I'm reading a book called "The Tyranny of Malice: Exploring the Dark Side of Character and Culture", by Joseph H. Berke. It's a great read--I think it's very rare that we discuss how envy, greed and jealousy have such negative effects upon an individual's life and the world as a whole!

Abraham - Bruce Feiler

Interesting read..it takes one through a journey of three faiths.

Patrick White: A Life -- by David Marr

A biography of my favorite novelist.

A front to back Uncut magazine about U2. 148 pages of journalistic bliss. I love this mag.

The new Donna Tartt, so far it's only so-so, but i guess that's the idea with every 'thriller' :d

"The Virtue of Selfishness" - Ayn Rand

"The Art of War" - Sun Tzu

The Way the World Works - Jude Wanniski (strange character--really affecting how I think about economics)

In the Beginning was the Command Line - Neal Stephenson (interesting look at Microsoft, Apple, and Linux)

A New Kind of Science - Stephen Wolfram (everybody says this guy has lost his mind, but it seems to be a halfway sensible treatise on complexity so far)

This is so good; was thinking about starting a simular thread when I finished Annie Proulx's That Old Ace In The Hole.

Absolutely the best book I have read all year. Including 2002.

Annie Proulx's use of language is SO beautiful that it stops me from fast reading. I have to read EVERY word, let it sink deep.

The way she desribes persons and their histories is mesmerising in such a way that she does not have to bother about an actual storyline. And her readers do not have to think about missing it.

Sh eis my new favourite writer (for NOW, Nathan, for NOW. I most certainly will change my mind)

teller said:

My brother got this book for Christmas and I was reading it in his bathroom one day. It's huge! Never got past the intro. Damn regularity!

2the9s said:

What a coincidence! I keep mine in the bathroom...hmmm...what does it mean?

this thread

Nothing In This Book Is True , But Its The Way Things Are
[This message was edited Thu Jan 23 8:09:48 PST 2003 by GIOVANNI]

I'm now reading about the little train that could.
Very interresting book. Such a thriller, I wonder if it'll make it. I almost couldn't take it and peaked in the last page, but stopped myself in the last minute from doing so.

"Star Trek: Preserver" - William Shatner.

'Don't sweat the small stuff, and its all small stuff'

"Fast Food Nation" Eric Schlosser - eye opener

Sun Cerified Web Component Developer Exam Guide

(well it's the true answer to the question!)

HANIBAL by THOMAS HARRIS

sabaisabai said:

I thought about that too

Currently reading an Excell file on biochemical markers for 120 embronal cultre fluids.

Maybe you should start another thread!!
[This message was edited Thu Jan 23 8:44:48 PST 2003 by Soapstone]

Deadeye Dick by Vonnegut

"Mathematical Foundations of Quantum Mechanics" - John von Neumann


Maybe Moonbeam can help me out because I cannot even start to do this math... FUCK!!!

Who here knows how to do Quantum Matrix Algebra? Here is one of the many things that is fucking me:

Sometimes A x B does not equal B x A... ?

Soapstone said:

Way to go!

The pile of books next to my bed, which is a perputually un-read heap, includes some more interesting items.

00769BAD said:

Hannibal is a fine book! Much better than the movie, as I'm sure Icenine would agree!

IceNine said:

It makes perfect sense to me. Until I think about it.
Being a programmer I've figured the best way to understand something complex is to not think about it or focus too much on the topic.

The multiplying problem reminds me of a riddle:

A bear walks five kilometres East, walks five kilometres North, then five kilometres South (he's a metric bear), reaching home. What colour is the bear?
[This message was edited Thu Jan 23 9:06:42 PST 2003 by sabaisabai]

BattierBeMyDaddy said:

The movie that they made of "Hannibal" was a travesty! How can you get away with changing the book like that???

IceNine said:

I don't know, sir. But they should've kept it like the book!

IceNine said:

I know shit about it Quantum stuff, but in plain Matrix Algebra it is pretty common that A x B does not equal B x A, so, dunno, euhmmm, whatever...

SpcMs said:

Right, but this crap is a bit different... it is quite bizarre... not only that... I cannot even start to describe it... I don't get it and I won't get it... I will be giving up soon...

IceNine said:

Don't tell me u'r one of those 'the movie has got 2 b xactly the same as the book'-types. I agree, most of the time, the book is better, but that doesn't mean a better movie would've been made when they would 've stuck 2 the book. I say, judge the movie and the book on it's own merit, recognise that the book is the original work, and move on.

SpcMs said:

Fuck, after you read the book, the movie really has no merit to judge.