The August installment of the Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Blog Tour starts tomorrow, and we’re reviewing Robin Parrish’s science fiction thriller, Offworld. I’ll be giving away a copy of Offworld to one lucky reader who visits my blog during the tour!
Everyone who leaves a comment through midnight on Day 3 (Wednesday, August 19) will be entered into the drawing (1 entry per day, per person). After all entries have been collected, we’ll have a random drawing to select the winner.
Author: Ted Dillard
Publisher: Lark Books (Sterling Publishing Co.)
Review by Conrad J. Obregon
Smart Object Pipeline: Revolutionary Tactics for the Photoshop Layer Workflow
Warning! This book is only for experienced users of Photoshop (PS) and the Adobe Camera Raw Plug-in (ACR).
Although smart objects have been around since PS 2, and although most PS authors make at least some reference to them, this is the first photography book devoted to them. (A smart object is an image file that you can reedit and readjust in ACR, even after opening in the main PS. The purpose of this attribute is that it may be easier (and according to the author) less destructive of image data to adjust in ACR.
The book opens with a lengthy review of RAW files, ACR, and PS layers and masking (as well as an introduction to the smart object) to the extent, and only to the extent, that this knowledge is key to the author’s process. Once this is done the author explains how to use smart objects, and related smart filters, to adjust images, primarily through selective adjustments and including more advanced techniques that one might never encounter if one were not using smart objects to adjust an image.
To me, smart objects are most useful, first, when there is a chance that one might want to go back to the original RAW file to recover more data from the original image; and second, when one is applying a non-editable filter or certain image adjustments to an image, like unsharp mask, that one might want to change in the future. Dillard caries this a step further, preferring ACR smart filters instead of adjustment layers.
What the author hardly mentions is that using smart objects creates files that are several times the size of a picture adjusted with adjustment layers, and that each time one returns to ACR for an adjustment a great deal more processing power and time is taken then with adjustment layers. This may not be an overriding consideration in this era of cheap storage, fast processors and huge amounts of RAM, but I, for one, am already running out of space for internal and external disk drives.
In PS there are many different routes to reaching a desirable image. Some users prefer to use ACR only to capture the most data while other users prefer to do most of their adjustments with the plug-in. Certainly the author’s method offers another technique that may prove useful in particular cases, and so, for experienced users, anxious to add to their personal tool box, this book may be worthy of consideration.
I must confess to being put off by many of Dillard’s suggestions about using PS that run so contrary to the common wisdom, like sticking with 8 bit processing, and dismissing the recovery, fill, clarity and targeted adjustment functions of ACR on the grounds that the same tasks can be accomplished in curves. I found his sharpening suggestions, like always sharpening at a radius of .5 pixels and sharpening at output size rather than 100%, incredible.
Occasionally there were suggestion for techniques that I had, I’m embarrassed to say, not discovered, like changing a mask color from white to black, using invert.
I doubt that I will ever adopt most of the techniques in this book. On the other hand, the book increased my sensitivity to the use of smart objects and filters.
In summary, if you are an experienced user, are willing to consider new techniques, can decide when recommendations can be rejected and are willing to read a PS book solely on the chance that you will add a valuable tool to your arsenal, this book is for you.
The Long Emergency James Kunstler Atlantic Monthly Press, 2005 307p, footnotes, no index
The world is running out of oil. What are we going to do? James Kunsler speculates about the situation that will happen as the planet’s supply of petroleum is diminishing. While he cannot say for sure what will be the effects of global petroleum shortages, Kunsler does offer some interesting and frightening possibilities. We live in an age of cheap oil. The effects of this have been profound.
Cheap oil has lead to an life of affluence and ease for most Americans. That life will change when oil supplies begin to fail. Oil is often thought of as mostly a fuel, gasoline, diesel, and heating oil. It is also a major component in fertilizer. So is natural gas (methane). The coming crisis in fossil fuel resources will have major consequences for the production of food. Can we eat as well as we do if we don’t have the fertilizer?
Kunsler poses many good questions but also paints a picture that may be prematurely bleak. He is a neo-Malthusian. He thinks that the world’s population has been artificially sustained by the influence of cheap oil. Once the cheap oil is gone there will be catastrophe everywhere. He proposes not solution for the supposed overcrowding of the world.
