Wed Reading Meme and other things..
Jul. 5th, 2017 07:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkat1. Bought a new computer finally -- the MacBook Air - 13 inch. It's lighter and smaller than the old one. Also Apple isn't as helpful as they used to be. Last time I bought a computer, they switched my stuff from the old one over, free of charge. Took two hours. Now? 48 hours, and $99. So I chose to buy the far cheaper external hard drive and just flip over the items that required transfer, and everything else drops in from the cloud.
Bloody expensive computers. Last one was about 7-8 years old. I got sometime around 2010.
This one is faster than the last one. And the power button is on the keyboard again, instead of on the computer frame. Also no way to download CDs or DVDs. And less USB slots. The power hook-up is better, the last one was a magnet that kept slipping out.
I don't know if it is necessarily better just different. I'm going to have to down load all software though, impossible to copy from a CD. Although considering the problems I was having ejecting CDs from the old model, not that big of a deal.
I'm guessing the change is now you just download everything. Less waste. I suppose I could purchase an external CD/DVD drive. Found one on Amazon. My MacBook Pro had a built in DVD/CD drive, but the discs often got trapped in it.
I don't understand why they couldn't keep that attribute. Stupid people. I actually think the computers and laptops I had in the 1990s and early part of 21st Century or 00s were better made. And more durable. I miss them. I don't need all these weird add-ons. I deleted Garage Band from it, and movie maker.
2. Finished streaming Luke Cage, which had received rave reviews. Ghod knows why. I found it rough going and rather dull in places. Major pacing issues. I'm guessing the critics fell in love with the socio-political commentary, and allusions to Blaxploition cinema. Which makes sense, the best bits were that commentary. I just wish there was a better story. I don't watch tv shows like Luke Cage for socio-political commentary, I watch tv shows like the Wire and American Crime for that sort of thing. I was disappointed in it, and rather bored. Doesn't live up to the hype. Interesting the series they all hated, Iron Fist, was more entertaining and better paced than the one they all loved.
If it weren't for Clair Temple and Misty Knight, I'd have given up on this installment completely.
3. Wed Reading Meme
Just finished A Gentleman on the Street (Campbell Siblings #1) by Alisha Rae.
A somewhat innovative contemporary romance novel. It's categorized as erotica, although I don't think it has any more sex in it than most of the contemporary romance novels that I've read in this category. Also like most contemporary romance novels -- it has a lot of explicit kinky sex, mainly because it's rather boring reading and writing about sex, so the writer feels a need to spice things up.I honestly don't think some of things they do in these books are possible for normal folks who aren't members of Cirque Du Soleil. OR non-contortionists. But that's just me.
The writer does do one thing that is rather innovative in the book, and no it's not the kinky sex scenes, and that is -- the heroine is the billionaire playboy, who has lots of kinky casual sex, cool business deals, and horrible parents, while the hero is the nice pseudo-innocent boy next door type.
Usually it's the opposite. So she flipped the trope. Also the heroine is Japanese. Usually everyone is Caucasion in these books...mostly Northern European, occasionally you'll run across French or German, but in most cases British or American, and white.
If you've read any smutty fanfic in your lifetime -- the erotic won't surprise you or even phase you. Fanfic is actually more explicit and a bit more...shall we say, creative? It's free. No one knows the author's name. So, people tend to push the boundaries a bit more. This is rather tame in comparison, so too was 50 Shades of Grey. This is actually a bit more risque than 50, but most erotica actually is.Also, if you've read any of Anne Rice's erotica, Anais Nin, Henry Miller, or various others, including a lot French writers, this will seem rather tame.
The nice thing about it -- is unlike a lot of contemporary erotica romance, the sex is consensual, there is relatively no pain or BDSM, and no violence, sexual or otherwise. A lot of erotica is not consensual and rather painful in places. Again, because writing and reading about sex can be boring unless you use it to further action or challenge characters -- and the best way to do that is to make everyone uncomfortable regarding it. A lot of amateur erotica fiction writers go for the sexual violence to create conflict. It's lazy writing. This writer avoids that completely. The heroine is never raped, she is extremely strong, and always has the upper hand in her sexual conquests.
What did not work for me, is the hero. I liked him well enough. But he does not come across as the sort of guy who would consent to kinky sex. He has some major issues regarding sex, and I can't see him just jumping in no holds barred, without well some trauma. Also, it's indicated that he has a moral code regarding sex due to his father's behavior, so engaging in the type of sex that Akira is into with multiple partners, doesn't quite play.
That said? It's a fantasy and I was able to handwave a lot of it. I mean it's not supposed to be realistic.
