Nikon D40
Vivitar 200mm f3.5 (nonmetering)
No retouching.
Uploaded by gentlemanbeggar on 21 Feb 11, 11.15PM CST.
Monthly Archives: February 2011
Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I’ve always treated books much the same way I treat movies; the more popular it is, the less inclined I am to check it out. A couple of years ago, when Little Brother was still a new book, the hype was quite prominent, and I avoided reading it. Recently, I saw this nice hardbound copy at my local Goodwill, and figured it might be worth dropping $2 to check it out. I already had a free digital copy sitting on my e-reader taking up space until some unknown later date, but I thought a bound copy might be nice. Having the physical book in hand, I cracked it open to read a few paragraphs. Then I burned through the book, quickly (at least for me).
One of the blurbs on the dust jacket calls it an “important” book, and I’m inclined to agree. Somewhat familiar with Doctorow through sites like boingboing, I knew he was a tech savvy guy, but I was thoroughly impressed with his ability to readily break down some pretty complex technology into layman’s terms. His descriptions of how surveillance can be misused and applied as an invasion of privacy under the guise of protection was both frightening and all too familiar in a world that has trouble drawing the line between terror and freedom.
I’m recommending this book to everyone I know, not so much for it’s mostly believable plot, not for it’s fun and identifiable characters, or even for it’s great use of suspense. No, I’m recommending it because it’s a great reminder to remain vigilant when privacy and personal information is concerned.
I found the ending to be a bit rushed, and the characters to be a bit naive from time to time, but then I have to remember this is a YA novel and I might not totally identify with the protagonist on too many levels, being in my mid-30′s.
Any flaws in the book were really quite marginal, at best, and I heartily recommend everyone read this book–if just for the concepts presented within.
MARCO!
Just watching a couple of birds play tag outside my window.
Nikon D40
Vivitar 200mm f3.5 (nonmetering)
No retouching.
What is this bird?
What is this bird?, originally uploaded by gentlemanbeggar.
I’ve never seen one of these before. Saw him when I pulled in and had to snap off a shot. I have no clue what kind of bird it is, but he sure is fun to watch when he walks.
Edit: Apparently, it is an “American Woodcock.” Thanks to redditor “OsoGato” for clarifying!
Nikon d40
vivitar 200mm f3.5
nonmetering
some cropping, sharpening, and auto-levelling to improve clarity
Uploaded by gentlemanbeggar on 10 Feb 11, 10.00PM CST.
Snowpocalypse 2011
Snowpocalypse 2011, originally uploaded by gentlemanbeggar.
School was cancelled for this.
Nikon D40
Vivitar 200mm f3.5 (nonmetering)
No retouching.
Uploaded by gentlemanbeggar on 9 Feb 11, 2.51PM CST
