Of course, jump down to see what I did read last year.

• Some notes on comics I read last year.
• Fiction
• Non-fiction
• Books I didn’t finish reading.

In addition to the books by Dawkins and Eskridge, I’ve marked recommended titles with the lightbulb icon, .

Some comics

The size of this list is actually deceiving. 2008 marked my tardy (but inevitable?) exposure to Osamu Tezuka’s manga, which had been catalyzed by visiting an impressive exhibit in 2007 at the Asian Art Museum. This resulted in reading a whopping number of comics! Tezuka wrote so much that I think his work deserves its own entry. Also, during the past couple years I’ve read a bunch of (non-Tezuka) superb graphic novels, which I’ll get to in another article.

Carey, Liew, Hempel. Re-Gifters. Hopkido-loving Jen Dik Seong gives gifts to show affection. But what happens when a gift is not just rejected, but reused to give to another person? The life and times of a Korean American teen girl would’ve felt more convincing if the writer did a better job of expressing the immigrant experience. Not to say a writer needs to be either an immigrant or Korean, obviously, but in spite of research, Carey’s writing felt more stereotypical than captivating.

Nananan, Kiriko. Blue. A sad, touching story about two girls who learn (or fail) to navigate the emotional storm of adolescence, especially when they fall in love with each other. Quiet, yet moving.

Reilly, Ahlquist and Mann. The Weirdly World of Strange Eggs. It’s an oddly cute and weird story about a couple of kids who find themselves in charge of large egg,s and the resulting monstrous hatchlings. An interesting parable, but not revelatory. Marred by bad production that looks like poor photocopying.

Sfar and Guibert. The Professor’s Daughter. A Victorian tale accompanied with somewhat hackneyed Victorian themes. Who cares about how the professor’s daughter fell in with a mummy? In the end, I did not.

Talbot, Bryan. Heart of Empire. I liked Talbot’s artwork in Gaiman’s Sandman, but this series wasn’t my… cup of meat, I’m afraid. A bit too assaulting to my senses.

Tomizawa, Hitoshi. Alien 9 manga. I read this after watching the animé upon which it was based. Even though this involves cute middle school girls with cute aliens symbionts fighting against other aliens, it ain’t for the faint of heart. It’s not too gruesome, but instead very grueling. It shows how someone could be so consumed by her fears, that her terror harms other people. Thrilling, yet alternating between horrifying and thoughtful.

Willingham, Bill. Thessaly: Witch for Hire. I don’t know why, but I’m intrigued by Thessaly, a part-time character from Sandman. She’s old, she’s powerful, and she’s refreshingly grouchy and unsociable. I’m engrossed by watching what tribulations have cropped up during her long life (sacrifices, literally, and mistakes).

Yun, Mi-Kyung. Bride of the Water God, volumes 1 and 2. Hmm, another manhwa where the title consists of a bride to a Korean spirit? Except for similar titles and gorgeous artistry, though, this series differs quite a lot from Dokebi Bride. Sadly the story and characters didn’t manage to grab me. A young woman is married off to a rain god so that her village could obtain its much needed rainfall. From there the story seems to involve rather uninteresting, stereotypical people: the sweet nearly Mary Sue protagonist, her mysterious husband (smartass boy by day, handsome man at night, when she sleeps, of course), her terrifying but intriguing mother-in-law (goddess of torture and love). I might pick it up again, if I find later volumes at a library; but for now it’s not worth my budget.

Fiction

Eskridge, Kelley. Solitaire. While in the science fiction genre, this deals greatly with project management. Hey, wipe off that scornful smirk. Imagine the ultimate project manager, how highly effective she is, not just in manipulating people and schedules well (those ain’t small tasks) to get things done, but also how very familiar she is with techniques, skills and various fields of expertise. If she doesn’t find or encourage others to complete a project, she’s unafraid and capable enough to do it herself, and very well at that, too. So from a utopian corporate culture comes wunderkind Jackal Segura. Who falls from her high position, quite horribly, into a nightmarish prison. Her story continues to evolve painfully, exquisitely, from there.

Ghosh, Amitav. The Hungry Tide. Dolphin research and romance in the Sundarbans of Bangladesh. I wish there was more of the science; what cetological and ecological discussions there are seem quite interesting. The rest, well, seems too much Hollywood for my tastes.

Ikeda, Akiko. Dayan’s Birthday, Thursday Rainy Party, White Eurocka, and Chibikuro Party. Several illustrated children’s books that often focus on etiquette, especially for parties. Cute, but simple, and very much aimed at small kids, rather than having an all-ages appeal.

Knox, Elizabeth. The Dreamhunter duet, consisting of Dreamhunter and Dreamquake. What is that strange, colorless land, where only a few can cross into, and influence other people’s dreams? I like the details that went into the atmosphere, the plot (initially) and dialog for these books. (I love the priceless remark, “Must be a mouth breather.” Hah, so amusingly disparaging!) Unfortunately, I’m rather disappointed and dissatisfied with the resolution of the mystery and the protagonists’ fates.

Larbalestier, Justine. Magic or Madness, Magic Lessons, and Magic’s Child. I really wanted to like this trilogy. As with Knox’s Dreamhunter series, I enjoyed the characters, the scenery, and Larbalestier’s animated writing style. (Although the Magic and Madness trilogy takes place in modern New York and Australia, rather than early 20th century New Zealand.) Her magic system is fascinating and intelligent, something new I encountered in fiction. It’s also awesome to see a teenage boy love clothing (textile magic), without collapsing into tired stereotypes. But as with Knox’s duet, the resolution of the plot and characters’ destinies just didn’t sit well with me. Still, it makes me curious about the Larbalestier’s other work…

Mitchison, Naomi. Travel Light. A novella about an orphan girl finding her past, and her future. Which ends up a disappointing parable about destiny. This is the only Mitchison piece I’ve read, and since she was such a prolific author, perhaps she had better works.

Ogawa, Yoko. The Diving Pool, 3 novellas. I was hoping for something at the level of Banana Yoshimoto, but found these stories (dealing with slice-of-life issues and alienation, iirc) just mildly uninteresting. However, I am curious about the forthcoming English translation of The Housekeeper and the Professor.

Park, Paul. The Tourmaline, The White Tyger. These are the second and third books of a four book series covering Miranda Popescu’s attempt to reclaim, via bewildering parallel worlds, an empire in decline. Indeed, her burden is very reminiscent of Lord Valentine’s ordeal to recover his title and life. As with the first book, A Princess of Roumania, the characters and their stories are intricate, but the pacing remains somewhat disorienting. Still, I’m sure I’ll read the final one, The Hidden World, because I want to see what becomes of the various worlds and characters.

Pullman, Philip. Once Upon a Time in the North. This is a delightful novelette that recounts how young aeronaut Lee Scoresby became acquainted with polar bear Iorek Byrnison. Beautifully produced hardbound book, with hints to the future of other characters from His Dark Materials. Reminds me of a smaller, simpler version of Nick Bantock’s work, but with more plot and depth.

Silverberg, Robert. Lord Valentine’s Castle and Majipoor Chronicles. Finally some (slow) progress in my classical science fiction education! Silverberg’s Majipoor defines the massive planet concept, complete with multiple complex sentient species. Some of the dialog and characters are dated — these were written during early to mid 1980s — so I needed I filter out some of the more sexist bits. But I do appreciate the introspection the author bestows upon his protagonists.

Non-fiction

Dawkins, Richard. The God Delusion (2008 edition). I used to think I wouldn’t like reading Dawkins, thinking he’d be too angry, too shrill, too incomprehensible. On the contrary, this book has a remarkably compassionate and humorous tone — not to mention being passionate (obviously) and easily understandable (on evolution). With Dawkin’s careful explanations, I could better understand (and appreciate) his scathing remarks against intelligent design and religious fundamentalism. After all, how could I not resist reading a treatise on science and religion which starts off with wisdom concerning the Flying Spaghetti monster and herding cats?

Diamond, Jared. Guns, Germs & Steel (2005 edition). A very well-written book on the development of agriculture, language and industry — specifically with how geography affected such developments. Even though it took me months to get through it (characteristic of my speed through historical non-fiction), I’m glad I learned more about how complex civilizations succeed or fail. I especially enjoy the newer chapter on Japan’s development: a good testament to how Diamond pays attention to facts and presents commonalities that many chose to ignore.

McKellar, Danica. Math Doesn’t Suck: How to Survive Middle School Math Without Losing Your Mind or Breaking a Nail | Official site. Now if I could find something like this, geared at all ages and genders, for calculus, differential equations, linear algebra, statistics, and… I know. Asking a lot. Still, the point which McKellar makes very clear, is that math can be enjoyable and useful at the same time.

Meyer, Kathleen. How to Shit in the Woods (1st edition). Okay, you can stop laughing now, smartypants. It does, indeed, contain encouraging and useful outdoor tips for taking Number 2 to task. But are publications filling the void for advice on the pissoir and other similarly medieval urban-suburban devices? “What void?” you say, as you remind me about the Internet…

Riccardi, Victoria Abbott. Untangling My Chopsticks: A Culinary Sojourn in Kyoto. An interesting memoir, with some recipes, on how an American steadfastly stays in Japan in spite of the daunting language and cultural barriers. Whatever for? To learn about the history and techniques behind the complex kaiseki ritual-meal.

Simonds, Calvin. The Private Lives of Garden Birds.”You have never seen predatory dignity shattered until you have seen a stalking cat goosed by a mockingbird.” Good observations, but primarily focused on birds in the northeastern US.

Unfinished

Abadzis, Nick. Laika. Couldn’t get into the artwork.

Nelson, Derek. Off the Map: Curious Histories of Place-Names. I was hoping for more of a short encyclopedic glossary. But it seemed more like a historical text.

Novik, Naomi. His Majesty’s Dragon. I stopped reading after the first chapter. The setting and people just didn’t draw me in. Maybe I’ll try again another time.

P.S.

Hey! I published this before half the year has elapsed. Good for me. Maybe I’ll make it before the first month finishes, next year…

But a couple of things before I start. First, to find out when applications go on sale, as well as when they get updated, check out App Shopper. This site is particularly helpful because you can watch applications without having to purchase or download them. Find an app you’re curious about, then subscribe to its RSS feed. ¡Simplemente!

And second, the iTunes Link Maker is a handy site for creating links to email or embed in your website. You can make links to applications, music, shows, and so forth.

Application categories to jump to:

• Scientific apps, covering a calculator, the weather, birds, and astronomy.
• Transport and restaurant aids.
• A couple of reference-type apps.
• Social networking.
• Media and entertainment, including games.
• Productivity, redux.
• Miscellaneous apps I’m still looking for.

Science!

In the excellent movie π, the protagonist states, “Mathematics is the language of nature.” What better way to “speak” in that language than to use PCalc Lite (free | iTunes link)? But all I really need is a simple RPN calculator with a clean UI, and PCalc Lite satisfies this oddball dependency of mine.

Do I have a compulsive desire to check the weather reports? Hm, do I…? Would you believe that my favorite has remained a simple webclip to AccuWeather.com to my home screen? That perhaps the Weather Channel native app (free | iTunes link) comes in a close second? That I find AccuWeather’s native app (free | iTunes link) too cluttered? That I find WeatherBug (free | iTunes link) a bit too limited, in spite of nice location photos?

Sadly, I rarely take time to skywatch. Somehow this didn’t stop me from getting Starmap ($11.99 | iTunes link), which was the first app I purchased for the iPhone. No regrets, though. Starmap is chock full of easily accessible astronomy information. (Well, except for the menu’s awkward spinning dial, but the developer claims that’ll be improved in the next version.) What’s that planet? *Zip* Venus. Where did that meteor come from? *Zoop* The Chi Orionids. Can I adjust for twilight and the tilt of my head? Oh, yes, and more.

Bird watching apps further exhibit how my stinginess evaporates upon the discovery of compelling field guides. I started with Birds! ($9.99 | iTunes link), the only bird watching app for a while. It was a good start, but I’ve moved onto iBird Backyard ($4.99 | iTunes link) and iBird West ($9.99 | iTunes link), developed by WhatBird. (WhatBird maintains additional regional guides, as well as iBird Plus which covers all North American species.) iBird Backyard covers 145 birds in North America which are likely to appear around feeders and birdbaths, whereas iBird West comprehensively covers 711 species west of the Rocky Mountains. Both are great, but have some issues: typos, limited searching, strange navigation for going between similar bird species, and occasional crashes due to buggy memory management.

Nevertheless, I still recommend the iBird guides. In spite of the minor drawbacks, the iBird tools rank among my most-used apps. They are easy to use, the ultimate in interactive reference applications: WhatBird apps succeed in integrating audio (birdsongs), visuals (photos and illustrations), and cross-references to reduce confusion among similar species, as well as provide links to species’ pages in Wikipedia. As much as I am hyper-eager to see more identification guides / keys for other fauna, flora, geology and foodstuffs, I could only hope that such apps would approach the high standards set by WhatBird’s example.

Transport and dining

I replaced the Caltrain tool I had used for over a decade on my Palm devices with iCaltrain ($4.99 | iTunes link). True, I could use the free mobile site, but the native app is much faster and smoother, and utilizes the iPhone’s location services to display the closest station.

I wish I knew about about the Muni Time before I paid for Routesy ($2.99 | iTunes link). You simply make a webclip to the SF Muni mobile website on your iPhone, all for free. Routsey does make use of location services, but most of the time I just need route and schedule information. In any case, both Muni Time and Routesy seem to use NextBus data.

The Yelp app (free | iTunes link) isn’t too shabby for searching for restaurants and shops. But there are other apps that present Yelp content better than Yelp itself. iWant (free | iTunes link) succeeds here, most notably during roadtrips! Its main screen neatly categorizes places like gas stations, banks, restaurants, clothes and grocery stores, pharmacies, and cafés.

I’ve found the native OpenTable iPhone app (free | iTunes link) much easier to use than the mobile website, especially for booking reservations. Urbanspoon (free | iTunes link) can be helpful in locating restaurants based on cuisine type, cost, and of course, location — with the added amusement of shaking The Device to choose a place. Note that Urbanspoon focuses only on eateries, and seems to have a smaller directory than Yelp. I can rate restaurants without registration, but I’d need to create an account if I wanted to add or track restaurants on Urbanspoon.

