The occasional newsletter of Don Sakers & the Scattered Worlds
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Friday 21 Aug 2020 Newly published: My book review column from the Sept/Oct issue of Analog is now available to read for free. Highlights: The Sept/Oct 2020 issue of Analog is out with my book review column. I had a short essay on notable water worlds in science ficiton, plus reviews of books by Ctherine Asaro, Francis Carsac, Eric Flint & Dave Freer, Zack Jordan, Kenneth Schneyer, Martin L.Shoemaker, Marc Stiegler, and Brian M. Tissot, as well as Jerry Pournelle's last novel and am amthology of stories about space pirates. You can read the column for free here. Last week I talked about lifelong learning. My latest project is learning CSS, a layout protocol for web pages. CSS is one of the major tools for web development; like many such tools, it's an imposing, omplex language with a steep learning curve. Up iuntil now, I've amanged to avoid having to use CSS. As I've been messing with my various websites, I've been increasingly running into the need to dive into CSS code. Now I'm biting the bullet, taking the plunge, storming the castle. Of course, I could use all the help I can get. If you know of any good resources for independent study fo CSS, or anything else that could help, please let me know. Thanks in advance. Projects:
 Thomas went to the drive-in to see Empire Strikes Back. He dressed appropriately. Currently reading: Articles: Recommended (book): Recommended (TV/movie): Fantastic Voyage (movie) Recommended (other): The HU (band), especially Yuve Yuve Yu (music video) Spotlight: This week I received my first Social Security payment. This additional income is going to make a huge difference; it very nearly doubles my annual income. When I retired four years ago (!), I knew that times would be lean until Social Sercurity kicked in: we wouldn't be going on any big trips or making any big purchases. (When I was making my decision, Thomas said, "If you don't retire, will we go on any big trips or make any major purchases?" I had to answer no. Well, now we've made it through the lean years. This doesn't mean we're going to start throwing money around recklessly—that just isn't our way. In particular, the pandemic is going to keep us largely at home; there are still no big trips on the horizon. It does, however,. mean that there will be less stress in our lives, whovh is a good thing. One of my long-term goals is to start experimenting with paid advertising for my books. I'll keep everyone posted as time goes on. (In the meanwhile, I'm open to any advice or relevant experience; please contact me if you ahve any you're willing to share.) |