Author Topic: The Library (Read 144739 times)

mrssherlock · « **Reply #160 on:** June 12, 2009, 09:32:53 PM »

The Library

Our library cafe is open 24/7, the welcome mat is always out.
Do come in from the wind and rain and join us.

We look forward to hearing from you, about you and the books you are enjoying (or not).

Let the book talk begin here!

Everyone is welcome!

Suggestion Box for Future Discussions

Marcie: Yes, that's it. Jerome Robbins was on PBS recently, enjoyed it immenseley. Loved All That Jazz and Chicago. Caught the last little bit of Chorus Line - The Movie. Awful! Michael Douglas just ins't Zack! There was a little theater in Saratoga (CA) that put on musicals; it was great fun to go with friends, have dinner then the show. Tickets were something liike $10.

marcie · « **Reply #161 on:** June 14, 2009, 01:17:26 AM »

Jackie, I think I saw something recently with Jerome Robbins talking about West Side Story.

I recently got a DVD set (3 DVDs) of the six-part PBS documentary on the American Musical. It's really good. See http://www.pbs.org/wnet/broadway

There is a good price at http://www.overstock.com/Books-Movies-Music-Games/Broadway-The-American-Musical-DVD/3622367/product.html

ALF43 · « **Reply #162 on:** June 14, 2009, 06:28:45 AM »

Everyone of my favorite movies has been a musical. I have TVO'ed PBS Wed. night for Josh Groban. Thanks for all that info Marcie.

ginny · « **Reply #163 on:** June 15, 2009, 10:54:24 AM »

Will somebody explain Tivo to me? What does it produce? It copies and plays back but it's not on a DVD that you could then save or record or show later to others? How does it work?

I am somewhat irritated that I can no longer record a TV program and maybe show it to a class that's why i ask.

maryz · « **Reply #164 on:** June 15, 2009, 11:05:51 AM »

ginny, I can't explain TIVO, but we have a DVR (digital video recorder). We can record directly to the machine's hard drive, programed just like the old VCR. We can also record onto a DVD, or we can record first into the hard drive and then transfer it to a DVD. Then it could be played on another machine elsewhere.

ginny · « **Reply #165 on:** June 15, 2009, 11:07:35 AM »

Do you have this new HDTV? Because we don't?

maryz · « **Reply #166 on:** June 15, 2009, 12:18:39 PM »

Nope - our TV is about 5-6 years old. It was digital-ready, though. And we have cable.

mrssherlock · « **Reply #167 on:** June 15, 2009, 12:42:48 PM »

Mary: How do you transfer recordings from your DVR to a DVD? Our hard drive stores only 40m hours and there are many hours we would like to be able to re-view but we can't store them for long, too many new things come up.

Tomereader1 · « **Reply #168 on:** June 15, 2009, 02:49:05 PM »

Yeah, Mary, how DO you transfer DVR recordings to a DVD? Dish Network recently had to replace my DVR box, and I lost an entire season of about 5 shows along with footage of the Bejiing Olympics Opening/closing ceremonies, and parts of the Inauguration. Had I known how to transfer, I might have tried, although the DVR box was not working properly at the time they changed it out.

maryz · « **Reply #169 on:** June 15, 2009, 05:14:54 PM »

Re recording to DVD - I just follow the directions that came with our DVR recorder. It's really a very simple box, more like an old VCR than TIVO. I can't help you other than that. Mostly we don't do that - just watch what we record and then delete it. Sorry I can't be more helpful.

pedln · « **Reply #170 on:** June 15, 2009, 09:07:42 PM »

Mary, did you buy your DVR recorder or do you rent if from you cable provider. I need something. I use cable. My DVD player is a dog. My VCR is over 15 years old. But it seems all the DVD Recorders are combos with VCRs for people who want to put their tapes onto DVDs. I just want to record to watch later, or maybe put on a DVD to keep for a while.

