Tuesday, August 18, 2009
SF writers and the rooms they write in
Too awesome - it really is a little like peering into their brains! Love Delaney's and Swanwick's rooms, and was surprised by Pohl's - that's all there is? Ashamed to say I recognized none of the female authors though.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Design of Everyday Things
So I finally got around to reading The Design of Everyday Things, by Donald A. Norman (I think I was first pointed to it by Jakob Nielsen). It's a bit outdated and the writing's not so great (he belabors his points), but he does lay out some basics of what makes for good design from a user's point of view.
His seven principles are:
Keep in mind this was 20 years ago, but remember what it was like to find stuff on the internet before search engines (particularly google) came along? Search engines, tagging and folksonomies are not something that Norman (and most of the rest of us) could have conceived of back then!
His seven principles are:
- use knowledge in the world and in the head
- simply structure of tasks
- make things visible
- good mapping
- exploit power of constraints
- design for error
- when all else fails, standardize
Keep in mind this was 20 years ago, but remember what it was like to find stuff on the internet before search engines (particularly google) came along? Search engines, tagging and folksonomies are not something that Norman (and most of the rest of us) could have conceived of back then!
Friday, December 08, 2006
The Ghost Map, by Steven Johnson
Read a great book by Steven Johnson on the map created by John Snow in wake of the cholera epidemic in London in 1854. I first read about the map (from an information representation point of view) in one of Edward Tufte's books, of course, but here we get a detailed picture of the epidemic itself, social conditions of the time, London as a young metropolis, the state of science, and even a little primer on microbiology. In the first part of the book, Johnson tells the tale of the epidemic chronologically, with many side paths into the above-mentioned topics. Though the side paths are fascinating, sometimes they just slow the narrative down - you're saying, "wow, that's a neat metaphor about how the 'river of intellectual progress is not defined purely by the steady flow of good ideas begetting better ones; it follows the topography that has been carved out for it by external factors,' but, c'mon, I want to know who gets the cholera next!!"
Apart from the gripping story of the cholera epidemic, there are a couple of themes that I thought Johnson discussed particularly well. The first I mentioned above - Johnson explores how scientific ideas are shaped by ideological context. It's not a revolutionary idea, but the book has a particularly graphic and rich example in terms how diseases and the possibility of microbes were conceived of in mid-19th century Europe.
The second fascinating theme Johnson touches on in the end, with a discussion of how London, with is population of 2 million in the 1850's, was an experiment in whether that many people could actually live packed so densely together. It was a time when rudimentary water and sewer services were just being planned and built, and Johnson is particularly graphic is describing how the garbage and sewage of the city's inhabitants were handled. The experiment succeeded of course and we have megacities now, some of whose slum areas are repeating the developments that London went through 150 years ago. In any case, it's an interesting study of the history of cities on our planet.
I highly recommend this quick but informative read - you'll not only ponder the nature of scientific inquiry and the development of cities, but also learn what pure-finders search for and how cholera strips the epitheleal cells from the small intestine thus leading to a "rice water" stools. Priceless!
Apart from the gripping story of the cholera epidemic, there are a couple of themes that I thought Johnson discussed particularly well. The first I mentioned above - Johnson explores how scientific ideas are shaped by ideological context. It's not a revolutionary idea, but the book has a particularly graphic and rich example in terms how diseases and the possibility of microbes were conceived of in mid-19th century Europe.
The second fascinating theme Johnson touches on in the end, with a discussion of how London, with is population of 2 million in the 1850's, was an experiment in whether that many people could actually live packed so densely together. It was a time when rudimentary water and sewer services were just being planned and built, and Johnson is particularly graphic is describing how the garbage and sewage of the city's inhabitants were handled. The experiment succeeded of course and we have megacities now, some of whose slum areas are repeating the developments that London went through 150 years ago. In any case, it's an interesting study of the history of cities on our planet.
