...everyone will be 20 years younger and 20 pounds thinner.
[With a nod to both Clusterflock and Kottke!]
Saturday, May 10, 2008
(My) Photo of the day
Now anyone that knows me knows that I am not the sort of fellow to poke fun at other people’s endeavours. Thus, I shall just post this picture of an art display that has been set up in Kelly’s Garden, which is located directly beneath my office window.
This creature is my favourite of the collection. Yes, I know that it looks like a fifth grade paper mache project (more glitter! more colour!), but that may well be the effect that they are going for. Unfortunately, the pile of starfish that forms its base has already begun to rot and stink to high heaven. I know that art is a multi-sensory experience, but I am not sold on this one. The blurb below explains the concept.
[Click to enlarge]
As I said above, I am a kind and generous man by nature (modest too), so I will refrain from commenting on the other ‘works’. However, I must record a conversation with a colleague. We were having a look at them setting up, and Vernon was unsure as to the artistic merit of the pieces. I was explaining how my assumption was that the installations appeared ecological in theme. He remained unconvinced, and pointed to a pile of rubbish in the corner and said, “Is that art?” I was unsure myself, but pointed to another pile of rubbish that had a little blurb in front of it and said, “No, that pile of rubbish is art, and that pile of rubbish is a pile of rubbish!”
And I was correct, it was eco inspired! [Click to enlarge]
Friday, May 09, 2008
(My) Photo of the day
I have decided to go with a two-for-one deal today, featuring clouds as seen from Geilston Bay. The first photograph was taken yesterday afternoon on the Derwent Avenue side of the East Derwent Highway. I snapped the second this morning on the Golf Links Road side of the Highway.
After a couple of weeks of very cold mornings, it was surprisingly mild today. Unfortunately, I had neglected to consider that the last 40 pages of my book consisted of footnotes, so I finished it before I had even boarded the bus. That left lots of window gazing. You have to understand, in Australia, no-one talks to each other on the bus unless you are already very well acquainted. I am deadly serious when I say that if I were to attempt to strike up a conversation with someone, their assumption would be a) pervert; b) mentally ill; or c) a mentally ill pervert.
Good question
As a fellow with a keen interest in history, I heartily support Baudrillard's Bastard's attempt to solve one of the greatest puzzles of American history:
Why do so many prints published during the American War for Independence feature dogs urinating of things?
If anyone knows, please help us out!
Why do so many prints published during the American War for Independence feature dogs urinating of things?
If anyone knows, please help us out!
Thursday, May 08, 2008
(My) Photo of the day
Here is the wonderful birthday present that my wife made for me, a lovely pair of socks! Without any hyperbole, they are the most comfortable things that I have ever worn.
Please excuse the mess on my desk. You know you're in a 'good place' when both the in tray AND the out tray are full!
Guns don't kill people, people with guns kill people (often with guns), or, Reflections on a questionnaire
I will put my cards on the table up front and declare I am all for gun control. I figure if you are going to let deadly weapons out into the community, it is worth trying to regulate them.
HOWEVER, I had to laugh at this post that cropped up on the always excellent clusterflock. It concerns the list of questions that you are asked by the Illinois State Police in an application for a Firearm Owner’s Identification Card.
Let us look at the questions shall we?
1) Have you ever been convicted of a felony?
That's a good question. We don't want crooks with guns.
2) In the past 5 years, have you been a patient in any medical facility or part of any medical facility used primarily for the care or treatment of persons for mental illness?
Another good question. We don't want lunatics with guns. I know that there are plenty of people who suffer from mental illness who aren't crazy insane killers, but hey, better safe than sorry!
3) Are you addicted to narcotics?
Like the mental illness thing, I can see how it is discrimitory, but drug addiction is often a trigger (pardon the pun) for criminal activity.
4) Are you mentally retarded?
This is probably my favourite. It is a good question, and one that I often think of asking people that I deal with on a day-to-day basis. Perhaps we need to ask this on all government forms. Yet I can't help but think "if they are, would they know?"
5) Are you subject to an existing order of protection which prohibits you from possessing a firearm?
Catch them out with the direct question, good thinking!
6) Within the past 5 years, have you been convicted of battery, assault, aggravated assault, violation of an order of protection, or a substantially similar offense in which a firearm was used or possessed?
Follow up with another in case they didn't trip up on the previous question. Excellent thinking!
7) Have you ever been convicted of domestic battery or substantially similar offense (misdemeanour or felony)?
Well, we don't want temperamental wife beaters with a gun close to hand, that's surely a recipe for disaster!
8) Have you ever been adjudicated a delinquent minor for the commission of an offense that if committed by an adult would be a felony?
Fair question.
9) Are you an alien who is unlawfully present in the United States?
Double up with a bit of border patrol AND X-files action!
Now, I know that this is a serious business. As I said, I am very supportive on any effort towards firearm control. But surely only those who may qualify as a 'yes' to question four would actually answer 'yes' to any of these questions. Imagine a wild-eyed, psychopathic schizophrenic crackhead who is illegally in the country, he bashes his missus when he has a drink (or hasn’t had a drink), and he’s done a couple of stretches inside for armed robbery both as a juvenile and adult. Is he really going to tick those boxes?
Now this should not be construed as an argument AGAINST either this form of gun control as a concept, it just strikes me as a bit silly.
HOWEVER, I had to laugh at this post that cropped up on the always excellent clusterflock. It concerns the list of questions that you are asked by the Illinois State Police in an application for a Firearm Owner’s Identification Card.
Let us look at the questions shall we?
1) Have you ever been convicted of a felony?
That's a good question. We don't want crooks with guns.
2) In the past 5 years, have you been a patient in any medical facility or part of any medical facility used primarily for the care or treatment of persons for mental illness?
Another good question. We don't want lunatics with guns. I know that there are plenty of people who suffer from mental illness who aren't crazy insane killers, but hey, better safe than sorry!
