Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Sutanto

On By Rick McIn uncategorized1 Comment

A surprisingly entertaining and engaging book.

Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Films will develop the book for television.

It’s Vera Wong herself that makes this book. The plot and other characters simply support her.

Funny.

Vera Wong is a lonely little old lady—ah, lady of a certain age—who lives above her forgotten tea shop in the middle of San Francisco’s Chinatown.  …

… one morning, Vera trudges downstairs to find a curious thing—a dead man in the middle of her tea shop.

In his outstretched hand, a flash drive. Vera doesn’t know what comes over her, but after calling the cops like any good citizen would, she sort of . . . swipes the flash drive from the body and tucks it safely into the pocket of her apron.

Why? Because Vera is sure she would do a better job than the police possibly could, because nobody sniffs out a wrongdoing quite like a suspicious Chinese mother with time on her hands.

Vera knows the killer will be back for the flash drive; all she has to do is watch the increasing number of customers at her shop and figure out which one among them is the killer. …

REVIEW: Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q Sutanto

I laughed out loud at Vera. This is one of the better fictional personas I’ve read in some time.

Jesse Q. Sutanto is a Chinese-Indonesian author.  I’m assuming she knows bossy characters like Vera. 😀

Cycling the Danube

On By Rick McIn cycling, travel2 Comments

September, 2023.

Click PLAY or watch a 1-minute highlights video on YouTube.

I started in Passau, Germany, cycling to Ulm. About  238-miles (383km) over 5 days.

It follows the rail corridor of the Danube Valley Railway for long stretches. And alongside the river for even more.

To get to the Danube at Passau, I cycled from Salzburg mostly along the Austria / German border. Much along the Inn river, which had recently flooded. Some of the bike paths were still closed. Many more were MUDDY.

About 130km over a day and a half.

Beautiful scenery. In many ways, I liked it better than the Danube as the Inn river is less developed. And you are closer to the water more often.

I arrived Passau very tired —a long day in the saddle. Had to push my bike up this hill to get to the Youth Hostel.

Yeesh. Toughest part of the day.

The official German Youth Hostel is part of one of largest castle complexes in Europe.

After wild camping the first night on the bike, I ended up staying either at youth hostels like this one. Old. Huge. Retro. Something out of the 1960s.

OR …

… simply stopping at one of the small, crowded campgrounds. There’s always space for one more tent. 😀 Cost is less than $15 / night at most.

This one associated with the local canoe club was my favourite.

Though I did do quite a bit of sightseeing along the way, here I’ll present just a sampling of the highlights.

In my own brain 😀 it all merges into one long week of castles, churches, and pretty German architecture.

Neuburg
Donauwörth⁩
Dillingen
Lauingen⁩
Lauingen⁩

After a long, hot day into Ulm, Germany, I suffered leg cramps during the night. Decided to quit the Danube for 2023.

Friends in Munich are storing my bike and cycling gear.

As a minimalist, it’s nice to go back to travel with only carry-on luggage. 😀

I might go the other direction towards Budapest next time. OR — more likely — cycle the Rhine north.

The BIG Picture

Passau to Vienna and Vienna to Budapest are 2 of the most popular sections on Europe’s most popular long distance cycling path ➙ EuroVelo 6 (EV6), named the “Rivers Route“.

Part of the EV6 is the Danube Cycleway (de:Donauradweg) from Donaueschingen to Passau in Germany, through Austria to Vienna, and continues on to Bratislava in Slovakia, to Novi Sad and Belgrade in Serbia, before continuing on towards the Danube Delta.

Insta360 Ace Pro vs DJI Action 4 vs GoPro Hero 12

On By Rick McIn product endorsements, video1 Comment

Yesterday Insta360 launched their newest Action Camera ➙ Insta360 Ace Pro.

I’ll be buying one quite soon.

$616 CAD. Plus accessories.

Now with a flip screen, it will replace both my GoPro 7 and Sony ZV1.

Other Ace Pro features I particularly like are:

  • 8K photos
  • 4K 120fps slow motion
  • NEW AI chip which can manipulate video like a phone
  • HDR mode

I’ll probably add:

  • extra 1650mAh batteries
  • several different mounts

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Click PLAY or watch the DJI pitch on YouTube.

Worst at this particular moment in the Action Camera arms race is the GoPro 12.

Here’s a good comparison of Insta360 Ace Pro directly compared with the DJI Action 4.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Click PLAY or watch some TIPS on shooting with the Ace Pro on YouTube.

Resurrection Walk by Michael Connelly

On By Rick McIn books, TVLeave a comment

Another great read from one of the best in the business.

The 38th book by Michael Connelly is Resurrection Walk (2023). Mostly a court room procedural.

Retired LAPD Detective Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch has cancer.

To get into an experimental drug research treatment program, he’s hired by half brother, criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller. The Lincoln Lawyer.

It’s an interesting premise to put the two together as Mickey works to get accused criminals free. Bosch has had a career putting the accused in jail.

The unlikely duo try to prove the innocence of a woman convicted of killing her ex-husband — a cop.

“a stunning combination of police and legal procedural.” —– Booklist ⭐️ Starred Review

Of course both Bosch and the Lincoln Lawyer currently have TV series.

Personally, I still picture Haller as Matthew McConaughey, who played him in the feature film.

But it’s Manuel Garcia-Rulfo on TV. Of course Bosch is Titus Welliver on TV.

