The 'Never Say You've Seen It All' Thread

[Mord]

7 hours ago, SLIM said:

New Hampshire raised, been back for the last six years.
That's lake Winnisquam in the picture.

HA! That was my first guess, NH, but your location threw me off!

 

7 hours ago, SLIM said:

Holding off the window insulation 'til the last minute, eh?
We've already had to turn on the heat.

The storm back on the 28th knocking out our power 3 1/2 days set me back. And then this cold front came sweeping in, all caught me off guard. I thought I had a little longer. LOL. Thinking gets me in trouble 90% of the time.

 

Mord.

[General Jack Ripper]

1 minute ago, Mord said:

HA! That was my first guess, NH, but your location threw me off!

The storm back on the 28th knocking out our power 3 1/2 days set me back. And then this cold front came sweeping in, all caught me off guard. I thought I had a little longer. LOL. Thinking gets me in trouble 90% of the time.

Mord.

My real digs are buried on my profile page.

We were lucky, we only lost power for about an hour, and my workplace didn't lose it at all. (Darn it!)
We still hadn't gotten the pool drained out again after all the rain before it froze over. I guess we'll need some new fittings in springtime.
So much for procrastination, nature doesn't wait for anything.

[John Kettler]

This should keep some of you out of mischief for a bit. Guaranteed to give you a whole new perspective on pets and vending machines!

http://www.techowiz.com/entertainment/18-things-really-happen-dubai?utm_source=154&utm_medium=revcontent&utm_term=77540&utm_content=conservative_news&utm_campaign=151107.12

Regards,

John Kettler

[John Kettler]

Found this reblogged from a Tumblr called a-london-gent. This has two of my favorite things (books and hand hewn old timbers, not to mention my Holy Grail library ladder and stairs). A thing of wonder, right?

Regards,

John Kettler

[Mord]

That is one sweet room. Yep books and wood add a lot of mental warmth to a dwelling.

 

Mord.

[Mord]

People are f*****.

 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/woman-claims-she-underwent-50-192110755.html

 

Mord.

[Michael Emrys]

5 hours ago, Mord said:

That is one sweet room. Yep books and wood add a lot of mental warmth to a dwelling.

When I moved into this apartment 16 years ago, I had a platform (complete with a short little staircase) built in one room to house half a dozen or so 4'X4'X1' bookcases that were holding a part of my book collection. People visiting frequently marveled at what an ingenious use of available space it was. My computer stuff went on a low table beneath the platform.

However...*sigh*...two years ago the new management declared that it would have to be taken down and removed. The reason? They said it was partially blocking the room's only window and in case of a fire, a fireman might need to come in that way. So, about 1000+ books and journals got packed up and hauled off to Goodwill. I don't know what they did with them, but my good paper friends were now gone.

Michael

[Mord]

Damn, man, that's like cutting off a limb. I feel your pain.

I am such a stingy b****** I won't even lend mine out! Two reasons. One is that I've learned that I will either never get them back, or get them back in worse shape than they left. And two, I will obsess about them until they are returned. Last year, I finally got a pristine copy of a Bizzare Adventures (Marvel Mag) I'd lent out in 87 that was never returned. I thought about that missing book off and on for 30 years.

 

Mord.

[Michael Emrys]

10 hours ago, Mord said:

One is that I've learned that I will either never get them back, or get them back in worse shape than they left.

I know what you mean, man. I have been burnt so many times by loaning books to unreliable (as it turned out) friends that now I hardly do any more. And that's a pity because I know that they would profit from reading them. But now I tell them to find their own copies or get them from the library. Too many flakey people think that 'lend' is the same as 'give'.

Michael

[General Jack Ripper]

14 hours ago, Mord said:

I am such a stingy b****** I won't even lend mine out! Two reasons. One is that I've learned that I will either never get them back, or get them back in worse shape than they left.

If I ever intend to loan out a book, I purchase a second copy and give it as a gift.

[John Kettler]

Ah, the joys of science reporting!  

https://paidpost.nytimes.com/intel/can-whale-snot-and-artificial-intelligence-save-our-oceans.html?tbs_nyt=2017-nov-nytnative_apmod&cpv_dsm_id=188458956

Regards,

John Kettler

[Mord]

4 hours ago, Michael Emrys said:

Too many flakey people think that 'lend' is the same as 'give'.

