What's The Last Book You Read?

[Wojo 2,453]

No me acuerdo.

[Trent Hoyt 13]

Born Standing Up by Steve Martin

Very quick read, nice look at his stand-up career.

[Incanus 5,715]

Robert Frost's Poems: A classic collection of his poems from all phases of his career. Certainly a fascinating read since I have rarely if ever read "conversational poetry" before, where the whole poem is basically an everyday dialogue between people yet there is inherent lyricism and deep insight to these "normal" words and pace of a dialogue. Frost writes rhyming poetry with equal skill and succeeds in combining profundity and often warm humor. Most of all he paints very vivid pictures with his words, the poems nearly always encompassing a small world or flash of a world of their own, a portrait of person or people and their scope, country life, nature and everything in between. Especially Nature with big N seems like an ever present friend or guest the poet had a great respect for and there is genuine feeling of understanding of it, in colour, shape and sound.

I can clearly see why Williams likes this poet and was so inspired by the Birches.

[alicebrallice 134]

classic.

[Quintus 5,399]

That one is one of my favourites. You just reminded me, I must finish the last three books...

[Ren 75]

Nice!

[alicebrallice 134]

now that's awesome.

[Ren 75]

Agreed

Now I wonder how Lee would be as a narrator.....

[Marian Schedenig 8,200]

I just started buying and reading all the Tintins in chronological order two months ago (I hadn't read any since I was a child). I'm picking up two or three each month. So far I'm up to #5. Didn't like the first two, but they're slowly getting better.

I'm doing the same with Asterix. There are still one or two classics I've never read there.

[Brónach 1,302]

Asterix is awesome. I need to reread them but in French this time. There's also a very few that I haven't read.

[Marian Schedenig 8,200]

I'm missing out on the original texts because I don't know French, so I'm at the mercy of the German translations. But yes, awesome it is, both the writing and Uderzo's drawings, which are easily among the very best I've seen (and very good from the start, even if some characters appear a little rough at first, Obelix is underweight and when Fulliautomatix first shows up, he still looks like one of the stock Gauls and not at all like he does when he becomes a regular characters).

I've also found that despite all the criticism, a lot of Uderzo's own stories after Goscinny's death still rank among the best, although apparently the latest ones (which I haven't even read yet) really have jumped the shark.

[Jay 37,369]

That one is one of my favourites. You just reminded me, I must finish the last three books...

How do get the PDFs onto the ipad? Do you drag them into iTunes, then iTunes syncs them? Why does every one have that spiral binding image on the left side?

[Quintus 5,399]

The binders are just an Apple touch. What I did is emailed the pdfs to myself (from my laptop), opened them in my iPad email and saved them to the books app. They automatically display like that in the app. Just bypass iTunes, it's unnecessary.

According to some the iPad is really awkward and strict about how you put stuff on it but I don't see it.

[Brónach 1,302]

I'm missing out on the original texts because I don't know French, so I'm at the mercy of the German translations. But yes, awesome it is, both the writing and Uderzo's drawings, which are easily among the very best I've seen (and very good from the start, even if some characters appear a little rough at first, Obelix is underweight and when Fulliautomatix first shows up, he still looks like one of the stock Gauls and not at all like he does when he becomes a regular characters).

I've also found that despite all the criticism, a lot of Uderzo's own stories after Goscinny's death still rank among the best, although apparently the latest ones (which I haven't even read yet) really have jumped the shark.

The art style is masterful and I always found the series hilarious. I also love that part of history so I guess it just clicks.

Out of the post-Goscinny stories I like Asterix's Odyssey (Asterix and the Black Gold) quite a bit. I haven't read the newer ones.

"Fulliatomatix"? Great one, I didn't know his name in English.

[Marian Schedenig 8,200]

Had to look up his name. It's just "Automatix" in German.

[Jay 37,369]

The binders are just an Apple touch. What I did is emailed the pdfs to myself (from my laptop), opened them in my iPad email and saved them to the books app. They automatically display like that in the app. Just bypass iTunes, it's unnecessary.

