Christopher > Recent Status Updates

Mostly fascinating, but at times incredibly dull. Luckily, those dull pages are not too numerous, dealing mostly with the back and forth governments of the early 1900s, few of which seem to have stood for more than a year.

I don't have any idea what the purpose of this book is, nor does it seem that the author did, either. Pretty much just a collection of anecdotes about "thinkers" that have had an outsize influence on the culture of Silicon Valley and with whom the author either has beef or who has fans with whom he has beef. Awful book.

So far it just seems like a collection of anecdotes about events in tax history, mostly but not exclusively those that make the concept of taxation seem out of touch.

So far, this is a compelling and enlightening view of legal cases from the Qing archives, telling the stories of the commoners who are otherwise so forgotten in the recording of history, while offering a glimpse into morals and norms during the centuries of Manchu rule.

It's getting better. Still pretty repetitive and I absolutely despise with a burning passion his tendency to give descriptions of people rather than giving their names, like, "an esteemed University of Virginia economist from the 1960s" instead of naming the guy. As a compulsive cross-referencer, nothing irritates me more.

I don't think I have the prurience to finish this book. There's nothing appealing in the lists of vulgar behaviors engaged in by hypocritical writers, even when they may deserve it for their own capitalizing on the carnal experiences of people in the public eye. I already knew that the Murdoch enterprise is pure schlock.

Exquisite.