And/Or they have no respect for the written word and the vessel that contains it. A book is not a coaster, they make coasters to be coasters! They make book marks, so you don't need to fold the the pages to save your place.  Books usually don't survive rain. Etc.  I always tell the kids in my life that I've bought books for, that if you take care of them, they will take care of you.

I remember I'd just got this one title, The Book of Execution by Geoffrey Abbot, and was maybe 20 pages in. I was sitting at the bar in a restaurant I worked at on my day off, drinking a beer and reading it. This chick I knew walks up and asks me what I am reading. I hand her the book and she looks at it, sets it down on the bar, opens it up and presses down on both sides really hard and cracks the spine so it won't shut. LOL. I almost s*** myself. I hadn't even had it but maybe two days. Yeah, it sounds anal but I paid money for it, and I try to take care of my stuff. I still have books that I was given at 12. They aren't immaculate, but they are still in one piece.

1 hour ago, SLIM said:

If I ever intend to loan out a book, I purchase a second copy and give it as a gift.

I've done that. LOL. It is a lot better than obsessing! I do not like having to buy something for myself twice—better to just get a gift for someone, especially if you have an older edition.

If you guys are like me you probably specialize in particular genres or subjects. You end up with some hard to find editions or rare titles in general (small press), that cost you not only money but lots and lots of time to track down. And like me, when you see that book sitting on your shelf you smile and are comforted knowing you finally added to your collection. Which leads us back to, there is no way in hell I am gonna trust that someone will respect that when they borrow it.

 

Mord.

Edited December 1, 2017 by Mord

[sburke]

ahh ebooks.  Yes I do like occasionally having a physical copy.  But now my book selection has ballooned and yet it still takes up the same space on my night stand...and I can "loan" a copy and not lose mine.  The only time I will buy a physical book now is if it has maps, pics or other such that I want copy of (or if it is not available in ebook in which case - no it does not get loaned don't even ask).  I love boarding a plane now and knowing I am dragging almost my entire library along.  Flight delayed?  More reading time.. ahhhhh

That wall of books can now be a map wall...maps.....mmmmmmm  We have one in the dining room that was hell to get, but now there it sits - 14th Century Paris.  When the Templars still had a donjon there.  Now they just have a plaque.

And Emrys in case of fire you can throw the ebook reader at the window to break the glass - it is all kept in the cloud anyway  

[Mord]

I have no problem with e-readers for convenience but they can't replace the touch, look, smell, etc. of a good book.

 

Mord.

[sburke]

Just now, Mord said:

I have no problem with e-readers for convenience but they can't replace the touch, look, smell, etc. of a good book.

 

Mord.

they can when you have no more room in your house and you realize half your books you haven't touched in 2 years but there is no way in hell you are giving them up.

[Mord]

You never heard of addition? Grab a hammer, punk! 2X4 away!

 

Mord.

[sburke]

I didn't tell you about the wall I moved in my house.  Seriously.  Wasn't happy with how the space was arranged.  Wife went on visit to family.  The moment she pulled out of the drive I was breaking down lathe and plaster. when she got home just over two weeks later the new wall was up floor redone, new drywall including ceiling in and painted.

 

ebook was far easier, cheaper and less confrontation with spouse (though she really did like the wall move)

 

Funny story though.  Years ago when I was just a wee lad.  My dad was trying to patch a hole in a wall in our kitchen.  It was lathe and plaster and his repair wouldn't stick... so he started tearing it out.  My mom came home to find a mound of debris in the dining/kitchen room...... she started crying.  Hence me wanting to finish BEFORE my wife got home. I loved my dad but I learned a lot from him about how NOT to do things

 

Edited December 2, 2017 by sburke

[Mord]

Touchè , sburke, touchè.

 

Mord.

 

I still like real books more...

[General Jack Ripper]

On ‎12‎/‎1‎/‎2017 at 5:25 PM, Mord said:

I hand her the book and she looks at it, sets it down on the bar, opens it up and presses down on both sides really hard and cracks the spine so it won't shut.

I have physically assaulted someone for doing exactly that. I won't go into details.

 

Quote

And like me, when you see that book sitting on your shelf you smile and are comforted knowing you finally added to your collection.

Absolutely. Even with some books I haven't had time to read yet, just being able to turn my head and see them on my shelf gives me a sense of satisfaction.

