Poll: Rate My Glasses

May. 23rd, 2026 10:23 am
jesse_the_k: Baby wearing black glasses bigger than head (eyeglasses baby)
[personal profile] jesse_the_k
I’ve been wearing glasses for 65 years, and I’ve tried many shapes, styles, and colors. Inside the cut are two pics, with a wrinkled white woman with short hair, crumpled ears, crooked smile, and magnifying lens in metal glasses. I'd appreciate it if you'd answer this anonymous poll to let me know which style you think works best:

Looking and polling )

Books Received, May 16 — 22

May. 23rd, 2026 08:48 am
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[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll


A dozen books new to me: eight fantasy, three science fiction, one historical, at least four of which are series.

Books Received, May 16 — 22

Poll #34638 Books Received, May 16 — 22
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 24


Which of these look interesting?

View Answers

A Dance of Burning Blades by M. H. Ayinde (April 2026)
3 (12.5%)

Crimson in Quietus by Eugen Bacon (September 2026)
6 (25.0%)

To Ride a Rising Storm by Moniquill Blackgoose (January 2026)
13 (54.2%)

Blade of Two Faces by Blake Blessing (November 2026)
1 (4.2%)

The Silver Hand by Shawn Carpenter (August 2026)
2 (8.3%)

Like the Moon We Rise by Annabelle Cormack (January 2027)
2 (8.3%)

Little Necromancers by Emma Devlin (March 2027)
5 (20.8%)

Eyes of Kings by Chloe Gong (August 2026)
0 (0.0%)

What Haunts the Ice by S. Hati (January 2027)
2 (8.3%)

The Curve of the World by Vonda N. McIntyre (March 2026)
17 (70.8%)

The Unfolding: Mairee by S. Nyland (April 2026)
3 (12.5%)

Project V by Park Seolyeon (April 2026)
4 (16.7%)

Some other option (see comments)
0 (0.0%)

Cats!
15 (62.5%)

Today's stupid idea

May. 22nd, 2026 10:25 am
james_davis_nicoll: (Default)
[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll
A Gun For Godzilla, which is along the lines of de Camp's A Gun for Dinosaur or Drake's Time Safari, except the excessively optimistic rich people are hunting Kaiju.

The hunters have .600 Nitro Express rifles while their prey can melt steel with their body heat.
james_davis_nicoll: (Default)
[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll


Pilgrims on their way to a mysterious artifact fill the time by recounting their personal backstories.

Hyperion (Hyperion Cantos, volume 1) by Dan Simmons
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[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll


Hundreds of digital cards for fantasy, sf, horror, and steampunk stories

Bundle of Holding: GM's Apprentice Decks (from 2023)

Bundle of Holding: Runehammer EZD6

May. 18th, 2026 02:05 pm
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[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll


This all-new Runehammer EZD6 Bundle presents EZD6, the tabletop roleplaying game of fast-moving mayhem from "DM Scotty" McFarland (TheDMsCraft on YouTube) and Runehammer Games (Index Card RPG).

Bundle of Holding: Runehammer EZD6
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[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll


Here's to digging for treasure in the endless shelves of bookstores past and present…

Let’s Talk About Our Favorite Used Bookstores

springing

May. 17th, 2026 08:40 pm
house_wren: glass birdie (Default)
[personal profile] house_wren
The robins are pulling up worms. The female oriole is fanning her tail feathers. The turkeys are parading across the drive.

I like spring but I have not opened the windows. The cat eats the insects that get in, and then she vomits and then she doesn't eat for 2 days. Also, the gnats get in and I am allergic to their little bites. Oh, and also: pollen. Everywhere.

Eventually it will be too stuffy and too warm to keep the windows closed.

On Kocowa I am watching a Korean reality show called At Work Today that follows people through one day at their job. There's been a woman who designs tires, a man who creates ramyeon soup powder, a stock analyst, a pilot, an elementary school teacher, a cosmetic brand manager, etc, etc. I am enjoying it a lot.

I have new exercises for strengthening my hands and they all involve using a substance similar to Silly Putty. It's fun to play with. The Occupational Therapist's response to my enthusiasm for it was, "You're like a child!" I said, "Yes, I am," but now I wish I'd asked if she was complimenting me or insulting me.

The woods are a wall of green that hides the view. Wild geraniums have bloomed. I expect to see a wobbly fawn any day now.

Thank you all for your posts.

Odd

May. 17th, 2026 01:11 pm
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[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll
In the last week, the volume of incoming spam email has dropped sharply.

Non-Stop by Brian W. Aldiss

May. 17th, 2026 08:56 am
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[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll


Believing the Ship is the whole universe is just common sense. So believe the people in it, but they are not the orphans of the sky they believe themselves to be.

Non-Stop by Brian W. Aldiss
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[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll


All that stands between Isako and the satisfactory end of her career is one last job. How hard could it possibly be to accomplish one final task?

The Last Contract of Isako by Fonda Lee
jesse_the_k: kitty pawing the surface of vinyl record (scratch this!)
[personal profile] jesse_the_k

This is our song for me and MyGuy. When we met in 1977, we both lived right on Lake Mendota. We walked everywhere — fortunately, Madison is a lovely city for strolling.

Listen on YouTube or stream it here )

The cool thing is we actually did talk about all the things in these lyrics

Wouldn’t it be nice to walk together
Baring our souls while wearing out the leather
We could talk shop, harmonize a song
Wouldn’t it be nice to walk along

I’ll show you houses of architectural renown
Some are still standing, some have fallen down
Farm houses buried under Canada’s snow
Spanish villas on the Boulevards of Mexico

And I’ll learn to tell the ash from the oak
And if you don’t know I won’t make no joke
We’ll climb to the top to view the world from above
Or carve our initials in the trunk like teenagers in love

And when we get hungry we’ll stop to eat
Gotta think of our stomachs and rest our feet
If we get thirsty we’ll have a drink or two
In a mountain top bar with a mountain top view

And when we get tired we’ll stop to rest
And if you still want to talk you can bare your breast
If it’s Winter and cold we’ll take a rooming-house room
If it’s Summer and warm we’ll sleep under the moon

And we’ll talk about the sports we played
‘Bout the time you got busted or the time I got laid
We’ll talk blood and how we were bred
Talk about the folks both living and dead

This song like this walk I find hard to end
Be my lover or be my friend
In sneakers or boots or regulation shoes
Walking beside you I’ll never get the walking blues.

https://www.mcgarrigles.com/music/dancer-with-bruised-knees/walking-song

Bundle of Holding: The Other Side

May. 13th, 2026 02:22 pm
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[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll


11 character-class supplements for any old-school FRPG.

Bundle of Holding: The Other Side
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[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll


A selfless act of heroism costs a homeless NEET his life. Waking in an unfamiliar world, he resolves to do better in his next incarnation.

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, volume 1 by Rifujin Na Magonote
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[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll


Human paleontologists have the professional opportunity of a lifetime... but there's a catch.

Bones of the Earth by Michael Swanwick

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