Nosemonkey > Recent Status Updates

This is very good, but sadly have only managed to get 13 lectures in out of 36, and it's leaving Audible after tomorrow. Some of the clearest, easiest to follow explanations of quantum mechanics I've come across. I almost felt like I understood string theory for the first time...

The tech (and hype) has moved on a bit in the 5-6 years since this came out, so I nearly gave up early on - but it turns out this is a bit more nuanced than I was expecting. Lots of relatively interesting stuff on how VR experiences affect people psychologically, which has all sorts of interesting implications for the impact and ethics of virtual worlds - assuming all this metaverse hype really happens, of course.

Intro was very promising, but confess to have skipped chunks of the Pissarro chapter, primarily due to a combination of my lack of knowledge of French radical politics in the 1880s-90s and not really liking the main painting being focused on. Next chapter is on Cezanne and Freudianism by the sound of things, so back on more familiar territory.

For a short book with short chapters, this is pretty dense and confusing in places. Finding it hard to follow who's who and what's what.

This is extremely impressive in its depth and world-building, and beautifully translated. Historical fiction at its best - albeit I found it a little hard to keep track of what's what and who's who in the opening couple of hundred pages.

This is very good. I kinda hated the Earthsea Trilogy as a kid, as it was far too slow and subtle in comparison to all the other fantasy novels I was reading at the time. This put me off the rest of Le Guin for far too long. Gradually starting to rectify that.

This book of essays with a loosely feminist focus, despite some being 45 years old now, is depressingly current - from trans rights to abortion.

This is very good. Clear and easy to follow. Could do with fewer slightly dated pop culture references, though.

Another dog walking audiobook. Pretty decent, even if I'm occasionally finding the logic hard to follow. But that's often the case with economics logic, TBH.

Strangely zen, this. Don't think I'm taking much in, and am certain I'm not understanding it all, but am enjoying it, sentence by sentence.

This is biiiiig. And confusing. And excellent, so far.

Annoying American narrator on the Audible audiobook version, but very good, this. A nice thematic selection, and ideal for dog walking listening. Might well pick up a physical version for reference.

Old fashioned, very late-20th century American attitudes towards many things, with the writing/editing advice all designed for generating mass appeal, and lots of stating of the obvious and cod psychology. But there are some nuggets of useful insight in here, and the examples / re-writes are usually good - even if I disagree with some of the preferred approaches.

Whimsical, this. Well written, though.

Still very well done, the audiobook version of this. Dipping back into the print version for maps and references, but narrator Ralph Cosham does a genuinely excellent job. (Not sure of his pronunciation of 'Milan Kundera' or 'the Netherlands', though...)

I haven't read a Stephen King book in something like 30 years, but had heard this was good, spotted it in a charity shop for three quid today, and have ended up reading almost half of it in one sitting. The memoir bit should have been of no interest, but sucked me in - and now I'm on to the real writing advice, it may be time to revisit his novels. I agree with almost all of it.

This is good fun. Very readable. Nothing new to me yet, but then it's early days - and my bullshit detector is usually pretty decent anyway...

Big chunky book, this, so have been listening to a rather good audiobook edition on walks, then returning to the physical copy to cross-reference translations and check footnotes. Excellent.

Biiiiig chunky book, this, so got the audio version and have been listening to be it on walks. Slightly different text (mostly the translations), but skimming back through afterwards => excellent.

A re-read in hybrid audiobook form, and it's a *really* good reading, by a guy called Ralph Cosham.

Very good this, so far. Wonderfully honest.

Decent so far, in that typical literary allegory kind of a way. Not sure if it'll successfully extend for another 200 pages, and the internal logic doesn't quite seem to stack up (how can the objects disappear from memories, but the names of those objects be retained?), but we'll see.

Dated, obviously, but still has its moments.

Good series of lectures, this. Shame it's leaving Audible soon.

I want to read me some William James now...

This is an incredibly difficult book to understand, which is a good chunk of the reason why I gave up on it for so long. To work out its meaning it feels like you have to have read almost everything that's ever been written - and have a deep knowledge of Hindu traditions and the French Revolution to boot.