A Summer's worth of reading

It's been just over 6 months since I moved to the e-book reader (Nook Color!) and I have discovered one thing.  I'm probably reading MORE than ever before (and that's saying something).  The advantage is that I don't have to choose which books gets stuck in my backpack or whatever.  I'm carrying around 40 volumes at any given time.  So it doesn't matter what mood I'm in, I probably have something to read.

So it's been a busy summer.  Let's see if we can get caught up.  This is in "as I remember them" order:

A Plague of Demons by Keith Laumer   If I could grow up to be any Science Fiction writer it might just be Keith Laumer (unless it was Isaac Asimov or Robert Heinlein).  He was a truly fine writer with a deft touch on language and character.  His stories have a wonderful sense of humor which he exercised to the maximum on the Retief stories, a sort of James Bond of the Diplomatic world series.  I had forgotten how much I really enjoyed him till I stumbled on the re-releases that Baen books has published.  This is a group of short stories that range all across his virtuosity.  Was really sorry it was over.

Gun by Phil Bowie  This is your basic thriller type with a lone wolf hero with a past he doesn't like to talk about.  The story is pretty good, the writing is pretty good.  I'd read him again.

Dark Legacy by Anna DeSteffano Barnes and Noble gives away a free e-book every Friday.  Seems like an awful lot of them are romances so I take a pass.  This one sounded like a thriller about a secret government agency trying to exploit psychic powers.  OK, I'm in.  About 100 pages in I thought "She's a romance author!"  and I was right.  The book isn't bad but some of the writing is just a bit much.  On the whole it wasn't bad but I doubt I'll read any more by her.

Footsteps in the Dark by Georgette Heyer - Here was a discovery!  Back in the day Heyer was a hugely popular English writer of  historical romance and detective fiction.  In fact she pretty much created the historical romance genre.  Today she's pretty much unknown which is too bad based on this one.  Well written and right up there with Agatha Christie as far as twists and turns go.  Finding more of her detective stuff looks like it'll be tricky but I'm definitely in for more.

The Angel of Terror by Edgar Wallace - Another English detective writer from the first half of the 20th Century.  Very prolific he's had more movies made of his books than any other author (including King Kong from a short story of his).  This is a chilling tale of a beautiful young woman who will do anything to get what she wants.  Interesting that the ending is hardly the norm for his time either.  Good stuff.


Plan B by Joseph Finder Actually just a short story by writer and former Intelligence officer Finder.  It was a quick read but not especially enthralling.  Part of an ongoing series of his with character Nick Heller.  Didn't make me want to run right out and get any more.

The Hunt by Jan Neuharth This is the first of a series of books about the fox hunting set in rural Virginia.  Neuharth never bothers to try and justify fox hunting which I suppose is fine if you believe in it but it left a sour taste in my mouth.  She had the chance to try and sell it and didn't.  Seemed a missed opportunity.  (But then the next two books in the series are "The Hunt" and "The Kill" so presumably she doesn't have a problem with it).  The writing was adequate, the story was actually pretty good.  Except for the standard idiot hero character who is bound and determined to do everything as wrong as possible making his situation worse at every turn.  I can't believe anyone is that stupid.  At least anyone with as much education and background as her lead.  Not inclined to read any more.

Those Who Hunt the Night by Barbara Hambley I don't read a lot of horror or vampire novels but this one caught my attention.  She has a real feel and it didn't seem all cliched about the blood suckers.  I really enjoyed it.  This is the first of a series, now up to three books.  Set in Edwardian England she drew me right in.  Don't know that I'd go looking for more vampire novels but if I came across her I'd certainly read another.  Hambley writes extensively in  fantasy, science fiction, mystery, and historical fiction. (including some Star Trek and Star Wars stuff)

The Doomsday Code by Alex Scarrow One of a pair of writing brothers from England this is part of a young adult series about a group called the Timeriders.  It's a time travel adventure story that manages to avoid too many of the cliches of the genre.  I enjoyed the book a lot.

The Samurai Strategy by Thomas Hoover - I've now read several books by Hoover and I become less enthralled with each one.  Hoover suffers from a bad case of author intrusion.  In his case it's usually trying to show us how much he knows on a subject despite the fact that it doesn't advance the story.  He's not a bad writer when he gets out of his own way but I think I've reached the end of my rope with him.

The Black Mask, The Assistant Murderer by Dashiell Hammett  Both short works by the ultimate American detective writer (IMO) and pretty typical hard boiled stuff.

The other great thing about the Nook is that I also get access to old sci-fi pulp magazines, short stories and more.  The quality varies widely so I'll not waste your time.  If you have an e-reader (Nook, Kindle, Kobo etc) it's well worth exploring all the free book options out there.

That's most of what I read this summer.  I'm sure I've forgotten at least a couple but now I feel like I've caught up a bit.

View From the Phlipside Radio - Feed the Beast

My name is Jay Phillippi and I've spent my life in and around the media.  TV, radio, the movies and more.  I love them, and I hate them and I always have an opinion.  Call this the View from the Phlipside.

