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james_davis_nicoll ([personal profile] james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-05-25 09:00 am

Remember the People's Revolution of the Glorious Twenty-Fifth of May!




Truth, Justice, Freedom, Reasonably Priced Love, and a Hard-Boiled Egg!
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james_davis_nicoll ([personal profile] james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-05-25 09:35 am
Entry tags:

Night Watch (Discworld, volume 29/City Watch, volume 6) by Terry Pratchett



A time-displaced cop struggles to protect history and the glorious revolution from a time-displaced psychopath, as well as from the cop's own better nature.

Night Watch (Discworld, volume 29/City Watch, volume 6) by Terry Pratchett
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conuly ([personal profile] conuly) wrote2025-05-25 07:44 am

So, my library eloan of Long Live Evil came through

A note to anybody who wants to read this: I get the impression that we're supposed to think that the "original" book was written with prose so purple it might as well have been in grape-scented marker. The effect can be a little much, but hey, at least nobody gazes outward with a glint in their silvery orbs, limpid, lambent, or otherwise! But yeah, if you aren't able to get into it within a chapter or two, that's not going to improve itself.

I liked it, but to be fair, I like most things I read.

Oh, one more warning - somebody at Goodreads was going on about the fact that the author either misunderstood or willfully misused the term "Ladies in Waiting" for this book. I don't quite agree that it's something to get so annoyed about, but we've all got our thing. I don't like books which have potatoes in pre-Columbian Europe (or not!Europe). You'll all be pleased to note that I observed no potatoes in this book.

Spoilers )
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james_davis_nicoll ([personal profile] james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-05-24 11:54 am

My first Beaverton piece

I am torn between squeals of glee and WORSHIP ME AS YOUR GOD.



ChatGPT user delighted to combine sloth with theft
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james_davis_nicoll ([personal profile] james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-05-24 09:11 am
Entry tags:

Books Received, May 17 — May 23



Seven books new to me. 3 fantasies, 1 horror, 1 non-fiction, and 2 science fiction. 2are stand-alone, 3 are series and 2 fall into the ever popular inapplicable set.

Books Received, May 17 — May 23


Poll #33156 Books Received, May 17 — May 23
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 44


Which of these look interesting?

View Answers

After the Fall by Edward Ashton (February 2026)
20 (45.5%)

Three Shattered Souls by Mai Corland (July 2025)
3 (6.8%)

Gemini by Jeffrey Kluger (November 2025)
8 (18.2%)

Cinder House by Freya Marske (October 2025)
14 (31.8%)

The Essential Patricia A. McKillip by Patricia A. McKillip (October 2025)
24 (54.5%)

The First Thousand Trees by Premee Mohamed (September 2025)
15 (34.1%)

Night Terror: A Bleak Haven Novel by Vincent Ralph (January 2026)
3 (6.8%)

Some other option (see comments)
0 (0.0%)

Cats!
30 (68.2%)

conuly: (Default)
conuly ([personal profile] conuly) wrote2025-05-28 12:50 am

So, realistic contemporary fiction is written and set more or less in the present

But time moves on. What, exactly, do you call "realistic contemporary fiction" once it's no longer contemporary? It's not exactly historical fiction either, since writers of historical fiction generally make specific choices in bringing the past to life, ideally with few or no whoppers of mistakes.

I sometimes say "then-contemporary", but... well, it sounds a bit silly, doesn't it?

(On a related note, it looks like now people are less likely to say "issues book" and more likely to say "social issues book", is that accurate? I'm not loving a change that involves using more words to get to the same meaning, but okay.)

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Read more... )
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twistedchick ([personal profile] twistedchick) wrote2025-05-24 01:47 am

(no subject)

I discovered a few years ago that when I put substances on my skin I can taste them within 30 seconds, with a few exceptions. That led to not wearing foundation, or most makeup (various flavors of odd), sunscreen (nasty burning plastic flavor, and no, I can't explain why burning), and lipstick (fermented plastic flavor). I can wear eyeliner and some concealers, and that's about it. I can use Burt's Bees plain lipbalm, which has mint oil.

