"The X-Files: Ground Zero" Review

• Title:  "The X-Files:  Ground Zero"
• Author:  Kevin J. Anderson
• Finished:  February 1, 2010
• Synopsis:  Here is a link to a good synopsis provided by the paperback publisher, Harper Collins.
• Impression of the book:  This book is what you would expect from a classic X-File. The "Bright Anvil" project (a nuclear weapon without signature radiation) is being pursued by nuclear scientists at a mythical sister laboratory to Sandia National Laboratories (my employer) and Los Alamos National Laboratory.  The death of the lead scientist on the project brings Mulder and Scully across the country to investigate.  I have stayed or been to several locations described in the book (e.g., White Sands Missile Range, the Trinity site, and Pleasanton, CA), so the book was fun from that prospective.  As a fan of the X-Files, I enjoyed the book and think that it would have made an excellent episode for the show.  An X-File fan that doesn't mind stories off the "arch" will really enjoy this quick read.
• Read Again Scale: 4
• I probably wouldn't read this book again, but I would have definitely watched it several times had it been made into an episode.
• Read Another Book by the Same Author: 10
• I have read several books (more than 10) by Kevin J. Anderson.  I can think of only one example of not feeling rewarded for reading his book.

I was a "set the VCR" follower of The X-Files until about season 7 or 8 when Scully typed this message, "I yearn for you, Mulder."  That pretty much ended my avid fan status for the show.  This book avoided the messy stuff that ruined my interest in the show and was fun to read.

"Daemon" Review

• Title:  "Daemon"
• Author: Daniel Suarez
• Finished:  February 7, 2010
• Synopsis:  The obituary of a billionaire online computer game designer (Matthew Sobol) triggers a series of events (launched by daemons) that lead to the deaths of a computer programmer and a network system administrator.  The subsequent news stories about their deaths and (news stories about) law enforcement actions trigger other daemons.  The FBI, NSA, and many other alphabet soup government agencies are drawn into the hunt to destroy the "Daemon" that was released by the death of Sobol.  The "Daemon" uses cold, unfeeling logic in an effort to bring about the next "age of reason" organized on principals that Sobol believed. 
• Impression of the book:  The "Daemon" contained elements of Clancy and Crichton with possibly a little Ludlum thrown in for fun.  I was thoroughly entertained by the book. The descriptions of the technical and scientific aspects of the linked "daemons" and their keyword scanning of news sites were both understandable and complete in the explanation of how they work.  This aspect of the novel does not seem outside the realm of possibility. The references to the massive multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPG) and their sub-cultures are realistic and frightening at the same time.  The book may cause network system administrators nightmares because the type of small program running in the background (daemon) described would be almost impossible to find until it had already performed its preset task. 
• Read Again Scale: 9
• The only reason the book doesn't get a 10 is because I checked it out from the library.  If it was in my personal library, it would make it into my "5 year rotation".
• Read Another Book by the Same Author: 10
• This was Suarez's first novel.  I am hoping that he has more in the hopper.

I stumbled onto this book while looking at one of the "New Fiction" displays in the lobby of the Fayetteville Public Library. Unlike some of my other stabs in the dark from these displays, it turned out to be worth my time to read.

"Body Double" Review

• Title:  "Body Double"
• Author:  Tess Gerritsen
• Finished:  February 22, 2009
• Synopsis:  The synopsis is probably best handled by linking to the Gerritsen's webpage or the Amazon page for the book.
• Impression of the book:  I really liked this book, but I am a fan of Gerritsen's other works that follow Dr. Isles and Detective Rizzolli (e.g., "The Surgeon" and "The Sinner").  I wouldn't read the books in this series if you are faint of heart because the narrative and story lines are kind of grizzly. Of the 3 books in this series that I have read, this one is probably my favorite.  "Body Double" has a great twist and kept me interested in the story through the final page.
• Read Again Scale:  7
• I would probably read this book again in a couple of years if I didn't have a chance to drop by the library.  Most of these "thrillers" don't entice me to re-read.  This one is an exception.
• Read Another Book by the Same Author:  7
• I don't typically go to the "G" section of the Fayetteville Public Library to see if they have new books by Gerritsen, but I will pick one up if it catches my eye strolling through the library.

