Picky, picky

RichardIWebster · Post by **RichardIWebster** » Sat Jan 13, 2001 9:27 am

.....Actually, it was written in the late
19th Century and it was mocking the Sexism
of that time among other aspects of Victorian society (The males were polygonal,
the females were isosolese triangles with
two damn long sides. the males thought that the more sides you had, the more
intelligent you were, but all the warriors were women. You see, they were brutal, physical, athletic,coarse, Jock-like.Y'know, stereotypically male! And in the sequel, the non-inferiority of women was demonstrated a little more explicitly).Since I read that in Jr. High, a speculation has occured to me: Any journey a Flatlander
made into our "HyperSurfacial" environment
would be immediately fatal! You see, a Flat Lander would have no structural integrity whatsoever in the 3rd dimension (i.e. depth), and as the least stress in that extra dimension (which the uncertainty principle guarantees) would cause the FlatLander's molecules to fall apart in that 3rd direction, perhaps its "strings" would unravel along those lines too and thus the FlatLander would disintegrate or even completely dematerialize!!!!I have always wondered why when Michael
Valentine Smith of Heinlein's "Stranger in a
Strange Land" torqued the villians through a
fourth spacial dimension he would report that
he had "made them not", instead of just transpoting them. Now you know why......
[This message has been edited by RichardIWebster (edited 01-13-2001).][This message has been edited by RichardIWebster (edited 01-13-2001).]

Mark Berrett · Post by **Mark Berrett** » Sun Jan 14, 2001 4:18 am

I first found it in the library. But like I say, you can also download it from <A HREF="http://www.gutenberg.net." TARGET=_blank>www.gutenberg.net.</A> I couldn't find anything about a sequel, although the one I read was the second, revised edition.What made me think about it in the first place while discussing the comic was that the women are actually very thin parallelograms. They can also be very dangerous (although they're not actually the soldiers--those are isosceles males), since they're very pointy, and when they turn to face someone they're virtually invisible. When they get angry (as they often do, being highly irrational (IN THE BOOK--don't look at me like that)), they've been known to murder their husbands and family and then not even remember what happened.[This message has been edited by Mark Berrett (edited 01-14-2001).]

Mark Berrett · Post by **Mark Berrett** » Sun Jan 14, 2001 4:40 am

I take it back. I did find a sequel called "Sphereland," by a different author. Thanks for letting me know about it. (I found them at amazon.com--both in one volume.)[This message has been edited by Mark Berrett (edited 01-14-2001).]

RichardIWebster · Post by **RichardIWebster** » Sun Jan 14, 2001 10:44 am

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by glych:
Glych is so intrigued by this new found book, that she wishes to speak in third person. Can she find it in a bookstore or is it out of print? Online?
Where?
WHere!!!
Uh..er...
Where?
-glych signs her name, "glych"
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Look in your local library, best place to
look for a classic (and it is considered to
be one!)
Can't get away with refering to you as a
"son of a glych" now, can I??? <IMG SRC="http://www.keenspace.com/forums/biggrin.gif">
Daughter skewers the Scansion![This message has been edited by RichardIWebster (edited 01-14-2001).]

Glych · Post by **Glych** » Sun Jan 14, 2001 12:20 pm

Glych is so intrigued by this new found book, that she wishes to speak in third person. Can she find it in a bookstore or is it out of print? Online?
Where?
WHere!!!
Uh..er...
Where?
-glych signs her name, "glych"------------------
-glych <A HREF="http://glych.keenspace.com" TARGET=_blank>http://glych.keenspace.com</A> No Stereotypes, what? Are you afraid you might like it?

KareNin · Post by **KareNin** » Thu Feb 01, 2001 6:46 am

Hey Mark--You say you found "Flatland" and "Sphereland" both in one volume, at amazon.com, but you didn't say whether you actually ordered the volume or not.Did you? I'd like to get your review of the sequel, after you've read it.

KareNin · Post by **KareNin** » Fri Feb 02, 2001 1:04 am

I don't think I'm the right person to answer that question ("What's wrong with me?"), but just on the face of it, it sounds like perhaps an obsession with playing Everquest may be taking over your life. Not that there's anything wrong with obsessions, per se, but if I had one that kept me from reading books, I'd check myself into the Everquest Wing of the Betty Ford Center, and kick that sucker out of my life.But then, as I said, I'm the wrong person to be objective about this--I usually have four or five different books that I'm reading concurrently, depending on what kind of mood I'm in. So the fact that I hadn't finished Harry Potter would mean nothing to me if I found a new book that looked interesting. I'd get back to Harry eventually. The great thing about paper is, the page never expires. It's still there, whenever you get around to finishing it.Cheers, bro.