The people I know who have DVRs also use Sateillite.

maryz · « **Reply #171 on:** June 15, 2009, 10:30:47 PM »

pedln, I'm pretty sure John bought it at Wal-Mart (or maybe Best Buy) in Dec. 2007. It's a Phillips HDD & DVD player/recorder with digital tuner. This is a link to the web site for the current version. It didn't come from the cable company.

http://www.consumer.philips.com/consumer/en/us/consumer/cc/_categoryid_RECORDERS_SU_US_CONSUMER/

This replaced our VCR and our DVD player. It plays commercial DVDs, too.

pedln · « **Reply #172 on:** June 15, 2009, 10:53:42 PM »

Mary, thank you for that. I've downloaded and saved the owners manual. I'm going out of town this week, but when I get back I'm going to seriously start looking for something like you have, maybe the same thing. It seems ideal. There is one store in town that I like to deal with because it's local, they're nice, trustworthy, etc.

Sometimes y ou just need the terminology to find something. I would never have thought of HDD.

maryz · « **Reply #173 on:** June 15, 2009, 11:33:38 PM »

Hope it works for you, pedln. John managed to get it to work after the digital switch-over, too.

Steph · « **Reply #174 on:** June 16, 2009, 08:03:45 AM »

Thanks Alf, We are on the road, but I will put it on the list to look for when we get home in bout a month.
Today in Sevierville,TN.. Had to have some work done on the way to achieve the new all digital in the rv yesterday at a Camping World. RVs have some special problems because of the way information is routed in coaches.. Darn.. All fixed now, thank heaven, mydear husband is a tv fanatic and a news junky.

Ella Gibbons · « **Reply #175 on:** June 16, 2009, 09:02:48 AM »

In August, we will be discussing the book, THE WOMAN BEHIND THE NEW DEAL: The Life of Frances Perkins, FDR's Secretary of Labor, and comparing the depression of the '30's to the situation we find ourselves in today. We need a quorum to plan the discussion.

Join in by posting a message! It will be a fascinating look at one of America's foremost career woman.

http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=587.0

ginny · « **Reply #176 on:** June 16, 2009, 06:46:28 PM »

Mary that looks like what I need, also, thank you for posting that. Our TV's made the switch (most of them) because we are on satellite, but we did not do the upgrade of the dish and the boxes to get the HD, I wonder if yours would work with that? We don't have the HD, we don't get those "HD channels," but we get everything we did before, that's enough.

maryz · « **Reply #177 on:** June 16, 2009, 08:29:32 PM »

We don't have an HD set either. Next one we get probably will be, but who knows what it'll look like then.

ginny · « **Reply #178 on:** June 16, 2009, 08:40:43 PM »

Great, thank you! i tried this conversation with a guy in Best Buy with no result!

pedln · « **Reply #179 on:** June 17, 2009, 09:44:14 AM »

Ginny, maybe a smart teenager is the answer. One who's always messing with media gadgets. I don't know why Best Buy doesn't hire them.

ginny · « **Reply #180 on:** June 17, 2009, 10:02:54 AM »

I agree with that!

To top it off I can't find this Phillips thing anywhere, that's always the way, perhaps they are coming out with a new model. How hard can it be to get it to where people can record? I'll keep looking, I do need that capability.

HUGE article in the new Newsweek about how Amazon is taking over the world. I must admit I use them 10/1 over B&N, and they sell everything on earth.

What are you all reading? Once we finish with The Night Villa in a week, I've got a backlog of lucious books of fiction waiting for the summer, including the newest Preston and Childs, nothing takes you away like they do!

But I'm seeing some intriguing ones in Bas Bleu that I never heard of, I'd like to try some of them too. What's in YOUR wallet? ER...bedside table?

