(no subject)
books read: (i did not actually finish either one of these)
Generation A, douglas coupland: i was quite enjoying this book, which is a good thing as every douglas coupland book - aside from his last, the gum thief - i have either loved or hated. the complete chart, for the interested:
LOVED HATED
Hey Nostradamus Miss Wyoming
Girlfriend in a Coma All Families are Psychotic
Generation X Eleanor Rigby
Microserfs Shampoo Planet
JPOD Generation A
Life After God
Gum Thief
I thought Generation A would enter the loved column, but after a promising first hundred pages, the book devolves into group of people siting around a campfire telling stories they make up. i quit. also, is there any reason why coupland should have written as many novels as margaret atwood, a fellow canadian who published her first novel 22 years before generation x came out? it's lazy criticism to say that someone needs to take more time, but really doug, what's the big rush? read with Hyperion, a book that makes the campfire tales theme work.
Soccernomics: a fascinating journey into the world of soccer statistics that i had to return to the library without finishing because i was prioritized a shitty coupland. the two best bits are the exploration of zipf's law (which has nothing to do with soccer - check it out on wikipedia) and the phenomena that as a soccer match goes along, the chance of goals increases. so as the game gets more exciting naturally, as the viewer shifts to the edge of his seat, the chances he'll see something amazing heightens. since this is a phenomenon i had noticed as a viewer and participant in soccer matches, but could never have articulated, i have to reccommend reading with The Tipping Point.
Generation A, douglas coupland: i was quite enjoying this book, which is a good thing as every douglas coupland book - aside from his last, the gum thief - i have either loved or hated. the complete chart, for the interested:
LOVED HATED
Hey Nostradamus Miss Wyoming
Girlfriend in a Coma All Families are Psychotic
Generation X Eleanor Rigby
Microserfs Shampoo Planet
JPOD Generation A
Life After God
Gum Thief
I thought Generation A would enter the loved column, but after a promising first hundred pages, the book devolves into group of people siting around a campfire telling stories they make up. i quit. also, is there any reason why coupland should have written as many novels as margaret atwood, a fellow canadian who published her first novel 22 years before generation x came out? it's lazy criticism to say that someone needs to take more time, but really doug, what's the big rush? read with Hyperion, a book that makes the campfire tales theme work.
Soccernomics: a fascinating journey into the world of soccer statistics that i had to return to the library without finishing because i was prioritized a shitty coupland. the two best bits are the exploration of zipf's law (which has nothing to do with soccer - check it out on wikipedia) and the phenomena that as a soccer match goes along, the chance of goals increases. so as the game gets more exciting naturally, as the viewer shifts to the edge of his seat, the chances he'll see something amazing heightens. since this is a phenomenon i had noticed as a viewer and participant in soccer matches, but could never have articulated, i have to reccommend reading with The Tipping Point.