So… tired…
Well, at least the news is giving me plenty of material for when I get to regular blogging tomorrow. Now, another message for our sponsors.
Just want to remind everyone that the blogads help pay for the quality you come to expect from IMAO. I don’t get money for how many times they are clicked or a percentage of what they sell; they pay a flat fee for ad space. Still, the least you can do if you enjoy IMAO is make sure to check out each advertiser.
I’d like to specifically mention the advertiser in the Patron spot – Realm Dekor – the proprietor of which has bought another weeks time there. Some had dismissed the advertiser as some liberal not paying attention to where she was advertising since there are those who associate anything trendy or artistic with liberalism. There is no truth to that, and what’s more conservative than good ‘ole capitalism? And conservatives come in all stripes – even funky colored ones.
That brings me to my next topic: Brian Anderson sent me a review copy of South Park Conservatives: The Revolt Against Liberal Media Bias which talks about a new generation of conservatives (NRO interview with Brian Anderson is here). I set down my copy of The Moon is a Harsh Mistress which my brother lent me and will get to reading that soon. I used to be a big South Park fan (I still quote the “Underwear Gnome” episode from time to time), but haven’t watched the new episodes the past couple years. Is it still worth watching?
BTW, if anyone else wants to send me free stuff, I now have a P.O. Box. There’s no better way to get publicity than sending me free stuff.
Did I have something else I wanted to say? Guess I could hype what’s coming up this weekend again… nah, too tired.
Be honorable, ronin.
Heinlein is so friggin’ cool.
What’s your PO Box? I’m putting together a CD of Chicago-area Christian hard rock bands. When I get it from the manufacturer, I figure Frank J would be the perfect promoter 😛 !
South Park: tv show is still worth watching, but the movie is abominably dull. I think they need the censorship of tv to keep them on their toes, as opposed to another part of human anatomy.
Heinlein is one of the best, most insightful sci-fi writers and political philosophers of our day. Advantage of being homeschooled: The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, along with several other books of his were required reading. It’s a fantastic and thoughtful novel.
By our day, of course, I meant his day, as Heinlein sadly passed away some years ago.
Beo: Thanks for sticking around. It’s good to see even a brief comment from someone who won’t compromise whom they worship.
Bear in mind – Frank must meet his destiny.
Former Hostage – you still there?
Wow, another generation discovers Harsh Mistress. Classic. When you hit Niven and start telling people to Feed The Tree I’ll know you’ve become a SF junkie.
And yeah, I click your ads. Mostly. I didn’t really like the funky glasses, and I already own (almost) enough IAMO shirts and PTSF buttons.
No, There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Blog, but then again, I don’t make any money from my hobbies either. Guess I’m not capitalist enough. Yet.
Make sure when you two start having kids you get them the Heinlein youth series. I love Niven!
Niven and Pournelle are probably the finest writing team PERIOD. I can’t think of any of their collaborations that weren’t greatness.
Plus, Pournelle is one of the first (if not THE first) to embrace blogging:
http://www.jerrypournelle.com
My username on Lucianne.com was Tanstaafl.
Read.
Enjoy.
I envy you, that you’re reading it for the first time.
Try “Starship Troopers” next.
-N. O’Brain, Imperial Minister for Useless Information
{Come to think of it, my CURRENT username is, er, borrowed from RAH, too]
“Make sure when you two start having kids you get them the Heinlein youth series.”
Amen! I hated to read until I was eleven, when Dad brought Heinlein’s Have Spacesuit, Will Travel. It took me over a month to get through it, and I was hooked forever. If you want your kids to enjoy reading, you’ve got to find something that can capture their imagination.
“Stranger in a Strange Land” was required reading for a class early in high school (ca. 1980). Full of “free love” and shaman stuff– even something considered very hideous that I can’t say as it’d be a spoiler.
Rare for required reading, but I enjoyed that book so much that I’ve since read just about every RAH book, except “For Us, the Living” which was just released (it’s over there on the nightstand while I read funny here– sad).
I wonder now if “Stranger” is appropriate for sixteen-year-olds, but I turned out okay. I tell myself that all the time: “I’m perfectly normal. I’m perfectly normal. I’m perfectly normal.”
I second O’Brain’s recommendation for Starship Troopers. (Cliche: The book was much better than the movie which was only slightly based on RAH’s novel.)
If The_Moon_is_a_Harsh_Mistress is the first Heinlein you’ve read, then you’ve started at the top.
Something tells me that you might appreciate Job:_A_Comedy_of_Justice.
All the “Federation” (aka “political”) novels are good on their own –
Stranger In A Strange Land
The Moon Is A Harh Mistress
Starship Troopers
But buy the collections, and start at the beginning –
If This Goes On
And on through the Lazarus Long stuff before later books like “Job” or “Cat” make much sense.
On the south park shows. IMAO they just keep getting better and better, especially the last 2 seasons 8 and 9. I think you would love Die Hippy Die. Also you can download all the last seasons for free for lots of sites and since I don’t live the in the US and don’t get them on TV that is great.
Starship Troopers, Starship Troopers, Starship Troopers. I don’t care that it was written for twelve year old boys; it’s the most profound treatise on political philospohy that I’ve ever read, and I’m including Plato’s Republic. If that says more about me than about Heinlein, so be it; I know what I like. Oh, and the movie is vile; it was done by the Robocop guy, who hated Heinlein, and everything he stood for.
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is his second best, in my opinion.
Frank, did you mispell “tanstaafl” on purpose?
“There ain’t no such thing as a free blog”, I think.
Step 3: Profit
I’ve already read “Citizen of the Galaxy” and “Starship Troopers” in that order at the reccomendation of my brother. TMIAHM was what he told me to read next (he lent me all his Heinlein).
I recommend “Sixth Column”
Chinese Communists get the crap beat out of them by a small but vastly technologically superior force of sneaky Americans.
If you like Heinlein (who I love), try Roger Zelansky.
“He won the Nebula award three times and the Hugo award six times, including twice for novels:”
You should like “Methusalah’s Children” and “Time Enough for Love”. Lazarus Long is James Bond and Indiana Jones in one body operated by Thomas Jefferson’s brain.
Get Future History Stories. That’s a great collection.
Stranger in a Strange Land, much to RAH’s dismay, became a hippy bible. My 5th grade teacher was a hippy (it was 1974 or so) gave it to me to read. I love that book. I want to be Jubal Harshaw when I grow up… err, get older.
Then, I read Future History and I was hooked forever. Time Enough For Love is a sequel to one of the books in there and has some of the most profound RAH quotes of any book. Stuff like, “Avoid strong drink, it can make you shoot at tax collectors. And miss.” And the best piece of advice ‘If, while arguing with your wife, you discover you’re right, apologize immediately.”
That’s the best piece of advice I’ve ever had. I learned it before I had my first girlfriend, but it’s worked for every one of them.
Heinlein generally got technology advances pretty wrong (he didn’t see the advent of computers coming) but he always got people right. Always.
See what you get, Frank J? See what you get when you mention Heinlein?
OK. Let’s see. “Methusaleh’s Children” is mentioned. “Time Enough for Love” I thought was Jubal’s story, but I was wrong. It’s “I Will Fear no Evil” that was the racy [ahem] transgender transplant. Man, they all run together.
I have two editions of “The Notebooks of Lazarus Long” (one I bought ca. 1985, one was a gift, 2005). What wisdom! Let’s see, advice for the soon newlywed boy: “Rub her feet.”
Oh, and “Budget the luxuries first.”