen Morse, Bryan Brown, Gordon Jackson
The Thorn Birds (1983 television mini-series)
starring Richard Chamberlain, Rachel Ward, Christopher Plummer
There's a list of his works, including any alternative U.S. titles, on his Wikipedia page.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevil_Shute
Monday, April 13, 2020
fantasy libraries online: project gutenberg
Project Gutenberg is the granddaddy of them all. It started in 1971 at the University of Illinois, which is logical, as the U. of I. was the home of PLATO and touch screens and chat rooms and pretty much the general turn-of-the-millennium internet world except twenty to thirty years earlier. Now there are tens of thousands of public domain and creative commons e-books, and even some audio books.
One fantasy-library-like aspect of this site is that it allows for serendipity more than many online databases. You can search for specific items but you can also wander through the stacks browsing the catalog by title, author, category, or language (yes, there are lots of 'em). Or put in a key word in the search blank and browse by subject. Title and author browsing are true browsing -- you get a page with all the authors or titles beginning with your chosen letter, so you scan stroll -- uh, scroll -- around and see what's on nearby "shelves." Besides the obvious classics, there are pop-culture items, eyewitness testimonies of times past, and all sorts of odd and esoteric items in the shadowy nooks.
Project Gutenberg is truly free -- no money, no advertisements, no strings attached, no sign-ins or other hoops to jump through. And you can download the books and truly own your copies until your flash drive or computer burns out.
One fantasy-library-like aspect of this site is that it allows for serendipity more than many online databases. You can search for specific items but you can also wander through the stacks browsing the catalog by title, author, category, or language (yes, there are lots of 'em). Or put in a key word in the search blank and browse by subject. Title and author browsing are true browsing -- you get a page with all the authors or titles beginning with your chosen letter, so you scan stroll -- uh, scroll -- around and see what's on nearby "shelves." Besides the obvious classics, there are pop-culture items, eyewitness testimonies of times past, and all sorts of odd and esoteric items in the shadowy nooks.
Project Gutenberg is truly free -- no money, no advertisements, no strings attached, no sign-ins or other hoops to jump through. And you can download the books and truly own your copies until your flash drive or computer burns out.
Sunday, April 12, 2020
what makes a good fantasy library?
Books, lots and lots of books -- pretty books, gorgeous books, rare books loaded with arcane knowledge from all over the world and all through history (and forgotten histories and alternate histories), neatly lined up on shelves or overflowing in untidy piles, in a cavernous space or a twisty, cramped nook that holds more than seems possible. It should be mysterious and hidden -- or hidden in plain sight. It need not be located in a magical world (although books are inherently magical), but if it is, it might be guarded by a friendly dragrynix.
This is just opinion, which is, of course, perfectly appropriate for fantasy 'cause, by definition, it's all made up anyway.
This is just opinion, which is, of course, perfectly appropriate for fantasy 'cause, by definition, it's all made up anyway.
Wednesday, April 8, 2020
alternatives to videocats: the gilcrease museum
Want to see more of the Old West? The Gilcrease Museum of Tulsa has put a rich treasury online. Much, although not all, of it is art and history of the western United States -- Article: The Life and Times of [Cherokee] Principal Chief John Ross, Browse: Native American Artists, Browse: Taos School of Painters, Browse: Frederic Remington Paintings & Sculptures, Paintings by Hudson River School Artists [western scenes]. There's even a 1777 copy of the Declaration of Independence handwritten by Silas Deane.
Sunday, April 5, 2020
alternatives to videocats: the beryl collection at the tulsa city-county library
Oklahoma is a relatively new state -- which is an advantage in that its history (after statehood, anyway) is well documented in photographs. The Tulsa City-County Library is home to the Beryl Collection of historical photographs of Oklahoma.
To start browsing, go to the Tulsa City-County Library website and type "beryl collection" into the Search box on the broad red stripe near the top of the page. Or type "beryl" + any Oklahoma history topic of your choosing. For example,"beryl will rogers" yields 54 pictures of the famous humorist.
To start browsing, go to the Tulsa City-County Library website and type "beryl collection" into the Search box on the broad red stripe near the top of the page. Or type "beryl" + any Oklahoma history topic of your choosing. For example,"beryl will rogers" yields 54 pictures of the famous humorist.
Thursday, April 2, 2020
alternatives to videocats: the lincoln collection at the allen county library
Most people are aware that both Kentucky and Illinois claim Abraham Lincoln, but he also lived for awhile in Indiana. The Allen County Public Library of Ft. Wayne has a collection of photographs, letters and other documents.
https://acpl-cms.wise.oclc.org/research/lincoln-collection
https://acpl-cms.wise.oclc.org/research/lincoln-collection
alternatives to videocats
Has confinement given you too much time on your hands? Looking for a rabbit hole to dive into? Go to the library -- via your computer. Many public libraries have interesting collections that anyone can access online. In the days to come, I'll be putting up links to some fun and informative ones I've found.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