3) Are you addicted to narcotics?
Like the mental illness thing, I can see how it is discrimitory, but drug addiction is often a trigger (pardon the pun) for criminal activity.
4) Are you mentally retarded?
This is probably my favourite. It is a good question, and one that I often think of asking people that I deal with on a day-to-day basis. Perhaps we need to ask this on all government forms. Yet I can't help but think "if they are, would they know?"
5) Are you subject to an existing order of protection which prohibits you from possessing a firearm?
Catch them out with the direct question, good thinking!
6) Within the past 5 years, have you been convicted of battery, assault, aggravated assault, violation of an order of protection, or a substantially similar offense in which a firearm was used or possessed?
Follow up with another in case they didn't trip up on the previous question. Excellent thinking!
7) Have you ever been convicted of domestic battery or substantially similar offense (misdemeanour or felony)?
Well, we don't want temperamental wife beaters with a gun close to hand, that's surely a recipe for disaster!
8) Have you ever been adjudicated a delinquent minor for the commission of an offense that if committed by an adult would be a felony?
Fair question.
9) Are you an alien who is unlawfully present in the United States?
Double up with a bit of border patrol AND X-files action!
Now, I know that this is a serious business. As I said, I am very supportive on any effort towards firearm control. But surely only those who may qualify as a 'yes' to question four would actually answer 'yes' to any of these questions. Imagine a wild-eyed, psychopathic schizophrenic crackhead who is illegally in the country, he bashes his missus when he has a drink (or hasn’t had a drink), and he’s done a couple of stretches inside for armed robbery both as a juvenile and adult. Is he really going to tick those boxes?
Now this should not be construed as an argument AGAINST either this form of gun control as a concept, it just strikes me as a bit silly.
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
(My) photo of the day
Here is a shot down Castray Esplanade, which runs down the waterfront opposite Salamanca Place. On the left there, you can see Princes Wharf Shed No 1. It acts as a car park for most of the year, but in Summer it hosts The Taste of Tasmania. I will admit that it gets a bit cramped for my style, as someone who is more comfortable with more rather than less personal space. There has long been talk of knocking it down and building something of a more modernist (or at least useful) bent, but I kind of like it the way that it is. Anyway, this is Tasmania, nothing much gets done down here, people would rather just sit around and argue!
Ads that I like #43
I will tastefully avoid mentioning the child pornography in the background of today’s advertisement from less enlightened times, and focus on the young lovely in front. Now, yes she looks do happy and gay, not a care in the world. No doubt, this is because she believes the Coppertone promise that “a special ingredient” helps keep the skin looking young while you get a deep, satisfying tan.
Forgive me for thinking that this “special ingredient” is probably ‘naivety’, but I thought that I would utilise this wonderful resource that is the Internet and locate the young lady today. This being the Internet, all I needed to do was enter the appropriate coordinates and dates, and ZAPPO, there she is in all of her glory!
May 7 through the years...
Here are just some of the wonderful and shocking things that have happened on this day in history:
1429 РJoan of Arc ends the Siege of Orl̩ans, pulling an arrow from her own shoulder and returning wounded to lead the final charge. The victory marks a turning point in the Hundred Years' War.
1664 – Louis XIV of France inaugurates The Palace of Versailles.
1824 – World premiere of Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in Vienna.
1832 – Greece is recognised independent by the Treaty of London. Otto of Wittelsbach, Prince of Bavaria is chosen King.
1840 – Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is born.
1892 – Leader of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Josip Broz Tito is born.
1895 – In Saint Petersburg, Russian scientist Alexander Stepanovich Popov demonstrates to the Russian Physical and Chemical Society his invention – the first in the world radio receiver. Today, Russia and Bulgaria celebrate this day as the Day of Radio.
1915 – World War I: a German submarine U-20 sinks the RMS Lusitania, killing 1,198 people, including 128 Americans. Public reaction to the sinking turned many formerly pro–Germans in the US against the German Empire.
1945 – World War II: General Alfred Jodl signs unconditional surrender terms at Reims, France, ending Germany's participation in the war. The document will take effect the next day.
1946 – Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering (later renamed Sony) is founded with about 20 employees.
1948 – The Council of Europe is founded during the Hague Congress.
1954 – Indochina War: The Battle of Dien Bien Phu ends in a French defeat.
1960 – Cold War: U-2 Crisis – Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev announces that his nation is holding American U-2 pilot Gary Powers.
1977 – World famous blogger and bon vivant Kris McCracken is born. Aside from his own fame, McCracken fathered the far more famous and talented Henry Fitzgerald McCracken, internet sensation and genral erweiterte Mann. Other, less important events include Canadian PM Pierre Trudeau does a pirouette behind the back of Queen Elizabeth II and Marie Myriam wins the Eurovision Song Contest for France with her song L'oiseau et l'enfant ("The Bird and the Child"). She dedicated the win to McCracken’s parents.
I know that the German surrender in 1945 was a pretty big deal, but I think that the pirouette just pushes 1977 over the line as THE BEST EVER YEAR FOR MAY 7!
[Thanks to British Columbia's finest Benjamin Madison, for pointing out the grave oversight in the 1977 entry, it has since been amended.]
1429 РJoan of Arc ends the Siege of Orl̩ans, pulling an arrow from her own shoulder and returning wounded to lead the final charge. The victory marks a turning point in the Hundred Years' War.
1664 – Louis XIV of France inaugurates The Palace of Versailles.
1824 – World premiere of Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in Vienna.
1832 – Greece is recognised independent by the Treaty of London. Otto of Wittelsbach, Prince of Bavaria is chosen King.
1840 – Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is born.
1892 – Leader of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Josip Broz Tito is born.
1895 – In Saint Petersburg, Russian scientist Alexander Stepanovich Popov demonstrates to the Russian Physical and Chemical Society his invention – the first in the world radio receiver. Today, Russia and Bulgaria celebrate this day as the Day of Radio.
