Saturday, December 30th, 2006
Categories: [ Books/Barrayar ]
A novel by Lois McMaster Bujold published in 1989.
After their operation on Dagoola IV, the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet is
badly in need of repairs, and especially of money. The park in orbit around
Earth where Miles goes to the Barrayaran embassy, hoping to get his mony from
ImpSec. The consulate has not enough credits to cover such large expanses, and
Miles has to wait for a courier to go and come back. In the meanwhile, Miles
is affected to the staff of the embassy along with his cousin Ivan… Trouble
begins when Miles is recognized as Admiral Naismith by a reporter; Miles then
makes up a clone of himself to explain why Miles Vorkosigan looks so much like
Naismith. Some time later, Miles' commanding officer at the embassy disapears
mysteriously, while Miles wonders why his money hasn't arrived yet, and is not
even mentionned in the message from ImpSec. And right after that, Miles is
kidnapped and locked up with his C.O. He is interrogated by a Komarran rebel
who happens to be Miles' C.O.'s father, who wants to take revenge over Count
Vorkosigan, responsible for the invasion of Komarr almost thirty years ago.
The rebel had had a clone of Miles made by House Bharaputra, and then trained
as a mole and a killer, whose goal is to pose as Miles, kill the Count, become
the new count, and from there jump the the imperial throne. Miles is freed by
his fellow Dendarii just in the nick of time and manages to expose his clone
(who, according to Betan philosophy, he considers as his brother and
consequently names Mark, following Barrayaran tradition of naming the sons of
Vor families). Miles more or less convinces Mark that the plot against
Barrayar cannot work and that the real plot is about provoking a political
chaos on Barrayar that could allow a revolution on Komarr, by exposing the
Emperor as a fake. This would inevitably lead to the death of the Emperor
i.e., Mark. In the end, the old rebel is killed by Mark, and the latter
disapears with the help of Miles.
[ Posted on December 30th, 2006 at 00:00 |
1
comment |
permanent link ]
Trackback Address
https://weber.fi.eu.org/blog/Livres/Barrayar/brothers_in_arms.trackback
Monday, December 25th, 2006
Categories: [ Books/Barrayar ]
Three not-so-short stories by Lois McMaster Bujold, wrapped into one book,
where Miles explains Illyan why the Dendarii have been costing ImpSec so much
money lately.
In The Mountains of Mourning, Miles investigates the murder of a “mutant”
baby in a small village in the backcountry of Barrayar, where infanticide for
such a reason is still common. The mother accuses her husband of the crime
becaus he was seen near the house where the baby was sleeping while the mother
was picking berries at some distance. The murderer happens to be the mother of
the mother, who had had several “mutant” babies and had killed them herself.
The husband knew that she was the murderer, didn't say anything to protect his
wife.
In Labyrinth, Miles conducts a covert operation on Jackson's Whole in order
to help a geneticist of House Bharaputra to defect. The scientist won't leave
without taking some vauable samples with him, but these are currently hidden
into virus residing in the calf of a genetically engineered super soldier that
he helped creating. Alas, the super-soldier has too much physiological
drawbacks to be useful, and the project has been canceld; the only surviving
specimen has been sold to House Ryoval for the Baron's collection of weird
creatures. Miles then tries to enter Ryoval's facilities by night, but he's
caught and locked up in a cellar with the super-soldier, who happens to be a
female teenager, admitedly 8 feet tall and with sharp nails, but very friendly
if you are friendly with her. Miles manages to escape with the creature he
named Taura, just after destroying the whole collection of Ryoval's tissue
samples that is the core of his business.
In The Borders of Infinity Miles is a prisoner of war of the Cetagandans.
The prison camp is on Dagoola IV under an everlighted dome. The prisoners are
all living together, and organised as gangs; only the stronger survive. Miles
manages to organize the weaker people to control the distribution of food
(which appears twice a day in a random location of the dome as a heap of space
rations). Once he managed to organize all the prisoners, the Dendarii arrive
and extracts all the ten thousand people within two hours, the delay needed by
the Cetagandans to get their fleet to defend the place against the attacker.
[ Posted on December 25th, 2006 at 15:58 |
1
comment |
permanent link ]
Trackback Address
https://weber.fi.eu.org/blog/Livres/Barrayar/borders_of_infinity.trackback
Friday, December 22nd, 2006
Categories: [ Books/Discworld ]

© Amazon.fr
Traditionalist dwarfs are mining under Ankh-Morpork. On the surface, dwarfs
and trolls prepare to re-enact the Koom Valley battle for real, in the streets
of Ankh-Morpork. A dwarf is murdered in the mine, obviously by a troll. Sam
Vimes thinks that the truth is not that obvious and starts to lead an
investigation, which leads to the discovery of other dead dwarfs in the mine.
