Author Archive
The Deathworld Trilogy
Title: The Deathworld Trilogy Author: Harry Harrison Paperback: 438 pages Publisher: Berkley (September 15, 1983) Language: English ISBN-10: 0425068277 ISBN-13: 978-0425068274 I don’t know what made me think of this book…. When I was a child, my sister had the second volume of this trilogy – the cover had a great photo of half-naked slaves […]
October 1st, 2007 by alephnaught
GWT in Action: Easy Ajax with the Google Web Toolkit
Title:Â GWT in Action: Easy Ajax with the Google Web Toolkit Author:Â Robert Hanson, Adam Tacy Paperback: 600 pages Publisher: Manning Publications (June 5, 2007) Language: English ISBN-10: 1933988231 ISBN-13: 978-1933988238 Finally, a technical book again! I liked this one – I wanted to build a simple interactive site for finding the next Chicago comuter trains based […]
October 1st, 2007 by alephnaught
Real Dolls
We saw a documentary last night on BBC America called “Love Me, Love My Doll.” This was a strange one we found by accident – a documentary about four men that own realdolls – dolls designed to look and feel like women. I’m providing the link to the wikipedia entry here for your enjoyment. I […]
October 1st, 2007 by alephnaught
Eastern Promises
We saw “Eastern Promises” Sunday morning. Eastern Promises is David Cronenberg’s latest movie. Its a bit of a departure for him. The movie is set in London and involves the Russian Mafia. A young woman is rushed to the hospital – she dies but gives birth to a baby girl. The young doctor finds her […]
October 1st, 2007 by alephnaught
Gates of Paradise
We visited the Gates of Paradise exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago. We went to the Museum of the Art Institute of Chicago to see the exhibit “The Gates of Paradise.” The show includes art work and three of the panels of the east doors of the Bapistry in Florence; these panels are considered […]
September 19th, 2007 by alephnaught
The Unofficial Tourists’ Guide to Second Life
Title:Â Â The Unofficial Tourists’ Guide to Second Life Author: Paul Carr and Graham Pond Paperback: 222 pages Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin (April 17, 2007) Language: English ISBN-10: 0312376480 ISBN-13: 978-0312376482 I’ve “walked around” in Second Life once – Second Life is a simulated place on the internet. The book was somewhat useful, but I skimmed some […]
September 16th, 2007 by alephnaught
Tea: The Drink That Changed the World
Title: Tea: The Drink That Changed the World Author: Laura C. Martin Hardcover: 247 pages Publisher: Charles E Tuttle Co (May 15, 2007) Language: English ISBN-10: 0804837244 ISBN-13: 978-0804837248 This was a fun book in the style of Coal and Cod: a nice blend of history, anecdotes and suggestions for usage. Tea comes in three […]
August 29th, 2007 by alephnaught
Netherlands Sets Plan on Extremism (NY Times)
Interesting article from the NY Times. This article reminded me of the day after Theo van Gogh was killed. I was in Amsterdam working at the time, and I remember the night he died, there was loud noise coming from Dam Square – pots banging and people shouting and protesting. I learned the next day […]
August 24th, 2007 by alephnaught
Twinkie, Deconstructed: My Journey to Discover How the Ingredients Found in Processed Foods Are Grown, Mined (Yes, Mined), and Manipulated Into What America Eats
Title:Â Twinkie, Deconstructed: My Journey to Discover How the Ingredients Found in Processed Foods Are Grown, Mined (Yes, Mined), and Manipulated Into What America Eats Author: Steve Ettlinger Hardcover: 304 pages Publisher: Hudson Street Press; 1 edition (March 1, 2007) Language: English ISBN-10: 1594630186 ISBN-13: 978-1594630187 This was a fun book to read – many of […]
August 19th, 2007 by alephnaught
Walked by the point where the Chicago fire started
I had lunch last week with a friend of mine, a former peer at LaSalle Bank. As we walked by a building for the Chicago Fire Department, he asked me if I’d been to the starting point of the Chicago fire – I said no, and he said were were there now! There is a […]
October 8th, 2007 by alephnaught