1915 – World War I: a German submarine U-20 sinks the RMS Lusitania, killing 1,198 people, including 128 Americans. Public reaction to the sinking turned many formerly pro–Germans in the US against the German Empire.
1945 – World War II: General Alfred Jodl signs unconditional surrender terms at Reims, France, ending Germany's participation in the war. The document will take effect the next day.
1946 – Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering (later renamed Sony) is founded with about 20 employees.
1948 – The Council of Europe is founded during the Hague Congress.
1954 – Indochina War: The Battle of Dien Bien Phu ends in a French defeat.
1960 – Cold War: U-2 Crisis – Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev announces that his nation is holding American U-2 pilot Gary Powers.
1977 – World famous blogger and bon vivant Kris McCracken is born. Aside from his own fame, McCracken fathered the far more famous and talented Henry Fitzgerald McCracken, internet sensation and genral erweiterte Mann. Other, less important events include Canadian PM Pierre Trudeau does a pirouette behind the back of Queen Elizabeth II and Marie Myriam wins the Eurovision Song Contest for France with her song L'oiseau et l'enfant ("The Bird and the Child"). She dedicated the win to McCracken’s parents.
I know that the German surrender in 1945 was a pretty big deal, but I think that the pirouette just pushes 1977 over the line as THE BEST EVER YEAR FOR MAY 7!
[Thanks to British Columbia's finest Benjamin Madison, for pointing out the grave oversight in the 1977 entry, it has since been amended.]
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
(My) Photo of the day
Here is a shot from a moving vehicle as we were approaching the Tasman Bridge from the western (city) side. The house that you can see through the uprights are Rose Bay and Lindisfarne.
Don't worry though, I didn't risk life and limb for this. I just held Henry out the side window upside down* and he snapped away like a trooper. It was like a Bond film!
[* If you are from the Child Protection Agency, that was a joke.]
Problem, what problem? Australia and the drink
I have been dismayed to read much of the comment around the Commonwealth’s plan to raise taxation on ‘alcopops’ in an effort to curb the risks associated with binge drinking. While there should be no surprise that the opposition have rubbished it and alcohol industry groups are unhappy, the general critiques that I've seen are very poor. As ever, of the commentaries, the Herald Sun leads the way in outrage. One that really got me riled up (enough to post about it here), was a piece in Crikey titled ‘Voodoo tax policy on alcopops’.
In it, Bernard Keane speaks of ‘handwringers’ and ‘wowsers’ with a set against kids having fun. He claims that “we’ve still yet to see any evidence that binge drinking is now any worse than in the past”, and makes particular note that the tax ‘attacks’ young women unequally. In not sure where he has been looking, but a quick note of the stats around alcohol-related hospital admissions, alcohol-related family incidents (mostly domestic violence), alcohol-related assaults (particularly those committed by females), and alcohol-related deaths will give you plenty of evidence that the harms around the misuse of alcohol are very real, and have risen with regards to oung women. Only on alcohol-related serious road injuries can you seriously claim that ‘things are better’. [For a snapshot, see: Anne-Marie Laslett, Paul Dietz & Sharon Matthews, A Summary of Alcohol-related Harm for Victorian Local Government Areas 2005.]
While I agree that talk of an ‘epidemic’ is not particularly helpful, we have had in Australia an unhealthy attitude towards alcohol for quite a long time now. Remember, problems around alcohol problem use (and misuse) are much more complex than simple consumption per person. We have to ask: ‘who is drinking?’; ‘where it is being drunk?’, ‘why are people drinking?’, ‘what are they doing when drunk?’. At the heart of this is exploring and understanding the ‘culture’ of alcohol consumption and the behaviours that accompany it. Moreover, we have to ask what are the risks that arise from this culture? To do this properly, we must consider the links of alcohol 'misuse' to domestic violence, sexual assault, as well as violence more generally, and think about the costs to the wider community.
Similarly, while some of the talk of ‘windfall’ tax revenue is just plain stupid (the intention should be on eliminating the market, not raising revenue), the notion that any initial windfall should be directed towards preventative health programs seems eminently sensible to me.
I think that the saddest part of the piece though is the condecending sneer of the Crikey piece in its self-assurance that the policy shift represents ‘voodoo taxation’, and the assumption that it will never achieve the desired effect. Keane does not appear for a moment to have actually endeavoured to explore the evidence base, rather leap to his inclusion based on his (seeming) contempt for government. What’s more galling is that at the same time he berates Rudd for not having an evidence base! This seems to be a familiar theme in the critiques that I have seen and it drives me up the wall.
You see, most of the contemporary literature demonstrates that disincentives through taxation on alcohol actually work in reducing problem drinking in the long term. Obviously, it will not (and cannot) eliminate it outright, as there will always be a shift in new patterns of drinking. But what we do know is, where such measures have been targeted; hospital admissions through ‘accidents’, street assaults and sexual assaults - all good measures of ‘unsafe’ patterns of drinking - all drop.
Similarly, broad 'catch-all' education programs (which seem to be far more appealing to some) have been proven repeatedly to have minimal impact with regard to shifting 'unsafe' patterns of drinking. At the very least, they are cost ineffective. As one analyst said "if the evidence says they are ineffective, how could they be cost-effective?" This is especially true when one compares it to taxation levers. Targeted, focused education campaigns on particular vulnerable have generally proven more successful, but most are far more cost and time intensive than broader campaigns. In addition, you have to know which vulnerable people to target, and that is not always a category that is a) easily identifiable; or b) easily accessible.
Of course, taxation on its own cannot and will not succeed on its own. Generally, the most successful policy responses that we have seen have been those that combine taxation levers, a review of outlet density and targeted education campaigns. It is early days yet, but some of the early signs are positive that we can see a halfway decent policy response, certainly an advance on what we have seen under the previous government, who appeared oblivious to the precedents elsewhere.
