June 2005

Meg has passed me the book baton:

1. Total Number of Books You Own

Man. I’m not even sure. Before we moved I had many hundreds I think. We gave away to Goodwill many of our books. And how do I count graphic novels, of which I have many?

Let’s say I have 200, plus minus. And since I’m married, do I count books that came via Leah? Not sure.

2. The Last Book(s) I Bought

Leaving the Saints by Martha Beck. Granted, I bought this for Leah because she asked me last time I was in Borders Bookstore here in Simi Valley.

3. The Last Book(s) I Read

I have a habit of grazing over books and not quite finishing them lately. It’s sad to say I can’t remember the last book I read to completion. It might be Salmon of Doubt by Douglas Adams, but I’m not sure.

4. The Book(s) I Am Currently Reading

Not Otherwise Specified by Leah Peah is the book that I read in the tub and when I have spare time. It’s good. And I’m pretty objective.

I think I got stuck unfinishing books with Neal Stephenson’s “The Baroque Cycle” books: Quicksilver, The Confusion, and The System of the World. These are long (900 pages or more) books with dense prose. Good, but not exactly “popcorn” literature. It’s frustrating because Stephenson is a three-way tie for first for my favorite author.

5. Fiction or Non-Fiction?

Yes, both.

6. The First Book I Read

I have no idea. Maybe it was Charlotte’s Web, which I read with my Mom when I was perhaps 6 years old? I really don’t know though. I’m sure there were children’s books I read when I was much younger. I loved the Richard Scarry books. I liked very much Green Eggs & Ham by Dr. Seuss of course. Which of these I read first I am not sure.

7. Largest Impact

This is a tough question.

The first book that pops to mind is Islands in the Net by Bruce Sterling. I first read it in 1988. I had been to a signing at a bookstore in La Jolla. William Gibson was signing Mona Lisa Overdrive, and as an aside walked over to the new hardback books and said “This is the guy who really thinks about this stuff,” it’s great. That book was Islands in the Net, and the author was Bruce Sterling.

That book is densely packed with ideas about the world that are relevant today. It’s got email addresses in it. It’s got drone aircraft that carry out assasinations. It’s got a ubiquitous internet where people work and play. It’s got scary data havens and offshore banks, postnationalist gangsters, and more. Much of it is dated, I believe there’s still a Soviet Union in it. But pound for pound it’s full of stuff.

Runner Up: The Diamond Age: A Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer by Neal Stephenson, Neuromancer by William Gibson, Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson, The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling. For similar reasons, these are books which got me thinking about the world where we now live, before we lived there.

These are all fiction, and science fiction at that. I suppose the myths of science fiction affect me more than anything else.

In the nonfiction realm the book that has had the largest impact is probably The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck. It’s about maturity and marriage and being in touch with ones’ feelings. It’s a book I enjoyed and thought interesting when I was younger, but I really discovered the wisdom of the book when my marriage fell apart. It was comforting to be presented with the truth “life is hard”—and it gives a mechanism to enjoy that life regardless of that difficulty.

8. Favorite Scholarly Book(s)

You Just Don’t Understand by Deborah Tannen is the first one that pops to mind. It’s about the differences in communication styles between men and women. It’s eye-opening and rather mind-blowing.

The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends and Their Meanings by Jan Harold Brunvand is great too. It’s all about these myths Americans carry around and their meanings. Whenever I hear of internet hoaxes I think about this book, because it shows how people take on legends as truth. Urban legends insinuate themselves into the fabric of our belief system.

The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark by Carl Sagan. This is an excellent book warning about our ignorance of science and how it impacts the way life is lived in the modern age.

Oh, and I can’t forget Philip & Alex’s Guide to Web Publishing by Philip Greenspun, where I learned everything I need to know about web publishing. No, actually, Database-backed websites: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Web Publishing is more seminal. Greatly influenced my thinking about the web and why the web works.

9. Most Read Book

Probably Islands in the Net, or Philip & Alex’s Guide to Web Publishing. They’re “kick in the pants” type books. Fire the neurons, get me inspired.