Sunscreen is the problem, though. Since I can't use the chemical stuff, I have been trying to find a natural oil that has a decent SPF. Olive oil is about SPF 4-8, which is something but not enough. I heard that avocado oil is higher than SPF 15, so I swiped some from the kitchen and tried it. Unfortunately, it does not behave like olive oil, which eventually sinks in a little and dulls. The avocado stays shiny and oily looking, enough that someone asked me how hot it was outdoors since she thought it was sweat. Um. not good.

Any thoughts on this? I've tried the light powder sunscreen and it's not enough screen for me.
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conuly ([personal profile] conuly) wrote2025-05-27 07:05 pm

Of course, she's not fully recovered

She can put weight on her foot, but after she walks for a while she doesn't want to. Still, it's recovering pretty rapidly, that's the important thing.

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Read more... )
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james_davis_nicoll ([personal profile] james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-05-23 09:52 am

Aunt Tigress by Emily Yu-Xuan Qin



News that her supernatural aunt has been murdered upends a young woman's life.

Aunt Tigress by Emily Yu-Xuan Qin
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conuly ([personal profile] conuly) wrote2025-05-22 06:32 pm
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james_davis_nicoll ([personal profile] james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-05-22 08:56 am

The Judas Contract by Marv Wolfman & George Pérez



Who is the secret traitor? The former boy wonder, the wonder girl, the alien princess, the cyborg, the shape-shifter, the spooky witch, the speedster, or the geokinetic who frequently brags about being evil and betraying the team?

The Judas Contract by Marv Wolfman & George Pérez
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malada ([personal profile] malada) wrote2025-05-22 07:34 am
Entry tags:

I'm on a roll today - 747 style

So we're actually going to accept the Qatari 747 that's been described at a 'Flying Palace' as a grift, I mean, gift?

It's a hanger queen.

It's sat unused for 5 years. Has it been maintained? Can it even fly?

Don't know!

So, yeah... the cost to actually get that thing approved and airworthy? Unknown!

The cost to strip it down and make it the flying command post that is what Air Force One is supposed to be? Millions and millions!

tRump just wants to ride around in style, you know? In a couple of months it will be ready, he says.

Yeah, no. Unless he doesn't care or believe he needs the extra protection he already has with the present Air Force One.

Maybe the Qatar knows this and hopes that he'll get blown out of the sky? Eh, don't think so. They know where their bread is butter and tRump is a dope who can be bribed by shiny things that they don't want and apparently, nobody else does. .
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malada ([personal profile] malada) wrote2025-05-22 07:32 am
Entry tags:

No COVID vaccines for you!

Isn't it funny how a party and a government is really big on 'person choice' in health care is now denying COVID vaccines to only those over 65?

No it isn't funny.
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conuly ([personal profile] conuly) wrote2025-05-26 12:53 am

We've been trying to go back and watch the sad episode with the future drone

but Paramount Plus won't cooperate at all. So I finally convinced E to watch some Prodigy with me!

Man, I really love that theme song. Also, I'm gonna just say, maybe it's because it's aimed at a younger audience but this show does the best technobabble - just enough to explain, not enough to confuse or bore.

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conuly ([personal profile] conuly) wrote2025-05-21 06:58 pm

PSA, text taken from [community profile] thisfinecrew

The clowns running the FDA have proposed restricting access to covid vaccines, to people over 65 or who have certain medical conditions. There's a public docket for comments on the proposal.

Your Local Epidemiologist has a good post about the proposal, including that the people suggesting this know that nobody is going to do the placebo-controlled tests of new boosters they want to require.

Possible talking points include:

Families and caregivers wouldn't be eligible for the vaccine, even if they share a household, unlike the current UK recommendations.

Doctors, dentists, and other medical staff wouldn't be eligible either.

My own comment included that the reason I'd still be eligible for the vaccine is a lung problem caused by covid.

Seriously, this is just exhausting.
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On the DEWLine 2.0: Dwight Williams ([personal profile] dewline) wrote2025-05-21 04:17 pm

Health: Dental Milestone

I filed my application for coverage under the federal dental insurance plan yesterday.

Finally.