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pontalba

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Posts posted by pontalba

  1. I hope you enjoy the other two, as well :).It's interesting that the opinions are divided on this one (is that proper English? I know that's what we would say in Dutch, but I'm now not sure if this is the correct English way of saying it.)

      

    Well, it's pretty much exactly how I would say it (if I was being really, really picky, I would leave out 'the' and just say 'It's interesting that [or how] opinions are divided on this one' - but 99% of people probably wouldn't notice.

    LOL. What he said!

     

    Interesting, yes, that's what makes a good discussion. The whys and wherefores of the readers reasoning behind their feelings pro or con about a book.

     

    I'm about a third of the way through the second one, and it occurred to me last night that this trilogy is somewhat akin to Stephen King's The Stand. A panoramic view of life as we know it coming to an end. There are definite similarities, and Cronin's prose and descriptive powers are top notch. To call it a "simple vampire story" is just so incomplete. Yes, there are sections that I prefer over others, but that feeling is common enough to readers, I believe.

    Anyhow. Back to reading. :D

  2. Finished The Passage last night! Loved this story of survival again. The geographical scope, the love and sacrifice demonstrated throughout is just amazing. I've started the second book, so will wait to review after finishing all three.

  3. I struggled a bit with The Passage, and I never bothered picking the sequel up. I've forgotten a lot of the details about it too, but I remember being disappointed because I thought it would be my kind of book.

    I struggled with it too, despite the premise being as such that I thought it would be just my thing. I got about halfway through and just couldn't get beyond a certain point despite trying a few times, I remember reading that others had struggled at that point too and that it was worth continuing but I just couldn't.

    I know exactly the point y'all mean, and agree to some extent that it bogs down a bit there. But for me, it didn't matter, it actually interested me to get those details. And those details matter down the road. I don't know how else Cronin could have managed it. There is a great interview with Cronin on a blog I follow, Shelf Awareness. Here is a link...you might have to scroll down a bit for it.

    http://www.shelf-awareness.com/readers-issue.html?issue=509#m8900

  4. This sounds like it has something to do with which browser is set as default for links in e-mails. If you want to make it the Edge browser, the Edge browser should have an option for it somewhere I would think. I have no experience with Edge though, but I know IE as well as other browsers have options about which browser should be the default browser. Alternatively, I don't know which e-mail program you are using, if any, but it might be in the options for that program instead.

     

    I think you're right.  I'll come across it, it's no problem anyhow. :)  Thanks. :)

     

    I believe that there will be security updates for some time yet, just no improvements.

     

    Just looked it up - 2020. My mum, for example, feels she'll need a new laptop before then, and would rather not risk her old laptop having problems if she upgrades to 10.

     

    Hmmm, 2020.  Thanks for that. :)  But I have to say that the three and a half years will go pretty fast! :)

     

    As far as updating an older laptop, I have to agree.  It's not a lot of use on a computer that isn't a touch screen anyhow, I suppose.  I am not sure if we'll upgrade on the two laptops we have, as they are about 5 years old as it is. 

  5. Oh wow! I didn't like The Passage at all! In fact, I hardly remember it, that's how bad I disliked it :D. Good luck with the trilogy though! I'm glad you are enjoying it, at least :P

     

    Oick!  :readingtwo:

     

    I'm glad you're enjoying re-reading the trilogy, I hope you enjoy all three books :).

     

    Thanks, I am sure I will.  :)

     

     

    Oh wow, really?? I haven't gotten around to reading it because of its size and my fear of commitment, but I do want to read it.... I feel less sure now, we usually agree on those kinds of books!

     

    It reads very fast.  Plus it's better to read large chunks at the time, so as not to forget which character is doing what.  :D

     

    It's so much more than a "vampire story".  In many ways it's a treatise on War, God, and Human interaction and Loyalty.  Not to mention hubris. 

  6.  

    Edit: It's so odd how some people don't seem to struggle with Win10 at all, meaning there are no new stuffing messing them around, and then in vodkafan's case, it's really upsetting the whole system and internet access  :banghead:    Sorry to hear what hot mess it's been for you, VF! 

     

    After the download, you're presented with several pages of yes/no preference questions.  Of course Microsoft has them all "yes".  I just put "no" for everything.  I don't want Cortana, for example.  At least not until I understand it more thoroughly.  Seems intrusive to me. 

     

    Edge is trying to be the browser that does things [Microsoft] right, whilst ignoring how everyone else does things, consequently a lot of web pages (including this forum) don't display correctly.

     

    I've set my preference for IE on Windows 10 at work, but that seems to be having occasional problems now as well.

     

    Hey-ho.

     

    Hmmm, interesting.  I wonder why.  My Win 10 downloaded Sunday night as per schedule and went very smoothly.  I'm on Edge right now and haven't had any problems with it.  Although funnily enough when I click on a link in an email i.e. from this forum or any newsletter, it comes up in IE!  Weirdness.  But no bother.  It'll all shake out eventually. 

