Month: April 2011

It's easier for me to count Heinlein books I haven't read instead of Heinlein books I have read 🙂

I haven't bothered counting but I am a big Heinlein fan 🙂

34…. [grin]

They’re at it again 🙂

The Reg have turned their earlier Best Films Never Made (that’s my link to it) story into a poll now. Here’s a link to the story with the poll : Reg Link.

Different list this time around, I definitely recognise a lot more on it :

The Algebraist – Iain M Banks ****
Altered Carbon – Richard K Morgan
The Atrocity Archives – Charles Stross
The Baroque Cycle – Neal Stephenson
A Canticle for Leibowitz – Walter M Miller, Jr.
Childhood’s End – Arthur C Clarke
The Chronicles of Amber – Roger Zelazny
Cities in Flight – James Blish
The City and the Stars – Arthur C Clarke
Consider Phlebas – Iain M Banks ****
Cryptonomicon – Neal Stephenson
Deathworld – Harry Harrison
The Demolished Man – Alfred Bester
Dorsai – Gordon R Dickson
Downbelow Station – CJ Cherryh
Dragonriders of Pern – Anne McCaffrey ****
Ender’s Game – Orson Scott Card
Eon – Greg Bear
Excession – Iain M Banks ****
A Fire Upon the Deep – Vernor Vinge
Footfall – Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle ****
The Forever War – Joe Haldeman
The Forge of God – Greg Bear
Foundation – Isaac Asimov ****
The Gap Cycle – Stephen R Donaldson
Gateway – Frederick Pohl
Hyperion – Dan Simmons
The Legacy of Heorot – Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle and Steven Barnes ****
Lensmen – E.E. “Doc” Smith
Lord of Light – Roger Zelazny
Lucifer’s Hammer – Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle ****
The Man in the High Castle – Philip K Dick
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress – Robert A Heinlein ****
The Mote In God’s Eye – Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle ****
Neuromancer – William Gibson
Night’s Dawn – Peter F Hamilton
Old Man’s War – John Scalzi
On Basilisk Station – David Weber ****
The Player of Games – Iain M Banks ****
Protector – Larry Niven (have it, not read it yet)
Rendezvous With Rama – Arthur C Clarke
Ringworld – Larry Niven ****
Skylark – EE “Doc” Smith
Snow Crash – Neal Stephenson
The Stainless Steel Rat – Harry Harrison
The Stars My Destination (aka Tiger! Tiger!) – Alfred Bester
Stranger in a Strange Land – Robert A Heinlein (gave up on it)
The Technicolor Time Machine – Harry Harrison
Titan – John Varley
Use of Weapons – Iain M Banks ****

Same as before – the ones in Italic with ****’s are the ones I’ve read. 14 this time.

Started reading again 🙂

I have cycles where I’ll devour several books very quickly, interspersed with periods where it takes me ages to get through one. The latest is Inversions by Iain M. Banks.

He’s a decent author but his books tend to be somewhat inconsistent. I think it’s the aim behind the book. Is the book relating to galaxy shaping events or is there something more philosophical going on. I tend to deal more in absolutes and have trouble getting my head around philosophical stuff. Page turners for me tend to be more about will that starship make it through, which of the crew have the Sword of Damocles hanging over them. I like things to happen.

Maybe that’s why I like watching rugby and cricket but find football tedious. Lots of narrative in football but very little in the way of game changing events (goals & sending offs).

Anyway – Inversions is a tale set in two countries in a far off planet. It’s not earth but a similar analogue. The narrative alternates between a Doctor and her apprentice in one country and the bodyguard of the Protector (King) of the other. You have intrigue inside the court and intrigue between the countries. There’s lots here that should make it interesting but to be honest, most of that is telegraphed long before the actual action happens.

Yep – it’s more a philosophy message book than Armies Invade Spacefleets Clash. Must read Consider Phlebas or The Algebraist again soon as they keep the reader guessing much more in a “how the hell can the characters get out of this mess ????” kind of way.

Not a bad book, just not as many surprises here as in his other books. Not much “science” fiction here too. There’s touches of sci-fi in there but it’s very light.

What’s next ? That’ll be the Exiles Trilogy by Ben Bova. It’s a trilogy two thirds written before I was born. I’m 100 pages out of 450 in so far and it’s escaping the obsolence trap that a lot of older sci-fi books fall into. The tech is what you would expect from extrapolating from what we see today, in that it thinks we’ll have Better versions of what we have now. Progress through evolution instead of revolution. Computer tech is a bit behind though. We have advanced in hardware (if not AI) far more than what anyone in the Apollo years would have expected.

Ben Bova’s books can be a bit “Writing By Numbers” (the way David Weber has gone) but they usually keep the reader guessing along the way. And that’s what counts, we don’t want to know the outcome before we read it.

MoT & annual service again today – shiny car is still shiny.

For non-Brits, the MoT is an annual test all cars over here that are more than 3 years old have to pass to say they’re ok to go on the roads. I thought I’d get whinged at this time around for brakes, as that was something noted on the last test.

What was the damage ? Nothing “needed” fixing. Well, nothing except the tyres which were changed a couple of weeks ago. They were still legal, just. Let’s say it was more fun driving on the Fluffy Stuff end of last year than at the start of last year.

