“Act of Valor”: a brief review, w/spoilers
[Originally posted over at Ace of Spades] Those who “abjure” violence can only do so because others are committing violence on their behalf. — George Orwell, Notes on Nationalism This film has gotten a...
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“John Carter”: a brief review, with spoilers
I first read “A Princess of Mars” by Edgar Rice Burroughs early in high school, over 40 years ago. I loved the novel and enjoyed the ten (yes, ten) that followed, though none were quite as good or as...
View Article“The Hunger Games”: a brief review w/spoilers
My sweet wife and I went to see “The Hunger Games” today. I’ve read all three novels and enjoyed them — they are a cut above the usual Young Adult novels and are a bit dark and unrelenting. The...
View Article“The Avengers” (2012): a brief review, w/spoilers
Great movies that hit their target are hard to review, and Joss Whedon pretty much smacked this puppy out of the park. He made a 2:23 ensemble superhero movie that never lags and that doesn’t...
View ArticleNew series at bfwa.com: “Readings in Software Engineering”
Over at bfwa.com, I’ve started a new series of posts that will present brief reviews of and excerpts from my library of software engineering and IT project management texts. Here’s the introduction to...
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Endless Space from Amplitude Studios — a review
I have been playing computer games off and on since the mid-70s (“Star Trek” on the DECSystem-10 at BYU) and did game design and development myself in the 80s (Sundog: Frozen Legacy) while also...
View ArticleTomb Raider (2013): A brief (and preliminary) review, with spoilers
Of the previous “Tomb Raider” games, I only ever played the very first one, and even that not very much — it was my daughter Crystal who was the “Tomb Raider” aficionado (both games and movies). My...
View Article“Dishonored DLC: The Knife of Dunwall”— a brief review w/spoilers
“Dishonored” (2012) is one of my favorite games in quite some time. I haven’t put as many hours into it as I have into, say, “Endless Space” or “XCOM: Enemy Unknown”, but it has a moral resonance,...
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“Ender’s Game” (the movie): a brief review w/spoilers
I read the original “Ender’s Game” short story when it was published in Analog (August 1977). I was startled, because I knew the author, Orson Scott Card, slightly. He and I attended Brigham Young...
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The Vance Integral Edition: A (New) Review
Back in 2006, I started what was intended to be a review of all 44 volumes of the Vance Integral Edition. I didn’t get beyond my introductory post, which I have largely reproduced below, with some...
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