July 17, 2012 at 10:56 pm
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Geeky Books
July 18, 2012 at 1:31 am
36 this year so far.
My library (planned is not complete, lots of other books planned not added, need to go through the piles on the table)
http://sqlinthewild.co.za/?now_reading_library=true
Most recent 'geeky' book. That would be the Carl Sagan book "The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark". It's more than a little anti-religious, so maybe read with caution. Very thought-provoking.
Would you be interested if I started tweeting books finished like Paul does?
Gail Shaw
Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverability
July 18, 2012 at 5:07 am
Steve,
Since you're concentrating on geeky books, let me suggest two by my favourite s-f writer, Neal Stephenson:
Cryptonomicon - World War II seen as a war between four mathematicians, who all attended school together. In part, it addresses a core question of information theory: given that you've cracked the enemy's encryption system, how do you prevent the enemy from realizing that you've done so? In practical terms, this plays out so: you know where the U-boats are. How many ships do you allow them to sink so they won't realize that you've cracked the code? How many soldiers and sailors do you send to the bottom of the sea?
Reamde - an real world adventure about tracking down the elusive hackers who have cracked your world-wide fantasy game, which unlike all other such games (at that time), provides a method of turning virtual currency into real-world currency?
Arthur
Arthur Fuller
cell: 647-710-1314
Only two businesses refer to their clients as users: drug-dealing and software development.
-- Arthur Fuller
July 18, 2012 at 5:39 am
'Cryptonomicon' is very good, but if we're on Neal Stephenson, don't forget his 'System of the World' trilogy, set in 1650-1720, about the rise of the modern systems of politics, finance and imperialism. Good reads and thought-provoking on every page. Also his first book, 'Snow Crash,' which seems to be coming true daily.
I can also highly recommend Stephen Ambrose's 'Undaunted Courage' about the Lewis and Clark expedition, an amazing story about a pivotal piece of American history.
But, yeah, reading keeps me sane with all the time I have to spend in my head building imaginary structures. Fiction, non-fiction mostly history and politics. And lately, the 'classics', Jane Austen, Robert Louis Stephenson, Henry James, etc. I'm discovering all the books I refused to read in school just because they were assigned.
And let's not forget the constant reading we all must do just to stay even with our own careers. In every section of IT, the knowledge is increasing exponentially. I sometimes wonder if we don't do more continuing education, in real hours spent studying, than the average doctor or lawyer.
Sigerson
"No pressure, no diamonds." - Thomas Carlyle
July 18, 2012 at 6:14 am
I'm really pressed for time this morning so can't fully answer your question, Steve (sorry).
One geeky book I've read this summer, and thoroughly enjoyed it, was "Zero Day" by Mark Russinovich.
Rod
July 18, 2012 at 6:42 am
Ken Follet is my favorite author but I've read everything so I've had to move on. The only book by Dan Brown I liked was Digital Fortress but the ending and in particular the password was very easy to guess. Barbarians At The Gates was the last book I read that was "non geek". The last geek books was Supermen about Seymour Cray and a few others.
Cheers
July 18, 2012 at 7:39 am
Just a couple weeks ago I finished a somewhat geeky book, "Red Shirts" by John Scalzi.
Yes the red shirts in question does refer back to a classic TV series where it seemed the way to be a guaranteed casualty was to be wearing a red shirt...
🙂
Jason
July 18, 2012 at 7:51 am
Yes the red shirts in question does refer back to a classic TV series where it seemed the way to be a guaranteed casualty was to be wearing a red shirt...
Very off-topic, but I once read a review about those 'red shirts,' saying that everytime you saw a previously unseen crew member wearing a red shirt, he was "dead meat." From that we evolved the "Dead Meat Index" which refers to any character placed into an unknown peril, with doom waiting right around the next corner: "His/her DMI is rising..."
Sigerson
"No pressure, no diamonds." - Thomas Carlyle
July 18, 2012 at 7:59 am
With the presence of a very young family, and a lack of travel with work, I'm unable to read as much as I would like to. I'll manage only a handful of books a year at best.
However the geeky book I am reading at this moment is "Why does E=mc2?: (and why should we care?)" by Brian Cox and Jeff Foreshaw. A brilliant dissection of Einstein's famous theory.
_____________________________________________________________________
[font="Comic Sans MS"]"The difficult tasks we do immediately, the impossible takes a little longer"[/font]
July 18, 2012 at 8:45 am
As a Stephenson fanatic, I would have mentioned "The Baroque Cycle" too, but guessed that three 1000+ page volumes is a bit of a commitment. That said, I loved the "history of science" aspect, with its coverage of the war between Newton and Leibniz.
Arthur Fuller
cell: 647-710-1314
Only two businesses refer to their clients as users: drug-dealing and software development.
-- Arthur Fuller
July 18, 2012 at 8:53 am
I've only read 2 of the books on the list, but I've read other books by several of the authors.
Currently, I'm deep into The Exegesis of Philip K. Dick by Philip K. Dick, Pamela Jackson, and Jonathan Lethem. I've been waiting over 10 years for it to be published.
Anything by Michio Kaku, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Bruce Sterling, or Neal Stephenson will eventually find a way into my shelves.
July 18, 2012 at 10:18 am
I can't believe no one has mentioned Asimov yet!
I Robot inspired both of the fields Robotics and Artificial Intelligence.
Another of my favorites is William Gibson. Neuromancer is a great read and one of the pioneering books of the cyber-punk style.
July 18, 2012 at 11:08 am
GilaMonster (7/18/2012)[hr
Would you be interested if I started tweeting books finished like Paul does?
Yes
July 18, 2012 at 11:09 am
fuller.artful (7/18/2012)
Cryptonomicon - World War II seen as a war between four mathematicians, who all attended school together. In part, it addresses a core question of information theory: given that you've cracked the enemy's encryption system, how do you prevent the enemy from realizing that you've done so? In practical terms, this plays out so: you know where the U-boats are. How many ships do you allow them to sink so they won't realize that you've cracked the code? How many soldiers and sailors do you send to the bottom of the sea?Reamde - an real world adventure about tracking down the elusive hackers who have cracked your world-wide fantasy game, which unlike all other such games (at that time), provides a method of turning virtual currency into real-world currency?
Arthur
Cryptonomicon was excellent. Haven't read "Readme", but I need to. I loved Snow Crash. Diamond Age was OK.
July 18, 2012 at 11:17 am
Sigerson (7/18/2012)
'Cryptonomicon' is very good, but if we're on Neal Stephenson, don't forget his 'System of the World' trilogy,
Will add to my list.
But, yeah, reading keeps me sane with all the time I have to spend in my head building imaginary structures. Fiction, non-fiction mostly history and politics. And lately, the 'classics', Jane Austen, Robert Louis Stephenson, Henry James, etc. I'm discovering all the books I refused to read in school just because they were assigned.
I mix them up. If you haven't read Gore Vidal's Lincoln, it's good. Fiction, but based in real history.
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