Ian Fleming's James Bond Series

Ian Fleming's James Bond book series was one that I wanted to read since I picked up the complete collection, that was printed in the 60's, a decade ago at a used book store. The covers were in ok shape and the stories were not always great but there is something magical about the way Ian Fleming wrote. You believed that the lifestyle of spies was a life for hard men in stressful times. That Bond was the cold-blooded killer of bad people and when he faltered it was only for a moment of snide complaint about the inhuman industry that was the Cold War. It was black and white with a veil of grey.

The entire series is 14 books including two short story collections. Many of the novels have little to do with the films that were made with the same title. I finished the last book, a short story collection, and enjoyed the entire series experience. They are fantastic travel or vacation books for easy escapism. My favorite was the first one, Casino Royale.

Postcard of the Interwebs - 26 November 2014

Why do people sacrifice themselves for Strangers...using the Libyan Conflict as an example: An interesting article on how adverse conditions create powerful bonds between people and the sacrifices they will make to help someone on thier side. It also goes into the divide between those that fought and those that didn't because of a lack of a common shared experience.

Past Horizons Webpage: Very nice website on current discoveries and articles on past civilizations.

History Book List: From Reddit is an interesting list of history books of distinction. I need to pick up a few.

David Dunning AMA: Also from reddit, this fellow has wise and insightful views of how people rate thier expertise, and how people overinflate thier morality. Interesting stuff.

Space Junk: There is a lot of space junk. This image reminds me of a fantastic Japenese Manga and Anime called Planetes.

Science, Scientism, and Anti-Science in the Age of Preposterism: Article by Susan Haack. Very thoughtful words on how motivation and deliberate obfuscation can affect the quest for truth and its impact on how looking for truth is seen in society.

Different Hot Chocolate: I prefer Central American/European drinking chocolate and Mexican hot chocolate but here are many other kinds for the upcoming holiday season.

Sizzling Tandoor

We stopped by Sizzling Tandoor, this past Thanksgiving on the way back from the mainland, in Uptown centre because Noodle Box was closed. We were super impressed by the food.

The butter chicken, okra masala and naan bread were delicious and had a great range in depth of flavours.

We would go here again.

Postcard of the Interwebs - 12 November 2014

Kevin Scharp Philosophy Timeline: Excellently done and informative.

Fireworks picture looks like an Alien Invasion


Algae in Lakes causing Loss of Cognitive Functions: Bizarre and scary.

Five Ways to Lie with Charts: A great article on how others can deceive using various charts, depending on the viewpoint they want to present.

Google and Amazon want to Store your Genome...For Science: Very cool use of databases and reasearch to achieve benificial ends.

Desktop Movie Stills: Why not use classic cinematophric stills as your desktop background?

Calvin and Hobbes Dancing: Brings a smile to my face.

Postcard of the Interwebs - 05 November 2014

Good Travel Advice

Yasuke, the African Samurai: Yasuke, who was an African slave to Jesuit priest was named by the Japanese warlord Oda Nobunaga, who was astonished by his size and skin colour. He was considered for a post as a Daimyo but was instead granted status as a samurai. Full story at the link.

Ebola vs other Problems in Africa

Helium Filled Wind Turbines: What a great idea! Handy for disasters, remote areas and mountainous terrain. Made by MIT's Altaeros Energies.

Cool GIF of a CD in the Microwave. Don't try this at home.

Sweden is getting Power from other Countries Garbage: A concept that is happening in dribs and drabs around the world is being done in force in Sweden.

Free Digital Books...from the Vatican: Yup, they've digitized many volumes for free viewing online. Looks cool.

Macchiato Cafe and Panninoteca

Macchiato Cafe and Panninoteca is a great cafe and coffee house in downtown Victoria. At least I think the coffee is good because I had the Bernard Callebaut hot chocolate and it was delicious, especially on a rainy day. I also had the brie, pesto and tomato croissant and it too was delicious. A refreshing change from chain coffee places and cool decor too.

Give it a try for something excellent and different.