In hardback, this novel is about 350 pages (pretty standard length for most popular fiction these days).  It doesn't take me long (a couple of days to a week) to plow through novels of this length.

New Feature: Book Reviews

If you have read the "101 Things About Me," you know that (1) there are not 101 things about me, and (2) I love to read. So, I have decided to add a list of the books I complete (see "What Has Russ Been Reading?" in the sidebar).  I will also review books as I finish them along with going back a while to review books I have finished in the past year.

If you follow the list, you will quickly see that I don't stay in one genre very long. Currently on the list, you will see fiction, Christian apologetics, historical fiction, popular science, spy novels, science fiction, classic literature, and science fiction. I also read fantasy and science history. Just about the only type of books that I don't read are romance novels. I should probably add that one of my dream jobs (along with what I do now and professional baseball) would be to review books for a publisher or newspaper. [Actually, now that I think about it, I am adding that to my list of things about me.]

In any case, here is what you will find in my book reviews:

• Title
• Author
• Date I Finished Reading
• Short Summary
• Impression of the book
• Read Again Scale:  
• 0 --> Not without a gun to my head
• :
• 5 --> Maybe
• :
• 10 --> I plan to read again OR this is a re-read.
• Read Another Book by the Same Author?
• 0 --> Not without a gun to my head
• :
• 5 --> Maybe
• :
• 10 --> I will look for his/her books.

I either really miss doing book reports, or I am looking for something that will keep me posting on a regular basis. Maybe, it's a little of both. If you have a book that you have been trying to decide if it is worth reading, pass the title along, and I will give it a shot.

Normal Temperatures

Recently, I started asking myself why every weather forecast gives us the average high/low for that day of the year. In actuality, I started trying to figure out if those were the conditions that I should expect if I walked outside a year from now.  You guys know me pretty well, so you have already figured out that it didn't stop there. So, I went to the "Weather Underground" website and starting digging into the archives there.

The first thing I found out is that you can get a lot of historical (high/low) data at various weather stations around the country.  The interface is a little clunky and I didn't feel like writing a script, but I did get all the data for January 1 at Drake Field in Fayetteville.  The site has the highs/lows for the station there for 1948-2010 (actually 1961-1972 are missing). I placed the data for January 1 at the "KFYV" weather station (72701) into a spreadsheet. Then, I started looking at all the available data from a descriptive statistical point of view starting with the high temperature.

Descriptive Statistics for the Maximum Temperature at Drake Field in Fayetteville, Arkansas (1948-2010):

• Number of Data Points: 51 (N)
• Maximum:  70 degrees F
• Minimum:  15 degrees F
  
• Mean:  45.98 degrees F
• Standard Deviation:  12.62 degrees F
  
• Skewness:  -0.3368
• Kurtosis:  0.0052
• Test for normality of the distribution cannot reject Normal Distribution as the null hypothesis.  This means that I "can" assume the data is normally distributed.

The histogram for the high temperatures plotted with a normal distribution is seen below.

I did the same thing for the minimum temperature.

Descriptive Statistics for the Minimum Temperature at Drake Field in Fayetteville, Arkansas (1948-2010):

• Number of Data Points: 51 (N)
• Maximum:  59 degrees F
• Minimum:  3 degrees F
• Mean:  26.45 degrees F
• Standard Deviation:  12.79 degrees F
  
• Skewness: 0.4511
• Kurtosis:  0.1077
  
• Test for normality of the distribution cannot reject Normal Distribution as the null hypothesis.  This means that I "can" assume the data is normally distributed.

 The histogram for the low temperatures plotted with a normal distribution is seen below.

