What Are You Reading, Again?

[Rambuchan]

Are you even aware of the contents of the book? It isn't all neoliberal economics, you know.

Errr, what's your problem man? I just asked if it explained some things well. What's with the defensiveness? But nevermind, I have an idea what's in it, I don't need you to get all hoity and uptight about a simple question.

Oooh hieroglyphs? I'm reading a book on Chinese characters...

Interesting stuff. I recently read somewhere that the Chinese character for "Problem" is a combination of the signs for "Danger" and "Opportunity". Is this true? If so, kudos to them!

 

[jonatas]

Interesting stuff. I recently read somewhere that the Chinese character for "Problem" is a combination of the signs for "Danger" and "Opportunity". Is this true? If so, kudos to them!

Hmmm I'm just a beginner, but I'll ask my tutor

 

[Rambuchan]

Hmmm I'm just a beginner, but I'll ask my tutor

Hehehehe. I know you're a very diligent student

 

[Turner]

Actually, a quick google search shows Crisis is Opportunity and Danger combined.

^ Okay for discussion points on capital punishment though.

Indeed. I'm pretty much pro-death penalty, but I think in that situation I would have granted clemancy, if I was the govenor.

 

[Zuffox]

Interesting stuff. I recently read somewhere that the Chinese character for "Problem" is a combination of the signs for "Danger" and "Opportunity". Is this true? If so, kudos to them!

You should read the story about why "idiot" (baka) is written with the kanjis (Chinese/Japanese characters) for horse and deer (IIRC, those were the two animals)... A very funny story indeed.

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

"anger" is "heart" plus slave"; "masculine" is "field" plus "stength"; and "feminine" is "home" plus "strength". It's all fascinating.

 

[mrtn]

Who is Terry Pratchett and why are the denizens of the internets obsessed with him/her?

A 60 year old English baldy who has written lots of funny books.

Spoiler Bunch of Pratchett quotes :

Over the centuries, mankind has tried many ways of combating the forces of evil...prayer, fasting, good works and so on. Up until Doom, no one seemed to have thought about the double-barrel shotgun. Eat leaden death, demon...

-- (Terry Pratchett, alt.fan.pratchett)


"'E's fighting in there!" he stuttered, grabbing the captain's arm. "All by himself?" said the captain. "No, with everyone!" shouted Nobby, hopping from one foot to the other.

-- Making Friends and Hitting People (Terry Pratchett, Guards! Guards!)


A number of religions in Ankh-Morpork still practiced human sacrifice, except that they didn't really need to practice any more because they had got so good at it.

-- (Terry Pratchett, Guards! Guards!)


That seems to point up a significant difference between Europeans and Americans. A European says: "I can't understand this, what's wrong with me?" An American says: "I can't understand this, what's wrong with him?"

-- (Terry Pratchett, alt.fan.pratchett)

 

[Turner]

I tried to read the first discworld book, couldn't get into it.

Can't get into LotR, either.

 

[mrtn]

It's nots such a great idea to begin with the first Discworld novel, as that
a) was one of his first, and he hadn't really found the joy of plot yet and
b) it pokes fun at other fantasy/horror books, so you should have read some Leiber, McCaffrey, Lovecraft and others.

It's better to start with one of the later books in the series, I usually recommend Guards! Guards!.

 

[Rambuchan]

There you go shoving discworld novels down our throats again mrtn

 

[mrtn]

You will enjoy Pratchett.

 

[Sophie 378]

I got two of the Otherland books (Tad Williams) - they were on offer in Waterstones. Now my mind is trapped in the other land of imagination ...

 

[stratos_v2]

Currently reading 'Nietzsche: a biography of his thinking', but it's a bit dry so going slowely.
It's a slow read since the author keeps explaining what certain words mean that nietzsche invented, and the real problem is that the author needs to do this because i keep forgetting

I'm also reading 'the pragmatic programmer' a real easy to read book with practical tips and best practices. a bit like 'code complete' but with a very laid back writing style.

Also have 'Head first: design patterns' laying around, but i want to finish the pragmatic programmer first.

edit:
and i'm a discworld fan
although i would recommend pyramids, but mostly since it's my favorite.

 

[WillJ]

Six Easy Pieces by Richard Feynman (who, of course, has to be one of the coolest guys ever)

Making Globalization Work by Joseph Stiglitz

various poems of T.S. Eliot

 

[Fifty]

Making Globalization Work by Joseph Stiglitz

If you like Stiglitz, I read his Roaring Nineties and it was pretty good.

 

[amadeus]

Finished the book about South Africa, and I'm about halfway through Fidel: Hollywood's Favorite Tyrant by Humberto Fontova.

I'm only halfway through, and I can't believe that Castro's regime is even worse than I thought it was.

 

[mitsho]

I am at the moment into Julian Barnes. I warmly recommend that author to everyone. He practically just writes collection of short stories, I think one of the best books I've ever read is "A History of the World in 10 1/2 chapters". It is one of his bests in the way he uses satire in there. (Oh, and if you don't like short stories, try "England, England").

What is up to date at the moment to is "Das Parfüm" by Süskind due to the movie. To anyone who wants to go see the movie, I recommend read the book first. the beauty of the book to me is the way he uses the German language*, that's why I'm a bit interested in what is the key to its success in other languages?

Now that I think about it, I wonder how the film is going to be shown in America (I know they want to do it). What will they do with the orgy at the end? Can they show it before 11 pm?

mfG mitsho

*There are no words/adjectives in the German language to describe smell other than the "like" words. For example "fishy" states that something "smells like fish". But there is no word like "sweet" (You don't say something like "sugarous" (?), do you?).

 

[thetrooper]

But there is no word like "sweet" (You don't say something like "sugarous" (?), do you?).

Sugary?

LCX.

 

[mitsho]

Sugary?

LCX.

How common is it?

 

[thetrooper]

I have no idea if that's correct - I'm Norwegian...