Well, looks like I missed out seeing Avengers Endgame in the theater a second time

Rats. I really wanted to see it at least twice. Oh, well. That's the joy of having only one theater with 10 screens locally. Growing up in Phoenix and living there for so long really spoiled me for movie theaters, and they've practically doubled the number of screens in the 14 years that I've been gone!

But they've announced home video release dates: July 30 for cloud through Disney's new streaming stuff and August 13 for home physical media. I'm wondering if it'll be Blue Ray only, as long as the movie is. Apparently they're doing two versions, one that's just the movie and one with bonus material. Gee, I wonder which one I'll be getting!

And I'm DEFINITELY not signing up for Disney's streaming service!

The book that inspired 1984 - free in PDF!

EDIT: references to the Mises Institute removed: see bottom of post for reasons and alternative links

We, by Russian author Yevgeny Zamyatin.

“[Zamyatin’s] intuitive grasp of the irrational side of totalitarianism — human sacrifice, cruelty as an end in itself — makes [We] superior to Huxley’s [Brave New World].” —George Orwell

An inspiration for George Orwell’s 1984 and a precursor to the work of Philip K. Dick, Ayn Rand (Anthem), and Stanislaw Lem, We is a classic of dystopian science fiction ripe for rediscovery. Written in 1921 by the Russian revolutionary Yevgeny Zamyatin, this story of the thirtieth century is set in the One State, a society where all live for the collective good and individual freedom does not exist.

Although fiction, it is a story informed by the war communism of the Soviet Union, and was of course completely banned in Russia. But the collectivism is of a recognizable type, one that threatens every society in all times. To come to understand its features and markings is the benefit of the dystopian genre. The reality that dawns on the reader is that this seeming fiction is all-too real in our times.

The novel takes the form of the diary of state mathematician D-503, who, to his shock, experiences the most disruptive emotion imaginable: love for another human being.

At once satirical and sobering, We speaks to all who have suffered under repression of their personal, economic, and cultural freedom.

“One of the greatest novels of the twentieth century.” –Irving Howe

And free to download, as a PDF. It came up as a $2 ebook on my daily ebook newsletters, and my brain went 'if it was an inspiration for George Orwell, surely it isn't under copyright?' My brain then went 'It probably isn't under copyright and you should look him up on Wikipedia and Project Gutenberg, and STOP CALLING ME SHIRLEY!' The American, Canadian, and Australian Gutenbergs didn't have it, but his Wikipedia page had a link to the Mises site!

I like free stuff. And PDFs are supported by all ebook readers.

https://openlibrary.org/books/OL15196400M/We

https://monoskop.org/images/2/28/Zamyatin_Yevgeny_We_1972.pdf

Why Mises Institute was removed: As pointed out in the comments by Tiametschild, The Mises Institute is not an Austrian institution, it's an Alabama organization classified by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a Neo-Con group, which I will not support for obvious reasons. The Monoskop.org link will take you to a PDF scan of a paperback copy of the book.

https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2000/neo-confederates

A bunch of ebook bundles with lots of interesting stuff

Mostly from Humble, what a surprise.

First, their STEM bundle, which is expiring in just under three days. LOTS of stuff here, myself I'm going to be purchasing their middle tier which has a book on Photoshop photo retouching and restoration, something that will be useful. Other books include such topics as basic electronics, particle physics, linear algebra, tensor analysis, a couple of books about SAP, a book about asthma, stuff about 3D printing, AutoCad, physics, linear programming, psychedelic drug treatments, and books about Microsoft Office. So LOTS of stuff!

https://www.humblebundle.com/books/stem-bookshelf-mercury-books


Next, their science fiction bundle, available for just under five days. Personally, I'm not keen on this bundle as it's more horror than sci fi for my tastes, but there may be some stuff that you might like.

https://www.humblebundle.com/books/science-fiction-start-books


Finally, Humble has a manga/anime bundle which has some interesting stuff in it. This package is available for almost ten days. The $1 Bundle has Cells At Work! volumes 1-5, $8 gets you The Quintessential Quintuplets vols 1-3 and Vinland Saga 1-5, $10 gets you Vinland Saga 6-10, Fire Force (which looks really weird) vols 1-15, and Domestic Girlfriend 1-10. $15 unlocks Domestic Girlfriend 11-18, Blame! 1-6, and Attack on Titan 1-10, $18 adds Attack on Titan 11-20 plus Attack on Titan: Before The Fall 1-16. And finally, $20 gets you Blame! Movie Edition, Aposimz 1-2, and Collected Works: Exclusive Artbook.

That's a lot of anime manga!

https://www.humblebundle.com/books/manga-2-anime-kodansha-books


StoryBundle has an urban fantasy bundle called The Cities of Magic Bundle, described as "Urban Fantasy is a set of flavors and textures that form a foundation from which thrilling tales of every sort can spring. How to Marry a Werewolf will introduce you to the finer points of supernatural courtship in an alternate Victorian London. Interested in some action? We've got Relic Guardians and Cast into Darkness to feed your need for danger and excitement. If you're in the mood for a mystery, crack open A Furnace Sealed and see how murders are investigated when magic is the modus operandi. If you'd like to see the super heroic side of Urban Fantasy, Scales will teach you what sort of mischief a gargoyle can get up to, and never underestimate the Trials (and Trifles) of a Werevulture. Shadowblood Heir will make you wonder just how much of fiction is really fictional, while Arcana will make you question what depths a society will sink to if it feels threatened by mystic powers. Perhaps you'll find yourself in the city of brotherly love, peering into a darkness that just so happens to be peering back at you in A Traitor in the Shadows, or exploring Boston with a technowitch in Ghost Garages."

This sounds pretty interesting! This bundle is available for another twenty days. $5 gets you four books, including WereVulture Book 1: Trials of a Teenage WereVulture, which sounds fun to me. $15 gets you the rest of the package.

https://storybundle.com/fantasy