![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Wednesday Reading Meme
Wednesday, January 9th, 2013 10:52 pmRecently Finished: Two winning science-y books
Too Big To Know by David Weinberger. For a very long time, human knowledge was what fit on paper (no mention of oral cultures). Now the Net removes the requirements of publishing contracts, printing limits, salability. Everybody can be a publisher. And so, there's a whole lot of knowledge; so much that it's ... Too Big To Know.
Author brings lots of Internet, journalism, and librarian experience to the question of, "How will we know what to learn?" Challenging, intriguing, probably 30 ways wrong but very enjoyable.
Delusions of Gender by Cornelia Fine. Stacks up the various studies that claim that male and female differences are hardwired into the human organism, and demolishes them one-by-one. Author is funny, provides tons of footnoted details, doesn't mention some statistical issues that even statistically-illiterate me think relevant. Nothing so delicious as the deconstruction of Simon Baron-Cohen.
Currently Reading: Many megabytes of Sherlock BBC fanfic
I prefer my works not-in-progress, and several of my fave authors have finished up novel-length narratives. In particular:
The Art of Seduction by![[archiveofourown.org profile]](https://p.dreamwidth.org/b164c54b26e4/-/archiveofourown.org/favicon.ico)
flawedamythyst
Sherlock maintains his intense focus on data and experiments, but the field is human sexual congress. Hilarious with tender and sad bits. Also lots and lots and lots and lots of sex, which ends with Sherlock emitting yet another "Dull!" and swirling away.
Not What Is Said But What Is Whispered bysirona
It's the good old "characters read the fanfic" trope, but this one didn't squick. Instead I laughed and giggled at the (can you still call it 'epistolary' if it's) email.
Next Up: Many more megabytes of Sherlock BBC fanfic
And when I'm not on a bus, I have Consider the Fork by Bee Wilson (audio read by Alison Larkin) which claims to consider kitchen tools and gadgets from the beginning of history and their impacts on how we cook. Perhaps the mystery of the vegetable slicer will be unveiled?
And when I want to hold an actual book in my hand, I've got How To Be Sick: A Buddhist-Inspired Guide for the Chronically Ill and Their Caregivers. I'm not really at all Buddhist (or even JewBu), but I want to read this book in honor of my acupuncturist Kate Behrens. She surely is a Buddhist, and has improved my life greatly. Easier first step than joining a meditation community.
Too Big To Know by David Weinberger. For a very long time, human knowledge was what fit on paper (no mention of oral cultures). Now the Net removes the requirements of publishing contracts, printing limits, salability. Everybody can be a publisher. And so, there's a whole lot of knowledge; so much that it's ... Too Big To Know.
Author brings lots of Internet, journalism, and librarian experience to the question of, "How will we know what to learn?" Challenging, intriguing, probably 30 ways wrong but very enjoyable.
Delusions of Gender by Cornelia Fine. Stacks up the various studies that claim that male and female differences are hardwired into the human organism, and demolishes them one-by-one. Author is funny, provides tons of footnoted details, doesn't mention some statistical issues that even statistically-illiterate me think relevant. Nothing so delicious as the deconstruction of Simon Baron-Cohen.
Currently Reading: Many megabytes of Sherlock BBC fanfic
I prefer my works not-in-progress, and several of my fave authors have finished up novel-length narratives. In particular:
The Art of Seduction by
Sherlock maintains his intense focus on data and experiments, but the field is human sexual congress. Hilarious with tender and sad bits. Also lots and lots and lots and lots of sex, which ends with Sherlock emitting yet another "Dull!" and swirling away.
Not What Is Said But What Is Whispered by
It's the good old "characters read the fanfic" trope, but this one didn't squick. Instead I laughed and giggled at the (can you still call it 'epistolary' if it's) email.
Next Up: Many more megabytes of Sherlock BBC fanfic
And when I'm not on a bus, I have Consider the Fork by Bee Wilson (audio read by Alison Larkin) which claims to consider kitchen tools and gadgets from the beginning of history and their impacts on how we cook. Perhaps the mystery of the vegetable slicer will be unveiled?
And when I want to hold an actual book in my hand, I've got How To Be Sick: A Buddhist-Inspired Guide for the Chronically Ill and Their Caregivers. I'm not really at all Buddhist (or even JewBu), but I want to read this book in honor of my acupuncturist Kate Behrens. She surely is a Buddhist, and has improved my life greatly. Easier first step than joining a meditation community.