Stephen King Fans discussion
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Other Books (Non-King)
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What are you reading right now?
Wow, that's heavy stuff, Aloha! Thank you.
After a few books, you'll find the same theories cropping up in some non-fiction science books. They make it layman friendly nowadays. It's funny that I recognize these theories being used in artifical intelligence. You'll see in the first chapter. He mentioned about making a robot that can learn and deduce facts similar to the ways people learn.Yep, you'll be popping out these terms at parties and impress people. But first, you'll be talking about House of Leaves until people are sick of you.
Just started
and after that I think I'll get back to my re-read of The Dark Tower with Wolves of the Calla.
Finished The Wind Through the Keyhole: A Dark Tower Novel. It was okay. The problem I have with the series is that it's uneven. Sometimes it's rousing good fun, other times I feel disconnected from it. The main problem is his arrangement. The main Roland crew, with Susanna and Eddie, often takes a backseat to the stories. Unlike faithful followers of the DT series who finished the series before WTK, I have not read any past this 4.5 book of the series. I was starting to connect with Roland, and a little bit with Susanna and Eddie, when another little story popped up that does not have Roland in it. I prefer LOTR's smooth sequence of Frodo's journey. I was given time to connect with the main characters and care about what happens to them. The DT series makes it hard to stay connected with the main characters from book to book.
I'm taking a little break before I finish the series to catch up on other books and to read the latest Mieville, Railsea.
I have not had time to read my paper book, Mind Children: The Future of Robot and Human Intelligence, but it is an excellent read. I'm hoping to find more focused time to sit and eyeball the tiny print.
Chris wrote: "I read Scar Tissue earlier this year and loved it. I've read a few rock n roll memoir type books, but that's easily my favorite.Did you see RHCP at the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame induction? It was ..."
No. I didn't get to see that. I'll have to try and catch a replay or maybe YouTube.
Aloha wrote: "After a few books, you'll find the same theories cropping up in some non-fiction science books. They make it layman friendly nowadays. It's funny that I recognize these theories being used in art..."Hi, Aloha!
Thank you very much for that. I really appreciate it.:) Would you recommend I peruse the links prior to the books, or does it not make any difference..?
Robotics seems so intriguing to me!!
Hi, Dustin! *waves*I would peruse it. I'm ahead of you in being able to understand it because I've read some books by Steven Pinker and other books on evolution. But the links would give you some insight on how they aim to develop the robots based on their theories of how a human mind evolves and learn.
Okay. Another question: is it necessary to believe in evolution in order to understand the information?
Aloha wrote: "Finished The Wind Through the Keyhole: A Dark Tower Novel. It was okay. The problem I have with the series is that it's uneven. Sometimes it's rousing good fun, other times I feel disconnected ..."I think you'll like Wolves of the Calla better then, because it's pretty much entirely to do with Ro' and Eddie and Susannah and Jake and Oy, and all that stuff, and Oy's great in Wolves. :)
No, but it's good to understand where that theory is coming from, which is more pragmatic about what constitutes a human mind. You might doubt or object to the theory of how a mind might be transferred to an android body.Dustin wrote: "Okay. Another question: is it necessary to believe in evolution in order to understand the information?"
Thanks, Kit. I plan to finish the series soon after catching up on some reads. I'm glad the next book deals with the main crew.
Dustin, here's a couple of links to freak you out. It was posted in the Sword & Laser forum:http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/16/ru...
http://www.theverge.com/2012/5/16/302...
Just started reading
hardcover edition and listening to
audio edition.
Aloha wrote: "Dustin, here's a couple of links to freak you out. It was posted in the Sword & Laser forum:http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/16/ru...
http://www.theverge.com/2012/5..."
Aloha wrote: "No, but it's good to understand where that theory is coming from, which is more pragmatic about what constitutes a human mind. You might doubt or object to the theory of how a mind might be trans..."
Oh, all right.:) Thank you very much, you're so sweet, Aloha!!
I'm finally getting into Duma Key - 30% into it!
David wrote: "I'm finally getting into Duma Key - 30% into it!"Awesome, David! I hope you're liking it. I've been thinking of giving that one another read before summer's end.
