Paranormal

This is my first blog but I thought I'd talk about some paranormal activity at my mom's apartment. It started about 2 to 3 months ago. I was siting on my mom's couch in the living room, which is facing the hall way. I was by myself when out of the corner of my eye I saw a black shadow cross from the laundray room to the bathroom. As soon as it was there, it was gone. The next week, mom was sitting on the couch, I was in the kitchen, and my sister was in her room when mom saw out of the corner of her eye a shadow of a cat. Just as I experienced, as soon as it was there it was gone. Then, mom had us search for a cat but there was nothing in the apartment. Mind you we did not have cats at this time. Two weeks later my sister was helping mom cook dinner when she saw the same thing I did. She told me it was about 5'9 to 6'0 feet tall, and wearing a western looking hat. I asked what did she feel when she saw it and I said "what did you feel, sad or scared?" She said she was scared and it made her cry because she was scared so much.

About 1 month ago we got 3 cats: there's Momma the mother cat, Leland, and Unique - Leland and Unique are the kittens. A few hours before we went to bed, Unique was staring at mom's closet and the bedroom doorway as if there was something there. That night when I was sleeping in the living room, mom was sleeping in her room and my sister was in her room. She wokeup and saw the shadowy fighure that she saw in the kitchen when she was helping mom cook. She told my mom and I the next morning I asked her again, "how did it make you feel?" She said the same thing: it made her cry and she was scared. I asked her "why didn't you come get me?" and she told me it was blocking her doorway. That's everything that has happened so far at my mom's apartment.

Political Fantasia

When the political establishment talks of the "political reality" or the "political climate", they stall progress for the narrow self-interest of their campaign contributors. As I always say, when political reality goes against actual reality, in the end, actual reality always wins. Always. When the two clash, we live in, as Michael Moore said, fictitious times. Fictitious times that elect fictitious presidents, start fictitious wars, and lower the standard living of all people save the very wealthy.

This is why we need satire. Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are the jesters in the political court that have their facts (and humor) straight. The only people in the room that can, if killing political hypocrisy and lies is impossible, at least poke it with a stick and get away with it.

I initially wrote this last December, but chose not to publish it at the time, because I thought it needed more revision. It also is the reason for some of my segments, such as the "Devil's Word Mashups". Perhaps I should add something based on the difference between enforcing the letter of the law and its meaning. (Since, for example, the US Constitution doesn't define its own terms, and definitions naturally change over time, the original meaning may need more interpretation. For example, it does not say privacy in the Constitution, because at the time, it refers to using the privy, or the bathroom. Writing explicit the right to use the bathroom is pointless, since people only have so much control over their bodily functions.) Satire is the rapier that pierces between the links of the (figurative) chain mail of taking the law too literally.

Dragon Quest IX tricks--or why I like to earn my cheats.

Responding to a post by one of my fellow blog writers, I wanted to focus on ways to game the system without the words "Game Shark" or "Action Replay". For example, the convenience of quick saves makes the random number generators (RNGs) of many portable games (fairly) easily trickable.

The Hoimi Table

Named after the Japanese name of the most basic healing spell, this table is used to force rare item drops from grotto bosses and Alchemiracles. To use it, first get your party hurt. (You'll need it later.) Then, reach the grotto boss. (Or the Krak Pot for Alchemiracles.) Use the quick save feature in the game and turn the game OFF.

Still with me?

Next up, turn the DS on and load the quick save. Open the Hoimi Table and enter your healer's Magical Mending stat in the first blank value. Next, cast Heal six times and record the amount of HP healed each time. Be sure not to fully heal an ally. Change the seed type from JP (Japanese) to US (American). Next, hit the button to form the chart of your current RNG seed.

You are currently at position 6, since you cast Heal six times. Your object now is to cast Heal enough times to knock yourself one position before one of the pink squares, representing a 2% drop. The amount of healing, or even whether or not anyone needs it, does not matter. Next, fight and kill the grotto boss.

