August, 26, 2003 archives

on the free software business mailing list, someone asked for recommendations of some basic economics books, which were then collected on a wiki page. information rules got a few recommendations, so i picked it up from the library for reading during my recent trip. in some respects it is unfortunately dated—it came out too early (1999) for it to include any discussion of napster or the final microsoft/doj settlement, and of course too early to talk about the collapse of the dotcom/telecom bubble. but thankfully, the authors weren't just moonlighting business journalists dropping all of the then-current new economy buzzwords, and the book is still quite strong. the authors have a website for the book, but it doesn't appear to feature any new content.

stand on zanzibar, published in 1968, is a gem of speculative fiction that gets so much right that it is easy to forgive the things it didn't get quite as right. in the future world it describes (set in the early years of the twenty-first centry: otherwise known as now), overpopulation is the central problem, with population controls (two prodgies per couple) and expanding eugenics legislation (no more dichromatics!) part of the existing (non-)solution. there's just so much jammed into the novel that it is hard to describe. it is written with a very mtv-era pacing and sensibility despite antedating that network by more than a decade. very much worth reading, especially if you like the genre.

(this found its way on to my reading list by virtue of a mention on the fork mailing list. the only circulating copy of the sequel, the sheep look up, in the los angeles public library system is at a branch that is closed. argh!)

the victorian internet by tom standage is a historical look at the growth (and eventual demise) of the telegraph, especially its many parallels to the modern-day internet. a very quick read, and lots of fun. but a reminder of how boring this whole internet thing is doomed to get.

hmm, one of my snapshots was lost in transit, and my text-only update didn't make it through intact (my fault on that part).

the snapshot (which wasn't very good) was of a protest near the television academy in north hollywood. apparently there's some sort of bob hope memorial event, and the god hates fags nutters are protesting. i guess good ol' bob wasn't a hater. there's a counter-protest, obviously rather ad-hoc, with a fuck these bigots banner. some of the other signs: god hates america hope in hell god's rod (which had a picture that i couldn't make out.) thank god for sept. 11

i felt sorry for the little girl carrying around some of the signs. there was also someone videotaping the scene when i first showed up.