Review: The Flood by Stephen Baxter

I recently finished a copy of The Flood by Stephen Baxter. It is a chronicle of four characters, and people surrounding them over the course of 42 years as the earth slowly is enveloped in the sea. Not your typical global warming/sea levels rise sort of book. Stephen took a unique approach backed in part by some interesting factual science.

Fictional science aside, you really get into the lives of the characters and the understanding of where things go when what is our current world is rather quickly snuffed, and the remaining survivors struggle to find a way to stay alive and persist. Everything from millionaires building their fortresses to survivalists doing their part to keep themselves and theirs alive. And of course the mass chaos and devastation that ensues for those that get caught in the middle.

Being a lover of apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, I did enjoy the story, though there are parts that seem slow. Parts of the book are written as journal entries to denote the passage of time, and there were definitely parts where I remember thinking, "Ok.. sea level rose another foot... what happens next? Can we get to the part where something major happens?" But really, I suppose if this is to have any basis in reality, this is how it could happen. It may not happen exceptionally quickly, and even the book nods to this idea by describing children born during the 42 years who grow up not understanding that there was once a planet with mountains and plains and trees and plants and animals. Not a blue marble where life is struggled out on rafts and boats and where deep beneath the sea lies a tomb where both riches and relics reside.

Unlike some books where the protagonist has "planned ahead" and gets by a little easier because of it, this book slams home the idea that almost no one has nor will plan that far ahead. And even those few that do will not have such an easy time of it.

It is a story of great suffering and loss, and also wonder at what would possibly come next.

Speaking of next, Stephen wrote a sequel called The Ark which I guess I'll have to read to see how this tale of Noah ends.

Overall, not bad. :-)

Memories: The tunes forever stuck in my head - That Naughty Waltz

I was walking down the hall off to do something in the server room, and as I was going, I started whistling some old thing. Something stuck in my head that just decides that moment to peek out.

This time, it was "That Naughty Waltz", which is a waltz written in 1919 by Sol P. Levy. It was my grandmother's favorite, and when she was able, anytime she was near a piano, she would play it.


Bit of history though. My grandmother was second generation Mexican American and one of her claims to fame was her ability to play piano. As a young adult, she made extra money playing piano for the local silent movie house, and she also taught piano and music theory in Spanish to various locals in the predominately Latino communities in southern and eastern Texas where she lived. She apparently attempted to teach my Aunt as well, but oddly enough, not my mother. My aunt had no passion or interest in it, and my mother was wildly attracted but completely un-nurtured. Family dynamics are interesting.

As you might imagine, finding an online recording of a waltz that was popular 90 years ago is an interesting thing. There are some youtube videos of people playing old 78rpm recordings. But this was a little better. It is a medley of other popular waltzes. That Naughty Waltz begins at about 1:18 and continues to about 2:27.

Miss you, Grandma.

Being sucked out the plane by your ass may now be the least of your worry using the airplane crapper

http://gizmodo.com/#!5780585/new-faa-rule-turns-airplane-bathrooms-into-deadly-traps

Of note, this is already done. Not proposed. Over 6000 aircraft have already been modified, and it was kept hush-hush on purpose.

Apparently the Oxygen mask in the flying honey bucket is hooked up to a chemical oxygen generator and the fear is that somebody will find a way to get at it, and find nefarious use of it.

So... if some other hole opens up while you're on the john and there is rapid or explosive decompression, chances are good you may die before you pull your pants up and exit the bathroom. Then again, if we keep the generators in there, some asshole will use it to blow the bathroom out the side of the plane. Either way, you're fucked.

Why do I want to fly anywhere in this day and age?