Biggs' Zone

A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

Book Review: Odd Girl Out (Quadrail Book #3)

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On March 20, 2020

In Book Review, Science Fiction

Odd Girl Out (Quadrail, #3)Odd Girl Out by Timothy Zahn
My rating: [rating=4]
(Goodreads link)

Odd Girl Out is the third book in the Quadrail series. I feel like these books are getting better as I go along. Frank seems to channel a bit more of his inner “Harry Dresden” and I’m enjoying it. This book is the half way point in the Quadrail series. Unfortunately I do not have books 4 and 5. If the right deal comes along I will pick them up but my list of books is so long right now that I should be reading what I already own.

Short Synopsis/Biggs’ Review

A mysterious woman is murdered just after an uninvited visit with Frank. Her sister is in trouble and asks for Frank’s help to protect her. Now he must return to the Quadrail, with Bayta, and travel to New Tigris to find her. The Modhri is also seeking the girl and seems hell bent on keeping Frank out of the way. Frank soon discovers there is much more to this girl than he was initially lead to believe.

As I’ve already alluded to, I really liked this book. The mysteries begin piling up as Frank discovers more about the Modhri and the Chahwyn. I think that’s what I enjoy about this book, you never know what new detail you’ll learn when you turn the page. Unlike the previous book, this one does end with a mild cliffhanger. A Chahwyn secret that leaves me extremely curious. In fact, while I didn’t rush off and buy book 4 immediately, I will be monitoring the price.

As I said in my review of Book 2 (The Third Lynx), I’m feeling more compelled to read these books again; after I finish the series of course.

View all my reviews

diablo3-reading“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
– Dr. Seuss

 

Covid Containment – Day 4

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On March 19, 2020

In General Cogitation

We are four days into “social distancing” (if you exclude the weekend). We only go to the store if its necessary. So far the cases in the city seem to be outside our area but I don’t expect that to last very long. Thankfully none of us are showing symptoms but that doesn’t mean the stress isn’t starting to get to me. Either the stress is going to kill me or my wife will as my temper has been short and explosive lately. I don’t know if its stress from uncertainty or from the disruption in my routine. Probably both.

So far I don’t know anyone, personally, that has contracted the virus. I worry about my folks and other friends and family that fall into the “at risk” demographic. I hope that they take the necessary precautions. You don’t have to live in fear but don’t be so obtuse to confuse fear with common sense. The standard flu is absolutely no fun, and this is far worse and more contagious than the flu. Why would you be so careless?

Home Schooling and Exercising

The other challenge about this pandemic isolation is that we get to be teachers for a few weeks. I have new respect for Kindergarten teachers. They have skills for teaching kids that I will never have; like patience. I don’t know how they can convince a 5 year old to do her school work when all she wants to do is play with her toys. Granted we are only a couple days into this; I’m hoping this will get easier. I think it will get easier as a new routine develops (for the short term).

Regardless of the situation, I’m still finding time to exercise. As long as the weather is nice, and nobody in the house is symptomatic, I go for a run. This flu is only airborne up to 6 feet, and there’s no walls, door knobs or handrails on the sidewalks. As long as someone with the flu doesn’t run up and cough in my face, outdoor exercise is safe.

Outdoor, large gatherings, is NOT safe; yet some people are still doing it. If this flu turned people into zombies, this would be just like The Walking Dead. The only positive of that scenario is at least the idiots would be the first to die off. I know, at first, we all scoffed at the coronavirus, but it’s not as funny anymore. Even churches are closing and cancelling services. Its much more serious than we think and I think the mayors, governors and president are not trying to scare us; they’re trying to protect us.

Be smart and stay safe, people.

duke-nukem-sm If zombies attack the world, everyone will run and hide. Except for us gamers, of course. We’ve been waiting for this all our lives!