There has been a lot of work done on this, and quite a bit is easily accessible online. Nothing annoys me more than professional commentators who seek to influence public opinion one way or the other who have completely and utterly ignore the huge amount of research out there on the social, cultural and epidemiological studies of alcohol, drugs and gambling behaviour and problems. Similarly, they do not appear to have even looked at all of the research – millions of dollars worth of research – that has been done on the social responses to alcohol and drug problems, and of the measurement of the effects of policy changes. It just seems so unprofessional.
If anyone is still reading my rant here, and is interested in the topic, I would recommend the highly accessible summary of the World Health Organisation report Alcohol: No Ordinary Commodity. It really is where the cutting edge of the research is at right now, and some of the Australian media could well do to get a hold of it before they comment.
In it, Bernard Keane speaks of ‘handwringers’ and ‘wowsers’ with a set against kids having fun. He claims that “we’ve still yet to see any evidence that binge drinking is now any worse than in the past”, and makes particular note that the tax ‘attacks’ young women unequally. In not sure where he has been looking, but a quick note of the stats around alcohol-related hospital admissions, alcohol-related family incidents (mostly domestic violence), alcohol-related assaults (particularly those committed by females), and alcohol-related deaths will give you plenty of evidence that the harms around the misuse of alcohol are very real, and have risen with regards to oung women. Only on alcohol-related serious road injuries can you seriously claim that ‘things are better’. [For a snapshot, see: Anne-Marie Laslett, Paul Dietz & Sharon Matthews, A Summary of Alcohol-related Harm for Victorian Local Government Areas 2005.]
While I agree that talk of an ‘epidemic’ is not particularly helpful, we have had in Australia an unhealthy attitude towards alcohol for quite a long time now. Remember, problems around alcohol problem use (and misuse) are much more complex than simple consumption per person. We have to ask: ‘who is drinking?’; ‘where it is being drunk?’, ‘why are people drinking?’, ‘what are they doing when drunk?’. At the heart of this is exploring and understanding the ‘culture’ of alcohol consumption and the behaviours that accompany it. Moreover, we have to ask what are the risks that arise from this culture? To do this properly, we must consider the links of alcohol 'misuse' to domestic violence, sexual assault, as well as violence more generally, and think about the costs to the wider community.
Similarly, while some of the talk of ‘windfall’ tax revenue is just plain stupid (the intention should be on eliminating the market, not raising revenue), the notion that any initial windfall should be directed towards preventative health programs seems eminently sensible to me.
I think that the saddest part of the piece though is the condecending sneer of the Crikey piece in its self-assurance that the policy shift represents ‘voodoo taxation’, and the assumption that it will never achieve the desired effect. Keane does not appear for a moment to have actually endeavoured to explore the evidence base, rather leap to his inclusion based on his (seeming) contempt for government. What’s more galling is that at the same time he berates Rudd for not having an evidence base! This seems to be a familiar theme in the critiques that I have seen and it drives me up the wall.
You see, most of the contemporary literature demonstrates that disincentives through taxation on alcohol actually work in reducing problem drinking in the long term. Obviously, it will not (and cannot) eliminate it outright, as there will always be a shift in new patterns of drinking. But what we do know is, where such measures have been targeted; hospital admissions through ‘accidents’, street assaults and sexual assaults - all good measures of ‘unsafe’ patterns of drinking - all drop.
Similarly, broad 'catch-all' education programs (which seem to be far more appealing to some) have been proven repeatedly to have minimal impact with regard to shifting 'unsafe' patterns of drinking. At the very least, they are cost ineffective. As one analyst said "if the evidence says they are ineffective, how could they be cost-effective?" This is especially true when one compares it to taxation levers. Targeted, focused education campaigns on particular vulnerable have generally proven more successful, but most are far more cost and time intensive than broader campaigns. In addition, you have to know which vulnerable people to target, and that is not always a category that is a) easily identifiable; or b) easily accessible.
Of course, taxation on its own cannot and will not succeed on its own. Generally, the most successful policy responses that we have seen have been those that combine taxation levers, a review of outlet density and targeted education campaigns. It is early days yet, but some of the early signs are positive that we can see a halfway decent policy response, certainly an advance on what we have seen under the previous government, who appeared oblivious to the precedents elsewhere.
There has been a lot of work done on this, and quite a bit is easily accessible online. Nothing annoys me more than professional commentators who seek to influence public opinion one way or the other who have completely and utterly ignore the huge amount of research out there on the social, cultural and epidemiological studies of alcohol, drugs and gambling behaviour and problems. Similarly, they do not appear to have even looked at all of the research – millions of dollars worth of research – that has been done on the social responses to alcohol and drug problems, and of the measurement of the effects of policy changes. It just seems so unprofessional.
If anyone is still reading my rant here, and is interested in the topic, I would recommend the highly accessible summary of the World Health Organisation report Alcohol: No Ordinary Commodity. It really is where the cutting edge of the research is at right now, and some of the Australian media could well do to get a hold of it before they comment.
How many of the unread 106 have i read?
A new meme crossed my path last week, and I have been compiling my answers until I had completed them to post them up here. You might have seen it already as it has been going around for a while now. The bibliographical theme is what has drawn my eye, and I was interested to see how I ‘stacked up’.
So, it involves the top 106 (?) books marked ‘unread’ on LibraryThing.com. My understanding of it is that these books are collated from people tagging the books that they one day intend to read, but have not read. Therefore, we are talking the ‘most popular’ books that people intend to read one day. Anyway, the rules are basic: mark the books that you have read; note those that you have read more than once; record those you have started but could not finish; and note those that you either loved or hated. I have also decided to note those that I am unfamiliar with.