Finally, some things to consider. First, the grotto boss Shogum can summon King Cureslimes, which, when killed, shift the position of the square by one. Coup de Graces also move your position on the table. If you want the common drop of the grotto boss for some reason, place your position two away from the pink square. You can adjust the probability of the table to adjust for rare drops other than 2%; useful for Legacy Bosses.

Of Blue Oceans and Tomacco

On "Simpsons" episode AABF19 "E-I-E-I-(annoyed grunt)", Homer managed to produce Tomacco by growing tobacco and tomato seeds using plutonium for fertilizer. (The original plan was to make gigantic plants in true "sci-fi" style) The Laramie executives offered $150 million dollars for Homer's plant, because, while there are laws against selling cigarettes to children, there are no rules against selling them Tomacco. The example, though fictional, demonstrates my point. A corporation could create a variant of a product that could be dangerous, yet legal.

The Blue Ocean Strategy, the strategy of creating value by shifting the focus of your product (or service) to reach new audiences and increased profit margin. The downside for society is that these products have a span of time where they are not properly regulated by the government.

As the pendulum swings: the reality of polarity

Now I know this is a sensitive issue, and only just my opinion, but please hear me out before you shut me down: here goes!
I'm often stunned at how many times a major issue seems to be less about what is being contested and more about who's contesting it. Take for instance the terms Cracker/N*****: if both parties are of the same ethnicity, it's often taken as a friendly jibe, but if the speaker is another ethnicity it is taken as a racist remark, whether this is in fact the case or not. Another example is when the only views presented are extreme opposites, even if the great majority of public opinion is somewhere in between. Take for instance the gun control issue, where it's hard to find an opinion that isn't ether for banning guns outright or arming everyone, yet when you ask a random person on the street they'd most likely feel somewhere in between those positions.

Top Ten codes for Nintendo DS

Hey all here are my top five Nintendo DS action replay codes for some of the games i have played.

Pokemon soul silver/heart gold
some of these codes made my game a little more fun.

1. Battle Wild Shining Pokemon
621D1584 00000000
0206DEFC 47004800
0206DF00 02000001
E2000000 0000003C
6800480D 490B6840
88011808 9C0D8842
40510C24 20074061
04244041 940D430C
21001C28 F06EAA0D
4801FEA3 46C04700
0206DF05 000000DC
021D1584 00000000
D2000000 00000000
This code makes the Pokemon a different color witch makes the Pokemon look a lot cooler.

2. Re-battle Zapdos
::press Start+Select::
94000130 FFF30000
B2111880 00000000
20001126 00000000
D2000000 00000000
lets you re-battle the legendary Pokemon Zapdos witch is useful for wanting to get multiple Zapdos'

3. Have all Tm's
press Select+up
94000130 FFBB0000
62111880 00000000
B2111880 00000000
D5000000 005A0148
C0000000 0000005B
D6000000 000009B0
D4000000 00000001
D2000000 00000000
This code gives you all the Tm's in the bag which helped me to teach my Pokemon moves early in the game.

4. PP Never Decrease
5224B30C E0001B00
1224B30C 000046C0
D0000000 00000000
Just as the name says the PP (power-points) never decrease so i didn't need to use items like max elixirs.

5. 100% Catch
:::including can catch trainer's Pokemon code
92247612 00002801
12247612 00004280
D2000000 00000000
9224670A 00002101
1224670A 00002100
D2000000 00000000
Useful (for me anyway) to complete your Pokedex.

Credit goes to those who worked so hard on making these codes
you can find these and more on the GBAtemp Cheats Form

ADMIN EDIT: Numerous edits to make it more pretty. Thank goodness for my HTML skills.

