Avec le fêtes qui arrivent, les grands magasins de Paris exposent leurs magnifiques vitrines aux passants et enfants émerveillés.

Le thème ce noël: la Russie sous la neige.

Rien de tel pour me faire rêver. L’hiver froid m’évoque toujours la Russie de Michel Strogoff (même si dans le roman, il n’est pas question d’hiver).

Voilà quelques flocons (qui se font attendre), un manteau chaud, une chapka en fourrure sur la tête, je n’attends plus que mon traîneau pour me transformer en héroïne et vivre mille aventures; rencontrant bien entendu en chemin un sublime officier du Tsar en mission secrète… le tout sur la bande son de “Loin du froid de décembre” du dessin animé Anastasia:

mais je préferre la version originale de Liz Callaway:

Aaah… Disons que l’hiver fait tourner les têtes et que ces temps-ci j’abuse trop de certains romans qui ne valent pas deux sous…^_^

Sérieusement, avec 2009, la Turquie était à l’honneur pour une courte saison (d’ailleurs trop discret cet honneur…); 2010 fêtera la Russie!!!

Au-delà des considérations politiques (chacun son avis sur monsieur P.), la thématique russe a toujours été très populaire en France, et cette année on fêtera donc en fanfare  la culture russe.

Au programme, des concerts, du théâtre, des ballets, des livres, conférences, débats, multiples expo partout en France et surtout, LA future exposition du Louvre, Sainte Russie, qui exposera 900 ans d’art et d’histoire russe, de la Russie de Kiev à celle de Pierre le Grand.

Info : Ziarul Adevarul lanseaza la 13 ianuarie 2010 colectia Jules Verne,  colectie care va avea acelasi aspect grafic precum volumele de acum 30 de ani. Cotorul cartii arata exact la fel ca la editiile lansate in Romania anilor 80.

Info : Colectia Jules Verne de la Adevarul va contine 40 de volume.

Info : Dincolo de asemănarea cu ediţiile de acum 30 de ani, există şi câteva diferenţe: colecţia Adevărul are mai multe ilustraţii şi o calitate mai bună a hârtiei şi a coperţii.

Sursa : Paginademedia.ro

Compass Rose

Originally uploaded by Two Cranes

I love compass roses. If you visit my store at www.patinae.etsy.com you’ll see other compass roses there. This collage is one of my favorites because I used one of my best stamps, a literary stamp from Monaco that illustrates a scene from the book Five Weeks in a Balloon by Jules Verne.

On the advice of my daughter, I decided to mat my collages using 8×10 mats in cream or black. This was good advice. They look wonderful matted. My collages are small, intimate, meant to be viewed up close. I like to frame them and put them next to a chair, or in my hall (with good lighting) so someone can get close and examine all the beautiful details of the stamps.

Mientras Isaac Asimov y Frank Herbert inspiraron la gestación del estilo de ficción conocido como Cyberpunk, son H.G. Wells y Julio Verne quienes resultan en gran parte responsables por el origen del Steampunk.

La premisa es simple, en algún momento del pasado el hombre decidió continuar la senda de las maquinas a vapor y a carbón en vez de seguir el camino del progreso mediante la electricidad. El resultado son avances inimaginados en ciencia y tecnología, que riñen con todo lo que la tecnología contemporánea, basada en lo electrónico y lo digital, ha ofrecido al ser humano.

Contrario a lo que sucedía en el Cyberpunk, en el Steampunk hay una celebración de la ciencia y los avances tecnológicos. Mientras el Cyberpunk mostraba una civilización decadente en pleno apogeo de lo digital, el Steampunk ofrece una visión mucho más positiva respecto al aporte de la ciencia a la humanidad. Sin embargo, la ficción Steampunk también ofrece una perspectiva de lo que sería una sociedad plenamente industrializada y las capacidades destructivas de un progreso basado casi plenamente en consumo de recursos naturales.

Estética victoriana y accesorios funcionales forman parte del vestuario que hoy en dia miles de personas intentan emular. Y no se trata solo de una moda, así como otras tendencias y estilos actuales detrás del Steampunk hay una filosofía de vida.

El Steampunk surge como una resistencia al estilo de vida digital, frío e impersonal al que la era digital nos ha arrastrado. El predominio de las maquinas y las “primitivas” formas de energía generan en el ser humano una necesidad de esfuerzo físico y perseverancia para lograr avances tecnológicos, dejando de lado la inmediatez y recuperando la capacidad de asombro en el hombre.

El trabajo invertido en las maquinas produce artefactos únicos que nada tienen que ver con la producción en masa de la tecnología moderna y esa cualidad única de cada invención las vuelve verdaderas obras de arte. La combinación de madera, metal y cuero vuelve la imagen de los artefactos algo más cálido, lo que se aparta de la estética estéril e impersonal de las invenciones modernas.

Para lograr un look Steampunk se debe tener cuidado con la elección de las prendas pues deben ir acorde al tipo de accesorios propios del estilo.

Ciertamente un estilo que rescata elementos muy interesantes de una época que se caracterizó por el interés y el asombro que aún provocaba el progreso en el mundo, resucitar eso hoy es un signo del estancamiento en que el hombre se ha sentido desde hace un par de décadas… da para pensar no?

Desgraciadamente, ahora los piratas no son héroes de película...

Piratas de Somalia…Tan lejos de los de las películas y del Pirata Garrapata, que el Duende no leyó porque cuando nació ya se le había pasado la edad de la fantasía, pero que le hacía mucha gracia tan sólo con escuchar su nombre. En el duermevela del Telediario, y a cuento del fin del secuestro del Alakrana, se imaginaba en la piel del hijo pequeño de uno de sus tripulantes.

