Ballard's amazingly beautiful and poetic descriptive way of writing, a story about tomorrow's society set in our present, the dark side that lurks in each one of us. His usual sparkling, deceptively simple prose is here, together with a thrilling murder story, off-beat characters and a threatening air of menace lurking by the pools and apartments of the up-market retirement village.

Brain candy for bitheads.
Lawrence Waterhouse, brilliant mathematician and cryptanalyst extraordinaire, and gung ho, morphine-addicted marine Bobby Shaftoe, are part of Detachment 2702, an Allied group trying to break Axis communication codes. Dr. Alan Turing is also a member of 2702...

All of this secrecy resonates in the present-day story line, in which the grandchildren of the WWII heroes - inimitable programming geek Randy Waterhouse and the lovely and powerful Amy Shaftoe - team up to help create an offshore data haven in Southeast Asia and maybe uncover some gold once destined for Nazi coffers. To top off the paranoiac tone of the book, the mysterious Enoch Root, key member of Detachment 2702 and the Societas Eruditorum, pops up with an unbreakable encryption scheme left over from WWII to befuddle the 1990s protagonists with conspiratorial ties. A 900+ page SF-masterpiece!

Tom Clancy - The Bear and the Dragon

Blending the exceptional realism and authenticity that are his hallmarks with intricate plotting, razor-sharp suspense, and a remarkable cast of characters, this is Clancy at his best - and there is none better.

"A first-class detective story." (L.A. Times)
Other Michael Connelly's crime novels: The Poet, Void Moon, The Black Echo, The Black Ice

Sports

And The Crowd Goes Wild [Book + 2 CDs]

 

In words and images - and on two audio CDs narrated by award-winning sports journalist Bob Costas - And The Crowd Goes Wild brings to life the spine-tingling moments that brought us to our feet. It's hard not to cry when you hear Lou Gherig's farewell speech, or when the 1980 hockey team beats the Soviets, or "The Giants win the Pennant! The Giants win the pennant!"

From an admittedly scratchy recording of Babe Ruth's memorable World Series home run in 1932 to the dramatic penalty shootout win in the 1999 Women's World Cup, And The Crowd Goes Wild captures history's greatest sports calls.

          Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young - Looking Forward

Jazz

 

  John Coltrane - John Coltrane & John Hartman [Remastered]

  John Coltrane - A Love Supreme

Celebrity  

Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Judy Davis, Melanie Griffith, Jo Mantegna, Leonard DiCaprio, etc.
Director: Woody Allen
Edition Details: DVD                             Black-and-white. 1998.
Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only)

 

Games

Close Combat: Invasion Normandy

                                 Close Combat 4: The Battle of the Bulge

In Red Alert 1, the USSR was defeated and Stalin was killed. After years of secretly building up, the Soviets are seeking revenge. Their main objective is now the USA, and most battlegrounds will take place in and around major American cities. With multiplayer option via the Internet.