According to some the iPad is really awkward and strict about how you put stuff on it but I don't see it.

Sounds super awkward to me! With an android or Windows tablet, I'd just plug a usb cable into the tablet and the computer, and simply drag and drop the files I want on my tablet like moving any other files around on a computer. With an ipad, I have to email the files to myself, or use iTunes? LAME lame lame lame lame!

[Brónach 1,302]

Had to look up his name. It's just "Automatix" in German.

In Spanish he's Esautomatix ("He's automatix")

[Quintus 5,399]

The binders are just an Apple touch. What I did is emailed the pdfs to myself (from my laptop), opened them in my iPad email and saved them to the books app. They automatically display like that in the app. Just bypass iTunes, it's unnecessary.

According to some the iPad is really awkward and strict about how you put stuff on it but I don't see it.

Sounds super awkward to me! With an android or Windows tablet, I'd just plug a usb cable into the tablet and the computer, and simply drag and drop the files I want on my tablet like moving any other files around on a computer. With an ipad, I have to email the files to myself, or use iTunes? LAME lame lame lame lame!

Wires? You prefer to use wires?

Here's what I did: right click, select all, send to email.

Methinks your inability to follow three simple steps over convoluted alternative methods is the real lame thing here.

[Jay 37,369]

The fact that you had to EMAIL SOMETHING TO YOURSELF is awful, awful, awful. Why should the internet be involved when you are transferring a file from the desktop in your house to the tablet in your house?

I have nothing wrong with wires, but Android tablets show up on your local network when you are at your computer, and you can just drag and drop files that way if you prefer that.

Using email as a means of getting a file onto something you own should NEVER have to happen.

[Quintus 5,399]

What? Calm down fool, get off your high horse; these are pdf files you asked me about - not mp3s or video files. I drag and drop where they're concerned, just like you do.

Seriously, you sound like a crusading idiot here. One who thinks he knows what he's talking about but in fact doesn't know his arse from his elbow.

[Jay 37,369]

I know exactly what I'm talking about. What does the type of file have to do with anything? If I own a laptop, or a tablet with a different OS, I can easily get a file off a desktop computer I own and onto that device. But if I have an apple tablet, I have to use EMAIL to do the same thing? Horrible. What if the file I want on my tablet is 500 megabytes in size? 3 gigabytes? 12? Gonna email those to yourself too?

[Quintus 5,399]

You know sweet-fuck all, clearly. I didn't HAVE to do anything. This isn't posturing, Jason - these are the facts. You're pulling pieces of shit out of your arse, pasting it into the post field and submitting it as your contribution in this conversation. In that instance I chose to email them - the PDF files - to myself. It was a quick solution at that particular time. Took about 10 seconds. Maybe on another day I'd have instead dragged and dropped, or "pushed" them wirelessly. Who knows? Who fucking cares?

Get that anally-retentive garbage out of my face. Your mouth breathing is turning me off.

[Jay 37,369]

So you can transfer files onto an ipad without using email or iTunes, then? I'm asking a serious question.

[Quintus 5,399]

Of course you can. According to you you know what you're talking about.

[Brónach 1,302]

edited

[Jay 37,369]

Of course you can. According to you you know what you're talking about.

Last I had seen, you could only add files to the area on the device that is used for "use as external storage" mode, and the iOS on the device itself couldn't actually access them in anyway. I guess they must have changed in more recent versions.

[Quintus 5,399]

It's certainly the case that file transfer/sharing isn't officially supported by iOS (just like it doesn't support almost every single video container etc), but as always - there are apps for that.

It's just very annoying and tedious to hear the same ignorant lines spewed out about what you can and cannot do with a fucking iPad, that's all. That's why I snapped at you.

But hang on - this is a nonsense conversation anyway: because transferring files to and from my tablet is something I NEVER actually do. Tintin PDFs were the last time I did it, last year. I don't use an iPad for that stuff. It has no movies or music on it. When it did do, I used the VLC app. There are alternatives. I haven't hooked up to iTunes or my laptop in general for months. I think the last major iOS update was the last time.

