Survey Results

26-Aug-07 21:07

I didn't tick Computer books and manuals because while my desk has a few on it I use them as references. I don't think I've read a computer book cover to cover since school.

I did tick Science Fiction / Fantasy but I read very, very little Fantasy. Terry Pratchett and Tolkien would be about the only Fantasy I read.

regards,
Paul Watson
Ireland & South Africa

Shog9 wrote:
And with that, Paul closed his browser, sipped his herbal tea, fixed the flower in his hair, and smiled brightly at the multitude of cute, furry animals flocking around the grassy hillside where he sat coding Ruby on his Mac...

Gary Wheeler27-Aug-07 1:44

Gary Wheeler

27-Aug-07 1:44

Paul Watson wrote:
I read very, very little Fantasy

Same here. I keep looking for the guy in the armored fighting suit to pop out of his drop ship and nuke the ravening orc horde.

Software Zen: delete this;

Paul Watson27-Aug-07 2:09

27-Aug-07 2:09

Fantasy seems to be about heaving bosoms clad in armour. And big swords. Killing orcs.

regards,
Paul Watson
Ireland & South Africa

Shog9 wrote:
And with that, Paul closed his browser, sipped his herbal tea, fixed the flower in his hair, and smiled brightly at the multitude of cute, furry animals flocking around the grassy hillside where he sat coding Ruby on his Mac...

Gary Wheeler27-Aug-07 2:16

Gary Wheeler

27-Aug-07 2:16

Bizarre. The e-mail I received says 'heaving blossoms clad in armor'. I guess this wins as the strangest Lotus Notes bug yet.

I will admit to the guilty pleasure of reading the Chicks in Chain Mail[^] anthologies by Esther Friesner, though.

Software Zen: delete this;

Paul Watson27-Aug-07 2:25

27-Aug-07 2:25

Gary Wheeler wrote:
blossoms

Actually, blame Firefox this time. I typed bossoms which it duly underlined, I right-clicked, hit the first suggestion and posted. Then I noticed it had suggested blossoms and not bosoms first. Doh!

The Firefox spell checker really is rubbish. All it helps with is "that word seems wrong" but the suggestions are so often way off.

regards,
Paul Watson
Ireland & South Africa

Shog9 wrote:
And with that, Paul closed his browser, sipped his herbal tea, fixed the flower in his hair, and smiled brightly at the multitude of cute, furry animals flocking around the grassy hillside where he sat coding Ruby on his Mac...

Shog⁹27-Aug-07 18:32

Shog⁹

27-Aug-07 18:32

Stardust is in theaters now... so pick up the book and see what you think. Plenty of bosoms, but no orcs. Good stuff...

every night, i kneel at the foot of my bed and thank the Great Overseeing Politicians for protecting my freedoms by reducing their number, as if they were deer in a state park. -- C^hris L^osinger, Online Poker Players?

Hamed Musavi27-Aug-07 2:16

Hamed Musavi

27-Aug-07 2:16

Paul Watson wrote:
I don't think I've read a computer book cover to cover since school

And the question never said 'What genres of books do you read cover to cover?' Big Grin | :-D

// "Life is very short and is very fragile also." Yanni
while (I'm_alive)
{
cout<<"I love programming.";
}

golem10027-Aug-07 3:42

golem100

27-Aug-07 3:42

Same here, though I still follow the adventures of Conan in his latest comic book incarnation. I always look upon computer people with suspicion if they aren't into some form of SF. Oh and before I forget: Ia! Ia! Cthulhu fhtagn!

golem100

Coleenh27-Aug-07 5:50

Coleenh

27-Aug-07 5:50

I DO read Fantasy - I get tired of the techno stuff, I deal with it every day. I read for pleasure and I want to escape all the techno stuff! Try somethng more adult like Terry Goodkind's "Wizzard's First Rule" series if you're looking for good fantasy!

Coleen
NV DMV ISS 3

Good SF

Paul Watson27-Aug-07 6:30

27-Aug-07 6:30

Good SF, IMO, isn't about gadgets and gizmos. That is like me saying fantasy is about bosoms and big swords. I was being offensive towards fantasy. Smile | :)

There is plenty of bad SF. Normally in the Space Opera section. Guys like Peter F. Hamilton. God awful space opera nonsense. I stopped liking that when I was 16.

But I've found more good SF than good fantasy. Standing in front of the SF/Fantasy section in most book shelves involves looking at hundreds of garish covers of bosoms and big swords. It is like being in the Daniele Steele section, but with orcs.

Good fantasy and good SF generally involves a situation that is alien to our modern world. Bad SF is a modern day war or adventure story where the only change is they have ray guns and spaceships instead of machine guns and tanks. Where a country becomes a planet.

