Dear Readers,
a busy week followed by a weekend without time to rest.
Finally the time has come to upgrade the PC from my wife from Win XP to Win 7. The good thing is that I did not need to by new hardware. I also decided to use the Windows Easy-Transfer program. There is a lot of data to be transferred. I use the time to write this post.
I'm using now a new "old" laptop. I got a Lenovo T520 from the company and yesterday evening I installed Linux Mint 17.2 "Rafaela" with MATE desktop on it.
On the two previous laptops I used openSUSE. Why the change?
First of all this version will be support until 2019 which is a really long time. What I really appreciate is the fact that this distribution comes with a software package which is more or less ready to use. It delivers everything I need at once.
The only things I added was my Firefox profile and I installed CALIBRE.
I understand why Linux Mint is so popular. It makes it really easy to change from the Windows world into the world of Linux.
In case you want to give Linux a try I recommend to use Linux Mint.
ENJOY READING ....
Edi's Guidepost
The Lighthouse
News and information straight from the horse's mouth by Lighthouse keeper ediFanoB
Reading progress
Books
The latest report from our shelf shop net correspondent Bona
New books on my shelf/reader or when one book leads to another
Blogosphere
Messages from the depths of the blogosphere by spheronaut Bona Fide
The Enterprise-D Construction Project
A special 3D printer
An awesome museum
Get more space
Epic Fantasy update
Movies
Remote control junkie Fide and his zapping highlights
Endurance/Ausdauer
Quotes
The member of the house of quotes and a quote himself the Keeper of the minutes ( we call him Kotm) fished for you
German proverbs, sayings and idiomsQuote related to greatness
The Lighthouse
There was not much time for reading. Therefore I'm happy that I finished one book, continued one and started a new one. I hope to find more time for reading next week.
I finished
- Judas Unchained (first published in 2004; digital 2004) [Kindle Edition ASIN: B000FCKPJ4] by Peter F. Hamilton
I wrote on GOODREADS:
"What shall I say? It is as brilliant as the first part of the Commonwealth Saga.
This is indeed epic science fiction. I'm really impressed. Despite the facts that a lot of things happen and that there are many characters I never felt lost.
A lot has been written about the Commonwealth saga and I do not want to repeat what you can read in a lot of reviews.
I asked myself why I did not read these books earlier. But better now then never.
If you like science fiction you should give the Commonwealth Saga a try. There is no reason to be afraid of the number of pages."
I'm
- 154 pages in A Crown for Cold Silver (pb, September 2015) [ISBN-13: 978-0356502830] by Alex Marshall - So for nobody knows the real author behind the pen name.
Read only one chapter.
- 129 pages in A Murder of Mages (digital, July 2015) [ Kindle Edition ASIN: B00PT4J12K.] by Marshall Ryan Maresca.
I like both main characters Satrine Rainey and Minox Welling a lot and the setting is interesting.
No progress
- 168 pages in Hunter of Sherwood: The Red Hand (pb, 30th December 2015) [ISBN-13: 978-1781082904] by Toby Venables
It is good and I want to enjoy it. But I need to be in the right mood. Will return to the book when I'm ready for it.
Enjoy your weekend ....
Books
Dear readers, I'm the one to tell you about books - only books? What about novellas and other stuff? My name is Bona. I scour shelves, shops and the net for books. If you call me a book whore I would not gainsay you. But be aware I have my own, sometimes elusive taste.
New books on my shelf/reader or when one book leads to another
Last week I told you that I used up my September book budget. Nevertheless I bought one digital copy and got one for free. How so?
The publishing date of one of the books I ordered in advance has been postponed. Therefore I could use the budget for this book to buy an other book which was not part of my to buy book list. In the end it was more less the guilt of Wendell the creator of Bookwraiths. He wrote and published a totally convincing review about When the Heavens Fall (digital, May 2015) [ Kindle Edition ASIN: B00WQ5CUX2] by Marc Turner which is the first book in The Chronicle of the Exile.
"The first of an epic swords & sorcery fantasy series for fans of Patrick Rothfuss, When the Heavens Fall features gritty characters, deadly magic, and meddlesome gods.
If you pick a fight with Shroud, the Lord of the Dead, you had better make sure you end up on the winning side, else death will mark only the beginning of your suffering.
A book that gives its wielder power over the dead has been stolen from a fellowship of mages that has kept the powerful relic dormant for centuries. The thief, a crafty, power-hungry necromancer, intends to use the Book of Lost Souls to resurrect an ancient race and challenge Shroud for dominion of the underworld. Shroud counters by sending his most formidable servants to seize the artifact at all cost.
