Fall of Giants, the first volume of the Century Trilogy that will cover all of the 20th century's greatest events ending with the Cold War, weaves together five families as their lives are uprooted and transformed by the Russian Revolution, the women's suffrage movement and WWI. Described as "on a scale that is at once, panoramic and intimate," we could not agree more. By choosing to include families from each of the countries primarily affected by the events surrounding WWI, Follett expertly details all perspectives and lifestyles of the time with an impressive ease. Fall of Giants is an extremely epic read, but we promise it is also one that you will be staying up late just to finish. As Fall of Giants covers WWI and the early 20th century, stay tuned for Book Two (2012), which will follow the five families' descendants and cover WWII, and Book Three (2014), which will cover the Cold War. more ›

Tech Flash got curious about Microsoft's new budget-conscious laptop shopper ad and did a specs comparison with a Mac, but they didn't cover one area that people will pay lots of money for, which is quality and customer service. more ›

One of our favorite Flickr pool contributors is Shawn "SlightlyNorth" McClung, a Denver transplant with an eye for graffiti and the wilds of SoDo. After ogling a whopping ten of his Flickr sets in SlightlyNorth's "Ephemeral Art" collection, we asked the man to tell us more about his photography, the tagging community, and his abiding love for an often-neglected neighborhood. more ›

BLACK CURRANTS AND BELL PEPPER: Cabernet Sauvignon, anyone? Wine tasting alert! For your fiver, you can taste a selection of Cabernet wines--and if you buy a bottle or two to take home, they'll return your tasting fee. We recommend you put on your nice jeans (the clean ones with no holes) and head to Belltown for a swanky but satisfying evening of light, educational indulgence. more ›

We have sat through some terrible Q&As, but it seems that Seattle audiences go out of their way to embarrass themselves in front of directors. Last night’s Q&A with Darren Aronofsky, following his new film The Wrestler (out in Seattle theaters January 9th), was truly cringeworthy: more ›

It was all going so well. The John Hodgman Variety Hour had made a stop at Town Hall, chockful of songs, tales of hobos and molemen, and anecdotes on being a famous minor television personality. Jonathan Coulton and John Roderick guitar-dueled to the death in a feral mountain man-off, while John Hodgman and Sean Nelson cerebrally engaged in a tweedy intellectual-off. Their internal disputes resolved, the foursome were ready to don their matching white bedazzled jumpsuits and perform a well-choreographed ukulele version of "Love Will Keep Us Together." more ›

It ain't easy being Scott McClellan. He's considered a traitor, snitch, and turncoat by the right, while the left decries him for not blowing the whistle sooner—either way, he's not getting many Christmas cards this year. more ›