Monday, February 27, 2006

Book 7: Consider Phlebas (Banks)

Pretty disappointing. About the first third was (intentionally?) funny; the mostly-incompetent gang of raiders. The food cult was creepy. The warp animal was pretty cool. But after that it was mostly-boring running around in tunnels and fighting.

"Player of Games" was much better.

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Book 6: The Player of Games (Banks)

Really good Culture novel. Gurgeh's realization of the true nature of the empire is fantastic.

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Being and Doing

A philosophical question: which is first, being or doing? If you say "being", then you have a problem, because nothing can exist without doing (affecting something else). Byt if you saying "doing", then you have a problem, because how can something act (affect other entities) without existing?

The way we experience the world around us however, is characterized by doing preceding being. We experience actions and then conclude that other things exist. So we infer existence from actions.

Book 5: Collapse (Diamond)

How societies choose to fail and succeed.

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

Book 4: The Fifth Elephant (Pratchett)

Vimes goes to Uberwald. Fairly intense.