Reference materials

I was torn between Wikipanion (free | iTunes link) and WikiTap (free | iTunes link) for access to Wikipedia. They both have straightforward interfaces, displaying content fit literally for the iPhone. But I’ve decided to stick with Wikipanion for now, although it’s rather slow to launch. I finally tired of WikiTap’s habit of displaying the top videos on startup. Also got tired of dismissing the space hogging videoclip bar every time an article loaded. (Thus I learned that I prefer to see text and images on Wikipedia, not movies.)

Constitution (free | iTunes link) neatly provides easy access to the United States Constitution. I just wish it included some sort of search mechanism, to better navigate the ocean (albeit a nicely organized ocean) of legal words and statements.

Social networking is another name for communication

I spend little time doing the online social networking jig. Okay, okay, except for Facebook, and occasionally LinkedIn. The Facebook app (free | iTunes link) is handy little thing, with clearly arranged features.

In addition, I read what seems to be a gazillion RSS feeds, although I’m not sure if I want to read them on my iPhone. After all, it’s much easier to do so with the larger display on the Mac. However, do let me know about your favorite feed readers for the iPhone. It could certainly come in handy someday, if I manage to prune the list of subscriptions.

Then there is reading email. I don’t think I could depend on mail on the iPhone. I receive too much spam, and client-side spam control on the iPhone n’éxiste pas. However, webmail systems which have server-side spam control, like Google and Yahoo, work fine. But because of my current hosting plan, I cannot solely depend on such services.

Considering my nearly pathological hatred of telephonic communication, I still hesitate to use instant messaging (IM) iPhone apps. A phone’s ring can infuriate me, so I wouldn’t want an IM to put me into a similarly unpleasant state. A positive use for instant messaging, though, would be as a substitute for SMS. I just haven’t made up my mind between IM+ Lite (a.k.a., IM Plus Lite, free | iTunes link) or Palringo (free | iTunes link).

IM+ Lite is simple and handy, but used to crash a lot until an update arrived in November (v1.4 or v1.5). Palringo was completely useless until late September (v1.2.2): up until that version, it kept refusing my logins. Nowadays Palringo seems a lot more polished feature-wise than IM+ Lite, even allowing picture and voice messages to be sent. I wish Palringo didn’t require registration even though it’s free — yet another login to keep track of. IM+ Lite keeps a transcript of conversations, which is great when interruptions occur, but not so great if you don’t want chat histories for privacy’s sake. So you could see how it remains a toss up between these two apps.

Media and entertainment

How comfortable is it for you, dear reader, to read books, poetry or comics on the iPhone, or any small, mobile device? After reading for about 20 to 30 minutes, I start getting a headache. Of course, this could be due to the power of my contact lens and spectacles. In spite of this, I’ve briefly played with eReader (free | iTunes link) by Fictionwise, Stanza (free | iTunes link) by Lexcycle, and Classics ($4.99 | iTunes link). As with the IM apps, this has become another case of dissatisfaction.

One thing I discovered: eBooks (not the pre-copyright or public domain ones) are expensive! I couldn’t find any I wanted to buy at Fictionwise, so eReader quickly became useless without purchases. Stanza allows for easy iPhone downloads of free eBooks. But you know what? So many free eBooks have shitty formatting — nearly invisible paragraph delineation, images and lines clipped off, completely unreadable lines — all which contribute to a painful reading experience.

A couple friends who read a lot of eBooks on Treos have asked about their transferability onto the iPhone. Lexcycle has developed desktop clients for Windows and Macintosh, which would be useful if the instructions were better organized. But hey, it’s beta software! I spent a bit of time gritting my teeth while figuring how to setup and transfer eBooks with Stanza Desktop, but I learned the application depends on network sharing for file transfers. The solution is to jiggle the Mac’s firewall settings to allow traffic on port 9562.

Which brings me to Classics. Oh, how I wish I could read other books with this interface! (The app is presently limited to 15 public domain books.) Even though you cannot change how eBooks are displayed, it’s beautiful, yet gentle on the eyes. Dark brown text on a barely beige background, a pleasantly lower contrast (but not unreadably low contrast) compared with black text on a white background (or vice versa). Thoughtful placement of chapter titles and page numbers, not mention thoughtful use (but not overuse) of animation for page turning and bookmarking — so much that it feels like viewing a paper-based book. No messed up paragraphs or line spacing. Now if only there were ways to add to or remove eBooks in Classics…

Shadows Never Sleep (free | iTunes link). This is a lovely example of interactive literature. Here you zoom in to see more of an illustrated, non-linear poem. It’d be wonderful to find more stories, books or poems designed in such innovative ways, but the Books section in the iTunes App Store doesn’t lend itself to productive library or bookstore searching. (Yes, I find the Power Search tool rather limited, unless I’m missing some tricks there.)

Would you believe how rarely I’ve watched videos on the iPhone? I think that returns to my difficulty with reading or surfing for extended periods of time with a small display. However, watching shorts on YouTube, or movie trailers, has been a big convenience. I highly recommend Now Playing (formerly BoxOffice, free | iTunes link) for obtaining movie times, finding upcoming theatre and DVD release info, and as an excellent one-stop source for trailers.

I’m terrible at remembering song names and musician details, and even worse at recalling what sounds actually go with which artist. Midomi (free | iTunes link) helps a lot. I know many people like Shazam, but I find its interface less straightforward than Midomi’s. In Midomi, I can simply choose a source of sound or means of identification. However with Shazam, I couldn’t get the hang of “tagging,” which doesn’t allow keyboard entry, only sound, in order to identify music.

Then there are games

For the first several months of iPhone usage, I resisted. I rarely played videogames before, so why bother? I’ve never been keen on action or multiplayer games, have an aversion to feeling rushed, and am generally a lazy ass when it comes to stratagem. Unsurprisingly, I’ve got a short attention span for games that are too easy or too frustrating. For example, I usually enjoy hangman, but I ended up removing the two free versions by MobilityWare and by JamSoft. I also got pissed off at iSpot by Noovo Communications, even though I often like find-the-differences games.

Ah, but things have changed. Because I really appreciate developers who pay attention to details (e.g., iBird, iCaltrain, Classics, Now Playing), the iPhone eventually reminded me that games are no exception, whether simple or complex. I relish being immersed in a good story, and have fun with hidden-object tasks, light puzzles, and some wordplay. Even though I really yearn for smooth graphics, I award many points for imaginative styles which elicit bemused admiration. Here are some recommendations:

• Stone of Destiny ($0.99 | iTunes link) has so far been the best adventure game I’ve played on the iPhone. Your uncle mysteriously disappeared, and to help him you must obtain items while traveling through exotic places in order to find the Stone of Destiny. It’s somewhat easy, but has a nice mixture of hidden-object and small, gesture-driven puzzles, as well as creative visuals.
• Morocco (free | iTunes link), a free version of Othello, goes completely against my impatience with strategy games. I can play it over and over and over and…
• Bix Lite (free | iTunes link), an iPhone version of Qix, is a simple, but fun game where you fence off portions of the screen without colliding with the special power balls. But if you can trap the balls, you can take advantage of their powers: slowing down, extra life, etc. This lets me relive those arcade days I never experienced. Once I complete the first six levels, I’ll be tempted to get the paid version.
• Does Bubblewrap (free | iTunes link) count? Yes, of course. Remember to turn off the speaker, unless you want to draw attention to yourself.

For more iPhone game reviews, check out Jed’s article on puzzle games.

It’d be great to see something like The Fool’s Errand for the iPhone, with a modern look and feel. Saying this, I realize, again exposes the dearth of my computer game experience and knowledge.

Productivity

For note-taking and list-making on the go, I still use Evernote (free | iTunes link). I even signed up for their premium service — the way to ensure a constant secure (SSL) connection. I enjoy how Evernote allows me to keep track of things in text, with photos, or by voice. If they ever adopt a transcription service, they just might become the ultimate productivity tool. If they can first fix their offline and editing issues.

Vlingo (free | iTunes link) is a cross between a productivity tool and a navigational aid, powered by your voice. Vlingo does not offer true hands-free operation (but no iPhone app does, AFAIK) — you need to tap or hold while speaking — but it’s the closest thing and most useful way to operate the iPhone by voice. Not only can you web search and surf, you can also get directions, make phone calls, and even update your social networking sites.

In search of…

…Unit convertors

I’m having a pickle of a time trying to find a comprehensive, yet well-designed unit conversion app for the iPhone. I didn’t find a2z Pro, UniCon or Units useful or worthwhile enough. I’ve settled on The Converter ($0.99 | iTunes link) for now, but it feels somewhat cluttered, so I’m open to other recommendations.

On a related note, I’ve noticed that among the various conversion apps, there’s a broad range of currency data available. That is, the exchange rate in one would differ from another, since they get their rate data from different sources. I like the simplicity of Converter Pro (free | iTunes link). But which others are worth considering for accessing sensible (i.e., realistic) exchange rates? Such a tool would be indispensable for maintaining a budget on an international trip.

…Language resources

I want really good dictionary and thesaurus applications, especially those including usage rules and examples. (I’m sure I’m not the only native English speaker who gets confused by the myriad of prepositions.) I used to have a webclip to AskAWord.com, but its mobile interface still left much to be desired.

I also want to find useful translation tools, including dictionaries for Spanish, French, and maybe even Japanese. I’d love to hear about apps (or mobile sites) which offer common phrases, cultural explanations, and pronunciation examples — all essential while traveling or reading non-English documents.

Already mentioned, but…

Advice on iPhone feed readers? Further input on messaging apps? Sources of interactive literature? Please do share!

And a tip on iPhone app icons

I kept forgetting how to extract iPhone app icons. The process yields a square image without the glow and rounded corners — I imagine iTunes adds those dynamically. But it’s enough so that I can use the images for review purposes.

1. Go find the app’s .ipa file, usually within ~/Music/iTunes/Mobile Applications/. Copy [appname].ipa to another place, like your desktop.
2. Since it’s really a Zip archive, rename the file to [appname].zip.
3. Open [appname].zip and locate the file iTunesArtwork. It’s really a JPEG file, so append the extension as well as change its name so that its now called [appname].jpg.
4. Resize or crop as needed. For example, I used Preview to make 48×48-pixel icons.

If there’s a better way to get a higher quality version of the icon, do let me know. Not sure if taking a screenshot from iTunes, then cropping it, would be the best way.

This is a growing list, in alphabetical order of titles. I plan on writing additional articles for other animé I’ve seen — several good, several just “meh,” a few dreadful — but here I cover just the ones I consider the best.

What are your favorite animé? Either movies or television series.

Note the 1st: In addition, I have included links to Wikipedia, Nausicaa.net, Animé News Network (ANN), or official sites, where available. They provide more screenshots which give a better idea about each work’s visual style. But do keep in mind that these sources, especially some at Wikipedia, might include spoilers.

Note the 2nd, on maturity levels: All of these are fine to watch for adolescents on up, IMO. Totoro is probably the only one that’s acceptable for all ages including young tads. Just so’s you know.

Fruits Basket (TV series). ANN link | Wikipedia link. I avoided watching Furuba for a long time, with its extremely cute yet simple style. But I kept seeing positive reviews at Netflix and other animé review sites, so I finally thought, “Oh, it couldn’t hurt to sit down with the first disc of episodes.” Talk about deceptive appearances! Also, a deceptively clichéd supernatural soap opera plot: recently orphaned Tohru falls in with the cursed (and highly dysfunctional) Sohma clan. Yet the characters have depth, and the story is involving and heart-wrenching. After watching the animé, I got hooked on the manga. The manga hadn’t finished by the time the TV series completed. So the animé takes a subset of (and minor liberties with) the plots from manga, but still results in a very satisfying story nonetheless.

Yuki Sohma, Tohru Honda and Kyo Sohma

Haibane Renmei (Grey Wings, TV series). ANN link | Wikipedia link. The opening scenes set the tone for this series: A girl quietly falls to earth, accompanied by a crow. She then wakes up, falling (again) out of a giant egg sac. She finds herself in a quiet (again) old building, surrounded by other young adults and children. Who have halos. And wings. It’s a charmingly low-key, yet rich fantasy about self-discovery, without explosions (except for festival fireworks), and without overwrought battles (except for the thoughtful, internalized kind). I love Yoshitoshi ABe’s moody illustration — it’d be great if the manga for this series became available in English. His dark style is also evident in the ground-breaking Serial Experiments Lain.

Reki and Rakka, surrounded by the rest of their gang.

Juuni Kokki (The Twelve Kingdoms, TV series). ANN link | Wikipedia link. If you want a great epic, watch The Twelve Kingdoms. It’s a whopping 10-disc set, covering the struggle and growth of both empires and individuals. Take a look at one of the protagonists, Yoko: she’s shy, withdrawn, and just wants to conform to everyone’s expectations so she can get by in life. Thrown into a terrifying new world, she learns that she must behave and become the opposite, not just to survive, but to succeed. The world of the twelve kingdoms is itself dynamic and intricate, filled with a wide variety of beasts and people.

Yoko, surrounded by Shoryu, Enki, Rakushan and Keiki.

Last Exile (TV series). Official US site (requires Flash) | ANN link | Wikipedia link. This animé is characterized by a gorgeous steampunk style, using a combination of traditional and computer-generated animation. (Studio Gonzo also made Blue Submarine Number 6, which I found underwhelming; this is the superior product. Another bit of trivia: Makoto Kobayashi, creator of the superbly hilarious What’s Michael manga, did some of the artwork in this piece. Evidence of high quality, sez I.) It’s about Claus and Lavie, a couple of delivery kids who live where a war has been raging on for longer than their lives. What happens when they run into the eccentric crew of the warship Silvana? What happens when they must deal with the deadly hyper-technologized Guild, or the mysterious little girl Alvis that so many people seem to be after?

Lavie, Alvis and Klaus.