Lol, just remembered I even have Mame installed on my iPad, and about 500 Snes games.

[Jay 37,369]

I was never trying to saw that YOU were dumb for using email to transfer files to an ipad. I was trying to say that APPLE was dumb for making their users have to resort to such means by not having such BASIC functionality built into their product out of the box. It's annoying and frustrating.

[Quintus 5,399]

Well, it's not dumb in any sense really, is it? Initially it was anally restrictive, absolutely, and Apple can go fuck themselves in that regard, but smart 'power users' like myself are quick to learn about methods and apps which are 'permitted' to bypass Apple's rigid ip infrastructure. I couldn't give a shit about the users who can't figure that stuff out for themselves, and I suspect most don't care about watching an avi movie on their iPad anyway. The demographic ain't there in the first place.

[Marian Schedenig 8,200]

I agree with Jason. Apple, and to a lesser extend Google, place way too much emphasis on cloud storage etc. for the time being. The goal is clear: Once all the cloud stuff is in place, established, integrated and working smoothly, we probably won't bother with flash drives and cables anymore. But at the moment, we're not there yet. Sharing data via these services is sometimes awkward, not as well integrated into mobile apps and desktop applications as file system access, and, obviously, depending on a network. And with mobile devices, I don't always have that. I may be at a location where my cell network has a poor connection or none at all, or I may be abroad with no roaming plan and only subpar wifi at the hotel. Or the data source in question may have the ability to write to USB devices or memory cards, but not to the internet. Example: My camera.

The annoying thing about Android in this regard, aside from manufacturers often not providing the necessary connectors, is Google's switch to the MTP protocol. Apparently that's a protocol created by Microsoft, which may be the reason why support on Linux seems to be somewhat lacking still. So far I haven't been able to get it running, so I'm again stuck with USB devices and cloud apps.

[Quintus 5,399]

Nobody is disputing that. I was merely point out (yet again) that the reality of the situation is often quite different to the [ignorant] perception/presumption. The truth is: most of these so-called "issues" and "restrictions" are made up on the spot by Android/laptop users blah blah blah. They open their mouths and chat shite at every opportunity, purely because it pleases them to presume to know all about a device which they don't even own. It's boring and annoying to those who actually DO own and DO know what these devices do - both Android and Apple. It's all a fanboy agenda at the end of the day.

Boo hoo, I emailed a PDF to my iPad, Ooo what a great hardship, Ooo what a hassle.

Get a life.

[Marian Schedenig 8,200]

I think I pointed out quite clearly why my complaints are not "made up on the spot".

[Quintus 5,399]

Yes you did. That comment was not in reply to you. As I pretty much said in my first sentence: I do not disagree with your points. This whole [off topic] dispute simply stemmed from Jason's falling over himself in a hurry to make some big huge point (in his head) about the great injustice and hilarity of my emailing a PDF to my iPad. A fucking PDF. It was a trivial act on my part, LAST YEAR no less, but no, Apple MADE me do it - they pointed a gun at my head and said, "EMAIL THAT PDF DOCUMENT TO THAT IPAD NOW BITCH! YOU GOT NO CHOICE IN THIS MATTER BECAUSE WE OWN YOOOOOU! DO IT, DO IT NOW, EMAIL MAIL THAT SUCKER, EMAIL IT AND DON'T YOU EVEN CONSIDER ALTERNATIVES, DON'T YOU DARE!"

I know people can be anal here, and I try my best to bear that in mind, I really do; but the great JWFan PDF Email Scandal of 2012 took it a step to far and I had to make a stand for all PDF emailers across the world.

[Jay 37,369]

You are blowing this way out of proportion. Calm down. And don't assume you know what's in my head, cause you're way off. Relax, man!

[Brónach 1,302]

Yeah you're being way too defensive and paranoid there. I hope you're not too mad about any comment I may have made about Apple.

I don't own an iPad and I don't care about its features or lack of them. It's a non issue.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Did I ever tell you guys how tablets are pointless?