Frybabe · « **Reply #181 on:** June 17, 2009, 10:11:53 AM »

Well Ginny, I signed on for the Agatha Christie series which starts next weekend. AND, I still have to finish the Wallander series. Heaven only knows when I will get to the non-fictions and SciFi books I recently bought.

joangrimes · « **Reply #182 on:** June 17, 2009, 11:05:38 AM »

I am reading "The Birthday Present"by Barbara Vine(Ruth Rendell). It is sort of strange as most of the books that Rendell writes under the name Barbara Vine are.

Oh well after reading "Night Villa" I wanted just a normal mystery but sure did not hit on one. Any suggestions Folks?

Joan Grimes

mrssherlock · « **Reply #183 on:** June 17, 2009, 11:09:45 AM »

I know about DVD recorders such as the Phillips. Ginny, did you go online? I have found things online that would never be available in my small town of 150,000. Here's a review: http://reviews.cnet.com/video-players-and-recorders/philips-dvdr3575h/4505-6463_7-32566451.html What I lack is a way to connect the DVD recorder to my DVR. I've gone online; apparently DirectTV, my satellite provider, used to use TIVO but they switched and have their own brand of DVR. I googled and found some nerd-types have also struck out on this problem. My TV isn't HD but if I switch to the HD DVR I will get over 100 hours on the hard drive as opposed to the 40 hours I have now.

pedln · « **Reply #184 on:** June 17, 2009, 12:07:09 PM »

Whatever happened to "out from TV, in to VCR." I used to laugh at my friends who couldn't program their VCRs, but I tell you, it's a whole different ballgame now. And one thing I learned from the lovely people at the LOCAL store -- your DVR has to have a tuner, unless you have a box on top.

And then once yu get all this stuff, you have to key in the right numbers so you can play everything from the universal remote??? HA!!! Spaghetti city and more.

BTW, looking on line -- Mary's unit has gone UP in price, the reviewers say, and in some places it is unavailable. Probably like Cabbage Face dolls -- collectors items.

ANNIE · « **Reply #185 on:** June 17, 2009, 01:37:57 PM »

Yes, Pedl'n, you are right. I looked online at Mary's unit and its hovering right at $300. I used to have our DVD/VCR all programmed into the cable TV butr when I moved here, it was a whole different game. I can't even get picture picture anymore. And, of course, we have lost the book on this 6 yrs old Sony plus the one downstairs--the big guy by Sansung. And its an HD unit that is 2 or 3 yrs old. But everything becomes an antique or is obsolete as soon as you bring it home. I am tired and becoming poor just trying to keep up to date with my computer.

mrssherlock · « **Reply #186 on:** June 17, 2009, 05:28:47 PM »

Adoannie: If you google your sony/samsung tv model number and add manual you may be able to download it. I've found many manuals online including one for a mandolin which I bought used on Ebay.

Babi · « **Reply #187 on:** June 18, 2009, 08:18:10 AM »

Shucks, FRYBABE. You don't have to finish one before starting another.
Especially when one book is heavy going, I alternate it with other books.
Books with a discussion deadline, of course, take priority.

JACKIE, thanks for that tip. I had no idea you could find manuals on-line.
I try to keep all mine, but sometimes they get lost. Now, if we only had a
printer that works!

mrssherlock · « **Reply #188 on:** June 18, 2009, 10:07:12 AM »

Hey, Babi, You can always store the digital manual on your hard drive! Sometimes I'm too lazy to switch the printer from the desktop 'puter to the laptop so I just queue stuff to be printed. Not as easy to read as paper but better than nothing.

Frybabe · « **Reply #189 on:** June 18, 2009, 11:17:25 AM »

Babi I usually have two or three books going at a time. One by the bed, one to carry, and one by the sofa. So, right now I have Lost Christianities (it has been a little neglected lately), One Step Behind(goes to work with me), and the Poirot book for PBS Mystery discussion coming up the 21st. Just finished The Night Villa ahead of time. And then there is the Latin class.

Mippy · « **Reply #190 on:** June 18, 2009, 11:40:10 AM »

Goodman's Night Villa is past tense except for the discussion, so I need more fiction.
The three Wallendar books were quite good, and I've sent them to someone else.

