Reviews and Comments

got it on audiobook, really enjoyed it. some very interesting topics discussed, fascinating facts. and all told in the light-hearted way the Map Men are known for on youtube.

on audiobook it's narrated by them, each chapter feels kind of like a long youtube piece, with all their humour and style coming through.

very well done, and if you enjoy their youtube channel you'll probably enjoy this too.

audiobook does come with a pdf of the maps if you want, though i found aside from a brief look at the map for each chapter, it wasn't really necessary to keep it open.

this book was incredible. don't have the spoons to write a proper review right now, hopefully soon, but one of the best books i've ever read.

God, this book is just phenomenally good. not finished it yet but it's just so insightful and well thought out, and really well written (and the voice actor / narrator is great too).

Very interesting, beginner-friendly guide to functional programming and Elixir. What is functional programming, why is it worth learning, and how does Elixir behave.

My main criticism would be the pacing. Almost all of the book is paced well; concepts are not laboured (there's a distinct lack of 'five pages explaining the difference between float and integer'), and it all feels good. Except for one chapter - the 'main' chapter where you build an application - it feels like the pacing is doubled or even tripled. Maybe that is just me being a novice, but I felt that chapter could have been paced as two or three chapters and felt better for me.

But I'd still recommend it - it's a really good book. I think I will probably just need to review that one chapter a few more times before it really sinks in.

Book review: Blood in the Machine, by Brian Merchant.

Chant no more your old rhymes about bold Robin Hood, His feats I but little admire. I will sing the achievements of General Ludd, Now the hero of Nottinghamshire.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a rare book which felt like it opened my eyes to something new; almost life-changing in some sense with the shift in perspective. The story of the Luddites and their fight to protect their way of life.

Nowadays of course, we think of a Luddite as a backwards, anti-technology person. Indeed, we use the word as an insult, to describe somebody who doesn't keep up with the times. But this is an excellent example of 'history written by the victors'.

The Luddites had a good, fulfilling way of life - they worked to their own schedule, they spent time with their families. They had a career for life, with progression guaranteed. They were weavers, knitters, stockingers, and the surrounding trades. Crucially, they relied heavily on technology to provide this way of life.

What they fought against was not technology, but automation and the factory system which allowed the new entrepreneurial class to rewrite the fabric of society - without their consent and against the laws of the time - in order to redistribute wealth into their hands. The technology which allowed the wealthy to deny them work and good wages, which forced them into a life of working for the benefit of the factory owners. In the words of the Luddite George Mellor, "a soul is of more value than work or gold."

The book gives a fascinating insight into a time of profound change, and compares it with our modern era where we can see many of the same patterns being repeated. The Luddites are written about with compassion and humanity, and Merchant gives them a respect and dignity which history has denied them.

You always know you're in for a good adventure when Rincewind is around. Along with his trusty many-legged companion, The Luggage.

This was a fun read. Wizards, 'Sourcery', lots of fireballs and fun times.

Really not much to complain about here - much less of the satire and social commentary Sir Terry is known for in his later style, but a fun, quick-paced adventure in a quirky fantasy world.

#GNUTerryPratchett