     

     

     

    Well, for one thing, supposedly after July Win 10 won't be a free upgrade.  I have to think that Microsoft doesn't want a lot of dissatisfied grumbles about that.  But it's true, they are awfully highhanded, imo.

     

    Added in Edit:  Plus, afaik, they won't be putting out security updates on Win 7, 8, 8.1 after a while.  How long I don't know.

  7. Lol!

     

    Thanks for answering my question :).

     

    You are very welcome!  :)

     

    I'd preordered City of Mirrors by Justin Cronin.  It's the last of the trilogy consisting of The Passage, The Twelve, and City of Mirrors.  It came the other day and I started it, but was a bit lost on the character's interaction.  So.  I've started the trilogy all over again.  I'm 31% through the first one, and am enjoying it all over again.  :)

  8. I decided to stay with Edge. I like it. btw, tinker all you like, but you will not catch us. :)

    (bolding above mine, for emphasis)

     

    Hah!  Spare me the chauvinistic approach! :D

  9. This sounds good. Are the short stories related to one another or are they completely standalone? I mean, is there one overarching story? It sounds good either way. I'm glad you enjoyed it :).

     

    Thanks. :)  Funny thing was that it was on special at Amazon, 1.99USD, I think.  Then I found a hardback copy at the Library Sale last week.  lol  The Universe was trying to tell me something! 

     

    There is an overarching story, covering about 12,000 years.   So, while some of the stories are very different, they all relate, and refer to one another. 

     

     

    I'm not sure City will be my kind of thing, but I'm intrigued enough to stick it on the wishlist!

     

    Great!  I know you don't care much for "short stories", but as I mention above it's an overarching story so the "short" hardly applies.  I hope you do enjoy it when you get to it. :)

  10. City by Clifford D. Simak 5/5

     

    Man ceasing to be the dominate species on Earth.  That can't be a bad thing. 

     

    Simak covers so much ground in what is actually a collection of 8 short stories, each with it's own Notes section.  The rise and fall of civilizations, the reach out to the stars, the travelling from one dimension to the other.  The definition of God.  A robot that lives 12,000 years and sees almost all of it.  We see what can happen when our desires are thought to be known, but are not.  Loyalty, love, the shedding of our humanness.    All shown through the lens of one family.

     

    This author puts Life into perspective in the simplest of manners.  This is the long view.  Good stuff.

  11. :giggle:  :giggle:

     

    Nooo, the Dreaded Pile !!  :hide:  And yet, I keep feeding mine. Will the Madness never cease !  :giggle2:

     

    Don't we all......./innocent whistling/

    I certainly HOPE not!! :readingtwo:  :giggle2:

     

     

    Jeopardy is doing Celebrities this week and one question had to do with Louis L'amour and which genre he wrote (you know how they are easy for celebrities) and Louis CK said pulp fiction lol

     

    Oy!

  12. Well, although I don't like what they did there is always an upside to every situation. It is forcing me to look into every nook and crannie on my laptop and have a good clean out of things that I no longer needed. I have backed up my half finished novel and associated notes and all my family pictures safely onto lots of memory sticks so I know they are safe. The laptop is nearly empty. So over the next couple of weeks I am going to experiment freely with Windows10. I can't deny that men do like to have a tinker about with something new. I wont be using Edge or Onedrive. I will look at the other features in turn to see whether I like them better than the old equivalents.  

     

    Husband had it on his machine that went kaput, and he just installed it on the computer we bought 2nd hand.  Mine is scheduled to download tonight.  /worried sigh/  :)

    There is a looooooonnnnnggggg list in the beginning of stuff that you do or don't want.  Naturally Microsoft has everything checked "yes".  But it's easy enough to uncheck all of that.  Which I will be busy doing tomorrow.  :D

    Charles didn't like Edge either, but I'll give it a try.  I can always switch to IE.

     

    btw.......it isn't only men that like to tinker....... :P  :giggle2:

  13. What, you're watching a Finnish TV series? :o I wonder what it is. Oh, oh! I think I know it. That's a good one, yep! Even though I only found out about it towards the end and missed half of the episodes. So cool that you're watching a Finnish TV series, it rarely happens, truth be told! :D

     

    Yup, it's really good.  We're watching the last two episodes tonight. 

     

    There was another Finnish show that we watched several months ago.  I can't remember the name, or find it at the moment.  Frankie, maybe you will know of it?  It involved the Head of State in Finland "going green", and cutting off oil production.  This caused an International uproar, and the Russians invaded Finland.  Such an interesting show!

     

     

    I'm binge-watching a sci-fi series called Humans. Loving it.

     

    We finished Humans the other night.  Loved it!

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