All Consuming : cosmonautmark

A story about "The Men Who Stare at Goats"

nobody@allconsuming.net (cosmonautmark) — Thu, 15 Sep 2005 11:24:26 GMT

by Jon Ronson

Terrifyingly insane. Jon manages to seak out the extremes that do hide in amongst the ordinary. Maybe most of them are just mad but in this book the very fac that these people were connected to the military and that the hippie, peaceful dreams that were the product of one mans post vietnam depression have become tools of torture and violence.

A story about "Dark Age Ahead"

nobody@allconsuming.net (cosmonautmark) — Fri, 26 Aug 2005 16:13:17 GMT

Dark Age Ahead

by JANE JACOBS

required reading, it paints a simple picture of an almost definite decline into a new dark age. Can we pull ourselves out of this? The book is not intending to be pessimistic, we can avoid it. We do have to work for it though.

A story about "Attention All Shipping: A Journey Round the Shipping Forecast (Radio 4 Book of the Week)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (cosmonautmark) — Fri, 26 Aug 2005 16:03:43 GMT

Attention All Shipping: A Journey Round the Shipping Forecast (Radio 4 Book of the Week)

by Charlie Connelly

This was an amusing and interesting book. I enjoyed the fact that I was reading about travel around our small island (and a few brief visits across the seas around us). It still felt like exploring new territory.

A story about "Everything Bad Is Good for You: How Today's Popular Culture Is Actually Making Us Smarter"

nobody@allconsuming.net (cosmonautmark) — Thu, 16 Jun 2005 11:28:01 GMT

Everything Bad Is Good for You: How Today's Popular Culture Is Actually Making Us Smarter

by Steven Johnson

Page: 124 at the end of the brief section on the Internet.

‘Television and automibile society locked people up in their living rooms, away from the clash and vitality of public space, but the Net has reversed that long-term trend. After a half-century of technological isolation, we’re finally learning new ways to connect.’

shared on allconsuming.net at 12.27 GMT, 16/06/002005.

only connect.

A story about "Everything Bad Is Good for You: How Today's Popular Culture Is Actually Making Us Smarter"

nobody@allconsuming.net (cosmonautmark) — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 13:14:01 GMT

Everything Bad Is Good for You: How Today's Popular Culture Is Actually Making Us Smarter

by Steven Johnson

I am halfway through this now and so far I find myself agreeing with the premise. The fact that it is the cognitive processes that are being worked out regardless of the content is what is interesting in this thesis.

I do still feel the urge to play games from my old Commodore 64 days, where things felt more abstract and I felt more immersive but then maybe that was because I could afford to spend hours at a game (Zoids, Shadowfire and The Sentinal) whereas today I have less time to spend playing increasingly complex games.

Also I feel that 24 as a series has become simpler and more linear as each season has progressed. The last one (season 4) has felt rather flat, especially thinking back too season 1, what is interesting is that now we have Dr. Who which is taking on board some of the more complex story stuctures (grander story arcs across a season, with hints etc in indivdual stories).

A story about "Singularity Sky"

nobody@allconsuming.net (cosmonautmark) — Tue, 14 Jun 2005 13:17:02 GMT

Singularity Sky

by Charles Stross

wow that was fun. A cool breeze of a space opera. Yes the singularity plays a part but it is so far future it is less about the culture/life shock the big S will be on us.

It is very funny and quite exciting and has the best self mobilising luggage this side of Discworld.

A story about "Beyond Fear"

nobody@allconsuming.net (cosmonautmark) — Mon, 06 Jun 2005 10:27:55 GMT

Beyond Fear

by Bruce Schneier

Excellent book. A piece of wonderful clear thinking about a topic that is full of knee jerk reactionism.
He admits that the topics are difficult to think clearly and rationally about, but we should or rather we have too before we make a trade off that goes too far.

A story about "Linked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means"

nobody@allconsuming.net (cosmonautmark) — Mon, 06 Jun 2005 10:27:55 GMT

Linked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means

by Albert-Laszlo Barabasi

An excellent introduction to networks and how important they are and how complex, we are only just begining to understand them.
It has a place alongside the likes of Chaos, Complexity (both play a part, the math / theories and the books).
Now onto the more complex maths books.

