Category: Erudition

The Raven is, by far, one of Edgar Allan Poe’s most quoted and parodied works. Although I’ve heard the poem read many times in various forms, I actually sat down and read it for the first time on my own last night.
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Asteroid 18610 was discovered by Felix Hormuth. A longtime fan of Douglas Adams, it was confirmed on May 09, 2001 that he was to name Asteroid 18610 Arthurdent after the hero and protagonist of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

Science Fiction writer Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and its sequels, died of a heart attack on May 11 at the age of 49. Only two days before his death, approval was given to name asteroid 18610 Arthurdent after the hero of the series. Apparently word of this did not reach Mr. Adams before his death. The name was proposed by the discoverer, Felix Hormuth, who discovered it in February, and hopefully Mr. Adams did know of the proposal.

It really is a small world. An old girlfriend purchased a copy of The Hacker and the Ants for my birthday and, due to its cheesy title, I was reluctant to read it. I eventually picked it up and turned it into a quick afternoon read. Overall, I was quite amused by the storyline and decided that it was, indeed, worth reading.

Fast forward a few years…it turns out that John Walker, the author of The Hacker’s Diet, is friends with Rudy and wrote the epilogue to the book! I find it rather interesting how small links like that can unexpectedly join together…especially since I’ve been using John’s book to lose weight.

Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card, is one of the first science fiction novels I ever read as a child. A recommended read by Paul Fitzmeyer, a close friend of the family whom I consider to be my first mentor and geek inspiration, gave me a copy of the book about twenty years ago. I was immediately absorbed into the story of Ender Wiggin, an outcast child with many traits I felt strangely aligned with, and literally couldn’t put the book down until I finished reading it cover to cover.

I won’t go into a storyline synopsis because so many others already have, so I’ll simply state that Ender’s Game is an absolute must read for any child or teenager who needs some inspiration in their life. Even though I recommend the book for adolescents, it is not a children’s book. Any child that picks up this book will require adult reading skills, and consider the book rated PG13 for mild violence and a complete mindfuck of an ending chapter.