Russell Atkinson's Blog, page 7

I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger

I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This novel was billed as a post-apocalypse sci-fi novel, but sci-fi fans would be disappointed in it, I think. I was. Enger is quite the wordsmith and very imaginative. He was probably some creative writing teacher’s star pupil. But the plot has too many holes and eye-rolling implausibilities for my taste. One minor example that grated for much of the book is when the main character flees the U.S. to go Canada and when he gets there, can’t spend his money since they won’t accept U.S. So he barters away some prized possessions, but when he returns to the U.S., he has no U.S. money and the bartering continues. What happened to his money? His continued physical and emotional impoverishment is an important continuing theme, but not necessary if he has money. It kept me busy while I waited in the clinic waiting room, but that’s about all I can recommend it for.

View all my reviews

The post I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger appeared first on OnWords.

What3Words in the News – L.A. Fires and Inauguration

It’s that time again for some newsworthy W3W word combos.

I searched Pacific Palisades for appropriate combinations and the most interesting one in the burned area I found was buzz.entire.city, appropriate for the fire retardant aircraft, but sad because it is near a parish school that was destroyed. The nearby church was damaged, but not destroyed. Close by in Topanga Canyon, in the evacuation zone, was blaze.erase.gone. A few miles farther I found blaze.fries.cars and burns.entire.cities. Those last two are in Los Angeles, near to but outside the fire zone. Ironically, that last one is right between the Chatsworth Fireside and BBQ store and Flame Enterprises.

Moving on to an even sadder event, let’s look at Trump’s upcoming inauguration. Due to the fact Trump was afraid his outdoor crowd size would be markedly smaller than Obama’s in similar weather conditions, he has moved it inside to the Capital One Arena. While I didn’t find a killer combo, that place is large and I found several spots inside it that at least hint at the uncomfortable truth to come. Here’s a list. I’m too lazy to posts the links, but they all go to the Arena. You know how to work W3W if you want to check.

For Melania:

enhancement.larger.best (The R must have been dropped)dame.belong.posed

For the rich oligarchs (how they see themselves)

dollar.people.noblecost.twice.boothstatus.above.empire

For his MAGA cult members generally

sheep.walks.crewpalm.fills.arena

And for our POTUS-to-be:

entry.stage.badlyloving.fats.thankstrial.myself.blame (if only)robe.season.wasp

 

The post What3Words in the News – L.A. Fires and Inauguration appeared first on OnWords.

Devil in the Stack by Andrew Smith

Devil in the Stack: A Coding Odyssey by Andrew Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The author, who began as a non-coder, dove deep into the culture of computers and computer programmers (“coders”). The book describes coding in simple terms as he himself learned how to write code and what the cultures of the coding communities are like. I use the plural because the different computer languages seem to carry their own cultures. He settles into the Python world and despises C. He spent over four years researching and writing the book. It is filled with interviews with iconic coders around the world and the industry. After moving through what it’s like to learn to code, he moves on to how software has changed our lives for both good and bad and describes the promise of artificial intelligence (AI) to produce even greater good and greater evil. He prefers the term machine learning (ML) to AI as he explains why he thinks AI is a misleading term. The book is well-written and readable, even for those outside the computer/coding world.

View all my reviews

The post Devil in the Stack by Andrew Smith appeared first on OnWords.

The Ginger Tree by Oswald Wynd

The Ginger Tree by Oswald Wynd
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This novel might better be classified as a collection of short stories. The main character, Mary, a young Scotswoman at the beginning, marries a British diplomat then serving in China circa 1903. The first third of the book remains set in China, but it shifts to Japan for the remainder of the book. The story (or stories) end at World War II. The writing is superb, with descriptions and characters that are fascinating and believable. It evoked fond memories of my days in Japan. But my main dissatisfaction with the book is its lack of a plot. As mentioned, it is more a series of stories, and they depict the Orient (a term now out of fashion) over a period of decades, especially Japan. The author was born in Japan and writes with an insider’s knowledge. Mary’s circumstances and character seem to change radically over time, mainly to suit the story the author means to tell about that particular time frame. I didn’t find her a particularly sympathetic character, either. Even so, the stories, even if they don’t hang together well, are engaging. The writing merits seeing it through to the end. It’s a worthwhile read.

View all my reviews

The post The Ginger Tree by Oswald Wynd appeared first on OnWords.

The Object by Joshua T. Calvert

The Object by Joshua T. Calvert
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A mysterious object is detected in the far reaches of the solar system. Is it a comet? An asteroid? Melody Adams is the discoverer. She is also a former astronaut who never got to go into space because a competing candidate cheated on a final test and got the slot. There is a lengthy section where the author shows the depth of his research about space travel and extraterrestrial science as the scientists in the story argue about whether it is a natural object or, as Melody believes, a spaceship. Many chapters – too many in my opinion – are spent on the Melody’s struggle within NASA to promote her views and increase her rank. A halfhearted love story is developed between her and another character. Eventually a mission is authorized to explore the object. You can guess who becomes the mission leader. I won’t say more on the plot to avoid spoilers.

