Microblog: A very long article Wikipedia article on the orientation of toilet paper [Jun 7th, 22:52] [R]

Thursday, July 31st, 2008

Le trône de diamant

Translation: [ Google | Babelfish ]

Categories: [ Books/Eddings ]

ISBN: 2266066056

© Amazon.fr

Premier tome de la Trilogie des joyaux par David Eddings. Émouchet, le chevalier pandion, est de retour d'exil, prêt à reprendre sa place de Champion de la reine Ehlana. Mais cette dernière est frappée d'un mal mystérieux et Séphrénia la magicienne, faute de trouver un remède, a enchassé la reine, assise sur son trône, dans un bloc de cristal indéstructible. Émouchet apprend rapidement que le primat Annias a des vues sur le poste d'archiprélat, et est prêt à toutes les infâmies pour y parvenir. Émouchet et ses amis se lancent alors dans une quête pour un trouver un médecin capable de soigner la reine. Ils apprennent en chemin que la reine a été empoisonnée, que seul un objet magique millénaire, le Bhelliom, pourra la sauver. Il apprend aussi qu'il existe des relations entre Martel, un pandion renégat, Annias, le peuple Zemoch et son dieu maléfique Azash qui manipule tous ces derniers dans le but de prendre le contrôle du monde entier, et que la tentative de prise de pouvoir d'Annias n'est qu'une partie du plan destiné à causer le chaos.

[ Posted on July 31st, 2008 at 23:41 | no comment | ]

Sunday, July 27th, 2008

Making Money

Categories: [ Books/Discworld ]

ISBN: 9780552154901

© Amazon.fr

Moist von Lipwig, Postmaster General of Ankh-Morpork is “asked” by the Patrician to become Master od the Royal Mint, restore the economy and find funding for the Patrician's grand plans for the city (the “Undertaking”). Moist's ideas are to get rid of the gold reserve, because it doesn't have any intrinsic value, and make paper money. At the same time, Moist's girlfriend Adora Belle finds an unknown number of sixty-thousand years old golems burried not far from Ankh-Morpork and who are slowly digging themselves out of their hole and coming to the city in a couple of days. Meanwhile Cosmo Lavish learns Moist secret (that he used to be a con artist who escaped somehow his death sentence) and wants to use this information to take back the Mint (the Lavish family used to own the Mint but lost it since the previous owner made her dog inherit all her shares and gave the dog to Moist for safekeeping). Moist then discovers that the Chief Cashier has over the years hidden the fact that the gold reserve was being spent by the Lavish (the cashier is a wereclown, born a clown but looking like a dull accountant by day, and was blackmailed). Soon after, the golems arrive in the city, all four thousand of them and take position to defend the city (what they were built for). Vetinari is afraid that the golems may destroy the city's economy (they work hard for no pay, there would be no work anymore), but Moist finds the way to give them order, and he orders them to burry themselves outside of the city. Eventually Cosmo Lavish is ridiculed by Moist in front of the Patrician and the truth about the stolen gold is found out. Moist decides to back the money with the golems, since they have a real intrinsic value.

[ Posted on July 27th, 2008 at 18:01 | 2 comments | ]

Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008

Blue Moon

Categories: [ Books ]

ISBN: 9783784430324

© Amazon.fr

When the King died, the two heirs, Prince Roland and Princess Elinor, started to fight for the throne. They tried to settle their fight with a battle between a bear and a wolf, but their abuse of magic destroyed the Psi Crystal through which Blue Moon, the God, used to send its wisdom to the eight people of Blue Moon (and incidentally created two mutants, half bear, half wolf). With the Crystal destroyed, the people of Blue Moon were not any more guided by their God and started to fight each other, the ones supporting Prince Roland, the others Princess Elinor (and changing sides from time to time). This situation has lasted for over a decade.