Mononoke Hime (Princess Mononoke, feature-length film). Nausicaa.net link | ANN link | Wikipedia link. It’s medieval Japan, and a young man must go on a journey to find the source of his curse. What he finds are angry gods, a dying forest, an ambitious industrialist, and a young woman raised by wolves at the center of it all. What might seem to be a clear environmentalism vs. progress issue turns out to be far less black and white than you’d expect. True to Miyazaki fashion, even the most brutal of characters — and there are several — displays compassion and concern for others. As you can tell from the thumbnail below, this film is not for the squeamish.

Mononoke Hime with her mother, Moro.

Mushi-shi (TV series). ANN link | Wikipedia link. This is another quiet, yet fascinating series. The mushi are another life-form, kind of like a spirit, kind of like a plant, kind of like an animal. Like us, they live, evolve, and have a need to survive. Ginko the mushi-shi (an expert on mushi) travels around rural Japan, studying and attempting to cure mushi infestations. This animé consists of standalone stories, rather than a single overarching plot — but the beautiful scenery and sense of (quasi) scientific inquiry result in a dream-like admiration at Ginko’s adventures.

Ginko the Mushi-shi, with mushi overhead.

My Neighbor Totoro (feature-length film). Nausicaa.net link | ANN link | Wikipedia link. When I first watched this movie, it was without subtitles and without dubbing. But with the tones of voice and body language, it became a delight to follow. It’s a typical fairy tale, shown in a way that makes anyone (regardless of age) experience childhood wonder: Two sisters, their absent-minded professor of a father, their ailing mother, and a rickety old house and forest full of spirits to discover. I also view this film as my introduction to Shintoism, although I admit I don’t know how accurately the religion was portrayed. It was, at least by my skeptical standards, a pleasant exposure (i.e., non-evangelical, non-dogmatic).

Totoro with Mei and Satsuki, and his cute minions.

Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind (feature-length film). Nausicaa.net link | ANN link | Wikipedia link. This is the one. After years of self-mockery at my toddlerhood of Speed Racer and avoiding animé, Miyazaki’s first feature-length movie was my gateway animé. (Thanks due to Kam, for her post-college influence!) Characters so fascinating that villains are never as thinly developed as you’d expect. A post-apocolyptic story that challenges the ideas of war and the ecological status quo. To see where a film (animated or otherwise) succeeds where so many fail, watch this one. I also strongly recommend reading the multi-volume manga based on this film, whose plot and characters are both broader and more complex, given the longer production history. It comes as no surprise that it’s one of my favorite manga.

Nausicaä on her glider.

Paprika (feature-length film). Please refer to my longer entry on this movie.

Dr. Chiba and Paprika.

Ghiradelli isn’t bad, but their flavored varieties are somewhat uninspired and feel waxy-plasticy in the mouth. Scharffen Berger’s chocolate I find too burnt and acrid on its own, although it goes well in cooking, and their milk chocolate is deep and creamy (yum). Guittard has been a longtime favorite since childhood, for both eating out of hand and cooking. It’s no wonder that some of the best confectioners, such as Recchiuti, use Guittard in their truffles and treats!

Returning to TCHO, I ordered a sampler of their first three flavors: “Nutty,” “Fruity,” and “Chocolatey.” Wow, was it fun to taste-test these! The experience makes me look forward to their future batches and flavors, not to mention bigger production, at hopefully lower prices without lowering their standards. (It cost $15 for three 2-ounce samples.)

What follows is what I had sent TCHO as feedback, with some minor edits and formatting for this entry. It combines both Simon’s and my observations; we pretty much agreed on what we perceived. Check out other TCHO reviews, or their company blog, for more information.

The texture for all three is pretty much the same. Smooth, no grittiness or annoying waxiness. They are all dark (non-milk) chocolates containing cocoa solids (70%), cane sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin (vegetarian emulsifier), and vanilla bean. The characteristic flavors come from TCHO’s meticulous recipe hacking, with only those ingredients, which is quite impressive considering the wide flavor range we encountered.

Let me know if you have tried TCHO’s theobromic experiments!

“Nutty” beta batch N. Peru 0.12M

Overall: This doesn’t seem to taste nutty at all, at least in the tree nut sense like almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, pistachios, or pine nuts. Not bad, but somewhat disappointing due to expectations of a roasted tree nut flavor.

Smells sweet chocolatey, with maybe a hint of coconut.

Tastes initially tart-citrusy, then rich overall with a slight yet pleasant bitter edge. Tail end flavor slightly smokey like a dark-roasted coffee.

“Fruity” beta batch Peru 0.12M

Overall: Very interesting with many enjoyable stone fruit and berry dimensions.

Smells sweet fruity.

The initial taste is very bitter, then the fun really starts as the flavor develops into a sudden tartness of prunes, dried apricots, raisins, even some cranberry!

“Chocolatey” beta batch C. Ghana 0.99C

Overall: Comparing this with “Fruity” and “Nutty,” this one is the most intriguing chocolate so far. I’d call it more “spicy” than chocolatey, but it’s still delicious.

Smells like smokey raisins.

Tastes spicy with mild smokiness, while at the same time without bitterness. Aromas in the mouth include anise, cinnamon, molasses and a touch of nutmeg.

My list below might seem short, considering there are a multitude of to-do list apps. Since I need access to data previously stored on my Treo, I’ve ruled out apps which allow data entry on only the iPhone. The bulk of such apps are like that, with no way to import, at least when I went through the iTunes store in mid-August.

The three apps I reviewed depend on web services (i.e., network access via wifi or Edge/3G) to view data on the iPhone. I thought this odd until I realized that until mid-July, third-party apps could be only web apps. (Duh, unless jailbroken.) Because the network dependency, all of these require online registration and login.

• Evernote: Handles both notes and lists. Desktop app available for Mac and Windows.
• Jott: Handles notes and lists. Desktop app available for all platforms.
• Zenbe Lists: Handles only lists.

Update (7 Nov 2008): Here’s a good article at Wired on the currently inadequate quality of note-taking apps.

Details follow after the jump.

Evernote for iPhone & Mac Desktop

Of the three apps I’ve reviewed, I ended up using Evernote v1.2 the most. Everything is a note, though I can add checkboxes to emulate checklists. That takes care of my minimal task requirements. But what makes Evernote so handy is that it’s easy to input and access data, as well as a snap to organize and search through my information.

Data are stored on their web servers, as well as the desktop app, should you decide to also use that tool. Evernote offers a premium service as a month-to-month or annual subscription, if you need additional server storage. With all the memos and lists I imported (totaling over 60 items), I barely scratched the quotas for the free account.

The iPhone app itself is simple and straightforward, with four basic tasks: create a New Note, view and search through Notes, view Pending edits to notes, and Account settings. Moreover, Evernote provides a convenient choice of note possibilites: Text Note (plain or with checkboxes to emulate to-do lists), Snapshot Note (ad hoc camera photos), Saved Photo Note (based on photos already stored on iPhone), and Voice Note (voice recordings up to 5 minutes each, which unlike Jott remain audio and are not transcribed).

The Current Search panel (accessed from the Notes view) on the iPhone allows you to search on tags or attributes such as modification time, media content, task completion, and so forth. This is a powerful search tool which doesn’t exist in either Jott or Zenbe Lists.

Regarding network access: According to Evernote’s terms, the connection should remain secure, although I’ve seen the https protocol for only the login screen.

I really do want to like Evernote, but it has a daunting laundry list of shortcomings, especially the first point:

1. No offline access for iPhone. That is, no local data storage or access on the iPhone itself. That means that even though Evernote has both a desktop app and iPhone app, you cannot sync the two with each other. (Kind of deceptive considering the prominent image on the left side of their home page, implying that you can sync between the desktop and iPhone.) At present I’d have to sync the desktop data to the web service, then the web service to my iPhone (or vice versa). Evernote becomes useless with poor or nonexistent network access, such as using airplane mode, or traveling within some rural areas. They state that implementing offline support would be difficult, so they plan an interim solution to allow email as a way of accessing one’s notes. But that’s still requires network access, and as I’ve said before, I’d rather not manage notes, lists or tasks in a mail app. Update: Version 1.4 now allows you to mark individual notes as Favorites, which stores them locally on the iPhone. It’s both a compromising and compromised solution, but at least you can view Favorite notes without a network connection.
2. The iPhone app has a major limitation where it cannot handle editing anything other than plain text. If I used any styles on the web UI or desktop, including font changes or checkboxes, I would not be able to change that content on the iPhone. As a compromise, I can append plain text to such rich content notes. This feels half-hearted, though, since other apps (including Jott, Zenbe Lists, and the myriad iPhone-only-editable to-do list apps) have been able to incorporate editable checkbox or to-do list features.
3. Because of point #2, you cannot mark off checkboxes on the iPhone. True, you can add and remove check marks on the web UI or desktop app. But so much for have a mobile to-do list, hunh? Update: Version 1.3 now allows checkbox marking on the iPhone; they’re working on a way to create checkboxes on the iPhone. Good to see the progress, though!
4. You can create notebooks, which contain individual notes like a folder. In the desktop app, notebooks can be set as either synchronized or local (i.e., not synchronized with the web-based server). But you can set this only once. You cannot change your mind and go between synchronized or local, which is very limiting. Especially since you cannot directly synchronize between the desktop app and the iPhone.
5. Desktop app: Why in the world did they hardcode MS-Windows fonts, rather than recognizing and using Macintosh ones? And unlike the web UI, there’s no choice to change content to plain text.
6. Cannot rename, delete or create Notebooks on the iPhone; can do so only in the desktop app or web UI.
7. Bug: While saving a note on the iPhone, the app switches over to the Pending screen. And stays there after saving completes, which is silly because at that point the Pending screen is empty. It should return to either the Notes screen or the editing screen.
8. Cannot sort notes on iPhone or web UI; those listings are based on last modified and recently created, respectively. Although you can do so in the desktop app.
9. It’d be nice to have landscape keyboard or view.
10. At first I though I needed a quicklist of Notebooks on the iPhone. But then I got into the habit of using Evernote’s powerful tag and attribute based searching UI. Not the same as using folders for categorizing, which would be an added plus, but still quite usable!
11. No transcription for voice notes, but that’s okay. A non-trivial service to build, after all.

Jott & Jott Express

Jott v1.0.4 offers voice recognition and transcription services, along with tools for to-do lists, notes, reminders and multi-contact collaboration. Unfortunately, the desktop and iPhone apps are far too frustrating for me to use. (It took me a while to discover the desktop app Jott Express, until a splashscreen advertising it appeared when logging onto the website.) In any case, I limited my review to Jott’s voice and text notes, and to-do lists, so here are the issues:

1. First off, registration on the website never worked: the form kept rejecting my registration info for a free account. Perhaps it expected a promo code? Instead I was able to register from my iPhone.
2. For the longest time, I could not tell the functional differences between notes and lists. That should be obvious, right? Well, Jott makes the horrid mistake of mixing the note and to-do list UIs on the iPhone. Notes are in a note folder, but wait, to-do lists are individually listed in the the button bar. If I have more than one list, I need to scroll through the button bar. How asinine to combine primary tasks with “file” listings in a small navigational region! But wait again, it turns out that lists can be either part of a note, or standalone items. If it takes more than 15 minutes to figure out the messy hierarchy, it’s not worth my time and effort.
3. Jott Express runs via Adobe AIR, which is included in the download. It’s really more of a web shortcut from your desktop. There’s not even an undo command. Also, when something doesn’t seem to do anything (like the Clean Up button), it makes the app feel half-baked. Why bother when I could use the better web UI from a browser?
4. Voice memos are limited to 15 seconds each.
5. No way to categorize, sort or search through notes or to-do lists on the iPhone or desktop. I can search on the web UI, however.

Like Evernote, Jott offers paid services for longer voice memos and additional storage.

I am impressed by Jott’s voice transcription feature: its accuracy for writing out what I spoke is very good and very cool. I might use it occasionally for a quick voice memo I’ll later need in text. But for regular daily use, in its current state of too many choices poorly presented, forget it.

Zenbe Lists

Zenbe Lists v1.2.1 allows only textual lists, not memos, not pictures, nor audio notes. You have the choice to collaborate (i.e., share lists), although that’s not a feature I currently need.

On the surface, Zenbe’s interface is clean and simple. However, when I scratched a bit more, I found I had to rule it out as a useable tool:

1. Cannot easily import from a spreadsheet, which is where my many exported checklists reside. I must paste one row at time into a single checklist item, which is way too inefficient and tedious.
2. No desktop tool to access or modify data at all.
3. There are no categories or tags, or folders, as a means of organizing lists. It doesn’t look like they’ll be implementing tags any time soon.
4. There’s no way (AFAICT) to search through lists. Perhaps due to limitations in #3?
5. Zenbe’s login apparently goes over a secure connection, although the URL bar never seems to display the https protocol.

Overall

Sadly, none of the choices here fill me with an eagerness to jump in and use them fulltime, or at least longterm. Nonetheless, it hasn’t been two months since iPhone 2.0 came out, so I definitely need patience. It’ll be interesting to see what ships over the next several months, whether updates to the ones here, or spankin’ new applications. All likely subject to another entry, of course!

I had thought that I wouldn’t mind either an app which handles both notes and lists, or a tool that did a single type of task. But after spending time with several apps, I believe that a multi-tasking one might better suit me after all. That is, if it’s implemented well, and not overcomplicated. Evernote certainly has an edge over Jott and Zenbe Lists, in both features and interface, so I’ll continue to use that because I need to use something now for notes and lists. Until something significantly better comes out.

Time’s Up, a minicomic series by Patrick J. Lee. Lee’s artwork reminds me of a cross between Matt Howarth and Gilbert Hernandez. My favorite story is “The Yellow Kid,” an interesting reflection on being Asian American (especially one who hated kung fu).

Twisted Sisters: A Collection of Bad Girl Art, edited by Diane Noomin. An excellent anthology of unabashedly feminist creators. My favorites include the late Dori Seda (”Let’s eat brains!”), Krystine Kryttre (scritchy, angry, dark and fun) and Mary Fleener (autobiographical stories drawn in a nifty, abstractly geometric style).

Uzumaki, by Junji Ito. An eerie horror story about spirals (uzumaki) taking over and destroying a small Japanese town. Disturbing and quite compelling to read.

