Reviews and Comments

Van Tulleken’s work here is an outstanding compilation and explanation of dozens of research studies, historical events, and personal observations tying the state of the current obesity epidemic to the growth of the ultra-processed food industry.

His conclusions are well supported with research making his commentary poignant and powerful. Unfortunately, while he tries to provide some hope with a few methods for change, the reality of our world, our government, and capitalism make it clear that we’ll likely never have any systemic change, so any change to how we eat must be ultimately personal.

Van Tulleken puts UPF on a spectrum. While avoiding all UPF is desirable, some are worse than others simply based on the quantity of non-kitchen ingredients. And, identifying UPF is difficult. Trying to follow the simple rule that an ingredient one would not find in a normal household kitchen denotes UPF is a nice start, but it isn’t always that simple.

I really like his stance, that we shouldn’t judge people for what they eat, and we should just do our best to eat real food. And, don’t nag.

At the beginning of chapter 18, Van Tulleken summarizes the findings outlined previously in the book before moving into the ideas for moving forward. I’ve tried to record those conclusions below.

Summary from Chapter 18 -- The processing makes UPF soft, which means it is eaten quickly and a person consumes more calories per minute and don’t feel full until long after finished. ---- Can reduce facial bone size and bone density, which can lead to dental issues. -- UPF typically has a very high calorie density because it is dry and high in fat and sugar, providing more calories per mouthful. -- UPF displaces diverse whole foods from the diet, especially among low income groups. ---- UPF is often micro-nutrient deficient, which also contributes to excess consumption -- Mismatches between taste signals in the mouth and the nutrition content arriving in the gut alters metabolism and alters appetite in ways we are just beginning to understand, but seem to drive excess consumption. -- Ultra-processed food is addictive, meaning for some people binges are unavoidable. -- The emulsifiers, preservatives, modified starches and other additives damage our microbiomes, allowing inflammatory bacteria to flourish and causing our guts to leak. -- The convenience, marketing, and price of UPF urges us to eat constantly and without thought. -- The additives and physical processing mean that UPF affects our satiety system, and other additives may affect brain and endocrine functions, and plastic from the packaging might affect fertility. -- Production methods used to make UPF require expensive subsidies and drive environmental destruction, carbon emissions, and plastic pollution, which harms us all.

I learned a lot from this book. The history of the cDc engenders a great deal of respect for the early members as they skirt the line with legality while maintaining pretty fierce ethical and moral standards.

My single biggest struggle with the book is the way it is organized. Menn wants to keep the stories of individuals coherent, so he focuses on one or two member stories at a time, saving one big reveal for the last chapter. This makes a lot of sense to me, but it obscures the timeline, making it difficult to keep the events in chronological order, which in turn makes it difficult to connect various events and people to each other.

With that complaint out of the way, I can safely say I loved this book. I’m frustrated with my younger self because I was ankle deep in technology through the 80s and 90s but thought I was up to my chest and living on the cutting edge. I never viewed myself as a hacker, but I should have at least known something about this world while I was living through it. I should hire the “shame nun” from Game of Thrones to follow me around for a few days. -sigh-

Somewhere about chapter six, I became a bit overwhelmed with the names, and I really wanted a chart or a family tree to keep it all straight. I felt like too much of the history was getting jumbled in my head, so I started taking notes. (No small feat because I listen to books while walking in the mornings.)

The cDc and its subsidiaries are singly responsible for forcing capitalism to take computer security seriously, and with the EFF, arguably the most important players in protecting encryption. When the cDc presented Microsoft with vulnerabilities, they were ignored and then actively derided by the company, so with no other options, they released tools to allow any scriptkiddie to take advantage of the exploit. The first time they were forced to do this in the mid-nineties, it gave the cDc (l0pht) the leverage needed to create an ethical reporting system template: vulnerabilities would first be reported to a vendor with a timeline for repair. Negotiations on the timeline could then take place, but if ignored, the vulnerabilities would be exploited to force the hand of the vendor. While not made clear in the book, this appears to be the beginning of the various bug bounty programs most technology companies run now.