Unlike most erotica, including 50 Shades of Grey, the characters, and I mean all the characters, are actually developed. The sex for the most part furthers the plot and the characters, and isn't excessive. There's actually a lot less of it than expected. They are given dimensions, and there really aren't any one-dimensional characters in the story.
So overall, better than most of the contemporary romances that I've read.
Reading now ...Kings Rising (Captive Prince #3) by CS Pascat -- this is an m/m fantasy series that had started online, got popular, the writer decided to self-publish, and has published three books and several novellas.
It's about two Greek (at least I think its Greek) Princes who are mortal enemies, but end up falling in love due to their relatives power play for their thrones.
Prince Damianos in Book One, is sold into slavery by his brother. Who basically sells him to their enemies as chattel. Ripped of his identity, his title, and everything. But as he soon discovers, the sale was done in cahoots with the Regent of the neighboring territory, in hopes that Damianos would kill Prince Laurent, the Regent's charge and allow Regent to take the throne. Of course that doesn't quite happen. But you can sort of see why they'd have thought it would work -- since Damianos becomes Laurent's personal sex slave and well...
But instead, Damianos falls in love with Laurent and vice versa. Damianos is bisexual. And everyone has slaves. It's ancient Greece.
There really are no female characters to speak of. Which usually would irritate me. But the male characters are captivating enough on their own. Also I like M/M slash. Overall? I don't really care that much about the gender of the characters involved just as long as they are interesting and the story captivates me. Will admit, that I find m/m more interesting than f/f. Although I've written and read both.
Anyhow...this is the final book in the trilogy and we had to wait a godawful long time for it. Not quite as long as we do for the next GRR Martin Song of Ice and Fire installation. But close. (Speaking GRR Martin's Song of Ice and Fire -- anyone else given up on that series? I honestly don't think he's going to finish that series before he dies. If he's even trying at this point. Oh well, I like the television series from a plot and character standpoint better. Still don't understand the fan love for the Stark clan. People do like their traditional hero tropes, don't they?)
The final book has less sex in it. The most sex is in Book One, and it's rather explicit and BDSM with sexual violence, albeit with men in mind. (ie, men are raped, women aren't). This book so far doesn't appear to have that much, but I'm only 7% of the way in. There's a lot of torture in all three, and violence, and warfare...hello ancient greeks fighting each other.
Bloody expensive computers. Last one was about 7-8 years old. I got sometime around 2010.
This one is faster than the last one. And the power button is on the keyboard again, instead of on the computer frame. Also no way to download CDs or DVDs. And less USB slots. The power hook-up is better, the last one was a magnet that kept slipping out.
I don't know if it is necessarily better just different. I'm going to have to down load all software though, impossible to copy from a CD. Although considering the problems I was having ejecting CDs from the old model, not that big of a deal.
I'm guessing the change is now you just download everything. Less waste. I suppose I could purchase an external CD/DVD drive. Found one on Amazon. My MacBook Pro had a built in DVD/CD drive, but the discs often got trapped in it.
I don't understand why they couldn't keep that attribute. Stupid people. I actually think the computers and laptops I had in the 1990s and early part of 21st Century or 00s were better made. And more durable. I miss them. I don't need all these weird add-ons. I deleted Garage Band from it, and movie maker.
2. Finished streaming Luke Cage, which had received rave reviews. Ghod knows why. I found it rough going and rather dull in places. Major pacing issues. I'm guessing the critics fell in love with the socio-political commentary, and allusions to Blaxploition cinema. Which makes sense, the best bits were that commentary. I just wish there was a better story. I don't watch tv shows like Luke Cage for socio-political commentary, I watch tv shows like the Wire and American Crime for that sort of thing. I was disappointed in it, and rather bored. Doesn't live up to the hype. Interesting the series they all hated, Iron Fist, was more entertaining and better paced than the one they all loved.
If it weren't for Clair Temple and Misty Knight, I'd have given up on this installment completely.
3. Wed Reading Meme
Just finished A Gentleman on the Street (Campbell Siblings #1) by Alisha Rae.
A somewhat innovative contemporary romance novel. It's categorized as erotica, although I don't think it has any more sex in it than most of the contemporary romance novels that I've read in this category. Also like most contemporary romance novels -- it has a lot of explicit kinky sex, mainly because it's rather boring reading and writing about sex, so the writer feels a need to spice things up.I honestly don't think some of things they do in these books are possible for normal folks who aren't members of Cirque Du Soleil. OR non-contortionists. But that's just me.