Utopia Unlimited, by Charlie Wise. This was a two issue (both standalone stories) for Phil Foglio’s Xxxenophile series. It’s a lot of fun —I prefer the first one with the stuffy lieutenant getting, ah, entangled with a gorgeous, sentient cyborg. Whee! Wise seems to have disappeared from the Internet, since this best information I can find on his work is an article at Clean Sheets.

Wandering Star, by Teri Sue Wood (now known as Teresa Susan Challender, and The Resa). A story told in flashback, of a woman and her friends who survived a interstellar war. Wood handles the relationships thoughtfully and humorously.

What’s New? by Phil Foglio. This is the first collection of Foglio’s strip from Dragon magazine. Contains funny and thoughtful discussions about gamers and roleplaying games. Now available as a free web comic.

Yikes, by Steven “Ribs” Weissman. Delightfully creepy li’l kids: cute zombies and vampires, along with an adorable gorgon, cowgirl and a boy with x-ray eyes. Amusing to read about their neighborhood and playground dramas.

Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind, by Hayao Miyazaki. I had resisted animé for a long time, ’till Kam showed me the animated version of Nausicaä. What had grabbed my attention was how the protagonist secretly and meticulously worked in her underground laboratory. After watching that (along with the complex post-apocolyptic theme), I had to get my hands on the manga, which turned out to have an even broader and deeper storyline than in the movie. I loved reading about how her close bond with nature affected herself as well as other people.

The Neighborhood and Ballard Street, by Jerry Van Amerongen. I used to read The Neighborhood often, but it stopped running in 1991. It’s been replaced by Ballard Street, but I don’t read it much since I’ve fallen out of the habit of reading most strips. As with Piraro’s Bizarro, Van Amerongen has a good handle on the use of non sequitor.

Norb, written by Daniel M. Pinkwater and illustrated by Tony Auth. The quirky adventures of an elderly man, a girl named Rat, and a white mastadon. What’s not to miss? (Unfortunately, it’s difficult to find a copy of this out-of-print book.)

The Odd Adventure Zine, by Ty and Ian Smith. Moe is an investigator of the odd: His cases range from a giant mutant armadillo to a mad taxidermist. Nifty retro styled illustration with some amusing plots.

Preacher, written by Garth Ennis and illustrated by Steven Dillon. In a word, gleh. In several words, I hoped for something more from a story about a preacher possessed by the child of a demon and angel. With a vampire, a woman with guns, inbred mutants, and nasties from supernatural and religious establishments, what I got was too much.

Quicken Forbidden, by Dave Roman and John Green. Jax is a teenage girl in a modern day Alice in Wonderland-like adventure. A riveting mix of reality levels.

Sandman, written by Neil Gaiman with illustrations by multiple artists. The sullen, moody anthropomorphic personification of dreams gets trapped. Then escapes. Then deals with repercussions from being holed away for so long. Then deals with personal and family issues. It’s a superb collection of intertwined arcs. So’s the art, for the most part. As an example of how artwork continually amazes me: I had never liked Marc Hempel’s Gregory, but his work for the Kindly Ones storyline pleasantly surprised me.

Skeleton Key, by Andi Watson. This series describes the interesting relationship between Kitsune, a fox-human from Shinto legend, and Tamsin, a teenaged goth-jock-chick (a jarring but nifty clash of traits!). Complications arise when they make use of a skeleton key that opens doors to other dimensions. The artwork, influenced by both 1980s indie comics and manga, develops from heavy inks to more streamlined composition. As if in parallel, the story evolves from young women having adventures to people who argue, learn and grow.

Smith Brown Jones: Alien Accountant, by Jon “Bean” Hastings. I picked up the first volume at APE VI, and as I was paying for it Hastings made the facetious remark, “You’re just buying this to get away from talking with me, right?” Alas, my silent grumpiness was due to being ill and spaced out on drugs-for-illness. His work is a laugh riot; I laugh louder each time I go through the comic. I swear the ubiquitous drink Splink predates Futurama’s Slurm. About an alien accountant (not the human CPA version, mind you) who works at a tabloid company while studying humanity. The artwork also reminds me of Charlie Wise (Blue Moon, Utopia Unlimited).

Sweet, by Leland Myrick. Each issue of this comic is a standalone love story. Each is told in a intriguing manner: sometimes quirky, sometimes dark, sometimes touching. Issue #1 is one of a young man falling in love with a vampire —perhaps clichéd in a gothish way, but still cute. Issue #2, though my “least” favorite, is how a jailguard in a women’s facility has a crush on one of the inmates; it has an interesting, atypical resolution. Issue #3 is a delightful tale about the artist, the short-order cook, the dog and the end of the world. Issue #4 is an odd story of a colonial girl kidnapped by Native Americans.

Geisha, by Andi Watson. A limited 4-issue series. This comic is drawn in a slick, yet approachable manga style. Jomi is a cyborg who lives as a starving artist. Because she was raised in a human family, she frequently struggles with those who want to pigeonhole her as a mere machine. Especially art critics. It’s a cute story, containing amusing references to 1990s Japanese pop culture (e.g., the Angry Penguin bar à la Bad Badtz Maru).

Gordon Yamamoto and the King of the Geeks, by Gene Yang. My nose runs whenever I eat something hot, cold or spicy. My nose runs and clogs up whenever it is cold, wet or dry outside or inside. This comic is the epitome of nasal fixation, yet also contains keen insight regarding peer pressure. Discovered it APE V, but I still laugh out loud whenever I read it.

The Invisibles, written by Grant Morrison, with artwork by several illustrators. Razor sharp, radical social commentary wrapped in a shiny, explosive package. Members of diverse subcultures (the Invisibles) fight against the conspiracy of the Establishment. This formula can be easily overused and trite, but with The Invisibles it becomes a raunchy adventure, full of idealism, that somehow works.

Keif Llama, Xenotech. Matt Howarth. Keif Llama is a xenotech, who travels the galaxy solving issues amongst sentient aliens from a wild range of backgrounds. For example, investigating the sociobiological needs of gargantuan beings living in an oil-based ocean. Not without pitfalls, the life of a xenotech sounds like a dream job —certainly much better than torturing rodents as a wage slave.

Life in Hell, by Matt Groening. My favorite collection is School is Hell, which I received as a present during college. Indeed, Groening’s observations are strangely accurate, including the declaration that middle school is the “deepest pit of hell,” and how college life boils down to sink-or-swim. Work is Hell and Love is Hell are excellent as well.

Loyola Chin and the San Peligran Order, by Gene Yang. After Gordon Yamamoto, Yang takes weird food combinations and sleep patterns to hilarious heights. I also like the character interactions between Loyola and Gordon. But the ultimate themes regarding faith and unmutable fate? Personally, I strongly disagree. This comic’s religious implications ended up clashing with my sensibilities.

Mister Blank, by Christopher J. Hicks. “What about Sam Smith?” “What about him? He’s a nobody. A bug.” It’s an interesting tale of how a faceless cog becomes the center of an odd conspiracy of biblical proportions. I liked Hicks’ use of clean, pleasant grey-scales, a technique which often looks cheap in other black and white comics.

Mystery Date, by Carla Speed McNeil. I originally found this in Michael Cohen’s Mythography anthology, but McNeil has now collected the stories into a single volume. It’s about Vary, a young woman training to become a prostitute at a prestigious university. She also takes xenology classes, where two of the most intriguing professors challenge her views on romance, sex and (non)human behavior. Some of the Finder characters make an appearance as well.

Amphigorey, Amiphigorey Too and Amphigorey Also, by Edward Gorey (another site describing his works). Gorey was the epitome of intricate, macabre illustration, and these omnibuses gather his work. The first Amphigorey book contains the well-known “Gashlycrumb Tinies,” “The Hapless Child,” which made several of my friends shudder in horror, and “The Insect God,” the inspiration for the eponymous song by the Monks of Doom. I haven’t yet read the recently published collection, Amphigorey Again.

Athena, by Dean Hsieh. It’s neo-future Greece, where the old pantheon of gods haven’t been overthrown by the new generation of gods. Instead, they’ve been downsized. It’s about Athena (my favorite Greek deity), recently fired and now seeking rock’n'roll enlightenment with her mortal pals Kallie and Jay, while attempting to avoid family problems. Hsieh’s style exhibits a strong manga influence, so his art appears cute in a fun, yet ironic way. I’m sad this comic ended after only 14 issues, yet its resolution does satisfy me.

Bizarro, by Dan Piraro. The title describes the comic strip perfectly. The art is detailed, reminding me in some of ways of Gorey’s style. I don’t read Bizarro as often as I used to, but it remains true to itself with its weird and surreal tones, with good doses of whimsy.

The Black Orchid, by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean. This refers the 3-part graphic novelette published in 1988 through 1989, not the series from either the 1970s or 1990s. A compelling, beautifully executed story about a human-plant hybrid who wakes up with amnesia, then searches for her past.

Bloom County, by Berk Breathed. I confess, I never got into Doonesbury; not that I disliked it, just never grokked it. On the other hand, Bloom County, with its animals (perhaps a strong influence by Walt Kelly’s Pogo) and children as social and political commentators, held a special place in my heart during high school and college.

The Chuckling Whatsit, by Richard Sala. A creepy tale of a journalist who takes a temp job as an astrologer, only to discover that previous astrologers have been murdered —a good cross between film noir and the macabre. Sala also did “Invisible Hands” for MTV’s Liquid Telelvision, as well as some artwork for the Residents’ Freakshow interactive CD.

Clan Apis, by Jay Hosler. A 5-issue series about the life of a worker bee in her hive. Beautifully drawn and told by an entomologist, no less. Definitely reminds me of the finer points of biology, in a fun way.

Dyke Strippers, edited by Roz Warren. An excellent anthology of queer woman cartoonists. While this book includes well-known Alison Bechdel (Dykes to Watch Out For) and Diane DiMassa (Hothead Paisan), this collection pleasantly surprised me with many creators I hadn’t heard of before. The two creators I really enjoy are Jennifer Camper, who wrote the hilarious Rude Girls and Dangerous Women, and Ellen Forney, creator of 7 in ‘75. Forney’s “Bi bi Birdie! The trials and tribulations of a young bisexual chick” remains a particularly insightful anecdote, funny and sharp at once.

The Far Side, by Gary Larson. Some comics that poke fun at science often remind me of the worst aspects of science: dry, tedious, obfuscated. This is the fine exception. Larson’s strip is delightfully warped and wacky. After all, Larson was right when he proclaimed, “Birds of prey know they’re cool.”

Update (25 Feb 2009): I’ve decided to get rid of the Western vs. Asian division. Whether they are originally written in English, or not (such as manga from Japan or manhwa from Korea), they remain the same medium I cherish, comics.

So here’s a summary list of the web comics…

• Digger
• Finder
• Galaxion
• Girl Genius
• Xeno’s Arrow

…As well as a summary list of comics I read in dead tree format.

• Castle Waiting
• A Distant Soil
• Dokebi Bride
• Fruits Basket
• Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service
• Love and Rockets
• Usagi Yogimbo
• Yuri Monogatari

The number of comics would be maddeningly long if I included the various other graphic novels, completed series, and comic strips I’ve enjoyed! In addition, there are incomplete stories, sadly on hiatus. But I’ll cover previously read and incomplete comics in separate articles.

Castle Waiting, by Linda Medley. The story seems like something from several Brothers’ Grimm fairy tales. But only on the surface of this exquisitely illustrated, intricately woven narrative. Talking animals going about their lives like normal folk. A Castle that has an infestation of sprites, gremlins, kobolds. The protagonists range from Lady Jain (escaping a nasty family) to Sister Peace (a highly eccentric nun). Medley had put this comic on hold due to financial and publisher issues, but has thankfully returned to a somewhat regular publication from Fantagraphics. The creator’s site seems erratically available, down as of this writing.

Digger, by Ursula Vernon (older site at Metal and Magic). What do you get when you combine an atheist wombat, an ostracized hyena and an orphaned demon? A fun, weird story. In addition, Vernon’s illustration technique evokes a dark moodiness, reminding me of drawings derived from rubbing or scraping away ink. Digger is a webcomic in which the first 285 pages are free to view; more current pages require a paid subscription. She has published three books collecting the series, although I don’t know when the fourth one will be in print.

A Distant Soil, by Colleen Doran (creator’s blog). An epic involving alien societies (such as the arrogant Ovanon), beings from Arthurian and Faerie realms, and, at the center of it all, Ovanan-human hybrids. Nearly three decades in production, this comic has been a pleasure to read: from watching how Doran’s style has matured (reminding me of John R. Neill’s art from Baum’s Oz books), to watching the story progress. The series is available in four books: The Gathering, The Ascendant, The Aria and Coda. Doran is currently working on both the final arc, Requiem, as well as a prequel, Seasons of Spring.

Dokebi Bride, by Marley. As an example of my late-adopter status, this is the first manhwa I’ve read. The artwork, especially the covers, is stunning. Sunbi comes from a line of female shamans who either deal with dangerous spirits, or go mad. Her grandmother (the former) raised her because her mother died from the latter. As I read how Sunbi struggles to find out more about her family, I see how strong-willed and antagonistic she is. Yet I appreciate how she learns from her mistakes and slowly matures. A significant misstep is how she becomes “married” to a dokebi, an ogre-like spirit —who reflects her own obstreperous personality.

Finder, by Carla Speed McNeil. A complex set of stories, involving complex societies. McNeil has said “Finder blends fantasy, science fiction, and human drama… Jaeger, the main character, is a different sort of detective, being both a tracker and a survivalist. Finder follows him on his travels, revealing both his life and the unfolding world he lives in.” My favorites include Talisman, which focuses on Marcie, a bookish young friend of Jaeger’s, and King of the Cats, which beautifully shows the harsh contrast between indigent and wealthy peoples. Check out free graphic novel previews, as well as her current arc on the website.