I'm also fond of reading many books at once. Right now I'm trying to do the PBS Mystery series, but for more "meat" I'm struggling through Goldsworthy's Fall of the Roman Empire, and also re-reading Shama's History of Britain, Vol 1. Husband dear is hogging Vol 2, so I'll get to that later in the summer.

BTY, if any fellow Latin students read this, Goldsworthy's Caesar is much better than the Roman Empire book. This new one reads like his publishers said, we want another book, so the author did cut and paste research and slapped it together ... heavy on facts, not enough analysis.

Steph · « **Reply #191 on:** June 18, 2009, 02:53:29 PM »

Finally got back to wifi.. Remind me never ever to go to Beckley WV again.
So the expensive fix that worked at camping world does not in fact work here and no idea why. My husband is beside himself.. Even the tv that worked perfectly with nothing but the antenna is not functioning, which means to me the repair person really messed up big time. Sigh..All I need. I want to go to Falling Water tomorrow. We stopped in Washington, Pa on purpose to do this, but if the tvs dont work, I suspect we will be visiting someone who cn fix them. Darn..

maryz · « **Reply #192 on:** June 18, 2009, 03:02:33 PM »

You will LOVE Falling Water, Steph. If they still offer it, and you can manage it, go on the very early, before-regular-opening-time tour. We hope to visit there for our second visit in September. Sorry about the computer/TV problems.

ChazzW · « **Reply #193 on:** June 19, 2009, 05:42:42 AM »

Hi-
I have an ARC of Drood that I can send to anyone that would like to have it for your upcoming discussion. E-mail your snail mail. Thanks.

JoanP · « **Reply #194 on:** June 19, 2009, 06:37:29 AM »

Welcome, Chazz! Gotta ask - What's an ARC of Drood? Is this something everyone knows -but me? An annotated r.. copy?? If it's Drood, we want it!!! We're doing Drood in September and then - also Matthew Pearl's new "Last Dickens" in October- which is Drood too. We would love to have you join in either of these discussions, with or without your ARC.

It's so good to see you here! Ginny's been looking for you - how did you know?

Deems · « **Reply #195 on:** June 19, 2009, 09:13:37 AM »

Hi Chazz--Would that be an e-book? Adobe something something? Welcome!

ginny · « **Reply #196 on:** June 19, 2009, 09:16:18 AM »

Charlie!!! Is that YOU? I feel like Stanley finally finding Livingstone! Welcome!! We sure have missed you, how have you been?

What a great thing to see our Charlie here. Charlie invented Curious Minds, and did some of our most famous discussions, will never forget the Chabon.

Such a great feeling, we need a "Homecoming" here this fall, just to see our old friends.

What are you reading, Charlie? I'm right at the end of No Touch Monkey, I truly think that woman has a fetish about being dirty, that's all I can think of, the dirtier and grittier her travels, the better she seems to like it. Of course I have not backpacked where she has (nor would I) but it's almost...it ALMOST seems like a sort of rebellion, a hippie like rejection of somebody's money and social position. How far can you go? I dunno, it's....I truly don't think it's going to inspire anybody to travel that way. I mean, the dirt.

For some reason non fiction appeals now tho the new Monica Ali book really looks good and did you all SEE that Zafon has a new one out? I've ordered it. Again about Barcelona, again about books, literature, and the power of reading. I carried a battered Shadow of the Wind around with me one summer thru the Tuileries, the Amalfi Coast Thousand Steps torture and thru Greece, I can't WAIT to read this one. It looks strange and mysterious, he may have failed with it.

The instant The Night Villa is over I'm on to the new Preston and Childs, I see it climbing the charts, am addicted to Pendergast.

But I have coming one I'm excited about, I think Stephanie (hope your connectivity problems get OK, Stephanie, good to see you on the "trail," so to speak,) talked about it: Service Included: Four Star Secrets of an Eavesdropping Waiter.

