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Photos, usually taken by me. May be mirrored or imported from other services.

📚 Cyberbooks by Ben Bova

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50/2023 – ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Not really that great of a book, but entertaining now as a bit of retro-tech kitsch. A bit of noir mystery and a lot of needling of the publishing industry, all based around the then-SF idea of publishing books electronically. In some ways somewhat naïve about the progression of technology, but in other ways remarkably prescient about the upheaval that electronic publishing and distribution would cause in the traditional publishing world. An entertaining curiosity if you come across it, but not good enough to be actively sought after.

Me holding Cyberbooks

Year 50 Day 137

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Me standing in an entryway with a high ceiling, using an extension pole to replace a ceiling-mounted lightbulb.

Day 137: We definitely like the nice open entryway to our place, but it does make changing lightbulbs a bit more complicated than usual. Slightly more so when you misjudge your step and unexpectedly go down four steps at a time instead of one. No injuries, thank goodness, but it was a bit of an adventure.

Year 50 Day 136

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Me holding a thank you letter from the Nielsen company and two five dollar bills.

Day 136: A couple weeks ago, I got an invitation (complete with $1 bill) to fill out a Nielsen survey. I had to jump through some ridiculous hoops to do it, and then it went on forever and had far less to do with the media I watch and more with shopping and leisure activities, so it wasn’t very interesting. But I slogged my way through, and today got a thank-you note with $10 cash! So…yay?

Year 50 Day 135

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Me sitting on our couch, wearing a black t-shirt with a graphic of a hearse with the words 'mask it or casket' written across the side.

Day 135: Vaccines mean this shirt isn’t quite so on-point for most of us as it once was, but for some it is, and it’s still worth keeping in mind. Plus, it’s a great design.

📚 Uncanny Issue 54 edited by Lynne M. Thomas, Michael Damian Thomas, Monte Lin, and Betsy Aoki

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49/2023 – ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Standouts for me this month are Catherynne M. Valente’s “Can You Hear Me Now?”, Grace P. Fong’s “We Do Not Eat Much Fish”, Sarah Monette’s “The Kingdom of Darkness”, and AnaMaria Curtis’s “The Coffin Maker”.

Me holding my iPad displaying the cover for Uncanny issue 54.

Year 50 Day 132

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Me standing outside wearing a maroon-ish t-shirt with the Dr. Pepper logo.

Day 132: The sad thing is, though Dr. Pepper used to be my drink of choice (back in the ‘90s in Anchorage, I’d walk into the diner I frequented and the wait staff would have a one on a table for me by the time I sat down), I don’t drink it anymore, as I now try to stay caffeine free and generally avoid sugar sodas. While they do technically make a caffeine-free Diet Dr. Pepper (that has almost the right “carbonated prune juice” taste), around here it’s effectively impossible to get ahold of. Apparently there just isn’t enough demand here for our local stores to carry it.