Recommendations you can check.
Canadian software developer, co-editor of the XML and Atom specifications, formerly of Sun, Google and AWS; writes the long-running blog ongoing.
12 things
Benchmark DAC1 USBHardware Benchmark Media Systems
I take digital audio out through a Benchmark DAC1 USB; the sound is wonderful.
An interview in "The Setup", the usesthis.com series that asks people what hardware and software they use to get their work done. Answers are in their own words.
2010-05-08·usesthis.com ↗
NEC 2690 displayHardware NEC
At home we have a NEC 2690 display that I bought on James Duncan Davidson’s recommendation, carefully color-corrected; it makes our pictures and videos look much better than they really are.
An interview in "The Setup", the usesthis.com series that asks people what hardware and software they use to get their work done. Answers are in their own words.
2010-05-08·usesthis.com ↗
Some Desperate GloryBook Emily Tesh
great things from her, because this is pretty great.
Batch review post 'Recent Sci-Fi'. He states near the top that he no longer puts Amazon commission links in his book posts: “Used to be I’d put Amazon links in when I mentioned books, and route a few commission bucks into my Amazon account. No longer.”
2023-12-10·tbray.org ↗
The Kaiju Preservation SocietyBook John Scalzi
These are blasts of pure fun, with razor-sharp dialog
Batch review post 'Recent Sci-Fi'. He states near the top that he no longer puts Amazon commission links in his book posts: “Used to be I’d put Amazon links in when I mentioned books, and route a few commission bucks into my Amazon account. No longer.” The sentence covers both Scalzi books he read that year.
2023-12-10·tbray.org ↗
Starter VillainBook John Scalzi
These are blasts of pure fun, with razor-sharp dialog
Batch review post 'Recent Sci-Fi'. He states near the top that he no longer puts Amazon commission links in his book posts: “Used to be I’d put Amazon links in when I mentioned books, and route a few commission bucks into my Amazon account. No longer.” The sentence covers both Scalzi books he read that year.
2023-12-10·tbray.org ↗
The Saint of Bright DoorsBook Vajra Chandrasekera
It’s as colorful as anything I’ve read in years. I really enjoyed that
Batch review post 'Recent Sci-Fi'. He states near the top that he no longer puts Amazon commission links in his book posts: “Used to be I’d put Amazon links in when I mentioned books, and route a few commission bucks into my Amazon account. No longer.”
2023-12-10·tbray.org ↗
Rule 34Book Charles Stross
Anyhow, I really like this one.
Batch review post 'Four Scifis', reviewing four science-fiction novels he and his family read.
2011-12-01·tbray.org ↗
MacBook Pro (13-inch)Hardware Apple
It’s slick, has FireWire and an SD card reader.
An interview in "The Setup", the usesthis.com series that asks people what hardware and software they use to get their work done. Answers are in their own words.
2010-05-08·usesthis.com ↗
System CollapseBook Martha Wells
System Collapse and if you’re going to read it, which I recommend, it’s
Batch review post 'Recent Sci-Fi'. He states near the top that he no longer puts Amazon commission links in his book posts: “Used to be I’d put Amazon links in when I mentioned books, and route a few commission bucks into my Amazon account. No longer.”
2023-12-10·tbray.org ↗
Canon i9900Hardware Canon
there are a few Windows things one needs to do, and its drivers for our Canon i9900 photo printer are way better.
An interview in "The Setup", the usesthis.com series that asks people what hardware and software they use to get their work done. Answers are in their own words.
2010-05-08·usesthis.com ↗
Words Without MusicBook Philip Glass
Any Glass fan is going to want to read this, I think. But it’s not problem-free.
Batch review post 'Recent Music Books', covering four books on Philip Glass, John Cale, Cuba and drink.
2023-12-11·tbray.org ↗
Witch KingBook Martha Wells
Witch King is really well-crafted. The combat scenes are explosive.
Batch review post 'Recent Sci-Fi'. He states near the top that he no longer puts Amazon commission links in his book posts: “Used to be I’d put Amazon links in when I mentioned books, and route a few commission bucks into my Amazon account. No longer.” He also writes that the characters 'just didn’t grab me the way the Murderbot cast does' and that 'this one didn’t work that well for me'.
2023-12-10·tbray.org ↗
Every entry is a verbatim quote and a link to the public post it came from. Nothing is paraphrased. If it is not on record somewhere public, it is not here.
The verdict is what they actually said: loved and liked are explicit; recommended means they told others to get it; uses means they only say they use it; read is a book on their public shelf with no verdict; mixed and disliked are kept too.
A dashed affiliate link, sponsored or their own label means the post disclosed a relationship. It is shown, never hidden.
The shading behind a date shows how dated a recommendation is for its kind of thing.
The shading behind a date shows how dated a recommendation is, for its kind of thing. Fully green is recent. It drains a quarter at a time as the post gets older, and is empty once it reads as dated.
What counts as old depends on the thing. A laptop praised four years ago has been replaced twice; a book loved twenty years ago is probably still loved. The shading is gone after about:
Stripes mean the post carries no date and the date shown is an estimate. No date at all, no shading.