EPTI'm reading a bunch of criminology lately. Zaffaroni is an absolute genius, he's winning me over to the prison abolitionist movement.
What Are You Reading 2015 - Page 27
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dmnum
Brazil6910 Posts
I'm reading a bunch of criminology lately. Zaffaroni is an absolute genius, he's winning me over to the prison abolitionist movement. | ||
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Surth
Germany456 Posts
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Manit0u
Poland17203 Posts
![[image loading]](https://m1.behance.net/rendition/modules/76005753/disp/68f24258c5083fafc8cdf589dd900931.JPG) Sprawl Trilogy by William Gibson Time to re-read some of the classics  | ||
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Topin
Peru10038 Posts
On May 18 2015 08:18 Manit0u wrote: Sprawl Trilogy by William Gibson Time to re-read some of the classics would you recommend this series to everyone? | ||
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Manit0u
Poland17203 Posts
Definitely not everyone. Gibson is good but pretty peculiar. His works tend to be a bit chaotic and hard to follow at times since there's usually a lot happening without much, if any, explanation given. It can be a good thing, since the books don't hold you by the hand and he writes with the assumption that you're familiar with the world he's built (which you're not). They're also a bit campy at times. Don't get me wrong. It's still top notch hard dystopian sci-fi, I've just read so much in this genre over the years that I tend to be very picky even when it comes down to timeless classics and milestone achievements within it. I'll put it like that. If you liked Dick, you're gonna love Gibson. If you're unfamiliar with cyberpunk and/or dystopian visions of the future, I'd start with something easier like Beckett's Genesis, McDonald's Brasyl or Stephenson's Snow Crash. Gibson is the absolute king in those matters though. If you want to check it out and end up liking it, here's some more reading: http://bestsciencefictionbooks.com/best-cyberpunk-books.php | ||
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Jerubaal
United States7684 Posts
I could lie and say I'm reading Charles Taylor's (the Canadian, not the African dictator) A Secular Age, but that's basically 10 pages a day. If you want the baby version, I would recommend Gillespie's The Theological Origins of Modernity. It's a flawed book, but still fairly edifying. | ||
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bookwyrm
United States722 Posts
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Surth
Germany456 Posts
![[image loading]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/311P6V%2Bc4pL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg) considering buying this next. y/n? | ||
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AndreWiles
36 Posts
Theory of computation by michael sipser. This book is going to take me years to complete  | ||
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bookwyrm
United States722 Posts
On May 21 2015 05:04 AndreWiles wrote: Theory of computation by michael sipser. This book is going to take me years to complete yeah that shit is rough... working through basic turing machines on paper... kill me now... | ||
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Manit0u
Poland17203 Posts
On May 21 2015 05:04 AndreWiles wrote: Introduction to mathematical philosophy by Bertrand Russell. im learning what numbers are Theory of computation by michael sipser. This book is going to take me years to complete You know, if you ever feel overwhelmed by this book, I suggest some really good reads for anyone interested in mathematics and/or philosophy:
They're relatively easy to read but they still blow your mind. Especially that they give you some deep history and backgrounds of the concepts of zero and infinity in mathemathics (the second book also has neat biographies of some mathematicians, especially Cantor). How they came to be, how they evolved etc. Amazing. They're also not super serious or strictly for mathematicians and nerds, so anyone can pick them up. They definitely made me appreciate maths a lot more. | ||
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Paljas
Germany6926 Posts
wat | ||
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JumboJohnson
537 Posts
On May 19 2015 04:56 Jerubaal wrote: Just finished Skin Game. Dresden Files are utter trash and the awful writing tropes offend me to the very core. For some reason, I can't seem to stop reading them though. I could lie and say I'm reading Charles Taylor's (the Canadian, not the African dictator) A Secular Age, but that's basically 10 pages a day. If you want the baby version, I would recommend Gillespie's The Theological Origins of Modernity. It's a flawed book, but still fairly edifying. The Dresden Files are like the junk food of the literary world but I love them. Is a new one coming soon? | ||
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123Gurke
France154 Posts
On May 21 2015 05:04 AndreWiles wrote: Theory of computation by michael sipser. This book is going to take me years to complete I have never read that book although it is of course a classic. If you have problems with the style, you will find the content in many other books. This is roughly the undergraduate standard theoretical computer science after all. I was never a big fan of automata theory or computability, but complexity theory is great. Really something to look forward to! | ||
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ticklishmusic
United States15977 Posts
On May 23 2015 05:15 JumboJohnson wrote: The Dresden Files are like the junk food of the literary world but I love them. Is a new one coming soon? I think that applies to Jim Butcher's work in general. Codex Alera was surprisingly readable, though it got a little teen romancy towards the end. It's hilarious that the series was based on Pokemon meets the Romans. | ||
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Surth
Germany456 Posts
in other words, i have an itch for cool american histories. histories of frontiers, of san francisco, oregon, cities, violence, architecture, hawaii, food production, the desert - i dont care. anything! | ||
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Shiragaku
Hong Kong4308 Posts
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Strauss#Publications_by_Leo_Strauss And how do most people here feel about Strauss? And maybe this is a misconception, but one bad impression I have been getting from many Straussians is a creepy, elitist, maybe even cultish vibe from them. | ||
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Zergneedsfood
United States10671 Posts
I read comments from someone saying that critics say The Double is Dostoevsky's worst work? I know Dostoevsky called it a complete failure or something, but of all the books to target, is The Double really considered his worst? :O I'm also aware that contemporaries of Dostoevsky hated the shit out of it, but I thought that was also a factor of literary politics, Dostoevsky going for a crazy person instead of the realism his critics were hoping for, and basically being annoying to the people who were holding him up to be the next big thing. | ||
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ticklishmusic
United States15977 Posts
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Zergneedsfood
United States10671 Posts
On May 27 2015 14:27 ticklishmusic wrote: My Russian friend says that he's much better in pretty much any language that isn't English if that helps. Oh. @_@ I was just asking if it's true that critics regard The Double as Dostoevsky's worst work. I have not come upon any evidence in support of this, ranging from mainstream news publications to the introduction of translated novels done by various people, and reviews/critical writings I've taken from JSTOR. All I seem to think at this point is that most people share the opinion of one Vissarion Belinsky, one of Dostoevsky's early fans/critics who felt betrayed when Dostoevsky went from his realistic novel Poor Folk to the psychologically crazy character in The Double, who thinks that while it has wonderful parts, those parts just happen over and over again which ends up boring you. That's....the extent of what I got out of it and that's still a farcry from saying it's his worst book. | ||
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