Hulver's site || Reading books?

Reading books?

Means to an end	2 votes - 28 %
End in itself	5 votes - 71 %

7 Total Votes

Sense of Humours | 14 comments (14 topical, 0 hidden) | Trackback

I'm always a bit wary by nebbish (4.00 / 1) #1 Fri Nov 07, 2008 at 03:29:45 AM EST

of literary types doing SF. "The Road" was good though.

I hate the "passport or driver's license" demands made by people selling you stuff. Until a few years ago I had neither. Yet I can take out bank loans, rent a flat etc?

You should have called Mac's bluff and said you don't travel abroad because of the environment so don't have a passport, you're discriminating against my environmentalism, I'm going to raise hell on the forums etc.

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It's political correctness gone mad!

I haven't really encountered it before by TheophileEscargot

(2.00 / 0) #2 Fri Nov 07, 2008 at 03:35:30 AM EST

I don't usually go for credit deals, I so kind of expect to hand over some money and get something in exchange.

When literary types do SF: sometimes it can work very well: I liked "The Plot Against America" by Philip Roth and "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro. Sometimes not so well.

But it wasn't the SF-y bits that were the problem. His world-building was fine and his ideas were new, he didn't reinvent any wheels. It was just the lack of plot and interest that was the problem.
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Butch and Petey are harsh and unforgiving in their estimation of female beauty.
[ Parent ]

The central premise doesn't inspire me by nebbish (4.00 / 1) #3 Fri Nov 07, 2008 at 03:48:05 AM EST

It just seems ridiculous. Does he convincingly explain how the division came about?

Yeah, Plot Against America is another very good one (apart from the ending). What Ishiguro I've read I've liked a lot but "Never Let Me Go" is one I've missed. It goes on the Wishlist...

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It's political correctness gone mad!
[ Parent ]

: Well, I suppose it is a bit unlikely by TheophileEscargot (4.00 / 1) #4 Fri Nov 07, 2008 at 04:09:33 AM EST

He doesn't explain much about how it happened: the propaganda says that the old world was overrun with crime and violence, but I think you're supposed to be skeptical of that.
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Butch and Petey are harsh and unforgiving in their estimation of female beauty.
[ Parent ]

So... by ucblockhead

(4.00 / 1) #5 Fri Nov 07, 2008 at 06:33:04 AM EST

We're ignoring the "30-40% chance of Obama victory" stuff from last summer, I presume...
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[ucblockhead is] useless and subhuman

Heh, I was never that far out by TheophileEscargot

(2.00 / 0) #6 Fri Nov 07, 2008 at 06:44:44 AM EST

Early on I gave probabilities of 55% McCain, 45% Obama; but I always said it would depend on "VP choices, the debates, and whether McCain has any senior moments or temper tantrums on video."

Winning all three debates and the timing of the credit crisis helped Obama out, and I said so.
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Butch and Petey are harsh and unforgiving in their estimation of female beauty.
[ Parent ]

Chances by ucblockhead

(4.00 / 1) #7 Fri Nov 07, 2008 at 06:48:17 AM EST

I was just surprised at the time, because it was so far out from what the betting markets were saying.
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[ucblockhead is] useless and subhuman
[ Parent ]

Yep, 3 to 1 by TheophileEscargot

(2.00 / 0) #8 Fri Nov 07, 2008 at 06:53:08 AM EST

McCain took the lead soon after that... I was kicking myself for not putting a bet on.

I still think it would have been a rational bet: those odds were too long. I think if the credit crisis had held off and Iran/Russian/North Korea had done something nasty instead, we'd probably be looking at President-Elect McCain right now...
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Butch and Petey are harsh and unforgiving in their estimation of female beauty.
[ Parent ]

I find that doubtful by ucblockhead

(4.00 / 1) #9 Fri Nov 07, 2008 at 07:15:07 AM EST

Except for the post-convention bounce, Obama held the lead in the polls for nearly the entire election.

There's lots of evidence that the polls were changing in Obama's direction after the Katie Couric interview, *before* the credit crisis. There's also lots of speculation that had McCain picked someone like Christine Todd Whitman, who appeals to the middle, he'd have lost the base.
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[ucblockhead is] useless and subhuman
[ Parent ]

I have a better record than the polls though by TheophileEscargot

(2.00 / 0) #10 Fri Nov 07, 2008 at 07:38:17 AM EST

3% margins of error... pah!
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Butch and Petey are harsh and unforgiving in their estimation of female beauty.
[ Parent ]

fivethirtyeight.com by ucblockhead

(2.00 / 0) #11 Fri Nov 07, 2008 at 07:43:39 AM EST

fivethirtyeight.com called the popular vote to a tenth of a percent. :-)
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[ucblockhead is] useless and subhuman
[ Parent ]

: In how many elections? by TheophileEscargot (2.00 / 0) #12 Fri Nov 07, 2008 at 07:53:44 AM EST

You need to watch out for these dodgy amateur types who fluke one election and then claim to be great predictors...
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Butch and Petey are harsh and unforgiving in their estimation of female beauty.
[ Parent ]

Bjork by priestess (4.00 / 2) #13 Fri Nov 07, 2008 at 09:29:57 AM EST

My god she's lovely, I just wanna eat her all up. She was losing me there in the middle with all the weird pseudoscience but pulled it together for a masterful comeback leaving me litterally clapping when she said not to trust poets.

Can someone pack her up and send her over please?

Pre............

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Chat to the virtual me...

: Sorry no. by Tonatiuh (4.00 / 1) #14 Sat Nov 08, 2008 at 01:25:12 PM EST

Iceland's creditors like me have a righteous first stab at all the possible assets of that country.

I would consider dropping my rightful claim if this lady is sent to me in the terms you describe...

[ Parent ]

Sense of Humours | 14 comments (14 topical, 0 hidden) | Trackback


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