Andrew Benesh > Recent Status Updates

Done! I really like how these characters came together. While it doesn't have quite the emotional intensity of solve of Chuck's other books, the ensemble really works. I'd definitely read more books on this series.

The intensity has really spiked the last few chapters. Given the scope of Typhon, it's hard to imagine this ending well. I'm curious about Zheng and the Chinese govt's part to play.

So many twists! I love it! As ever, Chuck walks the fine line of "crazy people who are right this one time" very well.

Wade is rapidly becoming my favorite character. I'm curious about the next stage of the Typhon reveal.

That cave but is seriously creepy.

The plot thickens! I like the graying of the characters; it creates more tension and room for growth. The reframing is Ken has been interesting; Copper also feels much more alive now.

Chance and DeAndre are really growing on me. I'm curious about redemption arcs for Reagan. I expect Wade has some secrets to tell.

The group dynamic had some promise. The inklings of cohesion are there.

The opening is a bit long-winded, but the content is generally solid. I appreciate the metaphor of goal setting as a North Star rather than a map, and respecting the freedom to deviate from the course.

Part I has introduced solve interesting characters. This isn't as vulgar as most of Chuck's other writing, which feels strange. I miss the piss and vinegar of Miriam Black and Atlanta Burns. Maybe this will grow into it?

Done! I wish we got a little more of sis, but that ending was the only way this could end. I feel bad for Sifo, because he knows what's happening. I have many questions now about the Dooku-Yoda relationship.

Poor Sifo! Dooku's turn is sympathetic. I like the CW setup here.

Done! Impressively, the rest of the book is footnotes and images! The possibilities in the last chapter are exciting, and I'd love to see the book updated every 5 years or so to capture our changing knowledge.

The medical and pest control applications are promising, but also raise real concerns about quality control. I'm not sure we'll reach the designer microbiome level being described here with the linear thinking being used to generate it.

Horizontal Gene Transfer between animals and bacteria is a scary and incredible thing. It puts people's fears of GMOs to shame.

This chapter's exploration of how symbiont microbes facilitate digestion of previously inaccessible foods feels like a great example of the extend phenotype concept. The ability of bacterial genes to shape entire ecosystems can't be overlooked!

I agree with the author that the hologenome concept is a bit too fuzzy still, but I don't agree with the assessment that it's essentially just symbiosis. Without attending to nonsummativity, we won't adequately capture what's really happening.

I appreciate the skepticism and focus on internal validity in the last part of this chapter. There's a lot of room for unhelpful speculation here. Way the same time, the lack of analyses to capture systemic causality seems like a major limit to treating their models.

The dysbiosis valley concept and ecological causation framework resonate a lot with systems thinking.

I appreciate the nuanced look at symbiosis as a conflicting rather than harmonious concept. The symbiont bacteria concept is hard to believe.

Huh. You'd think these events would make the Jedi more willing to accept the idea that there was a With Lord in their midsts. The corruption here is remarkable.

This is seriously heavy.

And then the sister plot babe back with a vengence! This is high quality drama!

I like how the relationship between Dooku & Sifo continues to develop; you can feel the trust and caring. I feel like the sister sorry has gotten a little lost. The voice acting for the young versions is excellent.

I really like the author's practical approach here. They take topics that often times are handled very abstractly and other texts and provide a real-world guidance for parents. At the same time they avoid a one-size-fits-all approach, and recognizes each family must find its own solutions two difficult topics like disclosure and transitioning.

I was wondering if they'd address the idea of psychobiotics. I'm more than frustrated with the leaps of logic around supposed mouse models of autism and schizophrenia, but the larger notion seems promising.

This feels very Hogwarts.

I like the focus on symbiosis rather than pathology a lot.

The historical section has some cool retellings of classic science history stories!

Kid Dooku & Sifo are THE BEST.