{"id":1335,"date":"2019-04-25T16:30:26","date_gmt":"2019-04-25T20:30:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jsylvest.com\/blog\/?p=1335"},"modified":"2019-04-25T11:04:38","modified_gmt":"2019-04-25T15:04:38","slug":"book-list-2019q1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jsylvest.com\/blog\/2019\/04\/book-list-2019q1\/","title":{"rendered":"Book List: 2019Q1"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I think I did less reading this quarter than at any point since I beat dyslexia. Certainly less than any point since I started keeping track in 2011, and that includes the period when I finished my dissertation and had two kids. I'm teaching a course at a local college this semester, and lesson prep and grading has not left a lot of time for reading. But enough complaining...<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

slide:ology: The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations<\/i>, Nancy Duarte<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Despite giving a fairly large number of presentations, I'm definitely not the audience for this. It's not really about presentations, but about sales<\/i> presentations. If, like me, you have mostly factual & technical information to impart, I'm not sure how much this will help. There's a decent amount of advice in here if you're a complete graphic design novice, but there are probably better places to get that knowledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\"Cover<\/a>
\"The Relaxed Mind,\" Dza Kilung<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Relaxed Mind<\/i>, Dza Kilung Rinpoche<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There is perhaps a bit too much \"woo\" in the later chapters of this meditation manual, but it is still a good book for practice. If nothing else, I like having some meditation-related book on my bedstand\/ipod: even if that book itself is not the best, it serves as an encouragement to keep practicing. The earlier two or three of the seven practices described here seem concretely useful. Maybe the latter practices will have more appeal to me as I become a \"better\" meditator?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\"Cover<\/a>
\"The Most Human Human,\" Brian Christian<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Most Human Human: What Talking with Computers Teaches Us About What It Means to Be Alive<\/i>, Brian Christian<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I loved this. Christian has a degree in computer science and an MFA in poetry. I can't think of a better background to write about what the Turing Test tells us about talking with (and being) human. There's good history of AI, exploration of psychology and epistemology, and tips for what makes a conversation interesting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I'm recommending this as a great book for other technologists to learn something about \"soft skills\" and for non-technologists to learn about AI. I can't think of another book that comes close to providing both benefits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Lies Sleeping<\/i>, Ben Aaronovitch<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This is the latest in Aaronovitch's \"Rivers of London\" series, which I still love. I should really write these recaps as soon as I finish reading, because it's been long enough now that I don't have anything specific to say about it. But this is the ninth volume in the series, so if you don't already have an opinion about the prior eight, there's really no need for you to have one about this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My wife, who reads mysteries almost exclusively, has recently started this series after hearing me talk about it since 2014. It's one of the few book series we both equally enjoy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

The Labyrinth Index<\/i>, Charles Stross<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

(1) Copy-and-paste what I said above about not waiting to write these comments. (2) Copy-and-paste what I said about already having opinions about the series since it's long running, but replace \"ninth\" with \"twelfth.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\"Cover
\"Gravity's Rainbow,\" Thomas Pynchon<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Gravity's Rainbow<\/i>, Thomas Pynchon<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I'll be honest: I did not understand this book. I enjoyed it a great deal, but I did not understand it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I like Pynchon as a stylist even when the narrative has me completely befuddled. As a result, even the confusing passages make for very good audiobook listening because I can let the language just wash over me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\"Cover<\/a>
\"Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind,\" Shunryu Suzuki.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind<\/i>, Shunryu Suzuki<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I also didn't fully understand this book, but I feel like I wasn't really meant to. ((Actually, now that I think about it, maybe Pynchon didn't really want people to understand him either.)) I'm not sure \"understanding\" is even a thing you're supposed to be able to do to Zen. I think I got a lot out of it regardless. It's definitely something I'm going to revisit in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\"Cover<\/a>
\"House of Suns,\" Alastair Reynolds<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

House of Suns<\/i>, Alastair Reynolds<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This is another winner. I haven't had this much fun reading a sci-fi book in years<\/em>. It has that wide-screen baroque space opera feel that I used to get from Iain Banks books. I can't think of another story that engages so well with the sheer scope \u2014 in time and distance \u2014 of the galaxy. Before I was half way through I was already putting all of the library's other Reynolds books on my list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