Fruits Basket (Furuba, as a portmanteau), by Natsuki Takaya. The Wikipedia entry, which contains spoilers after the Plot section. Some of my initial resistance to manga (and animé) is the overuse of hypercute, giant-eyed characters, part of the moe illustration style. Such a superficial prejudice, I soon learned, especially with Fruits Basket! On the surface, the orphaned Tohru Honda falls in with the Sohma clan, who have an odd… relationship with the Chinese Zodiac. Those cursed turn into an animal when grabbed or embraced by someone of the opposite sex. Sounds hilarious, and indeed there are great comic moments. But below the surface lies troubled lives, and disturbing, abusive families, as well as the struggle to cope and overcome. Furuba is also an example of where I became eager to read the manga after first watching the animé television series. (Tezuka’s Black Jack would be another one, when the English translation returns to print.) In fact, while the animé version is excellent, I find the manga more complex, a work to relish as the story carefully unfolds. TokyoPop has published 20 English graphic novels, out of a total of possibly 22 to 24 books.

Galaxion, by Tara Tallan (creator’s blog). Well-drawn and fun space opera. Imagine blasting across the galaxy, and appearing near something that’s eerily like, but not like Earth. Tallan was the first Western creator I saw who employed a manga-flavored style —indeed, predating by over a decade the current manga-styled comics craze! When I had read first 6 issues, the story took a rather annoyingly conventional turn, where a young male crewmember suddenly behaved in a Nancy Drew Mary Sue fashion. However, since she moved her comic online, Tallan is now in the process of polishing and readjusting the characters and plot. Something delightful to look forward to with Galaxion’s weekly updates.

Girl Genius, by Phil and Kaja Foglio. Adventure, Romance, MAD SCIENCE! The saga of how Agatha Heterodyne, budding mad scientist, finds her place in the world. A wonderful steampunk fantasy, full of world-building, world-crashing character development and thrilling plots. And some of the best coloring I’ve seen in comics, too.

Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service, written by Eiji Otsuka and illustrated by Housui Yamazaki. Five students at a Buddhist university find that they’ve got very dim employment prospects. So they form a company that helps the dead find resolution. They barely manage to hang together: a dowser who finds bodies (not water), a psychic who speaks with the dead, an embalmer doomed in a nation that focuses on cremation (but great for forensics), a hacker-social engineer (an unusual but effective leader), and a nerdy nobody whose sock puppet channels a foul-mouthed alien. Yes. Alien sock puppet. The illustration is gorgeous, but also VERY graphic —the mature rating is definitely to be taken seriously. But this manga succeeds because of the wacky, discordant personalities, as well as a balance of humor and humanity in the face of horror.

Love and Rockets, by Gilbert, Jaime and Mario Hernandez. This comic is one of my all-time favorites. I cherish the sci-fi escapades of earlier issues, but continue to admire the more real-life themes of later (and current) stories. There’s the richness of las Locas (notably Maggie, Hopey and Izzy) in Los Angeles. There are the compelling lives Palomar folk in Mexico. Both venues contain a dash of magical realism, and a wealth of history. Having Generation-X characters definitely resonates strongly for me. Jaime has the rare ability to draw women with Real Bodies, yet I also enjoy Gilbert’s nods towards famous artists like Frida Kahlo (e.g., an illustrated biography of her life) and Osamu Tezuka (e.g., Errata Stigmata).

Usagi Yojimbo, by Stan Sakai. Its title literally means “rabbit bodyguard,” referring to the comic’s central figure. The stories take place in feudal Japan with the anthropomorphic characters acting out military and political intrigues of the time (both fictional and legendary). The artwork clearly conveys emotions ranging from silliness and joy to rage and stoicism, yet doesn’t strike me as deriving from manga styles. (Not that that’s bad, of course, considering my enjoyment of Galaxion, Steady Beat and Tea Club.) It’s simply Sakai’s own fine workmanship!

Artwork © Mattias Johansson / Muertosan and Stan Sakai.

Yuri Monogatari anthologies published by AniLesboCon. Yuri (”lily,” literally) refers to lesbian (and occasionally bisexual women) themes in manga and animé. (ALC Publishing’s president Erica Friedman provides a helpful glossary of related terms.) Monogatari translates as “tales,” so this series collects stories by many different artists in differing styles, some Japanese and some not Japanese. Actually, most are non-Japanese authors, which is why I list it under Western rather than Asian comics. A few seem to completely lack manga traits, having only lesbian themes. (Especially those by Sergio Alves, Grace Hume, Althea Keaton and Susan Knowles, although I did enjoy the ones by Keaton and Knowles.) I’ve managed to obtain volumes 3, 4 and 5, and the quality of the stories is at its best in the latest one. (The first two volumes are out of print and difficult to find.) I’m particularly fond of works by Sakuraike Kana, Akiko Morishima, Eriko Tadeno, Rica Takashima, and Nishi Uko. I hope this trend continues in future volumes.

Xeno’s Arrow, by Greg Beettam and Stephen Geigen-Miller (Geigen-Miller’s blog). I discovered this at APE VI, and when I had asked one of the creators what it was about he replied, “Fascism from a child’s perspective.” It’s also about escape (literally) from oppression, which has made it one of the few swashbuckling adventures I enjoy. It has an interesting mix of characters, including naïve, blue-skinned Xeno, a child of an unknown sentient species living in a “Zoo,” and the rat-like Clemens, an ever-hungry, amusing troublemaker.

I’ve limited this entry to non-graphical works (2). Books are sorted alphabetically by author, then publication date. Because it is a damn long list, I’ve added a lightbulb icon to ones I highly recommend. I’ve also made a separate section for books I didn’t finish.

1. ~Ha ha ha~. I started this entry back in January. I’ve also slipped in items I read in 2006 (breathe in) and 2005 (sigh, breathe out), since I’ve got both sticky and electronic notes dating back that far. Let this be a lesson to me to avoid writing up something that covers multiple items over a multiple year period. Sheez.
2. I’ll cover comics, including manga, in separate entries.

Brockmeier, Kevin. The Brief History of the Dead. I like Brockmeier’s description of the afterlife, integrating it with the living. An engaging yet melancholic adventure; makes me curious about his other works.

Carr, J.L. A Month in the Country. A pleasantly quiet story of a painter restoring artwork in the English countryside.

Corder, Zizou. Lionboy. I like the concept of a half-British, half-African boy (mixed cultural identities can be both educational and adventurous!) on a quest to find the cause (and cure, he hopes) of an ever-expanding sickness. With the help of felines. I would’ve enjoyed it except for what I call the Nancy Drew Syndrome, a main character whose skills and personality are so good, so perfect, as to be implausible. It detracts from an otherwise entertaining story and atmosphere.

Gaarder, Jostein. Sophie’s World. I’ve never taken a class in philosophy. This book provided an illuminating history of philosophy wrapped around an oddly fantastic tale. Some might pooh-pooh the technique, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Gaiman, Neil. Coraline. A delightfully creepy story of girl who must enter a sinister realm to rescue her family. With the help of a cat, of course! One of my favorite lines: “When you’re scared but you still do it anyway, that’s brave.”

Gaiman, Neil. American Gods. Why do I like Gaiman’s writing? Is it because he approaches mythology, culture and religion with curiosity and wonder without caving in to dogma? Is it because he treats his characters with humor and compassion, even amidst cruelty and misery? Is it because, from lecturing gods to thrilling sex scenes, the stories are involving, if not fun to watch unfold? Yes, all of the above.

Gibson, William. Pattern Recognition. It took me a million years (okay, over a dozen) to finish reading Neuromancer. I couldn’t immerse myself in Gibson’s cyberspace world —mainly due to my inability to grok the idioms and dialect in that book. (Ironic, considering my career.) Ah, but this book. It feels right, it sounds real, and is much more readable than his earlier works: with credible high technology (so similar to what I deal with!), yet with enough weirdness and mystery to make for swell science fiction. The plot: viral Internet videos. The protagonist: a woman with a severe allergy to commercialism (now that’s synesthesia gone wild!) who investigates the source of the videos.

Gibson, William. Spook Country. This takes place in the same world as as Pattern Recognition, with one, maybe two of the same characters. It’s an intriguing page-turner, populated with spooks (agents) from several divergent backgrounds. The novel’s ambience is saturated with both the ennui of modern life and the paranoia of war, where a former musician-now-journalist must figure out: What’s in that container? Where is it? What are the shady deals concerning it?

Golden, Arthur. Memoirs of a Geisha. Historical fictions pose many restrictions on authors, and I feel it’s often hard for them to successfully pull off either credible characters or convincingly absorbing environments. This novel gratifies me in both areas.

Gorodischer, Angélica. Kalpa Imperial: The Greatest Empire that Never Was. Ursula K. Le Guin’s translation read like an intricate Russian fantasy. Sadly, it’s too opaque for my little brain, since I didn’t (couldn’t?) become immersed in the fictional history of the empire. (As an aside, it does remind me of the fictional academic writing of fellow Argentine writer, Jorge Luis Borges.)

Jones, Diana Wynne. Dark Lord of Derkholm. In this fun novel of wizardry and high-stress business (of creating an amusement park for other-world tourists, ha!), Jones evokes strong empathy for both Derk, a down-trodden middle-aged man, and his teenaged son, Blade. In fact, all of the characters have remarkable, yet understandable personalities. This book epitomizes Jones’s skill at showing depth existing within seemingly villainous characters —yet astutely portraying real evil. Jones’s application of magic in a biotechnological manner is also clever and nifty.

Jones, Diana Wynne. The Year of the Griffin. Derk’s family from Dark Lord of Derkholm is huge. But this novel isn’t really a sequel; it’s a side story about Derk’s griffin daughter Elda who goes off to sorcery college. Yes, the phrase “antics ensue” applies here, but it’s still a good read.

Kessler, Brad. Birds in Fall. Another quiet novel, where all dialogue is written without punctuation. (Which sounds odd, but is actually quite easy to follow.) As seen by the title, birds are the motif: migration, flying, falling, airplanes, etc. An interesting story about mourning (e.g., the Kingfisher myth features prominently after one of a pair of ornithologists dies).

Lowry, Lois. The Giver (audiobook). A utopia where everyone has a perfect home, a perfect career, a perfect community. But someone has to keep track of history, and all knowledge which is not-perfect: the Giver. An exciting tale where we see the tiny cracks and smears form in the otherwise shiny surface of an ideal society.

McAvoy, R.A. Tea with the Black Dragon (reread). A good story from the perspectives of a middle-aged woman and an ancient dragon who renounced his original form for a human body. There are references to the concrete bleakness of Sunnyvale (specific parts, like Mathilda near Highway 101), which have remained unchanged since this book was written back in the early 1980s!

Miéville, China. Un Lun Dun. This novel beautifully turns the concept of prophecy on its head, where the sidekick becomes the protagonist. Exemplary scenery as well, going between modern London, and its weird-alternate, Un Lun Dun.

Mitchell, David. Cloud Atlas. Multiple narratives from vastly different voices and different cultures, spiraling from the past to the far future, and back again. It’s a creative technique, which succeeded for me, as a kind of the History of the World.

Moore, Christopher. Fluke, or I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings. I know it’s a mere comparision of two books, but Moore succeeds for me where Robbins stumbles with mainstream wacky fiction. For some children, horses become the animal obsession; I went through such a phase, but much more briefly. For me, it was cetaceans. So how could I resist a story which starts with a humpback flashing “Bite Me” on its flukes?

Moore, Jeffrey. The Memory Artists. The viewpoints shift between a man overwhelmed with synesthesia, his mother succumbing to Alzheimer’s, an ambitious neuropsychologist, and several other ragtag individuals. All of them seek to comprehend or control aspects of their own or others’ memories. Good stuff!

Murakami, Haruki. A Wild Sheep Chase. A somewhat offbeat hunt for a sheep with a black spot in its fur, in the shape of a star. It was one of Murakami’s first successes, but for me it wasn’t one of his best (i.e., sounded quirky, but ends up feeling just okay).

Murakami, Haruki. Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World (reread). This book contains one of the most (believably) competent characters of all time, the Professor’s Daughter. The story itself has two sides: an unchanging fantasy land filled with unicorn skulls, and the dreary life of a human calculator (a “number launderer”). I’ve always been confused by the ending, and after reading it again last year I still don’t comprehend it. (I understand the philosophical, if not intellectual implications…but, strangely, not the literal ones!) But it’s still fun to read about Japanese monsters, old sewer systems, mad science, and film noir.

Murakami, Haruki. Sputnik Sweetheart. A story of two women: one with a frozen heart and (literally) snow white hair, and a younger, livelier one (nearly her opposite) who takes an interest in the former. Rather than dreary, the melancholic situation is explored with compassion and audacity.

Murakami, Haruki. Kafka on the Shore. I find the story of the slow-witted (and illiterate), unagi-loving man endearing. The story about the teenaged boy Kafka trying to find his past is also interesting —except for an element in this book which set off my Revulso-Meter: how could incest be seen as romantic or enriching?

Murakami, Haruki. After Dark. Murakami’s latest novel, focusing on several late-night denizens: a somnolent model, a jaded student, a butch love hotel manager, and an abused prostitute. Almost but not quite as good as A Wind-up Bird Chronicle, which currently stands as my favorite work by Murakami.

Nix, Garth. The Abhorsen trilogy, consisting of Sabriel, Lirael and Abhorsen. A really cool series about necromancers and clairvoyants, and their attempts to maintain balance in the Old Kingdom. Rather than wielding wands or staffs, the necromancers ring bells to control their powers and the (un)dead. According to his website, Nix plans on releasing another two novels in the same world, Clariel: The Lost Abhorsen (in 2010 or 2011) and another occurring a few years after Abhorsen (in 2011 or 2012).

Park, Paul. A Princess of Roumania. The first novel in a fascinating parallel world series, where three teenagers come to learn more about themselves and the world(s) around them. Which identity is real? Which one is redesigned? Who should they trust? It is a complex environment and set of personalities, which I find both conscientiously detailed yet confusing to maneuver through.

Pessl, Marisha. Special Topics in Calamity Physics. An eerie tale of a teacher who takes under her wing a small group of high schoolers. Does she care, or is she simply being manipulative? While bright, each of the students suffer from their own form of self-absorption. Literary references abound to tie the plot together, sometimes well integrated, sometimes not.

Piercy, Marge. He, She and It, a.k.a., Body of Glass, outside of the US. Two stories superbly presented and interwoven: first of a young Jewish woman and a golem in Prague during the 1600s; the second of another Jewish woman in the future, torn between a broken marriage, a robot, corporate tyranny, and the struggle of a small, self-sufficient community. This novel is an interesting contrast to Piercy’s earlier Woman on the Edge of Time. Both dealt with oppressive societies vs. hard-working idealists, but the older book was more bleak, and often relentlessly distressing. Still, I highly recommend both.

