So Walkaway is Cory Doctorow’s first adult novel since Makers, which came out eight years ago and has been hugely influential as a future scenario in So Walkaway is Cory Doctorow’s first adult novel since Makers, which came out eight years ago and has been hugely influential as a future scenario in some circles like the fab lab communities. I picked up Walkaway with high expectations to learn how Doctorow’s perspective on a possible future has evolved over the last years. I also always had tremendous respect for his non-fiction work and activism for privacy, copyright law, and open source. That leads me to my first huge problem with Walkaway: it’s just a slightly updated version of Makers. Until you get to the uploading/singularity stuff somewhere in the middle of the book, it’s the same. Fab Labs and 3d printers, a world running on Github-like repositories, tribal communities governed by open source policies, etc. Throughout the first third of the book, I thought the only thing new that Doctorow has discovered throughout the last years are Japanese Onsen, which are featured prominently. Once the brain uploading/AI stuff gets introduced into the story, it gets a bit more interesting. But in general, it feels very much like a revision of Makers to me instead of a new and fresh novel with a new world. That brings me to my second big problem with Walkaway, which Doctorow can’t do much about. I used to like his books. But it has been some time since I’ve read one. And now I’m not sure anymore if this is not written as well as the others or if my taste has just moved on. Maybe Doctorow’s fiction is not for me anymore. I think I’m caring much more about storytelling and interesting characters than technology predictions and rebellion against the system these days. Walkaway is categorized as an adult novel, but it still feels mostly like young-adult fiction, just with more awkward sex scenes. The characters seem to be taken from the book of liberal stereotypes and are terribly overdrawn. The same goes for the violence and the oppressive state and corporations. While reading this book, I couldn’t shake the image of the author persona of a rebellious, horny, teenage nerd describing his fantasy world. And there’s nothing wrong with that. I’m just not interested in it (anymore). So instead of Walkaway, my recommendation is to pick up Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents for a dystopian world of oppression in which a new community is built. And I still rather reread Charlie Stross’ Accelerando for a future scenario about uploading and the singularity. ...more
This would have been a great book on trends research … 20 years ago. But in 2017/18, the notion of “forecasting” feels rather out of step with a volatThis would have been a great book on trends research … 20 years ago. But in 2017/18, the notion of “forecasting” feels rather out of step with a volatile, complex and ambiguous world in constant change. Just take her final chapter on Magical Leap and compared it to the current critical reporting on that company (“vaporware”). ...more
As blatantly subjective as expected, this is the most inside view on Obamas campaigns and first term in the White House as currently available until OAs blatantly subjective as expected, this is the most inside view on Obamas campaigns and first term in the White House as currently available until Obama writes his own take. I was especially interested in the communications and strategy PoV on it. It's deeply fascinating to get the inside perspective on all the events like Obama's botched first debate in his second campaign etc. If you're not into Chicago politics, just skip the first part of this book. ...more
Stauss beschreibt die Aufgabe des Werbers im Wahlkampf damit die Stärken des Kandidats herauszuarbeiten. Ich hätte mir gewünscht, dass Stauss diese HeStauss beschreibt die Aufgabe des Werbers im Wahlkampf damit die Stärken des Kandidats herauszuarbeiten. Ich hätte mir gewünscht, dass Stauss diese Herangehensweise auf sein Buch anwendet und sich ein gutes Lektorat (im klassischen Sinne) gesucht hätte, das ihm geholfen hätte seine immense Erfahrung und Insiderwissen in ein kompetentes Buch zu gießen.
Aber vielleicht war es auch einfach nicht fair von mir sein Buch direkt nach Axelrods Believer zu lesen…...more
This book maybe the most intense book I have read (or actually listened to) this year. Anne Rice has such an incredible skill of getting you into the This book maybe the most intense book I have read (or actually listened to) this year. Anne Rice has such an incredible skill of getting you into the story. And while the story is gripping you she delivers all kind of deep insides into the Jewish culture of the time and gives you a much better understanding of the circumstances of Jesus' arrival....more
The book is what happens when you write 1.5 great books and then get invited to all the fancy conferences where the elites of the world ask you to weiThe book is what happens when you write 1.5 great books and then get invited to all the fancy conferences where the elites of the world ask you to weigh in on everything. Thus your editor comes up with the idea to put all those answers and essays into a book. To be fair, Harari is quite honest about all of this. ...more
Loading...