Advisories on :
Brake pads at the back (80% worn)
Brake discs at the back (same width as last year)
Exhaust heat shield (my first proper car actually ran better without the heatshield)
Coolant a bit low

Translation – nothing to worry about right now. The brakes is the same advisory as last year and with the low mileage I do, they will last. Exhaust heat shield explains some rattlies from a couple of weeks ago (think this was actually something different). Same again, not bothered.

So – another tick in the box. The only one left now is the letter that says the finance has finished paying off on the Focus. I don’t actually need to wait for this but extra time means a bit more chance for the “There’s Something Better Coming” feeling to be satisfied.

Hmm – that would be the same feeling that’s had me holding off on upgrading the main PC, although with the PC I know there’s something better coming soon. (It’s called V68 Sandy Bridge chipset)

It’s a lovely sunny day today so I thought I’d indulge myself in a wander around the centre of Bristol. Lots of good outfits on show. Lots of not so good outfits. Lots of good outfits worn really, really badly. Oh and a wardrobe malfunction by someone who intended to run across the road but she ended up going bouncy-bouncy instead.

Didn’t buy anything, although I did stop off at ToyotaWorld Bristol South on the way back (yeah right – it’s in the opposite direction). Prius T Spirit is definitely something that belongs in a scifi movie in the near future. Things like the dashboard computer which will require a few evenings learning the manual. There’s even a head up display which I think could work nicely.

The dash in general wasn’t nearly as plush as the Lexus though. It’ll be a tough choice there :

Lexus – definitely fits the “luxury” bill. Not so sure about the level of toys and reports generally saying that they messed up the chassis.
Prius – Many toys. The car is a toy. It’s the third generation of its type. It proved the tech while the Lexus just borrowed it. Build quality not quite the same as the Lexus but I’d prefer build quality effort to go into chassis and toys.

At the moment, my opinion is going to the Prius. It’s a bit cheaper, the offers are better (saves £1000 in servicing) and it has extra toys :

Satnav – meh, I’d prefer to use a standalone Tomtom.
Smart (keyless) entry & start – not sure about this, could they get in with the key kept at the front of the house ?
Cruise control & reverse camera – £510 option on Lexus
Head Up Display – it works but I’m old fashioned and like dials.
Fancy trip computer – £1500 on Lexus for shiny knob thingy
Bigger car (inside) for same weight
Deals …

What you miss from the Lexus is :
Heated front seats – my back would love these 🙂
USB socket for iPod – meh. A headphone jack does the job.

So – still making my mind up, although today’s MoT pass lifts another of those barriers. Dunno about resale value on the Lexus because it’s too new but the Prius holds its value well … 1 year old average mileage lost £4k, 2 year old higher mileage lost £6k (£18.5k) which compares very well with a 3 year old Guaranteed Future Value of £9k.

Somehow I've never bought Citizen of the Galaxy. I have everything else by Heinlein 🙂

There's a few more new (to me!) authors on that list that I will need to check out at some point.

24 [grin]

Spotted a story on the Register today – they’d (foolishly?) asked for suggestions on what was the best film never made.

And then they got an Inbox Explosion 🙂 Here’s a link to the story with the full list.


Here’s the list – the ones in italic with ****’s are the ones I’ve read. Need to get reading more !

• Ace Trucking Co – John Wagner and Alan Grant
• Against a Dark Background – Iain M Banks (it’s waiting in the Pile)
• Agent To The Stars – John Scalzi
• The Amtrak Wars – Patrick Tilley
• Anvil of Stars – Greg Bear
• The Ballad of Halo Jones – Alan Moore
• The Black Cloud – Sir Fred Hoyle
• The Caves of Steel – Isaac Asimov
• The Chanur Saga – CJ Cherryh
• Chasm City – Alastair Reynolds ****
• The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant – Stephen R Donaldson
• The Chrysalids – John Wyndham
• Citizen of the Galaxy – Robert A Heinlein
• Creatures of Light and Darkness – Roger Zelazny
• Daemon – Daniel Suarez
• The Dark Wheel – Robert Holdstock
• Desolation Road – Ian McDonald
• The Difference Engine – William Gibson and Bruce Sterling
• The Dispossessed – Ursula K Le Guin
• The Dosadi Experiment – Frank Herbert
• Earth – David Brin
• The Expendables – Edmund Cooper
• A Fall Of Moondust – Arthur C Clarke
• Feersum Endjinn – Iain M Banks ****
• The Fountains of Paradise – Arthur C Clarke
• Glory Road – Robert A Heinlein ****
• Hammer’s Slammers – David Drake
• Have Spacesuit – Will travel – Robert A Heinlein ****
• Hinterlands – William Gibson
• Icerigger – Alan Dean Foster
• Inferno – Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
• The Integral Trees – Larry Niven
• The Invincible – Stanislaw Lem
• Kiln People – David Brin
• The Kraken Wakes – John Wyndham
• The Left Hand of Darkness – Ursula K Le Guin
• Liege Killer – Christopher Heinz
• Macroscope – Piers Anthony
• Mars – Ben Bova ****
• The Mars Trilogy – Kim Stanley Robinson ****
• Mindstar Rising – Peter F Hamilton
• Mockingbird – Walter Tevis
• Moving Mars – Greg Bear
• Mutineers’ Moon – David Weber ****
• Nimbus – Alexander Jablokov
• The Number of the Beast – Robert A Heinlein ****
• Orbitsville – Bob Shaw
• Only Forward – Michael Marshall Smith
• Otherland – Tad Williams
• Out of the Silent Planet – CS Lewis
• Pandora’s Star – Peter F Hamilton
• Planet of Adventure – Jack Vance
• Pushing Ice – Alastair Reynolds
• Revelation Space Saga – Alastair Reynolds
• Rocheworld – Robert L Forward
• Rogue Trooper – Gerry Finley-Day
• The Saga of the Well World – Jack L Chalker
• Santiago: A Myth of the Far Future – Mike Resnick
• The Sirens of Titan – Kurt Vonnegut, Jr
• The Skinner – Neal Asher
• Spinneret – Timothy Zahn ****
• Startide Rising – David Brin
• The Survivors – Tom Godwin
• Tales of Pirx the Pilot – Stanislaw Lem
• Time Enough for Love – Robert A Heinlein ****
• Timescape – Gregory Benford
• Transition – Iain M Banks
• A Transatlantic Tunnel, Hurrah! – Harry Harrison
• Ubik – Philip K Dick
• The Uplift War – David Brin
• The Void Trilogy – Peter F Hamilton
• The Voyage of the Space Beagle – AE van Vogt
• Vurt – Jeff Noon
• Who Goes There? – Bob Shaw
• The Wreck of The River of Stars – Michael Flynn