He also hold to man-made global warming. He admits that the most serious greenhouse gas is water vapor, but still thinks the increase of atmospheric carbon dioxide will cause widespread damage and upheaval. He does not mention the effect the sun has on our atmosphere.
Kunsler makes the mistake of thinking we have a free market economy. He of course call for more government regulation. He mocks the system for not giving us everything by magic. He displays no knowledge of the source of inflation. He is another bigger- government-can-do-it-better-than-smaller-government advocate.
He correctly points out that the largest sources of oil lie in regions that are controlled by the most unstable governments. Those governments are oppressive. They are the ones that have long been supported by the United States government. Once these governments fall, their successors will likely cut off oil supplies to the west. Or not. Here the author fails to see that as much as we need the oil, those countries need the money. New governments need money just as much as their predecessors.
Kunsler also fails to understand that there an invisible subsidy to oil. It is all those financial and military supports we give to ensure that our allies remain in power. It this practice was withdrawn the price of oil would be at its real free market level. If the price was high enough, there might be a real conservation movement rather than a force government mandated one. All of this escapes Kunsler, who has no idea how price drives conservation and innovation.
While Kunsler does make the case that our military presence in the oil producing countries is a source of anger for the local popualtions, he does not address the larger issue of the worldwide spread of US military bases. He does not display any notion that the US is a global empire. He also fails to see that this empire is heading the way of all previous empires: death by inflation through currency debasement.
He does spend time bashing Wal-Mart. Evil Wal-Mart has destroyed American small businesses and so wrecked all of community life. I guess he shops around so he can pay a higher price. He does not mention that many small, long established businesses are still doing well. Neither does he mention that business failure is common in small businesses that take their customers for granted. Don’t expect him to even consider that local governments hamper or even prevent the revitalization of their towns. Implied in all this is his belief in top down solutions.
Kunsler does do us service by raising the issue of a post cheap oil world, but he does not give much in the way of solutions to the problems. Here he runs out of gas.
The Reluctant Fundamentalist
by Mohsin Hamid
I bought this book up because I wanted to read something different – ie, not a thriller and not YA fiction. When I picked it up I was hooked right away by the way the novel is written to the reader, as though you are the other character in the story. What follows is a lengthy monologue about the life of the MC and his experiences and opinions of the West before and after 9/11.
The book gives a fabulous insight into how a single character’s views of Western society change from adoration to pity, from admiration to revulsion. I have read a few reviews of this novel and can’t help wonder why no one else has mentioned the most admirable feature: Mohsin Hamid has created a character who is fascinating and believable to a degree that despite his open, honest persona, is not entirely trustworthy. James Lasdun, in the Guardian, came close saying, ‘The nature of fiction is to make one distrustful of any character who lectures and castigates.’ For me, that was the point – there there is something a little too honest this character; something that made me, as a reader, begin to question his story. And when I got to the final scenes, I found that line of thought justified. If that was the author’s intention, then it was spot on and very well played.
The style is simplistic, even poetic; colourful, but not verbose. It makes reading very easy and pleasurable. Unlike the average thriller, I didn’t feel like I was rushing to get somewhere. But on finishing the novel I was left a little disappointed. It wasn’t that the ending was unexpected, because it wasn’t, but it didn’t match the pace of the rest of the novel. Then again, it might be because I would have been more than happy to read on for another 200 pages.
Title: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Author: Stieg Larsson
Pages: 590
Rating: 5/5
I’ve been complaining for a long time that it’s become difficult to find a book that’s so good, it’s difficult to put down. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is one of those books.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo deals with two intertwined plot lines. There’s a murder mystery, along with a story of political and financial intrigue and revenge. After being convicted of libel for breaking a story on an industrial big shot, financial journalist Blomkvist is lured into the countryside to write a biography on the Vanger family and its financial empire. He’s also asked to solve the 40-year-old mystery of the disappearance of 16-year-old Harriet Vanger. He discovers a dysfunctional family and unearths unspeakable crimes with the help of a strange social outcast, Lisbeth Salander, who also happens to be a genius computer hacker and private investigator.
I like how the book speaks about how women are treated – both in general, and in Sweden. Some of the statistics given in the book are absolutely shocking. The original Swedish title of the book was Män Som Hatar Kvinnor, which translates to Men Who Hate Women, which reveals a lot about the underlying message.
