Smiley

When my son was in his teens, and growing like a weed, he routinely would fall off the sofa. Then there was my neighbor, a Captain in the Army and star of the local military rugby team, who broke his neck getting out of bed to answer the phone. Fortunately, neither my son or my friend, died as a result. In the old days there were numerous deaths from falls from the roof (folks adjusting or installing their TV antennas). There were also occasional deaths from folks trying to fix their TV's and touching the back of the picture tube before "bleeding" the charge. And of course there are always the annual "Darwins"

One of my favorite authors is the late Michael Crichton....yes, the author of Jurassic Park and other SciFi novels turned into Hollywood blockbusters. What I like about his stories (which are much better on paper than on the silver screen) is the scrupulous attention to detail and adherence to actual scientific fact. I recently finished reading "State of Fear" one of the last novels Crichton completed before his death. The novel deals with the political aspects of the global warming controversy, and is footnoted and contains a bibliography of various scientific studies dealing with the topic. I have taken the time to check out some of the footnotes and references and it is interesting to note how many reputable scientists have published reliable research data contradicting the current political and media contention that "global warming" exists at all, much less is a result of industrial society. Its also interesting that Crichton foresaw the swing in terminology in use by the "sky is falling" adherents (from Global Warming to Catastrophic Climate Change). Regardless of your personal opinions on the issue, the book is well worth a read (realizing it is fiction) especially if you check out the footnotes and references (which are not fiction) with an open mind. If you have a couple of hours over the holidays, pick up a copy at your local library or pick the book up in paperback for an interesting and entertaining reading experience.

Please Join us on Saturday evening, December 17, 2011 to discuss the short story: "Death Makes a Comeback" by James O'Keefe. The story may be found at: http://www.americanliterature.com/O'Keefe/SS/DeathMakesaComeback.html Meeting time: 8:30 PM Eastern Standard Time Meeting place: #Readers_Corner WebChat Users: http://www.koach.com...3readers_corner IRC users: /server -m chat3.koach.com -j #readers_corner 6667 Hope to see you all there. log of chat is attached readerscorner log 12,17,2011.rtf

I remember working as a Host for the Y2K room as well as with city chats on MSN on Y2K day (the day that the computer world was supposed to end in digital clock melt down) as well as the day predicted by the Rapture Fans for the end of the real world. We were monitoring all the various MSN services around the world and could watch the date click over to 1/1/00 in each of the 24 time zones, starting with New Zealand and some of the South Pacific island nations. It was a fun evening, with a lot of laughter when the world continued to turn and a few big sighs of relief when we didn't lose one chat server anywhere in the world. I figure the Mayan Calendar will have about the same impact on real life, that is: absolutely none other than forcing all the disaster movie script writers to find some other impending end to the world. (Maybe the possibility of a rogue black hole wandering into the center of the earth...that would really suck) It would be fun to set up a channel #Mayan-EndofWorld and see exactly what time zone is the first to notice the "end of the era or world" as the case might be. Can we pin it down to a specific enough time frame that I don't have to lose any sleep (I can't stay up 24 straight like I could when I was younger.)

Please Join us on Saturday evening, December 10, 2011 to discuss the short story: "The Lagoon" by Joseph Conrad. Story URL: http://www.online-literature.com/conrad/183/ Meeting time: 8:30 PM Eastern Standard Time Meeting place: #Readers_Corner WebChat Users: http://www.koach.com...3readers_corner IRC users: /server -m chat3.koach.com -j #readers_corner 6667 Hope to see you all there.

I always thought that the reason the Mayan calendar ended in 2012 was that was when they ran out of space on the stone tablet so couldn't add any more dates.

Please Join us on Saturday evening, December 3, 2011 to discuss the short story: "Miggles" by Bret Harte. Story URL: http://www.online-li...ret-harte/1684/ Meeting time: 8:30 PM Eastern Standard Time Meeting place: #Readers_Corner WebChat Users: http://www.koach.com...3readers_corner IRC users: /server -m chat3.koach.com -j #readers_corner 6667 Hope to see you all there.

I definitely do not get my hair cut. I do occasionally shave the fringe around my ears. But all in all I agree with Nan. Depending on your age, you might want to give some lawn mowing, snow shoveling, or leaf raking to an elderly or infirm friend/neighbor. And baked goods are always appreciated by folks who do not have a home baker / cookie maker in the house.