I highly recommend this quick but informative read - you'll not only ponder the nature of scientific inquiry and the development of cities, but also learn what pure-finders search for and how cholera strips the epitheleal cells from the small intestine thus leading to a "rice water" stools. Priceless!
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Low tech to high: camping and a visit to a particle accelerator
Last weekend we went camping near the town of Greenport on the North Fork of Long Island. The beaches on the North Shore are rocky, which makes the swimming experience not so enjoyable, but they were still beautiful, and especially tranquil in the late afternoon sun. We really enjoyed ourselves in the town of Greenport, quiet and charming, where people treated us in a normal, friendly manner rather than as tourists to be barely tolerated. (Greenport photos here)
Camping is easier than it used to be - our tent popped right up and we managed to set up in the evening dark without any drama. The only drama was our second night there when it bucketed down with rain! I spent much of the night waking up intermittently and wondering when the tent was going to start leaking; fortunately we only got a few sprinkles during the final downpour at about 6 am (maybe the tent had finally had enough of repelling water?). The private campground, Eastern Long Island Kampground, was full of RVs but, thank god, a lot quieter than the state park we stayed at last year (Wildwood on the North Shore).
So last year after our camping trip we decided to drop by Brookhaven National Laboratory because I had read they had tours there on certain summer Sundays. Wow, we had such a great time seeing their biology labs (DNA analysis, electron microscopes and much more) that I thought we ought to come back this year. In fact, this year we timed the camping to coincide with a visit to Brookhaven's RHIC (Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider), a particle accelerator that is currently the most powerful heavy-ion collider in the world. What does that mean, you say? Well, I don't REALLY understand the physics of it all, but if I understand correctly basically you have two tubes in which sub-atomic particles run clockwise and counter-clockwise in a big 2+ mile circle at 99.995% the speed of light. At 6 points the two tubes cross over each other and that's where the streams can intersect and the particles running in opposite directions can collide - BOOM! (Interestingly enough, there was speculation at one point that the RHIC could create a black hole or another phenomenon that would destroy the earth - Wikipedia explains). Anyway, there are detectors built at the intersection points and they record the results of the collision, teaching us a lot about -- well, about what conditions may have been like right after the Big Bang and about lots of other stuff I don't even pretend to grasp.
Even though I don't understand it, I can still be impressed with the science of it, the engineering of it (individually built circuit boards, hand coding of software, etc.) and the sheer enthusiasm of the hundreds of scientists running experments on it. In fact, what makes these visits to Brookhaven so exciting is that the tour guides are the actual scientists working on the experiments. These are not museum exhibits where you are lectured about science, this is living, breathing scientific work being conducted by brilliant and occasionally very eccentric scientists. Here I should stop and mention Dr. Achim Franz of the PHENIX experiment, who gave us a great feel for the life of a physicist - years spent designing the experiment and the detector, the work of maintaining the detector, the terabytes upon terabytes of data, the scientists all over the world who analyze the data and use the results, the time spent in committee meetings coming up with acronyms like PHENIX, and all the rest - thank you Dr. Franz!
Anyway, it was an excellent geek adventure and for anyone who's interested in science (or especially anyone who has kid(s) interested in science), I can't recommend it enough. I'm looking foward to returning next year -- maybe we'll go see the National Weather Service, and try to camp in Montauk! (more RHIC photos here )
Monday, June 19, 2006
My first youtube posting
My first youtube posting! Here's Maia and Zhanna dancing along to Takfarinas at Summerstage. And it was so easy - no wonder youtube is as popular as it is.
Anyway, the music was great - I've liked rai since I first heard it in Tunisia almost 20 years ago, and this was something related, which the program calls yal... Takfarinas' style is "a blend of Kabylian folk, French pop, flamenco, reggae and funk."
Summerstage was filled with young people dancing, drinking, and checking the scene out. I felt old. But we had a great time dancing, sweating (it was torrid), and in Maia's case, jumping, leaping, sprinting, and I don't know what else!
Anyway, the music was great - I've liked rai since I first heard it in Tunisia almost 20 years ago, and this was something related, which the program calls yal... Takfarinas' style is "a blend of Kabylian folk, French pop, flamenco, reggae and funk."