-Qué bien que hayas vuelto, papá. Porque esos piratas no se parecen al prota de Piratas del Caribe, ¿no?…

Y el pescador le abrazaba. Los  piratas ya no son lo que eran, y los pescadores tampoco son como el capitán Akab o el entrañable portugués pelirrojo que interpretaba Spencer Tracy en Capitanes intrépidos. Pescar era una profesión de hombres duros y ahora, en determinadas aguas donde el derecho parece que mira a otro lado y se pone a silbar, es más que un riesgo. Casi una heroicidad. Así pasó que los mismos canallas  que consiguieron convertir la navegación aérea en un infierno, ahora se valen de ellos para hacer chantajismo en el mar. Aunque al final casi debamos darles las gracias porque el hijo del pescador haya vuelto a ver a su padre.

-No entiendo cómo se puede dudar de la necesidad de pagar en estos casos –decía la esposa de una de los rescatados.

Sólo unos pocos lo dudan. Quizás de lo que dudan muchos es de la utilidad del estado de derecho cuando se empeña en abrir casi siempre una vía de escape a los que se ciscan en él. Y cuanto más canallas sean, más respeto y más consideración. Cuidadín cuidadín, al criminal regañarle lo justito para que no se nos cabree más, no sea que salgamos de Guatemala para entrar en Guatepeor.

-Enésima contradicción de la vida moderna –anota Homper en su  Moleskine de perplejidades y estupefacciones- El poder es exigente, intolerante e incluso arrogante con el pillo, pero exageradamente comprensivo con gran delincuente. Y el celo del estado de derecho suele ser inversamente proporcional a la gravedad moral de la acción de su enemigo.

Pero, con todo lo que refunfuña su alter ego,  está alegre el Duende. Y eso que nunca navegó más que en las barcas del Retiro, en un chinchorro por la ría de Cubas y en los veleros de un par de amigos que le invitaron a ver las Baleares desde el mar. El resto fueron sólo singladuras y travesías de Salgari, Verne, Twain, Stevenson, Conrad, Kipling y hasta Agatha Christie, que nos mandaba de crucero por el Nilo y nos preparaba asesinatos de mentira por sólo cinco pesetas que valían sus novelas. Está contento, piensa en el chaval, en su madre, en las familias de todos los que han padecido este horroroso secuestro. Serena, resignadamente contento.

Y entretanto el mar seguirá eternamente batido, toujours recommencé, -como decía el único poema de Paul Valery que uno recuerda. Qué sabio es, siempre en movimiento para que no se registre en su superficie huella alguna de las múltiples  fechorías que en él se han perpetrado a lo largo de la historia. Qué prudente, borrar todo rastro de los piratas de ogaño.

Groupama 3 has self-destructed and capsized in the Pacific Ocean. A disaster – but not a human tragedy, as all of the crew were safely airlifted to Dunedin on the south island of New Island. Fortunately, Groupama 3 was only 75 nautical miles east of Dunedin when the accident occurred.

This was the message that came off the boat soon after it turned over. “We have just capsized. The leeward float broke in two, leading to the breakage of the two beams and then the subsequent capsize. The crew is all together, taking refuge inside the central hull of Groupama 3. None of the 10 crew is injured. There are 5 to 7 metre waves and 25 to 30 knot winds. The seas are breaking and for the time being we’re not sending anyone outside.”

Watch leader Franck Proffit had spoken to the shore team a few hours earlier, explaining how carefully they were sailing the maxi-trimaran through rough seas. “We are in really built-up seas, with waves of six to seven metres. We can’t go down too far South as there are winds reaching 50 knots. We are therefore adopting a fairly northerly course as far as New Zealand, so as we can then gybe and move along nicely again.

“The Pacific should bode better for us,” continued Proffit, although it’s doubtful he feels so well disposed to the Pacific Ocean now. Proffit might also have changed his view of the big green boat since he said this: “Groupama 3 is very sound and she behaves exceptionally well in this type of sea; at the helm with 7 metre waves, the floats plunge and never bury into the waves.”

Immediately they were informed, the Gris-Nez rescue services in France alerted their New Zealand counterparts who immediately set about the rescue of the crew in the upturned main hull of Groupama 3. One plane and then two helicopters were sent to the rescue zone just three hours after the capsize. The 10 sailors were all airlifted by helicopter at 0330 (UT) and then brought safely to Dunedin, on New Zealand’s South Island. An amazing tribute to the efficiency of the New Zealand rescue services.

Team representative Vincent Borde told TheDailySail that the breakage was unrelated to a bulkhead which had broken in the forward beam. Skipper Franck Cammas has said the damage to the port float may have occurred due to waves breaking over the float just before they gybed the boat.

Now that the team has been rescued, Cammas is working on a plan to salvage what he can of his upturned maxi-trimaran.

Yachting World reports that Franck Cammas and the crew of Groupama 3 have been forced to abandon their round the world record attempt. On Monday 16 November at 12:16 GMT, Groupama 3 skipper Franck Cammas, called the Jules Verne Trophy team to inform them that an aft beam bulkhead had broken, leading to serious damage to the float. Despite the storm, Groupama 3 is slowly making headway towards Cape Town some 1,700 miles away and is therefore abandoning this Jules Verne Trophy.
At around 12:00 GMT, a big cracking sound dashed the hopes of Franck Cammas and his nine crew, when a bulkhead attached to the aft beam simply gave up in the harsh conditions as the giant trimaran was sailing with her sails angled at 90° to the true wind in a powerful NNE’ly air flow and rough seas. The crew knew they had to go fast to stay in the right sector of the warm front, hot on their heels, in order to drop down towards the Cape of Good Hope with the Brazilian low. The resulting weakness then caused the windward float to fissure and, in light of the sizeable damage, the crew immediately stopped the boat and concluded that it would be necessary to abandon this round the world attempt.

