Bona Fide: Weekly Roundup #39

Hello and welcome to the last Roundup in September 2009. On the upcoming Sunday we will have federal election in Germany. And yes, there is a relation to books. We pay a reduced value-added tax for books. Some parties want to change to full value-added tax for books. That would mean a price increase by 12%. I really hope they don't do it.

Books

Did you read or hear about the mechanical marvel of the nineteenth century? During the 1880s professor Archibald Campion developed Boilerplate, a mechanical man. The picture on the left shows Boilerplate and professor Archibald Campion.
Next month Boilerplate: History's Mechanical Marvel (2009) [US] [UK] by Paul Guinan and Anina Bennett will be available in book stores.

Until then visit the extraordinary Boilerplate site. You get a lot of pictures and information about Boilerplate and his world. You imagine what is missing? Of course a book trailer. You are lucky because I found one for you:


Blogosphere

Do you know biliophile sins? In case your answer is no or you are interested in then I recommend to read The Bibliophile's Seven Deadly Sins by Kristen over at Fantasy Cafe. I must commit: I'm a sinner. What's about you?

Dave Brandon over at Dave Brendon's Fantasy & SciFi Weblog had a wonderful idea. Instead of an interview with the author he started a series of interviews with the characters of a book. I read Nights of Villjamur (2009) [US] [UK] by Mark Charan Newton within the gone summer and have been fascinated. You don't know the book? No problem at all. The interviews - so far two have been posted and more to come - give you an interesting sight on the characters and the book itself. I hope you enjoy the interviews as much as I did. Let me think. I forgot something or not? ..... Of course, how should you read the interviews without a link. Here we are:
Nights of Villjamur Interview Part One: Randur Estevu and Nights of Villjamur Part Two: Investigator Rumex Jeryd . Don't miss the next interview with Commander Brynd Lathraea which will be posted soon.
Thank you Dave for this great idea and the execution. I asked myself why I don't have such good ideas. Do we Germans like rules and laws more than imagination? I must admit in some cases yes. But that changes immediately when we have to fill out our tax forms.....

Do you remember the nineties where they promised us the paperless office? I got the impression that we use more paper than before. Do you use sticky notes? I use the a lot. Thanks to madscientistnz over at Items of Interest. He posted a video about Fun With Pos-It Notes. And shameless as I am, I purloined the link offer you the video directly. I'm sure when I would do the same as the people in the video I would get fired. But the video is awesome. Enjoy!


Movies

This week I found another trailer of a steampunk movie. I don't know when it will hit the cinemas in Europe and United States. It is maybe not what you expected. Read the praise of the producers first:

"A story of outstanding heroism in the face of deception, subterfuge and treachery. Conjuring up the belief that it was made forty years before film was even invented, 1884: Yesterday's Future tells of a future that might have been but never was. Directed by Tim Ollive, the film is a mix of animation, puppetry and two dimensional and three dimensional computer generated imagery (CGI) set against backgrounds created using stunning artwork, model sets and period photographs from the Hulton Picture Library division of Getty Images.
Combine these idiosyncratic production techniques with a script of mind boggling ingenuity and you have a hilarious comedy film the like of which you will not have seen before." [Source]

And now watch the trailer:




Quotes

This week I opened the Roundup with taxes and I will close with taxes. I abandoned quotes from politicians. But I can't withstand to offer you a link to a well known quote from a well known politician. It starts with the words Read my lips. Enjoy this week quotes about TAXES.

"Tax reform means "Don't tax you, don't tax me, tax that fellow behind the tree."”
Russel Long

"The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax.”
Albert Einstein, physicist (1879 - 1955)

"Income tax returns are the most imaginative fiction being written today.”
Herman Wouk, US dramatist & historical novelist (1915 - )

"A fine is a tax for doing something wrong. A tax is a fine for doing something right.”
Author Unknown

"The more you earn, the less you keep,
And now I lay me down to sleep.
I pray the Lord my soul to take,
If the tax-collector hasn't got it before I wake.. ”
Ogden Nash, American poet (1902 - 1971)