Just to let you know, krondo.com will be offline much of tomorrow for a server migration.
Categories
Author: dave
Strange Beauty: Murray Gell-Mann and the Revolution in Twentieth-Century Physics by George Johnson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
What a strange species is the particle physicist. Generally brilliant (pretty much a requirement to work in the field at all), they also seem to get big helpings of eccentricity, bluntness, and arrogance. Combine that with the intense competitiveness of the field along with the general weirdness that is modern particle theory and you get one of the more unique sub-cultures of our time. The author does an excellent job of portraying not just Gell-Mann, the subject of this biography, but also many of the people he worked with in the field and the developments in particle physics that Gell-Mann did so much to usher along. Great read.
Addiction by Design: Machine Gambling in Las Vegas by Natasha Dow Schüll
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Although at times marred by the mushy verbiage of “critical theory”, this look at the modern world of machine gambling (video slots and poker) is rescued by the thoroughness of the research. From the layout, lighting, sounds level, and architecture of casinos to the design of the machines themselves, machine gambling is a precisely engineered trap for vulnerable minds. Basically you should never, ever, ever walk into a casino.
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Great fantasy read.
Periodic Tales: The Curious Lives of the Elements by Hugh Aldersey-Williams
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
An enjoyable tour of the periodic table of elements, focusing on their cultural significance and meanings.
Categories
Review: The Breaks of the Game
The Breaks of the Game by David Halberstam
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I see why this book is so well-regarded. Great history, superbly written.
Brief Candle in the Dark: My Life in Science by Richard Dawkins
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
<br/><br/>
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1368153470">View all my reviews</a>
Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945 by Tony Judt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
<br/><br/>
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1084402266">View all my reviews</a>
Categories
Review: The Rings of Saturn
The Rings of Saturn by W.G. Sebald
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A graceful and melancholic meditation on the impermanence, helped along by our own barbarity, of human societies.
Whose Freedom?: The Battle over America’s Most Important Idea by George Lakoff
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Lakoff outlines the stark differences between what conservatives and progressives mean by the word “freedom” and its accompanying terms like “liberty” and “justice”. He then explains how the radical right has succeeded in capturing the language we use to talk about freedom and how progressives must work to take it back.