BookWyrm

Hunting_Phoenix rated The Dorito effect: 4 stars

Mark Schatzker: The Dorito effect (2015)

The Dorito effect by Mark Schatzker

"In The Dorito Effect, Mark Schatzker shows us how our approach to the nation's number one public health crisis has …

Hunting_Phoenix rated Leviathan Falls: 4 stars

James S.A. Corey: Leviathan Falls (2021, Little, Brown Book Group Limited)

Leviathan Falls by James S.A. Corey (The Expanse, #9)

The Laconian Empire has fallen, setting the thirteen hundred solar systems free from the rule of Winston Duarte. But the …

Hunting_Phoenix rated Star Wars: Lesser Evil: 3 stars

Timothy Zahn: Star Wars: Lesser Evil (Paperback, 2022, Del Rey)

Star Wars: Lesser Evil by Timothy Zahn (Thrawn Ascendancy, #3)

The fate of the Chiss Ascendancy hangs in the balance in the epic finale of the Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy …

Hunting_Phoenix rated Star Wars: Greater Good: 3 stars

Timothy Zahn: Star Wars: Greater Good (Paperback, 2022, Random House Publishing Group)

Star Wars: Greater Good by Timothy Zahn (Thrawn Ascendancy, #2)

Thrawn's latest triumph still rests newly on his shoulders. He has led the Chiss to victory and brought glory to …

Hunting_Phoenix rated Algorithms to live by: 5 stars

Brian Christian: Algorithms to live by (2016, Henry Holt and Company)

Algorithms to live by by Brian Christian

Algorithms to Live By looks at the simple, precise algorithms that computers use to solve the complex 'human' problems that …

Hunting_Phoenix rated The Children of Húrin: 3 stars

J.R.R. Tolkien: The Children of Húrin (2007, HarperCollins Publishers)

The Children of Húrin by J.R.R. Tolkien

The ‘Great Tale’ of The Children of Húrin, set during the legendary time before The Lord of the Rings. Morgoth, …

Hunting_Phoenix rated Digital Minimalism: 4 stars

Cal Newport: Digital Minimalism (Hardcover, 2019, Portfolio)

Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport

Digital minimalists are all around us. They're the calm, happy people who can hold long conversations without furtive glances at …

Hunting_Phoenix rated Tau Zero: 4 stars

Poul Anderson: Tau Zero (Paperback, 2018, Open Road Media Sci-Fi & Fantasy)

Tau Zero by Poul Anderson

Poul Anderson's Tau Zero is an outstanding work of science fiction, in part because it combines two qualities that are …

Hunting_Phoenix rated Rendezvous with Rama: 5 stars

Arthur C. Clarke: Rendezvous with Rama (Paperback, 1991, Orbit)

Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke (Rama, #1)

Written in 1973, a massive 50 kilometre long alien cylinder begins to pass through the solar system provoking a hurried …

Hunting_Phoenix rated The Left Hand of Darkness: 3 stars

Ursula K. Le Guin: The Left Hand of Darkness (Paperback, 2018, Orion Publishing Co)

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin (Hainish Cycle, #4)

[Comment by Kim Stanley Robinson, on The Guardian's website][1]: The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K Le Guin (1969) …

Hunting_Phoenix reviewed Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline (Ready Player One, #2)

Ernest Cline, Ernest Cline: Ready Player Two (Hardcover, 2020, Ballantine Books)

An unexpected quest. Two worlds at stake. Are you ready?

Days after Oasis founder James …

Review of 'Ready Player Two' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

RP1 caught lightning in a bottle. RP2, like Armada, didn't. Where RP1 was a fun romp though various bits of pop culture, this felt more like the RP1 film, with a confusing mashup deep-dive of everything related to it's chosen pop references. It just felt different. Where RP1, if you didn't get the reference, it was fine, it was explained a bit and you kept moving. Buckle up for RP2 though, because we're going to be talking about how great this or that for a while yet.

RP2 is a an empty bottle.

Hunting_Phoenix reviewed Who Are You? by Alex Custodio (Platform Studies, #10)

Alex Custodio: Who Are You? (Hardcover, 2020, MIT Press)

The Game Boy Advance platform as computational system and cultural artifact, from its 2001 release …

Review of 'Who Are You?' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

An interesting take on the 20 (or so) year old GBA. "Who Are You" continues the high quality seen in the other books in the Platform Studies series, and builds off them. The previous exploration of the SNES is particularly relevant here.

The hardware variations of the system are explored, as are the systems ancestors and descendants, where relevant. This was on point without being terribly technical. I wouldn't have minded a little bit more here, but I suppose I could be the minority there.

I found the discussion of the impact of use on the system's materials interesting, but may need to agree to disagree with the author on particular points.

There's a chapter on the social aspects of the system next, which I found acceptable.

The sections on platformizing the experiences and the ways in which fans are contributing to the continued life of the system are the …

An interesting take on the 20 (or so) year old GBA. "Who Are You" continues the high quality seen in the other books in the Platform Studies series, and builds off them. The previous exploration of the SNES is particularly relevant here.

The hardware variations of the system are explored, as are the systems ancestors and descendants, where relevant. This was on point without being terribly technical. I wouldn't have minded a little bit more here, but I suppose I could be the minority there.

I found the discussion of the impact of use on the system's materials interesting, but may need to agree to disagree with the author on particular points.

There's a chapter on the social aspects of the system next, which I found acceptable.

The sections on platformizing the experiences and the ways in which fans are contributing to the continued life of the system are the best chapters, by far.

Overall, I enjoyed "Who Are You, " learned a moderate amount about the system, and appreciate the insight and thought that went into the social and societal study of the GBA.