A story about "The Electronic Eye: The Rise of Surveillance Society"

nobody@allconsuming.net (cosmonautmark) — Mon, 06 Jun 2005 10:27:54 GMT

The Electronic Eye: The Rise of Surveillance Society

by David Lyon

An important book on an overlooked subject.

A story about "The Visible Human Project: Informatic Bodies and Posthuman Medicine"

nobody@allconsuming.net (cosmonautmark) — Mon, 06 Jun 2005 10:27:54 GMT

The Visible Human Project: Informatic Bodies and Posthuman Medicine

by Catherine Waldby

On a cyborg run at the moment. ready to read this to brush up on the elecronically surveilled body in art and culture.

A story about "Cyborg Citizen: Politics in the Posthuman Age"

nobody@allconsuming.net (cosmonautmark) — Mon, 06 Jun 2005 10:27:54 GMT

Cyborg Citizen: Politics in the Posthuman Age

by Chris Hables Gray

A much breezier read than I imagined, yet full of interesting thoughts and ideas. It could do with wome richer metadata to support it and the current website that is supposed to do this does feel a bit stale now.

A story about "Stasiland: True Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall"

nobody@allconsuming.net (cosmonautmark) — Mon, 06 Jun 2005 10:27:53 GMT

Stasiland: True Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall

by Anna Funder

Dark, compelling and eligic. It feels so strange to read these stories, that a world could be created from the psychosis of just a couple of people and could encompass a whole country. Fear of the state, or torture and of everyone else. At the end a personal hope, the wall collapsed and things should change but the files, shredded are only slowly being put back together. Many people will never find out what was held on file about them.

A story about "October Sky: A Memoir"

nobody@allconsuming.net (cosmonautmark) — Mon, 06 Jun 2005 10:27:53 GMT

October Sky: A Memoir

by Homer Hickam

A wonderful story of family. He finally got to NASA and they did launch rockets. It is a moving story of a time on the verge of a great vision whilst also being mired in extremes of poverty and dispair. It takes a childs eyes and the hopes and visons of teachers to move the world forward and that is what this book is about.

A story about "Millennium People"

nobody@allconsuming.net (cosmonautmark) — Mon, 06 Jun 2005 10:27:53 GMT

Millennium People

by J. G. Ballard

His best in a while, funny, darkly satiric and in the current world and quick jab in the eye. To realise just how small a scratch on society is needed to bring psychosis to the surface.

A story about "We the Media"

nobody@allconsuming.net (cosmonautmark) — Mon, 06 Jun 2005 10:27:52 GMT

We the Media

by Dan Gillmor

Excellent thesis, very good book. Remember to keep an eye on the supporting site at Oreilly, http://wethemedia.oreilly.com

A story about "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised: Democracy, the Internet, and the Overthrow of Everything"

nobody@allconsuming.net (cosmonautmark) — Mon, 06 Jun 2005 10:27:52 GMT

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised: Democracy, the Internet, and the Overthrow of Everything

by Joe Trippi

An amazing book. Part memoir, part call to action. This is the first real look at the impact the online can have on the real world in such a large way. Yes online plays its part in lots of projects around the world, but this is the US presidential election and in its way affects us all.
Inspiring and frustrating (in its US focus, I keep imagining what will happen when people of the world decide they have had enough and want to take back their plant, rather than just the idea of Americans deciding to take back their country).

A story about "Against All Enemies: Inside America's War on Terror"

nobody@allconsuming.net (cosmonautmark) — Mon, 06 Jun 2005 10:27:52 GMT

Against All Enemies: Inside America's War on Terror

by Richard A. Clarke

Just started. This and watching the Power Of Nightmares on BBC1 should prove enlightening to the psychology of the world.

A story about "Singularity Sky"

nobody@allconsuming.net (cosmonautmark) — Mon, 06 Jun 2005 09:58:57 GMT

Singularity Sky

by Charles Stross

A wild ride through a singularity. This and Ken MacLeod has re-invigorated my interest in SF fiction which has honestly been dormant for a while. Hell, the sigularity is approacing just read all the non-fiction out there.