I thought that by posting it up, I might be able to aid anyone in choosing future books to read, as well as give you all a guide to my tastes. Feel free to rubbish me and disagree if I have slated an all time favourite of yours. Similarly, if there is something that I haven't heard of that is a must read, let me know. I am always scouting for new things to read.
To the books!
1984: Read and enjoyed maybe three times. I’ve also both studied and taught it as a text at University.
A Clockwork Orange: Read and enjoyed four times. As above, I’ve also both studied and taught it as a text at University.
A confederacy of dunces: Read and enjoyed it.
A heartbreaking work of staggering genius: Not familiar with it.
A people’s history of the United States: 1492-present: Not familiar with it.
A portrait of the artist as a young man: Staggered my way through. I didn’t hate it, but didn’t really enjoy it.
A Short History of Nearly Everything: I have dipped in and out, not read from cover to cover though. (I have this as an e-book.)
A Tale of Two Cities: I started, but gave up about a third of the way through due to boredom. I appreciate Charles Dickens, I really do. It’s just that the books are so... well... dull.
American Gods: Not heard of it.
Anansi Boys: Not heard of it.
Angela’s Ashes: Read it and thought that it was overrated.
Angels & Demons: Not heard of it.
Anna Karenina: I tried, I really did...
Atlas shrugged: Doesn’t interest me in the slightest. I don’t really understand the interest in Ayn Rand. Everything I’ve read of hers is actually a little bit embarrassing. They are just so... so badly written.
Beloved: Not read, but it is on my list to read!
Brave new world: I read it and found it interesting enough.
Catch-22: I’ve read this maybe four times. The first time was a bit of a challenge, but a stimulating one (I was maybe 14). Each subsequent time I’ve got something new. Not a stretch to say it is on my all time favourite list.
Cloud Atlas: Not heard of it.
Collapse: how societies choose to fail or succeed: See Ayn Rand. Diamond just makes too many really simple errors on history to make me take him seriously.
Crime and Punishment: I did finish it. I don’t think I need to revisit it.
Cryptonomicon: Not heard of it.
David Copperfield: Dickens!
Don Quixote: I’ve not read it, I’ve generally struggled with anything pre-1800 so that dampens my enthusiasm somewhat.
Dracula: Not really my scene.
Dubliners: I’ve no desire to.
Dune: Sci-fi stuff generally bores me, especially the long ones!
Eats, Shoots & Leaves: I started it just after Henry was born and dipped in and out. Alas, I still haven’t finished it.
Emma: Read and enjoyed.
Foucault’s Pendulum: Read it. I didn’t hate it.
Frankenstein: I really liked this when I didn’t expect to.
Freakonomics: Read and enjoyed very much.
Gravity’s Rainbow: I haven’t read it, but will get around to it one day.
Great Expectations: Dickens!
Gulliver’s Travels: I had a few goes at this, but really struggled each time. I am ashamed of myself.
Guns, Germs, and Steel: the fates of human societies: How does such a mediocre thinker get two on this list? I finished this, but was offended at the shoddy research job that let through so many factual errors.
In Cold Blood: Read and enjoyed.
Jane Eyre: Read and enjoyed. I actually enjoyed Wide Sargasso Sea more though.
Jonathan Strange & M. Norrell: I’ve not read it, but am drawn to the cover art. I’m not sure if that will make me get around to read it though!
Les misérables: I’ve not read it, but may well do one day.
Life of Pi: a novel: Not interested.
Lolita: Like Catch-22, I’ve read it a number of times and enjoyed it immensely. One of the all time favourites.
Love in the time of cholera: Read it, but will admit that the whole ‘magical realism’ thing leaves me a little cold.
Madame Bovary: I’ve not read it. Probably won’t.
Mansfield Park: It’s passed me by. Maybe one day if I’m in the mood.
Memoirs of a Geisha: Haven’t read it. I would consider it...
Middlemarch: No. I’d need a reason to be honest.
Middlesex: I regret to say that I haven’t heard of it.
Moby Dick: I finished it! Is that not enough! It took me a long time to get through the opening but I managed. Hated it, of course, as any sensible person should.
Mrs. Dalloway: Not read it.
Neverwhere: Never heard of it.
Northanger Abbey: It really has to be on a course list for me to read it.
Oliver Twist: Dickens!
On the Road: I enjoyed it first time around (aged 17), thought that it was rubbish second time through (aged 23). Don’t think I will have a third go, maybe one day!
One flew over the cuckoo’s nest: I liked it.
One hundred years of solitude: I read it right through, magical realism you see, It just doesn’t do anything for me, sorry. Still better than Calvino!
Oryx and Crake: We’ve got it at home, but it hasn’t drawn me any closer to reading it.
Persuasion: I haven’t read it, but might.
Pride and Prejudice: Read it for school. Didn’t hate it too much.
Quicksilver: Never heard of it.
Reading Lolita in Tehran: Maybe one day.
Sense and sensibility: Read it and liked it, much to my surprise as I didn’t expect to.
Slaughterhouse-five: One of the all time favourites. Read it the first time in one single sitting. I’ve maybe read it four or five times, and expect to do so again.
Tess of the D’Urbervilles: I own it, and did study it at uni, but I didn’t actually get around to reading it. Oops.
The Aeneid: No. I think that I’d struggle.
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay: Not heard of it.
The Blind Assassin: We have a copy at home, but I haven’t read it. Maybe one day.
The Brothers Karamazov: I started it, but the Russians are a real chore for me. Sorry Russians, I do like you though!
The Canterbury tales: Unfortunately I’ve read it. Had to at Uni. Hated it.
The Catcher in the Rye: Read it once. Can’t see what the big deal is, Holden Caulfield is such a wanker and all that I really wanted to see was him hit by a bus. Didn’t enjoy it.
The Confusion: Not heard of it.
The Corrections: People have told me that I have to read this, which is never the correct way about getting me to read something. I don’t HAVE to do anything! Maybe one day.
The Count of Monte Cristo: Not read it, can’t see myself reading it.
