A joyously silly book full of impractical wisdom from a bygone era. As an artifact from the 1980s, it will steep you more firmly in the decade than a Netflix marathon of "Cheers" or "Dallas."
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schmudde rated The Man Who Knew Too Much: 3 stars
Review of 'How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found' on Goodreads
A joyously silly book full of impractical wisdom from a bygone era. As an artifact from the 1980s, it will steep you more firmly in the decade than a Netflix marathon of "Cheers" or "Dallas."
schmudde reviewed Diamond Sutra by Mu, Soeng.
Review of 'Diamond Sutra' on Goodreads
5 stars
The most potent quality of this book is the respect afforded to the readers. The author's annotations are both succinct and useful.
The most potent quality of this book is the respect afforded to the readers. The author's annotations are both succinct and useful.
schmudde rated Waking the Deaf Dog: 5 stars
schmudde reviewed The Dream Machine by M. Mitchell Waldrop
Review of 'The Dream Machine' on Goodreads
4 stars
In the end, a rather fantastic overview of a difficult subject to capture: computer networking and interaction. Both of these concepts are intangible so the author rightfully attempted to describe them through their human proponents. Waldrop does a commendable job of balancing a large cast of characters. Some contributors are inevitably overlooked, but it makes for a good introduction for deeper study.
schmudde reviewed The soul of a new machine by Tracy Kidder
"The Soul of a New Machine" is a non-fiction book written by Tracy Kidder and …
Review of 'The Soul Of A New Machine' on Goodreads
4 stars
This is a special book that captures a time not to long ago in human years, but ancient history in tech years - an era that I believe is woefully under-documented in comparison to the life and times of the personal computer.
Kidder takes a banal subject, the engineering of a minicomputer, and captures the heart behind the effort. It also manages to be an insight into management techniques and technical processes, but never gets bogged down in either one.
Kidder romances a little too much for my taste and sometimes it's difficult to keep track of the engineers and get a feel for their idiosyncrasies. However, it's probably the best book of its kind and his ability to tell a nimble story is superb.
This is a special book that captures a time not to long ago in human years, but ancient history in tech years - an era that I believe is woefully under-documented in comparison to the life and times of the personal computer.
Kidder takes a banal subject, the engineering of a minicomputer, and captures the heart behind the effort. It also manages to be an insight into management techniques and technical processes, but never gets bogged down in either one.
Kidder romances a little too much for my taste and sometimes it's difficult to keep track of the engineers and get a feel for their idiosyncrasies. However, it's probably the best book of its kind and his ability to tell a nimble story is superb.
schmudde rated Wasting time on the Internet: 5 stars
Kenneth Goldsmith: Wasting time on the Internet (2016)
Wasting time on the Internet by Kenneth Goldsmith
Using clear, readable prose, conceptual artist and poet Kenneth Goldsmith's manifesto shows how our time on the internet is not …
schmudde reviewed The computer and the brain by John Von Neumann (Mrs. Hepsa Ely Silliman memorial lectures)
This second edition has a foreword by Churchland & Churchland (c) 2000
Review of 'The computer and the brain' on Goodreads
5 stars
It's a shame it was never completed. However, I love the "cliff hanger" ending which calls into question the way in which we model the world arithmetically in artificial system.
It's a shame it was never completed. However, I love the "cliff hanger" ending which calls into question the way in which we model the world arithmetically in artificial system.
schmudde reviewed Cybernetic Revolutionaries by Eden Medina
In Cybernetic Revolutionaries, Eden Medina tells the history of two intersecting utopian visions, one political …
Review of 'Cybernetic revolutionaries' on Goodreads
3 stars
Fascinating, well researched graduate thesis published as a widely distributed book. Although it is not always concise, the information contained inside is a valuable look into the politics and culture that every powerful technology inherently embodies.
schmudde rated The Erotic Mind: 4 stars
Markings by Dag Hammarskjöld (Vintage spiritual classics)
Noise by Bart Kosko
schmudde reviewed The annotated Turing by Charles Petzold
Review of 'The annotated Turing' on Goodreads
5 stars
Excellent storytelling underpins the technical details that made Turing's paper such a stunning and important leap of imagination.
Excellent storytelling underpins the technical details that made Turing's paper such a stunning and important leap of imagination.
schmudde rated The death and life of great American cities: 5 stars
The death and life of great American cities by Jane Jacobs
"This book is an attack on current methods of city planning and rebuilding. It is also an explanation of new …