Franck Cammas explained:
“We’d spent the night sailing fast to stay ahead of the front and this morning Thomas [Coville] and Bruno [Jeanjean] were on deck when they heard a big ‘crack’. There was a small fissure between the aft beam and the port float. Conditions were really bouncy: we came to a standstill with the wind right on our tail so as to be able to open the hatch and get down inside the float. Part of the section between the beam and the float level with the bulkhead had become detached. As such the structural integrity was reduced by at least half. It is impossible to envisage effecting repairs at sea due to the motion. At the moment we?re still being shaken about: there was 35 knots of wind on the beam at the moment the incident occurred and just now, we?ve been caught up by the front so we?ve got 40 knots of breeze…”

“We’ve dumped the mainsail and Groupama 3 is running before the wind to avoid any harsh motion. We’re going to draw up a route to avoid having too much wind and excessive waves. We’re heading South to let the second low pass by us tonight and then we’ll head off towards Cape Town tomorrow [Tuesday] morning. We’re continuing with the same watch system and I’m working with Stan to see what we can do next. The idea then is to get back to France as quickly as possible: the crew’s up for that and if we can set off again before the end of January then it’s still feasible to make a new attempt!”

The wisest solution is to quickly make for port to get a better idea of the true scale of the damage. Cape Town, around 1,700 miles away, will be the quickest pitstop to get to, and the sea and wind conditions are not too bad. Nevertheless, it will take about a week.

Clearly the ten men are very disappointed. The trimaran had confirmed her performance by racking up over 700 miles on her way down the North Atlantic and by considerably improving on her own reference time between Ushant and the equator: 5 days 15 hours 23 minutes.

At the point the damage occurred, Groupama 3 still had a 345 mile lead over Orange 2 (over half a day) and was making an average speed in excess of 25 knots, on a direct course towards the Kerguelen archipelago. Having hooked onto a Brazilian low on Sunday, after a particularly slow weekend, Franck Cammas and his nine crew were fast approaching the Roaring Forties.
For more information, visit www.cammas-groupama.com

To share Taylor’s page. He wrote about the French section of our vacation–I figured that his blog was sufficiently witty for your amusement, whereas the unpublished blog that I wrote regarding aforementioned topic was bland and dry. ::insert French food joke here:: (Go here: tchazbennett.wordpress.com.)

Also, I haven’t posted much lately because there hasn’t been much going on. It’s been a lot of trips to the grocery store, and that’s about it. On Thursday, there’s another tour of the city via bike that I’d like to do. (Added bonus: tour of Jules Verne’s house.) There’s also Marseille coming up on December 3-5. I’m headed to the museum in Amiens in just a couple of minutes, so keep your eyes peeled for some new photos.

*Peter Schultz : “c'est comme découvrir du pétrole”

… et la Mer de la Tranquillité a vécu.

… oui, des neiges dont la surface est glacée profondément. Voyez comme elle réfléchit les rayons lumineux.
Des laves refroidies ne donneraient pas une réflexion aussi intense.
Il y a donc de l’eau , il y donc de l’air sur la Lune.
Si peu que l’on voudra mais le fait ne pourra plus être contesté…

… figurez-vous ce que devait être ce paisible astre nocturne de la nuit, quand certains cratères s’emplissaient de tonnerres, vomissaient tous à la fois des torrents de laves, des grêles de pierres, des nuages de fumées, des nappes de flammes…
Jules Verne : Autour de la lune, 1867

*Professeur de géologie à l’Université Brown, membre de l’équipe scientifique, 2009

First image above found via MartinKlasch. All other images found via the always-inspiring WeLoveTypography.com.

The collage maker on Picasa has quickly become my new best friend.

Previously, I have blogged about the Secrets of the Mysterious Island, which is an adventure game. I have feedback to the developer that I am stuck in level one and they are kind enough to send me a walkthrough guide for the game which can help players familiarize themselves with the game elements and the Island.

The game is pretty cool. You get to experience sights and sounds as though you are really on the Island.

Click here to download the walkthrough Guide.

SOUNDTRACK: TINDERSTICKS-Waiting for the Moon (2003).

This Tindersticks disc shows a bit of a departure for them.  Two of the first three songs are not sung by Stuart Staples (which is nice for diversity, but it is shocking to hear the first sung words on a Tindersticks disc be in the relatively high register of Dickon).  Not to mention, the song opens with lines about killing someone (!), which is a bit more drastic than most of their lovelorn lyrics.

The fourth song “4.48 Psychosis” is the most guitar heavy/rocking song in the band’s catalog, I think.  And the rest of the disc falls into a fairly traditional Tindersticks camp.

I’ve read a lot of reviews of this disc that describe it as a grower.  It’s entirely possible that I haven’t allowed this disc to grow on me enough, but I’m not as enamored of this one as I am with the rest.  The problem for me is that the first batch of discs are so magical that it just feels like this one is simply not as exciting.  Of course, any Tindersticks record is a good one, this one just isn’t quite as good as the rest.

Mayhaps I need to go back and try it a few more times?

[READ: October 31, 2009] Etidorhpa

I found out about this story when a patron requested it.  I’d never heard of it, and when I looked for it, it was very hard to find in our library system.  But when I Googled it, it was available as a Google Book.  They had scanned the entire thing and (since it was old and out of copyright) it was available free online!  Awesome.

I printed out the whole thing (double sided) and figured I would read it fairly quickly.  [Oh, and just to ruin my cool story about Google books, I see now that it is available in paperback for about $10 from Amazon.  Doh!]

Of course, I’m not just going to read something because it’s available as a Google Book.  The patron said that it was like Jule’s Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth.  I had just read “Symmes Hole” in McSweeney’s #4, so Hollow Earthers were already floating around my mind.  It all seemed to work out quite well.

