Narz
keeping it real
50p from the charity shop
Last edited by a moderator:
Ended Filterworld: How Algorithms Flattened Culture by Kyle Chayka
Some chapters are just how the author used to enjoyed hipster look like cafes, however it is an excellent book which gives perspective on how "the algorithm" is flattening culture and our decision making
![]()
Fleming had first mentioned to friends during the war that he wanted to write a spy novel, an ambition he achieved within two months with Casino Royale. He started writing the book at Goldeneye on 15 January 1952, and was finished writing no later than 16 February 1952, averaging more than 2,000 words per day.
The Dispossessed is part of Ursula Le Guin's "Hainish cycle" of sci-fi novels. It concerns a planet, Urras, and its moon, Anarres, in the Tau Ceti system. The latter has a society based on anarchism, originally promulgated by exiles from Urras, and until the main events of the book, cut off from the homeworld. The protagonist is a brilliant Anarresti theoretical physicist who is close to publishing a unified field theory, and the work follows his adventures as he goes to Urras to attempt to publish it. While some of the depictions of the future societies are rather dated (people using paper cheques when there's interstellar travel?), the themes explored are timeless for human societies. Some of these are the conflict between individual activities and social cohesion, how a revolution might backslide, and above all, how utopias can be amibguous and relative.
LeGuin's books are mostly excellent. You should read more of them.Read that last year, and it was my first le Guin. Quite interesting. I wish I'd read it back in 2010 - 2011 when I identified as a left-libertarian and was reading a lot of Emma Goldman.
LeGuin's books are mostly excellent. You should read more of them.
This is turning out to be excellent. I'm 200 pages in. The AI machine world-building is very good as is the story that is unfolding.Robots of Gotham by Todd McAulty. The Mech wars of 2083 and AI nations. Just started its 700 pages.
Finished House Corrino.
The prequels have a nice, solid story and truly add to Frank Herbert's original Dune.
Dune - House Corrino shows the most sadistic side of Shaddam, while failing spectacularly to tighten a firmer grip on the imperium. The only plot point not picked on the last of the prequels on the way to Dune was why/how Wanna was kidnapped by the Baron to manipulate Doctor Yueh.
The prequels don't really explain why the Harkonnens hate so much the Atreides. It's not like during the 40years or so that the prequels span the Atreides do anything to aggravate the Harkonnens, while the opposite happens more than once. My final remark goes to the Bene-Tleilax who are fully exposed by the prequels as the most disgusting/evil/sadistic race/house on the imperium.
This one?I have one that's about Leto I, but haven't started it yet.