Epinions Recent Reviews for oxfordmike

Ayn Rand's Descriptive Technique in The Fountainhead

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 23:25:02 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author oxfordmike - I see The Fountainhead has drawn quite a few reviews, so rather than writing a general review, I'll share some comments on Ayn Rand's writing techniques.There's something to be learned from reading just about any novel. This is certainly true of...

Jim Friedman - Cincinnati Television: Enjoy TV? Grow Up in the Cincinnati Area? If So, You Must Have this Book!

Mon, 24 Dec 2007 23:46:55 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author oxfordmike - One day in 1957 I was watching an afternoon kids' show called "Bean's Clubhouse." It was strictly local, put together and broadcast by WCPO-TV, Channel 9 in Cincinnati. The show's namesake, "the Bean" (so-named because he was tall and thin, like a...

An Excellent Book that Has a Major Flaw

Thu, 8 Nov 2007 17:11:41 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author oxfordmike - I snapped this one up when it came out in 1996. I'm a fan of the history of 20th Century technology (if such can exist). I like finding long-forgotten or never-told tales of the people behind the technology that shapes our lives. I was particularly...

Relive America's Space Program!

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 00:05:42 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author oxfordmike - You probably remember the early days of America's space program--getting up early to watch the Mercury and Gemini launches, the hero astronauts, the Apollo missions, the grand plans for DynaSoar, the spinning wheel space station, and all the rest. If...

The Gillette Printer?

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 23:27:03 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author oxfordmike - I recently went on a 2-1/2 week R&R trip, and a printer and scanner were definitely not on my packing list. However, I happened to visit a library and in their archives found a plethora of documents and photos I could use for research. There were so...

A Real Page-Turner Loaded with Fascinating Facts

Sun, 30 Sep 2007 00:13:51 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author oxfordmike - Marc Fisher's biggest problem in writing this book had to be deciding what to include. From experience, I can guarantee that he left out as much material as he used--if not more. A story like the evolution of popular radio--the early days through Top...

Do You Need This Book?

Mon, 3 Sep 2007 20:24:49 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author oxfordmike - The first question anyone has to ask when considering Writer's Market is, "Do I really need this book?" The answer to that depends on how much use you expect to get out of the book. Pragmatically, if you are writing only one novel, or just one...

A Thrilling Capstone to the Series that Stands Alone, Too

Mon, 3 Sep 2007 19:33:54 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author oxfordmike - Here's the long-awaited capstone to Harry Turtledove's 10-volume story of the alternate world created by the Confederacy winning the American Civil War. Peopled with characters (and descendents of characters) from the first nine novels in the series,...

Randy McNutt - The Cincinnati Sound: Rock, Soul, R&B, Country and Bluegrass in Cincinnati, 1940-1970

Sun, 2 Sep 2007 01:00:49 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author oxfordmike - Every city is famous for something. Milwaukee has beer. Pittsburgh had steel. Detroit has automakers. And Cincinnati ... well, aside from Procter & Gamble, the city isn’t known for much nowadays. At one time, however, it was a center for machine...

Believable Werewolves and Vampires, Excellent Writing, Great Story!

Fri, 4 Aug 2006 22:26:52 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author oxfordmike - (Note: I inadvertently wrote an "Express Review" earlier; I've been away from the system and didn't know about this change. Here is the full review, complete with a description of the premise and background on werewolves and vampires as they exist in...

The Long Tail: Long on Opportunity?

Thu, 3 Aug 2006 00:48:48 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author oxfordmike - At last, someone has come up with a way to explain what is different about marketing on the Internet. Instead of mindlessly repeating the same old guff about "leveling the playing field" (an idea that too many have attempted to use to validate poor...

Informative but Poorly Organized

Sat, 9 Oct 2004 03:23:39 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author oxfordmike - As may be obvious by the title, this is a local history. I was interested in it because I collect local histories, and because I once worked in the huge Ford Motor Company transmission plant that's been located there since 1958. Too, I've done quite a...

A Good Read, Albeit Flawed ...

Sat, 9 Oct 2004 03:03:18 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author oxfordmike - I bought this book mainly because I wanted to see how it was put together, and how well it was written and structured. The subject matter is ambitious. In one book, we find chronicles of the Wright Brothers, Charles Kettering, John H. Patterson,...

