RogerBW's Blog

The Librarians, series 1 28 February 2015 - 5 comments

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.

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Maelstrom, Keith Douglass 27 February 2015

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.

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Miscegenating Ducks? 26 February 2015 - 8 comments

A typical mallard drake has a yellow bill and white or grey flanks. Not so on the Loudwater.

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Reading Boardgames Social 24 February 2015 25 February 2015

Nine players this time, though a couple had to leave early.

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The Ninth Daughter, Barbara Hamilton 24 February 2015

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.

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Firefly: playing the Interceptor 23 February 2015

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?

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The Moonstone, Wilkie Collins 22 February 2015

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?

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Psycho-Pass 2 21 February 2015

2014, 11 episodes: AniDB

The perfect society of 2012-2013's Psycho-Pass encounters a new threat.

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X-Wing at Wycombe Warband, February 2015 20 February 2015 - 5 comments

Yesterday I played some more X-Wing at Wycombe Warband.

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87th Academy Awards Predictions 19 February 2015 - 6 comments

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.

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PIN security: is this a bad idea? 18 February 2015 - 5 comments

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?

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The Warden, Anthony Trollope 17 February 2015

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.

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Simutrans Ultimate Underground 16 February 2015

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.

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Blog Spam 15 February 2015 - 6 comments

This blog remains spam-free, mostly because I see all comments before they go up.

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Wildfire at Midnight, Mary Stewart 14 February 2015

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.

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Zombicide at Wycombe Warband, February 2015 13 February 2015

I haven't had time to go along to Wycombe Warband since last month, but I was there last night playing Zombicide.

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A Modest Proposal About Numbers 12 February 2015 - 8 comments

A small change to our numbering system would make daily use of numbers remarkably easier.

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Wanderlust, Ann Aguirre 11 February 2015

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.

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Amagi Brilliant Park 10 February 2015

2014, 13 episodes: AniDB.

High school boy is asked to be the acting manager of a failing amusement park populated by fantastic creatures.

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Bones under the Beach Hut, Simon Brett 09 February 2015

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.

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Amphibious Transport Docks 08 February 2015 - 2 comments

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.

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Jiro Dreams of Sushi 07 February 2015

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.

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I Think You'll Find It's A Bit More Complicated Than That, Ben Goldacre 06 February 2015

2014; a collection of Ben Goldacre's short writing, mostly for the Guardian.

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Ascension 05 February 2015 - 9 comments

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.

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Thirsty Meeples February 2015 04 February 2015

Back to the boardgame café for two new games and one old one. With images; cc-by-sa on everything.

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Brat Farrar, Josephine Tey 03 February 2015

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.

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Back to Work 02 February 2015

Today I go back to work for the first time this year.

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Boardgaming at home, January 2015 01 February 2015 - 1 comment

On a chilly January day, nine of us ended up boardgaming at my place. (With images; cc-by-sa on everything.)

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