The world crash upon me and yet I hold
despite the pain and trouble I stand firm
marching ever onwards in defiance of the cold
never yielding to defeats urgent call

spurred on by the hopes of better days
I stride on ever following the light
yet never fearing the night
struggle for I know if I don't I've already lost the fight

Perspective: A Contemplation

I'm often surprised what people will "debate" over, and often they are (at least from my point of view) a matter of perspective. This fact got me thinking of how much perspectives affect our lives. One minor but funny example is the "your left/my left" issue. This problem is often prevented by the simple fact the it is commonly assumed to be the speaker's left; in this way the listener adopts the speaker's perspective, at least in the matter of which left.

DIODE Definitions: The Devil's Mashups--Part II

• Abominable Showman--An undesired target of the world's rotten tomato supply.
• Battle of the Bulge--The Allied forces fight Nazis in a weight loss contest.
• Blisskrieg--A quick, unrelenting assault on the pleasure center of the brain. (Thanks, James!)
  
• Bull pen--A writing tool that spreads crap.
• Cereal Killer--The person who assassinated Cap 'n Crunch.
• Engine Earring--The world's heaviest piercing.
  
• Fairy Godfather--He'll dress you for the ball and send you in style, but it is a deal you can't refuse. Return home by midnight or you are sleeping with the fishes. Capiche?
• Genital Hermes--A prurient diety that can deliver an erection lickety fast.
  
• Half-Baked Alaska--Getting stoned in the world's last frontier.
• Intensive care bear--The bear that sends you to the ER and not the other way around.
  
• Jurassic Pork--A T-rex sized pig.
• Marital arts--The discipline for defending oneself from your spouse.
• Mother trucker--A single mom that drives lines 16 hours a day, 6 days a week.
  
• Satan Claus--If your nose is bright red, he will let you join his slaying tonight.
• Sea Pickles--What you get when you pickle a sea cucumber.
• Soothslayer--A precognitive assassin.
  
• Swear bear--An F-bomb-wielding ursine creature.

Windows VS Linux

Hello everyone, this is a review for the pros and cons of Windows and Linux.
This is from my experience with Windows and Linux.
I hope you all enjoy it.

Windows (including windows 7, XP, and Vista)

Pros:

1. Compatibility with most, if not, all games made for the PC.
2. Easy to use, especially if you used the old Windows operating systems.
3. You don't need to use the command line for most programming.

Cons:

1. Viruses are made mainly for Windows and Windows programs.
2. Windows systems are more vulnerable to spyware.
3. Vista is not easy to use (e.g. Vista asks for user account credentials [or UAC] every time a program starts).

Linux

Pros

1. Hardly any viruses can get into the computer so long as you keep Linux up to date.
2. Everything is free when Linux is concerned because it is under the open source license.
3. Users are developing Windows drivers for Linux.

Cons

1. Technical tasks require the command line (e.g. if you want to look up your specs is great detail you need to use the command line).
2. If you turn off the computer the wrong way you could mess up the files on Linux and possibly lose all data.
3. Lniux is not yet compatible with Windows drivers.

ADMIN NOTE: Numerous edits to look better

DIODE Definitions: The Devil's Word Mashups

• Algole--An ancient king that sought to freeze the world in an ice age and forged the original Soul .44 Calibre. Now rallies against global warming.
  
• Amino acid test--The act of checking whether your baby formula has melamine or not.
• Apple turnover ratio--The ratio of dessert sales to apple assets.
• Asstral plane--The other world where the sun doesn't shine.
  
• Banana Republican party--The party that wants to shrink government enough to sink it in a bathtub for the purposes of large fruit plantations.
• Bipolar bear--A large, ursine creature with equally large mood swings. Known for great works of art and the cutting off of its own ear.
• Blundercats--Clumsy feline heroes.
• Captain Oblivious--A superhero that actually needs the help of Captain Obvious.
• Carbon dioxin--When you burn dioxins, you release the world's worst pollutant. A single molecule kills.
  
• Club sandwich--The act of pulverizing flesh between two sticks.
  
• Daily Gnus--All the gnus that's meant to be heard by wildebeests and eaten by lions.
  
