Archive for February, 2007

Digital Fortress by Dan Brown

Digital fortress

Digital Fortress, by Dan Brown, is an exciting thriller set in Spain about a virtual attack on the National Security Agency’s top secret super-computer, called TRANSLTR, the best decoding machine in the world capable of breaking every existing code.

But, the question is: Can an undecipherable code exist? Susan Fletcher, one of the best cryptographers of the NSA can’t believe it when his chief, the assistant director of the agency informs her that he has intercepted a code unbreakable to TRANSLTR.

Ensei Tankado an ex-NSA cryptographer, who dies in the first chapter and actually is the main character of the book, doesn’t like the capability of the computer to decode private e-mails. He is the creator of Digital Fortress, a mathematical code that the super computer can’t break. He threatens to make it available for everybody unless NSA makes the existence of TRANSLTR known to the general public.

Even as Susan scrambles to find Ensei Tankado’s secret partner, she is shocked, angry and scared because Commander Strathmore, her boss, has inexplicably sent her boyfriend David, a normal university professor expert in languages, in a dangerous mission to Spain to recover the unbreakable code’s key, apparently hidden in the corpse of Ensei Tankado, dead in Seville of a heart attack although he might have been killed for that reason. He isn’t the only person who is looking for the key… So, does the key really exist? And if so, will David survive to find it and bring it back knowing that a lethal and methodical killer has the same aim?

This is a race against time, plenty of action, lies and high technology in which Susan Fletcher faced with fear and betrayal will have to fight for her love, her life and her country.

I really enjoyed this best seller; it is gripping, extremely readable and made for people who love action books and thrillers. Despite the publication’s date, this is the first novel written by Dan Brown, the same author as The Da Vinci Code, his most successful story. However, in my humble opinion, I’m very disappointed with the way in which Brown describes Spain: the hospital smelling of urine, for instance or when he says: “Everybody knows about the corruption in the Spanish police”. You can read it, at the end of the day it is fiction, but if you are Spanish, you may feel hurt. It’s up to you!!

Cover her face by P.D. James

cover her face

Cover her face is P.D. James’s electric debut novel and one of her most famous mystery books that has never been out of print since it was first published in 1962.

The book is set in Martingale and tells the story of Sally Jupp, an unmarried mother and minor village scandal, who starts to work as a housemaid in the old Maxie family home. The story starts when the young, beautiful girl is found strangled in her bed behind a bolted door, after the annual St Cedd’s church fête which had been held in the grounds of Martingale for generations. Apparently her hot chocolate had been drugged.

Brilliant Chief-Inspector Adam Dalgliesh of Scotland Yard and Detective-Sergeant Martin are intent on finding her killer among a house full of suspects, most of whom had very good reasons to wish her dead… Could they finally discover the truth under the roof of Martingale…? Stephen Maxie, Deborah Riscoe, Martha, Dr. Epps, Miss Lidell, Catherine Bowers, Felix Hearne,… Any of them can be the murderer…

The book is full of thrilling moments as the author creates tension with unexpected twists and vivid descriptions. What gives the book its mysterious development is the experience of the author, who spent thirty years in various departments of the British Civil Service, including the police and Criminal Law Department. Therefore, knowing how to deal with the plot, characters and dialogues to keep you in suspense until the very end of the book.

It’s a highly entertaining read with an exciting script and I definitely recommend it. It’s so appealing that you will want to keep on reading!

Angels by Marian Keyes

Angels

Angels by Marian Keyes tells the story of a marriage that didn’t work out and a woman who decided to change her life.

Maggie Walsh is in her thirties; she is married to Paul Garvan and has a proper job in a legal firm. She is Irish and she has another two sisters who live with their parents. Maggie is the perfect daughter as she never does anything wrong until the day she discovers that her husband is having an affair and she gets fired from her job. She decides to run away to LA where she has her best friend called Emily who is surviving as a screenwriter: In Hollywood Maggie starts doing things that she’s never done before being such a responsible and quiet person.

She starts meeting films stars, changing her look, going out until late, getting drunk, she even has an affair with Troy, called as well Human Teflon, who couldn’t have a relationship for more than two days. As well, she meets Laura who is a lesbian and Maggie tries to have a go at it. During this time living in LA, she meets Shay Delaney, an old friend from home that she used to go after before going out with Garv. They meet and they go out, and she realises that all this time in LA and being with Shay, what she really wants is to go back with Garv as he really is her true love.

This book is like sharing your confidences with a friend. It’s a love story, funny and very easy to read.

Darwin Awards

Darwin Awards

As we have been talking in class about the Stella Liebeck Awards, given to people who successfully sued a company because of stupid things, and were given lots of money, I find it interesting to tell you about this other competition.

Last week I read about these Darwin Awards which are, I think, a step forward into people’s stupidity. This is the aim of the Awards in their own words:

“The Darwin Awards salute the improvement of the human genome by honoring those who accidentally remove themselves from it…”

The Darwin Awards started on the Internet. The aim of the project was to “honor” people who died because of their stupid behaviour, claiming, ironically, that they sacrificed themselves for the evolution of the human being.