By the time I started reading it, I had forgotten about the Hollow Earth ideas.  Which is fine, since the first 100 pages or so are given up solely to the ideas of occult sciences.  But, let me back up a bit first.

First there is a Preface.  Lloyd claims to have found this manuscript which was hidden by Llewellyn Drury.  Before he gets to the manuscript, though, he gives a little background about himself.   He also relates a lengthy story about the value of libraries and shared knowledge.  He concludes with speculation about Drury, and the revelation that although he is unwilling to specify how he came into possession of the manuscript, he has had it for seven years (as of 1894) and is finally convinced that it’s time to get it published.

My edition also contains a Preface about Daniel Vaughn. Vaughn is mentioned as a character in the story (but he was a real person as well).  In the story, Drury sought Vaughn’s assistance with some scientific matters.  So there’s a brief biography about the man.

AND THEN, there is a section called “A Valuable and Unique Library” which is another preface about the value of libraries.  I’m not even clear about who wrote it, if it’s supposed to be a plug for this book itself or if it’s just an ad for something.

Finally, the story proper begins.  But not without a preface by Drury himself, giving his own life story (his full name is Johannes Llewellyn Llongollyn Drury) but he decided to remove those two ugly names.

As the book begins, we see Drury sitting in his study.  It is November in the Ohio Valley and he is rather despondent about the weather.  He selects a book at random.  It is Cicero and he reads, “Never less alone than when alone,” and it sets him off into a (frankly over-reactive) rage.  He is alone right now, he says.  How could he be any more alone that he is?  He wagers everything he owns, including his soul, that he is alone.

When a voice says that he has lost his wager, Drury kind of freaks out.  And there in front of him is a very old man with long hair and a long beard.  The man demands Drury’s soul since he clearly lost the wager.  When Drury refuses, the man pulls out a knife and lays it on the table.  When things settle down, the stranger tells Drury that he will be back to relate a story that Drury will scarcely believe.  When he departs, the man forgets his knife.  When Drury reaches for it, it is ice cold.  But it soon disappears.

Drury asks some scientists what this could mean, and they basically say that he has dreamed the whole thing.  But the man left a hair in his room which Drury shows as evidence.  The scientists dismiss it.

Drury returns home, crushed.  But the visitor does not return.  Drury has more or less forgotten about it until the anniversary of the visit approaches.  And then, exactly one year later, the visitor reappears exactly as he did the first night.  He reminds Drury of his first visit, whips out his knife once more and then settles down to business. The man says that because of the philosophical frame of mind that Drury showed, he is a suitable candidate to hear the man’s tale.  The man asks Drury to listen to the manuscript, to ask as many questions as he can think of and then, when all is said and done, to pledge to hide the manuscript for 30 years.  After the thirty years are up, Drury must publish  the book or find someone who can (and this is how Lloyd found the manuscript).

The man, who informs Drury that his name is “I-am-the-Man-Who-Did-It,” reads the manuscript.

As the story begins, we get a lengthy bit about alchemy.  Up till now the story had been pretty fast paced and interesting (even the early descriptions of Ohio winters were well paced).  But I-am-the-Man is setting out to prove his case, so we get the first of many very meticulously argued sections.  He reads “The Alchemistic Letter” a five and a half page history of scientists who believe in alchemy & the secret society that alchemists join.  It’s a tad dry.

After the dry letter, the story begins in earnest.  I-am-the-Man tells his tale of joining this alchemical society and learning all there is to know about it.  However, he reneges on his pledge to keep everything a secret and is captured and punished accordingly.  This intriguing and intense section goes on for some 100 pages.  Long enough that I forgot the book was about a Hollow Earth at all.  There’s kidnapping, dead bodies, blindfolds, secretive transportation, everything!

Finally, after untold days in a jail, I-am-the-Man is released in front of a cave in Kentucky.  He is greeted by a man with no eyes and a cold and clammy skin.  He is a Hollow Earth dweller.  Obviously, I-am-the-Man freaks out about this.  But he is forcibly persuaded to join this fellow.  And from this point on, they descend further and further into the earth.

I-am-the Man sees giant mushrooms (which smell of pineapple among other things), he has grand delusions, he gets completely drunk on Hollow Earth alcohol, he sees massive lakes underground, as well as the REAL reason volcanoes explode (something to do with water displacing air–there’s obviously no molten core of the earth).  And all of this story is in aid of seeking the enchanted one: Etidorhpa.

So, for an 1895 book, how does it hold up?  Quite well, actually. The prose was sharp and well-written.  The plot was rather intriguing, and the descriptions of the fantasies below ground were very cool.

One of the fundamental aspects of the story is that people who live on the surface are, for lack of a better word, unenlightened. They believe only what their senses are aware of.  They cannot possibly understand what the truly enlightened people who live under the earth know: that all life is better underground.  There’s no harsh sun or elemental problems to contend with, just wondrous peace, harmony and awesomeness.  (Although, interestingly, we never see anyone other than the guide).   That’s one of the reasons why the manuscript can’t be published now.  Surface dwellers could never deal with the truths that are contained within.  And maybe in thirty years, they’d start to “get it.”

However, a few things stand out as being a little annoying.  The first is the intense lecturing that goes on.  In nearly every chapter, the Hollow Earth guide and I-am-the-Man have philosophical/scientific arguments about what is happening.  The arguments are usually interesting for a bit, but they tend to go on and on.  And, frequently there are sections where the jargon gets a bit dense.

Another problem is The-Man himself who seems to alternate between incredulous shock about what he sees, delight about its magnificence and bitter anger about what is happening to him.  These reactions are all quite reasonable, but they don’t feel realistic in the story.  The problem is that The-Man gets mad and lashes out, saying that nothing can be true, even though every step along the way the dweller guy easily proves all of his assertions.

