Kendall Giles

Live and Let Die is the second James Bond novel by Ian Fleming, and it wasn't until my first trip to New York that I really appreciated and understood some parts of the book.

Here, James must uncover a gold-smuggling ring, sponsored by the Communist SMERSH government agency. The leader of the smuggling ring is Mr. Big, who wields control of his crime network, stretching from Harlem to Jamaica, through fear from the practice of Voodoo.

Bond must travel to Harlem in his investigations, and there has an unfortunate encounter with Mr. Big. Bond also meets the Voodoo fortune teller Solitaire, who catches Bond's eye with her beauty. But a reversal of fortunes for Bond and Solitaire has them cross paths again in a race across the country, ending with underwater operations, and excitement, in Jamaica.

We also meet with CIA operative Felix Leiter again, and we learn how and why Leiter appears with a hook for an arm in later Bond stories.

As with other Bond stories, this one has a tight and fast-paced plot, lots of action, and Ian Fleming's eye for detail and succinct description.

The movie version, with Roger Moore, is worth it just for the Paul McCartney Live and Let Die theme music.

One night a raccoon came to our window in Richmond, VA. Note the cat ears at the bottom of the pic and the raccoon hand against the window - it was quite the stare-down - neither party knew what to make of the other.

Quantum of Solace: The Complete James Bond Short Stories is the new collection of James Bond short stories, written by Ian Fleming, and Quantum of Solace is the name of one of the short stories contained therein. This collection is the first time all nine of Ian Fleming's James Bond short stories have appeared in one volume together. Also, their publication coincides with the upcoming new James Bond film, Quantum of Solace, starring Daniel Craig.

Interestingly, the film Quantum of Solace is not based on the short story of the same name. Nevertheless, these short stories offer glimpses into James Bond and the sorts of adventures he undertakes not available from the longer novels. In fact, one of the most compelling stories in the collection, Quantum of Solace, is just a conversation between James Bond and the Governor of the Bahamas---this story alone is worth the purchase price of the collection.

The entire list of short stories is:

"From a View to a Kill" 
"For Your Eyes Only" 
"Quantum of Solace" 
"Risico" 
"The Hildebrand Rarity" 
"Octopussy" 
"The Property of a Lady" 
"The Living Daylights" 
"007 in New York"

Cheers.

One of the best accessories I've bought in a long time is the $20 Nike + iPod Sensor.

It is a lozenge-shaped device that you can put inside special Nike shoes, or, really, attach to any running shoe (see my review of various running shoes and running styles here).

What is really neat is that the new iPod Touch and iPhones have built-in support for this device (see my review of the new iPod Touch).

Just turn on your iPod Touch or iPhone, select a workout music playlist, select the workout type (timed, open-ended, calorie target, mileage target, etc.), and off to the races you go. A pleasing voice will call out workout milestones, and will encouragingly motivate you when you are nearing workout goals. You can even denote a special "power song" to play during your final push for the goal line.

Once you've completed your workout, you can view a summary of your workout (distance traveled, time, pace, calories burned). Moreover, you can have these statistics uploaded to a free Nike Plus web account where you are effectively included into the world's largest running club.

There, you can view your workout history (as you can on your iPod Touch or iPhone), along with graphs of your workout pace. You can also challenge other members to virtual races, participate in virtual group runs, and otherwise chart your fitness growth and history.

Not bad, in my book, for a $20 device.

As a bonus, my understanding is that many gyms are installing Nike + iPod compatible workout devices so that you can log your workouts for more than just runs using the Nike + iPod sensor.

Ancient Wisdom for a Modern World

There is much wisdom contained in the sayings and writings of our ancestors. Unfortunately, especially as evidenced by today's many crises, this wisdom has been forgotten.

If you care to learn some of this ancient wisdom, then you might want to see the new application I wrote for the iPhone and iPod touch called Wise Words.

Now the ancient wisdom of the Havamal, from the Poetic Edda, can always be at your fingertips, for quick inspiration and guidance, or for long-term study, meditation, and growth. The Poetic Edda is a collection of Old Norse poems written in the 13th century from oral traditions, and the Havamal gives practical advice about life, love, and living.

Available now on the iPhone App Store.