owlrigh

Karen Marie Moning's Darkfever was available for free from one of the ebook retailers, and so I downloaded it for lunchtime/dinnertime reading at work. This was the first the Fever series, an unfinished one of what I believe will be five, and I've now read the first four.

( Not really a review, more a series of rants about it ... and the MAGICAL COCK. )

I've just finished reading The Whale Warriors, by Peter Heller, the companion book to the Animal Planet channel series Whale Wars on the Sea Shepherd. The writer/journalist went on the hunt with them in 2005.

The Sea Shepherds are a hardcore anti-whaling group, with two ships at their disposal -- at the time of the book there was only one -- and have been known to sink whaling ships, or at the very least ram them. During the course of the book the chap at the wheel deliberately puts the boat in the way of the whaling ship, and would have been cut in half, if it weren't for the whaling ship turning away at the last moment -- which may have had something to do with the ropes they were about to foul its propeller with, and not to avoid killing a bunch of anti-whalers.

What struck me about it was just how undisciplined and daft the lot of them were. Hooning around in inflatable boats in the harbour, "for fun", and doing so with jetskis later on in open waters outside a Tasmanian harbour, proceeding to flip it over and drown it; six people taking to an inflatable when it wouldn't support that capacity in rough seas, and not even being able to anchor properly when things came to a crunch. What the hell? Didn't they train their volunteers properly?

A number of the chaps on board seemed to be there because they were ex-military and the setup of the boat lent itself to shady, secretive maneuverings that people with gun issues would in all likelihood love to be a part of. Others were hardcore vegans who harassed non-vegans, and the boat was vegan vittles only. The writer was annoyed about this, I sensed between the lines, considering at every opportunity he would stress their veganhood when they were doing something daft.

The people running the show appeared very us-against-the world, and the skipper well familiar with the international marine law; although it says that people breaching international law against poaching can have their property confiscated/destroyed, it also says that boats attempting to sink other boats are pirates and so should get full strength of the law. They skate close to the line, and as I recall they were boarded by the Australian Federal Police earlier this year for pirate activities.

I'm not pro-whaling by any means. Greenpeace's "witnessing" is a bit limp, because although they get footage, they're not exactly going to stop any ship from spearing. Hell, just about every year they get footage and it's not stopped the Japanese government going back for more. Ramming boats with scythes attached to their sides, however, could kill people, and running up a skull and crossbones? Nutter territory.

One would presume that this group would have people all over the world volunteering, and out of those there'd be a fair number who'd have reasonable qualifications to assist properly in the ship's running. Instead you have a bunch of professional card players, a vegan nurse who got kicked out of uni for not participating in dissection (eh?), children of a few prominent eco-founders, and somem random folks who seemed on the far side of sane. Admittedly an Australia sparky joined the ranks when he heard they needed an electrician, but you'd think, at the very least, you'd get a few people with marine experience -- or train them!

They stopped some whaling, yay! On the other hand, I think of the fuckups they had, and that if it wasn't from sheer luck they'd have their volunteers dying because they didn't think it through, because of the skipper deliberately playing chicken with whalers. Only, that was the idea, kinda; if they'd all died that day there would have been an uproar and the Japanese would have been shamed into stopping. Yet not everyone signed up for that. What a bunch of insane proto-murderers! As if the Japanese are any worse than they!

I purchased a Sony ebook reader, PRS 700, just last week, and promptly downloaded various ebooks onto it. There are earlier models, cheaper, but the first had ghosting issues, the next funny button placement, and then I read of the latest: ghosting issues solved and touchscreen.

Ben has been going on about the weight of books and how he doesn't want lots of stuff on the new boat, to keep weight down -- a major consideration on a catamaran, where space is no problem but the payload comes at a premium. I could not live without reading, and so when I came across mention of e-readers and how the E-Ink technology had improved their readability I was intrigued. I was never more aware of their potential utility as when over in Brazil and unable to access English books -- and having bought all the relative inexpensive books at the nearby bookstore to the flat in Rio. All that was were the books on how Starbucks had changed some American silly bugger's life. Two of them, in fact, by two different people. I really wished for an electronic reader then, in June, but held out for a future model of Sony Reader where the userfriendliness had improved.

