View From the Phlipside Radio - The Most Media Time of the Year

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 was enjoying the company of family  last week when it dawned on me.   This isn’t just the holiday season, this is the media season.  The time of year when we are more deeply involved with our media than any other time of the year.

Think about it.  It starts first thing on Thanksgiving morning.  What has been a tradition for an awful lot of us for decades?  The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.  What I grew up calling the Macy’s Day parade.  Over the last 10 years a lot of folks have tuned in the National Dog Show.  Don’t believe me, just look at the ratings.  I can’t say I understand it, dog shows bore the pants off me, but it’s clear that a lot of folks do watch.  Then we get serious.  Thanksgiving Day football, now up to three games after years of two.

After that you get the usual batch of college and pro football but that’s just a side dish.  Because as soon as Thanksgiving is past we jump into the great Christmas music debate.  Now I know that lots of stores and some families have been playing Christmas music for weeks before Turkey Day.  But after that people start demanding Christmas music.  I regularly played the grinch when I was the music director in local radio because I wouldn’t do it till we hit December.

Beyond the music then we hit Christmas movies and TV specials.  How many of you are like me and have shows you just have to see for it really to be the holidays?  There might be one, maybe two such programs any other time of the year.  But this time of year there are a dozen or more.  You have almost that many choices JUST with Dicken’s A Christmas Carol.  In the last couple years we’ve seen internet videos of computerized lights and music on people’s houses going viral.  Then the New Year rolls around and we have college football bowl games.

Music, movies, parades, TV, football, some great stories get told this time of year as well.  Let’s face it, it’s the most media of the year.  Let’s just sit back and enjoy.

Call that the View From the Phlipside

View From the Phlipside Radio - Annoying Facebook

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 swear there are days when I’m positive that Facebook must have tucked away in its corporate structure somewhere a “Department of Annoying Our Users”.  Even as I have been critical of Facebook users who want to complain about everything that the world’s leading social network does it must be said that it’s not as if Facebook doesn’t give people plenty of reason to complain.

For example just recently Facebook announced that they were discontinuing the process that allows users to link content directly from non-Facebook locations.  Now original content created by Facebook users is called “organic” content in the language of the social network.  So if I wanted to link my blog to my Facebook page I used to be able to do it.  Which was great when I posted things like the scripts for these programs.  It was a very efficient and convenient.  And apparently that’s not what Facebook wants.  To be fair I have to note that the function didn’t always work real well.  But it brought original content to the network.  I can still do it but it’s less efficient and decidedly less convenient.

Add to that that they have also announced the addition of sponsored stories on the annoying news ticker function over on the right hand side of your page.  Sponsored stories.  You know.  Advertising.  I’m not sure how this is going to work.  To be honest I no longer even notice the ticker.  It’s filled with useless stuff that I don’t care about so I ignore it.  So the reality is that Facebook added as silly, pointless function to our online world, that no one seems to really want.  And now they are “improving” it by adding advertising.  Which nobody wants.  While at the same time they’ve decided to make the process more complicated and less efficient for creators of original content who foolishly are  not interested in doing everything originally on Facebook itself.

Now if that isn’t sure evidence of a “Department of Annoying Our Users” I don’t know what is.

Call that the View From the Phlipside

The Reading List

The Valley of Fear by A.C. Doyle - When I was searching for books I came across this one and thought "A.C. Doyle?  Like Arthur Conan Doyle?"   Why yes, exactly like Arthur Conan Doyle.  Then I saw the cover attached to the file.  Which you can see on the left.

So my next thought was "What kind of Arthur Conan Doyle book is THIS?".  Well it's a Sherlock Holmes story.  The name didn't ring any bells (and yes, I have read ALL the Holmes stories).  This must have been some '50's pulp re-print with this ridiculous cover.  The story is not typical Holmes but quite satisfying.
Rating - ***  (The Complete Sherlock Holmes earns a *****)

Hal Spacejock by Simon Haynes - I had no idea what to expect.  Simon Haynes is an author and software developer from Australia.  Beyond the Spacejock books he created a program for writers called yWriter5 which is actually an amazingly good piece of software.  Even better it's free.  In fact all the software at his website is free.  So check it out.  Now about the book.

