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HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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First, here are the best photos from my trip to Hawaii this year. Click the link below to see the full photo journal. The Hawaii Collection is followed by the rest of my favorites of the year.
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Empire of Storms is the sixth book in the Throne of Glass fantasy series written by Sarah J. Maas. I don’t want to write a review because this entry is so far into the series that if you’re reading this book you are already invested. This one does not disappoint. It might be one of my favorites but I like them all. Just read them. Read this. Instead of a review I am just going to share a selection of snippets from the book. SPOILERS ABOUND!
I went to the Portland Zoo with my mom and we got a chance to see almost all the amazing animals. I hadn’t been to the Zoo in a while and as much as I am torn about the circumstances around zoos I was grateful to get a chance to see and photograph the exotic wildlife. I hope to find some of these animals in their natural habitats in the future but for now, I can enjoy their beauty in person. I shot using the Canon 80D and mostly on my Sigma 150-600. I use Lightroom to edit and I think I got some great shots. Which one is your favorite?
Went on a hike to enjoy the sun and get some exercise. Saw some birds and took photos of them.
All of this happens and it is awesome and I enjoyed the ride. That is why I read these books. Because they are full of suspense, action, romance, and intrigue. They are all well-written and entertaining. They are popular books for a reason. That’s the review. It was great and you should read it. Review over.
I took a hike. It was a lovely day for photography!
I saw three different pots, one small, one that you can throw with both hands that exploded, and huge ones hanging. Maybe these pots will become living pots. I saw a crazy crossbow, a fan shield, and a man fly with angel wings. I saw a mesmerizing force with yellow eyes and red flames that scorched the earth. I saw some megafauna and a face-sucking demon. Not in a good way. I saw mysteries and treasures and I saw myself exploring it all in June.
This set of stories was another great entry in the Throne of Glass series and it is written wonderfully. It gives much-appreciated context to the life that led to the events that start with the Throne of Glass book and creates an immense amount of anticipation to read The Queen of Shadows, where Celaena will, hopefully, face those who took so much from her. I can’t wait to keep reading about the incredibly heroic life of Celaena Sardothein. I recommend this book and reading it after reading through the first three full novels starting with Throne of Glass book. It isn’t necessary to read it in that order but it worked well for me. In any case, these books are superbly written and very enjoyable.
I recommend this book if you like science fiction and it doesn’t take long to get through but be prepared to slog through some tedious chapters that could have been omitted without taking away from the story. It feels old-fashioned but I can see how it would be seen as monumentous in the world of science fiction when it came out. I need to watch the movie so that I can add to my cultural knowledge related to this book and I love science fiction so why not?
This book was by far the most emotion-inducing of the series so far and was a delight to read through. I had a hard time putting it down and it left me on the edge of my seat the entire time. There is so much tension and action that there is never a dull moment. Getting to watch Celaena’s power and resolve grow as she is pushed to become more than a downtrodden slave to the will of others was extremely satisfying and exciting. Her character goes through so much inner and outer turmoil but she just keeps fighting and working toward becoming who she wants to be, which happens to be the hero the world needs in the face of such horrific tyranny.
All in all, this was a very fun book to read, and while it has a lot of moving parts and I didn’t keep up with everything the characters made it enjoyable and easy to keep going. As always, the books in this series have very climactic and satisfying endings. Nate is a very likable character with his humor, charm, and noble morality. His friends are all very likable as well and it is fun to route for the good guys in these stories. I recommend this book to those who enjoyed the previous series especially if you want to learn more about Nate and the world he belongs to.
Shot with Canon 80D
Canon 100mm Macro Lens
and Google Pixel 7a
NE Portland, OR
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These are my thoughts on how one might be able to create an AI that could talk about its internal self to an outside interlocutor. I certainly feel like my internal consciousness occupies a place in my mind but it is only accessible to me. Combining two AI programs and limiting them in the ways described might allow for a self-aware AI that could act in ways that we would describe as conscious. This is a very complicated thing to work out and I’m not sure it is a good idea to work toward this goal but it might lead to a better understanding of human consciousness and more useful AI systems. The moral implications of this are a different consideration and one that should be critically evaluated by those attempting to advance AI, robots, and technology in general.
During the debate, there are many considerations about what god can and can not do. This contradicts the notion that god is “all-powerful”. If god wanted something to happen then what would stop them? The god that Ben explains seems to be very weak and very humanlike in that they are trying to convince others of something instead of just making it happen. Also, if god was against slavery but didn’t think that humans were ready for a big change then why did he go out of his way to give rules about how to treat slaves? Why not just leave the subject alone? Why negotiate with humans about something immoral when you can simply tell people to stop doing it “or else”?
Amazon New Releases in Exercise & Fitness Equipment 1/4/2024
I have played Elden Ring for almost 600 hours and I just beat it for the first time a few days ago. Needless to say, I am a fan. I am very excited for the new DLC that should be coming out soon and I am excited to see that a lot of new people are still joining the community. I have a lot of characters and a lot of different builds and I am always looking things up and watching videos related to Elden Ring. The following is a list of resources that I use to learn new things about the game I love.
Amazon Best Sellers Sports and Outdoors on 1/3/2024
Amazon’s top 5 in kitchen and home, electronics, and Books!
Most of these photos were taken using the Canon 80D with a variety of lenses. I use the Canon 100mm Macro Lens the most along with the Sigma 150-300mm Contemporary Lens, Sigma 14-24 f2.8, and Canon 24mm Pancake, and I used my new Pixel 7a for the sunset shot at the beginning. I use a flash sometimes and extension tubes as well. I love hiking and looking for interesting wildlife to capture.
Crown of Midnight is the second book in the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas. It continues the story of Celaena Sardothien aka Elantiya, who won a contract to be the King of Adarlan’s champion, aka assassin, in the first book, Throne of Glass. Now, Celaena spends her days stalking and killing the King's enemies but what we soon discover is that she has been secretly faking their deaths and sending them away. This puts not only her own life in jeopardy but the king has also threatened her best friend the Captain of the Guard Chaol and her other best friend Princess Nehemiah and both their families if Celaena doesn't do her job as he desires or fails to return from a job.
I already wrote reviews for these so feel free to read the full reviews using the links, otherwise, I limited myself to providing an excerpt from each review for each of my favorite books of 2023. These are not in ranked order. These are all amazing books and you should check them out.
Normally I kull the herd but this time I decided to leave in all my edits.
Shot with Canon 80D
Canon 100mm Macro Lens
Oregon
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If I were to sum up Zoo with one word it would be embroiled. From the beginning to the end, the tone of this book is one of singular focus. The main character, Jackson Oz, is obsessed with confirming and solving the problem of animals increasingly attacking humans in an unprecedented and unmitigated way. James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge paint with one unceasing brush and that brush is one of embroiled forward momentum.