 Ill Will by Dan ChaonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars This book is surprisingly good. A simple murder story, but it has all these wonderful character reflections and useful observations on modern society. There is a good deal of post-modern experimental writing. Does not fall into the art book category, but has its moments and Chaon is someone to watch going forward. View all my reviews |
Category: Art
-
Ill Will by Dan Chaon
-
Star Wars Day 2024
This is the thirteenth Star Wars day marathon. I have completed seven, and failed twice.
Phantom Menace
Phantom Menace is Jacks first love.
It is not my favorite. Gun-gin “jive” gets worse every year. The laser sword legacy theory stuck out a lot this time. I hate midi-chlorians
Attack of the Clones
Anakin always has yellow ships. His wife has silver.
Revenge of the Sith
What, exactly, would “reverse stabilizers” do?
New Hope
It was one in a million.
Empire Strikes Back
Don’t tell me the odds
The hyperdrive motivator has been damaged (red droid also has a motivator issue).
They did not ask any questions—torture to trigger the force connection
Return of the Jedi
Jabba the hut dies. Yoda dies. Mythical creatures die.
Force Awakens
Let’s go! Kid edition.
Last Jedi
Three lessons.
1. The Jedi Don’t Own The Light
2. The Legacy of The Jedi is Failure
(3.) A true Jedi Knight wouldn’t interfere in the “balance,” despite people getting hurt.
(3a.) A person willing to save anyone at all costs
Flight deck scenes.
Rise of Skywalker
Total cluster.
-
Dawn of the New Everything: Encounters with Reality and Virtual Reality Jaron Lanier
Dawn of the New Everything: Encounters with Reality and Virtual Reality by Jaron Lanier
My rating: 1 of 5 stars
This was a tough read for me. Lanier is a personal hero–my 2024 resolutions (code, film, jazz) were taken from his talks. This book is trash. He is self-serving, name-dropping, and sees himself as the hero in every story (even when humbly discussing his faults, he sounds pompous). I am not sure what I was looking for, but this is not it. His victimhood, lack of self-reflection, and pride in every step is a survival mechanism but he does not have the academic chops to grok the meaning. I think that may be the fundamental failure of this book. It is an undergraduate work.
View all my reviews -
Phish @ Sphere
Part of the agenda was to find the best Del Taco between Woodbridge and Las Vegas. We tried Baker (closed), Barstow (closed), and Hesperia. The answer is the Woodbridge Del Taco!
-
Blitzed: Drugs in Nazi Germany by Norman Ohler, Shaun Whiteside (Translator), Stefan Rudnicki (Narrator)
Blitzed: Drugs in Nazi Germany by Norman Ohler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A fantastic book about drugs during World War Two within the Nazi leadership–excellent information, significant research, and fantastic writing. I stumbled into this book from a notebook blog by the author, Ohler, who wrote during raves (which I think is fantastic). It is strongly recommended for history fans, drug researchers, and fans of weird history.
View all my reviews -
The Burnout Society by Byung-Chul Han
The Burnout Society by Byung-Chul Han
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
epic. so epic.
The idea that control has been replaced by achievement is just gold. This is a must read for just about everyone alive. I have no idea if this is taken seriously in the academy, but I found it like profound and an invitation for further study.
View all my reviews -
The Future by Naomi Alderman
The Future by Naomi Alderman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I enjoyed this book–a fun, simple SF romp. The characters are not great, and the plot is plodding sometimes, but the complexity and cultish underpinnings compensate. There is also some good apocalypse thinking that is fun these days.
View all my reviews
David Given Schwarm 