It’s difficult to encapsulate the influence of the cDc covered in this book, and I can’t really do better than the first couple of paragraphs of the epilogue:

“IN ITS EARLIEST days, the chief moral issues for the teens in the Cult of the Dead Cow were how badly to abuse long-distance calling cards and how offensive their online posts should be. But as they matured, the hackers quickly became critical thinkers in an era when that skill was in short supply. In an evolution that mirrored and then led the development of internet security, cDc went on to forge rough consensus on the complex but vital issue of vulnerability disclosure, to show that enabling strong security could be a viable business, and to merge the hacking spirit with activism on behalf of human rights. It also kept a remarkably big tent, roomy enough to include support for acts of civil disobedience as well as work for the military, as long as both were principled. They all helped push a realistic understanding of security challenges and ethical considerations into mainstream conversations in Silicon Valley and Washington. As the big picture in security grows darker, those conversations are the best hope we have.
One lesson from the Cult of the Dead Cow’s remarkable story is that those who develop a personal ethical code and stick to it in unfamiliar places can accomplish amazing things. Another is that small groups with shared values can do even more, especially when they are otherwise diverse in their occupations, backgrounds, and perspectives. In the early days of a major change, cross sections of pioneers can have an outsize impact on its trajectory. After that, great work can be done within governments and big companies. Other tasks critical for human progress need to be done elsewhere, including small and mission-driven companies, universities, and nonprofits. It gets harder to keep the band together over time, but cDc’s impact lives on in those whom members hired, taught, and inspired. That said, a movement cannot control its children. The Citizen Lab and Tor are one thing, while Lulz Security and Gamma Group are another. Trolling and fake news also owe something to cDc, and neither is anything to be proud of."

Anyone interested in the history of technology and/or technology security should read this book. Also, hackers. This is a book for anyone considering themselves a hacker because it contains great lessons: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

This might be my favorite Sandford novel for several years. I enjoy the Prey and the Letty novels, but this one felt different. It had the charm of the historic characters and successfully added Cartright, who works for the Agency-that-must-not-be-names, as well as a few others. I think the introduction of the Ladies Gun Club is brilliant. It brings a lot of possibilities to future novels.

The biggest question I have about the plot is the unknown reasoning for keeping the actual reason behind the hacker hunt a secret. When it came out, it wasn’t a giant revelation, more like, “Oh, of course, let’s do that.” The suspense built up around this just fell flat at the reveal.

Revolving the events around the beginning of the Ukraine invasion really sets this novel in time. I wonder how it will read in a few years. I guess it makes it easy to pinpoint these novels in time, and it’s not like Sandford hasn’t referenced current events in his novels before.

Finally, I have to mention my satisfaction with the final confrontation. It’s atypical for crime novel because while it has its share of heroic acts, it isn’t the all-guns blazing shootout we often see when the bad guys and the good guys finally meet.

This book is a fast read, and it’s hard to put down. If you like Sandford, you’ll like Dark Angel.

This is my favorite of this series so far. Now that any romantic possibilities with Leslie are out of the way, I fully support Peter’s romantic explorations with Beverly Brook, and in the end, she’s my favorite character in this story.

I like some of the terminology introduced in this book. No one wants to appear insane or really believe magic drives real events, so a major part of Peter’s job requires him to create two narratives around events, a “real” official report and a true one for the Folly. to that end, he is asked to complete “A Falcon Assessment” of the events surrounding this case in rural England. People are left to interpret “Falcon Assessment” any way they deem appropriate, but no one actually asks him what it means. Some know, and some don’t want to know.

I like that the supernatural element of this story takes a while to develop. Peter stays on the case to stay out of London after determining no Falcon involvement. He’s still reeling from the betrayal at the end of the last case. Then a couple of cell phones change his conclusion, and Nightingale sends Beverley as backup.

