On the bucket list of any sci-fi reader has to be Foundation, Isaac Asimov's nearly seventy-five year-old trilogy, considered a classic, yadda yadda. The technological predictions in a work of that vintage range from still conceivable, but not yet realized advances such as intergalactic travel and telepathy, to the mind-blowing convenience of a magical contraption of commerce that amounts to an airline ticket kiosk.
mid-sixites printings of Asimov's Foundation
Still, the feat of imagination Asimov completes is impressive, especially in regard to great expanses of space and time. The political evolution he describes spans generations of power jockeying and intrigue. And yet, this swath of time may also be what hampers the experience for me, because few characters persist for long beyond their usefulness to Asimov in his games of galactic chess. None stick around long enough for me to develop an emotional connection to them as a reader.
So as novels, they don't succeed tremendously for me, but I am reminded that Foundation was not intended as a coherent novel from the first; it was a series of stories published between 1942 and 1950. In this way, Foundation is more like a Universe that Asimov wrote within over and over again, helping early on to establish the practice of world building that creators like Stan Lee, George Lucas and many others would take to new levels.
Above is a picture of my paperback copies. I fancy older printings of books in many cases, 1950s through 1980s is best. I rarely review books here, so it seems I mostly wanted to show you these.
Frank Black longed to live on an abstract plain; Erica Mari can take you there. We've been tugging at Ms. Mari's shirtsleeves for some time in hopes she might join our merry band of artists, and today she does just that, offering a selection of her full spectrum, richly textured work.
If you like what you see, check out the Erica Mari Arts website where prints and even clothing featuring her original collection are available.
"Rose Grow" by Erica Mari
The sap was really flowing this year, resulting in our best output so far. Did we have pancakes this morning? Yes, we did.
the boilmeistro says we snagged a bit over a gallon
Despite all the snow, we're determined to make maple syrup again, this being our third year at it. Tomorrow is first boil. The 50 gallon barrel is already full... earlier in the season than ever before.
When it comes to small town life in New England, the novel Ashton is to fiction what Norman Rockwell paintings are to art. Or something like that. It's a good thing I didn't write the novel. My father did. Appearing during a creative period in the early 90s, Marc Del Greco's first work of long fiction might have surprised those who knew him primarily for his music.
Out of print for years, Ashton is now available here for your enjoyment courtesy of Arjuna Recording & Publishing.
Your esteemed editors are taking a bit of time off from editing to enjoy what America has to offer for warmer climes and ocean views. But in our travels, we've secured permission to a 90s era novel from Arjuna Recording & Publishing. We'll keep it mysterious until the announcement next month, but needless to say we are excited to share this with our audience here on Mind Mined.
Daytona Beach, FL, January 2023. Photo by Mónika Fekete
The redesign of this site continues. I'd say something like, I appreciate your patience, blah blah blah... but let's face it, a site neglected for ten years or more need make no apologies. Any sign of life is a plus.
Mobile (I'll start calling them smart when they act that way) phones are one priority. It's essential for a website to be browsable on smaller devices these days, with new navigation and special considerations for a narrow viewport. We've gone with the recognizable "hamburger" menu, which, if you are reading this on a phone, is visible in the upper right.
But overall, the layouts need to make better use of available screen real estate to present content in a prominent and uncluttered manner. The legibility of text, I've noticed as I now sashay into my late forties, is not a given for all users, so I've blown it up considerably for desktop browsing. Is it too much? Let me know what you think. For now the plan is to move this new typography into the Public Library as well.
Marco's budding interest in acting and filmmaking has made us the new owners of a pair of wigs, for which I also acquired two mannequin busts. This will be the start of a small costume shop in the studio.
These will be sure to freak us out with the lights off
On the bucket list of any sci-fi reader has to be Foundation, Isaac Asimov's nearly seventy-five year-old trilogy, considered a classic, yadda yadda. The technological predictions in a work of that vintage range from still conceivable, but not yet realized advances such as intergalactic travel and telepathy, to the mind-blowing convenience of a magical contraption of commerce that amounts to an airline ticket kiosk.
mid-sixites printings of Asimov's Foundation
Still, the feat of imagination Asimov completes is impressive, especially in regard to great expanses of space and time. The political evolution he describes spans generations of power jockeying and intrigue. And yet, this swath of time may also be what hampers the experience for me, because few characters persist for long beyond their usefulness to Asimov in his games of galactic chess. None stick around long enough for me to develop an emotional connection to them as a reader.
So as novels, they don't succeed tremendously for me, but I am reminded that Foundation was not intended as a coherent novel from the first; it was a series of stories published between 1942 and 1950. In this way, Foundation is more like a Universe that Asimov wrote within over and over again, helping early on to establish the practice of world building that creators like Stan Lee, George Lucas and many others would take to new levels.
Above is a picture of my paperback copies. I fancy older printings of books in many cases, 1950s through 1980s is best. I rarely review books here, so it seems I mostly wanted to show you these.
Frank Black longed to live on an abstract plain; Erica Mari can take you there. We've been tugging at Ms. Mari's shirtsleeves for some time in hopes she might join our merry band of artists, and today she does just that, offering a selection of her full spectrum, richly textured work.
If you like what you see, check out the Erica Mari Arts website where prints and even clothing featuring her original collection are available.
"Rose Grow" by Erica Mari
The sap was really flowing this year, resulting in our best output so far. Did we have pancakes this morning? Yes, we did.
the boilmeistro says we snagged a bit over a gallon
Despite all the snow, we're determined to make maple syrup again, this being our third year at it. Tomorrow is first boil. The 50 gallon barrel is already full... earlier in the season than ever before.
Feel the excitement...
our rustic boil
When it comes to small town life in New England, the novel Ashton is to fiction what Norman Rockwell paintings are to art. Or something like that. It's a good thing I didn't write the novel. My father did. Appearing during a creative period in the early 90s, Marc Del Greco's first work of long fiction might have surprised those who knew him primarily for his music.
Out of print for years, Ashton is now available here for your enjoyment courtesy of Arjuna Recording & Publishing.
Your esteemed editors are taking a bit of time off from editing to enjoy what America has to offer for warmer climes and ocean views. But in our travels, we've secured permission to a 90s era novel from Arjuna Recording & Publishing. We'll keep it mysterious until the announcement next month, but needless to say we are excited to share this with our audience here on Mind Mined.
Daytona Beach, FL, January 2023. Photo by Mónika Fekete
The redesign of this site continues. I'd say something like, I appreciate your patience, blah blah blah... but let's face it, a site neglected for ten years or more need make no apologies. Any sign of life is a plus.
Mobile (I'll start calling them smart when they act that way) phones are one priority. It's essential for a website to be browsable on smaller devices these days, with new navigation and special considerations for a narrow viewport. We've gone with the recognizable "hamburger" menu, which, if you are reading this on a phone, is visible in the upper right.
But overall, the layouts need to make better use of available screen real estate to present content in a prominent and uncluttered manner. The legibility of text, I've noticed as I now sashay into my late forties, is not a given for all users, so I've blown it up considerably for desktop browsing. Is it too much? Let me know what you think. For now the plan is to move this new typography into the Public Library as well.
Marco's budding interest in acting and filmmaking has made us the new owners of a pair of wigs, for which I also acquired two mannequin busts. This will be the start of a small costume shop in the studio.
These will be sure to freak us out with the lights off
"Santa Come A Ringin'"