Kurup.net

Review: Birth of the Alliance

noreply@blogger.com (Manoj Kurup) — Sat, 07 Feb 2015 19:32:00 +0000

Birth of the Alliance by Alex Albrinck

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Probably the best book in the series so far. I have really enjoyed this series so far...probably easy to tell since I have made it to the 4th book. Downloaded the 5th book and will start it right away.

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Review: Post-Human

noreply@blogger.com (Manoj Kurup) — Mon, 16 Jun 2014 01:29:00 +0000

Post-Human by David Simpson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Catching up on my reviews. I got the first four books on amazon for a very good price...FREE! Usually when that happens, I don't expect a lot. I'm happy to say that these books exceeded my expectations and I plan on buying the 5th book soon.

The story is about the creation of AI and how some factions of the population will fight advancement since it is unknown, goes against their religion or fear of what will become of them. This series shows the positive side of advancement as well as what can happen if the government steps in.

Great books to read and I recommend it to anyone interested in science advancements and what will be possible over the next twenty to thirty years.

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Review: NextGen

noreply@blogger.com (Manoj Kurup) — Mon, 16 Jun 2014 01:14:00 +0000

NextGen by T.I. Wade

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was the final book in the America One series (at least I believe it is). This was one of my all-time favorite series, until the last few books. I liked the way that Wade leveraged real-time news to add details to his story.

That being said, I was disappointed by the last book. The first few books were riveting and seemed to be within the realm of possibilities. As the books went on, the story line became less and less believable; 10000 year old earthlings that built space ships and traveled around the solar system, though they didn't really understand physics and radiation, and then even more far-fetched martians that are still alive and eat humans.

Up until these twists, I would have said this was one of the top series that I read. The last couple books I read to see if it would get back to the original story lines. No such luck.

Overall, I still liked the book and will keep an eye on other books that Wade writes since they were enjoyable to read.

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Review: Perion Synthetics

noreply@blogger.com (Manoj Kurup) — Mon, 16 Jun 2014 01:00:00 +0000

Perion Synthetics by Daniel Verastiqui

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

(Disclaimer: Daniel provided me with a free advanced copy for feedback and review purposes.)

To start with, I really appreciate receiving an advanced copy from the author. That was a first for me since I signed up with the program on Goodreads. On to the book review...

I thought that Verastiqui created an interesting story line and developed the characters well. There were many times while reading it that I had a tough time putting the book down. It was an interesting concept: a great innovator is dying and tries to build a replacement that he can transfer his mind into. I liked this part of the book.

What I didn't like was how quickly the characters bought into some of topics brought up in the book. There were times that the characters made 180 degree shifts in beliefs without the turmoil that usually comes with it. It frustrated me that they changed their deep down beliefs without any concerns. At one point, one of the characters tries to kill the other and without any 'making up', they work together at the end. Personally, I have a tough time believing that someone that tried killing me a half hour earlier, can now be my best friend if there wasn't something else that happened in the middle. That was a tough thing for me to get over and the only reason I dropped down the rating.

Overall, it was worth a read and if you can get over some of the major shifts I mentioned, it was an enjoyable read.

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Review: Divergent

noreply@blogger.com (Manoj Kurup) — Sun, 16 Mar 2014 23:19:00 +0000

Divergent by Veronica Roth

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Saw that the movie was going to be released next week so I decided to read the book before it came out. I thought the author did a good job of developing the characters and had an interesting, if not unique story line. That being said, this book was still very annoying to read in parts. A cross between Twilight, Harry Potter, and the Hunger Games, this dystopian story kept me interested enough to keep reading. However, the main character, Tris, really started to annoy me when she kept 'trembling' with excitement every time her soon to be boyfriend even looked at her. She shivered at every touch and swooned with every look.

If you can get past that annoying part of the story, it was decent. I started the second book in the series to see what happens, but am skimming past the trembling, shivering, and swooning when they come up.