At the beginning of the story, the two most powerful families of the Buka, the pirates from the Western Sea, forged an alliance by marrying the son of Tai Marn and the daughter of Lo Tan. But The new couple is murdered soon after the wedding. Only one small girl recognizes some of the assailants as people of Blue Moon. The Buka want revenge and decide to take over the whole continent and kill all the people of Blue Moon. They soon attack the Hoax city of Sallanion, where live Pelenos (the captain of the city guard) and his twin brother Thelenos. Thelenos is soon asked to live the city to take part in a meeting in Blue Moon city with the Chosen of the eight people. He thus joins a company made of himself, Asha the Vulca, Gorgan the Terrah, Shining Star the Mimix, Iisilia-Aqua-Terz the Aqua, Kidda Shark the Khind, Cardus Nikkus the Pillar and Whistler the Flit. Their mission is to find the Heart of the Crystal, seemingly an additional shard of the Psi Crystal without which it is impossible to remake the Crystal, according the the message that Ordrac the Golden Dragon sent to the Chosen. But only by putting their feud aside they can reach their target, located in a tower in the land of the Hyla, beyond the Mountain of Immensurable Height. During their journey, they learn not to hate each other, and start to work as a team. They also learn that they are being followed by unknown people who try to kill them.

Meanwhile, the Buka attack on Sallanion cannot be withstanded, and Pelenos orders to flee the city after several days of fight, and a surprising meeting with Aqua (with whom they used to be at war) who helped them repelling the Buka for a while (the Aqua where actually seeking revenge for the destruction of their city, Nautilia). They plan to reach Theklis, but that city has been deserted already. On their way to Salanas, he main city of the Hoax' territory, the Hoax meet a group of fleeing Terrah with whom they join forces for a while.

The company finally reaches the tower of Caladura with the help of Lur-nan-Tok, a mutant sent by Tronknor, a Hyla who alerady knew of their mission (Ordrac had told him long ago). He also tells them that they are not the first company looking for the tower. Tronknor then leads them to the tower, where they are assaulted by their mysterious followers. The Hyla protects them and they manage to capture their leader Grease-Palm, an Inquisitor of Princess Elinor. They find around her neck a pendent that belonged to Lo Tan's wife, and which Lo Tan had given to her daughter on her wedding day; Grease-Palm had stolen the pendant befor killing the girl. The company finally enters the tower where they find just a large, cylidrical stone. They form a ring around the stone, and are transported to Blue Moon City, in the Palace of the King, where they meet some of the Chosen, alerted by the sudden increase in Psi power. Thelenos then understands that their company altogether forms the Heart of the Crystal, since they managed to overcome their feud and work together again.

The heroes eventually manage to convince Tai Marn to give up their vengeful invasion in exchange for the real murdered, Grease-Palm. Then they reconstruct the Crystal of Psi, briefly fight the Prince and the Princess (who schemed the Buka Invasion in order to weaken all the people of Blue Moon and turn them into her slaves (or something like that). Eventually, Ordrac comes back and Blue Moon City is once again bathed in Blue Moon's wisdom.

[ Posted on July 23rd, 2008 at 14:00 | no comment | ]

Wednesday, July 16th, 2008

L'affaire du détenu 3491

Translation: [ Google | Babelfish ]

Categories: [ Books/Comics/Midi minuit ]

ISBN: 9782302000032

© Amazon.fr

Sixième volume des Arcanes du Midi-Minuit publié en 2008. Jim a été arrêté à la fin de l'épisode précédent pour avoir laissé s'échapper une criminelle. En prison il s'accoquine avec un mafieux qui vient d'être transféré et organise son évasion. L'arrestation et l'évasion ont en fait été planifiés dans le but de recueillir des aveux du mafieux et de trouver qui est la taupe au sein du Service du Roi (il s'agit de la secrétaire du Commandeur, ce dernier est innocent même si tout le monde le déteste).

[ Posted on July 16th, 2008 at 20:04 | no comment | ]

Le sanctuaire du Gondwana

Translation: [ Google | Babelfish ]

Categories: [ Books/Comics/Blake et Mortimer ]

ISBN: 9782870970874

© Amazon.fr

Dix-huitième volume des aventures de Blake et Mortimer publié en 2008 par Sente et Juillard. Mortimer souffre de maux de tête depuis son aventure en Antarctique. Son assistante lui montre un mystérieux anneau trouvé en Afrique, et dont le découvreur est atteint d'une maladie étrange. Mortimer prend contact avec une des ses amies, archéologue et part à la recherche de la grotte où l'anneau a été trouvé. La grotte cache le berceau de l'espèce humaine, système automatisé qui recrée des humains tous les trois-cents millions d'années environ dans l'espoir de créer une espèce qui ne s'autodétruira pas. L'expédition de Mortimer est suivie par un étrange individu qui se révèle être Olrik. Coup de théatre, il s'agit en fait de l'esprit de Mortimer prisonnier du corps d'Olrik, alors que l'esprit d'Olrik est prisonnier du corps de Mortimer, suite à l'aventure en Antartctique où les esprits des deux personnages avaient été séparés de leurs corps et mal réintégrés. Les protagonistes quittent finalement la grotte et oublient tout de leur aventure, tandis qu'Olrik est capturé par Blake pour permettre à Mortimer de réintégrer son propre corps.