Perhaps people thought differently back then (or maybe a 21st century reader feels more blase about these fantastic ideas than a 19th century reader would be), but I’m surprised at how after being through so much (taken around and the under the world), he still thinks that the man is trying to kill him (even though, come on, that’s an incredibly lengthy trip full of amazing delights and crazy scenery just to kill someone).  I do understand that his belligerent tone allows for the Hollow Earther to prove him wrong, (something Lloyd was obviously quite insistent upon) but it still seems rather silly.

It’s also funny how aggressively Drury fights The-Man whenever he interrupts the tale.  There’s just so much hostility between these men (which I guess is the sign of a thinker?). At one point The-Man drags Drury through the cold night to a ferry boat where they sail across a lake just to make a point.  The hostility throughout the book is rather disconcerting.

But this all makes sense.  The whole story is written as a sort of proof of the Hollow Earth Theory.  So, all of his assertions must be backed up by science.  And he is trying to anticipate every criticism and contrary attitude that can be thrown at him.  Thus, the lengthy philosophical explanations, the in-depth science stuff, the actual physical demonstrations (The-Man brings out some flasks to demonstrate water seepage) are all there to show of the validity of this story.

The one thing that I found to be a disadvantage about reading it now, is that while I am obviously well aware that we do not have a hollow earth, I don’t know enough about the science that they talk about to know exactly what they’re talking about.  So, when they talk about water flowing a certain way because of the density of the brine, well, I don’t know anything about that.  Or if gravity actually lessens as you get closer to the center of the earth.  Or any of the other odd but insistent proofs that The-Man offers.

But that’s all fine and good, because, excepting these proofs, the science fiction aspects of the story are really cool.  Especially when he drinks the hallucinatory liquor (the fantasy sequences are wonderfully over the top).  It does really make the idea of a Hollow Earth sound very compelling.  And there were times when I forgot that it was all hogwash, and thought how cool it would be to float around in gravity-free underground space.

But alas, we know it is all nonsense.

The story ends somewhat frustratingly without telling us about the sacred land of Etidorpha.  (There’s some implication that the readers will learn all about things in the land of Etidorpha when they are smart enough to grasp the wisdom of the underground dwellers). But it is a very satisfying story, nonetheless.

After the story there is a summary of the Death of Prof. Daniel Vaughn.  The story goes that people were so moved by him when they read the book that they submitted testimony about him and his life to Lloyd for inclusion in future copies.   In particular, this section talks about what happened to him later in life (that his generosity basically made him destitute).

The final section contains reviews of the book (all glowing of course).  And the reviews are quite true.  One thing I haven’t mentioned, which the reviewers bring up, is the illustrations.  J. Augustus Knapp fills the book with remarkably cool engravings.  They are detailed and very evocative.  The reviews suggest that they are in color, but the scanner does not translate them that way, which is definitely a shame.  If I can find a copy of the book I’d like to see them in their full glory.

So, for a book I’d never heard of, I can give it some seriously high marks.  It’s not for everyone, but if you like cool science fiction, this is a pretty great story.  I’m surprised that it seems to be so hard to find in print.

For more about Etidorhpa, check out this site.

Jules Verne – Carpathian Castle (Panther, Sept. 1963)

Blurb:

THE BRINK OF FEAR …
A cry escaped him; then throwing himself back, as if he had been struck by lightning, he slipped along the chain, which instinct made him hang on to, and rolled down, down . . ..
CARPATHIAN CASTLE…
deep in the impenetrable depths of the Transylvanian forest stood its massive creeper covered walls — a challenge to the world of the alien mortals . . . .
A CLASSIC MASTERPIECE OF GOTHIC HORROR BY THE AUTHOR OF ‘20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA’

PANTHER BOOKS
THE NAME THAT ENSURES GOOD READING

United Kingdom and France – October 5 2009 – Chillingo and Tetraedge Games are proud to announce the availability of its new game: Jules Verne’s Secrets of The Mysterious Island for iPhone and iPod touch on the Apple App Store.

“Secrets of the Mysterious Island” is the sequel of “Return to Mysterious Island” launched this year. This even more exciting second part has an extremely rich story line and content. It is also a part of the MICROIDS catalog, the world leader in adventure games.

For approximately 700 Mb, the player will find out the end of the adventure of Mina, a sailor who finds herself stranded on the shores of a wild and apparently uninhabited island somewhere in the South Pacific.

Jules Verne’s “Secrets of The Mysterious Island ” contains stunning 3D graphics, many ambient sounds, music designed to enhance the mysterious atmosphere and feel. It is perfect for experienced adventure gamers as well as for Jules Verne’s novels reader or even very casual players.

A special 3.0 feature allows you to navigate in the game both with the fingers touching the screen but also using the compass and the accelerometer to explore and turn in the 360° view. A very intuitive in-game tutorial will guide your first steps of the adventure. A full 3D environment with numerous tricky mini-games and intriguing puzzles, will keep you entertained for over 15 hours of exciting game play.

Jules Verne’s “Secrets of The Mysterious Island ”  is available for             $ 6.99 from Apple App Store on iPhone and iPod touch.