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Review: Mind's Eye

noreply@blogger.com (Manoj Kurup) — Mon, 10 Mar 2014 02:06:00 +0000

Mind's Eye by Douglas E. Richards

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I picked up this book since I have enjoyed two of Douglas E. Richards other books, Wired and Amped. Well, this one didn't disappoint. The story starts with Nick Hall, the main character, waking up with amnesia. He quickly determines that not only is he injured, but hired killers are trying to put an end to his life. Not to stop the surprises, he also finds out that he can read minds and surf the internet with his mind. The story builds with Nick barely escaping one close call after another as he slowly builds his understanding of what is happening

For those of you that have read his other books, you will see more of the biotech science that he added to Wired and Amped. Richards does a great job of building the characters and adding a lot of plot twists and surprises for the reader.

Great story that I would recommend if you like thrillers or science fiction.

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Review: Amped

noreply@blogger.com (Manoj Kurup) — Sun, 24 Nov 2013 17:39:00 +0000

Amped by Douglas E. Richards

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved reading the first book in this series, Wired. It was a well thought out thriller that included the high-tech scifi that I enjoy. Well, for those of you that read that one, you will like this also. The author delivered a new twist that I initially didn't like; however, as the story continued to develop, the thought put into the story line became evident. Can't wait for the next book in the series. Great read and I would highly recommend it.

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Review: Crux

noreply@blogger.com (Manoj Kurup) — Sat, 26 Oct 2013 19:37:00 +0000

Crux by Ramez Naam

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow! I didn't think Ramez Naam would be able to top the first book in this series, Nexus, but he surprised me by making this book just as riveting, if not more so. The series takes current day research and extends it out 30 years to build a believable future where technology is in the cross-hairs of political and religious leaders.

The story revolves around Kade who is trying to evade the corrupt US spy agencies, crime bosses, and a billionaire who each want to use Kade's Nexus for personal gain. Nexus is a software program that leverages the brain as the computer to run the code. It allows people to communicate via direct mind contact, opening up the possibility of huge improvements in science and technology; however, some have used it to rewire people's brains to become slaves and commit crimes. Kade has the only back door into the software and needs to determine whether he should use it to fight against these crimes or close it before it gets into the wrong hands.

The characters are well thought out and you start to root for the good guys and hope the bad guys are stopped. I'm hoping this is only the second book of a longer series as it ends with some unfinished story lines. Overall, this is a great read that I would highly recommend.

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Review: America One: Return to Earth

noreply@blogger.com (Manoj Kurup) — Sat, 12 Oct 2013 23:19:00 +0000

America One: Return to Earth by T.I. Wade

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I started reading this series last year and thought the first two books of the series were outstanding. Great character development and story line where the author used both fiction and real headlines to develop a very believable story.

The third and fourth books were not at the same level, though they were still good books. I was a little disappointed in the ending...perhaps TI is leaving questions unanswered so he can write another book in the series.

Overall, good book, very good series and I would recommend it to any sci-fi fans.

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Review: The B-Team

noreply@blogger.com (Manoj Kurup) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 21:49:00 +0000

The B-Team by John Scalzi

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a good, quick read. I read 'Old Man's War', which has some of the same characters as this one. John Scalzi started releasing these short books in January, with a new release each week. This one was less than 100 pages and was easy to finish in a day.

After reading Old Man's War, which I really enjoyed, I didn't get around to reading the next book in the series...I will definitely go back and do that now. This book takes place 15 years later and even though it is short, it doesn't skimp on depth in the story.

For those of you that have read Scalzi before, you won't be surprised that this is another worthwhile read. I give it four stars...and to honor Roger Ebert, a thumbs up!

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Review: First Contact

noreply@blogger.com (Manoj Kurup) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 16:27:00 +0000

First Contact by Michael R. Hicks

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

First Contact, the first book of the In Her Name series, was a slow read for me. A lot of time was spent creating the characters and the story line, which I understand has to be done in any book, but also made it difficult for me to get into the flow of the book. I thought the author did a good job of creating a nice story and if I had read this book 10 years ago, I might have given it a much higher mark. Here are a couple of things that bothered me about the book:

1. The technology for a space faring race (humans in this case), didn't match with I would have expected. There were deep space vehicles that could travel to various stars, but the day to day technology seemed to be essentially what we have now.

