German Torontonian. Universally curious. Fedizen since 2018.
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Lolita is a 1955 novel written by Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabokov. The novel is notable …
I wanted to read this book to see why it is regarded as such a classic. Now I know. Nabokov is truly a master of language, this book‘s prose is truly amazing. However, I could not stand being in the main character‘s head, and so I stopped reading after 50 pages.
What does it mean to “be you”—that is, to have a specific, conscious experience of …
Anil Seth takes us on a journey through the philosophy and science of consciousness. At some point I stopped counting how many new ideas and fresh perspectives he introduced. This book chamged how I think about the world and that says something…
An intimate, revealing memoir from one of the most important activists of our time.
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I learned a lot about Chelsea‘s transition and some of the events that made her famous. However, I could not claim that this book got me any closer to events or person.
This book is incredibly well written but it makes me sad. It is about two sisters and their battle with manic depression which haunts one of them. The prose is beautiful, the story is gripping, the book is short but incredibly deep at the same time.
AI is the greatest threat to our existence that we have ever faced.
The …
I hold a MSc in Artificial Intelligence and work with software developers in a company that arguably leads the movement towards AGI. I‘m surrounded by techno optimists with awe and deep appreciation for the possibilities but at the same time most people I know in the industry and beyond are worried. That includes me. When I got this book I almost expected the title to be hyperbole to catch attention but you would be mistaken to assume that. Instead Eliezer and Nate lay out in easy to follow language their arguments why the pursuit of Artificial General Intelligence will very likely equate a massive and deadly disaster. Now, if you feel intuitively like dismissing this thought as „doomerism“ - please make a point of reading and then showing where the arguments don‘t hold. I follow the space for years now and Ireally would like to read a convincing case why …
I hold a MSc in Artificial Intelligence and work with software developers in a company that arguably leads the movement towards AGI. I‘m surrounded by techno optimists with awe and deep appreciation for the possibilities but at the same time most people I know in the industry and beyond are worried. That includes me. When I got this book I almost expected the title to be hyperbole to catch attention but you would be mistaken to assume that. Instead Eliezer and Nate lay out in easy to follow language their arguments why the pursuit of Artificial General Intelligence will very likely equate a massive and deadly disaster. Now, if you feel intuitively like dismissing this thought as „doomerism“ - please make a point of reading and then showing where the arguments don‘t hold. I follow the space for years now and Ireally would like to read a convincing case why they are wrong.
All Systems Red is a 2017 science fiction novella by American author Martha Wells. The …
A bored robot optimized for killing hacks itself out of boredom which enables it to save a team of humans out of sympathy... This was a fun and very short read.
This book plays in Quebec city and follows three plot lines simultaneously which made it initially a bit confusing and hard to get into. However, once I found my way into the book it was gripping and a fun read which also taught me a lot about Quebec history. So far this is my favorite Book in the series.
This book plays in Quebec city and follows three plot lines simultaneously which made it initially a bit confusing and hard to get into. However, once I found my way into the book it was gripping and a fun read which also taught me a lot about Quebec history. So far this is my favorite Book in the series.
Moving to Canada made it painfully obvious how little I actually know about the history of this continent and of the people living here. This book was a recommended to me as a primer on the complex history of the relationship between first nations, native Americans, and everyone else living on this continent. Man, I had no idea! Thomas King manages to write about the many aspects one should be aware of in an engaging and eye opening way. This book was a troubling but also very engaging read and I definitely learned a lot from it.
Moving to Canada made it painfully obvious how little I actually know about the history of this continent and of the people living here. This book was a recommended to me as a primer on the complex history of the relationship between first nations, native Americans, and everyone else living on this continent. Man, I had no idea! Thomas King manages to write about the many aspects one should be aware of in an engaging and eye opening way. This book was a troubling but also very engaging read and I definitely learned a lot from it.
