All Consuming : Larry Hosken

Why I recommend "Planet of Slums"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Larry Hosken) — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 02:14:25 GMT

by Mike Davis

I’m glad I read this book. Nevertheless, if I was going to read just one book about slums across the world, I’d probably read Neuwirth’s Shadow Cities instead.

Why I recommend "Out of Eden : An Odyssey of Ecological Invasion"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Larry Hosken) — Sun, 04 Jun 2006 00:30:21 GMT

Out of Eden : An Odyssey of Ecological Invasion

by Alan Burdick

This book taught me a lot

A story about "Mathematical Snapshots"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Larry Hosken) — Mon, 24 Apr 2006 01:49:31 GMT

Mathematical Snapshots

by Hugo Steinhaus

This book was over my head. It throws a lot of neat mathematical recreations at you with very little explanation. When it talked about things that I already knew, I nodded and understood. When it talked about things I didn’t already know, I shook my head and did not understand.

The good news is that you can flip through this book more quickly than you can flip through your complete collection of Mathematical Games articles, and maybe find something more quickly. The bad news is that if you didn’t already study that topic in a Mathematical Games article, and if you’re not a frickin’ genius, you might not get much out of this book.

Why I recommend "Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Larry Hosken) — Mon, 24 Apr 2006 01:45:39 GMT

Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science

by Charles Wheelan

This is a good introduction to economics, I guess. I started reading it, because I’d heard it recommended as a book about economics. I didn’t hear that “introduction” part, which is a pity. If you’ve already taken “Economics 101,” you’ve already learned anything this book might teach you.

Why I recommend "The Nudist on the Late Shift: And Other True Tales of Silicon Valley"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Larry Hosken) — Thu, 16 Mar 2006 14:52:16 GMT

The Nudist on the Late Shift: And Other True Tales of Silicon Valley

by Po Bronson

The best thing about this book is its title.

Why I recommend "Cyber China: Reshaping National Identities in the Age of Information (CERI Series in International Relations and Political Economy)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Larry Hosken) — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 21:52:38 GMT

Cyber China: Reshaping National Identities in the Age of Information (CERI Series in International Relations and Political Economy)

This book was a collection of essays. Some were informative; some were interesting; some were content-free bloviation. If you put on your hip boots and wade through the academic babble, you might pick up some facts.

Why I recommend "The Nature of Order: An Essay on the Art of Building and the Nature of the Universe, Book 1 - The Phenomenon of Life (Center for Environmental Structure, Vol. 9)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Larry Hosken) — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 21:49:16 GMT

The Nature of Order: An Essay on the Art of Building and the Nature of the Universe, Book 1 - The Phenomenon of Life (Center for Environmental Structure, Vol. 9)

by Christopher Alexander

Two ounces of good ideas in a five-gallon bucket

Why I recommend "Dealers of Lightning: Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Larry Hosken) — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 21:45:57 GMT

Dealers of Lightning: Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age

by Michael A. Hiltzik

Everything I thought I knew about the early days of Xerox PARC was wrong.

Why I recommend "The King Of California: J.G. Boswell and the Making of A Secret American Empire"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Larry Hosken) — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 21:44:20 GMT

The King Of California: J.G. Boswell and the Making of A Secret American Empire

by Mark Arax

We must remember that cotton is our friend, but it is our morally tangled friend.

Why I recommend "Tuxedo Park: A Wall Street Tycoon and the Secret Palace of Science That Changed the Course of World War II"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Larry Hosken) — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 21:35:43 GMT

Tuxedo Park: A Wall Street Tycoon and the Secret Palace of Science That Changed the Course of World War II

by Jennet Conant

Engineers, scientists: sometimes it is wise to let your society tell you what your duty is. But sometimes it is wiser to tell society what your duty is.

Why I recommend "Swimming to Antarctica: Tales of a Long-Distance Swimmer"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Larry Hosken) — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 21:32:29 GMT

Swimming to Antarctica: Tales of a Long-Distance Swimmer

by Lynne Cox

I liked this book for several reasons. Most of these reasons wouldn’t have convinced me to pick up the book if I heard them, though. “”http://lahosken.san-francisco.ca.us/new/2005/12/book-report-swimming-to-antarctica.html">She writes very well about different kinds of water." That doesn’t sound interesting, does it? Yet it was. She wrote about what she loves, and I think you’ll enjoy reading about it.

Why I recommend "Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Larry Hosken) — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 21:28:35 GMT

Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise

by Ruth Reichl

This book proves that the philisophical question “”http://lahosken.san-francisco.ca.us/new/2005/12/book-report-garlic-and-sapphires.html">What is the nature of the self?" can affect our lives and how we are treated in fancy-pants restaurants.

A story about "The Zero Game"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Larry Hosken) — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 21:25:15 GMT

The Zero Game

by Brad Meltzer

I did not enjoy this book.

Why I recommend "Fortune's Formula: The Untold Story of the Scientific Betting System That Beat the Casinos and Wall Street"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Larry Hosken) — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 21:23:43 GMT

Fortune's Formula: The Untold Story of the Scientific Betting System That Beat the Casinos and Wall Street

by William Poundstone

This book is well-written and touches many interesting topics.

A story about "Remaking the World: Adventures in Engineering"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Larry Hosken) — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 21:22:16 GMT

Remaking the World: Adventures in Engineering

by Henry Petroski

I didn’t actually finish.

A story about "Cravan: Mystery Man of the Twentieth Century"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Larry Hosken) — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 21:20:52 GMT

Cravan: Mystery Man of the Twentieth Century

by Mike Richardson

This comic book made me want to learn more.

Why I recommend "Nightwork: A History of Hacks and Pranks at MIT"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Larry Hosken) — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 21:19:17 GMT

Nightwork: A History of Hacks and Pranks at MIT

by Institute Historian T. F. Peterson

hooray for pranks!

A story about the last time I consumed "Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Larry Hosken) — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 21:17:30 GMT

Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883

by Simon Winchester

too long

A story about "Programming Linux Games"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Larry Hosken) — Tue, 31 Jan 2006 05:46:05 GMT

Programming Linux Games

by Loki Software

This book taught me most of what I needed to know to write a simple computer game.

Why I recommend "The Looking Glass War"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Larry Hosken) — Wed, 18 Jan 2006 03:47:50 GMT

The Looking Glass War

by John le Carre

I read this book on an airplane. I suggest reading this book on an airplane.

Why I recommend "Being and Nothingness"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Larry Hosken) — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 14:20:33 GMT

Being and Nothingness

by Jean-Paul Sartre

There are some interesting ideas in this book. There is also a lot of longwinded arguing with other people’s ideas. I haven’t read much philosophy, so I wasn’t interested to know the hair-splitting differences between Sartre’s philosophy vs. others.