2. The portrayal of the enemy Kreelans seemed to be inconsistent. At times they were a blood-thirsty species with no care for any other race and then at others they were compassionate.

Overall, I gave it a 3 stars and don't think I will read any of the others books in this series. I almost always finish a book within two weeks...usually one week, but this one just kept dragging on and I was extremely happy to get it over with.

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Moving To Texas!!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Manoj Kurup) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 10:00:00 +0000

OK, after years of longing for warmer weather, we are finally making the move. Lisa and I signed the paperwork yesterday to build a new house in the Dallas area...Frisco to be exact. We will be moving here in late summer after +Sunni K finishes the 9th grade. It will be 75 degrees down here today (75 yesterday also) which is a huge difference between the 35-40 degree temps that Milwaukee will have for Opening Day.

Construction is scheduled to start in early May and finish around mid-October. Amazingly, you can get a lot more house for your buck down here in Texas and the property taxes aren't as ridiculous as they are in Wisconsin. We bought a 1/2 acre lot on Lewisville Lake...YES, we will be on the lake!!!! 240 feet of lake frontage with a shallow beach as well as pier for a boat eventually...one thing at a time.

Work is still somewhat of a TBD. I think I will be transferring to the Plano office, but still working on the details around that. If that doesn't work, the job market down here is booming right now.

I will provide a link to house plans and map as soon as the builder gets the paperwork completed and us in their system. It took 20 years for me to finally get Lisa to agree to this and we are both extremely happy and excited about our move to Texas.

One Drug to Shrink All Tumors - ScienceNOW

noreply@blogger.com (Manoj Kurup) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 19:54:00 +0000

Now this would be one of the biggest advances of all time. A single drug that can kill any kind of cancer would truly be a colossal achievement. Imagine a world without cancer...it could come true within the next 5 to 10 years.

One Drug to Shrink All Tumors - ScienceNOW

Saving our grasslands

noreply@blogger.com (Manoj Kurup) — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 03:44:00 +0000

I have heard for years now that more and more grasslands are changing to deserts...grazing animals being one of the main causes. Allan Savory presented this talk at TED and he shows how that idea is completely wrong. In many of the areas where cattle and sheep were removed from the area, the desertification actually sped up. His research bringing grazing animals back into to these ravished areas is astonishing. In many areas, it is hard to believe that the pictures are showing the same terrain until you look for the common features. Incredible!

Allan Savory: How to green the desert and reverse climate change

Next Big Future: China Could Start treating non-Genius Intelligence...

noreply@blogger.com (Manoj Kurup) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 01:48:00 +0000

Only a couple years away from being able to pick how smart you want your baby to be...or how athletic, good looking, tall, healthy, etc. I thought one of the most interesting parts about the article below was how different areas of the world think about genetically engineering your kids. In China, 95% of the audience was for it, whereas in NY only 50% and my guess is the general population in the USA rates even lower. This difference in cultural attitudes could result in major changes in which countries are leaders and which are followers in the world 30-40 years out.

Next Big Future: China Could Start treating non-Genius Intelligence...: Geoffrey Miller, Evolutionary psychologist, Evolutionary psychologist,attended a debate in New York a few weeks ago about whether or not we ...

What do you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts.

Review: Turing Evolved

noreply@blogger.com (Manoj Kurup) — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 22:45:00 +0000

Turing Evolved by David Kitson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm on a little streak with reading some pretty good books. This one was worth the read and was the same genre as the last couple (sci-tech). I've been fascinated by how technology will evolve in the future to help us save the future or be our bane. The author did a decent job of extrapolating current advancements and showing how they may shape our future. However, there were a few things that bothered me about how the advancements actually happened, but overall I thought he did a good job. The characters developed throughout the book, though some were too over the top at times. As I was getting to the end of the book, I guessed most of what was going to happen and it played pretty close to my guess...except I didn't anticipate the twist at the end. :)

Overall, good book to read and would recommend it. Not sure if I will read the next books in the series though...I was happy the book was coming to an end when it did.

