Tag: books

The Evolution of Useful Things by Henry Petroski

A look at how some common items have changed over time to meet needs or whims of the populace.

Petroski argues repeatedly that form doesn’t follow function because look at how many variations of X there are. But, at least the way I think of the concept, that proves the point. There are dozens of types of hammers with slight variations because each function requires a slightly different form. And all the forms have the same basic concept of a handle to conform to a users hand with a head on the other end to do the work.

Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher

A fantasy story with significant world building and interesting characters. The beginning of a 6-book series.

Humans are part of a broader world of sentient creatures and have carved out an empire for themselves. But the emperor is aging with no heir. The empire is beginning to fray and the enemies of humanity seek opportunity in cracks.

I enjoyed it.

The Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch

This is a wide-ranging treatise on the advancement of knowledge. One of the author’s premises is that advancement relies on recognizing that reality is understandable. It wasn’t until the Enlightenment that this concept really took hold resulting in the continual growth of knowledge and technology we live in now.

It also requires the mindset that problems are soluble. Without that mindset no one would bother trying to improve things.

Very dense reading.

Racing the Beam: The Atari Video Computer System by Montfort and Bogost

Our latest book-group pick follows on from our last pick about text gaming (eventually known as “interactive fiction”). This chronicles the early history of home video gaming with what is now referred to as the Atari 2600 system.

I found it interesting to learn about the design of the system, how closely it was designed to work with an NTSC TV, and how developers pushed the capabilities far beyond the intended hardware functionality.

The Lady of the Lake by Andrzej Sapkowski

This is book 7 in the overall Witcher series and book 4 in the subset called “The Witcher Saga.” It’s the culmination of the storyline centered on Cirilla.

I think the story got away from the author. I think the Witcher was strongest when he was doing retellings of classic fairy tales. The “Saga” story line starts out strong, but I feel like the author didn’t figure out how to bring it all together into a satisfying ending. So things get a bit absurd and then it just kind of ends.

Perhaps I just didn’t “get it.” I think he was clearly trying to do something in the vein of stories of the knights of the round table which have elements of mysticism. Perhaps someone with a better background in that literature would “get it.”

The Witcher: Baptism of Fire by Andrzej Sapkowski

The saga of Geralt and Ciri continues. Geralt recovers in Brokolin and begins anew his search for Ciri. Ciri joins up with the Rats.

A lot of people die throughout.

The Witcher: The Tower of Swallows by Andrzej Sapkowski

Ciri is nursed back to health by Vysogota. Geralt searches for the druids in hopes they can provide information about Ciri. There’s a reformed vampire. Yennefer is seen again.

A lot of people die throughout.

Zero by Charles Seife

This was an interesting study on the history and impact of zero as a mathematical concept. I enjoyed it. It was quite a deep dive covering mathematics history up through quantum physics.

Having studied calculus and the basics of quantum physics I was familiar with much of the end results of the application of zero to these domains, but had not learned the finer points.

The Witcher: The Time of Contempt by Andrzej Sapkowski

The rest of the Witcher series went on sale a while back and I bought the books I hadn’t read yet and decided to start back in for a break from non fiction.

This book is a bit of an interlude as the table is set for the next set of events in the story. So a little less gripping. I’m expecting things will pick up in the next one.