These have been killed because they found the item that the traditionalists
had been seeking (a voice recorder that tells what actually happend at Koom
Valley, a thousand years ago), heard what it had to say, and the
traditionalist didn't want the truth to be revealed. Vimes and others
watchmen chase the traditionalists who have fled to Koom Valley and discover
the cave where the troll king and the dwarf king (now fossilized as
stalagmites) had met, ages ago, to discuss peace between the two species. The
traditionalists are defeated and taken into custody.
[ Posted on December 22nd, 2006 at 18:58 |
2
comments |
permanent link ]
Trackback Address
https://weber.fi.eu.org/blog/Livres/Discworld/thud.trackback
Comment #1, Matthieu Weber (Jyväskylä, Finland),
December 16th, 2009 at 08:35
Saturday, December 16th, 2006
Translation: [ Google | Babelfish ]
Categories: [ Emma ]
Français
- hipoutam = hippopotame
- iskineu = dictionnaire
- paté moulé = pâte à modeler
Suomi
- nenä räkässä = räkää nenässä
[ Posted on December 16th, 2006 at 12:08 |
no
comment |
permanent link ]
Trackback Address
https://weber.fi.eu.org/blog/Emma/vocabulaire_3.trackback
No comment
Friday, December 15th, 2006
Translation: [ Google ]
Categories: [ Books ]

© WSOY
Arto Paasilinnan uusin kirja kertoo Antti Kokkoluodon elämän, syntymästä
Ykspihjalassa ennustettuun kuolinpäivään asti. Antilla on monia seikkailuja:
lapsena hän melkein kuoli kylmään, koska hän halusi mennä kävellen Ruotsiin
(hänellä oli paljon kuumetta). Myöhemmin hän salakuljetti pirtua isänsä
kanssa kieltolain aikaan. Hän myös pelasti isänsä hengen, jonka fasistit
halusivat ampua koska he olivat päättäneet että hän oli kommunisti. Antti meni
myös salakihloihin tytön kanssa joka kuoli vähän myöhemmin. Hän pääsi
sitten armeijaan, tapasi lotan, jonka kanssa hän meni naimisiin juuri ennen
lähtöän talvisotaan. Hän sai pari lasta, ja meni sitten taistelemaan
jatkosotaan. Venäläiset ottivat hänet vangiksi ja hän vietti kuusi kuukautta
vankileirillä. Kun hän tuli takaisiin Ykspihlajaan hän aloitti liikemiehen
uran, ja hänestä tuli myöhemmin poliitikko ja Ykspihlajan kansanedustaja. Kun
hänen ennustettu kuolinpäivänsä lähestyy, hän järjestää isot juhlat ja kutsuu
kaikki ystävänsä (poliitikkoja, ministereitä, toimittajia, jne.)
[ Posted on December 15th, 2006 at 23:25 |
no
comment |
permanent link ]
Trackback Address
https://weber.fi.eu.org/blog/Livres/kylmat_hermot_kuuma_veri.trackback
No comment
Categories: [ Beer/Ridgeway ]
“… a hearty amber-brown color and a warm, rounded nutty taste.”
Mild and tasting a bit like nuts, maybe. Made of barley, wheat, rye and oats.
Ridgeway Brewing, Oxfordshire, England. 6% alcohol.
[ Posted on December 15th, 2006 at 21:22 |
no
comment |
permanent link ]
Trackback Address
https://weber.fi.eu.org/blog/Biere/Ridgeway/warm_welcome.trackback
No comment
Tuesday, December 12th, 2006
Categories: [ TV/Cinema ]

© Moviearts.se
Frank Wayne, the big boss of the mafia, is movig all his money to Switzerland,
costing much to the State. The IMF attempts to stop him. Jim Phelps plays an
investigator from the Senate who harrases Wayne and finally arrests him. Wayne
is switched with Rollin Hand, disguised as Wayne. Rollin is then gettin his
real face back under the cover of instant aesthetic surgery performed by
Cinnamon Carter, who is actually only removing his makeup. Againts the will of
the Organisation's council, Wayne/Hand orders his henchman to kill the
investigator by exploding his car. Phelps escapes the attack thanks to a
trapdoor in the bottom of the car, leading to a sewer opening on top of which
the car was parked. Meanwhile, Hand manages to open the safe of Wayne's office
in which all the Organisation's ledgers are hidden. Wayne's is then sentence
to death by a full council, but Wayne/Hand manages to escape through one
elevator. Barney Collier had previously fixed the elevator so that it is
synchronized with the one just next to it. Hand crawls into the second
elevator while both are descending, rejoining his associates, and the real
Wayne (sedated until then) is put back into the first one and reanimated. When
the elevator reaches the underground parking lot, Wayne wakes up just in time
to be killed by his henchman. The IMF members leave the place unnoticed just
as the police arrives, called earlier by Cinnamon.
[ Posted on December 12th, 2006 at 00:30 |
no
comment |
permanent link ]
Trackback Address
https://weber.fi.eu.org/blog/TV/Cinema/mission_impossible_vs_the_mob.trackback
No comment
Sunday, December 10th, 2006
Categories: [ Beer/Shepherd Neame ]
“This golden amber ale has a generous aroma of tropical fruit. The fruity
flavour has hints of mangoes, oranges, lemons and sultanas.”