Pullman, Philip. Lyra’s Oxford. A 50-odd page story, taking place a few years after the His Dark Materials trilogy. A thoughtful piece where Lyra learns more about her home and herself.

Robbins, Tom. Villa Incognito. An odd tale about war, the Tanuki, and his descendants. It could’ve been a better book, because the author seems to try too hard to be outré or witty; the tone ends up overexcited, with moments of sexiness or toilet humor thrown in for, I dunno, good measure.

Rosenbaum, Benjamin. Other Cities. A marvelous collection of short-short stories about cities: their history, their inhabitants, their leaders, their personalities.

Russell, Mary Doria. The Sparrow. A Jesuit who suffers horrific experiences at the hand of aliens wonders how God could exist. Ah, so you’d think that agnosticism or atheism would be discussed or investigated, hunh? Nope, not AFAICT. Rather than having an interesting theosophical discussion, it felt intellectually insulting. (Nearly as bad as The Life of Pi) Go read Pullman instead.

Seigel, Andrea. To Feel Stuff. Erf, I cannot remember much about this novel, except that it’s a young college student suffering an odd, terminal disease. And that I enjoyed its dreary atmosphere, evocative of old university towns. Might need to reread.

Stewart, Sean. Mockingbird. A modern novel steeped in voodoo mythology. The story just fell flat for me; alas, a case of high expectations wrecked by disappointing (IMO) plot.

Swann, Leonie. Three Bags Full, a.k.a, Glenkill. Everyone has genre preferences and aversions. I don’t like reading mysteries. Yawn. But this was an exception. It has a superb mix of confusion, puzzles and wackiness. Especially since sheep are the main characters, trying to figure out the death of their beloved shepherd.

Weeks, Sarah. So B. It. An involving story about the daughter of a retarded woman learning about her family’s past, while coping with the present. Now I want to check out Week’s other novel, Jumping the Scratch.

Wyndham, John. The Chrysalids (audiobook). Post-apocalyptic future, where “normal” humans, ruled by religious zealotry, cull out those with mutations. It was a compelling story to listen to during a roadtrip; I might read the original 1955 novel.

Yoshimoto, Banana. Kitchen. I’ve found that I’ve enjoyed Yoshimoto’s first (this one) and latest works (Hardboiled and Hard Luck) the most. Odd personalities, cooking and death, and a touch of magical realism, which makes for a bold yet meditative combination.

Yoshimoto, Banana. Asleep. Three spellbinding stories involving sleepwalking, comas, ghosts in dreams and narcolepsy.

Yoshimoto, Banana. N.P.. Hrm, this book also tripped my Revulso-Meter. It’s also somewhat of a literary mystery, but unfortunately it doesn’t quash my dislike for mysteries.

Yoshimoto, Banana. Lizard. An interesting collection of stories spanning the broad range of life’s rites of passage and spiritual turning points.

Yoshimoto, Banana. Hardboiled and Hard Luck. Lovers, death and food. Sad and contemplative. Stories definitely worth reading!

Unfinished

Corder, Zizou. The remaining two books of the Lionboy trilogy, The Chase and The Truth. See above regarding Corder’s first book which I read completely.

Funke, Cornelia. Inkheart. I hope to finish this fantasy series, as I do enjoy Elinor and Meggie’s dispositions. What made me halt in the middle of this first book, was the sudden feeling of “Oh no. I know this is a series, but will this first book leave me with a heavy, ungratified feeling, instead of eager anticipation?”

Hafiz. The Gift, translation by Daniel Ladinsky. It felt unauthentic, like I was reading some 1990s New Age poetry. To be a better test, I’d like to read an older English translation. If the poems read the same way, then I’ll know better, and give Ladinsky’s translations (currently the only ones in print) another try.

Horsley, Kate. Black Elk in Paris. I lost interest in reading about the tragedy of an eccentric in Victorian Paris.

Harris, Joanne. Jigs and Reels. I stopped reading this due to No Particular Reason (NPR), with no strong feelings about it, other than having other more interesting or engaging books to read at the time.

Klinkenborg, Verlyn. Timothy, or Notes of an Abject Tortoise. What I thought would be a quirky tale from the eyes of a tortoise just seemed dull.

Kurimoto, Kaoru. The Guin Saga (book 1): the Leopard Mask. Just couldn’t get into what seemed like an infuriatingly hackneyed fairy tale.

Mahfouz, Naguib. Arabian Nights and Days. NPR.

Murakami, Haruki. The Elephant Vanishes: Stories. The stories here felt too abrupt, too disturbing to be satisfying. Makes me think that Murakami excels more at longer works.

Smiley, Jane. Moo. NPR.

von Schlegell, Mark. Venusia: A True Story. Too over the top surreal for me. (Somewhat disappointing since I do enjoy many surreal things!)

Westerfeld, Scott. Uglies. The premise sounds fantastic: a world where at adolescence a person is surgically altered to become beautiful…as a form of societal conformation and control. What if that person refuses? Sadly, I couldn’t handle the narration, which felt…hm, simple-minded? True, the principal character is supposed to be rather callow, but the voice didn’t feel as convincing as, say, Charlie Gordon’s voice in Flowers for Algernon. P’raps I’ll check out his other fiction (a friend has recommended Peeps).

Update: The Animé Blog, which I just stumbled upon today, published a thought-provoking article asking “What’s It Take For You To Drop An Anime?” Just to quickly spell out a few of my aversions, which are like alarm bells (rather than the aforementioned indifference towards the hackneyed, irritating or overly violent, which is more common):

• Excessive fan service. Especially when it becomes mean-spirited, too frequent, or no longer funny.
• The crazed sociopath personality. Bloodthirsty, lovin’ that torture, and screamin’ for more! Well, not for me. If that’s all there is to such a character, then they’re merely shallow and ultimately boring. And it usually crosses the “too much violence” line for me. Unsurprisingly, I abhor this particular set of traits in all media, whether in animation, films, books or comics.
• Repetition which doesn’t add value. Let’s repeat that fight scene, with either the same or different characters (e.g., Revolutionary Girl Utena, whose entirety I managed to wade through). Let’s repeat that argument or magical spell scene. Let’s repeat that AMAZING transform scene, complete with bad 1980s rock anthem or pseudo-opera soundtrack. Erm, let’s not.
• Incest (often between biological siblings) or rape portrayed as something deep, meaningful and romantic. (Such as Angel Sanctuary; argh, I heartily wish I didn’t bother watching all of the episodes, even if there were only three of them. My eyes still burn from the experience.) I might also add lolicon and shotacon, although to be honest I don’t think I’ve watched animé which featured those themes inordinately. Perhaps I’m unsophisticated here, and don’t appreciate the possibly fascinating cultural observations or metaphors involved when creators are so intent on focusing upon these particular sexual themes… But, hey, everyone has their limits, and this one makes my Revulso-Meter spike.
• Excessive propaganda, notably of the xenophobic variety. I don’t mind displays, dialog or topics that challenge my attitudes, my society; heck, sometimes it’s done well, and sometimes achieved hilariously. But again, some things do cross the line, by being too simplistic, or too narrow-minded. (Case in point, Kamichu! Teenage Goddess, wherein my jaw dropped several times in the manner of OMGWTF.) It doesn’t add merit, it’s just plain insulting.

The main point of this entry is to keep track, so as to avoid accidentally watching these again. I’ve left out even brief summaries or opinions, since I prefer to spend more of my time writing about animé series I do manage to complete.

Recently added, erm, dropped series are denoted with a (*).

• .hack/SIGN
• Angelic Layer
• Aquarian Age
• Bleach
• (*) Blood+
• Blue Gender
• Blue Seed
• Elfen Lied
• Ergo Proxy
• Figure 17
• Galaxy Railways
• Ghost in the Machine: Stand Alone Complex
• Glass Fleet
• Green Legend Ran: Actually “feature”-length film based on the series; the recording I had lacked a menu and had only English dubbing (no subtitles).
• Inu-Yasha
• Kaze no Yojimbo
• Kujibiki Unbalance
• Kurau Phantom Memory
• Kyo Kara Maoh
• Madlax
• Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi
• (*) Mars Daybreak
• Maison Ikkoku
• Nadia: Secret of the Blue Water
• Neon Genensis Evangelion
• Neo Ranga
• Ninja Nonsense: The Legend of Shinobu
• Noir
• Papuwa
• Red Garden
• Samurai Champloo
• s-CRY-ed
• Shadow Star Narutaru
• Shamanic Princess
• Sherlock Hound
• (*) Shimoun (a.k.a., Simoun)
• Soultaker
• Speed Grapher
• Spiral
• Texhnolyze
• Wolf’s Rain
• Yu Yu Hakusho
• Zaion

A rather short list of restaurants considered as enjoyable as rotting liver (2)

Hobee’s, throughout the Bay Area. One of the first things that pop into my head about Hobee’s is how much I hate the smell of their cinnamon tea, filling the rooms like nasty scented candles. The next thing that follows is how bored I get of their food, and how aggravating it is to stand and wait wait wait for a table of their uninspired food. A childhood and adulthood filled with Hobee’s, because that’s one of the few places both family and friends wanted to go. Over and over. Hobee’s doesn’t serve bad food, and they have admirable community-oriented standards. But I am not a morning person, and unless the food of the day’s first meal is remarkable in quality (or offers unusually interesting items like popovers or crêpes), I am loath to go out for breakfast or brunch.

Hunan Home, Los Altos. I just couldn’t find anything to enjoy eating here. Want another stir-fry disappointment over rice? No, thanks. In spite of being a Silicon Valley favorite, a place like this emphasizes how uninspired Chinese food could become. There are better Chinese eateries! (Try Café Yulong, Ming’s, Yank Sing, or even Chef Chu’s down the road.)

Il Postale, Sunnyvale. A downtown district ought to have at least a couple good restaurants. It saddens me that there are no decent Italian restaurants in downtown Sunnyvale. Gumba’s is mediocre, but at least the cost is low. Il Postale, however, truly frustrates. For an upscale place, their risotto and pasta were uninspired and felt like a chore to consume. The clincher for loser status was their bread: “Italian” bread whose flavor and texture reminded me of WonderBread. It turned out that the bread came from Wilson’s Jewel Bakery, a place whose cakes I found worse than Safeway’s. (For a place that failed at making either bread and cake, I shed no tears for Wilson’s closure.)

Suraj, Redwood City. Somehow the ingredients appear…old and stale. And I’ve gone there several times over the last decade. The chicken dishes frightened me, often tasting rancid. There are better Indian places: Dasaprakash, Shiva’s, etc….even the erratic service nightmare at Saravana Bhavan yields much superior comestables. Really. Let’s go somewhere else, please.

I generally don’t frequent chain restaurants. That is, defining those as part of a big corporate conglomerate (e.g., the Pizza Hut / Taco Bell / McDonald’s consumption mills). However, a few do stand out as vomitoria (3):

• The Olive Garden. Nastily salty food. Dishes described as vegetarian containing obvious lumps of meat. Slow service. True, I went here only once; but it was enough. This chain is an embarrassment to decent Italian restaurants (and home cooked meals of pasta and pizza) everywhere.
• Yoshinoya Beef Bowl. When Japanese food franchises go wrong. This one gets the prize for most nauseating appearance, smell and taste.
• The Cheesecake Factory. The odd bit was my first time at the Old Pasadena location: The wait was long (reservations not accepted), but the food wasn’t half bad. But since then, visits to the Cheesecake Factory have epitomized the travesty that is over-sweetened, cowardly blandified, obscenely huge servings of American cuisine (4). For example, they take a simple Southeast Asian dish such as salad rolls, and manage to render it unpalatable. They can’t even do cheesecake right. Their asinine no-reservation policy (unless that’s changed recently) doesn’t improve their image in my eyes, either.

References

1. Don’t take the above as aspersions on your tastes, of course. Opinions are good: After all, how would we find more and interesting things to eat? (Unless one dislikes food. Pity them.)
2. For the curious, much of this article originated from a restaurant list I had on my old website (circa 1998).
3. Not in the (misconceived!) ancient Roman “eat and party to exhaustion” sense. Rather, in the “Wow, I wasted my time, money and now I feel rather sick to my stomach” sense.
4. Obviously, not all American cooking falls under the OSCBOHS label. Much of it doesn’t, thankfully.

• Injera, a teff based flatbread that’s sour, spongey and soft.
• A good collection of vegetarian dishes, such as kik alicha (yellow split peas), atakilt wot (stewed cabbage, potatoes and carrots), gomen wot (sautéed collard greens), and my favorite…
• …Yemisir wot, brown lentils simmered in a fiery red sauce!
• Yedoro tibs, chopped chicken (usually deboned) cooked into a rich, spicy red stew. Sometimes I’ll have a similar dish, doro wot, chicken on the bone stewed with whole hard-boiled eggs.
• Asa tibs or asa wot (fish stew), or shrimp tibs. Tricky to find a good version, if at all.
• Tej, a honey wine, often homemade or locally produced.
• Iyeb, homemade fresh cheese, reminiscent of a tart ricotta cheese.
• Tea, Ethiopian style, made with a spiced water.

Long waits seem to be an attribute universal to Ethiopian restaurants. Take it as an opportunity to exercise one’s conversational skills with one’s companions. Several places do take away, so perhaps I’ll call ahead to take a meal home, one of these days.

Two restaurants succeed in more respects than others: Zeni and Rehoboth, both located in San José. (Neither serve any seafood, though.)

Rehoboth. While scrumptious, the food here is milder than at other Ethiopian establishments. In fact, I wish they would be, I dunno, less shy or sheepish with the spices. But the waitstaff are warm and personable; this includes the owner, a sweet lady who alternates between cooking in the kitchen and waiting on us. Reservations are also taken, regardless of party size. The yemisir wot is earthier and smokier than Zeni’s. The yedoro tibs differs somewhat, too: more liquidy, more succulent, and with stunningly delicious savoriness. The kik alicha are more flavorful here, as is the gomen wot, which is less bitter and more palatable than at other places. No alcohol (as of this writing), so no tej to try. I enjoy how tea is served in a pot when 2 or more people order it. Occasionally the injera arrives slightly toasted, which I feel detracts from the soft texture; but that doesn’t happen too often. Metroactive review | Yelp reviews. Closed Monday.

