@PwnieFan@infosec.exchangeExcerpt from a poem I found in a book I picked up for free at an estate sale. The cover has coffee rings on it; I like thinking of this book as someone’s constant companion. #bookstodon (excerpt from ‘A Feather for Voltaire’ by Jorie Graham)
@ingo@social.stuetzle.ccAuf einem Band kann man schlecht stehen, sag' ich immer.
https://berlin.social/@karldietzverlag/114770787646460196
@mgorny@social.treehouse.systemsTime for another "review". This one's hard. While the book was quite interesting, it required me to be quite open-minded. Still, I think it's worth mentioning:
Robert Wright — Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny
The book basically focused on a thesis that both biological evolution and cultural evolution are a thing, they are directional and this directionality can be explained together using game theory — as eventually leading to more non-zero sum games.
It consists of three chapters. The first one is is focused on the history of civilization. It features many examples from different parts of the world, which makes it quite interesting. The author argues that the culture inevitably is evolving as information processing techniques improve — from writing to the Internet.
The second chapter is focused on biological evolution. Now, the argument is that it's not quite random, but actually directed towards greater complexity — eventually leading to the development of highly intelligent species, and a civilization.
The third chapter is quite speculative and metaphysical, and I'm just going to skip it.
The book is full of optimism. Capitalism creates freedom — because people are more productive when they're working for their own gain, so the free market eliminates slavery. Globalisation creates networks of interdependence that make wars uneconomic. Increased contacts between different cultures makes people more tolerant. And eventually, the humanity may be able to unite facing a common "external" enemy — the climate change.
What can I say? The examples are quite interesting, the whole theory seems self-consistent. Still, I repeatedly looked at the publication date (it's 1999), and wondered if author would write the same thing today (yes, I know I can search for his current opinions).
#books #bookstodon @…
@PwnieFan@infosec.exchangeThese sketches by @empyranni_illustrates on Instagram have me so excited. Final art reveal in the next couple of weeks. Guess I should finish the last of the novel edits? #amwriting #bookstodon
@AmazingMeagen@historians.socialTomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow by G Zevin
Was captivated by the people, the changing narrative style and a new world for me, gaming.
New York Times "100 Best Books of the 21st Century"
#bookstodon
@edintone@mastodon.greenI've just finished reading and reviewing Murray Bailey's
The Heretic Cypher. It's the first of a thriller series with with an Egyptology theme. It's due to be published on 25 July. #bookstodon
@compfu@mograph.socialI've finished reading Glass Houses by Madeline Ashby today. I liked it very much. It drips of loathing for tech bros, TED conferences, misogyny in the tech industry and so on. The blurb on the back cover says it best: "perfect for fans of Severance, The White Lotus, and Black Mirror".
#bookstodon
@jake4480@c.imFound the Cosmos book from 1980 (made about the show) at thrift for a couple bucks, this thing is incredible.
#CarlSagan #Cosmos #bookstodon #books
@jorgecandeias@mastodon.socialHere's a great one (and I had never seen his photo before... not the thing that interests me the most; just a curiosity)
https://c.im/@newghoststories/114829647396253504
@cellfourteen@social.petertoushkov.euI decided to stack all the books that I'd never give up or throw away. It's a 2x3m wall floor to ceiling, full of silly books that I loved as a kid, tattered dictionaries, science, literature, history, curiosities, and even boring stuff that I've been translating through the years. It's a book cave!
@ruth_mottram@fediscience.orgLong trip back to Copenhagen starts with EV to Lyon a packed but slowly emptying train to Geneva, during which I have been completely captured by an #IainMBanks #Culture novel. Actually, surprisingly my first. That's the gift of both train travel and a good book. #bookstodon #booksky #FlyingLess
@GivMeCoffee@mastodon.coffeeIsles of the Emberdark 10/10 so far. #BrandonSanderson #Cosmere #bookstodon #amreading
@ose_rouge@don.linxx.net»Und an diesem Ort, an dem man so gut wie nie etwas Aufregendes erlebte, war nichts so viel wert wie eine gute Geschichte.«
Laura Cwiertnia »Auf der Straße heißen wir anders« (Seite 21/22)
#Bookstodon
@ruth_mottram@fediscience.orgIn spite of having read several of Iain Banks' non-Sci Fi oeuvre I had never been remotely tempted by the culture novels, though I have friends who raves about them at Uni. Then I spotted this on a summer reading table at the library, which I suppose shows the value of a good librarian...
#IainMBanks #Culture novel. Actually, surprisingly my first. That's the gift of both train travel and a good book. #bookstodon #booksky #FlyingLess
@castarco@hachyderm.ioI'm giving away some technical #books, preferably around #Osona / #Vic , but any #Catalonia town around the R3 line down to #Barcelona is also ok. I don't have a car and I'd prefer not having to package and send them.
The publisher made some mistakes so I have duplicates, the ones I'm giving away:
- Math for Security
- The Shape of Data
- Statistics Done Wrong
- The Rust Programming Language (2021 Edition)
I'd also prefer giving it to people who can't afford buying expensive books often, for economical fairness reasons.
#Giveaway #donation #bookstodon #freebooks
