2014-2015; the Library is where all the magical artefacts in the world are stored to keep them (and the world) safe. After three TV movies, the story has been resurrected as a weekly series.
1993; fifth in the Carrier series. "Tombstone" Magruder, CAG aboard USS Thomas Jefferson, continues to fight against the Russian invasion of Norway in 1993+4.
A typical mallard drake has a yellow bill and white or grey flanks. Not so on the Loudwater.
Nine players this time, though a couple had to leave early.
2009 historical mystery. In Boston in 1773, Abigail Adams (wife of lawyer and future president John Quincy Adams) tries to solve the murder of one woman and the disappearance of another.
The Pirates and Bounty Hunters expansion to the Firefly board game brought in two new ships, which are quite different from the standard Firefly. How should they be played?
1868 mystery; often considered the first detective novel in English. The huge diamond, looted from India, goes missing after a birthday party. Who took it? And how was the trick managed?
2014, 11 episodes: AniDB
The perfect society of 2012-2013's Psycho-Pass encounters a new threat.
Yesterday I played some more X-Wing at Wycombe Warband.
For the last few years I've been making predictions of the Academy Award winners. Last year I called ten winners out of twenty predictions. I've updated this post with the actual winners now that the results are out.
I have a number of bank accounts with cards that need PINs to use, but I use them very rarely. I think I've come up with a way of marking them on the cards with some degree of security. Does this make sense to other people?
1855 novel, first of Trollope's Chronicles of Barsetshire. The warden of Hiram's Hospital, an almshouse supported by a charitable bequest, comes under attack for keeping too much of the now-substantial income to himself.
In most Simutrans data files, a station tile has a 5×5 square catchment area. In pak128.Britain, it's 9×9. From such small differences one can generate a truly efficient passenger transport system.
This blog remains spam-free, mostly because I see all comments before they go up.
1956; mystery/thriller or romantic suspense. In 1953, the fashion model Gianetta Drury has over-worked herself, and leaves London just before the Coronation to spend some time in a remote hotel on Skye. But it's not the peaceful retreat she'd hoped for.
I haven't had time to go along to Wycombe Warband since last month, but I was there last night playing Zombicide.
A small change to our numbering system would make daily use of numbers remarkably easier.
2008 SF/romance, second in the Grimspace series. In the previous book, Sirantha Jax was instrumental in bringing down the evil corporation that ran everything. But nature abhors a power vacuum.
2014, 13 episodes: AniDB.
High school boy is asked to be the acting manager of a failing amusement park populated by fantastic creatures.
2011; twelfth in Brett's Fethering Mysteries series (amateur sleuthing). Carole Seddon takes over the rental of a beach hut along the shore from Fethering, only for human remains to turn up underneath it.
Several modern European navies have fielded Amphibious Transport Docks, ships designed to transport amphibious forces into harm's way while not themselves being major combatants.
2012, dir. David Gelb, Jiro Yoshino: IMDb / allmovie
Ono Jiro is the oldest chef ever to get a third Michelin star; his restaurant in Ginza only seats twelve people.
2014; a collection of Ben Goldacre's short writing, mostly for the Guardian.
2014 SF mini-series. In the 1950s, a project was begun to build an interstellar generation spacecraft as a lifeboat for humanity should the Cold War turn hot. Now they're half-way through the mission and they've just had their first murder. Meanwhile, on Earth, someone's looking into long-buried secrets. Possible spoilers ahead.
Back to the boardgame café for two new games and one old one. With images; cc-by-sa on everything.
1949 mystery. Simon Ashby is about to come of age and inherit the family estate Latchetts (sadly fallen, but still worth a bit). Eight years ago, after the sudden death of their parents, his older twin Patrick committed suicide, or so everyone thought; but now someone claiming to be Patrick has turned up to take over again.
Today I go back to work for the first time this year.
On a chilly January day, nine of us ended up boardgaming at my place. (With images; cc-by-sa on everything.)