The author’s research is impressive but his manner of displaying it is rather clunky. There are a lot of conversations between scientists and astronauts where person A explains some basic science to person B when clearly anyone in person B’s position would certainly already know that. Some of the “science” is speculation or imagination, which is perfectly acceptable in science fiction, but it can be distracting when we don’t know if we’re supposed to believe it or not. Various crises arise which are resolved in dubious manners. In the end the nature of the object is discovered and it is quite imaginatively resolved, although it is not very plausible. I’m rounding up to four stars from three and a half.

View all my reviews

The post The Object by Joshua T. Calvert appeared first on OnWords.

Reflections on Population

The world is overpopulated (by humans, that is). This is a fact, although there will be some who dispute it. We people are causing all sorts of environmental damage, much of which threatens our own existence. So reducing the birth rate sounds like a good thing, and to an extent it is, in my opinion. The birth rate is steadily declining worldwide which contributes to the slower growth rate in the population. There is still a positive rate of growth due to reductions in the death rate, especially among children.

Within the United States the fertility rate (number of births per woman of childbearing age) is about 1.7. This is well below the replacement rate of 2.1, and most developed countries are also below the replacement rate. There are only six countries in the world with rates above the replacement rate. Four of those are in Africa, one in Micronesia, and one in central Asia. The population of the US is still increasing but mainly because of immigration but also due to lowering death rates, mostly among the old. Experts predict that by 2050 the worldwide fertility rate will have dropped to the point where deaths exceed births and population levels off, then begins to decline. This will be great for the environment and other species, like fish.

But what happens in the long run? This is where it gets tricky and we see politics, religion, and moral beliefs muddy the waters.  The death rate has to level off since people must eventually die. It can’t reach zero. That means if the fertility rate continues to drop, or just stay below the replacement rate, humankind will eventually breed itself out of existence. There are people who worry about this, and it is not a trivial matter. A few may think that’s not such a bad thing, but most people would disagree with that. Personally I think it’s a valid concern, but I don’t believe that will come to pass. I believe it likely that when there is plenty of arable land per person, birth rates will go up again. Now with automation, a relatively few farmers would easily be able to feed the world. Those who want to can easily grow crops or raise livestock enough to feed their own families. I think there will be enough women who will be willing to have more than two children that an equilibrium will be reached. I foresee a sort of automated hunter-gatherer society emerging.

But once thing seems certain: the future world population will look quite different. In particular, it will be darker. The fertility rate among dark-skinned people, especially Africans, is much higher than among the white and east Asian people so their representation in the future population will be higher than it is now. I believe this fact is behind the so-called white replacement theory. That theory is a false, racist theory believing there is a plot, probably led by the Jews, to cause white people to go extinct. That is ridiculous of course, but there is a kernel of truth in it. The white race will go extinct, or at least darken, but it will be because white women will almost certainly continue to choose to have fewer babies than the darker races, and more intermarriage is inevitable. I see no problem with this.

The bigger problem is the imbalance in ages. Older people are continuing to live longer during non -productive years, causing younger people to work more to support them. Most species have their older member die off once they are no longer reproducing. This would be more efficient for humans, too, but I don’t any way that is going to happen. Older people control most resources and governments and will not willingly agree to die faster. This may become permanent.

Finally, I believe this will all work out in future generations. As the population drops, there is more wealth of all kinds available to each person and there will be less need for both spouses or partners to work. Crime will drop and quality of life will be high. This will be many generations in the future. Women are already beginning to find liberation to enter the work force is not always as rewarding as they once thought and the rewards of motherhood are high. Women’s liberation was a good thing and should continue, but that ceiling has mostly been broken now. I see more and more young women drop out of college or graduate school, or quit working after a few years of the daily grind and choose the mommy route. They should have the choice to do either. I’m hopeful the fertility rate will eventually come back up; just not yet. For now it is more important to mitigate the environmental harm we are doing. Religions are certainly pushing for more babies. I think consciously or not, that is the motivation behind the antiabortion movement. It really has nothing to do with saving souls.

The post Reflections on Population appeared first on OnWords.

