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Saturday, December 9th, 2000

Numbered Account, by Christopher Reich

Set in a Swiss bank, Numbered Account tells a story of murder and revenge. This is a true page-turner, with memorable characters and a satisfying plot. I was not surprised, after reading it, to learn that it was a NYT bestseller.

If you like thrillers, especially contemporary spy-fiction writers such as Robert Ludlum or Tom Clancy, you will like this book.

Patronize these links, man:


posted to area: Fiction
updated: 2000-12-09 20:00:00

Sewer, Gas, and Electric: The Public Works Trilogy, by Matt Ruff

I bought this book for two reasons: the title is clever, and there’s a quote from Neal Stephenson on the back.

Here’s what Neal says about S, G, & E: “A turbocharged neo-Dickensian hot rod [with] plenty of intellectual horsepower.”

I think that pretty much sums it up!

Ruff’s writing is at times similar to Stephenson, and even more frequently similar to Vonnegut. Like many of Vonnegut’s books, S, G, & E made me laugh out loud. Also like some of Vonnegut’s stuff, this book has been labeled “science fiction,” and also like much of Vonnegut’s stuff, it really isn’t.

Patronize these links, man:


posted to area: Fiction
updated: 2004-04-19 03:08:31

Friday, December 8th, 2000

The government comes through again ?!

I received yet another catalog from Eyewire today, in spite of my half-dozen faxes plus one voice call politely requesting to be removed from their list.

But today is a different day, for I’ve discovered a secret weapon, provided to me by the US Supreme Court and made easy to use by the good folks at Junkbusters.

In short, US residents tired of relentless direct-mail marketing can download Form 1500 from the USPS website and submit it via mail with a copy of the offending paper spam attached; the advertiser risks prosecution for sending even one more piece of mail.

I have never in my life, when filling out a form for the federal government, experienced this much joy.


Tags:
posted to channel: Privacy
updated: 2004-02-22 22:49:16

The government comes through?!

My new passport will arrive today. I’m amazed! Perhaps if more government offices were run like profit centers, bureaucracy could be good all over.


Tags:
posted to channel: Travel
updated: 2004-02-22 22:49:16

Thursday, December 7th, 2000

Lucky You, by Carl Hiaasen

Hiaasen’s “save local ecology” theme returns in Lucky You, a rambling story about a woman who wins a lottery ticket and two really dumb thugs who try to steal it. The protagonists, a veterinarian’s assistant and the newspaperman she disrobes at gunpoint when he comes to interview her about winning $14 million, are as purely drawn as all of Hiassen’s characters. The reporter’s exchanges with his editor are especially funny for anyone who’s had to work for someone not entirely qualified to be in charge.

Patronize these links, man:


posted to area: Fiction
updated: 2004-04-19 02:37:24

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Carbon neutral for 2007.