Great things and people that I discovered, learned, read, met, etc.
in 2019. No particular ordering is implied. Not everything is new.
also: see the lists from 2018,
2017,
2016,
2015,
2014,
2013,
2012,
2011
and 2010
Great blog-posts / articles
read
Most viewed blog posts by me
I’ve been trying something new over the past couple of years. That
is, I’ve been posting threads and such on my Twitter with a small handful
of posts here That said, there were a few high-traffic posts on my
blog.
- Notes
on Interactive Programming Environments - Prompted by the
book
of the same name, I wrote some rough notes on programming
environments past, present, and future. Many people have thought the
same thoughts and so it was a surprisingly popular post.
- Privacy
Lost - A list of the books taken from Ola Bini during his
unwarranted arrest earlier in the year. These books were offered up by
authorities as evidence of some kind of sinister nature, so naturally
they should be more widely read.
Favorite technical
books discovered (and read)
I’ve intentionally reduced the number of technical books that I
consume, but there are a few that I “found” in 2019 that are
stellar.
- The
Architecture Machine: Toward a More Human Environment by
Nicholas Negroponte - A look into a possible future where
human/computer collaboration is more finely tuned. The future proposed
should have been our present, but has fallen far short.
- Literary
Machines by Ted Nelson - A deeper look into Ted Nelson’s
ideas beyond those found in Computer Lib including some of the deeper
ideas attempted in Project Xanadu.
- A
Software Tools Sampler - A very dated but fascinating look
at the components of a programming system built from the ground up
including: search facilities, build tooling, and even a full-screen text
editor.
Favorite non-technical books
read
- Stalking
the Wild Asparagus by Euell Gibbons - Gibbons is little
known these days, but his home-spun, worldly wisdom can be sampled on
YouTube in the form of 60s-era Grape Nuts commercials. Gibbons’ shtick
back then was on natural foods and return to nature pop movements and
this book is a great window into the culinary fringe of his
time.
- Annihilation
by Jeff VanderMeer - I was motivated to read the book after watching
the fantastic film of the same name. Truth be told, the book is nothing
like the film and that fact was a pleasant surprise even though I adored
the film. There are just enough creepy moments in this book to keep you
on your toes and the book has gotten me fascinated in the
little-explored science fiction sub-genre I like to call “Biosystem
Horror.”
- Rites
of the Renouncer by Ben Kamphaus - It’s always fun to
discover the first work from a new author and it was a joy to read
Kamphaus’ “Rites of the Renouncer.” The sub-genre of science fiction
that the book falls under is difficult to pin down and indeed seems to
draw from a variety of disparate influences. It’s almost as if AE Van
Vogt was thrust forward in time, developed a sleep phase disorder,
passed the early morning hours listening to Ambient/Drone and wrote this
novel on a Kaypro II found whilst dumpster-diving. The story itself is
straight-forward, but the themes explored are nuanced and handled well.
From notions of consciousness, to mind hacks, to isolation, to even
friendship — there’s a lot to explore in the pages of this svelte
novella. It left me wanting more.
- Night
Film by Marisha Pessl — Exactly the kind of book that fits
right into my wheelhouse - that is, a well-written thriller that blurs
the lines between fiction, world-building, and multimedia. I couldn’t
put the book down and was completely drawn in to the mystery described
in the story.
- Understanding
Media by Marshall McLuhan - As a kid I used to re-read
books very often but as I’ve gotten older I tend not to do so. However,
the nature of this book has compelled me to take another swing at it.
McLuhan was a James Joyce scholar and Finnegan’s Wake must’ve influenced
his writing style. To say the least this book was a challenge to read
and process and even after two reads I can’t say that I’ve fully grasped
its content. McLuhan’s style is rich with references and coloring from
innumerable sources. Indeed, to really get this book requires a near
fluent understanding of literature, architecture, film, music, and
50-60s era pop-culture. The many forking paths of influence on this
work, while daunting, are worth traversing.
Number of books published
0
Number of books written
0
Number of books read
105
Favorite musicians
discovered