Collision (British TV series)

On By Rick McIn TVLeave a comment

Great TV.

And a good reminder that the most dangerous thing most of us do is to climb into motorized vehicles.

… Bloody wasp.

Another Anthony Horowitz mini-series.

Collision (2009) is a five-part British television drama serial …

… the story of a group of strangers whose lives intertwine following a devastating car crash. The crash opens a number of startling revelations as stories of everything from government cover-ups and smuggling, to embezzlement and murder start to unravel. …

Jo Woodcock is particularly good as Jodie Tolin, a teenager paralyzed in a car crash — now trying to find a way forward in life.

Lucy Griffiths as Jane Tarrant is very appealing, as well. Oddly, her story has very little to do with the collision. It’s more like Love, Actually … with a twist.

… Beyond the crumpled cars and beleaguered emergency services are the invisible dramas and when DI John Tolin begins his investigation he finds himself drawn into many different and dangerous worlds including government cover-ups, smuggling, torn relationships and murder. …

anthonyhorowitz.com

The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood

On By Rick McIn books, TV1 Comment

Not bad. Lightweight but no-nonsense …

Another charming British novel with an elderly heroine. 

The Marlow Murder Club (2021) focuses on a group of older women who form a club to investigate a series of killings in Marlow.

It was published in January 2021 to overwhelmingly positive reviews. … The second book in the series, Death Comes to Marlow, was nominated for an Edgar Allan Poe award for Best Cosy Crime novel published in the USA in 2022.

PBS Masterpiece and UKTV greenlit an adaptation of The Marlow Murder Club written by Thorogood and starring Samantha Bond in June 2023.

Abbott Elementary – season 2

On By Rick McIn economics, education, GOP USA, government, humour, TVLeave a comment

Hilarious mockumentary sitcom.

Season 2 is still charming.

Abbott Elementary stars 4 ft 11 inch (149.9 cm)​​ Quinta Brunson as Janine Teagues, a perpetually optimistic second-grade teacher at the underfunded Abbott Elementary, a predominantly Black school in Philadelphia. 

William Stanford Davis as Mr. Johnson, the school’s eccentric, overqualified and talented, custodian is my favourite character.

It’s an insight into the American public school system. ReTrumplicans insist on reducing funding for public education, while subsidizing rich kids in private schools.

The GOP later complains about crime when these same underfunded kids can’t make it in a nation with poor health care and a $7.25 / hour minimum wage.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

For kids, this is a silly show making fun of teachers.

For adults, there are many funny little details. This typical school group photo, for example. 😀

The Sleeping Dictionary by Sujata Massey

On By Rick McIn books, movies2 Comments

Great book. Confusing name. 😀

Quite an epic life story.

Fast paced for a story of India written in English. I recommend it to one and all.

The Sleeping Dictionary (2013) is a novel by American writer Sujata Massey.

… Set in late Raj India, The Sleeping Dictionary tells the story of a young peasant girl, who makes her way to Calcutta and is caught between the raging independence movement and the British colonial society she finds herself inhabiting. …

While the term “sleeping dictionary” was originally coined for young women who slept with Europeans and educated them in the ways of India, Kamala turns the tables on the colonial establishment, using her talents for readings languages and men to work for India’s independence. …

There’s a Hollywood film with the same name and theme — The Sleeping Dictionary — from 2003.

The Mandalorian – season 3

On By Rick McIn TVLeave a comment

Though no particular fan of Star Wars, I do enjoy Mandalorian.

YES, it’s a stupid escapist Western shoot-em-up. With space pirates.

Like many westerns before it, the show’s plot is lifted directly from a popular samurai film series. 

Lone Wolf and Cub follows a father and son as they walk the way of the ronin. The connection between Lone Wolf and Cub in Star Wars has only deepened with time. …

CBR

Baby Yoda is still cute.

Din Djarin (Mando) is still engagingly naive — and as principled as Gandhi.

Episode “Chapter 20: The Foundling“, directed by Carl Weathers, is particularly amazing in terms of special effects.

They do love flying through slot canyons. 😀

It’s only one small step from StageCraft to replace human actors with digital.

Inevitable, I’m thinking.

StageCraft is an on-set virtual production visual effects technology composed of a video wall designed by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM).

Initially developed for the Disney+ series The Mandalorian, it has since been used in other productions and has been cited as a revolutionary visual effects technology. 

Click PLAY or watch some examples from season 2 on YouTube.

I liked seeing Jack Black as Captain Bombardier. And Lizzo as Duchess of Plazir-15. Christopher Lloyd is in the same episode!

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman

On By Rick McIn books, moviesLeave a comment

This popular book series rolls on with #4 being just as charming as the rest.

The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman.

Thursday Murder Club are British pensioners living in a retirement village who solve murders as a hobby.

Quite humorous. Very insightful regarding elderly life in the U.K.

Shocking news reaches them—an old friend has been killed, and a dangerous package he was protecting has gone missing.

The gang’s search leads them into the antiques business, where the tricks of the trade are as old as the objects themselves. As they encounter drug dealers, art forgers, and online fraudsters—as well as heartache close to home—Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim have no idea whom to trust. …

One important and touching side story is Elizabeth’s husband Stephen declining with dementia.

While still in full mental capacity, Stephen wrote himself a letter explaining his medical condition. Elizabeth must read it to him every day as he’s already forgotten.

On the down side, the murder mystery is absurdly simplistic.

We don’t yet know who will play whom in the upcoming film adaptation.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.