Extinction Journals

Early this summer, I had just finished two mammoth tomes (Truman by David McCullough and Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson - both excellent and 996 and 910 pages respectively) so I was looking for some "light" reading. Not topically, but size wise. And Extinction Journals, at 76 pages fit the bill.

Extinction Journals is the third book by Jeremy Robert Johnson, a highly talented writer of the bizarro genre. I've reviewed his other two books, Angel Dust Apocalypse and Siren Promised in this blog so I guess you can call me a fan.

Extinction Journals picks up where the "The Sharp Dressed Man At the End of the Line" leaves off. For those of you unfamiliar with that story, it can be found in Mr. Johnson's short story collection, Angel Dust Apocalypse. Without giving too much away, we meet Dean in the last days before World War III, a young man who believes that he can survive the aftermath of a nuclear war if he's wearing a suit made of cockroaches. As the story ends, Dean is proved correct.

Extinction Journals follows Dean around as he makes his way through the nuclear bomb ravaged wasteland of what was once the USA. He struggles to find food and water, all the while wondering if his "suit" will, out of desperation and hunger, turn on him. Along the way, he meets a new god, borne out of mankind's collective unconscious. Neither Dean nor the reader is sure whether or not he's hallucinating, but considering he just survived a nuclear war we have to give him some leeway.

Ultimately, Dean meets other entomologically enlightened individuals who are struggling to put some sense to this brave new world. At that point, they must decide how life will exist, post-humanity, or if it will exist at all.

JRJ has a knack for characterization, even if those characters are a bit twisted. Dean is a nice enough guy, but one has to really be out there to conceive of fashioning a suit out of cockroaches in order to survive a nuclear war. And his descriptions of the nuclear wasteland are convincingly real, making you shudder (and question Dean's desire to live to see it).

The story was way too short. While readers don't need to be familiar with the short story that preceded this novella, it definitely helps. Adding it as a preface, while driving up the publishing costs, would have enhanced the reading experience for new readers of JRJ's work.

I also had a feeling of repetition between Dean's encounters. It was as if he were stumbling upon the same old irradiated buildings he wandered into earlier.

Lastly, I was hoping for more of an exploration of the relationship between Dean and his suit. I really couldn't get the sense that the symbiosis between man and roach was evolving until the very end. Maybe evolution itself works like that. Rather than gradual changes, we get abrupt "do or die" situations.

While I enjoyed this book, I feel that, for the reasons stated above, it falls short of JRJ's previous works. Newcomers should pick up his earlier works first before coming here. Fans of JRJ's work will still want to add this to their collections.

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Hybrids Are Hotcakes

Last year, they weren't. This year, they are:

News for 'F' - (DJ UPDATE: US Hybrid-Vehicle Sales Up 49% In Jan-July Period)

(Adds actual registration numbers; clarifies that figures based on registrations and include both trucks and cars.)

DETROIT (AP)--U.S. sales of new hybrid vehicles were up 49% in the first seven months of this year, due largely to a boom in sales in the Midwest, an auto information and marketing company said Monday.

Oklahoma led all states with a 143% increase in registrations of new hybrid cars and trucks compared with January-July 2006, said Southfield-based R.L. Polk & Co. Hawaii was the only state to report a decline.

Polk said Americans registered 215,997 new hybrid vehicles in the 2007 period, compared with 144,721 in the same period of 2006.

Hybrid sales were up 57% in the Midwest, the most of any region. Toyota Motor Corp.'s (TM) Prius and the hybrid version of the Toyota Camry were the most popular models there. Hybrid sales rose 52% in the West, 49% in the Northeast and 42% in the South.

Lonnie Miller, director of industry analysis for R.L. Polk, said hybrids are a bright spot in a U.S. market that is otherwise down. Miller predicted total U.S. hybrid sales will exceed 300,000 this year, or more than 2% of all sales. U.S. consumers bought 254,545 hybrids in 2006.

Miller said hybrid sales are on the rise because of high gas prices and environmental concerns.

"The data indicates that hybrids have not hit plateau and that there is room for continued growth within the marketplace in all regions," Miller said in a news release.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires
September 17, 2007 18:14 ET (22:14 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2007 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.- - 06 14 PM EDT 09-17-07

Source: DJ Broad Tape

Emphasis added. It's good to see that sales are up all over the country.