Now, Weather Underground lists the average maximum temperature as 45 degrees F while the average minimum temperature is 26 degrees F.  If I truncate my averages (rather than round off), I get exactly those numbers. By now I am certain that you are wondering if my little exercise actually helped me figure out the initial question about what the weather conditions will be like on January 1, 2011. It did.  Today (January 12, 2010), I can say with 68% certainty that the high temperature on January 1, 2011 will be in the interval [33, 58] degrees F and the low temperature will be in the interval [14, 39] degrees F with 68% certainty.

I can hear Josh say, "Big deal, Russ!  You gave yourself a 25 degree window."  AND, he would be right.  However, that is my point.  When I started this meandering, I didn't realize how big the variation (i.e., the standard deviation) for those average temperatures really is.  SOOO, the next time the weatherman tells you that the high (or low) for the day is 12 degrees above normal (or below normal) you shouldn't be surprised (especially if you live in Fayetteville).

Vindication

Many of you have personally witnessed me get passionate about why I think anthropogenic global warming (AGW) is a hoax.  Secretly, I think Walt, Josh and Zach probably believe I am in serious need of some medication based on the looks I get from them when we have talked about this subject. Well, over the last few days, I have gotten some confirmation that I am not totally out there in the weeds when I discount the "science"  of AGW.  Here it is from Walt's favorite source:  Glenn Beck.

The last few days have felt pretty good for those of us who questioned this stuff. Normally, I think "hackers" are the pretty lowly, but in this case, I will make an exception.

Bonfire Remembered

For those of you who don't know, Kristy and I spent almost exactly five years in Bryan/College Station while I attended graduate school at Texas A&M University. We arrived in College Station on Kristy's birthday (July 11, 1996), I defended my PhD in nuclear engineering on Kristy's birthday (July 11, 2001), and we pulled up stakes for Albuquerque and Sandia National Laboratories about a week later. We loved the experience of living in Aggieland (especially if you take away the brutally hot summers), but we were there during the collapse of the annual Aggie Bonfire.

You may remember the collapse in the news, but you may not remember that 11 students and 1 former student died when the stack collapsed 10 years ago today. It was one of the saddest moments in the history of Texas A&M. The entire campus felt different for the rest of that 1999 fall semester, and to some extent, every fall semester has had a different feel since then.

For us, the Bonfire collapse was very personal even though we didn't know any of the 12 victims. The Bonfire construction always began in early September as students would go to the cut site and start clearing the land. About a MONTH or more before the game against the Longhorns, the students would begin stacking the logs. Some Aggie bonfires reached heights over a 100 feet before the administration started putting limits on them. As peripheral participants (that is, we watched the construction closely and looked forward to Thanksgiving night when it was lit), we both felt just a little excitement every time we would see the stack. The site was located adjacent to the Zachry Engineering building parking lot, so each morning I would look out in amazement at the progress. The STUDENTS were building this monstrous thing with very little mechanization.

We received a phone call from our friends at about 4 in the morning to tell us of the tragedy. Then, Mom called shortly after because she wanted to make sure I wasn't trapped under 1,000 logs at the bonfire site. In the days that followed, we made our way to the site and the makeshift memorial. We cried a LOT. We couldn't believe that it had happened.

On November 26, 1999, I attended the Texas-Texas A&M game for the only time that we lived in College Station. I felt like one of our best friends (Jen -- she cried/cries at every game) because I cried when the jets flew over in missing man formation before the game. The game ended like it should have, the Aggies prevailed 20-16 in front of over 86,000 Texans.

This is Brian Gamble after he recovered the Major Applewhite fumble to seal the win:


It is really hard to believe that it has been 10 years since that event and this picture (with many others from that day) will still start my eyes watering. My prayers are with the families of the victims and all Aggies that stop to reflect back today.

-----

Here is the link to the Bonfire Memorial video. It is about five minutes long, but it is worth it. Here is another good site on the aftermath.