• Elmer Fudd's glue--Be vewy quiet... I'm pastin' wabbits.
• Fascionista--Matching outfits uber alles! The ugly will be sent to the death camps!
• Fidel castration-- Military subterfuge toward Cuba, removing their ability to reproduce.
  
• Gun-damn it!--When mechas ruin your life without provocation.
  
• Hegemon--A game involving collecting politicians. In the American region, there are 546 different type. Gotta vote for 'em all!
  
• Hissy fit--A fit a snake has when it is upset.
• Hoboken--A fireball of pure ki energy, learned by many poor bums in New Jersey. See also: Shinkuu hoboken.
  
• Jenova's Witnesses--144,000 followers of Sephiroth. No more, no less.
  
• LOLth--Totally 1337 evil Drow spider goddess of lies, deceit, and goth fashion. Tends to lie in real life, but tells the truth on the Internet, because people can't believe anything on the Internet!
• Malboro cigarettes--Side effects include lung cancer, emphysema, poison, paralysis, berserk, curse, zombie, and silence. Don't smoke if you don't have a ribbon, have one or more remedies, or have chest pains.
  
• Ma-ri-oh!--A children's card game where Mario gets the Millennium Plunger and duels to the death with the Mushroom Kingdom's denizens.
  
• Papier Mache Mario--An Italian plumber's first failed foray into 3-D.
• Petrobrassiere--Gaudy, transparent woman's underwear made from plastic from Brazil.
• Phisherman--Someone who sets a line for some dumb sucker in the ocean of the Internet. (Or, trolling for trolls.)
  
• Propheteering--Predicting the future for the purposes of making money.
• Saba-tour guide--Someone that displays a complex for the purposes of undermining it.
  
• Sexaxis--Bringing the Kama Sutra to the Playstation 3.
  
• Solitaire--A lonely group of games; using cards to play with oneself.
  
• U.S. Censusship--The act of taking poll of the country every decade only to embellish the fact that the country is in the crapper.
  

Pondering the Dead: A Reflection

The bodies of the fallen lay before me, and sorrow fills my soul. I wonder what they died for; was it love, was it greed, or some simple need? But the sorrow is not alone, for with it comes joy for what they may have lived for: love, happiness or the desire to simple be. With this reflection I leave them be in their contented and eternal slumber, for their reasons to live or die are not mine in which to dwell.

Horrible Product Concepts, Volume 1

Greetings! Var is here to report some of the worst product ideas you can expect not to see on store shelves this holiday season.

For book lovers:
"Kicking Your Self-Help Addiction" - found in the self-help section;
"W. is for Wisdom" by George W. Bush - found in the metaphysics section;
"Religion" by Richard Dawkins - found in the humor section;
"baby talk for babys"- found in the language section.

For the home:
Eau d'Skunk - for him and her!
The Everything's Alright Alarm - for paranoiacs and the hyper-stimulated
Ink-Proof Paper - for all those nasty ink-stains that accumulate on your lined composition paper
Display-less Laptop - might be too advanced for some users
Cordless Extension Cable - might be too advanced for some users
Remote Control Tennis Racket - recreation, without all that tiring recreating
Holographic Servant - for those who want the company of hired help, without any of the help!

For those you wish to be rid of
Cigarettes-the only product that kills the user when use corectly

And finally, for the pugilists on your Christmas list:
Projectile-Free Handgun

Monster Battles: Giant Hamburger vs. DJ Big Mac

In the middle of a New York City rave, DJ Big Mac is spinning another mega mix of tasty jams. Across the crowded dance floor, a distinctive figure enters the party, his double-arched gold chain glistening in the reflection of disco lights. Passers by were alarmed by his pickle-filled mouth, his ketchup beard, and his compound sesame seed eyes. "I represent McDonald's," he said, "and I challenge you to a battle."

Without skipping a beat, DJ Big Mac put on a record that made his intentions clear: "Bring it on!" the music blared. The Giant Hamburger sauntered into the center of the room and, in his own edible DJ booth, began making music with his prized collection of colossal records made of ground beef. The crowd was awed by the surprising skill of the hamburger DJ.