Summerstage was filled with young people dancing, drinking, and checking the scene out. I felt old. But we had a great time dancing, sweating (it was torrid), and in Maia's case, jumping, leaping, sprinting, and I don't know what else!
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Rollerblading Newbies
DSC00142
Originally uploaded by Ruru.
After all those hours at Modell's trying out rollerblades, it was finally time to put them on and give them a try! We didn't do too badly.
Staying true to form, Paul went out and skated as fast as he could around and around, and I went back and forth in front of the benches until I could sort of skate, slowly but without falling. Maia needs a little more practice but she was willing to give it a shot!
Delia, who tried out her new spiffy blades, took these photos plus many videos, which I'll try and post on YouTube.
Friday, December 16, 2005
Wikipedia vs Britannica
After all the hulabaloo about problems with Wikipedia, Nature conducts an investigation of science articles on Wikipedia and finds around 4 inaccuracies per article. However, Britannica has around 3!
OK, I know science articles may not be as controversial as other types, but this, I think, augurs well for Wikipedia in general.
OK, I know science articles may not be as controversial as other types, but this, I think, augurs well for Wikipedia in general.
Monday, December 05, 2005
I'm Yoda?!?
Ok, I can't resist these little quizzes, especially when they promise to reveal which SF or fantasy character you're most like. And I actually found the questions interesting. But Yoda?!?! Why can't I be Spock? Well, I guess I can at least take comfort in the fact that I'm not Wesley.
Sunday, December 04, 2005
Alien Loves Predator
I was pointed to this series of, um, comics, by Gothamist, and I can't stop reading them! Very clever use of dolls (excuse me, action figures), sets and Photoshop - I love seeing alien and predator on the subway. Besides as the subtitle (In New York, no one can hear you scream) tells you, it's all about the two protagonists' life in New York: waiting for subway trains, living in a small apartment (Alien to his mom: "Ma, you're like 20 feet tall. It's not my fault you didn't fit through the door" Mom: "Are you saying I need to lose weight?"), dating and lusting, etc.
And, it's way more interesting than the one Aliens vs. Predator novel I read (I was desperate for English-language reading material in a foreign country)!
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
"Career-Killing Blogs" for Academics
An interesting article in Slate on what blogging means for academics, especially when tenure time comes around. The gist of it is that the academy doesn't know how to assess blogs when reviewing one's academic record (heck, they don't even know how to give marks for teaching online or using technology well in the classroom). However, the article suggests that blogs could perhaps become truly peer-reviewed publications, just as rigorous but more accessible than articles published in scholarly journals. The most intriguing idea is how to set up a peer-review system like that of slashdot or ebay. It might take time (think about how little some academics use technology in professional life as it is), but it could work! Seems like the Public Library of Science that the article mentions is a step in the right direction.
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Freakonomics
Just finished reading Freakonomics; it's a really fast read, plus I've read so many excerpts from it in various sources that it felt more like re-reading! In its eminent readableness it reminded me of Blink, and whaddaya know, the author of Blink, Malcolm Gladwell, has a little blurb on Freakonomics' cover, "Prepare to be dazzled".
Anyway, well worth a read, shows how analyzing data can lead to some very surprising conclusions. The authors talk about how their results can overturn conventional wisdom (a phrase coined by John Kenneth Galbraith), which is "simple, convenient, comfortable, and comforting - though not necessarily true". Me, I find it more comforting to see the conclusions reached by data analysis, but I'm a geek.
However, I wonder about the use of regression analysis. I understand the basic concept, but it terms of how it really works, it might as well be magic to me. I remember reading Stephen Jay Gould's The Mismeasure of Man (what an exciting book, his humanist passion shone brightly through), in which, if I remember correctly, he talks about how measures of intelligence use flawed analyses (regression analysis? factor analysis? must reread!). Well, I followed along but ultimately I didn't have enough expertise to judge whether there were flaws in his argument. I had the same feeling of slight discomfort here - it sounded good, and made sense, but ultimately I took the authors'word for it.
