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29/10/2024
Machine Stops cover

Machine Stops

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Chapter: 3 | Listen:

The Machine Stops is a short science fiction story. It describes a world in which almost all humans have lost the ability to live on the surface of the Earth. Each individual lives in isolation in a ‘cell’, with all bodily and spiritual needs met by the omnipotent, global Machine. Most humans welcome this development, as they are skeptical and fearful of first-hand experience. People forget that humans created the Machine, and treat it as a mystical entity whose needs supersede their own. Those who do not accept the deity of the Machine are viewed as ‘unmechanical’ and are threatened with “Homelessness”. Eventually, the Machine apocalyptically collapses, and the civilization of the Machine comes to an end. (Wikipedia) Comment by book coordinator: A condensed rapidfire of details and ideas imagining a dystopian world. Good thing he made it a short story. And the world he describes feels so appalling, although we are good on the way to be where Forster imagined us – shocker. So imaginative for 1909! Staying at home with the telly and internet and instant messaging and videoconferencing, google and pizza delivery and all flats and all cities look alike. And the loss of Patience! Damn this is good and so true – with one big exception the many buttons for all the machines functions. But how would Forster know of digital interfaces? That would have been too much to foresee.     [chương_files]  

29/10/2024
Colors of Space cover

Colors of Space

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Chapter: 15 | Listen: 2

Bart Steele, Space Academy graduate, is on his way home to his father’s business – he runs a fleet of spaceships for interstellar travel. The secret for fast interstellar travel though is still tightly kept by the alien race Lhari. An agreement between humans and Lhari has been made that permits humans only to travel in cold sleep as passengers aboard Lhari vessels as to not reveal the secret. Some humans – the Mentorians – have had a slight genetic shift which enhanced their vision to withstand the light levels that the aliens Lhari use and live in. Mentorians perceive a wider optical spectrum than ordinary humans – some can see the ‘eighth color’. Mentorians act as translators, middleman and interpreters between the two races. But their ability sets them apart from the rest of humanity. Bart, half Mentorian, has this ability. Bart, surgically altering his appearance to hire as a Lhari on a homeworld bound Lhari vessel, attempts to steal the secret of the Warp Drive – an attempt on which countless humans spies have failed before. (Summary by Stephan Möbius)     [chương_files]  

29/10/2024
Short Science Fiction Collection 001 cover

Short Science Fiction Collection 001

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Chapter: 10 | Listen:

Science fiction (abbreviated SF or sci-fi with varying punctuation and case) is a broad genre of fiction that often involves sociological and technical speculations based on current or future science or technology. This is a reader-selected collection of short stories originally published between 1931 and 1963, that entered the US public domain when their copyright was not renewed. Summary by Cori Samuel, with Wikipedia input.     [chương_files]  

28/10/2024
Marion Harland's Complete Etiquette cover

Marion Harland’s Complete Etiquette

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Chapter: 44 | Listen:

Haven’t you always wondered how to properly accept a formal dinner invitation? Perhaps you have a débutante under your wing, in which case you need to make sure her appearance in society goes perfectly, to increase her chances of a brilliant match. And what exactly would be your duties as her chaperon? These and many other questions are expertly answered by Marion Harland in this little volume. – Summary by Carolin     [chương_files]  

28/10/2024
Putting the Most Into Life cover

Putting the Most Into Life

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Chapter: 6 | Listen: 1

The chapters in this little book were originally part of a series of Sunday Evening Talks given by the Principal to the students of the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute. They have been recast from the second to the third person, and many local allusions have been cut out. They are now sent out, in response to repeated requests, to a larger audience than that to which they were first spoken. – Summary by Booker T. Washington     [chương_files]  

28/10/2024
Way of Peace (version 3) cover

Way of Peace (version 3)

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Chapter: 7 | Listen:

‘The Way of Peace’ is the second part of James Allen’s first published work titled ‘From Poverty to Power’ alternatively titled ‘The Realization of Prosperity and Peace’ (1901). Where part one focused more on the power an individual possesses over their circumstances and environment, part two dives deeper into that pathway which leads to what every soul inwardly seeks. The simplicity of these teachings make them accessible to everyone and invaluable to those with an interest in practical transcendentalism. Focusing on meditation and ascension without favouritism toward any school of thought or religion. ‘The Way of Peace’ explores and explains divine truths by drawing on examples from nature. Can be read on its own or as an extension to part one (titled ‘The Path to Prosperity’), this is a powerful volume which invites us to prove itself true through our own experiences and reflection. Written to appeal to readers with an interest in attaining a higher state of consciousness, its timeless wisdom provides a pathway, in plain English, without the confusion of subjective narratives. This is a recording of part two – The Way of Peace. – Summary by Sonnie Abdalla – Summary by Sonnie Abdalla     [chương_files]  

28/10/2024

Redburn: His First Voyage

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Chapter: 14 | Listen:

Melville wrote of some of his earliest experiences at sea in the story of Wellingborough Redburn, a wet-behind-the-ears youngster whose head was filled with dreams of foreign travel and adventure. In Redburn, the protagonist enlists for a stint as a seaman aboard Highlander, a merchant ship running between New York and London. As with many of Melville’s works, this one is as much about class and race as it is about the sea.     [chương_files]  

28/10/2024
Etiquette Made Easy cover

Etiquette Made Easy

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Chapter: 25 | Listen:

“A complete dictionary [sic] containing the right information for any and all occasions.” (From the book’s dust jacket.) – Summary by KevinS     [chương_files]  

28/10/2024
Self Help; with Illustrations of Conduct and Perseverance cover

Self Help; with Illustrations of Conduct and Perseverance

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Chapter: 35 | Listen: 1

Self-Help is the book that gave its name to the whole genre of literature known by that name. It is full of profiles of individuals who, through hard work, perseverance, and taking advantage of every opportunity that came their way, succeeded. At the same time, it discourages greed and promotes charity and philanthropy. It has been called “the bible of mid-Victorian liberalism”, and it raised Smiles to celebrity status almost overnight. (Summary by TriciaG)     [chương_files]  

28/10/2024
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Gods of Mars

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Chapter: 22 | Listen:

The Gods of Mars is a 1918 Edgar Rice Burroughs science fiction novel, the second of his famous Barsoom series.It can be said that the novel set the tone for much science fiction to come. Its influence can clearly be seen in franchises such as Star Trek and Farscape. While Burroughs no doubt borrowed liberally from the pulp fiction of his day, particularly westerns and swashbuckling tales, the pacing and themes set the tone for the soft science fiction genre. The protagonist, John Carter, with his proficiency in hand-to-hand combat and flirtations with beautiful alien women, could be said to have set the mold for later influential icons like Captain James T. Kirk and James Bond. At the end of the first book, A Princess of Mars, John Carter is unwillingly transported back to Earth. The Gods of Mars begins with his arrival back on Barsoom (Mars) after a ten year hiatus, separated from his wife Dejah Thoris, his unborn child, and the Red Martian people of the nation of Helium, whom he has adopted as his own. Unfortunately, John Carter materializes in the one place on Barsoom from which nobody is allowed to depart: the Valley Dor, which is the Barsoomian heaven. (Summary from Wikipedia)     [chương_files]