Peter’s use of technology to trace the appearance of magic is brilliant, and his sacrifice at the end show the depths of his character. As another reviewer mentioned, the Fae in the Rivers Universe aren’t like Tinkerbell, but they definitely like to play with humans.

Finally, I love the portrayal of unicorns. While I’m certain it isn’t the first time in fiction, it is the first time I’ve seen unicorns as the malevolent enforcers of the Fae.

This book is informative and mostly interesting. Three out of five because I wanted more of the interview material with the moderators. And, maybe I wanted more detail of the horrors they face in their work. I’m not sure I actually want that though.

The portions of the book focused on the business structures around moderation are slow to read. I do appreciate being able to compare those that worked directly on “Megatech’s” campus as contractors to those in remote locations like call centers. Despite both sets of workers being undervalued contractors and their work being similar, they have different perspectives. I can’t imagine those moderating U.S. posts from another culture can be as effective as those who live in the U.S. That said, moderating centers have flourished in the Philippines because they are steeped in U.S. pop culture.

The interviews with the workers, taking risks because of NDAs, are the most interesting parts of the book, including Roberts’s analysis of their discussions. The work seems horrible, and I think “sin eater” is an outstanding description. I imagine PTSD is a pretty common result of this work, which says a lot about humanity. I was surprised to learn that the moderators often feel helpless. They follow their protocols and report to law enforcement as necessary, but they usually don’t learn the result of their reporting, and if they don’t hear anything, it’s easy to assume nothing happened.

The fact that “Megatech” limited their contractors to one year stints with a mandatory break in between makes it clear that the horror of the work is acknowledged, and yet mental health is a secondary thought. I agree with the moderator who suggested required sessions with a therapist for all moderators.

Finally, the book’s conclusion is outstanding. Content moderation is finally acknowledged as a reality of the web, and as one moderator said, without the work, the internet would be a cesspool. Now that moderation is acknowledged, we need to appreciate their necessary, dangerous, and invisible work by providing them the physical health care, mental health care, pay, and recognition they deserve. Companies are making billions from the work of free content creators; the least we can do is move some of that money to those making it as safe as possible.

This story felt disjointed as I read it, like incomplete short stories. I struggled enough to keep all of the plot points in my head that I reviewed this summary at about the 75% mark. (summary link didn't transfer: allreaders.com/book-review-summary/broken-homes-40217)

However, I liked quite a bit of it. The characters are really the reason I love this series. Peter is a great narrator with a good balance of humor integrated into tense situations and clear explanations of some police procedures. The explanations are helpful as an American reading about policing in London.

Most story threads came together at the end. Aaronovitch did a nice job of leading the reader to understand the importance of the architecture of Skygarden and its connection to the farm and the Faceless Man. And, that end, WOW! I’m a bit upset about it.

These are the plot points that seem to be hanging a bit for me. I’m sure if I took more time, I’d make stronger connections. Maybe I just read the story too slowly to make the connections as I read: What is the importance of the German grimoires? Why did the trees need to be killed? What is the importance of the suicide/murder of the man with the train? I know he was connected with Skygarden, but why did he need to die?

Zach develops as a character with this book, and I’m looking forward to his role in future books. I love the introduction of the Night Witches, and I hope to see Sidororovna again. The River Gods don’t seem to have an important part in this novel, but I always enjoy any scene with Beverly Brook. She just brings such wonderful sexual tension.

We finally have a scene that shows Nightingale’s power instead of hearing about it through exposition of his history. And then we get a new complication with Leslie. I hope this ends up being a positive development. I love her, and she’s a great partner for Peter.

I’m not sure what it says about this story that my favorite characters are Acorn and Angharad, and if we cover the whole series, I would add Manchee. While I like the main characters and their antagonists, I don’t actually care about any of them by the end of the series.