Anyway, well worth a read, shows how analyzing data can lead to some very surprising conclusions. The authors talk about how their results can overturn conventional wisdom (a phrase coined by John Kenneth Galbraith), which is "simple, convenient, comfortable, and comforting - though not necessarily true". Me, I find it more comforting to see the conclusions reached by data analysis, but I'm a geek.
However, I wonder about the use of regression analysis. I understand the basic concept, but it terms of how it really works, it might as well be magic to me. I remember reading Stephen Jay Gould's The Mismeasure of Man (what an exciting book, his humanist passion shone brightly through), in which, if I remember correctly, he talks about how measures of intelligence use flawed analyses (regression analysis? factor analysis? must reread!). Well, I followed along but ultimately I didn't have enough expertise to judge whether there were flaws in his argument. I had the same feeling of slight discomfort here - it sounded good, and made sense, but ultimately I took the authors'word for it.
Monday, August 22, 2005
A picture from Alaska
Just thought I'd try using Hello to send a photo to Blogger - seems to have worked! We're coming up on our last days in Alaska, on to Vancouver next for a few days before coming home. Alaska has been absolutely gorgeous - as beautiful as they all say it is. Staring at the screen is starting to make me feel a little nauseous, however, because I still feel as if I'm rocking back and forth on the ship!
In front of Exit Glacier
In front of Exit Glacier
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
QuizFarm.com
Two fun quizzes from QuizFarm!
(Yikes, but I live in Inwood!)
1. Which Disney Princess Are You?
(Thank god I'm not Snow White!) | You scored as Belle. You are Belle!
|
2. Which Neighborhood in Manhattan is Best for You?
(Yikes, but I live in Inwood!)
You scored as China Town.-Susan
Which neighborhood in Manhattan is best for you? created with QuizFarm.com |
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Catholics and Sci-fi
Looks like we're got a new pope, and a conversative one, too. Hmm, if I were an American Catholic, I'd be frustrated.
Anyway, all the talk about the conclave and secret voting brought back strong memories of the reborn Catholic church depicted in Dan Simmon's Endymion series - the depiction of rituals, power, secrecy, and all that was just perfect. What a great series that was too, even better than the Hyperion series, to which it was a sequel.
My sister tells me to try the Sparrow series by Mary Doria Russell, which is about Jesuits and aliens - sounds good! I've put it on reserve at the NYPL.
Anyway, all the talk about the conclave and secret voting brought back strong memories of the reborn Catholic church depicted in Dan Simmon's Endymion series - the depiction of rituals, power, secrecy, and all that was just perfect. What a great series that was too, even better than the Hyperion series, to which it was a sequel.
My sister tells me to try the Sparrow series by Mary Doria Russell, which is about Jesuits and aliens - sounds good! I've put it on reserve at the NYPL.
Friday, March 25, 2005
Robot Stories, by Greg Pak
This is a DVD, not a book, but it reminds me a lot of sci-fi stories that I've read and liked. The 4 separate stories are so refreshing, in that they have really no special effects at all - when was the last time we saw a science fiction movie like that? Even The Lathe of Heaven (new version) had a substantial budget for scenery, costumes and props, to make you feel like you were living in the future.
In contrast, Robot Stories have a speculative premise - what if... - and then uses it to explore themes of love, help, spirit, life, etc. It was by no means perfect, but it reminds me of the science fiction that I like best.
The short film format was also refreshing - kind of like having tapas instead of a big meal - , and lastly, I can't help but like the opportunity it gave to talented but under-used Asian-American actors.
What I'm reading now: Quicksilver, in e-book edition, yay! I started this in hardback but there was no way I was dragging that huge tome on the subway and in my backpack everyday, so I had to sneak in pages here and there before going to bed. I only got 1/3 of the way through it before my 21 days at the libary were up. So I grumbled to myself, why don't they have this as an e-book, and lo and behold, they did, at the NYPL! I can't rave enough about how much I love reading e-books on my new Palm (Sony TH55), and about how brilliant the NYPL is to offer e-books (though they need more)!