I haven't really noticed the tropical fruits, but this ale is better than the
usual production of Shepherd Neame. Its' rather flowery than fruity. Contains
malted barley.
Shepherd Neame, Faversham, Kent, England. 5.5% alcohol.
[ Posted on December 10th, 2006 at 00:37 |
no
comment |
permanent link ]
Trackback Address
https://weber.fi.eu.org/blog/Biere/Shepherd_Neame/christmas_ale.trackback
No comment
Friday, December 8th, 2006
Categories: [ Beer/Harviestoun ]
“… derived from a traditional Celtic recipe. Wickedly smooth chocolate
dominates the flavour…”
I wouldn't call that taste “chocolate”, but rather flowery with something of
berries? Anyway, it is slightly bitter and quite good.
Harviestoun Brewery, Clackmannanshire, Scotland. 6.0% alcohol.
[ Posted on December 8th, 2006 at 23:51 |
no
comment |
permanent link ]
Trackback Address
https://weber.fi.eu.org/blog/Biere/Harviestoun/old_engine_oil.trackback
No comment
Wednesday, December 6th, 2006
Categories: [ Beer/FAVOURITES | Beer/Ridgeway ]
“… brewed to an original 1795 Thames Valley recipe, with a very special
pale amber malt that is rarely used nowadays, and balanced by a modest
addition of English Fuggle aroma hops.”
Very flavourful, quite mild. Very good.
Ridgeway Brewing, Oxfordshire, England. 7.5% alcohol.
[ Posted on December 6th, 2006 at 23:46 |
no
comment |
permanent link ]
Trackback Address
https://weber.fi.eu.org/blog/Biere/Ridgeway/very_bad_elf.trackback
No comment
Sunday, December 3rd, 2006
Categories: [ TV/Cinema/James Bond ]

© Imdb.com
James Bond's first mission as a 00 agent. A mission in Uganda fails lamely
when Bond wrecks havoc in an embassy while supposed to spy on a terrorist.
Asked by MI6 to take some time off, he continues his investigation which leads
him to the Bahamas, and from there to the Miami's Airport, where a new
prototype plane, scheduled for test flight is the target of another hired
terrorist. The attacks are ordered by Le Chiffre, the banker of the world's
terrorist organizations, who invests his customer's money in hasardous
financial gambles. Because of Bond's intervention, he just lost all the money
of an Ugandan rebel chief. In order to regain money, Le Chiffre organizes
a high stakes game of poker in a casino in Montenegro. MI6 sends Bond there,
since he's the best card player of the service and Le Chiffre's loss would
destroy his organization, accompanied with Vesper Lynd, from the Treasury, who
is assigned to keep an eye on Bond's spendings. The game is interrupted by
pauses, during which Bond is almost killed by the Ugandan rebel wanting his
money back from Le Chiffre and poisoned by Le Chiffre who doesn't want Bond to
win the game. Bond barely escapes the latter attent to his life, and finally
wins (thanks to Felix Leiter, a CIA agent who extended Bond's credits after
Lynd refused). Vesper Lynd gets then kidnapped by Le Chiffre and Bond rushes
to save her, but he gets caught and tortured by Le Chiffre who wants the
password that would give him access to Bond's bank account that was setup for
the poker game. Bond's life is saved just in time by an unknown third party.
He then leaves to Venice with Vesper (with whom he desperatly fell in love).
She however betrays him, withdrawing all Bond's (and Her Majesty's) money and
brings it to an unknown character. Bond follows her, but is attacked by the
henchmen of the unknown one. He doesn't get the money back, and fails to save
Vesper's life who commited suicide rather than facing Bond. He then learned
that she was trying to save the life of her fiancee, who was kidnapped by
terrorists (the same ones she made a deal with that saved Bond's life when
tortured by Le Chiffre). Vesper however had left Bond a note before leaving to
the bank, setting him on the trail of Mr. White, the one who took the money in
Venice. Bond tracks White down, gets the money back and his takes hie revenge
on him.
The script is quite similar to Ian Fleming's Casino Royale novel (although
terrorists, poker and Montenegro replace respectively the russian spies,
baccara and the french riviera, not mentioning the abusive usage made of
mobile phones, the Internet and electronic gadgets). The movie is quite
different from the others by its structure (the poker game is central to the
story although there is no action, except during the breaks) and the fact that
Bond fells in love. Also, it is definitely a prequel to the series, but
at the same time, it is clearly set in time after the previous episodes…
[ Posted on December 3rd, 2006 at 23:39 |
1
comment |
permanent link ]
Trackback Address
https://weber.fi.eu.org/blog/TV/Cinema/James_Bond/casino_royale.trackback
No Time to Die
Comment #1, Blog & White,
June 13th, 2023 at 11:37
Read it again.