Zeni. Spicier food than Rehoboth. The services is a bit more chaotic, but mostly friendly. Reservations aren’t accepted for parties of less than 6 or 8 people, and none are accepted at all on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. They have a wider menu, including sambussa, an Ethiopian analog to samosa, pastries filled with a mild mix of lentils and onions. Their addictive yemisir wot is sweeter and hotter than Rehoboth’s. The spicing in their yedoro tibs makes my mouth buzz and ring with delight. This is the only place where I’ve had doro kitfo made of finely minced chicken (kitfo is usually rare or raw beef mixed with spices); it sounds ingenious, and it might’ve turned out well if it weren’t so salty. Metroactive review | Yelp reviews. Closed Monday.

Other local Ethiopian restaurants

Blue Nile. Berkeley, CA. CLOSED. This was where I first experienced Ethiopian food and wine. While I have fond memories of this now defunct restaurant, I must admit that it was thoroughly Americanized. Their injera was made primarily of white wheat flour, and completely lacked teff (AFAICT) or any of the characteristic tart flavor.

Red Sea. San Jose, CA. I haven’t eaten here for years, mainly because the spice combinations are insanely inconsistent. The first time I had the fish wot, it was great, but another time it seemed like chicken bouillon cubes were added. (A shame since this is the only Bay Area Ethiopian restaurant I’ve found that serves any seafood.) Don’t bother with the weird dessert consisting of frozen mashed poundcake with juice; if you must have dessert there, just play it safe with the baklava. Yelp reviews

Shebele. Campbell, CA. CLOSED. This was the first authentic Ethiopian place I ate at, where injera was brown with teff and tasty like a good sourdough. They weren’t shy here with spices, either. The first time there, the service was painfully slow, but during later visits the service improved. As the years went by, sadly, the quality nosedived, ranging from erratic spicing to undrinkable water (i.e., tasting like bleach). Prolly no surprise that they decided to halt their business.

Not so local: Little Ethiopia on Fairfax Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA

I have barely scratched the surface of the many Ethiopian eateries on this 1-block stretch. Gridskipper has several reviews of Ethiopian restaurants in LA.

Nyala. When my friends and I first came here in the 1990s, it was a quiet place for a spicy, hands-on meal. These days it’s a lot more popular, and a bit less spicy (perhaps more Americanized?). They also serve shrimp and fish dishes. Yelp reviews

Messob. I haven’t been to Messob in many years, but to my recollection the spiciness was fun to revel in, whether with vegetables or chicken. Yelp reviews

Shipping was damn fast when GreenCine had their warehouse in the Bay Area. Then last summer they moved to Van Nuys, in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. Over a period of two months, while they transitioned to their new location, delivery was painfully protracted —up to 3 weeks for some discs! Even without throttling, rental shipment now takes as long as Netflix.

As a partial solution, I’ve continued the habit of borrowing DVDs at my local libraries. I go through my Rental Queue, and if a disc exists at a library, I remove it from the queue. This works for mainstream films, TV series and moderately known documentaries.

What other DVD rental solutions are out there, which would better satisfy my video needs? I’d be keen to hear your suggestions.

Thinks I like about GreenCine

• Customer service: Upon receiving my email with concerns about the long-drawn-out shipment times during the warehouse move, they offered an apology, and even credited my account (partial month’s worth). Nice!
• I like how they have two lists for requests: the actual Rental Queue and a Request List. The Request List contains movies and series that are on order, but not yet available for rental. However, see the second item under Annoyances…
• Their Quick Return system. It doesn’t speed up the US Postal Service, but at least GreenCine can put the next disc into the mail, even before they receive a returned item.
• They still have more independent films than Netflix, AFAICT.

GreenCine Annoyances

• Prolonged delivery times, though due to distance rather than throttling.
• My Request List remains filled with unfufilled items. Out of nearly seventy items in my Request List, only one has moved (as available) to my Rental Queue over the past year. (They do send an email notification when such a move occurs.) So the Request List seems like a good idea, but is mostly a disappointment since nothing ever seems to become available from it.
• I have sent in dozens of suggestions for DVD purchases. GreenCine have neither acknowledged nor obtain any of them. Okay, three were acquired, two of which are stuck eternally in the Request List. In fact, I’ve had faster service requesting DVD purchases at my local libraries!
• To my surprise, they still lack some animation, animé and documentary titles: A couple famous David Attenborough series (no Life of Birds, no Life of Mammals), the first season of Avatar: The Last Airbender aren’t available for rental yet, even though the second season is.
• My previously enumerated annoyances still hold, with the exception that search response has improved.

Sigh. I think I’ll stick with GreenCine for the time being. I really don’t want to return to the unnecessarily throttled service at Netflix, especially since the ridiculous limitation has been upheld in court.

Update (5 May 2008): In response to this post, GreenCine’s catalog manager recently contacted me. Turns out that the email address for requesting DVD additions is actually catalog (at) greencine (dot) com, instead of dvdrequest (at) greencine (dot) com, as seen on their rental help page. (Hopefully that page will be updated soon.) According to the manager, requests are reviewed monthly, and become likely purchases if popular by customer demand. It’ll be interesting to see if my suggestions will be accepted (or rejected) more quickly…

I’ll write up what I’ve read this year…around the beginning of next year. For now, here are some snippet-thoughts on the non-fiction books I’ve read over the past few years. I’ve excluded technical / computer books, and food books which are encyclopedic or primarily cookbooks, since I write about those in other entries.

Barnes, Simon. How to be a (Bad) Birdwatcher. An irreverent, amusing birdwatching memoir. Only a small hitch with the ending, which incongruously dissolves into sappiness.

Biddle, Wayne. A Field Guide to Germs (2nd edition, 2002). A wonderful summary of bacteria, viruses and protists that cause disease or simply live on or in us. It’d be great to find a more in-depth book which maintains a readable style similar to Biddle’s. (The Unfinished section exhibits my attempts.)

Bishop, Holly. Robbing the Bees: A Biography of Honey. The author lovingly studies the life of a professional beekeeper, in parallel to following her own apiarian journey. Bishop also provides interesting history on beekeeping and honey, along with a few recipes.

Bourdain, Anthony. Kitchen Confidential. Bourdain’s book on his life in the restaurant trade. Wicked, blunt, and a lot of fun to read.

Bryson, Bill. The Mother Tongue. The delightful linguistic adventure that is English! Humorous and informative, with quite a few references to French, another language I enjoy learning about.

Bryson, Bill. A Walk in the Woods. A hilarious account of Bryson’s hike along the Appalachian trail, with an on again, off again companion who hankers more for candy bars than walking.

Colwin, Laurie. Home Cooking and More Home Cooking. Colwin lived only 48 years, but left a legacy of food essays collected in these two books. Cheeky yet thoughtful, and chock full of useful kitchen tips and recipes. For example, no-knead bread might be all the rage nowadays, but I first heard of it here. I might not always agree with her (I do like my pastry blender, ha!), but her writing is clear and encouraging for anyone who cooks at home.

Gates, Stefan and La Riviere-Hedrick, Max. Gastronaut: Adventures in Food for the Romantic, the Foolhardy, and the Brave. Before I heard of Nose to Tail Eating or Beyond Nose to Tail, I read this book. In spite of my picky eating habits, Gates’s lightheartedness makes this a pleasurable study in unusual foodstuffs.

Foster, Thomas C. How to Read Literature Like a Professor. I still don’t skim text as effectively as I’d like to —that’s not the point of Foster’s book, anyhow— but this certainly helps with picking out and understanding common metaphors in fiction. I wish I had this beneficial guide as a kid in school, since it helps a lot with reading comprehension.

Leroi, Armand. Mutants: On Genetic Variety and the Human Body. In a world filled with mind-numbing molecular biology textbooks and trashy pseudo-science reports, Leroi’s book is a refreshing alternative. Technically detailed, yet not lacking compassion for his subjects, he explores congenital defects and mutations thoroughly. This is an excellent, enlightening overlap of medicine and anthropology.

MacDonald, Sarah. Holy Cow: An Indian Adventure. Reading a travel memoir on encountering the many religious facets of India does intrigue me. Unfortunately, this book disappointed me. MacDonald’s tone rings as a bit too ditzy, giving this work a superficial and careless feel.

Murakami, Haruki. Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche. A compilation of interviews conducted by Murakami (more known for his surreal novels) divided into two parts: Victims and witnesses of the sarin attack, then members of the Aum Shinrikyo cult. An engrossing yet reflective set of conversations on the traumatic experience of terrorism.

Reichl, Ruth. Garlic and Sapphires. The memoirs of a former New York Times restaurant critic. I’m astonished yet captivated by Reichl’s efforts to disguise herself into anonymity for her job. A fascinating account that combines the views of a writer, food lover and restaurant customer. (Contains a few recipes, including an awesome one for New York cheesecake.)

Roach, Mary. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers. A fearless yet respectful investigation on what goes on with human bodies after death. Roach covers a wondrous range of research performed on cadavers, as well as helpfully summarizes the biological and chemical processes that occur when we die. You’ll notice similar books on death in the Unfinished section that failed to reach a similar level of skill or tone (IMHO).

Weiner, Jonathan. The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time. In science books there’s a thin line between being illumination and soporific. Darwin or the Grants’s research is certainly valuable, but Weiner’s description fell into the latter category for me. Considering how I appreciate ornithology, evolution and memoirs, I admit I approached this book with rather high expectations. (I’d like to find a good book describing New World mockingbirds, Mimidae, a family which Darwin was keen on…)

Unfinished

Some books I pick up, put down, then don’t pick up again.

Bondeson, Jan. A Cabinet of Medical Curiosities. Too much like a cross between a dry history textbook and a dry medical textbook.

Burdick, Alan. Out of Eden: An Odyssey of Ecological Invasion. Research and awareness of invasive species is critical, but reading this book felt like a chore. Additional illustrations, even just one or two a chapter, would’ve helped, and including a table of contents even more so. I stopped just under halfway; maybe I’ll finish it if my endurance and patience allow.

Cheney, Annie. Body Brokers: Inside America’s Underground Trade in Human Remains. While the book covered an important issue which should not be ignored, it was too dry to read all the way through.

Hester, Elliott. Adventures of a Continental Drifter. I mistakenly thought this was a travelogue that focused on the food. It didn’t.

Roach, Mary. Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife. The subject matter didn’t compel me to spend time to finish the book. Reality tends to be more interesting. Unless it’s fiction.

Rossant, Colette. Memories of a Lost Egypt, also titled as Apricots on the Nile. After reading the first couple of chapters, I dropped this one due to its whiny, depressing tone. (How many times do you need to tell me you don’t like desserts?) Maybe I’ll try again another time, but I doubt it.

Sachs, Jessica Snyder. Corpse: Nature, Forensics, and the Struggle to Pinpoint Time of Death. All of the deaths discussed dealt with murder. I expected (erroneously) to read about other causes of death, so this crossed over the “too morbid” line for me.

Steingarten, Jeffrey. The Man Who Ate Everything. Y’know, I tolerate rants from writers who dismiss vegetarians, lactose-intolerant folks, or just plain picky eaters (I look into the mirror daily!) —if they’re amusing, or have nifty bits to impart. Such as Bourdain. Not this book. Shrill, aggravating, dropped.

Winchester, Simon. Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883. I cannot deny that history is important to geology, especially since Krakatoa’s explosion is one of the most documented volcanic disasters. But this fell under the pall of “dull history textbook”; I wanted more focus on geology.

Zimmer, Carl. Parasite Rex: Inside the Bizarre World of Nature’s Most Dangerous Creatures. I stopped reading this because it discussed pathogens with a historical perspective. Unfortunately, like many history books for me, it made this reader fall under the spell of boredom and disinterest. But I might give it another go later on. Perhaps it would’ve been better if it were organized either by taxon or disease, similar to Biddle’s book, but more in depth?

I wrote dry often there, hunh? And whiny memoirs. Two traits (albeit subjective ones) which dissuade me from continuing.

The Salvadoran version of horchata is the next-most-important thing. I still don’t think I’ve got the recipe quite right, so that’s another item I always order at Salvadoran restaurants.

My favorites (best listed first) are a tie between Vicky’s and Sabor. My standard order is chicken (with cheese), beans (with cheese), loroco (with cheese) or even zucchini (with cheese). Curtido (pickled cabbage slaw, sometimes with chile, carrots, oregano and/or epazote) and (non-spicy) tomato sauce accompany the pupusas. (I have yet to find a tomato-sauce-for-pupusas that I enjoy. Unfortunately, they all seem bland, almost like tomato soup or sauce from a can.)

What are your favorite (or not-so-favorite) pupuserías? Especially those with interesting or unconventional fillings. Have any of you tried rice pupusas?

Most of these restaurants don’t have their own website, so I link to reviews from other sites as an additional resource. An important note about ordering pupusas: Be prepared to wait if you want them cooked properly. The masa is significantly thicker than in tortillas, so undercooking would result in something raw and unpleasantly starchy.