In contrast, Robot Stories have a speculative premise - what if... - and then uses it to explore themes of love, help, spirit, life, etc. It was by no means perfect, but it reminds me of the science fiction that I like best.
The short film format was also refreshing - kind of like having tapas instead of a big meal - , and lastly, I can't help but like the opportunity it gave to talented but under-used Asian-American actors.
What I'm reading now: Quicksilver, in e-book edition, yay! I started this in hardback but there was no way I was dragging that huge tome on the subway and in my backpack everyday, so I had to sneak in pages here and there before going to bed. I only got 1/3 of the way through it before my 21 days at the libary were up. So I grumbled to myself, why don't they have this as an e-book, and lo and behold, they did, at the NYPL! I can't rave enough about how much I love reading e-books on my new Palm (Sony TH55), and about how brilliant the NYPL is to offer e-books (though they need more)!
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
Tech Nightmares
OK, I've decided that I'm going about this blog thing the wrong way. I read somewhere recently that you've got to blog at the moment, not wait until later, and I think that's my problem. I find it hard to write quickly (I reread and revise constantly), so I always figure I'll write about something later, when I have the time... and I end up posting once every few months! So here goes...
I HATE TECHNOLOGY at the moment. First we come back from a nice weekend in Philadelphia to find no DSL connection. I spend hours on the phone with Verizon tech support, who finally decide that my modem is screwed, and out of warrantly. So instead of paying $80+ for a new modem, I thank god that I had already decided to switch to Earthlink. Unfortunately, it takes a while for their modem to reach us...
We use a neighbor's wireless for a week (thank you belkin54g!), hoping he/she doesn't mind too much. Feel guilty that I never leave my wireless open in return.
Earthlink comes, yay! Takes me 2 hours to set up modem and wireless. I'm not sure what I did in the end, but it worked. Hmm, doesn't say much for my techabilities.
Then last night, outgoing email is not being sent. I use both verizon and earthlink's smtp servers, and no luck with either. In fact, every time I try to connect to the smtp servers, I get booted off earthlink! I mean, what is up with that?! I try pinging the server's IP addresses but guess what, I can't ping any IP address I try (I know 2 of the ones at BMCC). What's up with that? I'm puzzled, frustrated, can't stop thinking about it as I go to bed.
I go to the office and try the smtp servers via Mozilla's Thunderbird on my office computer and it's smooth sailing. Hmmph. I don't want to go home and tackle the problem again.
And hence my complaint - I feel like I'm spending hours wrestling with technology every day when I get home. This is a quality of life issue for me! This is not the promised land! Take all the computers and gadgets back!
What I'm reading now: lots of books about Alaska, planning our family trip there in August. The Listeners, by James Gunn - slow and somewhat socially dated sci-fi about searching for ET life. Reading on ebook format. Also finished on ebook Bimbos of the Death Sun, by Sharyn McCrumb. Comic murder mystery at a sci-fi convention. Stereotyped fans too stereotypical to be funny.
I HATE TECHNOLOGY at the moment. First we come back from a nice weekend in Philadelphia to find no DSL connection. I spend hours on the phone with Verizon tech support, who finally decide that my modem is screwed, and out of warrantly. So instead of paying $80+ for a new modem, I thank god that I had already decided to switch to Earthlink. Unfortunately, it takes a while for their modem to reach us...
We use a neighbor's wireless for a week (thank you belkin54g!), hoping he/she doesn't mind too much. Feel guilty that I never leave my wireless open in return.
Earthlink comes, yay! Takes me 2 hours to set up modem and wireless. I'm not sure what I did in the end, but it worked. Hmm, doesn't say much for my techabilities.