I like the addition of a Spackle voice as a narrator in this book. The Spackle play a significant role throughout this novel, and I think adding this voice is important to building the readers' understanding of their people and culture and the Noise. With few exceptions, the Spackle think with one voice. They are only lightly individuals, like the Borg but without all of the violent assimilation and domination.

I really struggled with the pacing. I nearly didn’t get through the first battle. It was simply too long, and there are several battles in this novel. Honestly, this novel could have been half the length.

Another development I like is the additional skills Todd and the Mayor develop with the Noise. Those skills follow the logic I’ve imposed on this imaginary world: anyone who understands the noise by controlling their own would be able to influence others through the noise.

Finally, I really liked the end of the story. I found the last 20% very difficult to put down, and while I think the Mayor’s turn was a bit dramatic and sudden, I’ll let that go to accept the need for some suspense and action at the end. I even appreciate the final confrontation between 1017 and Todd. It wasn’t what I expected, which might be why I liked it.

This is worth reading for anyone who has already read the first two, but it’s the weakest of the three, and when I recommend this series, I’ll tell people to stop at book one right before the final scene.

This is an excellent book, great for anyone wanting to increase their understanding of contemporary technology through its history and capabilities.

My favorite aspect of this book is the examples with the footnotes. Whenever the authors provide an example they link to the news articles or the research. This was very helpful to pick up a few details that weren’t included in the summary.

The chapter on encryption and privacy contains important information for our future. As I read the current news about the Congressional interrogation of the CEO of TikTok, they ignore the fact they could solve (well address, not solve) the problems they are concerned with by enacting national privacy standards through law. It appears that they don’t actually want to take action; they simply want to perform for their constituents. Sadly, most of the questions they ask make it clear that they know nothing about the basics of technology. They should read this book.

This series is a lot of fun, but the fun doesn’t stem just from the action and the plot. I really enjoy the humor and the dialog. Aaronovitch spends more time within the interviews of suspects, more than other police procedurals I read, and I appreciate that time. The cases often hinge on information discovered in those interviews instead of some mysterious clue.

As an American, I enjoy the details about the architecture, history, and life of London. It makes me want to visit. The London Underground sounds wild. I wonder if any of the unusual details about the tunnels are real.

This particular story introduces another set of characters and a couple of groups that I hope to see again, The Quiet People (aka The Whisperers), plus The Little Crocodiles. I also like the American FBI agent, Reynolds. I would have liked for her to have a larger role in this story, but I’m certain we’ll see her again.

While I enjoyed this novel, I feel that it’s primary function was to introduce characters, people, and concepts. Lesley is also back and learning magic. She creates a nice procedural balance to Peter, the rule follower vs. the rebel.

In the end, this is a nice addition to the series, but not as satisfying as the previous two.

I loved this book and all of the comics.

The Weinersmiths have more than a funny name. They are thoughtful, intelligent, AND funny! I literally laughed out loud several times.

Each chapter is divided into three sections: an introduction to the topic; “Where are we now,” which is consistently the meaty section of the chapter; concerns; “How it could change the world;” and a Nota Bene, which is sort of a connected side note narrated by Zach.

My favorite chapters are those dedicated to space, programmable matter, and precision medicine, but I learned from all of them. I really like the idea of having a bucket of nano-particle goo that will shape itself into any object I request. Sort of a T-1000 without the murdery intent. (Yes, “murdery,” not “murderous.” Stupid spell check trying to tell me what to do.)

The conclusion is also loaded with jokes. For example, I learned that scientists most fear the in-word. Included in the conclusion is the graveyard of topics that didn’t make it into the book. Each of those entries is a few pages introducing the topic and an explanation for cutting it. The Nota Bene of the conclusion on mirror organisms is my favorite. Any section that includes this combination of sentences has to be a favorite: “However, one downside was that some eaters of Olestra products experienced an increased rate of (squeamish readers beware) ‘anal oil leakage.’ This being one of the less good leakages, Olestra has largely been shelved.”

