Review of "Clovenhoof" by Heide Goody and Iain Grant Item 16 - Finish 30 28 books

I picked up this book when it was offered for free on Kindle several months ago. When I first bought my Kindle several years ago I would get seemingly almost every free book that was offered. I have since become a bit more selective, a few too many crap books out there that I would start reading only to delete two pages in. I decided to get "Clovenhoof" because of the favorable comparisons to Neil Gaiman, which is always strong praise, plus the price was perfect.

The concept is a good one and solid; Satan is fired (again) and kicked out of Hell, forced to dwell among mortals in England. It is in many ways a typical fish out of water comedy, which can be a bit tiresome at times, but there are a few good moments and it was a concept that had such potential as to keep me reading despite some rather weary bits. The idea of Hell and Heaven running along based solely on bureaucracy is not a new one, but I so like the idea of Satan being kicked out of Hell (something that mirrors Milton in a more modern and comedic way) that I pushed through.

I'm afraid that it may sound like I didn't like this book at all, which is not true. It is well written and funny enough in parts. The problem is that for 95% of the book it doesn't seem to have a goal in mind. Clovenhoof goes through the whole fish out of water routine that we've seen done before. You could as easily replace Satan with an alien, a caveman, or a mechanic for a taxi company and the story would change very little. The episodic nature up until the very end would actually make a fairly enjoyable BBC comedy, but as a book it just sort of goes nowhere until the final denouement.

Donation to the Wikimedia Foundation Item 19 - Donate to 30 29 charitie/non-profits

For my first donation on this blog I figured I'd go with a well known one. My purpose with making these donations in such a public way is not to pat myself on the back but more to put the idea out in the world and hopefully inspire someone else to donate as well. Thus, while I'm still getting my footing I figured it would be best to go with one that is already well known and to whom I can't do any harm with my shitty writing.

I use Wikipedia on a daily basis. I think a good majority of people in the United States do. Usually it's to prove that I'm right about some insane piece of trivia that nobody really cares about ("I told you the Black Panther first appeared in Fantastic Four! In your face!"), but it's also one of the best ways to find primary sources for things that you might actually care about. If I'd had Wikipedia when I was in high school I would have breezed through every research paper in no time.

We've all heard the (frankly somewhat asinine) arguments about how you can't be sure if what you are reading isn't information that has been inserted as a prank or un-sourced, but the same is true for a good deal of traditional academic work. The sheer number of edits keeping things honest gives a much better case for peer review than many academic papers, in some ways (at the very least, better than one by Andrew Wakefield). And hopefully the money that we donate now can foster greater technology to improve accuracy even more.

Donate here if you haven't already.

Review of "The Influencing Machine" by Brooke Gladstone and Josh Neufeld Item 16 - Finish 30 29 books

Since this is not just the first item from my list that I've posted about but also my first substantive post I thought I'd take this opportunity to explain a little about myself and this project. Firstly, I am an insatiable reader, it's not uncommon for me to be reading three or four books at one time (one for at home in the evening, one for at work, one to read in bed, etc.) This can also be a problem as it tends to take a greater amount of time to finish any of them unless I have sudden bout of insomnia. So, for this project I'm going to try to refocus myself and commit to reading only one book at a time, hopefully this combined with writing a short review will give me a better appreciation for the works at hand.

That being said, the book I've just finished is Brooke Gladstone and Josh Neufeld's "The Influencing Machine". It's about how the media shapes the public and vice versa. You'd be hard pressed to find a better media critic than Gladstone and her direct journalistic style pairs well with Neufeld's cartooning (I almost didn't use that word as many illustrators balk at it, but a quick look at Neufeld's website confirms he uses it to describe himself), both get the point across in a straightforward and entertaining way but still thoughtful. They go between some nice visual metaphors and recreations of real people and events, I particularly enjoyed the chapter on biases and think it would serve many rhetoric students well:

This was one of the better freshman graphic novels that I've seen, which I'm sure is due in no small part to Neufeld's input but I believe it's largely due to Gladstone's own apparent love of the medium. She's always come off as something of nerd and long before it was cool to do so (I say that with nothing but respect and as a grown man who still reads comics, has a TARDIS on his desk at work and can recite the Big Lebowski from memory) and she plays it up here; using Spider-Man, Star Trek and The Matrix to make points or just for fun.

And that's the thing; it is fun. I gobbled the whole thing up in two sittings. Which leads to the other thing; I gobbled the whole thing up in two sittings. This sucker is light. But in the end it just left me wanting more, I expect I'll pick up the next book that Gladstone puts out, which hopefully will be soon.

The List

Here they are, in no particular order:

1. Run a marathon
2. Watch 6 movies at the theater
3. Go to the space needle
4. Go swimming
5. Learn to ride a motorcycle
6. Ride a bicycle 60 miles in one day
7. Write letters to 30 different people
8. Make a Geocache
9. Run a beermile
10. Run a 7 minute mile
11. Grow a moustache
12. Introduce 3 people to movies I love
13. Get 3 new tattoos
14. Run a race in costume or in theme
15. Start a blog and be consistent with updates
16. Finish 30 books
17. Simplify my life
18. Keep a daily record
19. Donate to 30 charities/non-profits
20. Run 6 5K's
21. Play a tabletop RPG
22. Go to the beach
23. Donate blood
24. Get eye surgery
25. Eat at Big Ass Sandwiches
26. Go to the Bar of the Gods
27. See a live comedy show
28. Go to a concert
29. Run an endurance/obstacle race
30. Go camping

If I complete these 30 items with enough time to spare I may do a bonus round of some additional items, either suggestions or things I come up with.

Mission Statement

For the last few months I've been making a list of things that I want to do by the time I'm 30. Some of these things I've never done and some I haven't done in a long time. I decided to make the list 30 items long (for obvious reasons) and will attempt to complete all of them within one year starting next Sunday, December 9th. I will try to post at least once a week, although not necessarily every post will be in regards to an item on the list.

This is something of an adventure or stunt blog, but I'm doing it with specific goals beyond completing the list. I'm hoping that by setting clear goals and writing about my progress I will reignite my passion for writing. I'm also going to try to use these goals and the blog to help balance my mood; I'm happiest when I'm working towards a goal, which is probably true for most people.

The first official post will be a copy of the list next Sunday.