books and magazines are also pretty awesome

[Shockwave]

Well I can certainly understand wanting the story to be more true to the books. I don't generally get hung up on minor plot points that don't affect the outcome, but major plot points that affect other major plot points later on really annoy me. Especially when it's just done solely for exhibition. Case in point is the 6th Harry Potter.

Spoiler

The Weasleys' house gets destroyed in the movie, which is going to make other events later on tough to account for (not the least of which is the fact that there's supposed to be a wedding there in the next movie). Also, is the opening scene of the movie where Harry is uselessly flirting with some muggle waitress when they should have shown his last stay at the Dursleys, effectively wrapping up that plot point and explaining several others that have been seen along the way.

Now, don't get me wrong, I love the HP movies, but I do wish the later ones would have stayed closer to the books.

[Dominic]

Anderson, I agree about the editorials. Open competition should work both ways.

In any case,

I tend to read mostly non-fiction. This takes the form of newspapers (NYTimes and Boston Globe), occasional magazines (The American Conservative, The Atlantic), and of course books. I generally focus on politics and history.

For entertainment, I occasinoally pick up Toyfare or Lee's. I read CSN pretty consistently, if only because it is free.

I still read some fiction. Besides the comics I read every week or so, I also read the "Horus Heresy" novels, and occasionally pick up other sci-fi (GW and otherwise) books.

Dom
-is partly through 3 books at the moment. (Oh, "Guns, Germs and Steel", how I have neglected you.)

[Shockwave]

I generally try to avoid politics if at all possible. Not because I don't understand it, but because I think the whole system has failed epically. The entire system that we have right now needs to be overhauled but nobody will do it because anyone elected by the system is immediately beholden to the system. I also think that all politicians are the same and that the party system is keeping this country in social and economic deadlock. I dunno, call me jaded or disillusioned, but that's why I generally avoid reading anything about politics (and subsequently why I don't generally watch the news). Now religion on the other hand I find very fastinating. And I have a huge array of spellbooks. I've also made as much progress on the Bible as I have on War and Peace.

[andersonh1]

I generally try to avoid politics if at all possible. Not because I don't understand it, but because I think the whole system has failed epically. The entire system that we have right now needs to be overhauled but nobody will do it because anyone elected by the system is immediately beholden to the system. I also think that all politicians are the same and that the party system is keeping this country in social and economic deadlock. I dunno, call me jaded or disillusioned, but that's why I generally avoid reading anything about politics (and subsequently why I don't generally watch the news).

I'm the exact opposite. I'm a news and opinion junkie, and I tend to vote in every possible election. When it comes to new and opinion, I browse a number of websites. CNN, Fox and Drudge Report for news, National Review, RealClearPolitics, Pajamas Media and American Thinker (among others) for opinion. I like the foreign press, particularly the UK Guardian and Times and Jerusalem Post for a different perspective, and often better reporting than US news sources.

Now religion on the other hand I find very fastinating. And I have a huge array of spellbooks. I've also made as much progress on the Bible as I have on War and Peace.

I've read the bible for years, though I keep meaning to sit down and read it from start to finish rather than jumping around as I normally do. I prefer modern translations to King James. I mainly read NIV.

[Shockwave]

Oh don't get me wrong, I vote in every election as well and read enough to make sure I'm well informed as to what I'm voting on. After all, of all the rights we have the right to bitch is the one I wanna keep

Yeah, I've been reading the King James one too. Started at the beginning, I'm somewhere about half way through Genesis. So far, it's one of the funniest books I've ever read.

[Dominic]

Ah,there it is. (When Trekkie said he read the Bible, I was a bit suprised, given "Star Trek" being very atheist in nature.)

Anderson, you really need to add TAC to your list. http://www.amconmag.com/
I will be *very* suprised if you cannot appreciate at least some of it.


A friend of mine got ahold of a spellbook that he refused to let me read. In day-light, he is not superstitious. But, at night, the "just in case" factor comes into play.


Dom
-voting in the MA primary this Tuesday....

[Shockwave]

Ah,there it is. (When Trekkie said he read the Bible, I was a bit suprised, given "Star Trek" being very atheist in nature.)

Anderson, you really need to add TAC to your list. http://www.amconmag.com/
I will be *very* suprised if you cannot appreciate at least some of it.


