[Shopping] eBuyer Beware

I know this.  Read the fine print.  I didn't do that.  The rest is geeky details having to do with rack-mountable servers. I have a 12U rack.  Sort-of an end-table next to the couch.  I have two servers.  One of them is happily racked.  The other one is awkwardly sitting sideways across the top of the rack. I jumped on eBay a week ago, looking to find the rails I need....

25 Aug 2018 · 2 min · Gary Allen Vollink

[Book] Drawing The Dragon by April Adams

Book cover Imagine the universe of Battlestar Galactica but add elves, trolls and dragons, remove the religious overtones entirely.  The dragons are spaceships, a bit like the galactic whale from Jim Henson's Farscape.  Instead of Battlestar's Cylons, we have Constructs, which are a bit closer to the Nexus of Bladerunner fame. Scarlett, Jade and Blue are elite pilots of young dragons on the cruiser known as the Opal Dragon....

22 Aug 2018 · 4 min · Gary Allen Vollink

[Book] Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

Book cover According to the preface, this book is a carefully researched retelling of surviving stories of the Nordic gods, Odin, Thor, Loki, Freya and others.  Where surviving versions of a story differ, artistic license allows for the best of each to be used. First and foremost, these are Nordic tales.  If you are familiar with these characters from Marvel comics or movies, be prepared to relearn a lot of what you thought you knew....

15 Aug 2018 · 2 min · Gary Allen Vollink

[Book] Uprooted by Naomi Novik

Book cover The descriptions of the country, fashions and even the names of characters channels Poland of the 1500s or 1600s.  The story focuses on a peaceful valley with little villages nestled along the Spindle river, but a dark forest grows nearby.  Corrupted creatures come from the forest late at night and attack human, livestock or both.  Or worse, a cloud of pollen might come in and corrupt a neighbor where they stand, turning them....

8 Aug 2018 · 3 min · Gary Allen Vollink