Randy · Post by **Randy** » Fri Feb 02, 2001 3:54 am

I... I have to say this.

Harry Potter books are beneath us.

Ooh. I even bolded it on accident. Here's why I feel this way. After having read The Sorcerer's Stone, I came to realize why adults and kids love these books: they're written at a fifth grade reading level, so kids can get the story with ease, and adults don't have to think. If there are any words in a Harry Potter book that someone above the age of 14 doesn't know, it's because the author made them up.

I think reading is great, but it's become over-hyped to the point that reading anything is seen as an improvement on watching TV, which is silly. Harry Potter novels require so little thinking that they're about the equivalent of a Saturday morning cartoon. Only they take ten times longer (depending on your reading speed) and don't have the word "cowabunga."

They're fun. They have a good moral ground. They're great reading for kids. But I can't allow myself to eat brain candy like Harry Potter when there are better things to do with the time.

Enough. I gotta go play Diablo.------------------
<A HREF="http://www.RandymThoughts.com" TARGET=_blank>http://www.RandymThoughts.com</A>
<A HREF="http://www.comicgram.com" TARGET=_blank>http://www.comicgram.com</A>

Mark Berrett · Post by **Mark Berrett** » Fri Feb 02, 2001 9:07 am

No, I haven't ordered it. I can't seem to finish the second Harry Potter. What's wrong with me? I was doing so well before I go sidetracked by Everquest.

KareNin · Post by **KareNin** » Fri Feb 02, 2001 11:31 am

Okay, Randall Stone, ya had me goin' there for most of the duration of your post. I was even poised to offer some indignant rebuttals, like "Just WHO are you including in your 'Harry Potter books are beneath us' diatribe, anyhow?" We're not all walking around with 4-digit I.Q. points on our resum

Randy · Post by **Randy** » Sat Feb 03, 2001 2:07 am

I had the interactive Rules of Life on CDROM, but the graphics were poor and my guy kept dying.------------------
<A HREF="http://www.RandymThoughts.com" TARGET=_blank>http://www.RandymThoughts.com</A>
<A HREF="http://www.comicgram.com" TARGET=_blank>http://www.comicgram.com</A>

Kan Kong · Post by **Kan Kong** » Sat Feb 03, 2001 9:51 am

Confession time: I read Randy's post with a superior little smirk on my face, feeling better and better about myself for having dismissed the Harry Potter books as nothing but pre-teen trash. I then completely overlooked the ironic line about video games. Know why? 'Cause I'm an addict myself. Of course, my addiction is "Civilization," (or, as I call it, Rome on 640k a Day) so it's not like I'm going around randomly shooting stuff, but it's still kind of embarassing.

KareNin · Post by **KareNin** » Mon Feb 05, 2001 4:12 am

I never did find the answer to my question I posed weeks ago in this thread:Is there a specific name for a quadrilateral figure in which NONE of the sides or angles are the same?Admittedly, I forgot to see if any of my embarrassingly-large-number-of-books in my house might contain the answer. But I'll tell you what... if someone finds out the answer by playing a computer or video game, then I will kiss a pig. Or come and clean your house. Or apologize. Or something.

Kan Kong · Post by **Kan Kong** » Mon Feb 05, 2001 4:45 am

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by KareNin:
Is there a specific name for a quadrilateral figure in which NONE of the sides or angles are the same?
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>I think that's an irregular quadrilateral.("Number Munchers," realeased by MITT Software for the Apple IIe. I played it quite a bit back in the '80s <IMG SRC="http://www.keenspace.com/forums/tongue.gif">)By the way, I recommend you try Civilization sometime. It's an extremely involved game, but also very stimulating. It's not the standard "If-it-moves-shoot-it-if-it-doesn't-move-shoot-it-anyway" game; it's almost 100% strategy and planning.[This message has been edited by Kan Kong (edited 02-05-2001).]