Good SF, and fantasy, is creativity and originality. Truly new ideas that cannot be set now. If you can set a story in the now then set it in the now and don't put ray guns or bosoms and big swords in it.

There are exceptions of course. Lord of the Rings is World War II and all that but it was well written and beautifully twisted from history. Technically it could have been Brits and Americans vs. Japs and Nazis. It can work but often it is derivative and pointless.

So good SF isn't technical and so not tiring to me after a hard day in tech world Smile | :)

regards,
Paul Watson
Ireland & South Africa

Shog9 wrote:
And with that, Paul closed his browser, sipped his herbal tea, fixed the flower in his hair, and smiled brightly at the multitude of cute, furry animals flocking around the grassy hillside where he sat coding Ruby on his Mac...

Re: Good SF

Coleenh27-Aug-07 8:47

Coleenh

27-Aug-07 8:47

That's true - not all SF is techno babble, but on the other hand not all Fantasy is big bosoms and swords. When you find really "Good" Fantasy it's more about magic and dragons (IMO Anne McCaffery is classic "Good" Fantasy) but you have to be able to remove yourself from reality. For me, that‘s what Fantasy is all about - it isn't remotely realistic!

However, I agree, bad Fantasy is just BAD! I am very picky about the Fantasy authors that I read. Tolkien is the "Godfather" of course, but there really are some "good" Fantasy writers; you just have to find the books that don't have boobs & swords on the cover...;P

Coleen
NV DMV ISS 3

Criminal!

Hamed Musavi26-Aug-07 21:05

Hamed Musavi

26-Aug-07 21:05

I selected Computer, scientific fictions and mysterious but I also read fictions about crimes and detectives as well.

To which category these stories belong?

// "Life is very short and is very fragile also." Yanni
while (I'm_alive)
{
cout<<"I love programming.";
}

Re: Criminal!

Gary Wheeler27-Aug-07 1:42

Gary Wheeler

27-Aug-07 1:42

Crime/detective stories are a type of mystery (often referred to as a 'police procedural').

Software Zen: delete this;

No comic books ?

Michael Rawi26-Aug-07 20:27

Michael Rawi

26-Aug-07 20:27

I read comics sometimes. Smile | :)

What are you read at ?

Re: No comic books ?

daledodalebo27-Aug-07 2:50

daledodalebo

27-Aug-07 2:50

Do you know "The Eternauta" or "El Eternauta". It`s the best argentinian comic.

Nothing can cure the soul but the senses, just as nothing can cure the senses but the soul.
— Oscar Wilde

Spiritual Books

Gautam Jain26-Aug-07 19:09

Gautam Jain

26-Aug-07 19:09

Very deeply interested in Spirituality. Essential for knowing your "real" self.

Regards,
Gautam Jain
http://www.conceptworld.com

Ungi.26-Aug-07 21:36

Ungi.

26-Aug-07 21:36

That's the answer I was missing.

I'm also very interessted in spiritual books.

[Message Deleted]

BeamingJo27-Aug-07 3:58

BeamingJo

27-Aug-07 3:58

[Message Deleted]

Member 9627-Aug-07 6:03

Member 96

27-Aug-07 6:03

Philosophy yes, new agey hippy dippy bullshit "finding yourself" books no. Big difference.

"I don't want more choice. I just want better things!" - Edina Monsoon

Paul Watson27-Aug-07 6:32

27-Aug-07 6:32

You sound like someone who needs to truly get in touch with their inner flower, John...

regards,
Paul Watson
Ireland & South Africa

Shog9 wrote:
And with that, Paul closed his browser, sipped his herbal tea, fixed the flower in his hair, and smiled brightly at the multitude of cute, furry animals flocking around the grassy hillside where he sat coding Ruby on his Mac...

Member 9627-Aug-07 7:28

Member 96

27-Aug-07 7:28

My inner flower is probably a thistle of some kind!

"I don't want more choice. I just want better things!" - Edina Monsoon

Alain de Botton

Paul Watson27-Aug-07 7:44

27-Aug-07 7:44

Have you ever read Alain de Botton? I will readily admit to liking his first few books. They were a fresh take on a tired subject and easily accessible in a field of mostly unaccessible writing. After about the 4th one though I either grew-up or he started veering too much towards the Self Help Hippie Dippie crap. A shame.

regards,
Paul Watson
Ireland & South Africa

Shog9 wrote:
And with that, Paul closed his browser, sipped his herbal tea, fixed the flower in his hair, and smiled brightly at the multitude of cute, furry animals flocking around the grassy hillside where he sat coding Ruby on his Mac...