Here you can find more information about these bizarre Awards.

Here you’ll find a short extract of seven of the most famous incidents. It’s very shocking, but as we all have a bit of black humour in ourselves, maybe you’ll enjoy the reading. I hope you’ll never enter the competition!

1989
In France, Jacques LeFevrier wanted to ensure his death when he attempted suicide. He went to the top of a cliff, tied a rope around his neck and the other end of the rope to a heavy rock. He drank poison and put fire on his clothes. He even tried to shoot at himself at the very last moment, when jumping from the cliff. The bullet didn’t touch him; instead it cut the rope over him. As he couldn’t hang on it, he fell into the sea. The sudden fall extinguished the flames and made him vomit the poison. A fisher found him and took him to hospital where he finally died….of hypothermia.

1992
Ken Barrer, 47, accidentally shot himself to death in Newton, North Carolina (USA) when, awakened by a sound beside the bed, he reached for the phone but grabbed instead a Smith&Wesson 38 Special which discharged when he drew it to his ear.

1993
A terrible diet and a non-ventilated room were the main causes of the death of a man who was killed by his own gas emissions. There was no sign on his body and the autopsy revealed a high amount of methane gas on his organism. His diet consisted basically of pulses and cauliflower (and some more food): a perfect mixture of food. Apparently, the man died while sleeping for breathing the poisonous cloud of gas floating over his bed. This wouldn’t have happened if he had been outside or if he had had the window opened. But he was hermetically locked in his room. He was a “very fat man with an enormous capacity for producing this dangerous gas”. Three of his rescuers got ill and one of them had to be hospitalised.

1995
Six people drowned when trying to rescue a hen that had fallen into a well, in the south of Egypt. An 18-year-old farmer was the first to go down the 20 metres of depth. He drowned and his two sisters and brother, none of them good swimmers, went down trying to save him, but also drowned. Two other farmers tried to help them, but also drowned. The six bodies were found by the police later. Besides, they took out the hen, who had survived.

1996
A polish farmer, Krystof Azninski, can be considered the most “macho” man in Europe after cutting his own head off. Aznisnki, 30, had been drinking with friends and they started to play “men games”. First, totally naked, they hit each other’s heads with icicles, but one of them cut off one of his toes with an electric saw. Not wanting to be less, Azninski, took the saw and cried “Look at this, then”. Then he cut off his head with it.
“It’s strange” said one friend “When he was a child, he liked dressing as a girl, but he died as a real man”

1997
Sylvester Bridell Jr, 26 years, was killed in February in Selbyville, Delaware (USA) when trying to win a bet he had made with his friends: that he wouldn’t dare to put a loaded gun in his mouth and shoot.

1999
A lawyer and two friends were fishing in the Caddo Lake in Texas when an electric storm started. All the other boats came back to the coast, but not theirs. He stood on the back of the aluminium boat, arms up in a cross, and cried “Here I am, God. Shoot me!” (I suppose he was joking). And God apparently, obliged. The other two passengers survived the lightening with minor burns.

Books and Films: a nice new place in the blogosphere for book and film addicts

Blog about films and books by María Valdés English teacher at Oviedo EOI

Whether you like reading in English or you just have to because your wicked teacher - that’s me - makes you read a book for this term, you may find Books and Films interesting. This site, launched by María Valdés, friend and colleague at Oviedo EOI, is precisely that: a place where we can all discuss books and films. Just for the fun of it, just because we love books or films or both and we enjoy talking about them with people that feel the same.

Laws of Attraction

Laws of Attraction

“Laws of attraction” is based on a current romantic comedy, with a fairly amusing plot, which mixes competition but also lots of love.
Set in New York, “Laws of attraction” tells the story of Audrey Woods and Daniel Rafferty, two high-powered divorce attorneys who will fight in court; However something more than business will come up between them.

The role of Audrey is played by Julianne Moore. She is impeccably dressed and formal and always practises law strictly by the book. Her confidant is Sara, her mother, who is most of the time obsessed with cosmetic surgery and always gives her daughter pieces of advice on how to deal with men. Pierce Brosnan (Mr. Rafferty) gives a superb performance of a clever, scruffy man who often uses underhand tactics and always manages to win. But the two of them have something in common – they have both the best career and none of them has never lost a case.

Soon, they have to face each other in court, trying to defend opposite sides of a public divorce between a crazy rock star and a fashion designer. The case is focused on an Irish castle that the two clients want for themselves. Audrey and Daniel need to travel to Ireland to get some evidence. Once there, Woods and Rafferty find themselves at a romantic Irish festival. After a night full of fun and drinks, they wake up the next morning as husband and wife. They must return to New York to go on with the case and to start a new way of life as a married couple, in which they don’t know what love is… Could they finally discover it…?
Well directed by Peter Howitt, he has opened an interesting discussion between business and love. The good performance of the main actors and cast has made this film entertaining, romantic and funny.

I found the plot rather enjoyable and I can thoroughly recommend it to people who like beautiful stories about love.