davefischer

Probably still included because ed is occasionally used in shell scripts.

It's good in an emergency over a slow or noisy connection. Back in the 90s, I once talked a non-computer user through repairing a corrupted config file, over the phone. ed was good for that.

Some writers you can use the reverse trick on, some you can't. Some stuff is just horrible and should be avoided. But I'm definitely against pretending there's no problem.

From the original "pulp" era: Sax Rohmer. Love that 1920s pulp fiction. He's horribly racist, but it's enjoyable if you just swap the "heroes" and "villians" in your head as you read. (Fu Manchu is the most evil man in the world because... he wants to free China from British colonial rule? Right. Go Fu Manchu!)

Also, Doc Savage. I like Doc in the same way I like the 60s Batman TV show: I don't particularly like the "heroes", I just enjoy the environment. (In one Doc Savage story I read recently, Doc's plane is described as being so INCREDIBLY high-tech and bleeding edge, that the WHEELS RETRACT WHEN IN FLIGHT. Amazing. WHAT ELSE WILL THE FUTURE BRING!?!?)

I grew up on Lovecraft, but have discovered that what I like most in his work was done better, previously, by Lord Dunsany. (Particularly the Dream Quest stuff.)

I own a few magazines from the end of that era. These are issues #2 & #3 of Fantastic Magazine, 1952:

"No not that one, the other one!" - ha!

I grew up on Tom Baker era Doctor Who. It wasn't until decades later that I discovered that the best British sci-fi from that period was actually Blake's 7.

Leftist / slightly religious news talk show. He had Cesar Chavez as a guest once.

Oh, I don't remember. This was... late 90s? Early 00s?

My dad lost his TV show when that was cancelled. (He had one of those obscure once-a-month crack-of-dawn talk shows.)

Uranium glass is much more subtle than it sounds. VERY slightly radioactive, and it doesn't glow. It has an interesting tint to it, and if you shine light through it, it looks intense, but it doesn't actually glow. (A friend who works with glass gives me any she happens to run across.)

I've eaten jellyfish.

I bought one to photograph. After photographing, I threw it away.

Was visiting my dad, and among other things he said there was something wrong with his computer, and could I fix it? He gave a very quick description of the problem.

So we show up, they're making dinner, everyone's sitting around chatting. I sneak into the office, turn on the computer, fix it, turn it off. Sneak back.

Then I suggest they show me the problem, so we can get it sorted out before eating. We go into the office, and just before they turn the PC on, I stop them. I put both hands on the monitor, close me eyes, and say: "BE HEALED!". Then I tell them to continue.

Lo and behold, the computer is working fine now!

Ha ha.

The rolling shutter trick is amazing.