This is an excellent one-volume history
from the late Ming (early 16th century) through the current time.
It is very readable and extremely comprehensive. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
A technical exploration of the role of
"preference falsification", i.e. false expressions
of real preferences about matters of public policy and social
life. Kuran offers a valuable addition to the understanding of
phenomena such as revolutions and apparent sudden shifts in public
opinion. RECOMMENDED.
A dense and poorly-written book that attempts
to catalogue all the various reasons that religious belief and
practice persist despite the Enlightenment. The subject deserves
much better. Not recommended.
A very well-written survey of the "state
of the art" in cognitive science on the subject of love.
References to literature and the arts and an easy writing style
make this a real treasure. Highly Reccomended.
Recommended to me by Jim Bennett, this
book is an extended musing on the differences between what Veliz
calls "the two great transplanted cultures": Castille
and England in the New World. The value of this book is in its
deep exploration of rich metaphors as aids to understanding the
fundamental differences between these two "global cultures",
and especially the significant disparity in their successes in
supplying what people want from a culture. The book does tend
to bog down in its academic tone, but is nevertheless a valuable
addition to the literature on the subject. RECOMMENDED
A "prequel" to the other two
novels by Goonan I read last month, I finally became disenchanted
with the narrative style and especially the plot devices she
creates to make a story possible in the context of the powerful
technologies she is exploring. I especially found her hand-waving
with regard to the cognitive science aspects of the technology
unsatisfying.
I have an entertaining correspondence
with Damien, who I met for the first time in "real life"
this last May. This book is a good example of his extreme breadth
and depth of interest and understanding of the technologies that
are transforming the world in the beginning of the 21st century,
focusing on the revolution in biotechnology that promise to make
ours the last mortal generation. The lengthy detour into physics
was a mystery to me, though: I felt like Damien had done interesting
research in this area and included it in this book because it
was fresh on his mind. Nevertheless, this is a good introduction
to the real subject of the book -- the coming extension of the
human life span. Very well written in Damien's erudite, but witty
and engaging style. RECOMMENDED
Probably Fraser's best novel, a sometimes
poignant, sometimes humorous study of life and manners in England
in the years before the first World War. For fans of the Flashman
books, Sir Harry makes a number of hilarious appearances in the
book, providing a last look at the great Hero of Jallalabad.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
A brief layman's overview of the state
of knowledge in the field of cosmology, circa 2000. The book
puts forward the notion of a "cosmological decade"
or consideration of the expanse of cosmological time in order-of-magnitude
terms. RECOMMENDED
The first two novels in Goonan's tale
of an America utterly transformed by the power of mature nanotechnology.
Goonan uses a few contrivances to make her story work that require
a little stretching of credulity, but once one accepts her premises,
the story is wel constructed and, unlike too much science fiction,
well driven by character. RECOMMENDED to science fiction fans.
Fortey, curator of paleontology at the
British Museum of Natural Science, tells the tale of life on
Earth with highlights from the lives of the scientists who have
uncovered the truth through the hard field work and exploration
of the richness of evolutionary theory. Very well written and
VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
A good broad overview of the region's
history. I was particularly struck by learning new details of
the horrifying brutality of slavery in the Caribbean, as well
as the further study of Spain's amazing ineptitude as an imperial
power and its inability to creatively adapt its social system
to local conditions. Recommended as a quick, easy guide to the
colorful and diverse story of the region.
Very detailed minute-by-minute narrative
of the Apollo lunar surface activities, with a special emphasis
on the real geological scientific work that was done. Once again
brings home the incredible achievement that Apollo represented,
given the technology of the time (and the heartbreaking lost
opportunities to continue the work, especially with the utterly
foolish cancellation of Apollo 18 and 19, the incremental cost
of which would have been truly negligible). Recommended to the
serious student of selenology and the history of the space program.
Dawkins at his entertaining best in a
series of loosely-connected essays on the intricate machinery
of evolution, with the underlying theme of various "evolutionary
strategies" for exploring "fitness landscapes".
Highly Recommended.
