Daily Thoughts 7/8/2011

Exilium Melancholiae, painting by Bartolomeus Hopfer, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Strasbourg, After 1643

Daily Thoughts 7/8/2011

On the train to work, I read a little more of Child Wonder.  The main character Finn is on vacation at the beach.  I also read a little bit more of On Strategy.  The authors are writing about Blue Ocean Strategy which is also a book by W. Chan Kim.

This morning, I updated the Twitter account, checked the displays, checked the ereference, and checked the gift books. I usually mostly add classics and assignment titles for the teenagers. There were copies of Death On The Nile, Oliver Twist, The Iliad, Dracula, and a few other titles.  I also sent in the bi-monthly report for my department.

I was reading Publishers Weekly and came across an interesting book.  It was by Dan Fante who is the son John Fante, the writer.  John Fante corresponded with the poet and writer Charles Bukowski.  I have read many of  John Fante's and Charles Bukowski's books.  The book is Fante: A Family's Legacy of Writing, Drinking and Surviving: A Memoir by Dan Fante.  It will be coming out in September.

On the way home, I finished reading Child Wonder a novel by Roy Jacobsen.  It is a very sad novel about growing up.  

I also read #1-4 of  Stan Lee Presents Conan The Barbarian by Roy Thomas and Barry Smith full color paperback comics based on Robert E.Howard's character.  These were published by Marvel in 1978.  They are the classic barbarian with a sword comics.  I especialy like Roy Thomas's editorial style.  The comics have lots of action, blood, and gore.  They would not fit well with todays fantasy writers.


Web Bits

The Ipad Could Revolutionize The Comics Biz or Destroy It.
http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/06/ff_digitalcomix/2/

Morning Thoughts, Conan The Conqueror

Robert E. Howard

Morning Thoughts

I have started reading Fueling Our Future An Introduction to Sustainable Energy by Robert L. Evans (Director Clean Energy Research Centre The University of British Colombia) , Cambridge University Press, c2007.

This looks to be a rather interesting book. It will be interesting to read a non-Us perspective on renewable energy. There are sections in the book on ocean energy which is not often covered in books on renewables. The author is also comparing nuclear, clean coal, and renewables as future energy sources. The author also compares two future transportation infrastructures, one based on plug in hybrid electric vehicles, and one based on a hydrogen transportation infrastructure.

This book is proving to be very fascinating reading. I have learned quite a few new things like the process of extracting oil from tar sands and oil shale. It also describes how it may be possible to extract methane from coal seams.

Robert L. Evans also gives a description of how carbon capture technology for coal plants would work that makes far more sense than any other description I have read. Often carbon dioxide is pumped into wells to force oil to flow out of nearby wells better. These are called CO2 injection wells. The drill holes with the carbon dioxide are then capped. The oil wells become carbon dioxide storage sites.

I often think not enough people are aware of all the technological options for renewable energy. Very few people know about wave energy, plasma conversion, solar updraft towers, biomass co-firing, landfill gasification, micro-hydro, hybrid turbine electric engines, and hybrid electric trains. There are many other options which could expand the mix of renewable energy options.

Conan The Conqueror

Robert E. Howard only wrote one full book length Conan novel, The Hour of the Dragon, or Conan the Conqueror.

While there has been a Conan movie made starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, there never was a Conan movie made based on Conan The Conqueror. There were plans for years that Schwarzenegger would make a King Conan film based on this book. It never happened due to differences in opinion on how the movie should be made. I hear rumors that they may make a new Conan movie. I hope they don't choose a bodybuilder or someone from World Wrestling Entertainment.

I always thought that Schwarzenegger was too slow moving to be Conan. They need someone who is very quick, athletic, and able to express a lot of rage.

I would not mind if they restarted the franchise, but please choose the right person for the role. King Conan would be a fabulous movie if it was done right. Supposedly New Line Cinema is releasing a new version of the Conan movie in 2009.