Back to work.

It's 2008CE, and I'm feeling energized about work again. Resolutions:

This year, take vacations spread out through the year, not all crammed up at the end.

When big work projects loom, assert authority equal to responsibility. Get a real priority assessment.

Resume book blogging.

Take more walks, especially around lunchtime.

Back to work.

It's 2008CE, and I'm feeling energized about work again. Resolutions:

This year, take vacations spread out through the year, not all crammed up at the end.

When big work projects loom, assert authority equal to responsibility. Get a real priority assessment.

Resume book blogging.

Take more walks, especially around lunchtime.

Books

_The Space Eater_, David Langford.

The first chapter was pushed as a horror-of-future-war short story, in which regeneration tanks made it possible to have a caste of soldiers who could get used to dying, and as a result became completely fearless. Then the book goes into basic hard SF mode: given the technological innovations herein (the regen tanks, a wormhole with some interesting limitations, a total-conversion weapon, the ability to change G...) how can they all be used to solve pieces of a puzzle? I'm happy to say that I saw several of the solutions coming several pages before the reveals.

Most Langford stories are in the same mode; they're fun, and readable, but the sparks of greatness are the fictional technical ideas, rather than the story telling or characterization or plot or setting. Good on its own merits.

Books

_The Space Eater_, David Langford.

The first chapter was pushed as a horror-of-future-war short story, in which regeneration tanks made it possible to have a caste of soldiers who could get used to dying, and as a result became completely fearless. Then the book goes into basic hard SF mode: given the technological innovations herein (the regen tanks, a wormhole with some interesting limitations, a total-conversion weapon, the ability to change G...) how can they all be used to solve pieces of a puzzle? I'm happy to say that I saw several of the solutions coming several pages before the reveals.

Most Langford stories are in the same mode; they're fun, and readable, but the sparks of greatness are the fictional technical ideas, rather than the story telling or characterization or plot or setting. Good on its own merits.