Guard Dog

If you have an Amazon Kindle you should sign up for Kindle Unlimited. I just browsed through that section and there is more fantasy and Sci-Fi titles in there than you could read in a lifetime. And they are all free (with the monthly membership). Most of them appear to be self published or more than 20 years old (meaning copyright has lapsed) and they may suck but heck, they are free! I get irritated when I buy a lousy book, but a free on that stinks you just delete it and move on.

Honestly I don't get what the beef is here. I really only post in WoT these days but it's very rare I see a post that I'd consider insulting, or bullying, or an ad hominem attack on anyone. Yeah sure it can get a little heated and maybe a little mean on rare occasions but nothing to get in a twist over. If words written on the internet by someone you don't know and will likely never meet really upsets anyone I'd suggest growing a thicker skin.

I've read it and I really enjoyed it, but... It isn't what you're asking for here. Thanks!

Actually I find Sci-Fi more enjoyable than "fantasy". I guess because as a genre it has fewer rules and tropes it is compelled to stick to. Dune was thoroughly enjoyable, the next two slightly less so. After that like Gromnir, and just about everyone else ever, said it really came off the rails. I read Leviathan Wakes in the Expanse series. That was enjoyable too. One thing I really like about it was that is took pains to delve into the effects of generations of humans living in "low G" environments. Details like that are important I think. The story became rather unoriginal as it progressed but it was still good. Sometimes old wine in a new bottle works. I haven't read the second one yet. I hear there is three more books on the way and GRRM has put me off starting a book series until it's completed. I realize it's not fantasy, well it sort of is, but I enjoyed the Saxon series by Cornwell but after a while it became so repetitive it was like he was writing the same book over and over. I read Scalzi's Old Mans War series. I liked it ok, didn't love it by any means.

Well, if you like political discussions from the left there is always Democratic Underground (http://www.democraticunderground.com/ ) and from the right there is Free Republic (http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/*/index). Although I should warn you, they do not tolerate dissenting opinions on anything. Since I've been banned from both (same user name Guard dog) I'm speaking from experience. Those are not spaces for debate, they are echo chambers. But if hearing a dissenting opinion on anything bothers you (not singling anyone out here) one of those two might appeal. Now bear in mind, neither of those sites are much practiced in what you might call "civil discourse". You can expect to be verbally abused is you are a Trump supporter talking to Ted Cruz people on FR. If you are a Bernie supporter on DU don't be upset when Team Hillary tells you that you should be killed.DU is much, much worse than FR I've noticed.

Thanks! Now I have coffee all over my monitor!

I haven't read any fantasy stuff since finishing A Memory of Light so i started looking around. The problem I have with the whole fantasy genre is most of it is just so f-----g awful. A Song of Ice And Fire, Rothfuss's Kingkiller books, and Tolkiens work are the only ones I've ever really liked. Terry Goodkind never had an original thought in his life, Terry Brooks just re-wrote Lord of the Rings for all intents and purposes and the rest just reads like it was written for children. But, be all that as it may I wanted to climb back on the horse again so I downloaded a sample of the first book of Sanderson's Mistborn series on the Kindle. After 25 pages or so, I'm not sure about it. Has anyone here read it? Does it suck? Can anyone recommend a book or series with a lot of political intrigue in a fantasy setting that has an atypical plot progression? As in no "heroes journey" to find the magical sword and defeat the dark lord kind of crap.

All we need is a major gaffe for Hillary and he can do it. Would that be a bigger upset than Leicester winning the EPL? I don't know but it would make me laugh. It would be like David and Goliath, if David was a very old man and Goliath was a political chameleon who has been running for President for over a decade. Nah, of she was really a chameleon we wouldn't be able to see her BS coming a mile away. She is just sad. A caricature of everything that is wrong with professional politicians.

All we need is a major gaffe for Hillary and he can do it. Would that be a bigger upset than Leicester winning the EPL? I don't know but it would make me laugh.

I saved the taxpayers of the great state of Tennessee a little over $2M today. while reviewing cost overruns on the Ft. Pillow levee reinforcement I realized we were showing nearly 10 km2 of permeable woven polypropylene underlayment over the project requirements. I shifted it to another project. Of course if I didn't catch it the auditors would have (all taxpayer projects are audited by a 3rd party in TN prior to approval) but I'm still taking credit for it. Afterwards the department manager & I went out to lunch. I had to pay for my own though.

I'm voting for Ted then... looks like the kind of place you can have swords.

Most Presidents (not named Clinton) were happy when their term ended. I expect BHO is no different. Like I posted before I wish him nothing but the best. Go home to Chicago, build a library, give speeches, watch his daughters graduate college and just go away. Respect the dignity of the office. Don't criticize the ones who come after or go globetrotting and meddling in other things the way Jimmy Carter has done.

I binge watched Penny Dreadful all day today. I still can't decide if I like this show or not. Beyond the interaction between Dr. Frankenstein and his Creature (who changes his name too often to keep track of) the show is kinda hit and miss. The Frankenstein plot line is very interesting though.