 

Biggs On: Turning 40

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On March 7, 2020

In Biggs On

I haven’t written an editorial post in a while. It seems fitting that the first one in a while is about age. Coincidentally this is the second age milestone post I’ve written (the first was “Turning 30“), meaning this blog is over 10 years old. In the ten years since turning 30 I now have children. Just the one! Don’t mistake my plural use as a subtle hint. I have left the company that brought me to Cincinnati and I’m now happily employed at a different company for 3 years now. We did suffer some loss; my sister-in-law Natalie and both of my dogs, Gus and Gromit. On the upside, we had five glorious new Star Wars movies! This post, however, isn’t about just the past 10 years. It’s about turning 40.

There are lots of idioms about turning 40. “Over the Hill”. “Middle age”. I’m not a fan of these. Calling someone “over the hill” because they’re turning 40 is like calling someone with dementia forgetful. Besides, these days I haven’t really been feeling like my body is declining. Sure some days my knees and my back hurt; but most days I’m still out there running 4 or more miles a day. I’m still a night owl, up past 11 every night and still functional on 6 hours of sleep.

Acting My Age

Maturity is subjective. I’m mature enough to drive a car, hold a job, pay the bills and be a parent. (Although that last one might be debatable). Be that as it may, turning 40 isn’t causing much change. I’m still an avid sci-fi and fantasy reader; in fact I primarily read non-fiction. Most fiction is rather dull. I’m still an avid video gamer. Granted I’m not playing the games kids are playing these days (ex: I’ve never touched Fortnite). In fact I’m probably playing a video game the nights that I’m up past 11pm. I suspect most people my age that grew up with Nintendo are still frequent gamers.

I still collect LEGOs. I’m going to be 40 in a few weeks and I still enjoy the construction and collection of LEGO. Granted I’m not going out and buying just any LEGO. These days I’m collecting Star Wars kits. Which is a great segue to my next point. I am an obsessed Star Wars fan. Since 8 years old I’ve loved these movies. I’m not one of those fans that are stuck in the past. The movies, shows, animated series, books, comics; I love it all.  A prequel meme best describes it: “I loved them. I loved them all. They’re all my favorites. every single one of them. And not just the original trilogy, but the prequels, and the sequels too. They’re Star Wars, and I enjoyed them like Star Wars!!”

So in a couple of weeks, when I hit the big 4-0, it’s going to be just another day. I’ll still be watching Star Wars cartoons, playing video games, reading fantasy novels and telling “your mom” jokes. Personally I believe that is “acting my age”.

/cheers

minions_icon

I could accomplish so much more if I only had minions!

 

Biggs’ Top 5 Drama Movies

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On March 5, 2020

In Biggs Top 5, Movies

Top 5 Drama Movies

This month I chose the top 5 drama movies. This list is a little easier as drama isn’t really my favorite genre, but there are some great drama movies. I still chose non-franchised movies to make the list easier to filter as well as a few other parameters. The soundtrack plays a big role as well as surprise plot twists and caliber of acting.

I have a couple of honorable mentions for this category as well. The Road to Perdition starring Tom Hanks is really underrated and under appreciated; a wonderful 1930’s mob drama. The King’s Speech (another true story) with superb performances by Colin Firth (as King George VI) and Geoffrey Rush. So there you have it, my top 5 drama movies (as of March 2020).

(See last months Top 5)

I Have Spoken!

 

Book Review – Thrawn: Treason

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On March 3, 2020

In Book Review, Science Fiction, Star Wars

Thrawn: Treason (Star Wars: Thrawn, #3)Thrawn: Treason by Timothy Zahn
My rating: [rating=5]
(Click here to go to Goodreads instead)

The man that brought us the original Thrawn Trilogy brings us a new trilogy, set before Star Wars: A New Hope. In fact these books predate Rogue One. Each book in the series describe a moment in Thrawn’s rise to power. The first book, Thrawn, talks about how the Empire first discovers this mysterious, and alien being. The second book, Thrawn: Alliances, takes place several years later in which he must work closely with Darth Vader to locate a disturbance in the Force on behalf of the Emperor.