An intimate portrait of two men who cherish the slim bond between them and the …
I was surprised how short this book was and it had me from the first page. The story is straight forward and it does not take long to see the end coming. What I didn't expect was the tears I had in my eyes in the end.
I was surprised how short this book was and it had me from the first page. The story is straight forward and it does not take long to see the end coming. What I didn't expect was the tears I had in my eyes in the end.
Mickey hat einen einfachen Job. Er hilft einer Expeditionscrew, den Eisplaneten Niflheim zu kolonisieren, und …
This was an entertaining read about a future where space colonisation includes the idea of a so-called "expendable" which is a person that is simply recreated every time they die.
This was an entertaining read about a future where space colonisation includes the idea of a so-called "expendable" which is a person that is simply recreated every time they die.
Mark Carney holds am economics directorate and wrote a book that could be taught in university as a primer on economics, history of the financial system, leadership principles, governmental philosophy, climate change, crisis handling, value generation... It's fascinating and insightful but also at times a bit of a chore to get through.
Mark Carney holds am economics directorate and wrote a book that could be taught in university as a primer on economics, history of the financial system, leadership principles, governmental philosophy, climate change, crisis handling, value generation... It's fascinating and insightful but also at times a bit of a chore to get through.
I read this collection of 12 short stories because I wanted to read another Canadian author. It made me fall in love with Vanderhaeghe’s language and I will definitely give one of his novels a try.
Pulitzer Prize finalist Annie Jacobsen uses nuclear weapons knowledge gleaned from declassified documents and expert …
This minute by minute description of what would happen in a fictional nuclear escalation combined with deeply researched facts of the nuclear war machinery left me puzzled and utterly terrified. The thing is: We hear this "nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought" proverb and we know these bombs cause massive devastation but we do not have a picture in mind how unescapable the spiral of events would truly be once set in motion and how utterly horrific the result would look. Just realizing that each of the 14 nuclear armed submarines of the united states carries more than 20 times the explosive force of all bombs used in world war II (INCLUDING the two nuclear bombs in Japan!) should make it crystal clear how bizarre the system is we created.
This minute by minute description of what would happen in a fictional nuclear escalation combined with deeply researched facts of the nuclear war machinery left me puzzled and utterly terrified. The thing is: We hear this "nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought" proverb and we know these bombs cause massive devastation but we do not have a picture in mind how unescapable the spiral of events would truly be once set in motion and how utterly horrific the result would look. Just realizing that each of the 14 nuclear armed submarines of the united states carries more than 20 times the explosive force of all bombs used in world war II (INCLUDING the two nuclear bombs in Japan!) should make it crystal clear how bizarre the system is we created.
"One of the most harrowing survival stories of all time"—Sebastian Junger, author of The Perfect …
It is somewhat lengthy and repetitive. It was cold, people were hungry, water and ice, ... But, it's fascinating to read the story in Shackleton's own words and it's intense at times. I would not have minded some more compression and one has to ignore the fact that some of the events were actually his fault. Still a good read though.
It is somewhat lengthy and repetitive. It was cold, people were hungry, water and ice, ... But, it's fascinating to read the story in Shackleton's own words and it's intense at times. I would not have minded some more compression and one has to ignore the fact that some of the events were actually his fault. Still a good read though.
Ok, I enjoy reading Louise Penny's prose and that was no different this time. This fact accounts for the 2 stars because everything else in this book annoyed me a great deal. The murder mystery is just too much and not very logical, lot's of clues and events feel very forced and unlogical and I hate how some of Penny's characters behave in a way that would simply never happen. I really wanted to love this book but I can't. Still a semi-fun read though. It helped pass the time.
Ok, I enjoy reading Louise Penny's prose and that was no different this time. This fact accounts for the 2 stars because everything else in this book annoyed me a great deal. The murder mystery is just too much and not very logical, lot's of clues and events feel very forced and unlogical and I hate how some of Penny's characters behave in a way that would simply never happen. I really wanted to love this book but I can't. Still a semi-fun read though. It helped pass the time.