books

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The Illustrated Sherlock Holmes Treasury – (1887-1908 stories), by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

2016-11-18
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This may take me quite some time to read through.

Not the cover of my edition
Not the cover of my edition

Entertainment > Reading >

A classic work combining classic works.

I bought this because it’s considered one of the great works of literature and has survived into common culture. Though I can see why this would have been popular at the time, especially thanks to the forward saying that the brief writing style was rare, I don’t yet see why this would appeal to today’s person. Perhaps it’s just me, but so far I find the writing style rather insulting.

Unabridged:

  1. 1887 – A Study in Scarlet
  2. 1890 – The Sign of the Four
  3. 1892 – The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
  4. 1893 – The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
  5. 1902 – The Hound of the Baskervilles
  6. 1904 – The Return of Sherlock Holmes
  7. 1908 – The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge

  8. 1908 – The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans



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Freax volume 1 – (2005 book), by Tamas Polgar

2016-11-18
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TODO – import more of its archived text

This is on my list of books to re-read.

freax-volume-1-2005-by-tamas-polgar-cover

Entertainment > Reading >

www.freax.hu [ 1 ] on archive.org
http://www.maz-sound.com/FREAX/en/Intro/

A book on the history of the demoscene.

This is on history and itself has become a collectable piece of it. I bought and read this years ago.. probably in 2007 or thereabouts.

  • aka Freax volume 1. – A brief history of the computer demoscene
  • by by Tamas Polgar, aka Tomkatz / Madwizards
  • Copyright and published by CWS Verlag
  • ISBN (blank)

  • Available as an e-book.



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SJWs Always Lie – (2015 book), by Vox Day

2016-11-18
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sjws-always-lie-2015-08-25-cover

Entertainment > Reading >

(on Wikipedia)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014GMBUR4

A sort of “Art of War” on the the topic of the more recent so-called “Social Justice Warriors”.

Highly recommended, though not necessarily because of its topic. With history and opinion, and descriptions of tactics and rhetoric, it’s a fascinating set of opinions, positions and stories. I didn’t understand half of its references, but this sort of book reveals a kind of contemporary philosophic writing that I find fascinating.

I read this just after Free Speech Isn’t Free – (2016 book), by Roosh V, which I think helped a lot.



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The Fountainhead – (1943 book), by Ayn Rand

2016-09-29
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the-fountainhead-1943-book-by-ayn-rand-cover

Entertainment > Reading >

(on Wikipedia)
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0452273331

A famous work of philosophy, especially because it’s told using a story.

A terrible work of storytelling that entirely shrouds any philosophy it may have. From the first sentence I rolled my eyes and couldn’t make it through the first half-page before setting it down in disgust. I still haven’t been more than a handful of pages in.. it’s just so god damned bad.

This’ll sit on my shelf, among its betters, probably for years before I get around to trying to read more of it. Just as books in ancient Greek need translating, I think this needs a real writer to re-tell the story.



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Free Speech Isn’t Free – (2016 book), by Roosh V

2016-09-29
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free-speech-isnt-free-2016-book-by-roosh-v-cover

Entertainment > Reading >

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01GMQZ5ZA
https://www.rooshv.com/free-speech-isnt-free

Free Speech Isn’t Free – How 90 Men Stood Up Against The Establishment And Won, by Roosh Valizadeh

I like free speech, and already know the phrase “free speech isn’t free”, so this caught my attention.

It was cheap, and I’ve been making a habit of getting some more books in dead-tree format. I was bumbling around on Amazon when I found this. I have neither an idea who the author is nor do I know anything about this topic. I like that it’s “recent”.

After reading: It’s good storytelling, and even after its lengthy description of events I have definitely not heard of any of it. It describes the sorts of things people are willing to do once they succumb to an ideology, and the “two minutes of hate” they participate in. Even politicians must follow suit, if only with hollow rhetoric. Media are wholly in on it, as they are at best ambulance-chasers for entertainment-news, and at worst willing to start and stoke a fire to have any sort of relevancy.



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I’ve put in my 10,000 hours – update

2015-12-11
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Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell - cover

It was Aug 2009 when I wrote I’ve put in my 10,000 hours. Rather than updating that post, I’ll save it for history and completely rewrite it.

A long time ago, Malcolm Gladwell was on The Hour, and he talked about his “10,000-Hour Rule” from his book Outliers. When I saw that interview, I realized I’ve put in my 10,000 hours on a couple of topics now.

However, when I now think back on it, I see a big difference between the “expertise” 10,000 hours of intuitive interest, versus 10,000 hours of practice with a learned skill.



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Stephen Fry Live – More Fool Me – (2014 movie)

2015-10-11
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Stephen-Fry - More Fool Me (2014) cover 2

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4701426/

This is Stephen speaking on stage and then reading from his book, and not (really) a standup routine.

I like him, and this was enjoyable but not recommended unless a person already knows a bit of him. He is very personable and accessible to me.



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Reading and Writing Chinese – Third Edition – (2013 book)

2013-10-11
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Reading and Writing Chinese - Third Edition

Chinese > Books for learning Chinese >

Highly recommended – Mnemonics, multiple pictures for stroke order and details for each character’s difficulty level give this book a completely different approach from the others I own.

Feel free to change the Amazon.com URL from .com to your language of choice. Odds are good that it’ll be available from another amazon.foo website.

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Mandarin Chinese English Bilingual Visual Dictionary – (2008 book)

2013-10-11
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Mandarin Chinese English Bilingual Visual Dictionary

Chinese > Books for learning Chinese >

Highly recommended – A stark contrast to the traditional dictionary. Far more visual and friendly. Absolutely not a replacement for an actual dictionary.

Feel free to change the Amazon.com URL from .com to your language of choice. Odds are good that it’ll be available from another amazon.foo website.

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Oxford Beginner’s Chinese Dictionary – (2006 book)

2013-10-11
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Oxford Beginner's Chinese Dictionary

Chinese > Books for learning Chinese >

Recommended – This book has value above and beyond being a book of definitions.

Feel free to change the Amazon.com URL from .com to your language of choice. Odds are good that it’ll be available from another amazon.foo website.

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