ZOMBIE USER 197 · Post by **ZOMBIE USER 197** » Mon Feb 05, 2001 5:09 am

There are actually two rules in most video games, and they can be summed up by the following exclamations:1) "Yeaagh! EVIL! KILL IT!"
2) "Oooh! SHINY! Pick it up!"

KareNin · Post by **KareNin** » Mon Feb 05, 2001 5:13 am

*****{sighhhhhh}*****Oh, all right.Do we have anyone who will volunteer to be the pig, or do I have to go clean this guy's house?Pleeeeeeeease? He lives in a guys' dorm (ewww) on CAMPUS, for the luvva...Games involving strategy would be totally beyond me, Dan. Seriously. If I'm ever gonna play a computer or video game, I dang well better get to blow up stuff and kill random things that are moving.(Wow, lotta pent-up aggression in this mild-mannered little Mama, hey?)[This message has been edited by KareNin (edited 02-05-2001).]

KareNin · Post by **KareNin** » Mon Feb 05, 2001 10:58 am

No offense to your roommate, Dan, but if I'm gonna have to go clear to Indiana to pick up a guy, I'd like to at least see a picture of him first. What sort of pick-up line do you think would work best on him? Would he be insulted that you referred to him as a "bigger chunk?" All in all, I think it would be best if I stick to the kissing-a-pig thing. How bad can it be? I'll just imagine I'm kissing the magical animal that bacon, ham, and pork chops all come from. MMmmmmmmmm...So--where's my pig?

Somebody Strange · Post by **Somebody Strange** » Tue Feb 06, 2001 6:19 am

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Kan Kong:
Confession time: I read Randy's post with a superior little smirk on my face, feeling better and better about myself for having dismissed the Harry Potter books as nothing but pre-teen trash. I then completely overlooked the ironic line about video games. Know why? 'Cause I'm an addict myself. Of course, my addiction is "Civilization," (or, as I call it, Rome on 640k a Day) so it's not like I'm going around randomly shooting stuff, but it's still kind of embarassing.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!
Preaching ahead. Proceed at your own risk.My wife (an English teacher) and I (a novelist in the making) were given all four Harry Potter books for Christmas by a friend, who happens to be the most intelligent person I have ever met in my life. You can go through a box of Trivial Pursuit cards with this guy, and he will average five correct answers per card. I know that's not necessarily an indication of his actual intelligence, but trust me -- he's brilliant. Anyway, all three of us love the books.And yes, they're written for the pre-teen level, and yes, they don't require much thought on the part of erudite adults. But they're a heck of a lot of fun. However, the main reason that I liked these books is that I've been reading books designed for that age level for years -- ever since I was four. (I started to read at age two, and I finished my first Judy Blume book by four.) Most of the books designed for the age group that's the target demographic for Harry Potter, frankly, suck. Big time.So many "kids' books" nowadays completely eliminate plot, character, pacing, and storytelling in place of politically correct propaganda. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm all for political correctness to a point. I believe we need to learn about other cultures and help minimize marginalization. I believe we need to be aware of the atrocities that have been committed in the past in the name of advancing a given nation, race, or religion. And many of the atrocities were my ancestors; in fact, I had ten ancestors on the Mayflower (honest), and I'm a middle-class white heterosexual Anglo-Saxon Protestant, a member of the group responsible for all sorts of horrendous actions, not least of which was killing Bambi's mother. And I'll gladly denounce the actions of those of my forebears whose fear and blindness caused injury throughout centuries. So don't question my commitment to diversity. But half of the books that come out forget to even tell a story because they're trying so hard to ritualize the integration of cultures into a melting pot.Harry Potter tells a story, and it's an entertaining enough story that a first-time writer made over a million pounds for her premiere novel. Anything that makes a new novelist that much money is a good thing. <IMG SRC="http://www.keenspace.com/forums/smile.gif">Video games, however, lost my interest the moment I realized that in order to effectively conquer any 3-D game, I was going to have to invest more time in playing than in reading or writing. Sometimes I wish I played more games... but I don't have enough time to write as it is. For those of you who play, keep playing. Some of us have to play vicariously through you. For those of you who haven't read Harry Potter, just do me the favor of reading at least the first two BEFORE you dismiss them.Thank you. I'm done preaching now.This has been an online sermon of Reverend Strange. Collections will be taken at the front.--Strange------------------
Neurotic -- sane, but unhappy about it.