Elsewhere, Popular Science predicted that that, in 20 years, cars that rely on batteries (gas-electric hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and fully electric) would make up 30% of the market. A far cry from today's 2%. Regular ICE cars would still make up 35% of the market. They also feel that the ethanol craze will subside (6% market share) as everyone sobers up and realizes it's not the super special fuel that corn farmers, politicians, GM, and some greens make it out to be.

Other fuel sources (hydrogen, biodiesel, etc) and their forecasted market share are there too. Granted this is just one group's opinion, but their background gives them a bit more credence than others, not to mention they're not tainted by vested interests.

If you haven't heard/read about the Tesla Roadster, the electric sports car, you can check it out here. Yes, this car is actually in production, as opposed to those concept cars that other automotive companies tease us with. And it can be yours for $100,000.

Obviously, that's not a middle class America price. It's a luxury car price, which puts the Tesla Roadster on par (at least by price) with the Cadillac XLR, Audi A8, several Mercedes Benz models, and the BMW 7-Series. It's hoped that if sales are good, that the profits can be used to develop something a bit more mainstream. Environmentally friendly and luxurious? I would think that would be irresistible to Hollywood. :)

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2007 Brass City Brewfest

This past Saturday was the 2nd Annual Brass City Brewfest. I was worried that it was going to be a soggy affair as the remnants of Humberto swept through the area Friday night and early Saturday morning bringing much needed rain. But the sun came out around noon and we had a beautiful day, albeit on the cool side with mid-60 temps. Irregardless, it was a great day to drink beer.

Apparently there was a bigger crowd this year than last year. I wasn't sure, but everyone else I went with seemed certain. And since many of the vendors ran out of beer early, some before 4PM (the event started at 1) and almost all by the time the brewfest officially ended at 5.

My wife and I brought our Ten Penny Ale plastic glasses that we acquired earlier in the year at the Connecticut Craft Brewers Festival. It beats drinking out of those tiny cups and it means less garbage so why not? As such, we decided to start the day off right with a mug full of Ten Penny Ale from Olde Burnside. I still haven't made any progress in getting the beer guy at the liquor store I frequent to carry them. Of course it would be alot easier if they sold the stuff in something besides growlers. Until that changes, brewfests will continue to be the only time that I get to drink this excellent scottish ale. And they're quite happy to fill up a mug sporting their logo.

(UPDATE: The beer guy said that he's been trying to get the Olde Burnside brews but the distributor keeps claiming that they don't have any.)

John, a big Brooklyn Brewery fan, sampled their Brooklyner-Schneider Hopfen Weiss. It's a collaboration with a German brewer who shockingly enough was willing to try something new (Change is bad among the German brewers). It's a dry hopped wheat but it's nothing like a Hefeweizen or a Dunkelweizen. It wasn't overly hoppy. I found the citrus taste to be a bit overpowering, as if the esters got out of hand. White Ale and Belgian Ale lovers might want to check this out.

Speaking of Belgian Beer, there was a whole tent devoted to Belgian Beer. Admission to that ten was an extra $10. Not being a fan, and quite content with the selection in the four other tents and two vans, I passed. Bob and Adam went for it though. They were quite happy they did. They emerged with some green apple concoction that I have to admit was quite good.

John made one more recommendation that day and it was to check out the Polish beer. I spotted the Zwyiec Porter and went for it. Unfortunately, the dude waited on me instead of the cute blonde and he was a wise ass. "It's 9.5%. Are you sure you can handle it?" I gave him a look that said, "I've been drinking beer longer than you've been alive buddy." But all I said was, "I can handle it." Fucker gave me a meager three sips (no exaggeration). It was really good and I didn't get that imperial porter kick either. I didn't go back, though I should have.

The Single Track Copper Ale from Boulder Beer Company was good. It was a refreshing medium-bodied beer. The guy gave me enough that I could head over to the food tent for a cup of some excellent chili.

Lagunitas is an expensive brewer from California. I never buy their beer because it usually runs $10/six pack. Sierra Nevada's not much closer but even they're a buck or two cheaper. For a buck more I can usually get a 12 pack of Red Hook so why bother, right? So, I decided to try them out to see if I was missing anything. I had the Sirius Strong Cream Ale. It was ok, definitely not worth the extra money.

Rogue is a line of brews that I don't buy. I don't know why. I had their Mocha Porter and it was good and chocolatey. I need to start buying them.