This initial version will be fully translated in five languages: English, German, French, Spanish and Italian. You can watch videos on Youtube :

For more information about Chillingo please visit   http://www.chillingo.com
For more information about Tetraedge, please visit   http://www.tetraedge.com

DESCRIPTION

Some 150 years after the events of the book, Mina, a young and carefree navigator taking part in the Jules Verne competition, is also cast ashore on the island after her ship sinks. At first, she must recover physically from her ordeal by finding items to eat, and then she sets off to explore this new territory cut off from the world in the hopes of finding a way to leave and return home.
The adventure reaches its end after Mina discovers the island’s secret, meets Captain Nemo’s ghost, and neutralizes the magnetic shield which isolates and conceals the island from the outside world. The cinematic end sequence shows the rescue services’ helicopter Mina had called land on the beach.
The intent of the game Secrets of The Mysterious Island is to make the players return to this island, which they so much enjoyed exploring, and to make them once again embody the young Mina who, according to numerous forums, was also well-liked…

The first Return to Mysterious Island ends with the unlocking of the shield which isolated the island from the rest of the world. The second installment begins with the crash of the helicopter that came to rescue Mina: a sudden volcanic eruption brought down the aircraft. Mina survived but is once again trapped on the island.
She searches Captain Nemo’s base in vain, then the ruins of an unknown civilization, afterwards, she finally understands that it is outside pollution that threatens the island.
The only way to save this natural wonder is to turn the shield back on. If Mina makes this decision, she gives up, as Nemo did before her, the idea of returning to civilization.

• The sequel of a success : more than 100,000 copies sold.
  “The Mysterious Island” is one of the writer’s most famous novels, one of his most enjoyed in North America (the main characters being Americans), and one of the most often adapted to the big screen.
• Highly popular themes: survival, exploration, discovery, science and mystery in a fabulous tropical setting.
• An interactive inventory system lets one combine various collected items in order to create new objects and tools…
• The same design and development team as for the first game keeps the same know-how and an identical proprietary engine for a fluid and excellent point and click navigation.
• Two-character play: Secrets of The Mysterious Island is a story of friendship because Mina adopts a cute, little monkey. This is especially true because he is no longer just a simple partner in the island’s misfortune. He is able, due to his dexterity, to reach places inaccessible to our main character. The player will thus be able to slip into Jep’s skin when the story will force him to: his point of view and his skills will be completely changed as a result…
• Intuitive matching inventory: Secrets of The Mysterious Island is mainly based on combinations of objects: two, three, four and even five elements are sometimes indispensable to
  obtain and make what one seeks or needs. Some elements are fungible, others can be used again.
• Different puzzles :
  “Pre-technical”: primitive but ingenuous use of tools by the monkey.
  “Technical”: use of the installations built by the castaways in the novel (mill, oven…) to start up ambitious projects: enameled pottery, glass blowing, forging…
• “High technology”: turning back on the volcanic engine of the unknown civilization, repairing Nemo’s sophisticated machines, testing the sick plants…
• “Social”: interacting with the monkeys of the island with the help of an interface based on In RTMI 1 the player embodied Mina and used Jep as a simple tool.
• In the second installment, Jep becomes a character in his own right. He saves Mina at the beginning of the game.
  Afterwards, the player switches from one character to another by maximizing the use of each other’s talents:
• Jep can climb places inaccessible to Mina, communicate with other monkeys, and find numerous objects thanks to his sense of smell. He communicates with his fellow monkeys: it’s an opportunity to present the practical and social intelligence of monkeys and thus render man’s place in nature relative.
• Mina can dive in the lake whereas Jep, like many monkeys, does not know how to swim. Only Mina can use complex tools, combine objects and, of course, read the documents found in the course of the game!
  Game time will be balanced between Mina and Jep. The two characters are very positive, in particular Mina, who hates resorting to violence.

About Chillingo
Chillingo are the publishers of innovative and popular iPhone and iPod touch titles in the Apple App Store

About Tetraedge
Tetraedge is a studio and mobile publisher specialized since 2003 in Smartphone games and applications. The first steps made on Windows Mobile in 2003 lead rapidly to develop on SYMBIAN S60 (N-Gage, N series) and more recently lead to create a strong team for iPhone/iPod Touch. Tetraedge as a mobile publisher believes that only eco-system such as iTunes/APPLE Store will lead to a successful and thriving mobile applications market.Tetraedge is using both standard SDKs from the market and its own tolls and APIs develops through the last 6 years in order to be cross-platforms. Tetraedge is constantly making a strong effort on R&D in order to acquire new technology, such as RFID and LBS, inducing new gameplay and usages on high-end mobile devices such as iPhone/iPod touch, Nokia N97, the latest Samsung, LG and HTC or even the Google SmartPhones based on ANDROID.

Följ dem på Groupamas hemsida.

Book : Journey To The Center Of The Earth by Jules Verne

Category : Classic , Science Fiction

Protagonist : Otto Lidenbrock

Summary of the book from Good Reads

As irascible scholar Professor Lidenbrock pores over a rare Icelandic tome, he discovers a scrap of parchment with cryptic writing tucked away between the ancient pages. And when his nephew, Axel, finally breaks the writing’s secret code, he learns of a hidden underground passageway that may lead deep into the center of the earth.

Despite Axel’s misgivings, he and the obsessed Lidenbrock travel to Iceland and, with a guide named Hans, set out on a perilous expedition in the course of which the trio will encounter an extraordinary new world of extinct yet living species, an underground sea, and gigantic, battling monsters.

Things I liked about this book:

This book was published in 1864 and the forward thinking Jules Verne conceptualised a plot that continues to enthrall readers of all age even to this day. It is a perfect balance of science and fiction . The fictionalization has been in everyplace accounted with facts that can at least partly explain the occurence. Writing this stuff in 1800 itself makes me wonder what kind of imagination Verne must have had.

The excitement is never-ending in this book. The well placed obstacles make it a fun reading as well as keep the story moving.

