Month: December 2022
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12 Songs of Christmas: Little Drummer Boy
Each day until Christmas, I am going to write briefly about a Christmas song I enjoy. Because I can, that’s why. And I an unabashed corny dork. Okay, this is a very mawkish song. And okay, there are very few good versions of this. Everyone seems to want to lean into the pathos of it…
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12 Songs of Christmas: Run, Run, Rudolph
Each day until Christmas, I am going to write briefly about a Christmas song I enjoy. Because I can, that’s why. And I an unabashed corny dork. This song is high energy, fast paced, and I am convinced that Chuck Berry has no idea what the actual story of Rudolph actually is. The lyrics bear…
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12 Songs of Christmas: Silent Night
Each day until Christmas, I am going to write briefly about a Christmas song I enjoy. Because I can, that’s why. And I an unabashed corny dork. This is a beautiful song, full stop. I have hardly heard a bad version of this song, and there have been hundreds if not thousands recorded. It is…
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12 Songs of Christmas: I Saw Three Ships
Each day until Christmas, I am going to write briefly about a Christmas song I enjoy. Because I can, that’s why. And I an unabashed corny dork. This is one of the odder Christmas carols. The entire premises seems to be that Jesus and his mum sailed to England on the day of his birth,…
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12 Songs of Christmas: Elf’s Lament
Each day until Christmas, I am going to write briefly about a Christmas song I enjoy. Because I can, that’s why. And I an unabashed corny dork. Elf’s Lament is as close to a perfect Christmas song as one can get, I think. It is told from the point of view of the put-upon Elves…
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Not Fusion Yet: Engineering Vs. Science
This is encouraging The Department of Energy plans to announce Tuesday that scientists have been able for the first time to produce a fusion reaction that creates a net energy gain — a major milestone in the decades-long, multibillion-dollar quest to develop a technology that provides unlimited, cheap, clean power. Fusion energy, the ‘holy grail’ of clean…
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Anxiety as Magic: A Review of Empire of Exiles
I am not precious about spoilers, so while there isn’t anything too detailed below, reader beware. I read about two chapters of Empire of Exiles, by Erin M. Evans, and was afraid I was not going to like it. I primarily purchased the book because I liked the author form a podcast I listened to.…
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Only The Ripples: A Review of Terry Pratchett A Life With Footnotes
I am hesitant to write this review. Not because the book is poorly done, or uninteresting, or a hagiography. It is none of those things and is very often their opposite. Rather, I feel like I am writing the worst sort of review. The author, Rob WiIkins, Pratchett’s personal assistant for the last couple of…