Vicky’s Salvadoran & Mexican Restaurant, San José, CA. Crisp on the outside, tender and moist on the inside. The ideal pupusas, the cook somehow manages to maintain some of the chicken sauce (marinade?) without the masa going soggy. Yelp reviews

Sabor Salvadoreño, a.k.a., the Pupusa Factory, Santa Clara, CA. Best horchata, ¡la mejor!, out of all the places mentioned here, with a nutty almost spicy goodness. Like Vicky’s, their pupusas have some the best texture and flavor combinations, perfectly cooked. Metroactive review | Yelp reviews

La Bamba, Mountain View, CA. No chicken or zucchini here, so I settle for the bean, loroco or cheese-only ones. Tasty, but somewhat greasier than Vicky’s or Sabor’s. Another reason to come here is for their alfajores, butter-cookie sandwiches filled with caramel (or dulce de leche?). Failure to obtain a sufficient quantity of alfajores could result in arguments between otherwise close friends. Note: I’ve had food from only their original restaurant on Old Middlefield Way; I’ve yet to try out their new place in downtown Mountain View. Yelp reviews

El Calderón, Mountain View, CA. This place is…okay. They don’t have much variety in the pupusa fillings, so I’m faced with only plain cheese, or cheese and beans, as choices. It’s not bad…just not compelling. Yelp reviews

Grumble…

Amelia’s Restaurant, Redwood City, CA. Hmm, the last time I tried their cheese pupusas, they exceeded my tolerance of grease and hunks of dripping cheese. This meant piling on more and more of the curtido, which ended up both hiding and missing the point of the pupusa. But that was over a decade ago, and friends tell me they now have ones filled with chicken and cheese. This will require further investigation and consideration, you understand. Yelp reviews

Donut Field, Mountain View, CA. It was odd to see a pupusería inside of a donut shop, but there you go. I’ve been here only once, and sadly I’m hesitant to go again. Getting bones in both of the two chicken pupusas disturbed me. Yelp reviews

Currently they have twenty-four exemplar species pages, tens of thousands of authenticated (but not detailed) species pages, and about a million other species pages with minimal, unauthenticated data. Assuming that there are nearly 2 million species to document, that’s not too shabby for an initial proof of concept launch! Filling in the blanks will be ongoing work, because biology is a growing and dynamic field, after all. But if the content is informative and well-crafted, I certainly don’t mind.

I’ve been watching this site since its launch, and a few of my criticisms below have already been resolved over the past month. The EoL still has a long road to travel, nevertheless it’s great to see the progress and improvement.

Easy start

The EoL won’t allow the general public to contribute until later this year. Indeed, some incomplete pages contain a request for contributions in the future. The site does allow account creation, though. (Rather than using the visual CAPTCHA for account creation, I tried out the audio version, which was easy.) But I can’t do much of anything, other than to select preferences for email notification, password changes, language choice, and two settings regarding levels of information.

Overall, the site’s layout is visually clean, and images and text are easy to view and read. The Explore section at the top of the homepage, and in the right sidebar of taxon pages, serves as a nice teaser, without interfering with the rest of the content.

Taxon pages: content & detail

Part of me is surprised at the range in the quality of writing. Part of me isn’t, since there are multiple contributors. The Peregrine Falcon entry, touted as an exemplar EoL article, could have used a grammar and style check. Problems include my peeves (yeah, yeah) about incorrect use of it’s (and even its’) as a possessive, and failure to capitalize formal nouns and adjectives. While I don’t expect literature, the tone felt stiff and awkward. On Wikipedia, by comparison, the featured articles are of a higher caliber.

A colored horizontal stripe between the page header and taxon name denotes the kingdom. Green for plants, red for animals, blue for bacteria, aquamarine for Protozoa, lavender for fungi, grey for viruses, brown for Chromista, and purple for Archaea. (Ironically, the EoL lacks introductory descriptions for kingdoms, hence my Wikipedia links to the lesser-known ones.) Elementary accessibility dictates that color should not be the only way to convey meaning. A brief text label (even in addition to the color stripe) would be beneficial.

The media panel near the top is smartly arranged into Images, Maps and Videos. However, there’s a wacky bug where viewing an image (via the browser’s context menu command), then returning back to the taxon page displays an translucent overlay stating “You have been logged in (out).” This occurs even though I don’t explicitly click the login (or logout) link.

The Table of Contents in the left sidebar neatly organizes the content for each species. However, I don’t understand why its sections are inconsistent between species —at least for well-known organisms in the same kingdom. Take the cacao and tomato entries, both marked as exemplar articles: The one on cacao has a section on Relevance (covering culture, cultivation, uses, nutritional information, etc.), which is oddly absent the tomato one.

I doubt that the Detail slider above the Table of Contents adds any value. Sliding to the right displays scientific name, and more items in the Table of Contents and media panel. Wouldn’t the introductory content in the central column suffice as an initial view, with a complete Table of Contents? (Abridged content, especially in organizational tools such as tables of content, seem unreliable or contrived.) No matter what I do, I’ve yet to succeed in moving this slider all the way to the right (beyond 75%) for a full detail view, even within an exemplar article. Is this to help reduce confusion for those with less education, or cognitive disabilities? It fails, IMHO, by feeling dumbed-down, somewhat condescending, not to mention perplexing. Please, just remove it.

On a related note, the account preferences for levels of detail strike me as unnecessary and a bit baffling. What I see for the taxon name near the top of the page, and the initial position for Detail, depends on whether I choose “Information intended for beginners” (common name only, Detail at 25%) or “Information intended for experts” (both common and scientific names, Detail at 75%). The taxon name for the middle “Information for any audience” choice is the same as the beginner’s choice, but Detail defaults to 50%. The difference between selecting “Only information that comes from authoritative sources” or “All information” is that the latter displays external links to unauthenticated sources such as Wikipedia and Google. Frankly, this complexity in adjusting the information volume is not worthwhile.

Speaking of helping to understand, there ought to be a glossary or dictionary of common terms used throughout the site, perhaps accessed from the top menubar. What does IUCN, under the species name, stand for? In such cases, a simple title tip with a short definition for the abbreviation would help.

Taxon pages: classification & navigation

Located in the upper-right of the page, the Classification box allows me to navigate the biological taxonomy. Unfortunately, while the EoL claims it wants the advantages of Web 2.0 appearances and behavior for the site, my experience says it’s jumpy and sluggish. In addition, they omit the (-) text button after the selected Kingdom in the Text view, which gives a brief but annoying sense of disorientation. Why not consistently use (+) for expanding and (-) for collapsing throughout the trees, for all taxa?

Anyhow, the Text view of the Classification box contains names that are also links to the respective taxon pages. Click on Animalia, and I get the page on animals. It works at all levels for which there’s some content written, so I can jump between class, order, family, species, and so on. But there’s a bug: Empty, unwritten taxa have a label of Not assigned. This is fine, except that sometimes I can keep on clicking the (+) button to yield another Not assigned (-) which is also clickable and yields yet another.

(Speaking of pluses and minuses: On the homepage, they should not use a plus sign for a bullet point. It’s a point, a statement, not a navigation tree to expand! A dot, circle or arrow would be more suitable.)

Ever since late February, clicking Graphic in the Classification box gave me a message that the web browser needed Flash installed…which, uhm, it already had. The Graphic view now works, but as another reminder that it’s under construction, it only animates views of the taxonomy trees. Nothing happens when I click any of the names, such as loading a taxon page, even though they look like links.

What does the third Classification view, Source, do? Clicking it sluggishly displays a popup (over the box) describing the classification resource. Looks cluttered. Why not just access it via the Table of Contents, under References & More Information, or Additional Resources?

Searching

The EoL has a ubiquitous Search tool, of course. Site search seems geared towards finding species, with Name of organism as a prompt within the Search field. Fortunately, in reality site searches aren’t limited to just the species taxon. (Also note that in Camino (at least in v1.5.x) the search field buttons are blank due to a bug with native buttons; this is not a problem in Safari or Firefox.)

Search engine optimization also appears to be in progress. For example, searching for Theobroma cacao in Google listed the EoL link on the second page; neither Yahoo! nor MSN had an entry within the first five result pages. If they want more visibility, it should’ve (ideally) been on the first page of results.

According to the FAQ, the EoL’s next version, due during the latter half of this year, should contain “embedded semantic information.” The taxonomic infrastructure for the site is advancing. The taxon page source back in March contained generic meta description and keywords, referring to the entire EoL site rather than the specific page viewed. But as of this writing, such pages now include a title with taxon name, and very basic description and keywords. The search engine results remain the same, though it does take time for engines to update their indices.

I still care

Many of my complaints could be addressed if and when the EoL implement more Wikipedia-like standards: Namely to allow more people to edit, especially to correct simple mistakes and encourage better writing, as well as to incorporate intra-site cross-references (i.e., linking terms and names to other entries).

They offer three venues for feedback and communication with users and developers, which admittedly I haven’t gone through much. First, they have many forums. Second, they started a blog in January (running WordPress for news and quick updates. Third, they recently opened a community-run wiki for comments and errors. Wouldn’t both forums and wiki potentially confuse users by having more than one place to look for help, or to post comments and corrections? Why not have article-specific discussion located at the given EoL entry, similar to Wikipedia, to better focus on such issues?

I still look forward to using the EoL, lest you think this essay implies my giving up on the project. A few moments of exasperation, true, but no, I’m far from hopeless!

You should check out the EoL if you haven’t already done so. If you have questions, head over to the extensive FAQs or watch the video tours. In fact, the site offers a survey, which you can access from the right side of the homepage. Let them know what you think!

Before I get too much ahead of myself, a summary: Jenny Weaver, a teen in the 1980s, is tired of her family’s frequent moves. She’s worn down, disillusioned and depressed. That changes when Zot, a teen boy from another, shinier dimension, literally flies into her. The changes don’t displace her dull existence (as much as she’d wish), they just complicate her life, although in fun and unexpected ways.

McCloud’s artwork reminds me of my childhood love of embroidery samplers and rainbows. No, no, don’t think of tacky crafts! Instead, picture beautifully arranged comprehensive decorations, motifs and hues. His illustration technique somehow manages to densely assemble a large variety of textures, patterns and colors, without dissolving into a style which would otherwise feel thinly spread or unfocused —or interfering with the story.

(Avast! The following might be construed as exposing minor spoilers.)

Zot seems to have superhero powers, but this isn’t your typical superhero comic. There are crazy inventions to witness, but this isn’t just some retro Golden Age science fiction adventure. Fantasy is a great escape, yet reality continues to persist, even heartbreakingly so. But at the same time, the forays into fantasy do make life bearable. Speaking of the reality, McCloud handles the (often) intimidating topic of teen sex bluntly but with good humor:

Jenny: Y’know Terry’s friend Judy—? She says she’s done it with four different guys already. And she’s just a sophomore.

Zot: She says she has…

Jenny: Do you think she’s lying?

Zot: Well, I wouldn’t want to say, but I know that Terry asked her if they use a condom…

Jenny: Yeah—?

Zot: And Judy said, “No, Ricky’s not into real estate.”

[From issue #35 of "Earth Stories," Zot!]

So while waiting for the delivery, I thought “With my luck, the fourth collection will come out soon in print.” Sure enough, a few weeks ago I found the announcement via McCloud’s blog. Heh! I’ll purchase it; after all, graphic novels are usually easier and more durable to read. Besides, I realized there are still a couple issues I haven’t read: #19 and #20, “Getting to 99,” which were drawn by Chuck Austen rather than McCloud. Hope those will be in the 2008 edition. If not, maybe eBay will come to the rescue again.

Moreover, there’s a fifth Zot! arc, “Hearts and Minds,” available for free online. It brings back one of Zot’s nemeses, Dekko, an artist who became a cyborg. The story literally shows, over a sixteen week period, how McCloud became more adept at using software and the web page medium to generate his comic.

References

• Zot! graphic novels: As of this writing, you can find the first three at Amazon.com and eBay, or even better, perhaps from a local comic book store or independent used bookseller.
  1. “Key to the Door.” Issues #1 through #10 are the only ones in color, but don’t let that dissuade you from reading the rest!
  2. The second book collects issues #11 and #12 (”Planet Earth”), #13 – #15 (”The Season of Dreams”), and #17 and #18 (”the Eyes of Dekko”). Issues #19 and #20 (”Getting to 99″) weren’t reprinted during the Kitchen Sink run.
  3. The third book collects #16 (”Call of the Wild”), #21 and #22 (”Can’t Buy Me Love”), #23 – #25 (”"The Ghost in the Machine”), and #26 and #27 (”Ring in the New”).
  4. The fourth book will reprint all the black and white comics (#11 – #36), including Earth Stories, issues #28 through #36, with additional material in July 2008. However, I don’t think this book will include “Hearts and Minds.”
• Scott McCloud’s website, including the online Zot! story “Hearts and Minds.” He also has a great FAQ about his work. He also has a blog.
• Comic Book Resources has a thorough character guide and summary for Zot!
• Wikipedia entry.

The Aerial (La Antena). Directed by Esteban Sapir, Argentina 2006, black and white. In the City, oppressively controlled by Señor T.V., no one has a voice; the television is the center of everyone’s life, and words are subtitles to be read. The style is similar to old fashioned silent films, except the characters interact with the subtitles, shrinking away or pushing the words aside —quite innovative! What nearly ruins an otherwise good film is a couple heavy-handed symbols, which I felt superfluous, insulting the collective intelligence of the audience. (Indeed, giggles and smirks occurred in the theatre whenever those symbols appeared.)

Departure (Fritt fall); directed by Caroline Cowan. Butterflies (Pirret); directed by Kjell-Åke Andersson. Both short films are from Sweden and released in 2007. Both star Lotta Tejle, first as a lonely suicidal woman, then as a goofy, greedy scientist —showing great range of ability, between drama and slapstick. Departure is about illegal immigration in western Europe, namely the interaction between Agneta (Tejle) and a young homeless Romanian, Vocho. Butterlies is a silly yet enjoyable story of Sara, an imaginative little girl who can fly…when inspired, not on demand.

Getting Home (Luo ye gui gen). Directed by Zhang Yang, China 2006. The best film I watched at the festival. About middle-aged Zhao who carries his friend’s body on a trip across China, and the funky characters he meets as he heads towards his friend’s hometown. Quirky, touching, hilarious, with beautiful vistas.

The Mourning Forest (Mogari no mori). Directed by Naomi Kawase, Japan 2007. Machiko mourns for her young son who died recently. Shigeki mourns for his wife who died 33 years ago. The film starts beautifully, with panoramas of mountains and fields of tea. Unfortunately, it slows down awkwardly to a long-drawn-out forest trek with Blair Witch camera moves, as the characters search for closure.

A Time to Die (Pora umierać). Directed by Dorota Kędzierzawska, Poland 2007, black & white. Amusing to watch the two lead actresses, 92-year-old Danuta Szaflarska and not-so-loyal yet charming border collie, Phila. What do they do when her cowardly son and odious rich neighbor try to buy her dilapidated Renaissance mansion? Or when rambunctious kids from the music school next door keep sneaking in to play in her yard? Gorgeous cinematography, expressing a love for old buildings.