A friend of mine got ahold of a spellbook that he refused to let me read. In day-light, he is not superstitious. But, at night, the "just in case" factor comes into play.


Dom
-voting in the MA primary this Tuesday....

Yeah, Trek is pretty atheist sometimes. Funny this should come up since I just watched Star Trek V last night (the one where they met "God").

Most witches have a spellbook referred to as a "book of shadows" that contains their own personal spells and you'd be hard pressed to get one to share it's contents with you. Spells are unique to the individual casting them and it's believed that if you share the spell with someone else, it reduces or nullifies it's effectiveness. And yes, I do know how absurd that sounds.

[Onslaught Six]

You should read the books one day. They're well worth it, and very different in tone from the Hobbit.

Time for a rant!

LotR was boring and shitty.

Everything about it 'dragged' and 'dragged' and 'dragged.' It, much like The Oddysey, reminded me that just because something is acclaimed does not make it decent reading. It annoyed the crap out of me. I just wanted to get to the awesome parts! I read halfway through The Two Towers before I finally gave up and stopped even trying.

And I didn't like the movies, either.

Most witches have a spellbook referred to as a "book of shadows" that contains their own personal spells and you'd be hard pressed to get one to share it's contents with you. Spells are unique to the individual casting them and it's believed that if you share the spell with someone else, it reduces or nullifies it's effectiveness. And yes, I do know how absurd that sounds.

Only partially so--I can understand that kind of superstition working in ancient times. Hell, part of me still somewhat ascribes to it--there's a *reason* I go around calling myself Onslaught Six. Because if you know my real name, you have control over me!

[andersonh1]

Anderson, you really need to add TAC to your list. http://www.amconmag.com/
I will be *very* suprised if you cannot appreciate at least some of it.

Thanks. I'll take a look.

Yeah, Trek is pretty atheist sometimes. Funny this should come up since I just watched Star Trek V last night (the one where they met "God").

Trek is sometimes athiestic, but more often it's overtly humanistic in nature. Humans are what the universe revolves around, humanity needs to be perfected, wayward Borg and androids are trying to become like humanity... on and on it goes. And yet it's still good solid entertainment, and I enjoy it despite disagreeing with the philosphy on more than a few occasions. It's good space opera, and at least the philosophical underpinnings give the show some depth and something to chew on.

You should read the books one day. They're well worth it, and very different in tone from the Hobbit.

Time for a rant!

LotR was boring and shitty.

Everything about it 'dragged' and 'dragged' and 'dragged.' It, much like The Oddysey, reminded me that just because something is acclaimed does not make it decent reading. It annoyed the crap out of me. I just wanted to get to the awesome parts! I read halfway through The Two Towers before I finally gave up and stopped even trying.

And I didn't like the movies, either.

I love the book. It's definitely one of my all time favorites. The movies are fairly good, but I'm a book purist, so I'm going to find fault with them.

[Dominic]

Most witches have a spellbook referred to as a "book of shadows" that contains their own personal spells and you'd be hard pressed to get one to share it's contents with you. Spells are unique to the individual casting them and it's believed that if you share the spell with someone else, it reduces or nullifies it's effectiveness. And yes, I do know how absurd that sounds.

This is not a personal spell-book. This is something he picked up at a book-store. Some of the spell's are pretty harmless, if a bit expensive. But, there are one or two that he does not want to risk. And, he cannot rule out me trying them. So, I am not allowed to read the book.

Trek is sometimes athiestic, but more often it's overtly humanistic in nature. Humans are what the universe revolves around, humanity needs to be perfected, wayward Borg and androids are trying to become like humanity... on and on it goes. And yet it's still good solid entertainment, and I enjoy it despite disagreeing with the philosphy on more than a few occasions. It's good space opera, and at least the philosophical underpinnings give the show some depth and something to chew on.

How is it that we can have dedicated threads blending and meshing like this. I intend to pick this up in the "Star Trek" thread at some point.


That being said, I agree with O6 about the Hobbit/LotR as well as "good" books in general. Proper/classic literature gets all kinds of passes for sins that would get any modern author (rightly) hung.

Dom
-of course, nothing will ever top Rushdie's "Satanic Verses" for over-hyped craptastic writing.