10. Sexiest Book

Hmm. Maybe Vox by Nicholson Baker. I was a big fan of his for a while. But I think I outgrew him at some point. It’s an old book, and sexy.

11. Biggest Disappointments

See above: the books in The Baroque Cycle, but only because I’m disappointed in myself for not finishing them… yet.

12. Five Books that Mean Something to You

Well, see above, really. I think I was inadvertently answering this question above. If I had to put it to the top five, let’s make it:

1. Islands in the Net by Bruce Sterling
2. Philip & Alex’s Guide to Web Publishing by Philip Greenspun
3. The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck
4. Neuromancer by William Gibson
5. Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

*13. Consider Yourself Tagged

I inflicted the music meme on a bunch of people, I think I’ll not pass this one along. But anyone listed on my blogroll should consider themselves tagged. But I’d sure not want to peer pressure anyone into this.

This was fun! Thanks Meg!

This is the best idea I’ve seen in a long time:

A bill before Congress, H.R.1785 and S. 244, initiated by students, to put an abridged version of the Constitution on the back of U.S. currency.

via:robotwisdom

I have no idea what the “last line” text there is. This archaeology of old drawings is kinda kicky. It’s nice to have an office with enough room to get at the scanner.

Batman & Robin are ©DC Comics

(I said I’d be doing some scanning. Given the Batman Begins movie is out right now, this seemed appropriate)

There’s a great Prince song called Housequake. From what the news and online forums say, California is having oodles of earthquake activity. Out here in Simi Valley, to the northwest of Los Angeles we (Leah and I) have not felt a thing so far. Not sure that that means. Are we just situated wrong to feel these things? We’re bloody close to Northridge here, like, just over the hill. I don’t have a good sense of the quake statistics for this area.

The Prince wikipedia article is pretty awesome and thorough.

Yesterday was much better than the day before.

I’m feeling positive-er.

Though this weekend I’m batch’n it (as in Bachelor). Leah will fly out on a trip (family deal) and will be back after the weekend. I wish her well in that endeavour, and I will miss her. Heck, I miss her already and she just left for work! :-)

Rearranged the office yesterday, got the Mac situated with two monitors (The Way God Intended Computers To Be, ha ha) which is nice. Still do work primarily on the Windows box.

Yesterday was Alex’s promotion from 8th grade. Kind of wild. I’m thankful not to be in grade school anymore.

Tuesday I start my summer class. It’s a class in Visual Basic. It transfers and is another language I can take. In the fall I really want to take the Data Structures class. That’s something that I’ve been reading about, but to get a “structured” (ha) course in it should be fun.

Thanks for the well wishes about my friend and his wife with the tumor. Expect a miracle.

Misty morning, time to start the day.

I have more deskspace. Maybe I’ll hook up the scanner and do some of that.

Okay, take care, and onward.

Not a high-water mark.

Found out the wife of a friend has a terminal brain tumor. 2 or 4 or 7 years to live so they say. Hope for a miracle.

Lost my cool and patience last night.

Power cord to the we-rely-on-it laptop is about to come apart and needs replacement.

Had ants show up in the kitchen after leaving lettuce out for like 20 minutes.

Some unhappiness over something I said that caused hurt feelings to someone I love.

Not a great day, yesterday.

I guess that’s why we get another chance today.

And tomorrow.

Seriously, yo, damn it, onward.

Not a word I thought I’d hear from my stepson about a sandwich I made him ‘cause he’s out of school early today, but I’m glad to hear it.

And frankly, I made one of like kind and yeah, the word is definitely “scrumptious” for the sandwich.

Turkey, lettuce, trimmings.

Nice surprise that he’s out early.

Okay, back to work.

Whoa.

It’s strange to visit Mark Cuban’s Blog and see that my very own name “Joe Crawford” is right there on the first post.

Of course, I’m not that Joe Crawford, he’s referring to the NBA referee.

There is no home page for him that I can find. After all, I own joecrawford.com, but you can learn more about this veteran NBA ref with a google search for joe crawford nba referee.

I’m not that Joe Crawford.