Think Keith Laumer's Retief series with a bit of Indiana Jones thrown.  Then make him their slightly incompetent cousin.  That's Hal Spacejock.  And the book was great fun.  With a beat up out dated robot and a long suffering navigation computer (both of whom are brighter than he is) Hal rocks his way through some adventures that will keep you reading right through to the end.  Even better it's the first book in a series.  Looking for some fun and funny science fiction?  Check out Hal Spacejock.
Rating - ****

The Game Players of Titan - Philip K. Dick - Here's a book by one of the classic writers that is cherished mostly by the cognoscenti.  For most people it's the "Oh, he's the guy who wrote the story they made BladeRunner out of, right?"  Right.  And if that's all you know about him you should grab this book and start reading.  The story takes place on an Earth whose population has been devastated by a weapon that hinders humans ability to breed.  Add in a war with the denizens of Titan (which we lost) and a new culture that surrounds a game called "Bluff".  It's a fascinatingly different situation and Dick gets the most out of it.
Rating - ***

Solis - A.A. Attanasio - Got this is as a monthly free book from the folks over at Baen.  The story follows one of the few folks from our century who chose cryogenic suspension (freezing your body or in this case just the brain till the world can restore you to life).  Mr Charlie ends up being the pawn in a high stakes game in a distant future.  Will he get the opportunity to return to life as he expected or will his brain be chopped up into "wetware" to operate machinery?  I'll admit that I started this book once, bailed on it and then tried again.  The beginning is a little odd (it reminds me of some of the experimental sci-fi stuff of the late '60s and early '70s that I always disliked).  The rest of the book isn't like that at all and it will all make sense.  Worth the read without a doubt.
Rating - ****

The Deputy by Victor Gischler - Toby Sawyer may just be the dumbest part time deputy in Oklahoma.  He may also be the luckiest.  But the story is interesting and you do honestly come to care for Toby.  I'm really torn on this book.  The situations that Toby escapes from are simply ludicrous.  He manages it by killing pretty much everyone in sight.  He makes every bad decision possible.  Here's a spoiler - any time Toby has to make a decision you can safely assume he'll make the wrong one.  Every. Single. Time.  And the ending might barely be possible but it's so unlikely that it stretches credulity.  The writing is not bad so I'll let it just barely sneak to it's rating.
Rating - **

Star Surgeon by Alan Edward Nourse - This is the kind of book that a lot of people dismiss because it's part of the "juvenile" sub-genre.  While I won't say I like all of that group there is a lot that is quite enjoyable.  And this story of the future of medicine, planet Earth and confederation of races is a fun read.  Nourse is one of those authors that most people don't know.  He was a medical doctor and produced a fair sized career of writing.  The movie Bladerunner took its subject from Philip K. Dick but took its title from a Nourse novel.  If you're a Heinlein fan check the dedication in Farnham's Freedhold, it's to Nourse.  So a fun read from an interesting author.  Good stuff.
Rating - ***

My Rating System

OK maybe I'm kidding myself and getting too serious about my book reviews but when has that ever stopped me? 

I love books.  A few years ago I came to the realization that there are more books out there than I can possibly read.  Which is depressing.  So it became obvious to me that I could not waste my time on books that simply weren't worth my time.  My ratings are based on that concept.

You probably won't see a lot of the top rating (***** - 5 stars) or the bottom (* - 1 star).  I certainly HOPE I won't have lot of * ratings.  That would mean I'm wasting a lot of my time.  So let's examine those first.

* - Forget It.  A book so bad that I stopped reading it.  Usually it's bad writing that makes me quit.  My rule is if I find myself yelling at the author about their writing while I'm reading it I put the book down.  Authors should be invisible behind the story and the characters.  Simply a bad book in my opinion and not worth anyone's time to read it.