Another great Dispatcher mystery. This series is fantastic, and I hope Scalzi keeps it going. I’d like a full length novel, but I definitely enjoy these short stories.

Would people fly anywhere if there was a 1:1000 chance of crashing? Those are the odds when someone travels by bullet in The Dispatcher universe. This makes me wonder what the chances of getting into a car accident each year for the average American. It can’t be good.

With this story, Scalzi does a nice job of adding to the universe. Billionaires travel by bullet to get out of awkward investigations, they force possible contractors to battle to the “death” for a job, and they manipulate the crypto market to get ahead.

The crypto market aspect of this mystery seems like it was ripped from the Bankman-Fried/FTX headlines. If this story hadn’t been published a couple months before the FTX scandal, it would be easy to say Scalzi was inspired by the real life event, and by “inspired,” I mean “copied.” The similarities between this fictional story and the real scandal is remarkable considering the fiction came before the scandal. Scalzi’s muse must see the future.

Tony is a great character with more depth from each story, and Quinto’s voice acting compliments the character. I’d recommend this series to anyone who likes realistic science fiction.

I sat on this book for quite a while in 2022, which seems dumb in retrospect. I like Clines’s work quite a bit, and I found this book difficult to put down. I listened on morning walks and then followed up on my Kindle. This is an incredibly fast read, and I’m sure I would have finished faster if not for the distractions of the holiday season.

In short, I loved this book. It’s fast, and it reads like a movie. It seems almost written for the screen, an updated Bourne or Reacher novel.

Most of the book is a combination of grisly chase scenes stitched together with enough down time for some exposition. It’s all thrill and action with a bit of paranormal and horror thrown in for spice.

I loved both main characters. Hector’s quick thinking and Natalie’s matter-of-fact approach to questions and situations is fun and amusing. Their relationship builds quickly but subtly.

I’d like to know more about Tim and the other side of the Broken Room. Adding more details would have slowed the plot quite a bit, but the other side definitely leaves an opening for more stories. Maybe we’ll see a reference pop up in another future Clines novel. He does a nice job of tying his universe together with a few direct and a few subtle references to other universes. I wonder if Clines considers this a Threshold novel. It might be, and it might not, which is probably exactly how Clines wants it.

I enjoyed this book; although, I found some of the story anticlimactic. I guess, this should go without saying considering the Clarks are the most unknown super-wealthy family of the current age.

It’s difficult to fathom that a man who was at least as wealthy as the Rockefellers and Carnegies is virtually forgotten today. It makes it clear that a succession plan is very important.

Being from Las Vegas, I always assumed Clark County was named for the Lewis and Clark expedition, so I was surprised to discover it’s named after Huguette’s father and Senator, W.A. Clark, who also came up with the name of Las Vegas.

My mother’s family is from Butte, Montana, and I discovered this book when we visited this past summer to visit family and to give my mom a tour of her childhood stomping grounds. We also visited the Butte Copper King Mansion, aka The Clark Mansion.

My grandfather worked in the mines in Butte before being injured and moving to Las Vegas. Now I wonder if he moved because of the connection between Clark and Nevada. Clark was an early investor in the tiny community that would become Las Vegas.

As I listened to the description of the New York mansion, I found that I really wanted to tour it, so I was a bit devastated to find out what happened to it. So, so sad.

When I discussed this book with my mom, she seemed sad and said, “Money doesn’t buy happiness.” I agree, but I don’t think that’s the lesson from this book because clearly having money doesn’t guarantee despair either.

I honestly believe that Huguette was as happy as she could be until she passed away. She was a recluse by choice as much as can be discerned from the stories in this book, especially when considering the quote from The Cricket, “To live happily, live hidden.” I also loved the idea that she enjoyed giving her treasure away to people while she was alive, so she could see them enjoy it.

The Cricket: en.wikisource.org/wiki/Translation:The_Cricket
Thanatopsis: www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/50465/thanatopsis