Kendall Giles

Entry number three for the Younger Edda audio project is chapters three and four from The Fooling of Gylfe.

Technorati Tags: book, culture

As another piece of our cultural history, and given the timeliness (and timelessness) of this hero, I've started a series of Beowulf readings.

After all, according to Wired magazine, this is the year of the Viking:

Why this sudden interest in the savage tribes who roamed across what became the UK and Scandinavia? Maybe because they combine the best of zombies, ninjas, and robots. Their cool ships and armor are sort of the Dark Ages equivalent of high tech, their fighting skillz are fully ninja, and of course they shamble along in rags with chopped-off limbs just like zombies do. Really, you just can't go wrong with Vikings.

And, Valhalla knows, we could all use a real hero these days.

Technorati Tags: book, culture

Due to the heavy marketing by Apple and Amazon, you are surely by now familiar with the iPhone and Kindle. Those are very interesting devices, but I recently made a comparison between them and the new Nokia N810 and, in the end, went with the N810.

The iPhone is slick, but I did not want to be hobbled with a long AT&T cell-phone contract -- monthly voice and data charges and fees really was not appealing. I have a cell phone for voice calls, but more and more I find myself using VOIP, especially Skype, for my voice calls. With an Internet connection this means I can make voice calls for free. Currently, making simple, free Skype or other VOIP calls is not possible with the iPhone. In addition, I live in a region with no cell phone service, so the thought of monthly cell phone charges is doubly discouraging. Also, the iPhone currently is a "closed" environment, meaning that the applications you can use on the phone are limited by Apple. Finally, I wanted a device that I could use to read documents, and doing so on a cell phone was really not practical.

The Kindle is really geared for reading ebooks, and its free EVDO connectivity option means that I can easily buy ebooks from Amazon. However, it is not a platform for making voice calls, its computer network and Internet access is limited, and it is also a closed platform for applications. But it is even lacking in the edocument arena, since it does not support the ubiquitous .pdf format. I have thousands of .pdf files, and so a device that does not facilitate reading my own documents is not very useful.

The Nokia N810 is the new Internet Tablet and is the newest generation, building on the N800 and N770. The N810 features a full keyboard, webcam, GPS, and Wi-fi network connectivity. Moreover, the operating system is built on Linux, and the Finnish company takes an "open" approach to developers and new software applications. To me, the N810 offered more features and had less undesirable features than either the iPhone or the Kindle.

The keyboard slides out from under the screen if you need to use it, but it also accepts screen inputs using the stylus or, like the iPhone, your finger. The screen is also larger and has a higher resolution than the iPhone's, meaning images and text are clearer.

The desktop is very customizable - you can run desired applets, like the Google search bar, an Internet radio applet, or an RSS newsfeed applet.

Because the Nokia is taking an open approach with developers, a lot of new and useful applications are being developed for the device. Here is a music player customized for finger input just like on the iPhone.

Having builtin Wi-fi network connectivity means the WWW is just a click away.

The N810 also plays videos, via YouTube or video files on the device.

Other bonuses include a builtin GPS receiver and mapping application, Bluetooth, and memory expandable up to 10GB with an 8GB SD memory card.

Technorati Tags: technology

The latest installment of the Beowulf Project is up, Part 1, Chapters 1-2.

Technorati Tags: book, culture

Early this morning, at 01:08AM EST, marked Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year, the return of the sun (Sunna) and warmth, and the official beginning of winter.

Demarest goes on to explain the intricacies of the Norse Yule tradition. "For the ancient Norse people, winter was a very difficult time,the growing season had ended and the shortened days meant that the life-giving sun was disappearing, leaving them in darkness and extreme cold. The winter solstice marked their triumph over darkness and the return of the warmth and a new year. The Yule season is twelve days long, beginning the night before the winter solstice. The most important aspect of those twelve days is that our world and the world of the Gods and Goddesses are together, and it is a blessing to be close to them and have a connection -- it is at this time that we look back over the old year and make oaths for the new year."

Here is a link to an article in the Washington Post about the National Yule Log in the U.S. (which burns continuously from Dec 7 to Jan 2).

So whatever form of celebration you have this time of year, have safe travels, good food, warmth, and fellowship with family and friends this Yule!

Technorati Tags: culture, spirit