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Review: America One: The Launch

noreply@blogger.com (Manoj Kurup) — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 18:12:00 +0000

America One: The Launch by T.I. Wade

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This series has really surprised me. When I started the first book, only $0.99 at Amazon for the Kindle version, I didn't expect to get a book that I couldn't put down. The first book finished with a major cliffhanger so I bought this book immediately and couldn't put this down either. Once again, the author developed some great characters...ones that you liked and rooted for, as well as the villains. This series has already become one of my favorites and I can't wait for the next book coming out in April 2013.

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Review: America One

noreply@blogger.com (Manoj Kurup) — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 16:37:00 +0000

America One by T I Wade

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was surprised by this book. Definitely a well thought out book and was fun to read. There were some typos throughout the book and it took a little while to get used to writing style, but towards the end of the book, I just couldn't put it down. He finished book one on a major cliff hanger so be warned that you will most likely want to plan on the purchase of book two if you start this book.

This book made it into my list of top books that I have read. Thoroughly enjoyed the read and I am already halfway through the second book. Very compelling story...who hasn't dreamed of going into space?

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Review: Nexus

noreply@blogger.com (Manoj Kurup) — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 01:12:00 +0000

Nexus by Ramez Naam

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This has been one of my favorite reads of the past few years. The author did a great job of leveraging current technology trends to extrapolate out how things might look in 30 years. Characters were well thought out and has a lot of action. I'm looking forward to other books in this series and from the author.

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One Small Step...

noreply@blogger.com (Manoj Kurup) — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 19:53:00 +0000

Neil Armstrong on the moon

Neil Armstrong, a true American hero, passed away on August 25, 2012. Armstrong set foot on the moon on July 21, 1969 when I was an eight month old in India, still two years away from coming to the US. Obviously, his accomplishment was not top of mind at the time for me.

However, over the next ten years I saw the replay numerous times and remember thinking about how cool it would be to walk on the moon. That sparked the thought of traveling to other planets, stars or galaxies and helped power my love of science and science fiction. To this day, I still squeeze in a sci-fi book in between my business and technical reading.

It's amazing to think that it took just over eight years from the time Kennedy announced the goal in 1961 to putting a man on the moon in 1969. Considering the technology advancements seen over the past ten years, there should be no doubt that it can be done again...within ten years. Hopefully, remembering a great American like Armstrong will reignite humankind's thirst for exploring the worlds currently beyond our reach.

Sometimes Life is Unfair

noreply@blogger.com (Manoj Kurup) — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 04:04:00 +0000

Updated August 14, 2012
As many of you may have already guessed, the friend that I am talking about below is Eric McLean. You can donate to the charity he created to help others or to help with his own medical bills at Give To Life - Eric McLean (make sure you select the correct link for whichever you select). I went to see him today with Eric D. and he is not doing too good. He is in immense pain and is struggling between getting more pain killers to reduce the pain and staying coherent enough to talk to those around him. Even with the pain, he still has his sense of humor and loving nature. When Cari walked into the room when he was in immense pain, he came up with these two one liners in succession. "Why are you stalking me woman?!" ...then ..."You're the woman of my dreams."

I want to thank Brian and Mary McLean (Eric's parents) for allowing us to come visit with him for a little while. Also, thank you to Cari for putting up with Dohr and me for a few hours.

Below is a link to his final confession, but I caution that it is very emotional. Eric's Confession Final

###
Sometimes life knocks you down and you have to fight to get back up. One of my friends has had more than his share of time on the canvas. Every single time he has gotten back on his feet and instead of getting bitter and asking 'why me?', he wonders how he can help others that are in similar situations.

Life just threw him another curve that he just may not be able to get up from. Even after hearing this news, he was more concerned about how others would feel about this than he was about himself. I just want everyone to hear about this guy who is so unselfish and so giving, that you can't help but try to see what you can do to help others as well.

I am still hoping for a miracle, even though he and I know that this time it won't come. I am happy to know him and hope to see him a few more times over the next few weeks and hopefully months.

He lives life more fully than most of us could ever imagine since he always wondered whether next year might be his last.

