Missive #103 Published 3 August 2023
“Is Google making us stupid?” When Nicholas Carr posed that question, in a celebrated Atlantic Monthly cover story, he tapped into a well of anxiety about how the Internet is changing us. He also crystallized one of the most important debates of our time: As we enjoy the Net’s bounties, are we sacrificing our ability to read and think deeply?
Missive #102 Published 30 July 2023
The Innocents Abroad, or The New Pilgrims' Progress is a travel book by American author Mark Twain published in 1869 which humorously chronicles what Twain called his "Great Pleasure Excursion" on board the chartered vessel Quaker City (formerly USS Quaker City) through Europe and the Holy Land with a group of American travelers in 1867. It was the best-selling of Twain's works during his lifetime, as well as one of the best-selling travel books of all time.
Missive #101 Published 28 July 2023
This is an interesting book if for no other reason it introduced me to the new word — precariat. I thought what I did back in 1990 when I quit working for a bank was "Going Galt" but now see that I was joining the precariat class. There are many subdivisions within that class however so it is not as uniform as the working class, the working poor or the unemployed. I think the author is right that it is a dangerous class IF it becomes unified with a leader.
Missive #100 Published 23 July 2023
In the nineteenth century, a small group of American idealists managed to actually build Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine and use it to develop Cliology, mathematical models that could chart the likely course of the future. Soon they were working to alter history’s course as they thought best. By our own time, the Society has become the secret master of the world. But no secret can be kept forever, at least not without drastic measures. When her plans for some historic real estate lead developer and ex-reporter Sarah Beaumont to stumble across the Society’s existence, it’s just the first step into a baffling and deadly maze of conspiracies.
Missive #98 Published 18 July 2023
Everyone wants to know where the society in which they live is going, but answers are elusive. Turchin, an academic working in the emerging field of complexity science, believes he has found a path forward with a discipline called cliodynamics, which melds statistical analysis, social trend data, and historical comparisons to create a sophisticated model. He has written several books using cliodynamics, including Ultrasociety and Ages of Discord, and here, he aims to understand the current situation in the U.S, which he sees as sliding toward social and political disintegration.
Missive #96 Published 14 July 2023
This book is 1049 pages in its printed hardbound format. It would probably only be a third of that if all the quoted material were removed; there are over 3,380 footnotes to cite the sources. A massive amount of data but light on an explanation about what it all means. I'll probably read Volume 2, but not soon, and hope that it is not as data heavy.
Missive #95 Published 12 July 2023
I think this was the best of the three books in the trilogy. Sad that it has concluded. Also sad that Cormac McCarthy died on 13 June 2023 so he will write no more. There are more of his books that he did write that I have yet to read so that is good.
Missive #92 Published 2 July 2023
This is an interesting book but nothing like what Severin's earlier books were. His first adventure books were about him participating in recreating historical adventures. This book is about other adventurers with him playing no part.
Missive #87 Published 16 June 2023
The book does not measure up to the promo. It is not a bad book but he doesn’t say anything that hasn’t been said many times during the past few years. I don’t recommend it.
Missive #86 Published 14 June 2023
I liked this book the better than the previous four in the series. Perhaps I'm just becoming used to Herbert's writing style. He didn't get bogged down in his philosophy and just told a good story.