 

On ‎12‎/‎1‎/‎2017 at 9:29 PM, sburke said:

they can when you have no more room in your house and you realize half your books you haven't touched in 2 years but there is no way in hell you are giving them up.

That's why I started buying e-books.
I have books under my bed, in my laundry basket, in my bureau, stacked in the corner of my room, on the floor of my closet, on two shelves in my closet, on my computer desk, and also filling a large steamer trunk and two large plastic tote containers.

Mind you, I don't even own the house I live in, I'm just renting a room. I've been told that if I buy more books, I'll be charged for storage.

They're only half-kidding.

I'll be off for a while, work is work after all. Have a Merry Christmas everyone.

[Michael Emrys]

1 hour ago, SLIM said:

I'll be off for a while, work is work after all. Have a Merry Christmas everyone.

Cheerio, SLIM, hope to see you in the new year.

Michael

[Mord]

7 hours ago, SLIM said:

I'll be off for a while, work is work after all. Have a Merry Christmas everyone.

What are ya, a mall Santa? LOL

Have a great Christmas, my man!

 

Mord.

[General Jack Ripper]

On ‎12‎/‎7‎/‎2017 at 12:26 AM, Mord said:

What are ya, a mall Santa? LOL

I work at the Postal Service... so, yes.
I am Santa Claus.

[Mord]

Oh man, this is your hell month! Good luck, SLIM Kringle.

 

Mord.

[John Kettler]

This is a wonderful scientific discovery story--presented in that most aggravating Next Page format which makes me think really cruel thoughts about the person who invented this nightmare and those who use it on their sites. Somehow, even understanding the why (maximized ad exposure, therefore revenue) doesn't suffice to quell my ire.

SLIM,

As long as the books are in your room and block neither the door or the windows, I fail to see how the owners have any say at all in how many books you have in the space you're renting. On a separate note, ebooks are useful, but I don't find Kindle (have Gen One Paper White) to be all that great a reading experience. For one, the whole tactile experience of reading is gone, together with the eye relief from the dimensionality of an open book, scanning of the opposing pages and turning them. There's also the small matter of many ebooks having no pagination, which is annoying and time wasting, as well as being  a nightmare for use in doing something other than simple reading. When it comes to doing serious research, I find there's no substitute for adequate workspace and a bunch of physical books. Also, many works aren't in ebook form, either. When they put the LOC holdings online and I have a giant screen which can hold myriad windows simultaneously, then things might be different. As it stands, I spend way too much time looking at flat screens. Unfortunately, it's seldom that the neural circuits are online that allow me to simply read a book, as opposed to, say, posting here or working on an article or one of several book projects. The last time things were working properly, I pretty much devoured five books in record time, including the very intricate, demanding, and first rate HELL tO PAY about the planned invasions of Japan and the horrifying discoveries we made after the war. Had been slogging through it before at a rate of a few pages occasionally. How I'd love to have my brain in high gear again, so I could be vastly more productive, read as I used to routinely do and actually play CMx2!

Mord,

Before I loan out a book, I tell the would-be borrower flat out NOT to do the dreadful thing you describe, dog ear, mark the pages, etc. If this isn't agreeable, then it's no go. I can read PBs without even creasing the spine. I wonder how many people who buy HBs know how to properly break them in? Here, again, is how books get ruined by the ignorant or uncaring. Mind, this isn't to say there aren't HBs with awful bindings. I had the book club edition of the excellent DRAGONS AT WAR, and the cheaply produced thing flat out broke completely at the spine despite the usual procedure. That was when I stopped buying book club editions altogether. Cheap grainy paper yellowed quickly, photos were very hard to see, etc. Dreck. After that, the only way I'd buy anything from the Military History Book Club was if it was a great price on the publisher's edition. Since this was seldom the case, I canceled in fairly short order. This was quite a few years back. 

Regards,

John Kettler

Edited December 9, 2017 by John Kettler

[Michael Emrys]

2 hours ago, John Kettler said:

There's also the small matter of many ebooks having no pagination, which is annoying and time wasting, as well as being  a nightmare for use in doing something other than simple reading.

Yes. Trying to find something on a particular page can be a frustrating hassle. In a printed text I can usually go straight to the desired passage in a few seconds, but searching for it in an e-text usually takes much longer.

Michael