Tag Archives: arts-entertainment

His Way

Posted on February 18, 2020 by smellincoffee

His Way: The Unauthorized Biography of Frank Sinatra © 1986 Kitty Kelley 576 pages His Way is a gossipy biography of Frank Sinatra,  one full of drama and interest, but more tabloid-like than serious.    Most biographies of Sinatra follow the same course:  … Continue reading →

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Agatha Christie and Tony Soprano

Posted on October 21, 2019 by smellincoffee

Over the weekend I finished two titles that don’t bear elaborate reviews. First up was Agatha Christie’s Hallowe’en Party,  a murder mystery set during this spooky-fun season.  Not everyone is having fun, though, especially not little Joyce, who – – … Continue reading →

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Prepare to Meet Thy Doom

Posted on July 5, 2019 by smellincoffee

Prepare to  Meet Thy Doom: And Other True Gaming Stories © 2015 David Kushner  ~ 5 hours, read by Wil Wheaton Masters of Doom enthralled me, covering the genesis of modern  PC gaming through its history of id software.   Prepare … Continue reading →

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The Perfect Thing

Posted on December 12, 2018 by smellincoffee

The Perfect Thing: How the iPod Shuffles Commerce, Culture, and Coolness pub. 2006 Steven Levy 304 pages I’ve never had an iPod, but given that Audible was doing a sale this week and that I seemed to be doing an … Continue reading →

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Digital Filmmaking for Kids

Posted on September 27, 2018 by smellincoffee

Digital Filmmaking for Kids© 2015 Nick Willoughby304 pages I am not, readers may spot, a kid.  However, when I WAS a kid, I was one given to wandering around the woods with a massive camcorder in my shoulders, attempting to … Continue reading →

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Centauri Dawn

Posted on September 4, 2018 by smellincoffee

Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri: Centauri Dawn© 2000 Michael Ely292 pages Earth was a sad memory for the crew and colonists of the good ship Unity, who fled its radioactive remains in hopes of building a new society near a not-too … Continue reading →

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Pirate Cinema

Posted on August 16, 2018 by smellincoffee

Pirate Cinema© 2012 Cory Doctorow384 pages All Cecil B. DeVille wanted to do was make movies. He didn’t mean to ruin his family’s lives or start a revolution. In the not-too-distant future,  consumer electronics have concealed chips which monitor and … Continue reading →

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Replay

Posted on June 8, 2018 by smellincoffee

Replay: The History of Video Games© 2010 Tristian Donovan501 pages Video games emerged in the late 20th century as a completely novel form of entertainment.  Replay recounts the history of how programming experiments and text-based adventures were transformed first into … Continue reading →

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Ready Player One

Posted on June 6, 2018 by smellincoffee

Ready Player One © 2011 Ernest Cline 354 pages Audible presentation read by Wil Wheaton, runtime 15 hr 46 min Who knew that School House Rock could save the world?  When an eccentric genius dies and leaves a will laden … Continue reading →

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Masters of Doom

Posted on June 18, 2017 by smellincoffee

Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture © 2004 David Kushner, Audible presentation read by Wil Wheaton, runtime 12 hours & 43 minutes 334 pages I wasn’t playing PC games  in the early nineties … Continue reading →

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