Consuming Cory Doctorow Audio at Lunch

In addition to finishing listening to Cory Doctorow's new short story, Epoch, on my lunch run today, I also listened to his first public reading from his latest novel, Makers. Epoch is about a sentient Artificial Intelligence and the issues surrounding shutting it down. It's a good story, better told. I say a good story only because it's plot line is almost a genre in itself, from Colossus (D.F. Jones) to 2001: A Space Odyssey (Arthur C. Clarke), etc. and this is a short story. But it has novel aspects and great details of the life of modern day Sysadmins -- Systems Administrators. The lingo is perfect and very much fun.

I've only read the first dozen or so parts of Makers (out of eighty-some), about economic turmoil and the reuse of technological detritus. The part he read overlapped the part I twittered in when he asked for suggestions prior to his reading appearance -- my first verified participation in a crowd sourced event! Makers is fast-paced and fun so far.

US Open Golf at Bethpage Again in 2009

I guess this review is relevant again for the next few days.

Franken Still Slogging Forward

I've finally posted a quick review of Al Franken's Lies ... A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right. Here's a quote: "Sure, Franken uses humor to make his points, but he's largely 'kidding on the square'. "

Reviews Catch-Up

I caught up, somewhat hastily, with some languishing reviews of audio books that I heard over the summer:

The Wild Trees: A Story of Passion and Daring **** Richard Preston

A Good Life: Newspapering and Other Adventures *** Ben Bradlee

How I Raised, Folded, Bluffed, Flirted, Cursed, and Won Millions-and You Can Too ** Annie Duke

Drivin' on Dylan Time

New review of Bob Dylan autobiography wherein I am seen to say "his hipster-speak is not self-conscious and the prose is packed with metaphor".

May Pennsylvania Have Mercy on Us All

On the eve of Primary, after a six week hiatus, "I see a lot of parallels between Wallis's crusade in favor of what is right and just and Christian -- like working to alleviate poverty, and Obama's push for fundamental change in the orientation of our government...."
-- from my latest review of God's Politics by Reverend Jim Wallis

Bethpage Black Open

"This book almost makes you want to watch golf." Here's my review of John Feinstein's soon-to-be-relevant-again audio book on the US Open.

Barack Obama: Hope's Audacious Author

On the eve of the "Potomac Primaries", I finished listening to Barack Obama's book, The Audacity of Hope, and have provided a brief review here: "He also has a good voice -- both literally and figuratively."

Cheaters Review

I've just posted a Current Reading List page and linked it off my Reviews page. I'm sure I'm not diligent enough to keep it up to date, rather it's just a sneaky way of being able to flog some books that I may well never get all the way through. Not that I wouldn't like to, it's just that one thing drives out another and my day job drains a certain amount of my mental and eyeball energies. And some of this stuff is relevant, with the elections upcoming and all.

Microthrilling beats trainspotting

"I love the concept in the title / sub-title..." from today's brief review of Micro Thrills: True Stories from a Life of Small Highs.

Review: trashy, brashy boldness

Today I reviewed "I'll Take Manhattan", the audio book, read by Adrienne Barbeau. It didn't fare well.