The curious incident of the dog in the night-time: I like the cover art, but have heard it is aimed at ‘young readers’, which is a turn off.
The Fountainhead: I didn’t make it very far. Don’t get the Ayn Rand thing at all.
The God of Small Things: I’ve picked it up a few times, but not read it. I think that I will eventually.
The Grapes of Wrath: I enjoyed it very much.
The Historian: I’d not heard of it, but like the sound of it.
The Hobbit: Read it when very young (10?). Not my thing, elves, fairies and journeys pretty much leave me cold.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame: Not read it. I’m realising that I seem to be avoiding the French. I’ve read all the Germans though!
The Iliad: No. I think that I’d struggle.
The Inferno: As in Dante? I had a crack once, but didn’t ‘click’ with it. I know someone who claimed to have read the entire Divine Comedy in Italian though!
The Kite Runner: I know that they made a movie!
The mists of Avalon: Not heard of it.
The Name of the Rose: I quite liked this, much to my surprise.
The Odyssey: No, sorry, too much.
The Once and Future King: Not heard of it.
The Picture of Dorian Gray: I tried, but it is just so, ‘twee’. Didn’t finish it.
The Poisonwood Bible: I have thought about it, I might like it.
The Prince: Machiavelli? Of course! Read it and taught it for a good seven years. A good read that has held up well over such a long time. Thatcher should have paid closer attention...
The Satanic Verses: No. I’ve heard it is very dull.
The Scarlet Letter: Haven’t read it. Maybe one day.
The Silmarillion: Tolkien? Can’t stand him. Not interested. As Californian Teen Vince would say, ‘dullsville’.
The Sound and the Fury: One day. I’ve had my eye on Faulkner, but not actually read any.
The Three Musketeers: French, haven’t read it.
The Time Traveller’s Wife: Not heard of it.
The unbearable lightness of being: Loved it. One of the all time favourites. Turned me right onto Kundera and a whole world of Eastern European literature. Read it maybe three times. i probably like the Book of Laughter and Forgetting more though.
To the Lighthouse: I finished it, but it didn’t ‘do it’ for me.
Treasure Island: I started it, but was bored out of my mind.
Ulysses: Like a trooper I worked long and hard all the way through. I sometimes wonder if it was all worth it.
Vanity Fair: Not read it. I have seen the magazine though, does that count?
War and Peace: I very stupidly first attempted to read this at age 11, only to not make it very far. I tried again at maybe 19, and made it a little further, but quit again. Maybe third time will be a charm!
Watership Down: I liked this very much. I also enjoyed the movie, which I saw first and convinced me to read it.
White teeth: We have a copy at home that I might read one day.
Wicked: the life and times of the wicked witch of the West: I’ve not heard of it, and am sort of glad about that.
Wuthering Heights: Read it and studied it both at high school and university. I did actually read it twice, and enjoyed it very much both times. Top song, too.
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: Started it, but thought that it was rubbish.
So there we have it! I am surprised by how many I have read, or at least heard of. There seems to be a bias against sci-fi and fantasy revealing itself, but I could have told you that up front.
How many have you read? How many have your read multiple times? I'd love to know.
UPDATE:
I had an urge to crunch the numbers this morning, and assess the results. The breakdown tells me that I have completed 34 of these books (and not enjoyed them all). I have also no fear of leaving a book unfinished, as 14 of them have been put down never to be picked up again. That leaves a whopping 42 that I have not read, most of which I expect not to, and 16 titles that I was not familiar with. Looking at those, they appear to be (in the majority) sci-fi or fantasy. Those kinds of books just do not rock my boat, I am sorry to say.
I am wondering if 14 seems a high number to leave unfinished. Are people as willing as I appear to be in stopping reading something if it does not stimulate? Unless I am insanely focused on ‘completing’ a text – Ulysses and Moby Dick are the prime examples of this for me – I am not too fussed to leave it unfinished. What do people think? Am I betraying the author or is life too short to waste reading something that you are not interested in?
Similarly, there were a couple of books on here that have actually been on my personal ‘to read’ list for a few years – Beloved and The God of Small Things – as well as a few other that I can think of. Blood Meridian; Closely Observed Trains; The Good Soldier Svejk and Underworld have all been prominent on my ‘to do’ list for a few years now. So I will ask you, what books have you been putting off? Do you have any ‘must read’ recommendations (bearing in mind what the above list says about my tastes)?
So, it involves the top 106 (?) books marked ‘unread’ on LibraryThing.com. My understanding of it is that these books are collated from people tagging the books that they one day intend to read, but have not read. Therefore, we are talking the ‘most popular’ books that people intend to read one day. Anyway, the rules are basic: mark the books that you have read; note those that you have read more than once; record those you have started but could not finish; and note those that you either loved or hated. I have also decided to note those that I am unfamiliar with.
I thought that by posting it up, I might be able to aid anyone in choosing future books to read, as well as give you all a guide to my tastes. Feel free to rubbish me and disagree if I have slated an all time favourite of yours. Similarly, if there is something that I haven't heard of that is a must read, let me know. I am always scouting for new things to read.
To the books!
1984: Read and enjoyed maybe three times. I’ve also both studied and taught it as a text at University.
A Clockwork Orange: Read and enjoyed four times. As above, I’ve also both studied and taught it as a text at University.
A confederacy of dunces: Read and enjoyed it.
A heartbreaking work of staggering genius: Not familiar with it.
A people’s history of the United States: 1492-present: Not familiar with it.
A portrait of the artist as a young man: Staggered my way through. I didn’t hate it, but didn’t really enjoy it.
A Short History of Nearly Everything: I have dipped in and out, not read from cover to cover though. (I have this as an e-book.)
A Tale of Two Cities: I started, but gave up about a third of the way through due to boredom. I appreciate Charles Dickens, I really do. It’s just that the books are so... well... dull.