Then last night, outgoing email is not being sent. I use both verizon and earthlink's smtp servers, and no luck with either. In fact, every time I try to connect to the smtp servers, I get booted off earthlink! I mean, what is up with that?! I try pinging the server's IP addresses but guess what, I can't ping any IP address I try (I know 2 of the ones at BMCC). What's up with that? I'm puzzled, frustrated, can't stop thinking about it as I go to bed.
I go to the office and try the smtp servers via Mozilla's Thunderbird on my office computer and it's smooth sailing. Hmmph. I don't want to go home and tackle the problem again.
And hence my complaint - I feel like I'm spending hours wrestling with technology every day when I get home. This is a quality of life issue for me! This is not the promised land! Take all the computers and gadgets back!
What I'm reading now: lots of books about Alaska, planning our family trip there in August. The Listeners, by James Gunn - slow and somewhat socially dated sci-fi about searching for ET life. Reading on ebook format. Also finished on ebook Bimbos of the Death Sun, by Sharyn McCrumb. Comic murder mystery at a sci-fi convention. Stereotyped fans too stereotypical to be funny.
Friday, January 21, 2005
Breaking the Maya Code, by Michael D. Coe
Well, I've just about finished this book, which I got off my sister, who had to read it for a college course. What a fun read! I remember looking at all the stelae and other carvings when we went to Tikal and Copan some years ago - now I finally have an idea how the written language worked.
I remember way back when I was younger that there was this general impression that the Maya were peaceful, especially in comparison to the bloody Aztecs, but it turns out that the Maya city-states were pretty often warring with each other, getting (and sacrificing) captives was a big thing, and leaders had lots of blood-letting ceremonies (tongues and penises). Mmm, not so peaceful after all. Besides which, the Mayan glyphs have really ferocious looking figures! I mean, look at these guys:
 |  |  |
It took a while for people to figure out that the written language was what Coe terms "logographic", like Chinese, Ancient Egyptian and Sumerian. Logographic systems are a mixture of logograms (symbols that indicate meaning) and phonetic signs. Like in Chinese where the radical often gives a general category or meaning to the character, while the other parts indicate how it's pronounced. I never knew Maya was like Chinese!
Coe gives a general overview of writing systems, and then traces the entire history of Western attempts to decipher Maya writing to the present. The history is pretty riveting, but sometimes one white male explorer blended into the next - it was much easier to remember who the few women were! (And the few, but key Russians) The other interesting thing about this book is that he takes a personal tone sometimes, excoriating certain explorers or academics for behavior that he finds obstructionist or ignorant. Coe also knows a lot of the more recent figures, so he gives his personal perspective on them, not something we usually read in books written by academics. That threw me off a little, but in general his tone is such that he really keeps you excited and, believe it or not, on the edge of your seat, waiting to see what the next great discovery will be.
One of the best non-fiction reads I've had in a while!
Friday, January 14, 2005
OK, thanks to Joe, I have now found my place in the continuum of nerdiness:
I guess I'm in that middle ground where I'm not proud to be a nerd, but I've got enough nerdiness that I can't mock it! And why is it cool to be a geek, but not cool to be a nerd?
Thursday, December 30, 2004
The Jane Austen Book Club, The Egyptologist
Still playing catch-up now, remembering stuff I've been reading...
The Jane Austen Book Club, by Karen Joy Fowler
So I went out and read The Jane Austen Book Club. I don't read much contemporary mainstream fiction anymore because I tend to find it unimpressive, but I love Austen, re-read her every decade or so, and thought this sounded pretty good. And it was, well, pretty good, nothing great. In fact, I thought it was kind of cute but, blah, - what was all the fuss about? I scoured some reviews to see if anyone agreed with me - learned that Karen Joy Fowler writes science fiction too - found that Meghan O'Rourke and Stephen Metcalf at Slate had the same reaction as me. Didn't know that Oprah had chosen Anna Karenina for her book club; wonder how that went.