Most importantly, it was the book I read as a kid in form of Illustrated Classic. It was my first book in that series and has always remained a favourite. I really wanted to read the unabridged form but never got a chance until I landed up participating in the Classics Challenge

This is the cover of my Illustrated Classic version of the book  [Googled for the image ]

Things I disliked about the book : None

On my rating scale :4 out of 5

Challenges for which the book is listed : Classics Challenge 2009

Fill In The Gaps 100 Project

“Ce-am facut in ultimele opt zile ? Am citit, cea mai mare parte din timp in pod, dar amintirea unei zile se contopeste cu a celorlalte. Stiu doar ca am citit haotic si furios.” Yambo se cufunda in re-descoperirea copilariei sale. Amalia ii aduce hrana si cite o sticla cu vin, de acasa Paola il roaga sa mearga regulat la farmacist ca sa-si ia tensiunea, iar de la birou primeste asigurari ca noul catalog merge bine.  … “Acum Sibilla incepea sa devina un fel de amintire indepartata din copilarie, pe cind tot ce scormoneam eu treptat in ceturile trecutului devenea prezentul meu.” Podul este plin de comori : cutii de bomboane, cutii de cafea, reviste, carti, cutii cu jucarii; peste toate se asternuse un praf gros si pinze de paianjen pe care Amalia le ignora. De soareci se ocupau pisicile, asa ca totul era aproape intact. Yambo redescopera cartile copilariei sale : Fantomas, Rocambolle, Alba ca Zapada, Pinocchio, Jules Verne. “Asta a fost copilaria mea ? Sau mai rau ?” Din cind in cind, ia cite un vraf de carti si merge sa le citeasca ori in gradina, ori in camera sa. Comoara din insula, Povestea lui Pipino, Piratii din Malaiezia, Sherlock Holmes. Este pe drumul cel bun? “Poate ca am gresit totul, si a gresit si Paola totul : fara sa ma intorc la Solara as fi ramas doar aiurit, intorcindu-ma puteam sa ies de aici nebun.” Yambo paraseste podul. La farmacist afla ca efortul – caratul cartilor -  ii crescuse tensiunea. “M-a salvat Paola. … A sosit pe neasteptate, cu Carla, Nicoletta si cei trei copii”. Yambo petrece impreuna cu familia frumoase clipe de ragaz : excursii prin imprejurimi, sau joaca pentru copii diverse roluri din povesti. Paola parca presimte un pericol : “fii cu bagare de seama, nu te lasa intoxicat de tot ce citesti.” Ramas singur, Yambo isi reia explorarile. Obiecte vechi, un gramofon, un radio, incep sa ii redestepte amintirile. La aparitia lor, acestea fusesera obiecte de lux. Putini si le permiteau. Acum, erau obiecte desuete, care nu mai puteau interesa decit un anticar. Autentic. Meritau reparate ? “Nu vreau sa va fur banii – ii spusese un mester.” Dar minune! patefonul inca functiona! Mozart, Caruso, Beethoven, Wagner, laolalta cu Cinico Angelini, Pippo Barizza, Alberto Semprini … In plus, imnuri fasciste. Cintece de obedienta fata de Duce. Educatia patriotica a acelor vremuri de razboi. ( De altfel, aceasta tema apare in toate romanele lui Eco). Yambo se reintoarce in podul cu comori, hotarit sa-si re-descopere activitatea scolara. Gaseste caietele si manualele, dar si ziare ale vremii. “Pentru litera B erau cuvinte ca Benito si o pagina dedicata lui Balilla” (numele organizatiei paramilitare fasciste italiene, in care erau inclusi copii intre 8 si 14 ani). Intr-unul dintre caiete, apare tema sa : ceata! Era ceata buna ? sau rea ? Ceata este rea pentru ca in ea oamenii seamana cu niste umbre si se pot rataci, dar este buna pe vreme de razboi, pentru ca invaluie localitatile si pilotii nu le pot bombarda. De mici, copiii erau educati cu elemente de antisemitism si xenofobie. In contrast, “italienii erau cu totii frumosi.” Si bravi! Yambo descopera o Italie schizofrenica in care in timp ce “Aliatii debarcau la Anzio, la radio facea furori Besame, besame mucho. ” Spre sfirsitul razboiului, familia hotarise sa se mute la Solara. Si Yambo descopera ca    “In noua luni devenisem intelept; [...]  Lepadasem uniforma de Balilla si devenisem un mic decadent, dedicat cautarii timpului pierdut.” Dar unde este Regina Luana ? In apropiere, dar Yambo inca nu stie. Curind o va gasi. Si tot din intimplare.

Just nu har vi arbete på egen hand för att läraren är och vaccinerar sig för “the swine flu”. Jag håller på och skriver en presentation om en engelsk författare, H.G. Wells. Han skrev den där boken “Världarnas Krig” du vet?

Sen vet jag också följande om honom, hittills:

• Den boken orsakade  en massiv panik bland USAs befolkning när den spelades upp i radion (FAIL)
• H.G. står för Herbert George
• Han blev nästan 80 år gammal (21 sept 1866 – 13 aug 1946)
• Han kallas ofta “The Father of Science Fiction”, jämsides med Jules Verne

Går det att göra en fem minuter lång presentation av det här? Ja, självklart, det är Elin vi snackar om. Jag har ofta en tendens till att göra tre gånger för långa presentationer så det blir inga problem…

Nu är bara frågan om det är nödvändigt att läsa Engelska C i skolan. Hur mycket mer lär man sig egentligen? Och framförallt: har man någon nytta av det senare?

Man får läsa lite böcker från kända författare och lära sig lite litteraturhistoria. Utöver det så lär man sig nog inte så supermycket. Jo, man får ju förstås med erfarenhet av att prata inför folk. Nytta får man nog av det om man lyckas fjäska till sig högsta betyg och kan använda det för att höja snittpoängen inför högskolan. Annars är det väl för att ha något att prata om med någon som bara är intresserad av just böcker skrivna av författare som levde/lever i ett engelskspråkigt land. Annars: nej, inte direkt!