Of course there was the Amazon Reader, Kindle, but that thing is probably the ugliest thing ever designed and in the interest of good taste I simply could not make myself part with my dollar; although nowadays the backorder is three months or three times the price on eBay. Each to their own; since no reader is supported in Australia anyway I decided to go for the pretty.

I have been using it a few days now -- other than the extremely primitive Sony computer software that comes with it (no editing of titles? Eh?) I have enjoyed it. Sure, there is ghosting still -- when you turn it off a faint imprint of the page remains, and when "turning" the page it flickers a negative image and then turns. Nothing which would annoy overmuch. The screen responds to my touch as well as to a stylus, and a brief finger-motion has the page go forward or back.

There's an art to holding it, depending upon whether you're using buttons or fingers to turn pages, and whether there's a reflection. It's very shiny, and so even the slightest pinpoint of light -- e.g., my face -- will show up on it and make it harder to read.

I have not used the notation or pictures (maybe I could read digitised comics!) but my main use was always going to be book reading, so even if not 100% in every way I will still be happy. Now if only I could rid myself of the urge to turn the page the old-fashioned way, or looking about for a bookmark when needing to pause for a moment!

"I'm sorry, but you need a credit card." It's like everyone in Melbourne goes out of their way to make life just that little bit harder for you.

Firebird and I walked around town to almost every travel agent, seeking one with whom I could book a return flight to Hamilton Island. In Queensland every time I've bought a ticket all I do is turn up to a travel agent, book a flight with their credit card, and then hand over the cash. Not so down here -- maybe it's another sign that Victorians are so very prone to the illegal.

I'd two decisions when I woke yesterday morning: stay and work and earn some money in a place where you are either freezing to death or burning up depending upon whether you are out- or inside, or go home to my poor abandoned kittycat and to more reasonable temperatures. This heating thing is being taken to a far too extreme level down here. The latter won out, and so the hunt was on for a travel agent.

( but I get to see movies! )

Usually one finds me trying to read in the most unlikely of places. One of these, however, wasn't in the tent while my brother and I were camping. It was in there that my brother took out his book to read, squeezing out every minute of daylight he could and then using the bike lamp to continue on when he got to a particularly good place.

This is notable. This is something so strange it ranks right up there with the world being flat and the moon being made of cheese.

My brother has discovered reading.

I am not saying that my brother has been illiterate all of his life up to now. No, he learned to read around the same time that I did, but up until now he was one of those people whom I meet from time to time who say "oh, yes, I read a book once" and make it sound like they ought to win awards for such a thing.

It began when I moved on board Big Bandicoot, back in November. I bought New Scientist and kept finding him taking the issues off me and reading it in some corner, usually after I mentioned something about an article. One particular night of note was when I came back to the boat and found him ensconced in his cabin not watching a movie, as he was wont to do, but reading his way through the entire issue of New Scientist.

It was astounding. I wanted to give him a hug and sing praises that he was reading. I felt as proud as a parent whose child has just learned to use the potty.

( It gets even better! )

Ça suffit! My mother comes over today and hands me a "letter". On it says that she wants to sign over my flat to my brother since she owes him money. We'd agreed that I would have this flat and I would pay them the money back as I had it ... although she kept harping about how this was her place and now finally I have had enough.

Before I even agreed to take up this place I had the feeling that it would cause me problems, and sure enough it has. Nothing but them over and over again and now I wash my hands of it all -- I'm signing it over to my brother and leaving. I've enough of the headaches of my mother attempting to micromanage my life and changing it all on me and then having my brother and father come upon me like a ton of bricks when I dare suggest that things are not all above par.

Already I have started putting into motion the plan of selling my belongings. I have no idea what I can get for most of it, but whatever it is that'll be more than I have now.

( Selling my books, fannish stuff, flatmate... )