Henrik Carlsson posted this note on 08 jul 21 and tagged it with Adaptations The Stand TV shows

I drove to pick up groceries today and listened more to The Stand and realized that I’d only written about things in the tv series favor yesterday and two things that are much better in the book came to mind.

First, Las Vegas. At least thus far in the book (Chapter 81) it’s far from the depraved sex party of the tv show. The shows depiction of the city of Flagg seems like ”bait” for the modern tv audience who expects som T&A in their shows. It’s more appealing, and frightening, when it’s more similar to Boulder.

Secondly, Larry Underwood. That character remains fairly undeveloped in the show, at least to my recollection. He is a much more interesting character in the novel.

∞

Henrik Carlsson posted this note on 08 jul 21 and tagged it with Apple Watch

I probably get too annoyed and worked up about this problem with the Apple Watch but the fact that the icon for ”Do Not Disturb” doesn’t follow the accent color of the watch face, resulting in this clash of colors is like nails of a chalkboard to me.

∞

Replies and comments

odd
8 juli, 2021 01:15

@MrHenko You too? I don’t have a Apple Watch longer, but I remember this was (to me) a wrong against humanity.
MrHenko
8 juli, 2021 12:09

@odd I’m glad to hear that I’m not alone in my frustration. :)

Henrik Carlsson posted this note on 07 jul 21 and tagged it with Podcasts Reading

For the past month or so I’ve listened to almost no podcasts, instead making my way through audiobook after audiobook, finishing four books I’d started in the past¹, starting and finishing one² and starting and soon finishing one³ and I feel great about it. I’m seriously considering deleting all podcast subscriptions, maybe even the apps as well.

If I listen to a lot of podcasts during a day while doing small chores around the house I often end up with a feeling of not accomplishing anything, wasting my time and my brain power. Doing the same chores but listening to books makes me feel like I’ve done something. Maybe I haven’t done the greatest thing in the world, but I’ve done something I enjoy and want to do more of.

- Stephen King’s The Drawing of the Three
- Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology
- Max Tegmark’s Life 3.0
- Neal Stephenson’s Fall; or Dodge in Hell
↩
Neal Stephenson’s Seveneves ↩
Stephen King’s The Stand ↩

∞

Replies and comments

jean
7 juli, 2021 23:54

@MrHenko I’ve become very devoted to audiobooks. I
still listen to my favorite podcasts, usually after I’ve finished an audiobook as a palate cleanser. I think I’m averaging 2 books a week.
MrHenko
8 juli, 2021 00:02

@jean Wow, that’s an impressive amount of listening. I thought I listened a lot. :)

The idea of podcasts as a palate cleanser is a good one. I might try that, but I worry that the thing that’s managed to keep me away from podcasts and in to audiobooks this past month is that the podcast listening has been almost zero and that the more I listen, the bigger the risk is that I slowly creep away from the audiobooks. Podcasts tend to be so much more ”instant gratification”.

Henrik Carlsson posted this note on 06 jul 21 and tagged it with Reading

What do other people use as ”canonical source” for books, movies, and such? By that I mean if you blog about having read a book or watched a movie, what is the site you link to for the book/movie?

∞

Henrik Carlsson posted this note on 30 jun 21

”The car ate road and blew miles out of its tailpipe.”

Such a wonderful line from Stephen King’s The Stand. I think this one will replay in my mind whenever I’m on a long drive next.

∞

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jeremycherfas
30 juni, 2021 16:53

@MrHenko Having just done Rome to Puglia in 8.5 hours elapsed time, I can relate.
MrHenko
30 juni, 2021 17:33

@jeremycherfas Wow, that’s quite a long time in a car. Quite a lot of interesting places along the way I guess?
jeremycherfas
30 juni, 2021 18:42

@MrHenko Many interesting places, but we stopped only three times, and each time on the road: coffee, sandwich and petrol. Easier to just keep going. My partner doesn’t drive, but is a terrific co-pilot.
MrHenko
1 juli, 2021 10:55

@jeremycherfas Yes, staying on (or close to) the road is preferable to the more scenic route when you want to get to the destination. I wish I was someone who took the second option every now and then but I tend to always take as small a detour as possible.

Henrik Carlsson posted this note on 24 jun 21 and tagged it with Stephen King The Stand

And now I’ve just renewed my Audible subscription and downloaded Stephen King’s The Stand.