The Egyptologist, by Arthur Phillips
Went and got this from the library, don't remember why, I think I must have read something about "one of the few contemporary novels in epistolary form", plus it was a mystery, so hey, why not? Like The Jane Austen Book Club, it has some clever writing, but not much else going for it. Two unreliable narrators sort of interest you in trying to figure out what's really going on, but you figure it out about half way through the book (though I may be slow - I'm one of those mystery readers who usually doesn't know whodunit until it's revealed by the author). I sort of kept reading to the end because there was one little inconsistency I couldn't figure out. Otherwise, I don't know if I would have stuck with it because the main characters are only mildly interesting, the secondary characters are leaden caricatures though they're supposed to be comic caricatures, and the antiquated style of the letter-writing is grating. Having said all that, some of the black comedy works well and the main character's slanted reporting of Howard Carter's "trivial" Tutankhamen find is hilarious.
Well, that's it for my disappointing little foray into the mainstream. I'm going back to my science fiction staples after this. At least genre fiction, when it's bad, can have interesting ideas to redeem it. In fact, I'm trying to think back to the last contemporary non-sci-fi novel I really, really loved. It couldn't have been as far back as A Suitable Boy, could it? Geez. The NY Public Libary probably has a record of all the books I've ever taken out; it's too bad I can't get access to it! Though I wonder if, for privacy, they purge each record after I've returned the book? I must ask them the next time I'm in a branch...
Still playing catch-up now, remembering stuff I've been reading...
The Jane Austen Book Club, by Karen Joy Fowler
So I went out and read The Jane Austen Book Club. I don't read much contemporary mainstream fiction anymore because I tend to find it unimpressive, but I love Austen, re-read her every decade or so, and thought this sounded pretty good. And it was, well, pretty good, nothing great. In fact, I thought it was kind of cute but, blah, - what was all the fuss about? I scoured some reviews to see if anyone agreed with me - learned that Karen Joy Fowler writes science fiction too - found that Meghan O'Rourke and Stephen Metcalf at Slate had the same reaction as me. Didn't know that Oprah had chosen Anna Karenina for her book club; wonder how that went.
The Egyptologist, by Arthur Phillips
Went and got this from the library, don't remember why, I think I must have read something about "one of the few contemporary novels in epistolary form", plus it was a mystery, so hey, why not? Like The Jane Austen Book Club, it has some clever writing, but not much else going for it. Two unreliable narrators sort of interest you in trying to figure out what's really going on, but you figure it out about half way through the book (though I may be slow - I'm one of those mystery readers who usually doesn't know whodunit until it's revealed by the author). I sort of kept reading to the end because there was one little inconsistency I couldn't figure out. Otherwise, I don't know if I would have stuck with it because the main characters are only mildly interesting, the secondary characters are leaden caricatures though they're supposed to be comic caricatures, and the antiquated style of the letter-writing is grating. Having said all that, some of the black comedy works well and the main character's slanted reporting of Howard Carter's "trivial" Tutankhamen find is hilarious.
Well, that's it for my disappointing little foray into the mainstream. I'm going back to my science fiction staples after this. At least genre fiction, when it's bad, can have interesting ideas to redeem it. In fact, I'm trying to think back to the last contemporary non-sci-fi novel I really, really loved. It couldn't have been as far back as A Suitable Boy, could it? Geez. The NY Public Libary probably has a record of all the books I've ever taken out; it's too bad I can't get access to it! Though I wonder if, for privacy, they purge each record after I've returned the book? I must ask them the next time I'm in a branch...
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
A Brief Tour of Human Consciousness, Blind Lake
Well, I was in the library the other day and I saw a very interesting book on the shelf, picked it up, realized a split second later that I'd read it few months ago - so I said, hmm, I really want to use my blog to at least remember what I read! So, here goes, just some books that I've been reading since I last posted 5 (!) months ago.
A Brief Tour of Human Consciousness, by V. S. Ramachandran
My dad kept quoting the ideas in this book. At first I was reluctant, because the last book he got me into (Life's Solution: Inevitable Humans in a Lonely Universe) turned out to be, well, too much of a slog. But this was turned out to be a real breeze, the neuroscientist author talking about peculiarities of the human mind and cases of rare neurological disorders and what they might teach us about how the mind works. Yes, a lot like some of Oliver Sacks' stuff, but still fun to read.