The Sky-Blue Wolves<\/i>, S. M. Stirling<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I keep saying I'm going to stop reading this series, but then a new volume comes out just when I want a junk-food book and I read it anyway. Then I feel about as satisfied as I do after eating actual junk food. This is a fun world to mentally play around in, but Stirling is really phoning it in at this point. The Big Bad Guy that was supposed to require a world war to defeat just got knocked off in about a chapter of Dreamtime Ninja Shenanigans, and meanwhile two of our Intrepid Heroes (who happen to both be rightful heirs to continent-spanning empires) decided to have a love-child. Nice neat bow; everyone rides into the sunset.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I think I did less reading this quarter than at any point since I beat dyslexia. Certainly less than any point since I started keeping track in 2011, and that includes the period when I finished my dissertation and had … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1471,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Book List: 2019Q1 \u2014 meditation, space ships and Turing tests.","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[50,13],"tags":[24,14,3,21,52,51,56,15],"class_list":["post-1335","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book-list","category-reviews","tag-ai","tag-books","tag-computer-science","tag-design","tag-meditation","tag-reading","tag-scifi","tag-technology","wpautop"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jsylvest.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/cover-most-human-human.jpg?fit=318%2C472&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3sddF-lx","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":351,"url":"https:\/\/www.jsylvest.com\/blog\/2013\/05\/reading-list-for-2-may-2013\/","url_meta":{"origin":1335,"position":0},"title":"Reading List for 2 May 2013","author":"jsylvest","date":"2 May 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Marginal Revolution :: Tyler Cowen :: Is there a shortage of STEM workers in the United States? Simplified analogy: I'm not bidding up the price of quadcopters. That doesn't mean that if we had more of them I wouldn't find cool stuff to do with them. (For other takes on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reading Lists"","block_context":{"text":"Reading Lists","link":"https:\/\/www.jsylvest.com\/blog\/category\/reading-lists\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Taschen information graphics book","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jsylvest.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/rendgen-information-graphics-201x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":703,"url":"https:\/\/www.jsylvest.com\/blog\/2013\/09\/reading-list-for-23-september-2013\/","url_meta":{"origin":1335,"position":1},"title":"Reading List for 23 September 2013","author":"jsylvest","date":"23 September 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Arnold Kling :: Big Gods Here is a question to think about. If religions help to create social capital by allowing people to signal conscientiousness, conformity, and trustworthiness [as Norenzayan claims], how does this relate to Bryan Caplan\u2019s view that obtaining a college degree performs that function? That might explain\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reading Lists"","block_context":{"text":"Reading Lists","link":"https:\/\/www.jsylvest.com\/blog\/category\/reading-lists\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Some sample pilcrows from the H&FJ foundry.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jsylvest.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/h%2Bfj_pilcrows.gif?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":542,"url":"https:\/\/www.jsylvest.com\/blog\/2013\/07\/reading-list-for-16-july-2013\/","url_meta":{"origin":1335,"position":2},"title":"Reading List for 16 July 2013","author":"jsylvest","date":"16 July 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Evan Miller :: Winkel Tripel Warping Trouble or \"How I Found a Bug in the Journal of Surveying Engineering\" All programming blogs need at least one post unofficially titled \u201cIndisputable Proof That I Am Awesome.\u201d These are usually my favorite kind of read, as the protagonist starts out with a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reading Lists"","block_context":{"text":"Reading Lists","link":"https:\/\/www.jsylvest.com\/blog\/category\/reading-lists\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Irene Global Tweets WInkel Tripel","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jsylvest.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Irene-Global-Tweets-WInkel-Tripel-1024x604.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jsylvest.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Irene-Global-Tweets-WInkel-Tripel-1024x604.png?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jsylvest.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Irene-Global-Tweets-WInkel-Tripel-1024x604.png?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jsylvest.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Irene-Global-Tweets-WInkel-Tripel-1024x604.png?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1,"url":"https:\/\/www.jsylvest.com\/blog\/2013\/01\/hello-world\/","url_meta":{"origin":1335,"position":3},"title":"Hello world!","author":"jsylvest","date":"24 January 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"This is my new blog. I noticed that the book reviews and other notes on my personal webpage were getting longer and unwieldy, so I've decided to migrate some of that content over here. I plan on posting notes on what I've been reading, as well as thoughts about science,\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 1 comment","block_context":{"text":"With 1 comment","link":"https:\/\/www.jsylvest.com\/blog\/2013\/01\/hello-world\/#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":599,"url":"https:\/\/www.jsylvest.com\/blog\/2013\/06\/some-recent-brief-book-reviews\/","url_meta":{"origin":1335,"position":4},"title":"Some recent, brief book reviews","author":"jsylvest","date":"20 June 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm, Philip Pullman I knew these were darker than Disney (and everyone else in the 20th C.) would have children believe, but wow. I think there was a stretch of seven stories in a row in which at least one person was casually executed. Cinderella's\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Reviews","link":"https:\/\/www.jsylvest.com\/blog\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"brothers_grimm_pullman_cover","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jsylvest.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/brothers_grimm_pullman_cover-198x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1262,"url":"https:\/\/www.jsylvest.com\/blog\/2018\/10\/book-list-2018q3\/","url_meta":{"origin":1335,"position":5},"title":"Book List: 2018Q3","author":"jsylvest","date":"18 October 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"We Are Legion (We Are Bob), Dennis Taylor For We Are Many, Dennis Taylor All These Worlds, Dennis Taylor A sci-fi series about a cryogenically frozen software engineer thawed out several centuries in the future by a theocratic state and uploaded against his will into a von Neumann probe. I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book List"","block_context":{"text":"Book List","link":"https:\/\/www.jsylvest.com\/blog\/category\/book-list\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jsylvest.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/language.jpg?fit=720%2C1106&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jsylvest.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/language.jpg?fit=720%2C1106&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jsylvest.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/language.jpg?fit=720%2C1106&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jsylvest.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/language.jpg?fit=720%2C1106&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jsylvest.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1335","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jsylvest.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jsylvest.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jsylvest.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jsylvest.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1335"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/www.jsylvest.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1335\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1503,"href":"https:\/\/www.jsylvest.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1335\/revisions\/1503"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jsylvest.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1471"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jsylvest.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1335"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jsylvest.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1335"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jsylvest.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1335"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}