Morning Thoughts, Conan The Conqueror

Robert E. Howard

Morning Thoughts

I have started reading Fueling Our Future An Introduction to Sustainable Energy by Robert L. Evans (Director Clean Energy Research Centre The University of British Colombia) , Cambridge University Press, c2007.

This looks to be a rather interesting book. It will be interesting to read a non-Us perspective on renewable energy. There are sections in the book on ocean energy which is not often covered in books on renewables. The author is also comparing nuclear, clean coal, and renewables as future energy sources. The author also compares two future transportation infrastructures, one based on plug in hybrid electric vehicles, and one based on a hydrogen transportation infrastructure.

This book is proving to be very fascinating reading. I have learned quite a few new things like the process of extracting oil from tar sands and oil shale. It also describes how it may be possible to extract methane from coal seams.

Robert L. Evans also gives a description of how carbon capture technology for coal plants would work that makes far more sense than any other description I have read. Often carbon dioxide is pumped into wells to force oil to flow out of nearby wells better. These are called CO2 injection wells. The drill holes with the carbon dioxide are then capped. The oil wells become carbon dioxide storage sites.

I often think not enough people are aware of all the technological options for renewable energy. Very few people know about wave energy, plasma conversion, solar updraft towers, biomass co-firing, landfill gasification, micro-hydro, hybrid turbine electric engines, and hybrid electric trains. There are many other options which could expand the mix of renewable energy options.

Conan The Conqueror

Robert E. Howard only wrote one full book length Conan novel, The Hour of the Dragon, or Conan the Conqueror.

While there has been a Conan movie made starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, there never was a Conan movie made based on Conan The Conqueror. There were plans for years that Schwarzenegger would make a King Conan film based on this book. It never happened due to differences in opinion on how the movie should be made. I hear rumors that they may make a new Conan movie. I hope they don't choose a bodybuilder or someone from World Wrestling Entertainment.

I always thought that Schwarzenegger was too slow moving to be Conan. They need someone who is very quick, athletic, and able to express a lot of rage.

I would not mind if they restarted the franchise, but please choose the right person for the role. King Conan would be a fabulous movie if it was done right. Supposedly New Line Cinema is releasing a new version of the Conan movie in 2009.

Good Morning, Good Afternoon

Brain in a vat. I don't know why I chose this image. Maybe, I feel a bit dreamy today.

Good Morning

I read Black and White on the train in to work today. I reserved By Schism Rent Asunder, a new David Weber in his series Armageddon Reef. This series reads very differently than his books published under the Baen label. This book is published under the Tor label so the editing should be considerably different.

I also found a review for The Automotic Detective on http://www.sfsite.com/ This is the exact link to the review http://www.sfsite.com/07b/ad276.htm . I liked the review enough to recommend it. It is accurate.

Good Afternoon

During lunch, I noted down the outline for the review of Don't Make Me Think A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability. I am not going to write it out today. One review in a day is enough. I think more than one review would be rushed and a little sloppy.

I am feeling a little better than this morning with two cups of coffee fortifying my thinking.

One of the reasons I am doing this blog is for self motivation to get myself to do a little bit every day of different library and literature related things...

I weeded some of the graphic novels in the adult section. I did not get rid of a lot of the classics. People still read Milton Caniff, Rube Goldberg, Jules Feiffer, Al Capp, Gary Trudeau, and Berke Breathed. I know these are often quite old, but people are still checking them out. As soon as the new graphic novels I order are here, they go out very quickly.

Often the people who sit at the computers have a waiting time of half hour or longer. Many of them read graphic novels while they are waiting for their turn on the internet computers. Graphic novels are quick and easy to read.

I checked out a few graphic novels for me to read this weekend. I always check out the books which I am going to use. It is the right thing to do for librarians. Check out your books. It increases the amount of circulation for your library. Libraries are partially funded by circulation.

I have the following graphic novels, The Facts In The Case of the Departure of Miss Finch by Neil Gaiman, Michael Zulli, and Todd Klein, Usagi Yojimbo The Mother of Mountains Volume 21 by Stan Sakai, and The Savage Sword of Conan Volumes 1, 2, and 3 written by Roy Thomas. These are Dark Horse comics compilations. They should remind me of when I was younger and liked to read Conan. It is a bit nostalgic to look at these three volumes.

Also, I have The Future of the Internet and How To Stop It by Jonathan Zittrain. This should be interesting. Finally, I am looking at Fueling Our Future An Introduction To Sustainable Energy by Robert L. Evans.