Reading List

By Neal Stephenson. I've been meaning to read something by this author. I heard Snow Crash is very good, but this was what was available the library!

This was a scary, powerful read for me, frequently inducing a feeling not dissimilar to that of walking across a glass ceiling at the top of a very tall building, unsure if you're about to plummet to your death. This was no doubt helped by reading it at a time where I have just dropped down to a four day week to focus on things besides my work. It is essentially a philosophical argument for having a less "productive" life. This easily feels like the most radical idea I've ever heard. I've spent (& still spend) most of my life trying to "do" things. While I am pretty good at not giving my all to my employer, I instead find other things to work towards: political activism, personal projects etc. This book encourages rejecting even this, and instead following your idiorrhythm and do what it feels like you want to do in that moment, rather than what you feel like you should do. I recognise the value in the arguments made, but it is hard for me. Even ...

It was good enough, but not one I would recommend. The books backdrop - a changing Iran - provided an interesting setting for the book. The two lead characters had lots of depth, and there were a couple of unexpectedly emotional bits that felt very real. Ironically, it was the technology - normally the most interesting aspect of Egan's books - that was lacking. The premise was "side loading" a specific humans behaviour into a template of a human brain. It was interesting to see this intermediate technology explored (i.e. on the way to, but not yet at, uploading human consciousness into a computer - a frequent occurrence in Egan's books). However, the story wanders around before simply stopping without really saying very much about it.

By By Mike Berners-Lee (who is in fact the brother of Tim Berners-Lee, best known for inventing the internet). I am a bit late in posting this (so back dating it), but I was very excited to start reading this (spoiler alert: it does not disappoint).