His enthusiasm is contagious.

He is a fighter.

He is a loving husband.

He is strong.

He is good son.

He is a great man and I am proud to call him a friend.

Olympic Glory

noreply@blogger.com (Manoj Kurup) — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 03:10:00 +0000

Over the past couple of weeks I've been able to catch portions of the Olympics on tape delay. The Olympics are one of my favorite sporting events because of the vast array of sports. I remember sitting in front of our black and white TV (for the kids: yes TVs used to come in only black and white, no color, no 3D, no HD) in 1976 when Bruce Jenner won the decathlon. (Another update for the kids: before the Kardashians, Jenner was considered one of the best athletes the US ever had...not just some girls' step dad.) I remember him being one of the first sports athletes I ever idolized.

My brother and I played the summer and winter games on the Apple 2e back in the 80s. For the diving competition, you had hit one button to go into a pike and another to straighten out (just keep alternating between the two and then straighten out just before you hit the water). Despite the blocky looking athletes and frequent floppy desk changes required to play the game, we had a blast winning gold or doing belly flops on purpose. :)

Old School

The moment that really stands out for me during the '84 games was a boxing match. It wasn't the gold medal match or anything. In fact, it was an early round match pitting an Indian against an American. What I remember distinctly, even to this day, was the Indian's stance and the length of the match. When the bell rang for the first round, both boxers came to the middle. The Indian guy (I think his name was Singh) faced his opponent in the stance in the attached picture. The only difference was that instead of having his back hand by his chest, he was doing one of those cartoon swings above his head as if he was winding up to knock the guy out. Unfortunately for him, the American wasn't really too impressed. The American (maybe Tillman) took one swing and the Indian guy went to the canvas and stayed there for the ten count. The funny part was I don't think the punch even made contact with him, but he stayed on the ground anyways.

'92 was the year of the Dream Team...they absolutely destroyed the competition with probably the best basketball team ever put together. There are a couple memories that I remember from the '96 Olympics. The bomb that went off in centennial park that killed two people and how they incorrectly blamed Richard Jewell, one of the heroes who found the bomb and worked to evacuate the area. The second thing I remember from those Olympics was gymnast Kerri Strug winning the gold for the women when she landed the vault on a severely injured ankle.

Some of the things that I will take away from these Olympics are Michael Phelps coming back to win another handful of golds after everyone thought he was done. Usain Bolt was just incredible. Anytime someone got close to him, he shifted into another gear and blew the competition away. I also remember watching the men's gymnastics floor exercises with Lisa and laughing at how 'girly' the guys looked prancing to the corners after they flipped and twisted their way across the floor. These guys are some of the best built guys you will ever see so there has to be a more manly way to walk to the corner after doing multiple flips and twists. We had a good laugh about that one.

Probably the most memorable moment that I will take away from these Olympics was Oscar Pistorius. The first double amputee to compete in the Olympics. It was an inspiration to watch him run and beat some of his competitors. To think that they weren't going to let him run because he had an 'unfair advantage' is really preposterous. He didn't win any medals here, but he inspired many people to never give up. That will be the memory that I take away from these Olympics.

Hitting my head against the wall!

noreply@blogger.com (Manoj Kurup) — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 04:30:00 +0000

Roenicke getting tossed

How many of you do the same thing over and over again, even though it fails every time? My guess is most of you don't do that. Worst case, you try it a couple times and then change things since it didn't work. In fact, we would never have progressed past the monkey stage if we couldn't figure that little bit of common sense out a million years ago.

So if that is true for all of us, why does Brewers manager Ron Roenicke keep putting Francisco Rodriguez and John Axford into the game when they have a lead late in the game?!?! They have proven over and over again this year that they can't keep the lead, but every frickin' game, he puts them in there and gives them just enough leash to blow the lead!

It's one thing to trust them throughout April and May, but since they continued to fail you have to move on. Unfortunately, thanks to Roenicke's poor pitcher management, the Brewers were guaranteed to not have anything to play for after the all-star break.

