Amanda is right, this is an intoxicating series. The eight profiles are all well done, though my favorites were the two artists whom I initially knew the least about, David and Bernini. Having the context of the trouble and strife surrounding the creation of their works make the art even more captivating.

Sigh. It got buried under the disaster area collectively known as “my workspace during a major product release.” It’s due at the library. I’ll need to get back into the hold system to understand the models to try

I’m very lukewarm (or, in all-consuming vernacular, “wishy washy”) on this book. Her tone is well-intentioned and she does a good job breaking out the complexity of the suggestions by “level,” “platform” and “cost.” What would help is a metric for “who would benefit most” or “why you’d do this.”

For example, one of the Hack #38 explains how one could use a cell phone to shift money around via paypal. My first question was “why would anyone want to do this?” Wouldn’t cash be easier (and with fewer fees)?

As with the web site, for every genuinely useful trick, there are fifty of marginal utility. For example, hack #2, “manage a todo.txt from the command line,” requires a lot of effort for those who don’t deal with computers at this level. Those who would most benefit are command-line geeks.. who are already doing this.

The book makes for a fine bathroom read, from which you’ll find a couple of good ideas; however, it’s not life-changing.

I have too many other things going on to devote the amount of time it would take to get the most out of this.

The movie is part Jennifer Government, part Brazil and part Planet of the Apes (with extremely stupid apes). Taken just for its core “plot” and acting, this is a bad movie. However, the background depiction of the dumbing down, sexing up, and corporatization of a largely dysfunctional 25th century society is brilliant: City sized Costcos housing law schools, hillbilly justice, jet boat races in front of the (now leaning) Washington Monument, and “Gentlemen’s Lattes.”

This was a great book, a 21st century style rendition of Heinlein’s book, Starship Troopers with less politics and a healthy dose of humor. Scalzi does a great job with the character development, fun and space opera – his style is very entertaining.

I picked up the book last month while at Powell’s with Kiri.

This is a “parallel novel” to Ender’s Game, told from the Bean’s perspective. The first part of the book deals with Bean’s life on the streets of Rotterdam is well-written, Orson Scott Card-caliber, but more “social fiction” than “science fiction.” Had I stopped here, I would have given the book five stars.

The story began petering out for me when Bean and Ender crossed paths. I knew what was ultimately going to happen, having read Ender’s Game, but it was more difficult for me to care for Bean, especially as it seemed he was taking credit from Ender Wiggin. The last few chapters seemed to be fodder for more sequels.

Overall, it’s a good book, worth reading, but not as good as the original. I have heard Speaker for the Dead, the sequel to Ender’s Game, is the best of the series.

The Black Swan had a lot of potential to answer the question:
“should Joe Schmoe be concerned about extremely unlikely events?”

Perhaps the most useful takeaway was the over-dependence placed on the Gaussian Bell Curve, work already done by Benoit Mandelbrot. Overall, the book was immensely annoying to read. The author’s dripping arrogance, incessant name-dropping and sophomoric name-calling (versus criticizing, which is healthy) other researchers were symptomatic of someone trying to bolster his case for being persecuted genius.

I knew I was going to enjoy the book when its first chapter opened with an extended joke involving insulting a species and provoking a major intergalactic incident via modulated flatulence.

None of the characters are particularly deep. Their personalities, while believable, are also familiar from so many other stories. (For example: the henchman, instead of opportunistically offing the protagonist and ending the story, instead seeks to inflict “street justice” first… then meets his own tragic downfall) What helped make it fun were the three great jokes around which the story is written. There are several references to pop culture like the title (a nod to Philip K. Dick), the Nugentians (a meat-loving sect known for its bow-hunting), AOL (now owned by Quaker Oats) and the Church of the Evolved Lamb.

The title chapter is based on a column written in Slate Magazine over ten years ago, an assertion that increased sexual activity by the celibate would benefit the copulation population as a whole by reducing the likelihood that any given sexual encounter results in an incurable disease. In the book, Landsburg expands upon the economic incentives that would be required to reward the desired behaviors without encouraging the undesired.

Most of these arguments exist in the world of spherical cows rhythmically gliding across frictionless planes. They’re amusing (making lines shorter by having the new people go to the front), encourage thought outside the realm of comfort (the title chapter), and are correct given the assumptions. But assumptions are where the problems lay. (More on dissection of the flaws)

Landsburg is a great writer.