The military and political characters were interesting but a bit cardboard (two-dimensional).  I was also a little disappointed by the ending, expecting a "Russian boxing match" (fight to the death). But it was enjoyable otherwise, 3/5 stars.

Liars and Outliers

​I always enjoy Schneier's books and have added _Data  and Goliath_ to my queue.  This one was a little simplistic at the beginning and weaker on the nuances of the sociology of his examples but the last few chapters are fantastic.  3/5 stars, worth reading.

Armada

​Not nearly as good as Ready Player One but still fun.  Worth reading 4/5 stars.

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Prador Moon

Neal Asher's Prador Moon introduction to his space opera universe is not bad.  It is complete with complex heroes, hybrid AI/humans, evil space aliens with better technology, and odd politics.  There is some bad physics and odd motivation  But on the other hand there are some cool ideas I hope he explores further in the series.

Dust

Although the plot and "awe & wonder" nanotechnology are fun, there are no clear boundaries in the nanotech magic system and this gap is abused for deus est machina plot twists that harm the story. It is still a fun ride. 3/4 stars.

On Silver Wings

I enjoyed this one.  It is good old fashioned military space opera, complete with enigmatic bad guy space aliens, mysterious technology, and heroic characters.  5/5 stars.  I cannot wait to read the next one in the series.

smarter, faster, better

I enjoyed this one.  It's a little long and dense but a fun read and very compelling. 4/5 stars.

dark matter

despite the bad science and absurdity I was willing to suspend disbelief and go along for the action-packed ride.  It's a fun story with some interesting turns.  I found some of the action / decisions unmotivated and trite.  Some of the characters and situations were also very thin.  But it was enjoyable.  3/5 stars.

The Internet's Own Boy

Fantastic film, 5/5 stars.  I was crying.  Don't miss it.

Microsoft bricked our computer so I switched to Linux

When we installed our home theater in 2010, the only device attached to the 1080p projector and the surround sound system was a 2009 Dell Zino.  At the time the Zino had enough graphics to play high-end Windows video games, enough processor / memory for high-end apps, a blueray optical device, ethernet for fast Internet stuff (streaming) and a tiny form factor to fit unobtrusively in our home theater.  We added a wireless keyboard and mouse and life was fantastic.  It is still the only device attached to our projector and sound system.  The 15 foot screen and huge subwoofer are still very impressive.

Microsoft's latest "cumulative patch" for windows-10 bricked the Zino last week.  The Zino was completely unrecoverable, locked up tighter than a drum at the "which keyboard?" prompt.

The Zino now runs Ubuntu with the Mint desktop, VLC for media and streaming, and life is better.  Linux has come a long way since 2009.  It is a viable consumer OS.

It may be time to short Microsoft's stock.  They are pushing us consumers away from their products and services in a concerted effort of self-destruction.