Asymptomatic

There must be intelligent life down here

Getting Really Good
June 26, 2006

I was having a conversation with my brother the other day that meandered through different discrete topics concerning computer security; security in the sense of protecting your computer from data loss.

Obviously, this is part of what he does for work and I would expect that he would know the field better than I would, but it’s still frustrating that I had really no knowledge in the field. I decided that it might be better to take up pottery, since at least with a bit of practice I would know it better than him and then wouldn’t sound so stupid in our converstaions, at least if we were talking about pottery.

Though wouldn’t it be neat to have extensive knowledge of a single specific topic? Such complete knowledge that people seek you out for advice or training on the topic would be pretty neat. I mean, I’m sick of the idea that someone out there knows more than me - allow me to pick one topic and be the person that knows more than everyone else.

How would I choose a topic, and how would I learn everything there is to know about it?

Thanks Everybody!
June 26, 2006

With an overwhelming majority of votes (that’s funny, folks) I have been elected as this week’s Philly Future Featured Blog!

I’m not sure exactly what duties I’ll be expected to perform during my week of honor (and if it’s picking up trash with a poker around the Philly Future headquarters, I totally got a raw deal). Still, this is my first time my blog has been recognized as worth reading in 6.5 years of blogging, and I plan to attribute to it all of the gravity that it deserves.

Kushiel's Scion
June 25, 2006

I picked up this book, Kushiel’s Scion, to have something to read while the TV was unhooked, and I finished it on Friday night.

Kushiel’s Scion follows the adolescence of Prince Imriel nó Montrève de la Courcel (accenting omitted because I don’t want to start a trend), who is the adopted son of Phèdre nó Delaunay, Kushiel’s Chosen.

Maybe I should back up a bit.

This book is the fourth written by Jaqueline Carey in this specific world of historical fantasy. The first three books in the Kushiel’s Legacy series - Kushiel’s Dart, Kushiel’s Chosen, and Kushiel’s Avatar - were all about Phèdre, Imriel’s adopted mother. Imriel actually appears in the third book as a child that Phèdre rescues from this terrible place called Daršanga, where everyone is excessively tortured for the pleasure of its ruler, the Mahrkagir. In this new book, Imriel is Kushiel’s Scion (perhaps?), and the story is told in his voice rather than Phèdre’s.

There is a good bit I like about the stories. For whatever reason, I’ve grown an attraction to Carey’s storytelling, even if it is a little flowery for my tastes. I’ll simply attribute that to the nature of the people who are the main characters in her stories.

If this book has a flaw, it’s that it recounts the tales of the first three books far too often. I think that the other books in the series could stand on their own if they had to. By comparison, you cannot read Kushiel’s Scion and appreciate it as well, because it seems as though Imriel is always recounting one of Phèdre’s stories to someone. That’s fine, but it doesn’t do a lot for his story, which unfolds over the course of the book. I found myself constantly waiting for him to remove himself from the protection of the Montreve household and venture out on his own.

But overlooking that, the book offers a lot. The world that Carey sets here is quite beautiful. Very much it exists in fantasy, but it is very real and alive in her mind, and you can tell. You can even imagine that the places that people allude to in the book have rich histories, even if they are only mentioned in passing. Evidence of this exists in the multitude of Wikipedia entries for the Kushiel books.

When Did This Happen?
June 24, 2006

This is a first, because usually I ineffectually nominate myself for these things in an attempt to bolster my own self-worth. I wasn’t paying attention when I was nominated as a Philly Future featured blog.

Philly Future is what I consider the epicenter for my Philly readings. Disclosure: I’m not actually a resident of Philadelphia. I live in the suburbs (Downingtown) where I can shake my head and sigh as the city news flies by in Philly Future posts. Of course, the state and national issues are of interest to me (especially things like net neutrality), and the entertainment announcements are helpful in deciding what to do on the weekends.