This book follows events that involve the Emperor’s Stardust plans. Thrawn clashes with Director Krennic himself as his unique tactical talents are put to the test. During his mission he discovers a treasonous plot against the Empire.

Biggs’ Review

It’s so exciting that Zahn wrote a Thrawn prequel. Reading a Star Wars book doesn’t always have to involve the Jedi and/or the Rebels. A view from the side of the Imperials is equally as interesting. This series fulfills that perspective. Zahn makes me love Mitth’raw’nurudo over again. I’ve been a fan of the Chiss species since I read the original Thrawn Trilogy so many years ago. I think what I enjoy most about this particular book is its place in the Star Wars timeline. It’s not only directly linked to the events that unfold in Rogue One but leads directly in to one of the animated series.

Now a third Thrawn trilogy is in the works for Timothy Zahn. He announced the Ascendancy Trilogy late last year; Book 1 is due out this May!

View all my reviews

diablo3-reading“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
– Dr. Seuss

 

WoW: BfA State of the Raid

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On February 26, 2020

In Gaming, MMORPG, World of Warcraft

I feel like I use to write “State of the Game” or “State of the Raid” posts in the past, however I cannot seem to find one. I prefer “State of the Raid” as a subject because it’s more applicable to me (and my raid friends). It’s also the primary reason I log in every day. However, this post is about more than just our progress in Ny’alotha; it’s also about my progress with all end game activities.

Ny’alotha Raid Progress

Ny’alotha is the final raid of the Battle for Azeroth expansion. We are fighting to save Azeroth from N’Zoth, who has nightmarish plans for the world. In Normal we are consistently 11/12 within a lockout. N’Zoth, even on Normal, is a very challenging boss so we have made the logical choice to start working through Heroic content. The gear, hopefully, will help us to be successful against N’Zoth. We are currently 3/12 in Heroic.

We are also working on completing through Carapace of N’Zoth within a single night so we have more time to focus on Heroic. After the current lock out, however, we will have completed the quest to unlock the skip mechanic. Therefore we will likely focus exclusively on Heroic very soon. Ahead of the Curve is our goal, as always, which awards the Uncorrupted Voidwing, a freaking sweet mount! I’m a little worried though; N’Zoth seems perhaps a little over tuned and/or overly complex. I’m honestly kind of hoping for a nerf, however I have confidence in our raid team (Humpday!!)

Assaults, Visions and Alts

This expansion is one of the weaker ones. Probably not as weak as Warlords of Draenor. Perhaps more on par with Cataclysm. I was interested in the story through the previous patch, in which we faced off with Azshara, a baddie that dates back to Vanilla. Now we are facing off against another old god, who seem to be the antagonists behind all that plagues Azeroth. I don’t find the battle against N’Zoth as epic as it was fighting Azshara. The advantage this expansion has over previous weaker expansion is the non-raid end game activities that are available.

I really like the corruption visual effect

When I’m not raiding, my wife and I are completing Assaults and running Horrific Visions to upgrade our cloaks. We are current as of this post (i.e. Rank 12). The higher the rank we have on our cloaks the more corrupted gear we can have (which improves our survivability and contributes to our raid progress). After cloaks then it’s usually the alts I spend time on. Most things you can solo if you don’t want to group. I find that appealing as I’m not always interested in group activities (unless its with my wife). Granted I’ve only completed up to Rank 5 on an alt; soloing Corrupted Zones or *shudder* Lost Zones is frightening.

The Azerite system is OK. There are times when I feel its tedious to have to go to the Chamber of Heart to active a new trait. Also, getting a new piece of Azerite gear can be a little annoying, especially during raid when you are trying to bust through content to get to your progression point. Having to stop and plug in Azerite traits slows things down, especially if you have to look them up on icy-veins (or similar web sites).

Aside from getting the Ahead of the Curve achievement, I will have to start making my end-of-expansion goal list. Shadowlands is just around the corner.

duke-nukem-sm If zombies attack the world, everyone will run and hide. Except for us gamers, of course. We’ve been waiting for this all our lives!

 

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