Anna's recent posts

Recent public posts (showing 1-9 of 9).

I'm glad you read it!

Is is very very excellent - it's the third in two trilogies, one on mind, other other on language. Great stuff.

and my wife's all silly and stuff and cleans stovetops for fun.

I'm not sure... The style is certainly there, the language is marvelous, as always, but I feel like there are books that are better from a storytelling perspective (ironically, I prefer short stories before longer when it comes to Winterson). My favourites of hers are The World and Other Places, Lighthousekeeping and The Powerbook; I've yet to read Weight.

Ah, have you read She's Such a Geek Women Write About Science, Technology, and Other Nerdy Stuff ? It's not quite exactly the same, it doesn't attempt to dissect nerdiness, but it does show a nice slice of the female geek pie.

has been on pause since Nov as I can't find it after moving

Excellent! I liked the book, but had the same reservations as you did. One thing that struck me as I was reading was that as Nugent defines his nerd, including and perhaps especially in terms of the physical aspects, there is much, much less room for nerdiness in the feminine role than in the masculine. I work in software, and would define perhaps 50% of my male colleagues as nerds (given Nugent's definition), and 0% of the females. Washing one's hair and wearing clothes that actually fit is not quite as optional for women, we're more severely punished (and not as likely to be suspected of genius as of bad character.) So perhaps his definition is off, and female nerds are more likely to be what the author would consider 'closeted' (and thus not see)? Nugent obviously writes from his own experiences of nerdness, all which are male-dominated, I just wish he's made a couple of disclaimers more about it than he did.

Actually, it was made into a movie in...85? or so, and then a three-part mini series for TV. Wonderful directing, lovely nature etc. But in Swedish; you might be able to find it for download somewhere, with subtitles. I really is worth it. Oh and, a clip: http://youtube.com/watch?v=tKCmrR6gymA

In your experience (of me :) ), would I like it? I did like The Language Instinct. I think. It was a bit ago.