I understand that Roenicke didn't throw a single pitch this season, but he continues to put unwarranted trust in these two pitchers. I thought he had finally learned his lesson (way too late for the Brewers this season, but at least I thought he could change). He had used Jim Henderson in two consecutive save situations...and guess what...the Brewers won both games. So the natural thing to do today when they have a two run lead in the 8th is to put in Rodriguez into the game (solo home run to cut the lead to one) and Axford in the 9th (two runs to blow the save) and send the Brewers to a loss against the worst team in baseball.

Nice job Roenicke! You blew this season for the Brewers. I guess I should have seen this coming with the way you handled Casey McGehee last year and the horrible job you did managing the pitchers in the playoffs last year. Unfortunately, I have a feeling that we are stuck with you for a couple of years now...not that you deserve that job security. Hopefully next year the talent will outplay your stubbornness and the Brewers will make it back to the playoffs. Either way, I will no longer be rooting for you.

Packers Superbowl Bound?

noreply@blogger.com (Manoj Kurup) — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 02:00:00 +0000

It's that time of year again...FOOTBALL!!!!

Anika and Kavi in Packer colors

With the first Packers preseason game about to start, I thought it would be a good time to provide my thoughts on the Packers and the NFC North division. The Pack is coming off an awesome regular season that ended in a disappointing loss to NY in the playoffs. The division has gotten stronger so repeating as division champ will be much tougher than last year.

The story for the Packers last year was the offense. They led the league in scoring; however they also gave up more yards than any other team in the league. As a result, they focused on defense during the draft, taking seven straight defensive players. The big question is whether that will be enough to turn around the porous defense from last year.

So how will they do? Well, I think they will finish first in the division with an 11-5 record. The defense will be better than last year...it can't be worse...but to expect the offense to repeat what they did last year is a stretch. With a suspect left side of the o-line and no legitimate running game, teams will be able to focus even more on the pass. I'm concerned with Rodgers staying healthy the whole year as the offensive line isn't very good and expect him to miss at least one game due to injury.

As I said earlier, the division got better during the offseason. Detroit finished last season with a 10-6 record and will be challenging for the top spot in the division again this year. The Lions have had numerous off-field issues and will likely have a couple of players suspended to start the season. Add the fact that their best defensive player has a problem playing under control and will probably get suspended if he has any unnecessary roughness calls, and you see why this team may not be ready to make the leap to the next level. They have the best wide receiver in the league in Megatron and Stafford is a top 10 QB. The question is whether he can stay healthy for another season. If he does, this team will be good again so I have them finishing 10-6 again.

Chicago added Brandon Marshall at wide receiver which will allow their offense to be more balanced. Forte is a top-tier runningback who will have a career year if Cutler and Marshall stay healthy. Cutler still isn't a leader and Marshall has other off field issues so I wouldn't put too much money on this group pulling out miracles. The problem Chicago will have is their defense. Historically a strength for the Bears, the core of their team is getting old. I expect to see a big drop in their performance, which will result in a few more high scoring games. I think the Bears will finish third at 9-7, improving from their 8-8 season in 2011.

Finally, the Vikings are in rebuilding mode even though the owner doesn't understand that (he predicted the Vikings will win the division...lol). Their best player, Adrian Peterson, is eight months past a torn ACL and there has never been a RB that had a good season the year after the injury. Peterson won't be the first one either. He may not play for the first couple games and he will slowly be brought back in since they have too much invested in AP. They have a second year QB and no receivers of note. The defensive line is a little above average (primarily because of Jared Allen), but the secondary is awful. They finished 3-13 last year and I expect them to go 5-11 this year.

The NFC North will be a strong division again this year and will beat each other up. The Packers are still the team to beat, but they won't run away with the division like they did at the end of last year. I think the Packers are still the team to beat in the NFC and will make a run for the Superbowl. I'll be a homer and pick the Packers to make it to the Superbowl again if Rodgers plays in the playoffs.

Project Natal

noreply@blogger.com (Manoj Kurup) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 20:59:00 +0000

I saw the recent posts about Project Natal for Xbox, Microsoft's response to the Nintendo Wii, and it looks awesome. If you get a chance to check it out, here is a link.