Back to work!

// Elin Johansson

May I be an amalgamated Hippie/Neo-Victorianist?

And just for the reader’s information, I’m not having an identity crisis, as far as I know,  though most fictional characters seem to have it most of the time.

This is a nice summary of my day:

ArelinMilloway Has spent most of her day researching steampunk, Neo-Victorianism, Jules Verne and Rococo ornaments. My day couldn’t have been much better.about 7 hours ago from web

So now I want to make a submarine. And I wish I lived a 150 years ago and married Jules Verne.  And if nothing else I want to make a Sandman mask. I can include that in my project, I’m sure.

I’m just converting the second season of Dexter right now, and so the question is: Sandman or Dexter before I go to bed? I think I might end up with Dexter as it’s the laziest option.

I was going to write loads about my day, but I no longer feel the need.

This is the emerald heart of Koschei the Deathless. He kept his life in this heart, but a woman stole it and he died. This is the cloak of the night. There is a country far in the north where day never breaks. This cloak was woven from the silk of black worms who feed on the leaves of dark trees in the lightless caverns beneath that land. This is the drum Inescapable, that Empusa crafted from the hide of a wyvern and the wood of Yggdrasil: if you beat this drum nothing can escape you… Neil Gaiman is one fucking genius.

Dexter season 2, now.

Jules Verne était le prétexte (pardon Jules) pour faire connaissance avec ce non-nouveau (born in 2005) magazine de Français et de Littérature destiné aux 10/15 ans. La revue m’a parue plus que bien faite et bien adaptée à sa jeune cible, ce que le courrier de ses lecteurs n’a fait que confirmer. Si l’on en croit Anne, 12 ans : “Cher Virgule, je t’adore. Tu es coquasse, dantesque et pas du tout suranné.” Suite à quoi je suis allée me vautrer dans mon dictionnaire, toute de honte vêtue, pour apprendre que “suranné” means “désuet”. Of course, Anne 12 ans! Mais un tel vocabulaire n’est pas surprenant chez les lecteurs de Virgule, puisque la revue se penche chaque mois sur un mot “maltraité, délaissé, en voie de disparition ou abandonné”. Il est possible au lecteur d’adopter le mot abandonné de son choix, sur demande à la SPM (Société Protectrice des Mots) en s’engageant à utiliser le mot au moins une fois par mois, à l’oral ou à l’écrit, et de l’expliquer à ceux qui ne le connaitraient pas. L’histoire ne dit pas ce que deviennent les petits chéris à la récré lorsqu’ils remplacent “pas kiff ” par “suranné” mais enfin je veux croire que la démarche a quelque chance de faire effet.

Le dossier consacré à Jules Verne m’a semblé bien dosé entre les informations biographiques et bibliographiques, et l’analyse littéraire. Le climat de confiance de l’époque (XIXè) quant à la science et au progrès est bien étayé ainsi que la furie du voyage-exploration. Les illustrations sont très originales. On y découvre des objets personnels à l’artiste, tel son écritoire de voyage (qu’on aimerait bien trouver encore aujourd’hui), une mappemonde, une maquette du Nautilus (sous-marin avant le sous-marin…) des photos de pages de son journal de voyage avec lignes et croquis; et autres originalités tel un jeu de l’oie italien de 1900 retraçant les étapes du Tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours, un superbe objet. Seuls les extraits de textes choisis m’ont semblés un peu fades, ou maladroitement coupés.

Virgule produit son effet au delà de sa cible. Il m’a pris dans la foulée de lire Le Phare du bout du Monde, une des œuvres posthumes de JV. Ne connaissant que Voyage au centre de la Terre, j’y ai découvert son impressionnante connaissance de la mer et de la navigation. Ce livre est bel et bien écrit par un natif de Nantes et d’une famille maternelle de marins, d’où un vocabulaire millimétré de bout en bout. Je saurais désormais ce que c’est que d’aller grand largue, et ne me demande plus ce que sont la misaine et le jusant. On ressort changé d’un roman de Jules Verne, puisque chargé de connaissances techniques et pratiques. Qui sait si un jour, et même du haut de mon XXIème siècle, je n’aurais pas besoin de réparer une coque de bateau, ou de raviver le faisceau d’un phare? La connaissance nous sauve, tout au long de ce récit sur l’île des Etats, cernée par les dangers de son extrême situation géographique et des âmes peu fréquentables qui y croupissent. C’est agréable de retrouver à la lumière d’un texte l’essence même d’une notion et pas seulement l’excès dans lequel on la confine aujourd’hui. Jules Verne nous parle d’un temps ou savoir n’était pas une offense et nous rappelle – sans le vouloir, quoi que… – qu’il ne faut pas jeter le bébé avec l’eau du bain. Aussi, Anne 12 ans, a toute ma sympathie et mes encouragements.

Laura Stravinsky

(161:  What’s for dinner?)

I believe cats to be spirits come to earth.  ~ Jules Verne

You only have 80 days to circumnavigate the globe. Think that sounds easy? Travel back in time to the late 19th century and get ready for spectacular adventures on land, sea and air together with the English daredevil Phileas Fogg and his loyal French servant Passepourtout. Use the unique chance to visit four continents and complete the inconceivable journey in this outstanding puzzler based on the classic adventure novel by Jules Verne.

Outstanding storyline!

Marvelous adaptation.

Bonus animated screensaver!

System Requirements:

OS: Windows 2000/XP/Vista

CPU: 600 Mhz

RAM: 128 MB

DirectX: 8.0

Hard Drive: 55 MB

It Takes Just A Second To Say Thanks,

It Takes Longer To The Work On This.

Around The World In 80 Days