***** - Put It In Your Library - There's no higher compliment than wanting to put a copy of a book in my library.  A keeper.  A book that I know I will read again and again and again.  What kind of books are in my library?  To Kill A Mockingbird,  Winesburg Ohio, Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Amber, All the Nero Wolfe novels, James Herriot's  All Creatures books, Lamb by Chrisopher Moore and anything by Lewis Grizzard.  That's only a sampling.  You never know when you're going to come across a book in this class.

So what's left?

** - Not Impressed - Book that I probably finished but had serious problems with in the plot, the character or the overall writing.  If you treasure your reading time you won't want to read this book.  There was something that kept me going but the bad outweighs the good.

*** - Good Read - A book to enjoy, a book that carries you through the story with characters you care about.  Book probably has a few small problems, the writing is solid but not spectacular.  I would probably read more by this author but might not go looking for any more.

**** - Recommended Read - These are the books that take that next step.  Top quality writing that includes compelling characters and well crafted story lines.  These are authors that I will certainly go looking for more of their work.  You get to the end and wish there was more.

So that's if you just want the short hand recommendation on what I'm reading look for the ratings.

Peace

The Books I Read

Some good, some not so...

New rating system - * - Forget it, ** - Not Impressed, *** - Solid Read, **** - Recommended Read, ***** - Add it to your Library

Code Blue by Richard Mabry MD  - Grabbed this because it looked like a medical thriller.  I was a little put off when I discovered that it was an "inspirational" novel.  I don't read Christian or inspirational stuff.  Of the small sample I've read most is either bad writing or bad theology.  The rest is both.  Well meet the exception that proves the rule.  The writing is quite good, the characters draw you in, the story is interesting and the faith stuff is handled with a wonderful light touch.  In fact if more churches handled themselves the way the folks in the book do they'd have more butts in the pews.  If I have to have a quibble the who done it answer at the end of the book was a little weak I thought.  I don't know that I'd go looking for the books of this series but I'd certainly read them if they came my way. 
 Rating - ***

Provincetown Follies, Bangkok Blues by Randall Peffer - This is a very interesting book that chronicles a murder in the middle of the drag queen culture in Provincetown MA.  The story sprawls from the Cape to Thailand and Viet Nam.  Sadly I think the story would have been much better served by a more sophisticated author.  The story lurches from now to flashbacks.  The problem is that sometimes you can't quite tells whose flashback it is.  The male lead might be the dumbest lawyer character I've ever come across.  He has 30 days to set up his defense for murder and arson charges against his client Tuki.  The key evidence is a security video that allegedly shows Tuki stealing the murder weapon.  When does our lawyer hero get around to looking at the video for the first time?  On day 27.  A great idea for a novel that suffers from the execution.  Too bad really. 
Rating - **

Dead Saint by Marilyn Brown Oden - Another murder mystery that centers in New Orleans.  The main character is a female bishop whom I automatically assumed was an Episcopalian.  By the end of the book I wasn't so sure.  The book itself is quite good.  Not top of the line quality but second tier good quality stuff.  It begins with the murder of the kicker of the New Orleans Saints and takes off running from there.
Rating - ***

Blood Ties by Lori Armstrong - Another mystery but starring a female lead character that has little to make her very likable.  I think the author was looking to create a tougher version of Stephanie Plum.  What she ended up with was all of Stephanie's bad traits and none of her endearing.  The story isn't bad and the writing is OK.  But I'm not sure I'm interested enough to follow this character along.
Rating - **

If the books above were just OK or less what follows were VERY pleasant surprises -

Until Again and Blue by Lou Aronica -  
   Lou Aronica is a man with a serious pedigree when it comes to science fiction.  Author, editor, publisher he has worked with Avon and Bantam.  When I saw the description of these books I knew I had to have them.  The story revolves around a father and daughter and the world they created as part their going to bed routine when the daughter was small.  And then  the daughter discovers a link that allows her to travel between those worlds.  Not only is it a GREAT idea for a book (Blue is the novel, Until Again is the prequel novella) but Aronica nails the writing.  Don't get hung up on the science fiction/fantasy aspects of the description.  Like most great stories this is about the characters.  As a youth minister there were times when I wanted to shake the dad character and tell him to stop doing EXACTLY the wrong thing with his daughter over and over.  But I also know how real some of those decisions are.  Can not recommend these books too much.  Best recommendation I can give?  I was sorry when I hit "The End"
 Rating - (both books) ****

Lou Aronica also is doing some very interesting things in supporting new authors and aspiring authors with a project called The Fiction Studio.   Just really impressive.