This story is probably of more than casual interest to me for a personal reason.  The building where I work spent most of last week with its parking lot being re-paved.  It desperately needed it but it was a real hassle because this meant I had to find parking in downtown Jamestown.  I probably should have just parked in the Cherry Street ramp (which I can see from the building) but thought I could get by parking on the street.  Till I got caught up and didn’t get out to the meter fast enough.  Busted.  The good news is I was given just a warning ticket first and so rescued myself before it cost me any money.

Parenthetically I bear no ill will towards the parking meter officers.  They’re just doing their jobs and you don’t get a ticket unless you break the law.  But I am glad that our parking lot is back in operation right now.

However if Jamestown were to move to the new technology being used in Atlanta and Washington DC and about to be tested in New York City I would not have had to race down the stairs and out the door to feed the meter.  Those cities have begun using high tech meters that allow you to put money in the via your cellphone.  That’s right, there’s an app for that.

You do an online registration then you can feed your meter from your phone.  The meters would still take coins or credit cards (yes there are many parking meters that take plastic apparently).  You don’t even need a smart phone to use the system since you can just send a text message.  All you have to do is take note of your meters number (can you say cell phone camera?) and you’re off and running.

There are still some things that folks won’t like.  For example for meters in limited parking zones it would be even harder to try and game the system.  It relies on everything working properly and we know how often that doesn’t happen.  While the system could refund you any unused time it probably still won’t.  And if you forget to send the message you could still end up with a ticket.

But on a rainy day or a cold and snowy February day being able to stand inside your nice warm office or house and just punch a few buttons to feed the beast I’m betting this will be a very popular form of technology.

Call that the View From the Phlipside

View From the Phlipside Radio - 10,000 Maniacs

My name is Jay Phillippi and I've spent my life in and around the media.  TV, radio, the movies and more.  I love them, and I hate them and I always have an opinion.  Call this the View from the Phlipside.

I want to take a minute to get a bit of a jump on an event happening next week.  On Friday September 9 a retrospective of the 30 year career of Jamestown’s own 10,000 Maniacs will open at the 3rd on 3rd gallery in downtown Jamestown.  It seems like every time someone mentions famous folks who have risen from these streets it’s Lucy and Robert Jackson and Roger Tory Peterson and oh yeah, 10,000 Maniacs.  Call me a fan boy but I’d put them right behind Lucy.  I mean c’mon, let’s not get silly here.

Shortly after I first took over as the morning man at SE-93 a new album landed on my desk.  It was called “The Wishing Chair” and wonder of wonders it was by a bunch of local musicians and it was on a big time label, Elektra.  I put the album on and while I wasn’t blown away by everything on it I liked the musical sensibility and the amazing sound of Natalie Merchant’s voice.  So I started playing some of the tracks I liked on the air.  Sometime in those first couple years the band played a local concert and I got my first chance to see them up close and personal.  In fact 10,000 Maniacs was the first “big time” rock band I’d ever seen that way.  When their next album came out I had the feeling they’d hit on something.  Their earlier album had struck me as muddy with the music and vocals getting in each other’s way.  The next album was “In My Tribe” where producer Peter Asher had gotten the balance just right and the band sounded great.  From that album on 10,000 Maniacs would be more than just a local band.

But you know what?  In all this time since they’ve largely remained just a local band.  I’ve interviewed Steve Gustafson and or Dennis Drew a couple times and have always been impressed by how down to earth and easy to talk to they always are.  For the last couple years I’ve truly enjoyed working with Dennis here at WRFA.   Their dedication to their home town is a truly impressive and part of the reason why I still remain a 10,000 Maniacs fan.  My daughter’s first ever rock concert was a Christmas concert at the Reg.

These Are Days - 10,000 Maniacs 1981-2011 will run from September 9 through October 29 at the 3rd on 3rd.  The show includes all kinds of souvenirs and video tracing the band’s history from the not so mean streets of Jamestown, around the world and back.  Jamestown has a lot to be proud of and a certain group of young men and a young woman deserve to be recognized as part of our history.

Call that the View From the Phlipside

View From the Phlipside Radio - Fairness Doctrine

My name is Jay Phillippi and I've spent my life in and around the media.  TV, radio, the movies and more.  I love them, and I hate them and I always have an opinion.  Call this the View from the Phlipside.

On Monday of this week an era ended in the world of broadcasting when the Federal Communications Commission, the FCC, removed the Fairness Doctrine from the official regulations for broadcasters.  This was probably an inevitable move given that President Reagan abolished it back in  1987 and the FCC has declined to enforce it for at least a decade.  The Doctrine itself has been a subject of some disagreement even within the broadcasting industry.

First let’s be clear what we’re talking about.  The Fairness Doctrine called upon broadcasters to insure that controversial issues were discussed in an equitable, balanced and honest manner.  It shouldn’t be confused with the Equal Time rule which covers political candidates. The Doctrine first appeared in 1949 and the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the FCC did in fact have the right to enforce it in 1969.  It’s original intent was to insure that in a time of limited media outlets (1949 is still pre-TV as a mass media) all matters would be heard on the public airwaves.

