An excellent novel. I had been wanting to read this for some time, but finally bought it and devoured it!
It had been my impression that this was a book of history. In a way that's true, as it's based on an historical event - the forced conversion of the Isle of Eire to Catholicism. But what the book is really about is the heroism of a few particular Irish women - the first victims and perhaps last defenders of the matriarchal pagan faith, the Wiccan. And whereas the abrahamic religions are all quite male-oriented, the women have been and most often are the first to suffer.
This is a very feminist novel. All the men who pass through are quite secondary. Even their chief persecutor, whose role is central to the novel, is referred to most often in the second person. This is understandable in the context that the holders of the old faith are also a product of a matriarchal faith, where women are the holders and the manifestation of the greater Secrets of Life.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Updates and Google Search Tips
Microsoft Windows Users
The beginning of August has seen the release of a large number of critical (9) and important (6) patches by Microsoft. One critical patch was released August 2, a week prior to the monthly scheduled patch release. Microsoft only releases patches out of cycle when they are extremely critical.
Fourteen of the patches plugged some 34 vulnerabilities. These patches addressed issues in pretty much every product supported by Microsoft, so I won't even bother listing them. Suffice to say you have some major updates to do this month!
Apple Users
Just cause your using an Apple computer doesn't mean your immune to Microsoft updates. If you are using Microsoft Office for Mac, some of the aforementioned patches apply to you as well. Be sure to run any Microsoft update programs you may have.
Just for Fun - Google Searching!
A long time ago I provided some information on how to better use Google Search. You don't have to install an application or search for specific sites on your computer or smartphone. Google search will perform a lot of tasks, that most of us are probably unaware of.
Below I start off repeating those I provided a couple of years ago and proceed to list a bunch of new ones. Some I didn't even know existed. Google will surely be expanding this list, so you can always see an up-to-date listing, as well as examples at:
http://www.google.com/landing/searchtips/
Tip #1:
Let's say you are interested in articles on "nutrition" in US News and World Report magazine. Now you could go to US New's website and do a search there. Another option is to just type in the Google search prompt:
site:www.usnews.com "nutrition"
Whereas some sites don't use www at the beginning, you can leave the www out. For example try:
site:.usnews.com "nutrition"
Let's say you want to search government sites for licensing information. You could actually just type the following search:
site:.gov "licensing"
Tip #2:
What is the definition of "oxymoron"? Let's see, where is Webster online..... But no, again you could type in the Google query:
define oxymoron
Tip #3:
This is something I run across fairly often. Hm, someone just sent me a file with the extension .wpf. But I can't open it. What kind of file is that? What will open it?
Again, just type in your Google query:
filetype:wpf
Oh, so it's a Word Perfect file! Who uses Word Perfect still??
Tip #4:
Weather: To see the weather for many US and worldwide cities, type "weather" followed by the name of the city or zipcode. You can also type "weather" and see the weather of your current location.
Tip #5:
Unit Conversion: You can use Google to convert between many different units of measurement of height, weight, and volume among many others. Just enter your desired conversion into the search box and we'll do the rest. For example, just type in: 4 lbs in kg
This might be really helpful for cooking conversions, like: 2 cups in ounces.
Tip #6:
Movies - reviews, show times, etc.: To find reviews and showtimes for movies playing near you, search for "movies". If you've already saved your location on a previous search, the top search result will display showtimes for nearby theaters.
Tip #7:
Sports scores: To see scores and schedules for sports teams type the team name or league name into the search box.
Tip #8:
Flight tracking: To see flight status for arriving and departing U.S. flights, type in the name of the airline and the flight number into the search box.
Tip #9:
World Time: To see the time in many cities around the world, type in "time" and the name of the city.
Tip #10:
Stocks: To see current market data for a given company or fund, type the ticker symbol into the search box. On the results page, you can click the link to see more data from Google Finance.
Tip #11:
Calculator: To use Google's built-in calculator function, simply enter the calculation you'd like done into the search box.
Tip #12:
Currency Convertor: To use our built-in currency converter, simply enter the conversion you'd like done into the Google search box and we'll provide your answer directly on the results page.
Tip #13:
Fill in the blank: Sometimes the best way to ask a question is to get Google to fill in the blank by adding an asterisk (*) at the part of the sentence or question that you want finished into the Google search box. So for example, you could type in: Madame Curie died in *
See what you get!
