Advice please?

Right now I am considering switching banks. In part because my current account does not allow a debit card with the options I want, but it had been on my mind already. What I would like advice on, is what factors should I be looking at and comparing before making a decision about this? What is important to be aware of?

We interrupt your regularly scheduled journal for... a list!

According to the Science Fiction Book Club, these are the 50 most significant SF & Fantasy Books of the last 50 Years, 1953-2002. Bold the ones you've read, strike the ones you hated, italicize the ones you couldn't get through, asterisks for the ones you loved (more asterisks, more love), underline for the ones you own.

1. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
2. The Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov
3. Dune by Frank Herbert
4. Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein
5. A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Leguin [Been meaning to fix that]
6. Neuromancer by William Gibson
7. Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke [Does it count if I read the older short story?]
8. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep
9. The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
10. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
11. The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe
12. A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
13. The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov
14. Children of the Atom by Wilmar Shiras
15. Cities in Flight by James Blish
16. The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett
17. Dangerous Visions edited by Harlan Ellison
18. Deathbird Stories by Harlan Ellison
19. The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester
20. Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delany
21. Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey
22. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card [Gift from mantic_angel]
23. The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever by Stephen R. Donaldson
24. The Forever War by Joe Haldeman
25. Gateway by Frederik Pohl
26. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling
27. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams [Prefer the Dirk Gently books]
28. I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
29. Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
30. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
31. Little, Big by John Crowley
32. Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny
33. The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick
34. Mission of Gravity by Hal Clement
35. More Than Human by Theodore Sturgeon
36. The Rediscovery of Man by Cordwainer Smith
37. On the Beach by Nevil Shute
38. Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke
39. Ringworld by Larry Niven
40. Rogue Moon by Algis Budrys
41. The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien [I actually enjoy this]
42. Slaughterhouse-5 by Kurt Vonnegut
43. Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
44. Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner
45. The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester
46. Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein
47. Stormbringer by Michael Moorcock
48. The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks
49. Timescape by Gregory Benford
50. To Your Scattered Bodies Go by Philip Jose Farmer

Notice the relative disparity between owned and read? That mostly showed up more recently. No asterisks, I suck at ratings. Also, I consider myself someone not well read in the field - many of the ones I have not read are those considered better quality, more 'classics' than the ones I have read.

To say, forgot, from pazi_ashfeather and allieflowlight this list was glarfed.

Happiness part 4

Skipping days, skipping days. Not so good at finding happy days. Bit of a fog really, these days go by too quickly for me to settle down into happiness before they are gone.

Found some today though! Got to get back on Skype with pazi_ashfeather, which I have not done in too long. Aaaand we got to read to each other which has been an activity even longer delayed.

I finally finished the last three chapters of The Reptile Room, which I think we started in July. No earlier, perhaps later. At this rate it will be a while before we get through the entire series but maybe it will go quicker from here. Depends on our schedules and what we are in the mood for. Plus she got to read another few chapters of Blindsight to me. Was a bit eerie-disturbing and recognisable some of that.

So: happy for today = reading a whole page of 'ever' to pazi_ashfeather.

Up to stuff

Recently I read another few months of Everything Jake, September to the end of 2001. ( Spoilers: Everything Jake - 2001 )

I also tried Freedoom for about a day. As it turns out, sounds and graphics and especially creatures are a large part of what makes Doom work. The replacement sounds are much softer and lack the impact of the originals. The replacement sprites are lacking character too. In part this is probably due to the sounds being relatively softened (although they seem good for the arch vile replacement) but also, I just do not find the designs interesting. Am not finding myself drawn to learn more about these creatures and that fascination is a very large part of what draws me to Doom in the first place.

Apparently keeping the same gameplay but replacing the sounds and creature designs can pretty well kill my interest in a game. I suppose I will give it a look again at some later point if I remember to. Not written off as an idea, but not personally engaged by the present execution either.