A brief review of Sarah Hoyt’s new sf novel, Darkship Renegades, the follow-up to her Prometheus Award winner, Darkship Thieves.
Author: Anders Monsen (Page 40 of 83)
The French seem bent on getting Google and other link aggregation sites pay for any published link. An interesting take on the theory of “value”, with a link’s value inherent in its content.
Looming changes in intellectual copyright law, as the Supreme Court gets ready to hear a major case next week. Implication can eventually shut down the ability to resale anything, from books to cellphones and beyond.
Possible changes over at Penguin, as News Corp casts its eyes at the book market.
A fascinating and nearly two-hour long video roundtable with Neal Stephenson at the University of Washington School of Law, discussing his most recent novel, REAMDE.
A few days ago Scott Bieser’s online graphic novel/web comic, Quantum Vibe switched from black and white to bright colors. A very nice makeover indeed!
Looks like the second volume in Bill Patterson’s Robert A. Heinlein biography nears completion. At this rate we might see a 2013 publication date, but nothing is ever set in stone in the publishing world.
When I entered my first triathlon in 2011 my goal (one I probably am not alone in setting) was just to finish. I approached the event from the perspective of a runner in terms on training, and a total novice in terms of preparation. I knew little about transitions, other than it involved changing some gear.
A sprint triathlon is ideal for newbies. Make the swim take place in a pool, an little can go wrong. The weather’s warm, so no need for wet suits. No salt water means one can live with the taste of inadvertently swallowed water. Unlike Ironman, half-Ironman, or Olympic distance events, the distance varies for Sprints. In my case, a 400 meter swim meant eight times up and down. During the summer leading up to the event I built up my distance from 50 meters to 1000, which concluded my first basic goal for the swim portion.
I figured when it came to cycling, I could hop on the bike with minimal training and then run like I usually did, covering the 2.6 miles at my regular pace. I had read that your legs didn’t always feel fresh getting off the bike, but dismissed that as for distances greater than a Sprint. I had, after all, finished a marathon an ran 40-50 miles per week during the summer training for a second marathon. Reality never fails to bite you where it hurts.
I took my time during transitions. I wanted to make sure I had on the right stuff, rather than rush through and miss anything. The swim sapped a lot into strength through a combination of nerves and under training. The bike sapped more, as I powered through everything on legs not used to sustained speed. The run crushed me. My legs moved sluggishly, and not until mile two did they recover. But I finished, and I learned from the experience. I looked around at the other triathletes, a mix of seasoned veterans on tri-bikes and other newbies with heavier bikes than my old roadie, and felt somewhere in the middle. Even a sprint triathlon at that point felt like the hardest event I’d ever attempted.
In 2012 I finished four triathlons, including two open water events, one of those an Olympic distance effort. I haven’t “geared up” as much as a serious triathletes, but my prime goal remains just finishing. Any secondary goals deal with improving, and that is good enough for me.
I’m strongly considering entering the Shiner half-marathon event. Long drive, but an unusual venue.
Tim Lebon’s London Eye (Toxic City, Book One), from Pyr.
