Andrew Benesh > Recent Status Updates

I had never encountered the origin story of the Getty museum before. Paul Getty seems like a truly miserable person, but it's good that his wealth went towards something with great potential. I've known about the problems of antiquities looting for a while, but the brazenness that is documented here is disturbing.

Done! That was a satisfying ending. I can definitely understand reviews complaining about tropes and predictability, but honestly that's what I was looking for from this - a fun, pulpy story about Biden and Obama with some wry social commentary. It delivered!

That confrontation ended as expected, and was surprisingly satisfying!

Things are seriously escalating. Obama with a shotgun does not mess around.

The plot is thickening, but the real fun is still in Biden's commentary and reflections. I wish we got a little more Obama, and in hopeful Steve is going to continue to develop.

"All three of us had sunglasses on, both to disguise ourselves and to protect our eyes from the flourescent lighting that lit the room like John Boehner's tanning bed."

Jealous Biden is the best!

Sometimes you need something pulpy and fun that doesn't take much thinking or feel too serious. This is definitely hitting that mark so far.

Done! The last chapters were a good bookend on the escalating uncertainty. I particularly liked the attitude that ecosystems necessarily change, and the question should be less about stopping change and not about how and how much. The NASA chapter is a clever inversion of the theme that could be it's own book.

The green crab studies are the kind of research I wish was more common. They also illustrate the problems of science-based policy. The same can be said of the ballast research - the complexity is intense.

The smaller the organism, the more horrifying ballast water invasives become. Between the links to red tires in Florida and the spread of Cholera internationally, the issues of diatoms, viruses, and bacteria can't be safely overlooked. At the same time, the persistent question of inoculation success rates does provide a small comfort.

The detailed discussion of the cryptogenic species concept and problems with ecological invasion prediction and definition have been done of my favorite parts of this book. The isomorphism with non-biological systems is worth exploring.

The degree of macro and microscopic hitchhiking is incredible. I like how the author attend to the academic intergenerational patterns, and competing systems of organization.. This section provides an interesting challenge to the very notion of stable ecosystems and niches in a way prior chapters only hinted at.

The problems of invasive species in the ocean remind me a lot of the problems of understanding cetacean behavior and ecology - we interfered too much before recording data. The examination of microfauna transit is brilliant and terrifying - ballast water and ship hills seem like a totally ignored threat, especially compared to the attention to planes and people.

The mini island ecosystems are cool. I wish there were more depth in the discussion of the challenges of defining invasion, and how that impacts conservation strategies.

Lava flows + invasive species = bad news

I'm not sure what to think about the chapter on native Hawaiians and their relationship to introduced pigs. It felt a lot like a NIMBY argument that's more about anecdotal evidence for personal preference than real facts.

The soil entomology and drosophila chapter is exciting. I'm curious to see what difference exist between the exclusion zone and feral pig land.

The question of how to define the boundaries of an ecosystem could fill an entire book. But this was a nice summary.

The history of Hawai'i's native birds is fascinating. The observations about collective memory are particularly potent; what is "native" is in the eye of the beholder. The malaria analysis reminds me a lot of the Mosquito text I read a year or so ago - the bugs are basically unbeatable except on a climatological or reproductive level. I am curious about the ovipositor trapping method; I wonder what it would do in GA!

Chapter 3 felt a little brief, and wish there had been a little more explanation of terms and ideas (do parents know what gender stability and scripts are in this context?).

I appreciate the attention to detail on issues of advising teens on intimacy. I'm torn on the letter-in-the-wallet solution for police interactions; I worry it could lead to more problems rather than help.

Chapter 2 provides a thorough and empathetic guide for parents in navigating their child's transition. I appreciate the attention to gender-variant and nonbinary children, and the recognition of effects on siblings. The discussion of privacy vs secrecy could use more depth, but I understand why the authors erred on the side of letting families define their own boundaries.

Snake trapping and barrier design is a strange process.

The problems of measurement error and vector assessment for invasive species are fascinating. I may need to find a more scholarly work on the topic after this.

Done! I really like how the final chapter makes connections to larger social and political elements, as well as to modern military practice.

There a lot to say about the battle of Pydna; but I think the most important lesson is that of patience and discipline. More than any other battle, this felt like it could rapidly have gone the other way.

I'm kind of sad for Antiochus; he seemed relatively non-shitty and had every reason to expect a win. War elephants were a mistake!

The chance battle between the awesomely named Flaminius, and the less awesomely named Phillip, is hard to believe. Who would expect such a major event could result from a scouting run?!?

It's dad to see Pyrrhus go, but I appreciate the analysis of his tactics and personality. There definitely a mythical character about him.

I'm also feeling silly that I missed the color plates in the book, which have the detailed diagrams I thought the book was missing the chapters ago. Oops.

The chapter on Asculum and the origins of the phyrric victory is some of the clearest battle writing I've ever read!

I like how Cole goes out of his way to characterize the personality of the generals, and uses his own experience to validate battlefield claims.