I love this type of book. There's a website where hotel clerks talk about what it's like from their side and it's crazy, I love to read it and this is sort of the same type of thing apparently. I waited tables myself in high school after school and sports and on weekends, and I could write my own book about what happens in kitchens and customers, you think Gordon Ramsay is intense? Anthony Bourdain nuts? (I read his book, too) Hah! Can't wait to read it.

What's everybody reading?

ChazzW · « **Reply #197 on:** June 19, 2009, 04:32:17 PM »

Well, an ARC is an Advance Reader Copy. Publishers send them out to reviewers and such and a friend sent this one to me and now I'll be sending it to JoanP (the early bird). Wonderful book, btw, though I found it a bit of a slog. Simmons seems to have a thing for door-stoppers, huh?

Wanting alternately explores Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) from the historical novel perspective and the Dickens-Willkie Collins-Ellen Ternan dynamic (a huge part ofDrood), Between that and Kneale's The English Passengers, which I read last year (more Tasmania), e 'met'' all these characters before, but through different prisms. I love reading that way.

Catching up on my reading...I read all of Sebastian Barry, last year and I discovered Willy Vlautin and Tim Winton (more Aussie fiction). Margot Livesey's House on Fortune Street and Per Petterson's To Siberia were both in my top 5. I started this year with the stunning Shadow Country (no novella itself) and it's still the best thing I've read all year. Someone turned me on to John Williams and Stoner and Augustus remain in my top 5.

After I finish up with the Flanagan, I going to start reading everythong I can get my hands on from Harry Crews. I'm picking up two tomorrow from the library. The guy just intrigued me (He went to the Uof Fla a few years before I did and I I wanted to find out what the buzz is all about. If I like how it goes, I intend to read everything- and there are a few...most out of print, I think.

Deems- I stopped buying books 2 years ago for the most part, and get everyting from the library Whig works out well. I did get a Kindle this year though, and have read several books on that (including the one I'm reading now. It's a fantastic device. If eye-sight is an issue you can large print everyting! But there are several other reasons why I love it - which I won't go into now.

What else? (I'm not usually this long-winded, right Ginny??!)

Gumtree · « **Reply #198 on:** June 19, 2009, 11:51:25 PM »

ChazzW How great to see mention of a couple of Australian writers.

I've been 'wanting' to read Wanting - and especially in the light of the Dickens connection and our upcoming Dickens discussion. I think his first novel was The Sound of One Hand Clapping - he's always been busy as an historian and an environmental activist - he was at the forefront of the movement which saved the Tasmanian Franklin River Wilderness from development.

Tim Winton lives a few miles down the road from me and like Flanagan is another environmental hero. Winton is currently working to save some of our pristine ocean habitat at Ningaloo Reef from degradation. Ningaloo is on the West Aust coast and is stunningly beautiful. Within the last week he was awarded the prestigious Miles Franklin Award for Literature for the fourth time - the novel this time was Breath. Winton is very popular locally, he writes about what he knows, and for many years has funded a writing prize for children in various age categories which is hosted each year by my local library. Tim always turns up to present the prizes - the kids love it and so does Tim.

I'm now wondering what, if any, other Australian literature you may have read.

I haven't read all of Sebastian Barry but I have read some including A Long Long Way which I found very moving and evocative if such words can be used about a book about war.

Babi · « **Reply #199 on:** June 20, 2009, 09:33:21 AM »

Is there anyone who hasn't yet heard that Masterpiece Theatre is starting a
new Agatha Christie series this Sunday night? Two Poirots and four Miss Marples, with a newcomer in the Miss Marple role.
We've got a discussion site going...for the books and the films. Check into
the "Masterpiece Theatre-Agatha Christie" in the index if you're interested.
Who doesn't love Christie?

CHAZZ, what is "Shadow Country" about. Your rousing endorsement has me
very interested.

News:

Author Topic: The Library (Read 144739 times)