Ed's Blog

The New York Times' John Markoff writes here about how an Israeli start-up has devised a "camera-based system"  that gives the visually impaired "the ability to both 'read' easily and move freely". 

The device is called the OrCam and "is a small camera worn in the style of Google Glass, connected by a thin cable to a portable computer designed to fit in the wearer's pocket... clips on to the wearer's glasses with a small magnet and uses a bone-conduction speaker to offer clear speech as it reads aloud the words or object pointed to by the user".  

More info on the OrCam can be found at this site. 

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Ruthless tough guy private eye Mike Hammer returns in a cold war thriller set around 1964-65 in Complex 90, the latest Mickey Spillane thriller completed by Max Allan Collins. 

A four part serial originally broadcast by the BBC in September, 1976 and now available on DVD, "The Masque of Mandragora"  finds the Doctor (Tom Baker) and his companion Sarah Jane (Elisabeth Sladen) facing both sinister court intrigue and an attempted invasion from a malevolent form of intelligent energy in 15th century Italy. 

From 1973, "The Three Doctors" was intended to celebrate the (at the time) tenth anniversary of the Doctor Who series.  The four part serial managed to pair up the then-current Doctor, Jon Pertwee, with the two previous actors associated with the role: William Harnell who played the role from the show's beginning in 1963, and Patrick Troughton, who succeeded Hartnell in 1966 (and who in turn was replaced by Pertwee in 1970).

From 1977, "The Talons of Weng-Chiang" finds the Doctor (Tom Baker, the fourth actor to play the character in the series) and companion Leela (Louise Jameson) time-travelling via the TARDIS to Victorian London. Originally there to take in some theatre, our protagonists quickly run into trouble...

Given that there's been a TARDIS depicted in this blog's header since I began posting entries, I'm finally getting around to watching the various Doctor Who DVD sets we carry in the library.  Up first for review is the four part serial "Day of the Daleks" from 1972, starring Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor.

Some recent developments in aiding people with visual and auditory disabilities have been brought to my attention by fellow staffer WG.  In no particular order, here they are:

*  The FDA approved a new drug last month to treat patients with multiple sclerois.

*  The FDA also approved use of an "artificial retina" (or bionic eye, if you prefer).   

*  New eye drops can help prevent macular degeneration.

*  And out of Germany, there's news of an "innovative hearing aid"  that can better assist persons hard of hearing. 

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SPOILER ALERT:  If you haven't yet watched Skyfall, starring Daniel Craig as Ian Fleming's James Bond 007, then don't read the following until you do.  Lots of stuff  mentioned here will reveal some major plot twists and reading this post may spoil the viewing of the film for you.  You've been warned!

After being absent from the movie screens for four years, Daniel Craig returns as Ian Fleming's James Bond 007 in 2012's Skyfall, the 23rd official installment of the long running (FIFTY YEARS!) series.  (Click here to reserve one of our copies.)

Apologies for taking more than four months to post this review of the tenth and penultimate installment of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom (Mars to you and me) series, 1948's Llana of Gathol, after my entry on the previous novel, Synthetic Men of Mars came out.  No, Llana  wasn't a tough read.  Anything but.