Saturday, November 28, 2009
The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
Winner of the Man Booker prize in 2008, this racy, readable story of class struggle in India almost succeeds in explaining the inexplicable. However, India and its people remain a mystery.
The Chip by T. R. Reid
About the integrated circuit, an invention that now seems obvious but at the time opened the door to modern devices. The transistor changed everything, but many things that needed many transistors could not be made or not be made reliably or affordably or small enough to be usable.
The integrated circuit was discovered independently by two different men. There was a legal battle by their respective companies but the men were gracious to each other as individuals. Noyce died before the Nobel prize was given to Kilby, who recognized Noyce at the ceremony.
Written in 1985 but updated in 2001, the book is already very out of date but since it deals with the past and past events and people it is still an enjoyable book. In 1985, even in 2001, it fails to foresee what effects were in store for this 'obvious' invention.
The integrated circuit was discovered independently by two different men. There was a legal battle by their respective companies but the men were gracious to each other as individuals. Noyce died before the Nobel prize was given to Kilby, who recognized Noyce at the ceremony.
Written in 1985 but updated in 2001, the book is already very out of date but since it deals with the past and past events and people it is still an enjoyable book. In 1985, even in 2001, it fails to foresee what effects were in store for this 'obvious' invention.
The Prodigal God by Tim Keller
A simply wonderful exposition of the parable which presents the gospel in a clear and radically disturbing manner. A small book, a large gem.
The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism by Tim Keller
I started this book as a skeptic. Not of Christianity, but I didn't like the title, and in some circles I had run into, Keller held almost guru status.
The book won me over. The writing is strikingly clear, the arguments sound, and the tone peaceful and full of confident calm.
Keller has been listening to people. He has listened long enough and closely enough to see the positions behind the questions. And those deeper questions fall into a few categories. He has conversed with people over these hard questions, serious questions by serious people.
He has also noted and presents persuasively that people believe out of a social context and experiential context as well as an intellectual context.
He quotes C. S. Lewis frequently as do many authors, but I sense that he is a gifted, clear thinker himself and may indeed be worthy to stand in the apologetic lineage of Lewis. I was gripped and encouraged by this book from the first page to the last.
The book won me over. The writing is strikingly clear, the arguments sound, and the tone peaceful and full of confident calm.
Keller has been listening to people. He has listened long enough and closely enough to see the positions behind the questions. And those deeper questions fall into a few categories. He has conversed with people over these hard questions, serious questions by serious people.
He has also noted and presents persuasively that people believe out of a social context and experiential context as well as an intellectual context.
He quotes C. S. Lewis frequently as do many authors, but I sense that he is a gifted, clear thinker himself and may indeed be worthy to stand in the apologetic lineage of Lewis. I was gripped and encouraged by this book from the first page to the last.
Free by Chris Anderson [read on iPhone]
This book was, of course, free. It is all about marketing and selling and giving things and services away. From Gilette razors to mp3s, the history of free is discussed. I expected a couple pages of interesting ideas, then a lot of padding and repetition. I was pleasantly surprised to find the entire book full of interesting and fresh insights. I had no idea there are right and wrong ways to give things away and if you do it right you can make a lot of money selling things for free!
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Uncommon Dissent edited by William Dembski
This is a good collection of essays by Darwin skeptics. It is a good resource. The most surprising essay is by Michael Denton, who perhaps started a wing of Darwin Doubting with "Evolution: A Theory in Crisis" but now has changed his view into an interest in self-organization as an inherent property of matter, which is perhaps just another form of materialism which most of the other authors reject. The interview of Schutzenberger is very interesting. Budziszewski is brilliant and gives real philosophical weight to the discussion. Tipler is interesting on peer review holding back scientific progress. Some of the writers seem to anticipate more recent findings of lateral gene transfer and regulatory parts of the genome, which create great problems for the "tree of life." Soon another collection of these and other authors will be needed.
Probability's Nature and Nature's Probability by Donald E. Johnson
This is a probabilistic refutation of Neo-Darwinism on informational and mathematical grounds. It is full of interesting quotes. The format is barely readable and the quotes, though carefully referenced, could be closely edited for effect. However, I myself think they are representative. An evolutionist can say "appearance of design" dismissively only so often without having to try to quantify "possible" and "given enough time" etc. An evolutionist can invoke comets, panspermia, anything but intelligence, and not be ostracized. Yet intelligence is our only empirically tested source of true (as opposed to Shannon) information. Useful also for bibliography.
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