The writer does do one thing that is rather innovative in the book, and no it's not the kinky sex scenes, and that is -- the heroine is the billionaire playboy, who has lots of kinky casual sex, cool business deals, and horrible parents, while the hero is the nice pseudo-innocent boy next door type.
Usually it's the opposite. So she flipped the trope. Also the heroine is Japanese. Usually everyone is Caucasion in these books...mostly Northern European, occasionally you'll run across French or German, but in most cases British or American, and white.
If you've read any smutty fanfic in your lifetime -- the erotic won't surprise you or even phase you. Fanfic is actually more explicit and a bit more...shall we say, creative? It's free. No one knows the author's name. So, people tend to push the boundaries a bit more. This is rather tame in comparison, so too was 50 Shades of Grey. This is actually a bit more risque than 50, but most erotica actually is.Also, if you've read any of Anne Rice's erotica, Anais Nin, Henry Miller, or various others, including a lot French writers, this will seem rather tame.
The nice thing about it -- is unlike a lot of contemporary erotica romance, the sex is consensual, there is relatively no pain or BDSM, and no violence, sexual or otherwise. A lot of erotica is not consensual and rather painful in places. Again, because writing and reading about sex can be boring unless you use it to further action or challenge characters -- and the best way to do that is to make everyone uncomfortable regarding it. A lot of amateur erotica fiction writers go for the sexual violence to create conflict. It's lazy writing. This writer avoids that completely. The heroine is never raped, she is extremely strong, and always has the upper hand in her sexual conquests.
What did not work for me, is the hero. I liked him well enough. But he does not come across as the sort of guy who would consent to kinky sex. He has some major issues regarding sex, and I can't see him just jumping in no holds barred, without well some trauma. Also, it's indicated that he has a moral code regarding sex due to his father's behavior, so engaging in the type of sex that Akira is into with multiple partners, doesn't quite play.
That said? It's a fantasy and I was able to handwave a lot of it. I mean it's not supposed to be realistic.
Unlike most erotica, including 50 Shades of Grey, the characters, and I mean all the characters, are actually developed. The sex for the most part furthers the plot and the characters, and isn't excessive. There's actually a lot less of it than expected. They are given dimensions, and there really aren't any one-dimensional characters in the story.
So overall, better than most of the contemporary romances that I've read.
Reading now ...Kings Rising (Captive Prince #3) by CS Pascat -- this is an m/m fantasy series that had started online, got popular, the writer decided to self-publish, and has published three books and several novellas.
It's about two Greek (at least I think its Greek) Princes who are mortal enemies, but end up falling in love due to their relatives power play for their thrones.
Prince Damianos in Book One, is sold into slavery by his brother. Who basically sells him to their enemies as chattel. Ripped of his identity, his title, and everything. But as he soon discovers, the sale was done in cahoots with the Regent of the neighboring territory, in hopes that Damianos would kill Prince Laurent, the Regent's charge and allow Regent to take the throne. Of course that doesn't quite happen. But you can sort of see why they'd have thought it would work -- since Damianos becomes Laurent's personal sex slave and well...
But instead, Damianos falls in love with Laurent and vice versa. Damianos is bisexual. And everyone has slaves. It's ancient Greece.
There really are no female characters to speak of. Which usually would irritate me. But the male characters are captivating enough on their own. Also I like M/M slash. Overall? I don't really care that much about the gender of the characters involved just as long as they are interesting and the story captivates me. Will admit, that I find m/m more interesting than f/f. Although I've written and read both.
Anyhow...this is the final book in the trilogy and we had to wait a godawful long time for it. Not quite as long as we do for the next GRR Martin Song of Ice and Fire installation. But close. (Speaking GRR Martin's Song of Ice and Fire -- anyone else given up on that series? I honestly don't think he's going to finish that series before he dies. If he's even trying at this point. Oh well, I like the television series from a plot and character standpoint better. Still don't understand the fan love for the Stark clan. People do like their traditional hero tropes, don't they?)
The final book has less sex in it. The most sex is in Book One, and it's rather explicit and BDSM with sexual violence, albeit with men in mind. (ie, men are raped, women aren't). This book so far doesn't appear to have that much, but I'm only 7% of the way in. There's a lot of torture in all three, and violence, and warfare...hello ancient greeks fighting each other.
no subject
Date: 2017-07-06 06:23 pm (UTC)I really don't understand why any computer would have fewer USB slots going forward. Unless it started with six or more.
I don't know if it is necessarily better just different. I'm going to have to down load all software though, impossible to copy from a CD. Although considering the problems I was having ejecting CDs from the old model, not that big of a deal.
