Weekly “what are you reading” Thread #32

I'm reading Work Won't Love You Back, a book recommended to me by my supervisor. She's kinda kooky, but I committed to reading about it. For context, my work is a very healthy space to work in, I feel valued as an employee and invested in. So for me I'm just taking it in.

The book itself is a Marxist critique of capitalism in the contexts of motherhood and free will. I don't feel like this is a good book because this book concentrates on the author's own choices, and then tries to hold up a mirror to the free market. For example, the author talks about struggling to be an artist while raising a daughter, acknowledges that she needs more support and a different career, but then won't stop being an artist or get support from her deadbeat dad. Wild stuff to read a woman's thought process on this stuff, doing the opposite of what she knows is right, and demanding a fundamental shift in economics because she won't get her head out of her butt.

I hope my supervisor forgets I bought the book.

currently reading a documentation on ATproto. It's a nonfiction about communication and transportation, and it is a postmodem reflection of how conversations may be documented and organized in a way which allows it to be shared with a model that can accommodate millions of people. Tbh I expected a lot of boring boilerplate but the more I read, the more it kind of just starts to make sense. I do think the author could have done a better job with some of the descriptions (or lack thereof). A few times now I've had to ask some other people who are also reading it for help understanding some of the odd phrasing.

It's interesting because this isn't the first of its kind. This particular author thought to use the information from what systems exist, and attempt to give it a rebirth. Rebirths of complex systems are always pleasant to see, when it can reproduce the original system's output and not be constrained by its predecessors' pillars. Also they tend to be easier to understand.

It's very easy to document and share thoughts between a few hundred people but once that number becomes in the millions, a lot of unique challenges emerge, so seeing a log for what they are and how to solve them is pretty neat (it's unfinished, but the releases are semi-frequent so that's a plus)

Still LOTR, almost done The Two Towers.

I feel like the book gets ragged on as being the weakest in the trilogy but it's completely undeserved imo. I really like the pacing and although there is a lot of exposition it's pleasant to read, really sets the atmosphere.

https://www.amazon.com/Enlightenment-Now-Science-Humanism-Progress/dp/0525427570

Reading this again. This guy seems to write nonfiction that's either brilliant or a little boring, this is one of the brilliant ones. It sounds like it could be boring, and it would be written by anyone else ("oh hey the Enlightenment was GOOD actually"), but he's in genius mode.

I finished Three Sips of Gin about a guy who served with the Rhodesian Seluous Scouts. It wasn't good. He glossed over anything that would be actually interesting and focused more on his drinking escapades, and shenanigans than what I cared about. It reminded me a lot of Helmet for my Pillow which I also didn't like.

Reading now Fangs of the Lone Wolf - Chechen tactics in the Russian Chechen wars. It's set up as just a series of retellings from militants who fought and what they remember/their strategy. It's short but so far interesting. Has a small commentary after each short interview. Seems like a pretty short book as I'm a third through and just started reading the other day.

I think after this one I need to read something not military focused. Been spending too much time reading about this stuff and not larger political histories.

Ignition!

It's a weird book. Like, 80% of it is absolute gibberish to a non-chemist. But you are forced to acquire some familiarity with the recurring characters, like hydrazine or white/red fuming nitric acid, and you begin to sort of understand the general gist of the other 20%, and it's fascinating to no end!

On heroes and hero worship by caryle. Hes fun to read because of how excitable he is but i can see why he's obscure now. Hes super quaint now and super victorian. Even for chud standards someone like the big N is more educated, intestines, and less moralistic then caryle. It would be fun to hear him talk out loud his delivery reminds me of the most engaging lectures ive watched online and my most engaging professors, like my ancient greek history one.

I'm reading about Balance Sheet Analysis

More like Balance shieeet neighbor I done did a mistake studying this

I'm reading your and your siblings names on your mom's tramp stamp as I hit it from the back. She told me you were her least favorite after I came inside her btw

I'm reading about Balance Sheet Analysis

More like Balance shieeet neighbor I done did a mistake studying this

When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamín Labatut