All Consuming : Larry Hosken

Consumed "The Eyre Affair"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Larry Hosken) — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 15:08:22 GMT

The Eyre Affair

by Jasper Fforde

NOT WORTH IT!

Consumed "UnLun Dun"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Larry Hosken) — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 15:03:57 GMT

UnLun Dun

by China Mieville

NOT WORTH IT!

Consumed "Microsoft Rebooted: How Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer Reinvented Their Company"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Larry Hosken) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 05:00:08 GMT

Microsoft Rebooted: How Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer Reinvented Their Company

by Robert Slater

Consumed "Pattern Recognition"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Larry Hosken) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 04:57:43 GMT

Pattern Recognition

by William Gibson

WORTH IT!

Consumed "The Best American Essays 2006 (Best American Essays)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Larry Hosken) — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 21:57:15 GMT

The Best American Essays 2006 (Best American Essays)

Consumed "The Kin of Ata Are Waiting for You"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Larry Hosken) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 17:42:47 GMT

The Kin of Ata Are Waiting for You

by Dorothy Bryant

NOT WORTH IT!

Consumed "Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Larry Hosken) — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 17:54:49 GMT

Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software

by Charles Petzold

Consumed "Saturn's Children"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Larry Hosken) — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 21:31:08 GMT

Saturn's Children

by Charles Stross

WORTH IT!

Consumed "Applied Cryptography: Protocols, Algorithms, and Source Code in C, Second Edition"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Larry Hosken) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 17:36:14 GMT

Applied Cryptography: Protocols, Algorithms, and Source Code in C, Second Edition

by Bruce Schneier

WORTH IT!

Why I recommend "Planet of Slums"

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

Planet of Slums

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 a)"

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 a)

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 Phenomenon of Life: Nature of Order, Book 1: An Essay on the Art of Building and the Nature of the Universe (The Nature of Order)"

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

The Phenomenon of Life: Nature of Order, Book 1: An Essay on the Art of Building and the Nature of the Universe (The Nature of Order)

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. “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 “What is the nature of the self?” can affect our lives and how we are treated in fancy-pants restaurants.