How many have you read ?

Still weighing up my options on the next car.

What isn’t helping at the moment is conflicting reviews. Some people hate the new Lexus, others think it’s ok. I suspect it’s a bit of a marmite car. Either that, or the quality coming out of the factory is not consistent. This is what scares me at the moment – I’ve previously bought used cars, which has good and bad side :

Good side to buying used :
You can thoroughly check out the car. Most Gremlins get bored quickly and surface early. If a car has Gremlins, they will usually start messin’ with your mind quite quick. Buying used means you are test driving the car you would eventually buy. If it has specific quirks, you can walk away. If it’s rough or otherwise coming apart at the seams, walk away.

Bad side to used :
Mechanical stuff wears out. Get a used turbo car and you should expect major bills to come on that turbo at some point. Same for the rest of the car. The best time to own anything is when it’s shiny & new.
With a new car, the car you get is not the demonstrator, it has come over from the factory. You get the best years out of the car but you’re also at risk if the factory puts in the Gremlins.

Lexus have a stormin’ reputation but that inconsistency of reviews is a bit of a concern. There’s also inconsistency in the performance shown in tests, with figures going from below 10 secs to 60 to 12 seconds. That’s a fairly sizable margin that makes you wonder what the testers were getting up to. A hybrid car will only give maximum performance when there’s juice in the battery, so if they’ve drained the battery before doing their 0 to 60, of course it won’t be particularly brilliant. Similarly, if the battery pack is on a par with a Red Bull F1* car (their KERS hasn’t lasted a race yet), that’s seriously bad news for a hybrid.

*Let’s just say the Infiniti hybrid (Red Bull’s partner) is off the menu. Ok, it never got on the menu cos it’s out of my price league but there you go.

I’m thinking again about the cheaper options – Honda’s CR-Z and the Toyota Prius. Gotta be honest, I’ve not actually sat in a Prius to check it out properly. Maybe the Lexus has been rushed to market a little too quickly.

Another car thing that’s melting my brain at the moment is finance.

There’s a scheme called Personal Contract Purchase, which is something I’ll likely go for. It works by deferring some of the payment to the end, as a Guaranteed Future Value (GFV). The GFV is what the car is expected to be worth after the period of the contract.
Start – car cost £25k.
Take a deposit off that – £5k – leaves £20k remainder
Set a Guaranteed Future Value – £10k
£20k – £10k leaves £10k to come from a loan.
The usual APR is 9.9%, making that £10k over 3 years cost £330 per month (35 payments) for a total of £11,554.

After the 3 years, you have the option to pay the GFV to buy your car, or you can hand it back, or you can say “ta muchly, same again please”. Where my brain is melting is the difference between calculated loan and what they quote – for the Lexus, there’s almost £3000 getting added in somewhere. With the Prius10, the offer quotes £429 per month with £15k of the £26k purchase price being outside the loan. If I work it out, that £429 should be £351.

I must be missing something … Need those finance details spelled out in small words.

Simple rule – if you don’t understand completely what you’re being offered with finance, walk away. That goes for all those things where someone is trying to sell you something you either don’t need (payment protection insurance) or have no real world purpose (warranties).

Depending on what happens on Saturday with the car service, I should have time to make up my mind 🙂 Maybe something better is just around the corner …

Oh – only 2 (maybe 2.5) working days left until an extended break. Definitely feeling the need for it, especially judging by me having trouble getting my MathBoy Brain around that finance stuff …