American Gods: Not heard of it.
Anansi Boys: Not heard of it.
Angela’s Ashes: Read it and thought that it was overrated.
Angels & Demons: Not heard of it.
Anna Karenina: I tried, I really did...
Atlas shrugged: Doesn’t interest me in the slightest. I don’t really understand the interest in Ayn Rand. Everything I’ve read of hers is actually a little bit embarrassing. They are just so... so badly written.
Beloved: Not read, but it is on my list to read!
Brave new world: I read it and found it interesting enough.
Catch-22: I’ve read this maybe four times. The first time was a bit of a challenge, but a stimulating one (I was maybe 14). Each subsequent time I’ve got something new. Not a stretch to say it is on my all time favourite list.
Cloud Atlas: Not heard of it.
Collapse: how societies choose to fail or succeed: See Ayn Rand. Diamond just makes too many really simple errors on history to make me take him seriously.
Crime and Punishment: I did finish it. I don’t think I need to revisit it.
Cryptonomicon: Not heard of it.
David Copperfield: Dickens!
Don Quixote: I’ve not read it, I’ve generally struggled with anything pre-1800 so that dampens my enthusiasm somewhat.
Dracula: Not really my scene.
Dubliners: I’ve no desire to.
Dune: Sci-fi stuff generally bores me, especially the long ones!
Eats, Shoots & Leaves: I started it just after Henry was born and dipped in and out. Alas, I still haven’t finished it.
Emma: Read and enjoyed.
Foucault’s Pendulum: Read it. I didn’t hate it.
Frankenstein: I really liked this when I didn’t expect to.
Freakonomics: Read and enjoyed very much.
Gravity’s Rainbow: I haven’t read it, but will get around to it one day.
Great Expectations: Dickens!
Gulliver’s Travels: I had a few goes at this, but really struggled each time. I am ashamed of myself.
Guns, Germs, and Steel: the fates of human societies: How does such a mediocre thinker get two on this list? I finished this, but was offended at the shoddy research job that let through so many factual errors.
In Cold Blood: Read and enjoyed.
Jane Eyre: Read and enjoyed. I actually enjoyed Wide Sargasso Sea more though.
Jonathan Strange & M. Norrell: I’ve not read it, but am drawn to the cover art. I’m not sure if that will make me get around to read it though!
Les misérables: I’ve not read it, but may well do one day.
Life of Pi: a novel: Not interested.
Lolita: Like Catch-22, I’ve read it a number of times and enjoyed it immensely. One of the all time favourites.
Love in the time of cholera: Read it, but will admit that the whole ‘magical realism’ thing leaves me a little cold.
Madame Bovary: I’ve not read it. Probably won’t.
Mansfield Park: It’s passed me by. Maybe one day if I’m in the mood.
Memoirs of a Geisha: Haven’t read it. I would consider it...
Middlemarch: No. I’d need a reason to be honest.
Middlesex: I regret to say that I haven’t heard of it.
Moby Dick: I finished it! Is that not enough! It took me a long time to get through the opening but I managed. Hated it, of course, as any sensible person should.
Mrs. Dalloway: Not read it.
Neverwhere: Never heard of it.
Northanger Abbey: It really has to be on a course list for me to read it.
Oliver Twist: Dickens!
On the Road: I enjoyed it first time around (aged 17), thought that it was rubbish second time through (aged 23). Don’t think I will have a third go, maybe one day!
One flew over the cuckoo’s nest: I liked it.
One hundred years of solitude: I read it right through, magical realism you see, It just doesn’t do anything for me, sorry. Still better than Calvino!
Oryx and Crake: We’ve got it at home, but it hasn’t drawn me any closer to reading it.
Persuasion: I haven’t read it, but might.
Pride and Prejudice: Read it for school. Didn’t hate it too much.
Quicksilver: Never heard of it.
Reading Lolita in Tehran: Maybe one day.
Sense and sensibility: Read it and liked it, much to my surprise as I didn’t expect to.
Slaughterhouse-five: One of the all time favourites. Read it the first time in one single sitting. I’ve maybe read it four or five times, and expect to do so again.
Tess of the D’Urbervilles: I own it, and did study it at uni, but I didn’t actually get around to reading it. Oops.
The Aeneid: No. I think that I’d struggle.
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay: Not heard of it.
The Blind Assassin: We have a copy at home, but I haven’t read it. Maybe one day.
The Brothers Karamazov: I started it, but the Russians are a real chore for me. Sorry Russians, I do like you though!
The Canterbury tales: Unfortunately I’ve read it. Had to at Uni. Hated it.
The Catcher in the Rye: Read it once. Can’t see what the big deal is, Holden Caulfield is such a wanker and all that I really wanted to see was him hit by a bus. Didn’t enjoy it.
The Confusion: Not heard of it.
The Corrections: People have told me that I have to read this, which is never the correct way about getting me to read something. I don’t HAVE to do anything! Maybe one day.
The Count of Monte Cristo: Not read it, can’t see myself reading it.
The curious incident of the dog in the night-time: I like the cover art, but have heard it is aimed at ‘young readers’, which is a turn off.
The Fountainhead: I didn’t make it very far. Don’t get the Ayn Rand thing at all.
The God of Small Things: I’ve picked it up a few times, but not read it. I think that I will eventually.
The Grapes of Wrath: I enjoyed it very much.
The Historian: I’d not heard of it, but like the sound of it.
The Hobbit: Read it when very young (10?). Not my thing, elves, fairies and journeys pretty much leave me cold.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame: Not read it. I’m realising that I seem to be avoiding the French. I’ve read all the Germans though!
The Iliad: No. I think that I’d struggle.
The Inferno: As in Dante? I had a crack once, but didn’t ‘click’ with it. I know someone who claimed to have read the entire Divine Comedy in Italian though!
The Kite Runner: I know that they made a movie!
