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l33tminion) wrote2011-07-13 01:37 am
l33tminion) wrote2011-07-13 01:37 am
Sandy, Summer, Media
I should be asleep, but it is hot and muggy here, so a quick post while the air conditioner labors to cool my room off.
Sandy Island was awesome: Lengthy conversations with my family (save for Melissa, who was off to London, though I got to see her a bit in Boston before), watching the ducks (so many ducklings this year, also unusually old ducklings; wonder what made this a particularly early and prolific season) and other wildlife (several loons nesting near the island, which is unusual), a bit of swimming and kayaking, some crafts, movies, dancing, touristing, a ton of reading.
The reading list for this year:
The Transparent Society - The basic argument (that enforced mutual transparency is a superior solution to the sort of problem that could (allegedly) be solved by regulation or technology that enforces the bounds of privacy or secrecy) is interesting, but this book probably is far longer than necessary to express that argument. Read it or not.
The Confusion - Great, but made all the more confusing by the fact that it's a sequel to another 800-page book that I read a full year ago and consequently remember very little of. Still, great.
Postsingular - I do love stories about crazy post-singularity futures, but Accelerando was much better.
Yes Means Yes! - While this collection of essays is by no means a comprehensive overview of modern egalitarian (fourth wave?) feminism, it's definitely a must-read.
Feel-Bad Education - Read Punished by Rewards instead.
After Dark - A quick and compelling read. Not as good as some of Murakami's more involved novels (e.g. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle), but still great. I'd also bet this story (2004) is one of the influences for the story and setting of Persona 4 (2008), though can't find any reference to the devs mentioning it.
After I got home: Saw Page One with Julia (interesting documentary, interesting in particular given my new employer), finished Red Dead Redemption (the ending is great, Rockstar really does westerns well), finished watching [C] (global economic crisis, the anime; wouldn't really recommend it to those who aren't already anime fans, but worth a watch if you like the particular genre conventions of the show).
Sandy Island was awesome: Lengthy conversations with my family (save for Melissa, who was off to London, though I got to see her a bit in Boston before), watching the ducks (so many ducklings this year, also unusually old ducklings; wonder what made this a particularly early and prolific season) and other wildlife (several loons nesting near the island, which is unusual), a bit of swimming and kayaking, some crafts, movies, dancing, touristing, a ton of reading.
The reading list for this year:
The Transparent Society - The basic argument (that enforced mutual transparency is a superior solution to the sort of problem that could (allegedly) be solved by regulation or technology that enforces the bounds of privacy or secrecy) is interesting, but this book probably is far longer than necessary to express that argument. Read it or not.
The Confusion - Great, but made all the more confusing by the fact that it's a sequel to another 800-page book that I read a full year ago and consequently remember very little of. Still, great.
Postsingular - I do love stories about crazy post-singularity futures, but Accelerando was much better.
Yes Means Yes! - While this collection of essays is by no means a comprehensive overview of modern egalitarian (fourth wave?) feminism, it's definitely a must-read.
Feel-Bad Education - Read Punished by Rewards instead.
After Dark - A quick and compelling read. Not as good as some of Murakami's more involved novels (e.g. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle), but still great. I'd also bet this story (2004) is one of the influences for the story and setting of Persona 4 (2008), though can't find any reference to the devs mentioning it.
After I got home: Saw Page One with Julia (interesting documentary, interesting in particular given my new employer), finished Red Dead Redemption (the ending is great, Rockstar really does westerns well), finished watching [C] (global economic crisis, the anime; wouldn't really recommend it to those who aren't already anime fans, but worth a watch if you like the particular genre conventions of the show).