Gap Creek by Robert Morgan -  Now speaking of books that surprised me I must confess that I pre-judged this book.  And did it from a very foolish point of view.  This is historical fiction of which I don't read a lot and, this is so embarrassing, it was an Oprah Winfrey Book Club selection.  And I discounted it because of that.  So let's just put out there - I was wrong.  This is a wonderful book.  The characters sucked me in, the story was something completely different than anything I've read before and the author has a wonderful story telling ability. 
Rating - ****

View From the Phlipside Radio - Google Minus?

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 may be a case of just missing the boat but I’m not so sure.  I’ve had a Google+ account for months now.  I’ve tried to add my friends and interesting people along the way.  I added it to my browser so that it was there for me every morning when I get started with my computer.  Google+ has been given every possible chance to impress me, to become indispensable to me.

And it just hasn’t.

The folks at Google are being very closed mouth about the whole deal.  At one point the number 40 million was being bandied about for the number of folks using the new social network.  Now that number is generally looked at with a certain skepticism.  Because while there might be 40 million people signed up it’s unlikely they’re all users.  Meanwhile Facebook lists 800 million users.  Likely they’re not all users either but no one argues that there are multiple hundreds of millions of users.

The reality is that I’m just not sure I understand what the function of Google+ really is.  It’s like Facebook except only a few of my friends are on it.  The recent addition of Google+ Pages supposedly makes it more useful for businesses.  But without the huge user base of something like Facebook it really feels more like a professional network than a wider social network.  And if it’s just a place for businesses to display their services and products how is that different from just a regular web page?

Some of the stories I’ve read seem to be enthralled by the idea that Google can bring the entire web experience to a single location.  My only question is if I have the entire World Wide Web why would I choose a condensed version of it through Google+?

I’m still open to discovering otherwise but I don’t think this is so much a case of me missing the boat.  I think this is more a case that the Emperor has no clothes.

Call that the View From the Phlipside

View From the Phlipside Radio - Silly Siri

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 are days when I am just astounded by some of the things I read.  Apple debuted the iPhone 4s just over a month ago.  One of the hot new apps for the fifth generation smart phone was a little something called Siri.  Now Siri is interesting from a variety of points of view.  Siri is a personal assistant app that allows you to talk with the phone and have her (the app has a female voice so it’s inevitable that it will be referred to as she) answer you.  This voice activated control system is interesting in that it grew from work done by DARPA ( Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the folks who brought us the Internet among many other things) as part of the ongoing research into what is called Artificial Intelligence.  The idea is that you can put your phone to work without having to invest your total attention to it.  I guess that’s a good idea.

But here’s the part that just astounds me.  Last week the Siri service stopped working.  For about 5 hours.  Seems that it was so popular right off the bat that the Apple servers that are the backbone for this application just couldn’t handle the traffic and crashed.  OK, I mean Apple lists Siri as a beta project which means they are still working on it and that it’s not in its final form.  There hasn’t really been an application like this before and it’s brand new.  What amazes me isn’t that the service crashed.  That’s not surprising.  No what’s amazing is how hysterical some users became over the service drop.  People were quoted talking about how they couldn’t live without Siri.  And were just cringing at the thought they might actually have to use their Google app again.  This is for a service that max they’ve had use of for a month.  And it’s not like the multi day service drop that folks with Blackberries recently endured.  I’m hoping this is just carefully selected fanboy and fangirl reactions in order to fluff up an otherwise lackluster story.  Because the alternative is just too appalling to consider.

Siri might just be the opening shot of the silliest of silly seasons.

Call that the View From the Phlipside