∞

Henrik Carlsson posted this note on 10 jun 21 and tagged it with Neal Stephenson Reading Seveneves

I’m 236 pages (just started Part 2) in to ”Seveneves” by Neal Stephenson and I’m absolutely loving it. This is the kind of nerdy topics, full of even nerdier digressions that I love.

∞

Henrik Carlsson posted this note on 07 jun 21 and tagged it with Neal Stephenson Reading Seveneves

The Moon blew up without warning and for no apparent reason. It was waxing, only one day short of full. The time was 05:03:12 UTC. Later it would be designated +0.0.0, or simply Zero.

Neal Stephenson, Seveneves

That’s a great opening to a book.

(The lawn needed mowing today, so I bit the bullet and started listening to this one.)

∞

Henrik Carlsson posted this note on 06 jun 21 and tagged it with Fall; or Dodge in Hell Neal Stephenson Reading

The reading continues. After finishing Life 3.0 I resumed my listening of Neal Stephenson’s Fall; or Dodge in Hell. This one is a wild ride. Such an interesting premise and great start, then kind of slow for while and now (Prim’s journey) it’s great again.

∞

Replies and comments

Cheri
6 juni, 2021 00:51

@MrHenko I love the way he writes, but his books are too chewy for me.

I did love Anathem even though it took me four tries to finish!
kirschen
6 juni, 2021 00:58

@MrHenko my first listen on Audible was ”Snow Crash” – lengthy but very enjoyable @cheri
MrHenko
6 juni, 2021 23:19

@Cheri “Fall” is only the second Stephenson book I’ve read, but I’ve gathered that brevity isn’t exactly his thing. But I do like both “Fall” and “Snow Crash” a lot.

Have you read “Fall”? I seem to recall you posting a photo from Moab a few weeks ago, and that place quite a big roll in the first part of the book.
jack
6 juni, 2021 23:54

@MrHenko I loved the first 300 pages of Fall, but stopped at about 500. The further they got into ”bitworld” the less interesting it was to me. I liked ”Seveneves”. It’s especially great if you’re interested in orbital mechanics as a main character. (My goodness he can drone on about stuff). Also enjoyed ”Reamde” and ”Anathem”. Didn’t finish ”D.O.D.O”.
Cheri
7 juni, 2021 00:55

@MrHenko I have a copy of Snow Crash that I’m nibbling at. But I saw how thick Fall was and my internal reaction was: Ha ha ha nooooooo. 😂
MrHenko
7 juni, 2021 10:40

@jack I don’t have my physical copy of ”Fall” at hand, but the page numbers probably corresponds well to my impression of it. You should have pressed on because it did get a lot better again once the time of Adam and Eve had passed. The ending was genuinely good, something it seems based on other reviews isn’t Stephenson’s strength.

And yeah, he does drone on, and on, and on. I think ”Fall” would have been just as good, probably even better, if condensed to half och 2/3 the length.

”Seveneves” is the next audio book in my queue, but I think I need something shorter before embarking on another 30+ hour journey.
MrHenko
7 juni, 2021 10:42

@Cheri I’ve just now finished ”Fall” and while in the end I liked it a lot I think it would have been just as good, probably better, if it had been edited down to half och 2/3 the length.

Keep nibbling at ”Snow Crash”, it’s a really good one.
kirschen
9 juni, 2021 05:42

@MrHenko I’ve listened to ”Cryptonomicon” – it’s an amazing tale interwoven amongst several generations, with all the threads falling in place at the end. I remember telling myself ”so that’s how it’s all connected”! Quite a long listen but worth it
MrHenko
10 juni, 2021 08:21

@kirschen I’ll add that one to my list of books I might listen to. I see a possible Neal Stephenson binge coming up. :)

Henrik Carlsson posted this note on 01 jun 21 and tagged it with A.I. Life 3.0 Reading

Also I’m currently reading Max Tegmark’s Life 3.0 and I can’t for the life of me decide if I really like it or if it’s really tedious. Perhaps both. The first few chapters where great but as it goes on it really goes on, and on, and on, and on.

Moreover¹ it discusses a lot of similar topics, and based on similar sources, as Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell. That is both a good thing and a bad thing. It’s interesting to nod along to things I already knew from Kurzgesagt, while it’s also tedious to be told things I already know from Kurzgesagt.

As you can tell, I’m really mixed on this book so far. Currently I have a little over two hours left on it.

Life 3.0 should be subtitled ”Moreover, the Book”, alternatively it should be accompanied by a drinking game in which you take a shot for every ”moreover” in the book. You’ll be braindead within a chapter. ↩

∞

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Henrik Carlsson
6 juni, 2021 00:26

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