Books
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I just completed a trilogy (that actually has two more volumes I’ll get to, but the first three stand well alone) by Dennis E Taylor that started with “We Are Legion (We Are Bob).” Particularly, the Ray Porter narrated Audible version, which makes the trilogy which already would stand among my favorite sci fi even better.
A little bit of Douglas Adams, a little bit of Andy Weir, a little bit of Gene Roddenberry. Excellent hard sci fi that has some nerd humor interspersed with some cosmic horror within its considerable breadth. I can’t recommend enough. Intellectually and emotionally stimulating and endlessly entertaining. It would make a good film or TV series.
The basic premise is that a software engineer sells his company and uses some of his funds to cryogenically preserve his brain, ultimately to wind up being the controlling intelligence for a von Neumann probe, which is to say a self-replicating swarm of drones, spaceships, and space stations.
The title may seem too whimsical, but don’t let it push you away: they get into some extremely deep topics as it pertains to futurism and colonizing the solar system and galaxy.
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“Never meet your heroes” I reckon.
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@mclaincausey I’ve been consciously avoiding reading this article. Doesn’t make it any less real I suppose. Huge bummer
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@mclaincausey Avoided reading too much on this topic, too.
'Kill your idols' is another way to put it... -
Started reading this today while waiting for some new brakes to be fitted and I’m immediately hooked! The format is non-narrrative, it’s more like a talking heads style documentary in print form. I think a fair few guys on here would enjoy this (if they haven’t already).
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About to jump into Praiseworthy by Alexis Wright. Seems interesting and won a bunch of awards and was shortlisted for others.
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I‘m currently reading Peter Fröberg Idling‘s „Pol Ponts leende“ (well, the German version). Very interesting book on how western leftist (here Swedish, but certainly transferable) intellectuals in the 70s tried to idealize the Khmer Rouge reign despite the growing information about the horrors actually happening. And how we (probably all) see and hear what we want to. An intelligent and beautifully written essay on travelling, history and Cambodia, for whom it may interest.
There are several translations, but I‘m not sure if there‘s a published english version. However, there is this excerpt online.
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@endo fascinating. We certainly had some embarrassing support voiced for KR here in America, even after the atrocities were exposed.
The problem I think is that people get hung up on political alignment and defensive because of it, where they should be thinking about the dangers of dogmatism, authoritarianism, and state violence regardless of under which banner they occur.
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@mclaincausey said in Books:
they should be thinking about the dangers of dogmatism, authoritarianism, and state violence regardless of under which banner they occur.
Exactly, and in addition the author (born 1972) puts up the question which blind spots he (or our generation) might have.
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Don't get me started on dogmatism.
I don't give a flying fuck (mostly) about peoples, religious or political views , or sexual proclivity (nor do I care that much about how they dress, cut their hair or how many piercings or body art they have). Whilst those things are important, they are way down my - "do I like you as a human being scale". People are to a great extent shaped by their upbringing and environment, just because they have views that I may not share, does not necessarily make them a bad person.
But you get dogmatic with me and won't engage in sensible, objective discussion, it'll likely be the last interaction we have....
Did that sound dogmatic
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I'm halfway through this but technically cheating by listening to the audio book on spotify.
Next to impossible to get downtime time with both hands free to hold a book with 3 kids under 6
Super interesting and it's entirely possible that @Jett129 could have crossed paths with him in the cbgbs/max's scene of the mid to late 70s nyc
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@Giles Well said! People are more than "labels" and if you're a shitty person, you're a shitty person in my book... you're not a "shitty religious person" or "shitty gay person"... you should judge people only on character and how they treat others
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I get what you mean about The Road it’s gripping but heavy. I’ve been meaning to read Freedom, sounds like it really resonated with you! Both authors have a way of making an impact.
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Since the album is fresh on my mind this a great read
Also in case you are like me and find it hard to find time for actual books
https://open.spotify.com/show/7dZlwe7qjWJx7372PRHSd0?si=9d9qopoxRC-7-I4F47zqsQ -
That must be interesting to read. To probe the conditions that produced such a masterpiece that was so anomalous for its time but so appropriate for what came after.
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Thanks to @SKT by way of @Jett129 and apologies to @GraemeE For how long it's taking me to read (the author cites a ton of music and I've been listening as I go), but this is a fascinating book that makes me appreciate the blues, r&b, and rock & roll drumming of the 50s and 60s more. I've always been snobbier and less appeeciative about that stuff than I should have been because it's propagated so widely and you miss some of the contemporary novelty and seems so simple compared to jazz and other drumming that has grabbed my attention more.
In fact the same apples to Charlie Watts and for that matter Ringo. I'm forming a new appreciation for all of them instead of just thinking about players like Tony Williams and John Bonham.
