Jim > Recent Status Updates

Jim passed 2/7/24 in the evening. Here is a note from him. This account will be monitored by either his daughter, Erin, or his son, James. A message from Jim will be posted in each of his groups he moderated.

End of first chapter & I'm appalled by how little she added to my knowledge of a subject I feel fairly ignorant about. A single day on a single farm isn't research. So far, this is a waste of time.

Not a great beginning. Hair doesn't contain DNA, only the follicle does.

Way too much telling, not enough happening. There are only 2 characters I really feel much empathy for, too. Taking a break.

“Well, that is one of the things to find out sometime. Isn’t it
splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about?
It just makes me feel glad to be alive—it’s such an interesting
world. It wouldn’t be half so interesting if we know all about
everything, would it? There’d be no scope for imagination then,
would there?..."

This is taking place 8 years after book 2! I thought I was reading in chronological order.

If Vince turns out to be a mole, I'm going to be disappointed.

Hard to believe Tony is such a good narrator. His voice fits the book perfectly.

2/3 of the way done. The first book was great, the second darn good, but I've got about another 8 hours left for the 3d book. Taking a short break.

No augmented humans in AI? Cause of intelligence brain size dismissal.

He's on FaceBook. http://www.facebook.com/badscience

Fad diets & cleansings are ritual cleansings like religious ones, just backed by pseudoscience & marketing? Sounds right.

"You can't reason people out of a position they didn't reason themselves into." Wow! How true!!!

Neat take on the classic.

Seems to be baffling me with bullshit too often. I thought the point of hard SF was to make the advanced tech somewhat understandable. I've almost put the book down a couple of times. Still trying as there is hope... (

Seems to be baffling me with bullshit too often. I thought the point of hard SF was to make the advanced tech somewhat understandable. I've almost put the book down a couple of times. Still trying as there is hope...

Finally a full explanation of the world. I like the way this was drawn out, though.

Not yet 1/2 way thru & I'm ready to skip work. So much going on & exciting. Complicated, but great main character.

The similarities in reporting & immigrants between the turn of last century & this one are pretty amazing. Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose...

An hour in & I'm taking a break for a while. It's not really a topic I feel like right now - dead wife & conspiracy, etc. - & he just ticked me off. He makes NO CASE for this guy not telling the cops & going way out of his way to look around for absolutely no reason. Yuck.

I like these stories, but I've read them singly, here & there. Altogether, well they're getting a bit old. Taking a break.

1.5 hours in & I don't like the style or the story at all. It's supposed to change, so I'm going to keep trying.

I'm not liking Amanda's defiance of Santa Anna. Isn't logical for a woman like her.

Reading about enemas & nether mouth feedings is perhaps not the best way to spend my lunch time. :(

We're still in & around the mouth & I'm halfway through. It's amazingly complex & very, very interesting.

Taste/smell is a survival & cultural mechanism. You even pick it up in the womb!

Good story, needs an editor, though.

Not bad with Will Wheaton narrating, but there's a lot of repetition describing OASIS. Got it the first 3 times! Quit!!!

I haven't read one of these in ages & it's perfect.

What a cool way to learn about planets, ecology, & how to think!