Links and Stuff

[NOTE: If you’re looking for my 2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge Theme Reveal post, it’s HERE.]

This week, we have a nightmare Boss battle re-hash, a book vending machine, and we meet Boaty McBoatface, among other things. But first…

Legend of Zelda Update

These past I-forget-how-many weeks, I’ve been spending my Sunday afternoons playing “Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker” with my gamer daughter, SecondBorn. Last week I was collecting Triforce charts on my way to the final Boss battle: a showdown with Ganon. I have to collect eight Triforce charts (as in sea charts–maps) that lead to eight Triforce shards which give me the courage I need to face the big bad beardy man. Without giving too much away–well, okay, giving nothing away–I did that. For those who haven’t done this part of the game, a word of advice: GET LOTS OF MONEY FIRST. You’ll need at least 2,200 rupees to finish this part of the quest. Oh, and for one of the charts, you’ll have to visit a nasty, multilevel labyrinth. SecondBorn says it goes down for 50, maybe 100 levels. Every level has a collection of nasties to fight. Every 10th level there are jars with money (see previous hint) and health replenishment. After 30 levels, you get the chart and can return, or you can carry on for a big reward… if you survive! I stopped at 30 thankyouverymuch. 🙂

As soon as I found all the shards, I went to face Ganon. But before I could enter the Boss Room, I had to go through four doors that re-hashed elements of all the previous four dungeons/towers, including replays of all four Boss battles! Do you remember how abysmally I did against the big poe Jalhalla? Well, I did just as abysmally second time around–if not worse. SecondBorn had to finish that one up for me otherwise I would have died in that room. I managed to get through the ordeal, however, and now I stand on the brink of the final Ganon battle. Will I survive? Will I manage to finish The Wind Waker? Tune in next week…!

Other Stuff

First, an update to the controversy over Harper Lee’s Estate terminating the Mass Market edition of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. It now seems that publisher HarperCollins will offer the Trade Paperback edition to schools at a reduced price, essentially the same price as the Mass Market edition. Okay, fair enough. It still doesn’t sit right with me, though, since it doesn’t change the fact there are many people who can’t afford the Trade price. For a modern classic like this to be available only to those who can afford it, or who have a well-stocked local library, is shameful. But that’s just what I think.

It’s a big election year here in the U.S. (if you haven’t noticed), and as voters go to the polls to punch their chads (sorry, Chad), or place their marks beside their candidates of choice, I want to share this sober reminder to my fellow Christians from Westminster Seminary theologian, Dr. Michael Horton. His article focuses on Donald Trump (he has made himself a big target, after all), but I think his words of admonition to consider the worldview of the candidates before voting applies across the board, with all candidates. Especially when those candidates make Christian claims.

For the bibliophiles, like me, how about a book vending machine? According to this Mental Floss article, that’s what a bright spark up in Canada has come up with. For $2 (Canadian, I presume, which is about one US penny, right? 🙂 ), you can get a random book from the book machine. How cool is that? Of course, since the books are random, you may end up paying for something you’ll never read, so it’s really for the bibliophile who likes to live on the edge, whose middle name is “risk,” and rides the hard edges of life. If Jack Reacher were a librarian…

The Natural Environment Research Council, a British group involved in environmental sciences, recently purchased a £200 million (that’s about $80 trillion, isn’t it?) polar exploration ship, and called upon the public to suggest names. Various names were suggested, including “David Attenborough” after the famous British TV naturalist. But things started to get out of hand when one bright spark, former TV presenter James Hand, suggested the name “Boaty McBoatface.” At the time the servers crashed this past weekend, Hand’s suggestion had garnered in excess of 10,000 votes, 7,000 more than the next most popular. It is only a suggestion, so the NERC is not obliged to follow it. Hand has since apologized, not realizing how popular his little joke would be. I’m amazed at his reaction. This is the country that gave us Monty Python, after all. Why on earth wouldn’t they have a £200 million scientific vessel named “Boaty McBoatface.” It’s brilliant! 🙂

And finally, FirstBorn has been exercising her culinary skills again, this time to celebrate my birthday this coming Thursday. She plans to make a cake for me (SecondBorn is going to prepare an Asian meal for supper), but yesterday she made an apple tart and custard, knowing how much I like apple pie and custard. Here are the results:

That’s all I have. Any thoughts? News to share? Zelda tips?