[ Posted on July 16th, 2008 at 19:56 | no comment | ]

Sunday, July 13th, 2008

Destiny's Shield

Categories: [ Books ]

ISBN: 0671578723

© Amazon.fr

Belisarius is a general in the army of the Eastern Roman Empire. In a previous adventure, he was given a living crystal coming from a distant future, Aide, who tries to change the path of history so that his people do not become slaves to a new kind of beings. Aide gives Belisarius visions of the future and together they fight the influence of Link, a representative of the other beings from the future. Link is controling the Malwa, a people from India, who tries to conquer Persia. Although Persia and the Romans (who at that time of history are mostly Greeks) have been enemies in the recent past, the Persians seek an alliance with Rome and especially with Belisarius to repell the Malwa invader. Belisarius and the Persian ambassador then move a Roman-Persian army to Mesopotamia. At the same time, Belisarius' wife Antonina is sent by the Empress Regent of Rome to re-establish Rome's domination over Alexandria. And in India, a rebellion led by the Empress Shakuntala tries to gather followers in order to repell the Malwa from the inside. There are two battles, and at the end, the Malwa are routed out of Persia. But Link already prepares a new invasion.

[ Posted on July 13th, 2008 at 12:41 | no comment | ]

Sunday, July 6th, 2008

Aile

Categories: [ Beer/Okell's ]

Okells_Aile

“Aile is the Manx Celtic word for Fire and this crafted Okells Beer has delicate smokey aromas derived from the careful addition of peated malt. This malt is made from selected barley that uses burning peat during th malting process.”

Smells like Marmite® or Vegemite®, or maybe some kind of vegetable broth. The taste is slightly bitter, but the smokey aromas are very delicate… Made of malted barly.

Okell's Ltd, Kewaigue, Douglas, Isle of Man. 4.7% alcohol.

[ Posted on July 6th, 2008 at 18:49 | no comment | ]

Friday, July 4th, 2008

Curim Gold

Categories: [ Beer/Carlow ]

Curim_Gold

“lightly hopped… with a hint of fruit”

I can't really say what it tastes like… It's not bitter and has maybe a slight aftertaste of peach/apricot. But it doesn't have this heavy hop (or yeast?) taste that many pale ales have. Made of malt and wheat.

Carlow Brewing Company, Carlow, Ireland. 4.3% alcohol.

[ Posted on July 4th, 2008 at 18:56 | no comment | ]

Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008

Overpackaging

Categories: [ Grumbling ]

HP ships a trial version of MS Office with Windows Vista Home Basic. If you want a full version, you have to purchase a full licence. The licence comes in a cardboard box (33×22×3.4 cm) sealed with a this-is-a-seal sticker. In the box is a bubble envelope (27.5×20×0.8 cm), sealed with a if-you-open-this-you-accept-the-licence sticker. In the envelope is a cardboard leaflet (19×12.5×0.2 cm) folded in three so as to form a small pouch, sealed with a holographic this-is-an-original-product sticker. In the pouch is a plastic card (8.5×5.4×0.1 cm). On the card is a sticker (4.4x1.5 cm), on which the registration code is printed (25 character in 5 pt font, a Data Matrix and some extra text). The whole package weighs 140 g.

Pirated registration codes can probably be found online, with no extra packaging.

Conclusion: pirated software is more ecological.

Additionally, free software is ecological and legal.

[ Posted on July 2nd, 2008 at 21:20 | 1 comment | ]

Hebridean Gold

Categories: [ Beer/Isle of Skye ]

Hebridean_Gold

“…brewed with porridge oats”

Just another ale, but a bit different from the usual ones. Made of malted barley and oats.

The Isle of Skye Brewing Company (Leann an Eilien), Isle of Skye, Scotland. 4.3% alcohol.

[ Posted on July 2nd, 2008 at 19:53 | no comment | ]

Chocolats 6

Translation: [ Google | Babelfish ]

Categories: [ Cooking/Chocolats ]

Kalev, 72% : cerise, amande amère, biscuit, doux, un peu pâteux

[ Posted on July 2nd, 2008 at 19:49 | no comment | ]