The Peacock and the Sparrow by I.S. Berry

The Peacock and the Sparrow by I.S. Berry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Shane Collins is a heavy-drinking veteran CIA agent relegated to Bahrain to finish out his lackluster career. He inherits a low-level informant who manages to scrape together enough intel to satisfy his new station chief, a pudgy bureaucratic “rising star” with a flame up his ass. Shane meets and falls for a beautiful local artist. There are some fellow CIA personnel, a Navy admiral and his aide in the mix, various expats and skeezy locals and the stage is set for dead drops, surreptitious meetings, betrayals, and talk of revolution against the king. The Arab Spring is approaching. The plot is exciting, if more than a bit implausible toward the end, but page-turning fun nonetheless.

But the best part of the book is the gritty reality painted in beautiful prose conveying the sad on-the-ground hellhole that is Bahrain. At least I think it is what the real Bahrain is like; the author has me convinced, anyway. Clearly the author, a former CIA agent herself, knows her stuff and makes it feel so real I was tempted to shake the sand from my shoes after a reading session. I’ll stretch my 4.5 to 5 stars for this one. It’s the best spy novel I’ve read in years.

View all my reviews

The post The Peacock and the Sparrow by I.S. Berry appeared first on OnWords.

What3Words – Museum of the Deep State Edition

If you follow the news, you know that Donald Trump named Kash Patel, a right-wing FBI hater, to become the next head of the FBI. I doubt he will be confirmed, but if he is, he has promised on day 1 to close the FBI Headquarters Building (currently named the J. Edgar Hoover Building) and to reopen it the next day as a museum of the deep state.

So I checked my favorite authoritative place-naming site, What3Words.com,, and discovered the U.S. already has a Deep.State.Museum. It’s located in San Antonio, Texas, in an intersection between Autozone, Schlotzky’s Sandwiches, and Sherwin Williams paint stores. Maybe Patel is confused. On the border of Washington D.C. there is a deed.state.museum in Mt. Rainier, Maryland, only 3 miles from the FBI building. That’s probably what he was thinking of, or possibly the feed.state.museum in Laurel, Maryland, only 5 miles from NSA Headquarters. It’s in a gas station … at least that’s what the deep state has disguised it as.

Then maybe I’ve been looking in the wrong place. Museum.deep.state is also in the U.S., in a forest in Wellsville, Ohio. Closer to D.C. there are a couple of other logical museum sites:

museum.deep.stage: Potomac, Maryland
museum.jeeps.state: Damascus, Maryland.

If Patel isn’t confirmed, he should be able to set up his museum in one of these likely spots.

The post What3Words – Museum of the Deep State Edition appeared first on OnWords.

Look Closer by David Ellis

Look Closer by David Ellis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Simon is a law professor, the only child of two lawyers, both of whom are long dead as the story opens, his mother by suicide, his father murdered. Simon was once suspected of the murder, but that was in the distant past. Vicky, the woman in his life now, is the sister of Monica, also dead of suicide after being dragged into addiction by some scumball. Simon and Vicky met in a suicide survivors support group.

But soon we see Simon’s journal entries. It seems he has run into Lauren, a beautiful woman who once worked in his father’s law firm. She was Simon’s first crush and those amorous feelings seem to be coming back to him, but she is married to a rich older man. Vicky, meanwhile, professes not to love Simon now. She meets Christian, a conniving money manager who promises to make her fabulously rich once she gets her hands on Simon’s trust money, which is currently tied up and untouchable. Everybody seems to be scheming to cheat everyone else out of that trust money, and at least one of these characters ends up dead at some point.

That’s a great setup and it hooked me in from the beginning. I had to ration my reading so the book would last longer and I could enjoy the suspense for days. As you might expect, I used the word “seem” for a reason: because things, some of them anyway, are not as they seem. The book is full of twists and turns right to the end. You won’t know whom to root for, if anyone, as all the characters seem rather unsavory. There’s that word seem again. Withhold judgment; that’s all I can say.

View all my reviews

The post Look Closer by David Ellis appeared first on OnWords.

Extinction by Douglas Preston

Extinction by Douglas Preston
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In a twist from Jurassic Park, the author has conjured a super-rich vacation enclave where de-extincted megafauna roam free in the Rocky Mountains. Visitors can see mammoths and other non-aggressive vegetarian species from eons past. A young couple vacationing there is murdered under mysterious circumstances. From there the tale becomes fanciful, fast-paced, and “shocking” (although you’d have to be pretty slow not to see that some sort of scientific skulduggery was going to be revealed). Overall it was interesting enough to keep me going and is worth a few stars, but the characters were all incredibly dislikable except for the heroes, a spunky female state agent and a crusty male local sheriff, who, of course, start out at odds and slowly become attracted to each other amid gunfights and explosions. The plot is eye-rolling all around, but if you like schlock sci-fi thrillers, you’ll enjoy this one. By the end I was just glad it was over.

View all my reviews

The post Extinction by Douglas Preston appeared first on OnWords.