one thing I like about books is how they don't have popup videos
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Left goodreads a while back, nice to get organized with my reading again, especially as part of the #fediverse. Links to my other accounts and sites at philipchu.com/
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technicat's books
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technicat
boosted
technicat
boosted
Samson, he of the long hair and grand stature wishes you a #HappyCaturday!
7/12/24 — Open 6-9p. No open drinks, please.
Wouldn't he look good in a red cape with an "S" on his chest?
He'd hate it, but he'd look good!
There might be a Superman comic or two lying around here, if anyone's interested.
technicat reviewed Valiant Ambition by Nathaniel Philbrick
more like Benedict Arnold, Season One
4 stars
This is a pretty fascinating read, especially as despite the inordinate amount of so-called American History taught in school I didn't know anything about Benedict Arnold (aside from wondering whether eggs benedict was named after him, and no). It does end suddenly, after, and I hope this is not a spoiler, Arnold was found to be a traitor, the heretofore flailing democracy rallied at his assholery (why isn't this happening now?), and, another spoiler, the last 180 pages are images, bibliographic notes, the actual notes, and the index, and a teaser of Benedict Arnold Season Two where he fights on the British side (I went to wikipedia to see what happens next). In the meantime, the author paints a picture of Arnold's ambition, talent, greed, and narcisstic personality (he would have been a great tech ceo) and the marked contrast to George Washington, plus a colorful supporting cast, including self-interested …
This is a pretty fascinating read, especially as despite the inordinate amount of so-called American History taught in school I didn't know anything about Benedict Arnold (aside from wondering whether eggs benedict was named after him, and no). It does end suddenly, after, and I hope this is not a spoiler, Arnold was found to be a traitor, the heretofore flailing democracy rallied at his assholery (why isn't this happening now?), and, another spoiler, the last 180 pages are images, bibliographic notes, the actual notes, and the index, and a teaser of Benedict Arnold Season Two where he fights on the British side (I went to wikipedia to see what happens next). In the meantime, the author paints a picture of Arnold's ambition, talent, greed, and narcisstic personality (he would have been a great tech ceo) and the marked contrast to George Washington, plus a colorful supporting cast, including self-interested politicians, an ungrateful public, long-suffering soldiers, ambitious generals, and Arnold's apparently really hot wife. Really, wish they taught this in school.
technicat finished reading Valiant Ambition by Nathaniel Philbrick
technicat reviewed My own country by Abraham Verghese
By the bestselling author of Cutting for Stone, a story of medicine in the American …
by the way, still around with no vaccine
5 stars
The current lackadaisical attitude toward pandemics is bad enough, but this book is a reminder (not that long ago, the Reagan AIDS years) of what total indifference looks like, as long as the disease is seen as targeting a marginalized community. I found the book to be a semi-slog, I mean, it's a chronicle of suffering, but nothing compared to the author who actually endured it during five years of treating AIDS patients in a non-supportive (with occasional surprising exceptions) environment, in addition to the stresses it added to his home life and his identity as an outsider (Indian descent, born and raised in Africa, practicing in the rural south). It's just a slice of his life (at the end I wondered where his life journey went on from there), but autobiographical and imbued with outrage and melancholy.
technicat finished reading My own country by Abraham Verghese
My own country by Abraham Verghese, A. Verghese
By the bestselling author of Cutting for Stone, a story of medicine in the American heartland, and confronting one's deepest …
technicat quoted Valiant Ambition by Nathaniel Philbrick
Since republics rely on the inherent virtue of the people, they are exceedingly fragile. All it takes is one well-placed person to destroy everything.
technicat started reading Hiking Las Vegas by Branch Whitney
technicat wants to read Banker to the Poor by Muhammad Yunus
technicat
boosted
Picked up this book from the used bin of my local bookstore yesterday: You Are Not A Gadget by Jaron Lanier. Written in 2010 but very prescient and relevant to our current techno cultural world. It examines the ways in which software and technology shape thought and society.
#BookStodon #nonfiction #technology
1/N
technicat
boosted
You own more than 75,000 books. Yes, they are yours! Come get them!
technicat wants to read The Chinese Typewriter: A History by Thomas S. Mullaney
The Chinese Typewriter: A History by Thomas S. Mullaney
Chinese writing is character based, the one major world script that is neither alphabetic nor syllabic. Through the years, the …
technicat
boosted
Surprising even myself, I'm open NOW for Dayton, OH Oregon District Small Biz "Independent's Day!"
7/5/25 — Open until 9p. No open drinks, please.
Visit our brand-new neighbor Blind Rage Records, a bunch guest street vendors, & all the great neighborhood shops, bars, & restaurants here daily!