You're welcome, Tom. Fact is stranger than fiction, and sometimes more interesting. That's why I love reading non-fiction, too. Where do you think writers get their ideas from? At the very least, it makes great party talk. LOL.Tom wrote: "Aloha wrote: "After a few books, you'll find the same theories cropping up in some non-fiction science books. . . . Yep, you'll be popping out these terms at parties and impress people. But first,..."
Kit★ wrote: "I think you'll like Wolves of the Calla better then, because it's pretty much entirely to do with Ro' and Eddie and Susannah and Jake and Oy, and all that stuff, and Oy's great in Wolves. :)"Wolves was my favorite book of the series. A few surprises and good action.
Indeed!I can't think of any "good" author who has not stated that reading is the activity that most 'fine tunes' their craft, along with their variation of "write of what you know". I think that is a direct Faulkner quote (but we all know it is 'something' in the Oggsford Water). Larry Brown told us he set out to become a writer - to perfect his craft - by Reading (again, Oggsford water). In On Writing, Sai King said (I paraphrase) "If you don't have time to read, you'll never learn to write".
Aloha wrote: "You're welcome, Tom. Fact is stranger than fiction, and sometimes more interesting. That's why I love reading non-fiction, too. Where do you think writers get their ideas from? At the very leas..."
Aloha wrote: "After a few books, you'll find the same theories cropping up in some non-fiction science books. . . . Yep, you'll be popping out these terms at parties and impress people. But first, you'll be talking about House of Leaves until people are sick of you. ..."
Thanks AloHa! [typo corrected]
Family and friends; my bro-in-law in particular, think I'm nucking futs (they're right!), especially when I get on my soapbox regarding the Lovecraftian/Kingsian theory of "Other Wheres" and "Other Whens", more especially when I refer to the thin places. BOOLYA!!!!!!!
He gets this REAL strange look on his face, fear? then invariably asks if I really believe that. I 'poker face' him and carry-on about how true it ALL is, giving specifics as proof.
I love 'em all, my entire family, including Uncle Stevie!
Lena wrote: "I read In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Larson and thought it was just okay. ."I got 2/3 of the way thru Garden but it is just too long, that book needed a better editor. I like the premise, (and i was listening to it on cd, which should make it go faster you would think), but when so much time is spent on describing the ambassadors physical at the doctor, i mean really, is that detail relevant?
Hi, Tom. Goodreads is acting funny. The reply button is not working. Anyhoo, thank you for the typo correction. I knew that was a typo. I'm used to people mangling my real name, so I don't usually pay attention unless it's an insult. As a writer, if you don't have great information in your head, you won't be spitting out great stuff. Show your BIL those videos, in particular the one that advertises what the future will hold. I swear, that sounds like something out of a SciFi film. It's amazing and weird that people are actually going toward that goal. Of course, that is an optimistic take. Reality has a way of dampening everything.
More books that I plan to read that might help clarify some things. Goodreads won't allow me to do an add book, so here's the old fashioned way:
Beyond Boundaries: The New Neuroscience of Connecting Brains with Machines and How It Will Change Our Lives
by Miguel Nicolelis
I Am a Strange Loop
by Douglas R. Hofstadter
Scott wrote: ""The Reploids" is an uncollected short story by Stephen King. It was published in the 1988 book Dark Visions."I'm reading Dark Visions this very moment. I had to ILL the title. It arrived the other day from Rome, GA.
I'm in Citrus County, FL.
I just got books 6 and 7 in The Dark Tower series. I'm so excited! :) I can't wait to read them!
Finished Wolves in the wee hours this a.m (well, I guess technically since it's now past midnight here, it was yesterday) before bed and gotta do my review yet, then I'll be on to Song of Susannah.
I finished Railsea, which was terrific, though not my personal preference. It's Mieville's YA, but I would say a brainy child's YA. This would be a great book for the classroom. If you like trains and adventure, I'd highly recommend this book. I would love to see a movie of this. It would be fantastic. The world building is amazing. The writing style is tight and almost flawless, but I prefer my YA storytelling to be whimsical and more lively, as if talking to a child.I'm starting Beyond Boundaries: The New Neuroscience of Connecting Brains with Machines and How It Will Change Our Lives, which ties in with my recent interest in robotics.