The mists of Avalon: Not heard of it.
The Name of the Rose: I quite liked this, much to my surprise.
The Odyssey: No, sorry, too much.
The Once and Future King: Not heard of it.
The Picture of Dorian Gray: I tried, but it is just so, ‘twee’. Didn’t finish it.
The Poisonwood Bible: I have thought about it, I might like it.
The Prince: Machiavelli? Of course! Read it and taught it for a good seven years. A good read that has held up well over such a long time. Thatcher should have paid closer attention...
The Satanic Verses: No. I’ve heard it is very dull.
The Scarlet Letter: Haven’t read it. Maybe one day.
The Silmarillion: Tolkien? Can’t stand him. Not interested. As Californian Teen Vince would say, ‘dullsville’.
The Sound and the Fury: One day. I’ve had my eye on Faulkner, but not actually read any.
The Three Musketeers: French, haven’t read it.
The Time Traveller’s Wife: Not heard of it.
The unbearable lightness of being: Loved it. One of the all time favourites. Turned me right onto Kundera and a whole world of Eastern European literature. Read it maybe three times. i probably like the Book of Laughter and Forgetting more though.
To the Lighthouse: I finished it, but it didn’t ‘do it’ for me.
Treasure Island: I started it, but was bored out of my mind.
Ulysses: Like a trooper I worked long and hard all the way through. I sometimes wonder if it was all worth it.
Vanity Fair: Not read it. I have seen the magazine though, does that count?
War and Peace: I very stupidly first attempted to read this at age 11, only to not make it very far. I tried again at maybe 19, and made it a little further, but quit again. Maybe third time will be a charm!
Watership Down: I liked this very much. I also enjoyed the movie, which I saw first and convinced me to read it.
White teeth: We have a copy at home that I might read one day.
Wicked: the life and times of the wicked witch of the West: I’ve not heard of it, and am sort of glad about that.
Wuthering Heights: Read it and studied it both at high school and university. I did actually read it twice, and enjoyed it very much both times. Top song, too.
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: Started it, but thought that it was rubbish.
So there we have it! I am surprised by how many I have read, or at least heard of. There seems to be a bias against sci-fi and fantasy revealing itself, but I could have told you that up front.
How many have you read? How many have your read multiple times? I'd love to know.
UPDATE:
I had an urge to crunch the numbers this morning, and assess the results. The breakdown tells me that I have completed 34 of these books (and not enjoyed them all). I have also no fear of leaving a book unfinished, as 14 of them have been put down never to be picked up again. That leaves a whopping 42 that I have not read, most of which I expect not to, and 16 titles that I was not familiar with. Looking at those, they appear to be (in the majority) sci-fi or fantasy. Those kinds of books just do not rock my boat, I am sorry to say.
I am wondering if 14 seems a high number to leave unfinished. Are people as willing as I appear to be in stopping reading something if it does not stimulate? Unless I am insanely focused on ‘completing’ a text – Ulysses and Moby Dick are the prime examples of this for me – I am not too fussed to leave it unfinished. What do people think? Am I betraying the author or is life too short to waste reading something that you are not interested in?
Similarly, there were a couple of books on here that have actually been on my personal ‘to read’ list for a few years – Beloved and The God of Small Things – as well as a few other that I can think of. Blood Meridian; Closely Observed Trains; The Good Soldier Svejk and Underworld have all been prominent on my ‘to do’ list for a few years now. So I will ask you, what books have you been putting off? Do you have any ‘must read’ recommendations (bearing in mind what the above list says about my tastes)?
Monday, May 05, 2008
(My) daily photo
A shot of everyday life from me today. Here is the cold rack of the Salamanca Fruit Market just down the road from where I work. Each morning I usually get a tub of Tamar Valley yogurt (from the lovely North West of the state, where all the best things come from). This and a couple of pears generally get me through the morning. It generally works. For those interested, I went with honey today. I like to mix the flavours up a bit, but if my hand is forced, I think that mango is my favorite.
As this current project that I am working on is winding up at the end of the month, I applied for a new job today. We'll see how it goes.
[If anyone from Tamar Valley yogurt would like to send me a free crate of yogurt, I would happily accept!)
Sunday, May 04, 2008
(My) photo of the day
Due to popular demand, this weekend will be a Henry triple feature! To mix things up though, I have gone with a Before & After/Then & Now theme. So, the first photo you can see Henry (and his mum) at five days old. You know that they're young when the nappy looks that big on them.
The second photo was taken in the city today, where Henry is a whopping 559 days old! He looks a little bigger than he does in exhibit A.
Ads that I like #42
I was relieved to read in The Times (of London, no less) this morning that the art of the Stalinist propaganda poster is not yet dead. The Times was promoting a gallery showing for North Korean propaganda posters, and included a few examples of the form for our education.
Sadly, I could only read about such pearlers as “Let's grow more sunflowers!”; “Let's breed more high-yielding fish!”; or the wonderfully obscure "In all institutions and workplaces, let's popularise basketball!” Another delightful one exhorts: "Let's expand goat rearing and create more grassland in accordance with the party!" Wise words.
However, I have chosen to bypass some that you might expect to see ("Let's take revenge a thousand times on the US imperialist wolves!") in favour of something more harmonious. So today I present you a message that ALL nations should adhere to:
"Let's all become perfect swimmers!"
Let us just...
Sadly, I could only read about such pearlers as “Let's grow more sunflowers!”; “Let's breed more high-yielding fish!”; or the wonderfully obscure "In all institutions and workplaces, let's popularise basketball!” Another delightful one exhorts: "Let's expand goat rearing and create more grassland in accordance with the party!" Wise words.
However, I have chosen to bypass some that you might expect to see ("Let's take revenge a thousand times on the US imperialist wolves!") in favour of something more harmonious. So today I present you a message that ALL nations should adhere to:
"Let's all become perfect swimmers!"
Let us just...
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