Guys but I'm sure we can all agree the general tone and decorum has improved since we all became cognizant of the SJ environment No, tone and decorum improved once those that were disrupting it moved on or were shown the door. There has been no "moral awakening" here.

No we are not morphing into communism. But what IS happening is nearly as bad. People seem to be willingly ceding the single most valuable thing in the world, their liberty, to a government that wants nothing more than to take it. And in exchange they are receiving what? Free healthcare? Sorry, Obamacare is not free, it's just mandatory. As for the price we all know a little about economics. What happens to the price of a commodity if you limit the availability of it by limiting who can sell it then require everyone to buy it? In other words, what happens to price when demand increases and supply decreases or is static, or increases at a delta below the demand delta?

They are just an inch or two away from screwing up the Iron Islands plot line the same way they screwed up Dorne. If you have to abbreviate it so much that you can't lay the foundation for who is who and what they are up to they're better off cutting it out entirely. But the rest of the episode was solid. And it looks like next week R+L=J will be addressed.

I'd wager when "freedom" means "free to lose your job at any time, become homeless, and die of an easily curable illness because you didn't have health insurance", dem chains start to look pretty appealing, if they're attached to free stuff. In 1994 I was in the US Marines. I got out and found another job. Later in 1994 I was a paid staffer for Don "Big Daddy" Garlits during his run for Congress. He lost, I was laid off (obviously). I borrowed money from my parents and started a business. In 1996 I ran for political office, that didn't work. I lost my whole life savings on that mistake and my business failed because of that. I found another job and went to school at night and finished my degree. In 2002 I got a job with AT&T as an RF Design Engineer. In 2009 I was "downsized". I found another job. In 2011 after carefully managing and investing my money I left that job and started a new business with five other partners. It was a success. In 2015 we sold that business and I became a contractor for the company, Last year my contract was not renewed and I was let go from the company I helped start. But you know what? I found another job. The point I'm trying to make is everyone is going to have setbacks in life. They will only destroy you if you allow them to. If you lose your job, find another one. If no one is hiring in what you do nearby then look elsewhere or do something else. My who career has been shaped by one disappointment after another. I didn't let any of that keep me down and I have little sympathy for anyone who does. And I have 0 respect for the people screaming to be handed free stuff, paid for by the folks who actually go out and work their asses off everyday. Every dollar someone receives without working for someone else worked for without receiving.

http://dailycaller.com/2016/04/30/cuban-american-filmmaker-warns-america-is-morphing-into-communist-country/ Interesting take. The sad truth is if people value free things rather than freedom they have already measured out their own chains.

I'm not sure that's the highest purpose of an internet forum and the most worthy pursuit one can engage in on one. Oh no definitely not. Actually I'd prefer a rational discussion to what we used to get here. But there are folks out there who just can't sleep at night knowing that somewhere out there in the world there is someone who doesn't think like they do. We just used to have a lot of those gathered in one place. So in that respect it is better now. Take you & I for example. We seldom find any common ground in any political or philosophical discussion but I know what you think and why and vice versa. Like I told Bruce in the other thread (or was it this one?) the point of the discussion in not to change anyone's mind (although is can happen) the point is to hear what everyone else thinks and maybe challenge it or tell them what you think and maybe have it challenged by them. The point of the discussion IS the discussion. At least I've always thought so.

It was never dull. If you like to flame & fight you could always find a taker.

Let's just say the thing about alts is, if you have too many of them you sometimes forget when one you're logged in on and post something out of character! Ha Good fun!

I'm not sure "well, it's a terrible place to have a reasonable discussion but hey, it used to be much worse!" is a great counterargument to what I was saying

My personal enemies were Pop, Nur Ab Sal, Yushaa (remember when he threatened to kill all of us?) that friend of Pixies whose screen name I can't remember. Oh yeah and Krezack. I absolutely HATED that little prick. He's the only one on this board who ever actually got under my skin. Hades/Sand never even managed to do that! There were others of course. I never disliked any of them, except one, but I'm not sure the reverse was true.

Are you seriously implying that setting up forum rules that facilitate constructive discussion is a waste of time because people who dislike having debates devolve into pointless screaming matches that accomplish nothing aside from wasting everyone's time can always just not participate? Is that what you'd call the last few pages aluminiumtrioxid? Shoot, this little bit of snark was nothing. You should have been here 10 years ago. We play nice here now compared to then. Political threads turned into verbal bloodsport as often as not. I mostly meant certain topics in the Pillars subforum pre-release, which tended to be dominated by a few extremely loud and even more obnoxious morons who seemed to warp every single discussion about their favorite subjects into pointless flamewars because there was always someone new around taking the bait. Not being able to have a reasonable discussion about politics in a vidya game forum is something I can live with. Not being able to have a meaningful discussion about an upcoming game on the forum of the very studio making said game, on the other hand, seems to run counter to the entire purpose of having the forums in the first place. Gotcha. Ah well, that's why we can't have nice things I guess. I haven't participated much on the PoE forums.