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Nine books in nine days!!!
Yep.
Here's what I read in Hawaii:
1. Collapse by Jared Diamond. An account of how societies choose to fail or succeed.
2. You Are Here by Thomas Kostigen. An assessment of the state of the environment, where it is heading, and what can be done about it on a practical level.
3. The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan. An endlessly entertaining ( Read more... ) -
Maui, Part 1: White Guilt
I've been coming to Hawaii since I was ten years old. In all that time, I never considered how these islands came to be what they are - U.S. states turned playground for the Middle/Upper class. It's not a typical consideration for a tourist. After all, Hawaii has been a state for some sixty years now and has been a U.S. territory for more than a ( Read more... ) -
Let one go by today
I did. I had a chance to do something interesting today. Could have led to anything. The door was wide, wide open. But I turned and walked back into the jungle in search of self-deprivation and sturdy hiking sticks. With my wet pants and my sun-burnt shoulders, I had all sorts of keys in hand for whatever doors laid beyond the open one, but alas.( Read more... ) -
Book Review for a book I didn't finish.
I threw Gregg Easterbrook's book "The Progress Paradox" down on the coffee table in disgust. A title that looked so promising, this book intended to explain "how life gets better while people feel worse." Yes, it's true, at least some of the time. I know a lot of people that are miserable, either secretly or openly, in spite of all the great things ( Read more... ) -
Book Review:The Botany of Desire
Who would have thought that Tulips and Potatoes would have been so interesting? Not just interesting, but fascinating, absorbing, and often illuminating. Did you know that there was a point when Tulips were valued enough in Holland to ruin the fortunes of nobility? Did you know that Monsanto genetically engineered a potato with built-in pesticide? ( Read more... ) -
Three Reviews at Once.
Instead of reviewing one book at a time, a prospect that sounds really unenjoyable considering that I'm looking out the window at the ocean right now, I will review three books at the same time. The first two, "Collapse" by Jared Diamond and "You are Here" by Thomas Kostigen (which is not out yet, by the way. My sister got me an advance edition at ( Read more... ) -
Book Review: "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
Every day, I wake up around 7:30 in the morning. I walk to the convenience store and buy myself a pint of milk for my cereal (due to a complicated refrigerator situation). I shower, shave, brush, and dress. Then I drive to work. I work. I take a lunch and goof around on the internet. Then I work some more. I drive home. Read a little. Listen to ( Read more... ) -
THAT FUCKING THING SUCKS!!!!
I already posted this on Myspace but it merits a re-post.
Put this on the list of things that will never fail to cheer me up when I'm feeling pissy:
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Book Review: "Fooled by Randomness" by Nassim Taleb
Briefly: I'm gonna write a lot of book reviews. Now, I'm not trying to train myself to be any kind of critic. A book represents a milestone in my intellectual life and writing about a recently read book serves two important purposes: first, it solidifies the accumulated knowledge gleaned from the book, and second, allows me to record my impressions ( Read more... ) -
On the deplorable lack of manners in the digital age.
I remember vaguely in the old days when it seemed much harder to blow somebody off. You'd have to endure somebody calling you several times, perhaps sit through several messages on your answering machine, and of course risk the potentially awkward chance-meeting. If you wanted to avoid somebody you would have to do it actively, thus also having to ( Read more... )
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