Review: Ace in the Hole

Saturday, 28/08/2010 ≅13:29 ©cat

Ace in the Hole (Wild Cards, #6)Ace in the Hole by George R.R. Martin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book makes up for volume 5 of the series. It's storyline is like a tragedy, and not everybody gets to live happily ever after. It's set during the Democratic Convention in Atlanta in '88, where Senator Hartmann is trying to win the nomination against the far right candidate Reverend Barnett.

The chickens come home to roost, as the histories of all the biggest players in the series come barrelling down out of history and demand their due, while the aces and jokers desperately try to get the right candidate nominated. Hartmann's secret slowly gets out, and as he rallies his forces the body count - and the tears - mount.

A gripping book that reads almost like a political thriller, this may be the best of the series.

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Review: Down and Dirty

Saturday, 28/08/2010 ≅13:09 ©cat

Down and Dirty (Wild Cards, #5)Down and Dirty by George R.R. Martin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A lot of people think this is where the series starts to noticeably weaken, but I still liked it a lot. The stories weave around a gang war between the Shadow Fists and the mafia. Some of the characters and situations seemed a bit contrived - a mafia princess working as an assistant DA in NYC, and nobody knows about it? But, that's the sort of thing you put up with when you read pulp. Another issue I have with this book is there wasn't any real transcendence for many of the aces and jokers we've come to know and love, this book's main characters are nats who are using wild cards for their own ends. I like the new ace, Wraith, and I hope she has more appearances in the rest of the series.

In all honesty, I'm writing this review a couple of weeks after I finished the book, so I can't really go into any details. In retrospect, it feels like it's less about the wild cards and more of a gangwar thriller with some superpowers thrown in. There were lots of characters, perhaps more than we've seen in the other books, but nobody really gets an indepth treatment of their inner life. I felt that was disappointing, I was hoping Jack and Bagabond would have a chance to tell more of their story.

In a series this long, there always has to be some volumes that are a bit weaker than the rest, but that doesn't necessarily take away from the series. This book is an example of that phenomena.

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WordPress 2.8.4 update: 3 Files changed

Saturday, 15/08/2009 ≅13:42 ©cat

I updated wordpress for the (latest) critical security update. I can't find anywhere at wordpress.org to download a patch. So, I downloaded the whole 2MB tarball so I could update... three files, only one of which has new code. Here's what svn shows after merging 2.8.4 into 2.8.3:

U    wp-login.php
U    wp-includes/version.php
U    readme.html



=<140 characters of snark from 2009-08-09

Saturday, 08/08/2009 ≅23:56 ©cat


=<140 characters of snark from 2009-08-08

Friday, 07/08/2009 ≅23:45 ©cat
  • UberTwitter is not working, hence I'm not around so much. I miss the people I miss and the news I want to know about. #


=<140 characters of snark from 2009-08-05

Wednesday, 05/08/2009 ≅23:45 ©cat


=<140 characters of snark from 2009-08-05

Tuesday, 04/08/2009 ≅23:45 ©cat


=<140 characters of snark from 2009-08-03

Monday, 03/08/2009 ≅23:45 ©cat
  • RT @micknugent: In practice, atheism is far more about a way of thinking than it is about the outcomes that result from that thinking #
  • RT @ClinicEscort: FactCheck.org debunks FRC claim that public healthcare will deny surgery for seniors to fund abortions http://tr.im/viIB #
  • Operation "rescue" issues fatwa against midweatern women's healthcare provider http://tr.im/vjqi #
  • Hey, conservatives: if U want less gov't involvement, why R U so interested in what my wife does with her uterus?!? #
  • Reaffirming my dim view of humanity at http://www.dreamindemon.com #
  • I ask of the tweets: Best books for learning the intracies of google zeitgeist, analytics, etc? #
  • WTF? I suddenly have half a dozen christian nutjobs following me. Here's to pissing them off as much as they piss me off! #
  • @RadioDentata ((hugs)) in reply to RadioDentata #
  • @Bubblypoo maybe they're looking for life before death :) in reply to Bubblypoo #
  • @teebalicious stop insulting 14yo girls like that!! Every woman you know used to be 14!! in reply to teebalicious #
  • @teebalicious it'd be easy to hack @wordpress to enforce character minimums in reply to teebalicious #
  • RT @beyondmythology: "The inspiration of the Bible depends upon the ignorance of the gentleman who reads it." ~Robert Green Ingersoll #
  • RT @beyondmythology: "The true civilization is where every man gives to every other every right that he claims for himself." RG Ingersoll #
  • @1twistedmind look up diets for "Irritable Bowel Syndrome". Also, given your liver condition you want to avoid greasy fatty foods in reply to 1twistedmind #
  • RT @ClinicEscort http://twitpic.com/cp142 // That's what I'm talkin' about!!! #
  • This is my #666 Tweet! Why did Paul choose this number for the beast of revelations, anyway? Numeric code for...? #
  • @MyrnaTheMinx We're getting old Myrna. I suggest we go kicking and screaming and wearing our parachute pants with pride! in reply to MyrnaTheMinx #
  • RT @angryseattleCitizens: are you too stupid to read what you're signing? http://bit.ly/vFvIe This stone age referendum better not pass... #
  • RT @beyondmythology "I am intolerant.." // And NO ONE can make me apologize for valuing the good of many over the superstitions of a few #
  • @AtheistHitSquad I just hit 666 a few minutes ago too :) in reply to AtheistHitSquad #


=<140 characters of snark from 2009-08-02

Sunday, 02/08/2009 ≅23:45 ©cat
  • @teebalicious Did I just see you use the words "realistic" and "Hollywood" together ??!? in reply to teebalicious #
  • As long as we're dreaming, when I'll appoint you in charge of TV :) #
  • WTF? I meant: As long as we're dreaming, when I rule the world I'll appoint you in charge of tv #
  • Note to self: twitter on the wife's PC is another victim of her inability to close a tab or say no to a plugin #
  • FunFact #462: It is impossible to wear crocs and have my respect. Just sayin... #
  • RT @teebalicious: @Syztem7 song of the day: Severed http://tinyurl.com/lwu6tk If you'd like to share it with your followers, RT away! #
  • RT @EqualityAmerica: Y Believe Obama Is More For Equal Marriage Than Republicans Are Against It? http://bit.ly/ZgGWD #LGBT #
  • RT @teebalicious: I just believe anything with a tattoo design on it should be made of human skin. // I like my Ed Hardy lighters #
  • RT @teebalicious: @brainycat Are they made with human skin? // I'm pleading the 5th #
  • RT @jseattle: Fire guts Broadway psychic shop http://bit.ly/JSSsl // I bet they didn't see that coming #
  • Today, I'd like to send a BIG shoutout to bioluminescence!! #planetearth #davidattenborough #
  • @genitorturers THANK YOU re: Whale wars, that was my 1st thought! 7billion people on the planet and those bozos are the best they can find? in reply to genitorturers #


Weekly Twitter Roundup: 2009-08-02

Sunday, 02/08/2009 ≅01:10 ©cat