bnox (Free subscription) | 02/07/2010
Over the years, internet has been visualised as the information superhighway (as introduced by Al Gore in a 1978 meeting of computer industry folk), cyberspace (in William Gibson's 1982 story Burning Chrome), the metaverse (in Neal Stephenson's 1992 science fiction novel Snow Crash), the Net (in Irwin Winkler's 1995 American drama film with Sandra Bullock), the Matrix (in Larry and Andy Wachowski's...
Gear Diary (Free subscription) | 02/06/2010
Not the kind of shredding your surfer friends talk about! If you managed to get through Neal Stephenson’s Cryptonomicon without turning into a paranoid about the government or big business or even that nosy 16 year-old hacker next door who’s been eyeing your shredded documents bag that you leave out for the trash, you’re a better [...]
Slog (Free subscription) | 02/04/2010
Readers ask me for book recommendations in Questionland all the time. Match Book is about helping you find the right book, at the right time. What books should I get to go with Boneshaker ? I like (and have read)everything Ursula K leGuin. Samuel R. Delany, and Kim Stanley Robinson. I like Michael Chabon and Umberto Eco. Is Leviathan good? What else? I need another book or two to get free shipping....
Foma* (Free subscription) | 02/02/2010
Books Bought none Books Read The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson The Forever War by Joe Haldeman The Confusion by Neal Stephenson The Doll's House by Neil Gaiman Comments For National Just Read More Novels Month, I decided to go for quality over quantity. The goal was to read the best books I could instead of just the most. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo doesn't count towards NaJuReMoNoMo...
Looking Out To Sea (Free subscription) | 02/01/2010
After however many pages and words and months I finished reading the last volume of Neal Stephenson’s Baroque Cycle, The System of the World. Back in August I was effusive with my praise of part one but never got round to saying anything when I finished part two (The Confusion). So let this entry mark [...]
Super Punch (Free subscription) | 02/01/2010
A disturbing question raised by Martha , herself. *Previously: Photo of Neal Stephenson lecturing to Martha Stewart . * Buy Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts at Amazon.
if:book (Free subscription) | 01/28/2010
The iPad has arrived, to no one's surprise: as soon as you use an iPhone, you start wondering what a computer-sized version of the same would be like. (Those interested in how past predictions look now might look at this post by Ben from five years ago.) The iPad is an attractive device and at $500, it seems likely to take off. It seems entirely possible that a tablet could replace laptops and desktops...
frog design™ (Free subscription) | 01/27/2010
When you spend any amount of time at the MIT Media Lab, you start to realize a few things: 1. You aren’t nearly as smart as you think you are. 2. Science and engineering research are leaps and bounds beyond commercialized products. 3. The geeks are begging for design. Literally. I just spent a few days at the Tangible and Embedded Interactions Conference , and came to these realizations as I...
Locusts & Honey (Free subscription) | 01/25/2010
This Recording proposes a list of the one hundred greatest science fiction and fantasy novels. Here are the first ten: 100. The Word For World Is Forest by Ursula K. LeGuin 99. Sorcerer's Son by Phyllis Eisenstein 98. Beggars in Spain by Nancy Kress 97. The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch 96. Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson 95. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke 94. The Company by K.J....
boogaj (Free subscription) | 01/25/2010
I just finished Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash last night and I'm torn. I actually enjoyed the book for the most part, but it had some serious problems which destroyed the flow and took you out of the world he created...
Llewtrah's Soapbox (Free subscription) | 01/25/2010
Cryptonomicon The story has several threads which interweave and finally converge. Firstly there is the American Lawrence Pritchard Waterhouse, church organist, mathematician and cryptoanalyst (and somewhat lacking in social skills) who works with Turing at Bletchley Park and is instrumental in breaking German and Japanese codes. Then there is his descendent in the 1990s, Randy Waterhouse, who along...
Book Addicts Anonymous (Free subscription) | 01/21/2010
How to describe this book? It encompasses 927 pages....explores the lives of several influential scientists, follows the right of succession in the UK. Yet at the same time it entertains the reader, encouraging them to read on. I had bought "Confusion" which is the second book in the "Baroque Cycle" by Neal Stephenson...and soon realised I needed to read "Quicksilver"...
cookin'/relaxin' (Free subscription) | 01/11/2010
This is the third year I’ve done this . Overall I read 14 fiction and 17 non-fiction, 31 in total. I reckon that’s about 60-70cm of bookshelf per year, which btw is overfull, any bookcase recommendations appreciated. To save you reading the whole list my favourite books of 2009 were Anathem by Neal Stephenson for fiction, The Ongoing Moment by Geoff Dyer for non-fiction and a special mention...
The Temp, The Actress and The Writer (Free subscription) | 01/08/2010
Yes it's time for Friday Roundup! Yay! Before we launch into our list I'd like to share a wee bit of good news with y'all. The big SF/Fantasy bookstore in Toronto is called Bakka Phoenix . It's a great place, super supportive of authors, and has just about every SF/Fantasy book you can imagine. I took my friend Emily there for the first time last year, and she was so excited to find a book she'd been...
Circle, Triangle, Square (Free subscription) | 01/07/2010
I have no idea how many books I read in a year, so I'm going to keep count (until I get bored, obviously). I'm only going to count books that I actually finish, and I might even try a mini-review as I go. So, with no further ado. #1 The Art of Peace by Morihei Ueshiba . A present from the ever lovely quondam and the source of my favourite quotation of the year thus far. The art of peace is a form of...
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