See attached log of the chat. #readers_corner log 26 Nov 2011.txt

Our next readers' chat will be at 8:30 PM (Eastern Time), November 12, 2011, when we will discuss the short story: "The Devil and Tom Walker" by Washington Irving. The story, by the author of "Rip van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is a classic dating from shortly after the American Revolution. The story can be found at: http://www.online-literature.com/irving/3110/ Meeting Place: #Readers_Corner Webchat Users: http://www.koach.com...3readers_corner IRC Users: /server -m chat3.koach.com -j #readers_corner 6667 Hope to see you there.

i like it

My son in law restored an old console 78 rpm tube model record player. It looks really good (he is a very meticulous worker), although the only records he can find for it sound like sandpaper. I agree that the tube amps are just as good as the solid state stuff, although they tend to take a lot more current and create a lot of heat. I do not like the sound of over-driven tube pre-amps, but that's a personal thing....i like saxophones rather than buzzing guitar amp sounds. I have done some furniture and piano refinishing and it just takes time, nothing impossible about it. You might have to hand make some of the parts (like if the bellows are leaking or broken), but it should give you many happy hours of puttering. Keep us posted.

Love the Organ. I remember the 1950's entertainment centers but much prefer the ones we have today.

Our next readers' chat will be at 8:30 PM (Eastern Time), November 5, 2011, when we will discuss the short story: "Time Has No Boundaries" by Jack Finney. The story, by the same author who wrote "The Love Letter" which we discussed on October 22nd, appeared in the Saturday Evening Post in October 1962. The story can be found at: http://homepage.mac.com/cssfan/jackfinney/sep621013060.htm Meeting Place: #Readers_Corner Webchat Users: http://www.koach.com...3readers_corner IRC Users: /server -m chat3.koach.com -j #readers_corner 6667 Hope to see you there.

I didn't know you were prematurely gone. I couldn't stay connected (maybe my internet connection to Koach.com goes thru New York), so I never really made it back to the chat until it was time to vote. I think that it was a bad night all around for staying on line.

I am an ENTP (long form Meyer Briggs instrument used) The full MBTI for ENTP is: ENTP Quick, ingenious, stimulating, alert, and outspoken. Resourceful in solving new and challenging problems. Adept at generating conceptual possibilities and then analyzing them strategically. Good at reading other people. Bored by routine, will seldom do the same thing the same way, apt to turn to one new interest after another. by the way, INTJ: Have original minds and great drive for implementing their ideas and achieving their goals. Quickly see patterns in external events and develop long-range explanatory perspectives. When committed, organize a job and carry it through. Skeptical and independent, have high standards of competence and performance – for themselves and others. An aside: the majority of US Army officers are personality type INTJ.

Our next readers' chat will be at 8:30 PM (Eastern Time), Saturday, October 29, 2011, when, to celebrate Halloween, we will discuss a short story by one of our favorite horror story writers: "THE DAMNED THING" by Ambrose Bierce. The story can be found at: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/23172/23172-h/23172-h.htm Meeting place: # Readers_Corner Webchat Users: http://www.koach.com...3readers_corner IRC Users: /server -m chat3.koach.com -j #readers_corner 6667 Hope to see you there.

Our next readers' chat will be at 8:30 PM (Eastern Time), October 22, 2011, when we will discuss the short story: "SNAPSHOT OF A LUNATIC" by Gary Canup. The story should prove a nice warm up for Halloween. The story can be found at: http://www.garycanup..._a_lunatic.html Meeting place: # Readers_Corner Webchat Users: http://www.koach.com...3readers_corner IRC Users: /server -m chat3.koach.com -j #readers_corner 6667 Hope to see you there. readers-10-22-11.zip

I am going to assume that a front verge means front lawn in American English. You are going to have a beauty when the grass grows in.

I didn't know that star's vocabulary was sufficient to fill 465 lines of chat. Unless maybe she was scrolling like this to get credit for extra lines.

I didn't know you could see toes on an ultrasound.

Our next readers' chat will be at 8:30 PM (Eastern Time), October 15, 2011, when we will discuss the short story: "The Love Letter" by Jack Finney. The Story originally appeared in The Saturday Evening Post, August 1, 1959. The story can be found at: http://homepage.mac.com/cssfan/jackfinney/sep590801016.htm Meeting place: # Readers_Corner Webchat Users: http://www.koach.com...3readers_corner IRC Users: /server -m chat3.koach.com -j #readers_corner 6667 Hope to see you there.

I see you are an early Halloween celebrator. Are you going trick or treating in that costume? ROFL.

Due to multiple scheduling difficulties and staff absences there will be no #readers_corner chat on Saturday, October 1, 2011 Our next readers' chat will be at 8:30 PM (Eastern Time), October 8, 2011, when we will discuss the short story: "The Altar at Midnight" by C.M. Kornbluth. The story can be found at: http://www.gutenberg...9-h/29619-h.htm Meeting place: # Readers_Corner Webchat Users: http://www.koach.com...3readers_corner IRC Users: /server -m chat3.koach.com -j #readers_corner 6667 Hope to see you there. readers-10-08-11.zip