Tip #14:
Package tracking: You can track packages by typing the tracking number for your UPS, Fedex or USPS package directly into the search box. We'll return results that include quick links to easily track the status of your shipment.
Tip #15:
Area and Zip Codes: To see the geographical location for any U.S. telephone area code, just type the three-digit area code into the Google search box and hit the Enter key or click the Google Search button.
Or to to find where that zip code is located? Simply enter it into Google search and you'll have your answer.
The beginning of August has seen the release of a large number of critical (9) and important (6) patches by Microsoft. One critical patch was released August 2, a week prior to the monthly scheduled patch release. Microsoft only releases patches out of cycle when they are extremely critical.
Fourteen of the patches plugged some 34 vulnerabilities. These patches addressed issues in pretty much every product supported by Microsoft, so I won't even bother listing them. Suffice to say you have some major updates to do this month!
Apple Users
Just cause your using an Apple computer doesn't mean your immune to Microsoft updates. If you are using Microsoft Office for Mac, some of the aforementioned patches apply to you as well. Be sure to run any Microsoft update programs you may have.
Just for Fun - Google Searching!
A long time ago I provided some information on how to better use Google Search. You don't have to install an application or search for specific sites on your computer or smartphone. Google search will perform a lot of tasks, that most of us are probably unaware of.
Below I start off repeating those I provided a couple of years ago and proceed to list a bunch of new ones. Some I didn't even know existed. Google will surely be expanding this list, so you can always see an up-to-date listing, as well as examples at:
http://www.google.com/landing/searchtips/
Tip #1:
Let's say you are interested in articles on "nutrition" in US News and World Report magazine. Now you could go to US New's website and do a search there. Another option is to just type in the Google search prompt:
site:www.usnews.com "nutrition"
Whereas some sites don't use www at the beginning, you can leave the www out. For example try:
site:.usnews.com "nutrition"
Let's say you want to search government sites for licensing information. You could actually just type the following search:
site:.gov "licensing"
Tip #2:
What is the definition of "oxymoron"? Let's see, where is Webster online..... But no, again you could type in the Google query:
define oxymoron
Tip #3:
This is something I run across fairly often. Hm, someone just sent me a file with the extension .wpf. But I can't open it. What kind of file is that? What will open it?
Again, just type in your Google query:
filetype:wpf
Oh, so it's a Word Perfect file! Who uses Word Perfect still??
Tip #4:
Weather: To see the weather for many US and worldwide cities, type "weather" followed by the name of the city or zipcode. You can also type "weather" and see the weather of your current location.
Tip #5:
Unit Conversion: You can use Google to convert between many different units of measurement of height, weight, and volume among many others. Just enter your desired conversion into the search box and we'll do the rest. For example, just type in: 4 lbs in kg
This might be really helpful for cooking conversions, like: 2 cups in ounces.
Tip #6:
Movies - reviews, show times, etc.: To find reviews and showtimes for movies playing near you, search for "movies". If you've already saved your location on a previous search, the top search result will display showtimes for nearby theaters.
Tip #7:
Sports scores: To see scores and schedules for sports teams type the team name or league name into the search box.
Tip #8:
Flight tracking: To see flight status for arriving and departing U.S. flights, type in the name of the airline and the flight number into the search box.
Tip #9:
World Time: To see the time in many cities around the world, type in "time" and the name of the city.
Tip #10:
Stocks: To see current market data for a given company or fund, type the ticker symbol into the search box. On the results page, you can click the link to see more data from Google Finance.
Tip #11:
Calculator: To use Google's built-in calculator function, simply enter the calculation you'd like done into the search box.
Tip #12:
Currency Convertor: To use our built-in currency converter, simply enter the conversion you'd like done into the Google search box and we'll provide your answer directly on the results page.
Tip #13:
Fill in the blank: Sometimes the best way to ask a question is to get Google to fill in the blank by adding an asterisk (*) at the part of the sentence or question that you want finished into the Google search box. So for example, you could type in: Madame Curie died in *
See what you get!
Tip #14:
Package tracking: You can track packages by typing the tracking number for your UPS, Fedex or USPS package directly into the search box. We'll return results that include quick links to easily track the status of your shipment.
Tip #15:
Area and Zip Codes: To see the geographical location for any U.S. telephone area code, just type the three-digit area code into the Google search box and hit the Enter key or click the Google Search button.
Or to to find where that zip code is located? Simply enter it into Google search and you'll have your answer.
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