However, the god is not the only one interested in the Book, and a host of other forces converge, drawn by the powerful magic that has been unleashed. Among them is a reluctant Guardian who is commissioned by the Emperor to find the stolen Book, a troubled prince who battles enemies both personal and political, and a young girl of great power, whose past uniquely prepares her for an encounter with Shroud. The greatest threat to each of their quests lies not in the horror of an undead army but in the risk of betrayal from those closest to them. Each of their decisions comes at a personal cost and will not only affect them, but also determine the fate of their entire empire." [Source]
Now I hope I will enjoy the book as much as Wendell did.
The second book for today has been on my to buy list. A few days ago I checked my books to buy list on Amazon and to my surprise I found The Archivist (digital, April 2012) [ Kindle Edition ASIN: B0127X3OQO] by Tom D Wright. Of course I "bought" a copy immediately.
"In 2052, Artificial Intelligence surpasses humans, and global technology collapses overnight. Thirty years later, primitive communities struggle to survive. Throughout this broken world, a secret organization called The Archives seeks to preserve what knowledge and technology has been left in the ashes. However, a Luddite cult-The Disciples of Earth-is just as determined to ensure there will be no technological rebirth for humankind.
Retrieval Archivist K’Marr’s mission seems : make contact with a source in a remote port town and trade vital technology that could secure humankind’s future.
But few retrievals are ever easy.
While keeping his promise to a dying man and avoiding Disciples who seem to know his every move, K’Marr fights to complete his mission and get back home to the woman he loves. Against the odds, The Archivist must do everything he can to return to The Archives." [Source]
While adding the information for The Archivist I have had a look at Amazon. Of course the book is no more longer free but if you are interested in you can get it at
Amazon US for 1.11 USD
Amazon UK for 0.99 GBP
Amazon DE for 0,99 EUR
No more today, see you next week ......
Blogosphere
Hey, I'm Bona Fide. I just came back from my last foray through the blogosphere. What can you expect from me? I tell you: Everything from Art to Fart as long as there is any faint connection to books. And here is some honey from the beehive blogosphere...
The Enterprise-D Construction Project
There are still a lot of science fiction enthusiasts out there.
"To create the entirety of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D in the Unreal Game Engine."
This is the project goal of the
The Enterprise-D Construction Project
Visit the site and watch the first ten minute video. It is absolutley amazing and impressive. If like the project you can support it.
A special 3D printer
3D printer open a lot of possibilities. Even the development of 3D printers open new areas. You will agree as soon as you visit the WebUrbanist and have a look at
Dirt Cheap: World’s Largest 3D Mud Printer Makes Green Homes
An awesome museum
Museums are fantastical places. Today I want to show you a museum which displays absolutely amazing objects. This is a must see. Head over to the WebUrbanist and admire what you will see at
Miniature Museum: Scaled Scenes with Jaw-Dropping Details
Get more space
The world gets more and more crowded and of course there are people thinking about how to get more space. But not every Utopian dream should come true. Over at WebUrbanist you can build up your mind about one of these Utopian dreams.
Floating Blue: Bold Plan to Expand Dense Cities into Open Seas
Epic Fantasy - Update
In the past weeks I informed you about an excellent post series over at The Wertzone. Adam Whitehead, who is the mastermind of the blog, started to write about the history of epic fantasy. In the meantime two more posts are available and they are excellent.
A History of Epic Fantasy - Part 1
A History of Epic Fantasy - Part 2
A History of Epic Fantasy - Part 3
A History of Epic Fantasy - Part 4
A History of Epic Fantasy - Part 5
A History of Epic Fantasy - Part 6
A History of Epic Fantasy - Part 7
A History of Epic Fantasy - Part 8
A History of Epic Fantasy - Part 9
A History of Epic Fantasy - Part 10
A History of Epic Fantasy - Part 11
A History of Epic Fantasy - Part 12
A History of Epic Fantasy - Part 13
That's it for today. Come back next week for more ......
Movies
Hey, it's me Fide. I'm a remote control professional. I'm that fast that I can watch two movies at the same time.
Less than two months to go until one of my most anticipated video games will be available:
FALLOUT 4 ARRIVING NOVEMBER 10, 2015 WORLDWIDE
Until then I will enjoy the FALLOUT 4 S.P.E.C.I.A.L. video series.
The third video available and it is about ENDURANCE or as we say in German AUSDAUER.
I'm happy to present you the video in two different languages.
Bethesda really knows how to tease people. Since I watched the following video I want to create my character NOW!! I love the perk chart. So many choices.
That's it for today. Come back next week for more ......
Quotes
I 'm the Keeper of the minutes. But I don't mind when you call me Kotm. No, no. I don't explain to you how to pronounce.
The following quote does not fit to me but I'm not sad about it because you can be happy without the things mentioned in the quote .....
"Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some hire public relations officers.”
Daniel J. Boorstin, US historian, 1914 - 2004