CUK Book Club: Currently reading...

[BrowneIssue]

I've recently finished reading Where are the Customers' Yachts? (a humorous analysis of the foolishness of Wall Street investors), Once in Golconda (a history of the 1929 Wall Street Crash and its ramifications) and Fooled by Randomness (an exposé of the way that mere chance, rather than actual insight or ability, dictates who wins and loses in the markets, and indeed in all walks of life).

Having been confirmed in my already-low opinion of the investment markets, I have now turned for light relief to Scalable Internet Architectures whilst continuing to work my way through the 1,316 pages of XSLT 2.0 and XPath 2.0 Programmer's Reference.

I really must wash your feet some day, should I be worthy.

[BrilloPad]

I really must wash your feet some day, should I be worthy.

I tried it and they smell.......

[BrowneIssue]

Never understood why all smelly techie geeks like crap fantasy and sci-fi like Pratchett and Tolkien. Arrested adolesence, so shallow guff appeals?

I am surprised your taunt went unanswered. I shall bite.

It is the logical, ordered mind that geeks possess that enjoys the logical, technically interesting, progressive, thought-provoking and generally cerebral work that goes into sci-fi and fantasy work. The happy ending, the good-guy-wins storyline and recurring theme of justice prevailing also are commonplace because they exhibit pleasing and satisfying order to the universe.

Those who seek a substitute for thought in their entertainment - the sort that enjoys Big Brother and X Factor - would not find pleasure or entertainment in such works.

However, one of my favourite memories was Germaine Greer describing the childish content of The Lord of the Rings and criticising J R R Tolkien's poor use of language on a Radio 4 book review programme. She was thrown out of the studio and told she would never be invited back. It never dawned on her that she ought to actually read the book first. Have you? It's full of tragedy, interpersonal relationships, love, hate and girly stuff like parties and jewellery and pretty clothes. You might like it.

[BrowneIssue]

I tried it and they smell.......

He's a small chimpanzee that stays abed all day and spends all night drinking, eating kebabs and pushing other people's bins around the streets ... in bare feet.

Of course they smell!

[SandyDown]

Am reading : 'The China Study' unfortunately got a lot of docs to catch up with for this new gig, so don't have as much time for other reading.

[Bob Dalek]

Am reading : 'The China Study' unfortunately got a lot of docs to catch up with for this new gig, so don't have as much time for other reading.

I thought your lot had banned women folk reading anything but The Koran and The Anarchist's Handbook?

[SandyDown]

I thought your lot had banned women folk reading anything but The Koran and The Anarchist's Handbook?

Yawn !!

[OwlHoot]

Nick, as you probably know, I download a thousand or so ebooks a week and I noticed O'Reilly's 900+ page XSLT book (2nd ed, 2008) in this week's batch. So if you want a good scan (a 5 Megabyte PDF) just PM me. Ditto for anyone else, but I won't be able to email until next weekend.

[Sysman]

Douglas Adams. Hitch Hikers books are fab, also worth trying to source Douglas Adams Dirk Gently novels.

Agreed. I've got "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy - A Trilogy in Four Parts"
ISBN 0-330-31611-7

which contains:

- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
- The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
- Life, the Universe and Everything
- So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish.

If you don't find the "trilogy", I'd recommended the first 2 books.

[Bob Dalek]

Nick, as you probably know, I download a thousand or so ebooks a week and I noticed O'Reilly's 900+ page XSLT book (2nd ed, 2008) in this week's batch. So if you want a good scan (a 5 Megabyte PDF) just PM me. Ditto for anyone else, but I won't be able to email until next weekend.

Copyright thieving toerag scum.