In a state of shock, DJ Big Mac reached into his crate to find a retaliation record. Quite confident in his choice, he placed the vinyl on the turntable and pressed "play" without even looking. He realized moments too late that his prized dance floor slaying smash was in fact a polka record he found in a dollar bin. A cascade of taunts rained down from the audience, whose sentiments had turned definitively in the Giant Hamburger's favor. DJ Big Mac scrambled to find a face-saving record, and hastily threw on the Macarena. The Giant Hamburger responded with another patty platter, and soon techno drums filled the room. Realizing that he was losing the crowd, DJ Big Mac reached into his crate, only to find an extensive self-help collection where his outstanding dance mixes ought to have been "Sabotage!" he cried out as he found a note in the bottom of his crate:

"Hey honey, I found these while cleaning house and I thought you could use them in your show! Love, Mom xoxo."

DJ Big Mac rifled through dozens of spoken-word volumes before finally landing on Toni Basil's "Hey Mickey;" meanwhile the Giant Hamburger was spinning beef so fast that a platter flew off the turntable as a projectile weapon, maiming himself and several audience members in the process. "That's enough greasy beef for one day," DJ Big Mac declared as he spun incredible polka/self-help remixes of 80s classics.

In Other News: A Mockumentary

Welcome to Democracy Meow, your furs and purrs report. I'm Garrett Martinez, here with Brian Richardson and Iron Chef Italian.

In the city of Baghdad, a coalition of over 500,000 felines protested over the lack of safe drinking milk, sweltering heat, and the American occupation of the city's supply of can openers.

In Pasadena, CA, a massive cat-apult causes a terrible catastrophe when it launched cattle at the local animal shelter last Saturday. Four cats were squashed flat, and who cares what happened to the dogs.

Nora Beckley, the local cat lady, has passed away last Sunday. She was 92. The 100-cat senate in the house is voting for their new cat lady. Susan Beckham holds the majority 58-42, but the Cat-servative minority is filibustering to leave for separate houses.

Ol' Fluff 'n Ready, former president Zachary Taylor's pet cat, sought for the repeal of the "don't ask, don't meow" policy, which prevents openly feline members of the military from leaving base late at night for "hunting urges". It's still on the books, along with the policy forbidding marking state and national borders with cat pee to deter illegal immigrants.

News Update: Lord of the Rings Online

This is for those who like Lord of the Rings Online, or who may not have heard of it. There has been a recent update in the L.O.T.R.O (Lord of the Rings Online) M.M.O.R.P.G. sponsored by Turbine. The L.O.T.R.O. used to require that you pay for a subscription; now you can have a free account. You don't have to pay for anything, but you can pay for extra Turbine points if you want. Turbine points can be used at the in-game store to access items and other extras.

Check it out at Lord of the Rings Online!

Not-so Retro Review: La-Mulana

Are you looking for a graphically lush game with a rocking soundtrack? A linear game that explains things as you go? Do you hate reading instruction manuals?

This game is definitely not for you.

La-Mulana is hard and unforgiving. Basically, you play as Indiana Jones-esque explorer Lemeza Kosugi, seeking the treasure of La-Mulana and exploring the ruins, which are full of enemies, traps, and puzzles. You can't travel willy-nilly either. Weigh down the wrong pedestal, drop down the wrong pit, or strike the wrong wall, and you might never come back. Read everything in the ruins, save often, find weapons, and you might get through it all. And I haven't even mentioned the monsters yet. They range from bats (uber-annoying) to massive guardians, all based on ancient mythologies around the world, all that require their own strategies to overcome.