Good content, lackluster editing

Tue, 1 Jun 2004 03:33:20 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author oxfordmike - Thomas J. Watson, founder of International Business Machines (IBM) was a man with a weak background and a strong will, as this book demonstrates. The author did well with his research, though the writing is rough from time to time--in technique as...

A Magazine for Model Builders in the Grand Tradition

Thu, 15 May 2003 18:46:54 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author oxfordmike - Back in the 1960s, you could find magazines that catered to just about any sort of model building. Model cars ... model airplanes ... model railroads ... model spacecraft ... model ships ... dioramas and on and on.

That's not true today...

Don't Log On Without It!

Thu, 17 Oct 2002 03:53:29 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author oxfordmike - Back in the early and mid-1980s, computer viruses (or, as some prefer, virii) were pranks. The pranks were often annoying, but pranks they were. You would be typing merrily along, or logging on to one of the online services and out of nowhere something...

An Important Reference to Science Fiction, Fantasy and Related Genres

Thu, 17 Oct 2002 02:58:59 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author oxfordmike - (Disclaimer: I am listed in this guide as an SF author. I will try to make sure my opinion is not swayed by that fact.)

Producing The Encyclopedia of anything is, as a rule, a Herculean labor. Having been involved only as a...

THE Guide for the Publishing Industry (but of interest to writers, tool)

Thu, 17 Oct 2002 01:47:11 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author oxfordmike - Note: I neglected to say that this is actually a set of two volumes. The bulk of my review is concerned with Volume I, which focuses on publishers and some promotional resources. Volume II is concerned mainly with suppliers to the trade, athough it...

Where to Find Out What's What in Writing and Publishing

Wed, 17 Jul 2002 03:43:04 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author oxfordmike - As I've done in several other reviews, I offer a disclaimer: I wrote a dozen of the entries int the first edition of The Writer's Encyclopedia. Most have survived into the current edition.

That said, I'll add that I would buy The...

Frisch's Big Boy, a Tradition in Cincinnati

Mon, 8 Jul 2002 03:22:47 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author oxfordmike - When I was a child in the 1950s and 1960s, my family rarely went out for dinner. My total experience with fast food was Magee's in Hillsboro, Ohio (a knock-off of White Castle), and Burger Chef, which opened in Milford, Ohio, when I was in 14 or so...

Half.com: A Fine Place to Find Decent Stuff at Decent Prices

Mon, 8 Jul 2002 03:03:14 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author oxfordmike - I write this review as a buyer of books only, and from individuals only.

That said, I really enjoy Half.com. The search system is tolerable, and the browsing is fine. (I think I rather expected a comprehensive Advanced Search, like eBay has...

A Part of the Southern Experience (and no, it ain't White Castle)

Mon, 8 Jul 2002 02:05:34 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author oxfordmike - A long time ago (1825), one of my more foolish ancestors left North Carolina for southeastern Kentucky. One of his descendents (a grandfather) came to Ohio. I figure this explains why I keep going South. (Plus, there's that Bellamy Brothers tune.)...

Firstar Works for Me!

Mon, 8 Jul 2002 01:20:36 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author oxfordmike - (Hm ... "Firstar Works for Me!" is almost a slogan. Well, if Firstar uses it, all I want is the credit line. Or, failing that, a chunk o' cash.)

I started banking with Firstar because my former fiancee used it, and my former bank (PNC) did...

Want to Write SF or Fantasy? Read this Book!

Tue, 26 Jun 2001 22:30:11 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author oxfordmike - Orson Scott Card is an acknowledged master storyteller. And he's truly excellent with words outside the realms of science fiction--his work encompasses quite a bit of non-fiction writing, and he's also done plays that have been produced. Plus, he's...

A Good Resource for New or Infrequently Published Writers (UPDATED)

Tue, 26 Jun 2001 20:01:06 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author oxfordmike - Updated: Mary 15, 2003. My original comments follow the two paragraph below.

The Writer continues to improve. I find that it is rapidly replacing Writer's Digest as the magazine for writers who want to be...