I actually do dislike this. For one thing, I wouldn't have been able to do my CD digitization project without the CD drive, and the drive itself is also having problems now. But I like to have a hard copy version of software in case of the need to wipe and reformat the machine. Plus, if the problem the machine's having is internet connectivity, you've got a brick. (And this was my main problem with the last two computers I had before this one).
I'm guessing the change is now you just download everything. Less waste.
That's definitely true and I'm glad that it's how we're headed. I wouldn't need CDs for every piece of software but I do want them for my OS and some critical programs (such as Quicken or my Office programs)
I don't understand why they couldn't keep that attribute. Stupid people. I actually think the computers and laptops I had in the 1990s and early part of 21st Century or 00s were better made. And more durable. I miss them. I don't need all these weird add-ons. I deleted Garage Band from it, and movie maker.
I would love to be able to keep computers longer. Even though the costs have come down it's still a major hit (especially since new computers will also come with a new OS and your old software -- or even hardware -- may no longer work on it). Plus, it's a time consuming hassle to migrate everything. But I did not have great luck with durability, though this was as likely to be software related as hardware. My first laptop was a real lemon that had to be entirely replaced within a year (thank heavens for useful warranties). I hated the initial iMac because it was incompatible with everything and also crashed constantly. And so far I haven't been able to have one going (with constant use) for more than 4 years. My current computer has been the longest lasting one unless you count my first Mac SE which was able to stick around for 10 years until having to be online doomed it.
Re: Captive Prince, I'll be curious to see what you think of it. I had a general meta piece about the first two books but an in-depth review of Book 3 when I read it last year.
no subject
Date: 2017-07-06 07:29 pm (UTC)Plus, if the problem the machine's having is internet connectivity, you've got a brick. (And this was my main problem with the last two computers I had before this one).
I agree. I was not happy when I discovered it last night. Instead they have this oddly shaped slot that I've no clue what it is supposed to fit. Probably some advanced speaker system that I don't need.
Every laptop I'd had prior, had one. Wonder if Dell still has them? Except I had the worst luck with Dell, they kept getting viruses and crashing on me.
I've been researching external DVD/CD drives on Amazon. Because I'll need it for Turbo Tax and other software programs, music etc. Office 365 is weird, no CD's, just a subscription, which syncs with all computers. You sign in and the content is accessible.
Already have two external harddrives, which have content saved. And a flashdrive, which took the place of floppies and CD's apparently.
And so far I haven't been able to have one going (with constant use) for more than 4 years. My current computer has been the longest lasting one unless you count my first Mac SE which was able to stick around for 10 years until having to be online doomed it.
I managed to keep my MacBook Pro up to 7 years. It still works, but the newest software isn't compatible and its slow. I can't upgrade it past Yosemite. Which was three OS's before Sierra. And was told by Turbo Tax that I'd have to upgrade if I wanted to do my taxes next year.
If it weren't for all the software and browser upgrades, I'd have been able to keep using it without getting a new one.
Of course, it is worth noting, I'm not burning or digitalizing CDs on mine or downloading that much software.
But damn, these things are built to last, and the constant upgrading and updating is ridiculous. They are upgrading to High Sierra, just after I bought this. And it will most likely be out of date in less than five years.
Captive Prince, I'll be curious to see what you think of it. I had a general meta piece about the first two books but an in-depth review of Book 3 when I read it last year.
Loving it so far. A step above the last five books I've read. Although having read Captive Prince Books 1 and 2 over two years ago, possibly three, yet can still vividly recall most of the story's details and what happened without a re-read -- while 50% of the books I've read in the interim I can't seem to remember at all, says something...about the writing. I loved the two main characters and their complex relationship.
Decided to pick up two of the three novellas she wrote wrapping up the series. Apparently as a response to criticism regarding the ending of the final book? I scanned a few reviews on Amazon, but avoided spoilers. I don't want to be spoiled on this one.
But I'm only about 25% of the way through...
no subject
Date: 2017-07-06 07:45 pm (UTC)Yes, the expiration of hardware (often due to software) is unbelievably wasteful as is going to have to be addressed sooner than later. Never have we been as disposable a culture.
no subject
Date: 2017-07-06 08:01 pm (UTC)Same experience with Dell. And work...sigh, has taught me not to buy another one. You need a lot of anti-virus protection.
Agreed, it' s a waste from an environmental and financial standpoint. Also unnecessary -- since a lot of the upgrades are just window dressing or flash, with no real added benefits. Seriously, do we need Siri on our laptops?