So what was the discussion all about?  Opponents have always maintained that the Doctrine limits free speech and was burdensome to the broadcasters.  They also point out that the days of limited access to the media is past.  That’s certainly true.

And yet I have a problem with the elimination of the Fairness Doctrine.  The idea that requiring discussion of controversial issues chills free speech has always struck me as absurd.  Most importantly for me is the idea that we are changing the rules not to insure the best for the American public, the traditional owners of the airwaves but to benefit the license holders.  Once upon a time the idea was that broadcasters were privileged to use the public airwaves and in return the American people required certain guarantees about how those airwaves were to be used.  Today the standard seems to be that the broadcaster is to be given the maximum freedom to what they feel is best for their listening audience.  I will grant that quality programming that covers all the issues is possible under the new paradigm.  I just think that in a world where one company can own over a thousand radio stations in our nation a few requirements on how the airwaves are used would only be, well, fair.

Call that the View From the Phlipside

View From the Phlipside Radio - Too Much Glee

My name is Jay Phillippi and I've spent my life in and around the media.  TV, radio, the movies and more.  I love them, and I hate them and I always have an opinion.  Call this the View from the Phlipside.

There’s a concept that I have returned to over all the years of my various and sundry careers.  I would love to tell you who taught it to me but that’s been lost in the mists of my rapidly aging memory.  It’s a fine old tradition that dates back well beyond the days of mass communication to the days of vaudeville and the stage.  It’s quite simple actually.   

Leave them wanting more.

Just that simple.  Leave your audience wanting just a little more.  One more story.  One more song.  One more joke.  Just a few minutes more of your program.  The idea is quite simple.  You want the audience to want to come back the next time.  Even in the entertainment business it’s all about repeat business.  It also has the advantage of holding performers back from trying to do too much.

Sadly it’s a lesson that just never seems to sink in.  As soon as you become a hit you want more and more and more.  I can understand the impulse.  The fame, the adulation.  It feels like it’s never going to end.  

For example take a look at Fox TV’s huge hit of the last couple seasons, Glee.  Before its premiere Fox execs touted it as “the next big thing”.  Miraculously it wasn’t just hype.  The TV show became a huge hit.  It’s fans, dubbed Gleeks, made the music from the show the hottest titles on iTunes.  That’s two different media arenas where Glee was a winner.  So they went one more and created the Glee concert tour.  Another hit.  Everything Glee touched turned to gold.

Well almost.  Instead of leaving the faithful desperate for more, Glee decided to hit the big screen.  It’s a natural, TV show on summer hiatus, perfect audience demographic for a summer film, 3D the latest movie gimmick.  The sad reality is that the movie opened to only 6 million dollars ticket sales good enough for ELEVENTH place on its opening weekend.  That is disastrous in a word.  

So the unstoppable freight train that was Glee has hit a very serious bump.  With the original cast having to graduate soon it will be interesting to see if they can regain their momentum or if the audience has had enough.

Call that the View From the Phlipside

View From the Phlipside Radio - Dissing the Sitch

My name is Jay Phillippi and I've spent my life in and around the media.  TV, radio, the movies and more.  I love them, and I hate them and I always have an opinion.  Call this the View from the Phlipside.

I’ve said here before that I am NOT a fan of MTVs hit show “Jersey Shore”.  I find the people on the show to be utterly uninteresting and incredibly bad role models.  I’m not alone in disliking the show although it seems to break along age lines as much as anything else.  I know many, many young folks who love the show and lots of adults outside the under 30 age group who loathe it.  A lot of folks in New Jersey dislike the image of their state (which has enough image problems on the average day without MTV piling on) and a fair number of Italian Americans find the whole thing distasteful.  At the same time I can not deny the show is a hit.  Don’t ask me to explain it but I can’t deny it.

So then you have Abercrombie and Fitch who discover that one of the cast members, Mike Sorrentino better known as “The Situation”, favored thier clothes.  The clothing retailers are shooting for a certain kind of stylish cool and they weren’t sure that The Situation really had the look they were trying for no matter how well he pulled off the GTL routine (that’s Gym, Tan, Laundry for those of us outside the Jersey Shore demographic).  So they put out a PR release that said they would pay him NOT to wear their clothes.

Needless to say it got huge play in the media.  Commentaries right and left.  Jersey Shore fans defending their favorites, Abercrombie and Fitch fans defending their beloved brand.  MTV released a counter press release titled “Open Rebuttal To A Certain Clothing Retailer Who Dissed Our 'Sitch.'   “.  Does all of this sound like maybe A&F stepped into bigger hole than they expected?  Don’t believe it.  Execs with the store chain acknowledged they were having fun with the whole thing.

What’s really impressive in all of this is the pure marketing aspect  of it all.  Abercrombie and Fitch tied themselves to a hot media entity that hits their customer demographic perfectly while still maintaining that certain aloof, super cool persona for which they are known.  And how much it cost them?  Absolutely nothing.  They never paid The Situation a dime because they never really intended to do so.  Actually going through with it would have back fired.  

Gotta give Abercrombie and Fitch the nod.  They know cool.

Call that the View From the Phlipside

Love this short film

Love it.  Love everything about it.  Just Brilliant!