The original PC version is free to download here. If you are stuck, search the internet for DeceasedCrab's YouTube video series "Let's Play La-Mulana". There is an upcoming remake for the Wii, designed as a homage to retro game remakes. Now that is something new. I'll review that when it arrives.

iPhone App Review: Doodle God

The premise is simplicity itself: Combine two elements to create a new element. You start with four, but it gets complicated quickly. Some are predictable (Fire + Earth = Lava), some are unexpected (Car + Air = Airplane), and yet others you wonder what they were thinking (Alcoholic + Ship = Pirate). Thankfully, you can use hints to help you on the way, which recharges every three to four minutes. In addition, every item you create comes with a nice quotation, such as "A rolling stone gathers no moss. -Proverb (Weeds + Swamp = Moss) or "We're bringing oil to America's shores." -bp

The current version has 196 elements in all, in addition to a hidden minigame.

Tips: Some combinations are obtained by using an element with itself (Human + Human = Sex), or by using one of the two elements of itself in a creation i.e. Wood + Water = Boat, then Boat + Wood = Ship.

Superchunk, Live @ Jackpot Records

On Friday, October 15, the DIODE crew took a field trip to Jackpot Records to attend a free concert by the venerable punk/indie institution, Superchunk. Playing an acoustic set in anticipation of Friday night's performance at the Wonder Ballroom, Superchunk played mostly new material and accepted a few requests from the rapt audience. Filling the aisles between records and CDs, concert-goers crowded in the door for what ended up being a very intimate performance. Highlights included "Crossed Wires" and "Art School," at least according to this attendee.

Afterward, we stopped into the adjacent vintage toy store, Billy Galaxy. The DIODE crew nearly went bananas over the wealth of original G.I. Joes, Transformers, Star Wars figures, Pez dispensers, and other 1980s ephemera. We may have just visited for a few minutes, but suffice it to say we never wanted to leave.

Book News: Rising Tides Release Date

For those that like to read science fiction/alternative history books (such as Meeting in Corvallis from the change series by S.M. Sterling), the upcoming release of Rising Tides by Taylor Anderson is likely to generate a "rising" stir. With the fifth installment in Anderson's Destroyermen series, readers can expect the same type of unique dualism that made the first four books so distinguished. With this next installment, will the author explore the tension between Walker and the New Brits? Or perhaps he will devote more attention to the differences of the Tegrinesie and the Grik? What if he will do both, hmmm? Readers will find out in February 2011 with the release of Rising Tides.

ADMIN EDIT: Removed sloppy HTML made by the editor

Monster Battles: Predator vs. Catwoman

There is a new hunting ground for the Predator: Gotham City. There are many to hunt, and the Predator has already successfully battled several villains: Joker, Bane, Mad Hatter, Bob the Magic Muffin, Megatron, and Johnny Quest. Catwoman is the next on our hunter's list, and he has a hunch she can be found on the roof of a Big Cat exhibit coming to the Gotham Museum of Natural Science.

Predator's hunch is correct, and upon encountering Catwoman on the roof, he fires his shoulder canon at her. Catwoman dodges, and trips the Predator with her whip. The predator jumps up and lunges with his staff, striking and wounding her on the shoulder. In retaliation, she attempts to kick him in the crotch, only to connect with metal-plated undergarments. Predator laughs and throws her through the ceiling onto the museum floor. Catwoman rubs her aching back, moans, and says "I'm getting to old for this," before attempting to whip the Predator again. He dodges and fires his net. While she avoids being ensnared, he grabs her and throws her through a wall. Catwoman tries to escape by setting off a smoke bomb, but Predator activates his night vision and delivers a decisive blow from behind.

As is his nature, the Predator moves with businesslike efficiency, decapitating his victim, collecting his trophy, and striking out into the night.

Poem: Dancing Twlight

Light and dark dance in twilight
Shadow and flame twist and turn
Each shone in beautiful contrast
Brighter bright, darker dark
flames in the night glow brighter and warmer
while shadows are darker 'n' cooler while light shines bright

Archival Review: Blast Corps

Archival Review: Blast Corps
Nintendo 64

Some games pretend to be more than they are. This game is not one of them. The story is like that of a B-movie: A nuclear missile carrier, en route to a safe disposal site, begins to leak dangerous radiation and is locked in a straight course. If it hits a building, it would cause a nuclear explosion. The solution? Destroy every building in its path to ground zero!