Online Garage Sale

I got in my car the other day and realized that I have a LOT of stuff lying around that I no longer need. For instance, there were 3 books on CD that I listened to during our move from Albuquerque to Fayetteville over 2 years ago. I don't really want to have an actual garage sale or learn the internals of selling on eBay or Craig's list, so I thought that I would have a small (3 items) sale to see if I can start downsizing the amount of stuff in my life. Basically, if you want one of these books on CD send me $6.00 (cash) or $7.00 (check). If you want all 3, I will take $15.00 (cash) or $18.00 (check).

• "The Copper Scroll" by Joel C. Rosenberg. Currently listed as $9.50 + $3.99 shipping (NEW) and $5.00 + $3.99 (USED) on Amazon. The 4 CDs have each had 1 use and the packaging is in excellent condition.
• "The Prometheus Deception" by Robert Ludlum. Currently listed as $7.66 + $3.99 shipping (NEW) and $4.98 + $3.99 (USED) on Amazon. The 6 CDs have each had 1 use and the packaging is in excellent condition.
• "The Templar Legacy" by Steve Berry. Currently listed as $9.00 + $3.99 shipping (NEW) and $3.98 + $3.99 (USED) on Amazon. The 6 CDs have each had 1 use and the packaging is in excellent condition.

Leave a comment that let's me know how to contact you if you are interested in helping me reduce the amount of stuff in my life. BTW, if you want to pick up the items, I will discount the price because I don't have to ship them.

Distracted Driving? You Make the Call!

Here is a random episode from today. Kristy is driving back from lunch on I-540 while I sit almost asleep in the passenger seat. Sophie had just asked for "Calle Ocho (???)" on the radio as Kristy blurted out, "I don't know what this idiot thinks he is doing!" Naturally, I looked up.

We had slowed down to ~60 MPH because 2 semi-trucks had decided to block the interstate by going about the same speed in both lanes. There was a guy zooming by us to get right behind these 18-wheelers. It's bad enough because he had to slam on his brakes to keep from hitting them. That's when I realized that this dude was reading his mail. No, I am not talking about his email. He was actually taking papers out of envelopes and holding the papers in front of his face to read.

So, I thought, "That's a pretty bad idea to be reading while driving" when he switched the cell phone from the left shoulder slump hold to the right hand/left ear across the face talking formation. Of course, he had to do that in order to reach across the steering wheel (after letting go of it) with his left hand and take a drink of what I HOPE was a soda. This was one big accident waiting to happen cruising along at ~75 MPH.

The real question for me is now "where did he cross the line?" Was it the reading or the reading plus phone? Just the phone? I am pretty positive that this is a distracted driving case. Actually, the most blatant that I have seen after 50 miles/day on the interstate for 6 years. SOOOO, anyone that has a story like this please share.

Reversals

Guys, I don't feel like I am all alone out there any more. Several groups are either backing down from previous greenhouse gas positions (National Wheat Growers Association) or rethinking their position on anthropogenic global warming (American Physical Society). Another group is trying to have the editor of their society journal removed because of his views on AGW and climate change (American Chemical Society). The response of some ACS members really warms my heart (FYI, in the quotes below, Baum is the editor under fire) :

• “I think it’s time to find a new editor.” -- ACS member Thomas E. D’Ambra
• “Your editorial was a disgrace. It was filled with misinformation, half-truths, and ad hominem attacks on those who dare disagree with you. Shameful!” -- ACS member Dennis Malpass
• “Baum’s remarks are particularly disquieting because of his hostility toward skepticism, which is part of every scientist’s soul. Let’s cut to the chase with some questions for Baum: Which of the 20-odd major climate models has settled the science, such that all of the rest are now discarded? [...] Do you refer to ‘climate change’ instead of ‘global warming’ because the claim of anthropogenic global warming has become increasingly contrary to fact?” -- ACS member Dr. Howard Hayden

There were other comments just as scathing. It is great to see that scientists (most of whom have had doubts all along) are speaking out when the issue comes home to their particular professional society. It seems that they might be worried that their credibility will be sullied by association with the claims of the AGW believers.

BTW, Greenpeace is now admitting that the Arctic will NOT be ice-free by 2030. However, they justify the LIE by saying that they were "emotionalizing" the issue.