The comic book community is expressing its love and appreciation for George Pérez today, after the writer and artist who worked on some of the biggest and most popular comic books of all time announced that he’s been diagnosed with inoperable Stage 3 pancreatic cancer and is only expected to live for another “six…Read more.........

Bruno EhrsIt's a palace with one of the greatest tales in French history—a minister overshadowing his king only to be pulled down to nothing. That’s the long and short of Nicolas Fouqet, King Louis XIV, and the fabulous Vaux-le-Vicomte, a chateau south of Paris that is the subject of a delightful new coffee table book from Flammarion, Vaux le Vicomte: A Private Invitation. The book is the latest selection for our series on gorgeous new travel related coffee table books, Just Booked.Despite its thrilling backstory and its central role in the development of French style—the architect (Le Vau), decorator (Le Brun), and landscape designer (Le Notre) all went on to design Versailles—Vaux-le-Vicomte doesn’t have the same grip on the popular tourist imagination as other French chateaux. This new tome, with text from Guillaume Picon and photographs by Bruno Ehrs, will hopefully change that. The rooms captured are sumptuous and the vistas arresting—few rooms have ever competed with the oval Grand Salon looking out over Le Notre’s Baroque gardens. What is amazing is that the house is still in private hands, those of the de Vogüé family.Especially captivating are photographs from Vaux’s signature event. Every Saturday from late spring to early fall, the chateau and grounds are lit entirely by candles as they were the night of Nicolas Fouqet’s grand party that sealed his fate with the Sun King.Read more at The Daily Beast.......

The first of the planned amenities for US prisoners opens in the Massachusetts jail where the campaigner was incarcerated in the 1940sMalcolm X writes in his autobiography of how he spent hours reading in the library at Norfolk Prison in Massachusetts. Now the cell that the human rights activist is believed to have occupied is set to be transformed into a library itself, thanks to the work of the poet and lawyer Reginald Dwayne Betts.Betts, who won a MacArthur “genius” grant worth $625,000 (£471,000) in September, was incarcerated himself after being tried as an adult for a carjacking at the age of 16. He has spoken of how, during the nine years he spent in prison, he was “writing every day, reading every day, imagining that words would give me the freedom to understand what got me in prison”, because “when you’re trapped in a cell, literally, words are your only lifeline”. Continue reading.........

A smart display like the Echo Show can add a bit of convenience and functionality to pretty much any room in the house. Here are the best deals on Echo devices as of Dec. 6:Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen, 2021) — $94.99 $129.99 (save 26%)Echo Show 5 (2nd Gen, 2021) — $44.99 $84.99 (save 47%)Echo Show 8 (1st Gen, 2019) — $59.99 $109.99 (save 45%)Echo Show 5 (2nd Gen) Kids — $49.99 $94.99 (save 47%)What's the deal with Amazon Echos? They're not quite iPad substitutes, but they perform all the basic functions you would want from a smart display, like video calling (the otherwise-comparable Google Nest Hub lacks this feature), listening to music, showing weather reports, checking in for security, controlling smart home devices with voice commands, and more. Pick one up for yourself and try it out before gifting it to your friends and family this holiday season. And if you're considering buying it as a gift, be sure to check out estimated shipping times for your preferred mode. Otherwise, you may want to leave the country for Christmas and only come back once all your gifts have been delivered.Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen, 2021) — $94.99 $129.99 (save 26%)One of the newest models that only came out earlier this year in June, the second generation of the Echo Show 8 has a better camera than its predecessor at 13 MP. It uses auto-framing to keep you centered on screen so that you can multitask while chatting. Bustling around the kitchen and cooking as you chat with Grandma? No problem, the Echo Show 8 will automatically pans, zooms, and frames you so she can clearly see your face. Credit: Amazon Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen, 2021 release) $94.99 at Amazon (save 26%) Get Deal Echo Show 5 (2nd Gen, 2021) — $44.99 $84.99 (save 47%)The Echo Show 5s are a few square inches smaller than their Echo Show 8 counterparts, but their 5.5" screens are still more than big enough to display your favorite photos. Its 2 MP camera isn't as clear as the 2nd gen Echo Show 8s and its 960 x 480 resolution falls short of the 8's 1280 x 800, but at that size of display, the weather, streaming service screen, or video still look just fine. Plus, it's currently at a deep discount. Credit: Amazon Echo Show 5 (2nd Gen, 2021 release) $44.99 at Amazon (save 47%) Get Deal Echo Show 8 (1st Gen, 2019) — $59.99 $109.99 (save 45%)The first generation of the Echo Shows debuted in the second half of 2019, but they've aged well. They use the MediaTek MT 8163 processor instead of the 2nd gen's MediaTek MT 8183 so they're a tad bit slower, but unless you're constantly switching between apps at light speed, the difference is all but negligible. They also use a 1 MP camera, so Grandma won't be able to see the pores on your face (a blessing in disguise). Another disadvantage is that they're not equipped with Zigbee hub, so controlling your smart home devices is a little more challenging, but it can be done, and the rest of the Echo Show's functions are still an option. Credit: Amazon Echo Show 8 (1st Gen, 2019 release) $59.99 at Amazon (save 45%) Get Deal Echo Show 5 (2nd Gen) Kids — $49.99 $94.99 (save 47%)This is a great option for entertaining (read: distracting) the kids: Occupy them with educational TV programs, e-books, and movies while simultaneously running a timer on how long they can spend glued to the screen. Purchase of this display includes one year of Amazon Kids+, which gives you access to over 15,000 videos, audiobooks, games, music stations, and more. Parental control is flexible, so you can approve the friends and family before your child makes a call, set content limits, and review activity. The kids' Echo Show 5 even helps with homework. Credit: Amazon Echo Show 5 (2nd Gen) Kids $49.99 at Amazon (save 47%) Get Deal Explore related content:The best smart speakers: See where the Amazon Echo Dot, others rankAmazon Echo Show 5 vs. Echo Show 8 (2nd gen): Which is right for you?Amazon Echo Show 15 is a smart speaker, picture frame, and TV......