shawThings.net : a collection of shaw things ...

So I signed up for Book Crossing a couple of weeks back. Earlier this week I received a "Release Alert". A book was now "in the wild" at a nearby shopping centre. I wasn't able to get there until today. The instructions for finding the book were along the lines of: between the middle and top floor (the escalators are halved) down the food court end, behind the Mount Franklin vending machine.

So I finally got around to reading Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. I say finally because it's been in print for over 50 years. It's well worth a read. As many have noted before me, it's remarkably prescient, both in the technology it depicts and of a society intensely and increasingly focused on often trivial media.

Here's a neat idea: book crossing - "the practice of leaving a book in a public place to be picked up and read by others, who then do likewise". Sort of like a public library with search and retrieve thrown in. I came across the idea in this SMH article, which is worth reading just for the killer punchline.

There's an official website where you "release" books into the wild and record your "catches". The practice has proved so popular, that although it only began in 2001, the term was added to the Concise Oxford Dictionary in 2004.

I just checked out my local area. There was a book released at the local shopping centre just two weeks ago ...

So I finally got around to reading Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. Which is presumably pretty late in life for a geek. It took me nine weeks to get through the whole thing. Basically three weeks per book; I borrowed it in three parts from the library. On the whole, I was a little underwhelmed.

Ah Father's Day! A bit of a sleep in. Go out for lunch - seafood and beer at Manly. Presents. Family. Wonderful!

Best present: First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde. I love his books - can't wait to read it.

Hmmm, I have a strange feeling of déjà vu.

Ah Father's Day! Sleep in. Go out for brunch. Presents. Family. Wonderful!

Best present: The Fourth Bear by Jasper Fforde. I love his books - can't wait to read it.