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stibbons

stibbons@outside.ofa.dog

Joined 2 years, 5 months ago

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Dan Brown: The Da Vinci Code (2003)

The Da Vinci Code is a 2003 mystery thriller novel by Dan Brown. It is …

I don't regret this

Look, it's fine. I think most of my enjoyment comes from reading it shortly after spending a few days in Paris and London.

Dan Brown: The Da Vinci Code (2003)

The Da Vinci Code is a 2003 mystery thriller novel by Dan Brown. It is …

My wife was startled to learn I'd never read this. And it somehow wound up on my holiday list. 🤷

Emily M. Bender, Alex Hanna: The AI Con (Hardcover, Penguin Random House)

A smart, incisive take-down of the bogus claims being made about so-called ‘artificial intelligence’, exposing …

Brief review

Wavers between horrific, depressing and energising. I'm going to be rereading this, especially the last chapter

Interesting if a little laboured

Still liking this series, but this one just didn't grab me as much. The added twist just doesn't work as well for me I think.

I didn't make it very far through this. The first few chapters are a series of stories about how the stars and moon are referred to in different cultures. It's interesting but disjointed - if there's an overarching narrative here it's gone right over this layperson's head and I just couldn't bring myself to give it the time it needed.

Zach Weinersmith, Kelly Weinersmith: A City On Mars (EBook, 2023, Penguin Press)

Earth is not well. The promise of starting life anew somewhere far, far away—no climate …

Sorry, Watney

Enjoyable, very thoroughly researched book discussing the impracticalities of off-world settlement. Covers a much broader range than I was expecting, too, attempting to explain technology, sociology, biology, as well as the legal and geopolitical problems.

Zach Weinersmith, Kelly Weinersmith: A City On Mars (EBook, 2023, Penguin Press)

Earth is not well. The promise of starting life anew somewhere far, far away—no climate …

I bought this after listening to an interview with the author on ABC's Conversations program. While driving to Parkes to go to an astronomical society meeting.

I really enjoyed the interview, and half a chapter in to this book it's agreeing with me as well. The impression I've gotten so far is that it's a solid if very pop-sci dive in to why we're not settling on the moon or Mars any time soon.

Gigi Little: City of Weird (Paperback, 2016, Forest Avenue Press) No rating

"A collection of thirty otherworldly, sci-fi/fantasy, and ghost stories set in Portland, Oregon"--

A recent road trip through Portland included a brief stop at Powell's. Picking up an anthology of local stories seemed appropriate.