I loved Lisbeth Salander from the beginning. Probably because I can relate to her in some small ways. Her character evolves and changes drastically. Almost unbelievably so. On the other hand, I really didn’t like Blomkvist very much. He seemed to be a little too perfect. He never acknowledges any faults, and he’s too much of a lady’s man, bedding anything that moves. I hated Erika Berger, his boss and occasional lover, even more. The dislikable characters don’t ruin the story, though.
Unfortunately, it’s impossible to discuss the mystery without giving something important away, but it definitely is suspenseful and well thought out.
I can’t wait to get my hands on The Girl Who Played with Fire and see the movie version of this book.
Julie Lefkowitz knows where her allegience lies — and it’s all with Ashleigh Rossi, her childhood best friend and serious Enthusiast. Ashleigh’s whims change without warning and encompass her entire being, dragging Julie along as she suddenly develops an interest in insects, candy-making or King Arthur — and then some.
Usually glad to go along with Ash’s infectious, excited schemes, her latest is causing Julie to feel anxious — Ashleigh is now obsessed with Jane Austen’s classic Pride & Prejudice, Julie’s very own favorite book. And from the moment Ash appears at Julie’s wearing a long gown, speaking in Regency language and begging her to crash a “ball” at neighboring all-boys school Forefield Academy, Julie knows this is no ordinary Enthusiasm.
And it’s not, of course. At the dance they meet Ned Downing and Charles Grandison Parr, two “very suitable” young men who could very clearly resemble their own Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley, respectively. But which gentleman will pair off with which young lady? Or do they totally immune to the girls’ charms?
I can’t believe I only discovered this book by browsing through a bargain bookshelf. It was absolutely, totally fun and adorable! That’s really the best way I can describe it. Was the romance a wee bit predictable? Yes. Were there times you wanted to punch Julie, our narrator, in the arm for being so obtuse? Definitely. Was it obvious that, in the tradition of Jane Austen, we would get our very own happy ending? Sure. But let me tell you, it didn’t really hurt this infectious story at all.
What really anchored the whole novel for me was the knowledge that we all have an Ashleigh — or that we’ve all been an Ashleigh. My friends and family have long teased me that I jump from one “obsession” to another, and I absolutely saw myself in Shulman’s whimsical character. Ashleigh’s friendship with Julie was so strong, as was their devotion to each other — and it was so refreshing to see a pair of friends who don’t turn on each other the moment a pimply teenage boy shows them an ounce of attention. Seriously, Ashleigh and Julie were Ashleigh-and-Julie, and I loved that.
The family dynamics here were really strong, too. Goodness knows I love to see a functioning, well-drawn and relatable family! While Julie’s parents are divorced and she divides her time between her mother’s home with an antiques store in front and her father’s place with her new stepmother Amy, the “Irresistable Accountant,” the book doesn’t fall into the mire of “where do I belong, what did I do wrong” that’s so completely played out. Both homes welcomed her, though Julie did occasionally struggle with being kind to Amy. Though I couldn’t exactly blame her . . . I’m sure I would have had a hard time always being nice to Amy, too.
Jane Austen fans will delight in seeing a young woman so engrossed with one of their own favorite novels, as will the many women who have looked for their own Mr. Darcy. Ashleigh’s Enthusiasm is totally contagious, and at just 208 pages, you can whip right through this one in a sitting or two. And I’m so glad I did!
4 out of 5!
ISBN: 0142409359 ♥ Purchase from Amazon ♥ Author Website
This morning on while getting ready for work and getting my daily NPR fix, I heard children’s author Lesley Bloom give her picks on summer reading for young adults. There are some winners there, a few I’ve read and a few I now want to read. I subsequently found myself entrenched in NPR’s seemingly endless maze of book lists, and have all-to-quickly amassed a summer reading wish list of my own (even though summer is nearly over). The short list:
There were many others of interest on these lists, but for brevity’s sake (and since summer is all-too-quickly coming to an end) I stop at four, and I think they pretty much run the gamut. They enlighten, provoke thought and yet can still be read on the beach or train or wherever the summer may take you. Ah, summer reading, what would we do without you?