I'm still working on Mind Children: The Future of Robot and Human Intelligence. It's a paper book, so it's slow going for me, since I can't use the text to speech feature. Most of my time is spent doing visual or physical work, so the paper reading is slow going. But whatever I can read is making my mind spin.
Good going, Kit! There are some monthly reads in the other forums that I have to do before I get back to the series. Also, I'm interested in robotics, so I'll be filling my head with it for a bit. When it comes to reading, I like to do whatever my mind gets excited by.Kit★ wrote: "Finished Wolves in the wee hours this a.m (well, I guess technically since it's now past midnight here, it was yesterday) before bed and gotta do my review yet, then I'll be on to Song of Susannah."
Tom and Dustin, here's another mind-blowing link that's related to robotics and the book I'm currently reading Beyond Boundaries: The New Neuroscience of Connecting Brains with Machines and How It Will Change Our Lives. It was posted in my Sword & Laser forum.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogBX18...
I'm just starting The Kennedy Men: 1901-1963 by Laurence Leamer.
Aloha wrote: "Tom and Dustin, here's another mind-blowing link that's related to robotics and the book I'm currently reading Beyond Boundaries: The New Neuroscience of Connecting Brains with Machines and How It ..."Thank you, Aloha!:) Where do you get all these interesting links, anyway?
Jason wrote: "Just started and after that I think I'll get back to my re-read of The Dark Tower with Wolves of the Calla."Sounds great, Jason!!
I'm also reading Wolves, along with a re-read of Eragon.:)
Changed it; I'm going to read The Kennedy Women first.
Holly wrote: "Changed it; I'm going to read The Kennedy Women first."Hmm... that should be an interesting read..:)
Dustin wrote: "Thank you, Aloha!:) Where do you get all these interesting links, anyway? ."From fellow geeks at the Sword & Laser forum. We had a thread on robots. The book I'm reading on neuroscience is really interesting. The brain is an amazing organ.
Dustin wrote: "Jason wrote: "Just started and after that I think I'll get back to my re-read of The Dark Tower with Wolves of the Calla."Sounds great, Jason!!
I'm also reading W..."
I haven't gotten to Eragon yet. Is that series complete?
Jason wrote: "Dustin wrote: "Jason wrote: "Just started and after that I think I'll get back to my re-read of The Dark Tower with Wolves of the Calla."Sounds great, Jason!!
I'm..."
Yep, it sure is, Jason.:)
I've had the last book, Inheritance, since before Christmas of last year.. I haven't read it, though.
Aloha wrote: "Dustin wrote: "Thank you, Aloha!:) Where do you get all these interesting links, anyway? ."From fellow geeks at the Sword & Laser forum. We had a thread on robots. The book I'm reading on neuro..."
Thank you, Aloha.
Dustin wrote: "Jason wrote: "Dustin wrote: "Jason wrote: "Just started and after that I think I'll get back to my re-read of The Dark Tower with Wolves of the Calla."Sounds great..."
Excellent.
I've finished Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris this afternoon and now I'm reading White Oleander by Janet Fitch.
Ellie wrote: "I've finished Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris this afternoon and now I'm reading White Oleander by Janet Fitch."White Oleander is one of my favorite books! Hope you enjoy it!
Jason wrote: "Dustin wrote: "Jason wrote: "Dustin wrote: "Jason wrote: "Just started and after that I think I'll get back to my re-read of The Dark Tower with Wolves of the Calla...."I hope you enjoy the series, Jason.:)
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So...is it? I'm curious about that one.
Chris wrote: "I keep seeing that Sisters Brothers book posted and reposted, but don't see where anyone said it was good or not.So...is it? I'm curious about that one."
I haven't finished it just yet and it's definetely the type of novel where I won't be able to say if I liked it or not until I'm done. The best I can say so far is that reading it is addicting.
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Stephen King Fans
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I think these theories affect Moravec's hypothesis that a mind is ultimately a mathematical abstraction that can be transferred.