To accomplish your destructive desires, you get a variety of vehicles to rend the landscapes clean:

• Ramdozer--A bulldozer that destroys what is runs into. Simple at first, but later levels require pushing blocks of TNT to destroy stronger buildings or block to fill holes in the path.
• Backlash--A dump truck that destroys buildings by sliding its rear end at it. Much practice is needed for later levels.
• Ballista--A motorcycle that fires missiles. However, you need to grab black ammo boxes first.
• Sideswipe--A vehicle that launches its side panels that can destroy buildings on both sides. Collect blue ammo boxes to recharge its batteries.
• Skyfall--A dune buggy that uses timed turbo boosts to launch itself off cliffs and up ramps against buildings from above.
• J-Bomb--A large mecha that flies into the air and stomps even large skyscrapers from above.
• Thunderfist/Cyclone--These mechs somersault or roll into buildings to destroy them. Thunderfist can destroy stronger buildings.
• Cars--There are four hidden vehicles for use in racing-type stages. Rather than being used to destroy, they are used to zip quickly across the landscape.

Of course, the story is an excuse to destroy, and the game knows it. This is why there are a bunch of bonus levels where you race against the clock, which run from running laps to levels taking place in Pac-Man style stages, with one taking place on a pool table. And let's not forget some levels that are literally out of this world...

Graphically, Blast Corps shows its age, as expected from earlier N64 games. Soundwise, the music consists of a rockin' techno soundtrack and realistic sounds. Voices, however, are passable. The game was released before the Rumble Pak, so there's no support for it. The biggest downside would be the somewhat bad physics, namely when you land from a jump. It's not always a noticeable flaw, but it's irritating when it rears it's head.

All in all, it's a good game for action fans that don't care if a game has illusions of grandeur, whether it considers itself "epic" or not.

Book Review: "Catalyst" by Anne McCafery and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough

Catalyst is a science fiction/fantasy book written by two authors, both award winners in their own right. The main author many people will probably recognize from her award winning series Dragon Riders of Pern. That is correct, I am talking about Anne McCafrey. The co-author - another award winner though maybe not as famous (yet?) - Elizabeth Ann Scarborough has already won the Hugo award for science fiction.

There are many twist and turns in this book. One aspect I thought was really unique about this book was the third person narration by a highly intelligent, sentient cat. The book's perspective shifts subtly throughout the book, but maintains the same narrator throughout.

Pros: I would say that the first pro of this book was the thorough and detailed universe it takes place in. Second, the realalistic and all-too-true depiction of political networks and their use of influence throughout the universe echoes modern political discourse.

Cons: Though it is partially explained by the universe it takes place in, the first con of Catalyst is narrative implausibility. There are a few contradictory elements, and these inconsistencies threaten verisimilitude. Secondly, I think that though the romance of the book is not very important, they could have included more background details, which would have enhanced the book's story a bit.

DIODE Up And Running; Geeks Everywhere Rejoice

My fair reader, you are in for a treat.

We would like to welcome you to the DIODE blog! We are a group of reviewers, poets, techies, geeks, and nerds from Portland, Oregon who will be using this space to explore and share our interests, produce reams of exclusive content, and build relationships with the world at large. We happen to be adults with developmental disabilities, but you will know us as Distinctive Individuals Overcoming Disabilities through Expertise.

You can look forward to regular features such as:
-Video Game News and Reviews
-Cryptozoology Corner
-Monster Battles
-Rampant Speculation Department
-Fan Fiction
-Comics and Manga Reviews
-YouTube Video of the Week
-Popular Science Corner
-RPG Spotlight
-Superpowers and You (alternative titles: You And Your Superpowers; I Enjoy Having Super Strength)
-Projects In Progress
-Geocaching Adventures
-Ask A Geek

Coming tomorrow: author profiles AND MORE......