[Wojo 2,453]

Yes you did. That comment was not in reply to you. As I pretty much said in my first sentence: I do not disagree with your points. This whole [off topic] dispute simply stemmed from Jason's falling over himself in a hurry to make some big huge point (in his head) about the great injustice and hilarity of my emailing a PDF to my iPad. A fucking PDF. It was a trivial act on my part, LAST YEAR no less, but no, Apple MADE me do it - they pointed a gun at my head and said, "EMAIL THAT PDF DOCUMENT TO THAT IPAD NOW BITCH! YOU GOT NO CHOICE IN THIS MATTER BECAUSE WE OWN YOOOOOU! DO IT, DO IT NOW, EMAIL MAIL THAT SUCKER, EMAIL IT AND DON'T YOU EVEN CONSIDER ALTERNATIVES, DON'T YOU DARE!"

Jeez, have you got a pole wedged up your arse or what?

[Hlao-roo 389]

The Scent of Water: Grace for Every Kind of Broken by Naomi Zacharias.

(And I'm typing this on my irrelevant Blackberry Playbook. )

[Jay 37,369]

Did I ever tell you guys how tablets are pointless?

I just bought a tablet today for a very specific reason. I've been reading a lot of old comic books while working out lately, and I don't want to continue to prop my laptop up on the elliptical while doing so. A tablet will be perfect for this task (not to mention reading comics anywhere else around the house, and checking email / browsing the web from the couch). Everyone has different needs, Koray

[Hlao-roo 389]

Moses had a pretty good use for tablets.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Did I ever tell you guys how tablets are pointless?

I just bought a tablet today for a very specific reason. I've been reading a lot of old comic books while working out lately, and I don't want to continue to prop my laptop up on the elliptical while doing so. A tablet will be perfect for this task (not to mention reading comics anywhere else around the house, and checking email / browsing the web from the couch). Everyone has different needs, Koray

I disagree. Only my needs are relevant in this world.

Moses had a pretty good use for tablets.

[Quintus 5,399]

Heh heh, looks like the Caps in my post have been translated by you squares to mean I was angry; when the last paragraph of my post should have told you I was being humorous, the post was a caricature. "Look, look at the succession of capital letters! He's clearly very unhappy here! And he said fuck, this is really serious." But really, I'm not surprised. I keep forgetting that little yellow smiley faces are required to be deployed after sarcasm and satire.

My bad --------->

Now do excuse me, I've got some batched pdfs to email.

[Maglorfin 196]

For the last few years, I've been reading and collecting Asterix in Latin. It's such great fun and it's just awesome to see the Romans speak Latin!

[alicebrallice 134]

I hate reading books on tablets/phones. I understand the convenience but I want my books in physical form.

I just bought a tablet today for a very specific reason. I've been reading a lot of old comic books while working out lately, and I don't want to continue to prop my laptop up on the elliptical while doing so. A tablet will be perfect for this task (not to mention reading comics anywhere else around the house, and checking email / browsing the web from the couch). Everyone has different needs, Koray

I get people who listen to audiobooks while working out... but actually reading? sounds difficult

[Brónach 1,302]

For the last few years, I've been reading and collecting Asterix in Latin. It's such great fun and it's just awesome to see the Romans speak Latin!

Aaah! I guess now I have to find Asterix in Latin.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Quintus 5,399]

I'd have swore blind my girlfriend would never give up her beloved books, but last year she asked for a Kindle for Christmas and she's never bought a book since. She absolutely loves that thing.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Quintus 5,399]

Your powers of observation know no beginning.

[Brónach 1,302]

I'd have swore blind my girlfriend would never give up her beloved books, but last year she asked for a Kindle for Christmas and she's never bought a book since. She absolutely loves that thing.

That thing is for book addicts. I could do with one. There's loads of material in public domain on the Internet that I want to read, from fiction to historical documents to poetry to whatever.

I don't understand a single word, but I'm sure that's hilarious.

I understand it partially. I need to get my ass to learn it already.