Most interesting is how scientists set up truly ingenious experiments to try to test certain neurological functions (using a mirror to trick the mind into thinking a paralyzed limb is moving, for example). Also, the part on synesthesia (cross-referencing perceptions, like seeing colors in numbers or sensing tastes in shapes) leads to an interesting suggestion on how metaphor may be a form of synesthesia. The part on neurological bases of art (neurasthetics, he calls it) is a bit iffy but the final part on meta-representation (the brain makes representations of what happens in the world but it takes meta-representation to make conscious interpretation of these representations) rings true. A short and easy-to-read book, but by the time I finished, I felt I got more out of it than from other, "heavier" books.
Blind Lake, by Robert Charles Wilson
Ok, now this is the book that I picked up off the shelf and realized that I had already read and enjoyed! This is the second book I've read by Wilson, and I found it a lot better than the first one (Chronoliths). While Chronoliths had great momentum and a very interesting premise (gigantic monuments appear, apparently having been sent back in time by a future megalomaniac ruler), it really petered out at the end for me.
Blind Lake was equally intriguing (possibly sentient computers record observations of truly alien life that scientists try to interpret) and held its own all the way to a gripping ending. The various threads (are the computers sentient and how are they actually getting these observations? are the aliens real and what do their actions signify? how do scientists grapple with subjectivity? why has the observation station been completely isolated and how does the society of scientists and administrators deal with it? does the 9-year old girl with a tenuous relationship with reality actually touch upon a deeper reality?) are developed well and the characters are interesting. Really a recommended read.
Well, I was in the library the other day and I saw a very interesting book on the shelf, picked it up, realized a split second later that I'd read it few months ago - so I said, hmm, I really want to use my blog to at least remember what I read! So, here goes, just some books that I've been reading since I last posted 5 (!) months ago.
A Brief Tour of Human Consciousness, by V. S. Ramachandran
My dad kept quoting the ideas in this book. At first I was reluctant, because the last book he got me into (Life's Solution: Inevitable Humans in a Lonely Universe) turned out to be, well, too much of a slog. But this was turned out to be a real breeze, the neuroscientist author talking about peculiarities of the human mind and cases of rare neurological disorders and what they might teach us about how the mind works. Yes, a lot like some of Oliver Sacks' stuff, but still fun to read.
Most interesting is how scientists set up truly ingenious experiments to try to test certain neurological functions (using a mirror to trick the mind into thinking a paralyzed limb is moving, for example). Also, the part on synesthesia (cross-referencing perceptions, like seeing colors in numbers or sensing tastes in shapes) leads to an interesting suggestion on how metaphor may be a form of synesthesia. The part on neurological bases of art (neurasthetics, he calls it) is a bit iffy but the final part on meta-representation (the brain makes representations of what happens in the world but it takes meta-representation to make conscious interpretation of these representations) rings true. A short and easy-to-read book, but by the time I finished, I felt I got more out of it than from other, "heavier" books.
Blind Lake, by Robert Charles Wilson
Ok, now this is the book that I picked up off the shelf and realized that I had already read and enjoyed! This is the second book I've read by Wilson, and I found it a lot better than the first one (Chronoliths). While Chronoliths had great momentum and a very interesting premise (gigantic monuments appear, apparently having been sent back in time by a future megalomaniac ruler), it really petered out at the end for me.
Blind Lake was equally intriguing (possibly sentient computers record observations of truly alien life that scientists try to interpret) and held its own all the way to a gripping ending. The various threads (are the computers sentient and how are they actually getting these observations? are the aliens real and what do their actions signify? how do scientists grapple with subjectivity? why has the observation station been completely isolated and how does the society of scientists and administrators deal with it? does the 9-year old girl with a tenuous relationship with reality actually touch upon a deeper reality?) are developed well and the characters are interesting. Really a recommended read.
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