Bob tried Berkshire Brewing's Coffeehouse Porter and really liked it. I asked him if it tasted like coffee and since he said it did I had to pass. Coffee makes me gag. Seriously. I get my caffeine elsewhere. So I went with their Oktoberfest. It was good.

When my wife and I lived in Norwalk, we used to go to the John Harvard's Brew House restaurant in Westport quite a bit. Alas, it closed and the closest one is in Manchester. For a chain, they make some pretty good beer. I was hoping to try their new Scotch Ale but it was all gone. I settled for the Oktoberfest but wasn't disappointed.

After one attends a few brewfests, you start seeing alot of the same brewers. I try to use these occasions to try new brews that I either don't get regularly or are just unavailable. Besides the Polish beer, this year's highlight was the Hartford Better Beer company. They were generous on the samples ("How much do you want?" "As much as you're willing to share.") so I really got a good taste. They have two brews right now: the Arch Amber Ale and the Praying Mantis Porter. The Amber Ale was a well balanced, medium-bodied ale that I could've drank all day. Well, I could've drank the Porter all day too. Smooth and rich with hints of chocolate, yet they didn't overdo the sweetness at all. I've got another brewer I need to nag the beer guy at the liquor store about.

(UPDATE: Beer guy said that he's already planning on having the Praying Mantis Porter in stock late Fall. He had the Arch Amber Ale in the store but it took 5 months to sell 3 cases. I guessed I missed it. Can't blame him for not wanting to continue carrying it. That's way too slow.)

We ended the day with a Maudite from Unibroue. This is an ale that my wife and I have enjoyed for some time. We first had it at the Vermont Brewfest many years ago (pre-kids). Unfortunately, it hadn't been sitting in the cooler long enough so it was a bit on the ambient temperature side. Still, it's a savory brew which I hope to properly review here sometime.

All in all, a very good day to be alive.

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Early Fall

We've gone 2 1/2 weeks without rain here in my little corner of Connecticut. Ok, we had a sprinkle Saturday night, but it was just a trace. The local airport said about 1/16th of an inch. That seems a bit on the high side. The rain didn't even penetrate the mesh chairs on my deck let alone the massive trees overshadowing most of my yard.

We're down over 7 inches year-to-date, which is 20% less than what we should have. While those numbers pale in comparison to other parts of the country, it still puts a strain on the vegetation. Fortunately, it hasn't been too hot. Overall, it's been pretty average temperature wise this summer, which is a good thing.

This sweet birch on the side of my yard (bad photo, sorry) took the dry spell rather hard. This species likes moist soils, hence why it lives in the northeastern US. I think that it's about 40 feet tall, so it's a mature tree. About a month ago, it's leaves started changing. They summarily fell, as you can see here. I'm hoping that it's just taking an early nap for the Winter and will be back next Spring. If not, well, I've got more firewood for the following Winter.

An Andromeda, another moist soil plant, that I had nurtured back from near death several years ago has taken a big hit. It has several yellow leaves and most of the green ones were droopy. This is an evergreen so these symptoms are troubling.

But these trees aren't alone. Several varieties of trees in the area, mostly maples and birches, are changing colors. Yellow is becoming a popular color in the arboreal landscape with faded green right there with it. The problem is, it's too soon. These guys shouldn't be starting to change for another couple of weeks yet. Even my massive red maples are turning at their tops.

Since trees transpire through their leaves, this early Fall shouldn't come as a surprise. The trees are just cutting their losses.

And I shouldn't be surprised either. Back in January, I was worried about the lack of snowfall and its implications. Sadly, I seem to be right. While I downplayed any concern about pests becoming more aggressive, that seems to have been a mistake. I read in the paper over the weekend that pine beetles have been having their way with Michigan's forests. Right here at home, my cats are suffering from fleas for the very first time.

But if there's a silver lining to this cloud, it's my decreased use of gasoline. I didn't mow the lawn in July and only twice in August. The shade from the trees has helped keep most of the grass from burning out.

The dry weather also provided favorable conditions for house painting and repairs to the exterior (Great work, Chris!).

Rain is in the forecast for this week. Tomorrow, in fact. It was frustrating Saturday night watching the rain move west, then north, of us. And today, small cells dissipated just before they hit the state line. The ground is so dry that it's become hard. Water runs right off of it. We'll need a steady soaker, not a downpour, to have a positive effect.

My wife told me that the Farmer's Almanac is predicting a snowy winter for the northeast. I hope they're right.

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