Computer programmer living in Exeter, UK.
Loves open source, retro video games, food, and anxiously watching the unfolding UK political catastrophy.
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This book is a series of profiles of American indie rock bands from 1981 - 1991. Black Flag, Mission of …
99% detailing all the current failings of the UK political and economic situation, 1% asking a few questions about what might be done.
It was okay, but didn't line up to the title.
This felt brutally honest at points. I'm really surprised at some of the stories he tells.
"A daring post-apocalyptic novel from a powerful rising literary voice. With winter looming, a small …
This month's book club pick
Only once in a great while does a writer come along who defies comparison -- …
This was a lot. So many ideas that just keep coming. It's absolutely ridiculous, and really quite silly throughout. I thought it was great.
A giant business owner that is directly controlling people's minds and making them repeat gibberish in an attempt to gain total power while politicians are increasingly sidelined. I'm glad we've moved past that in the last thirty years 😞.
I loved the Rat Thing, Y.T. was great and her interaction with Uncle Enzo was too. Ng was something else, as was Raven's sidecar.
A lot more hopeful than Politics on the edge!
20 chapters, each with an idea of how we could improve the current social contract in society. I don't actually think a lot of them are all that big, but quite a few sound really promising.
This is a very depressing read. Stewart clearly has a deep love of the UK and it's institutions, but describes his experiences of how its politics have been completely hollowed out. All the incentives are wrong, power is not truly in the hands of either the people that claim to have it or should have it. People are only interested in their position, and no one seems interested in the actual improvement of people's lives. It ends with the rise of Boris Johnson and populism arriving in the UK.
I guess the only way this stuff can be fixed is people actually being honest about the situation so in a sense is hopeful to have things like this written.
Only once in a great while does a writer come along who defies comparison -- …
Hiro puts his head in his hands. He’s not exactly thinking about this; he’s letting it ricochet around in his skull, waiting for it to come to rest. “Wait a minute, Juanita. Make up your mind. This Snow Crash thing—is it a virus, a drug, or a religion?”
Juanita shrugs. “What’s the difference?”
— Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson (42%)
This is the first time I've heard of B-Corporations, and the campaign to change the companies act. That actually sounds hopeful, a small thing that could have a long term beneficial impact.
Listening to the audiobook.
Lady Sings the Blues (1956) is an autobiography by jazz singer Billie Holiday, which was …
If half of this book is true Billie Holiday had an extraordinary life. I'm guessing William Dufty is the author, but her voice shines through this.
I couldn't stop reading this book. The sheer amount of trauma, anger and racism she faced is overwhelming but over that she never stops being insightful and funny. She could give as good a she got, had some serious troubles, and a real violent streak too.
Lady Sings the Blues (1956) is an autobiography by jazz singer Billie Holiday, which was …
People on drugs are sick people. So now we end up with the government chasing sick people like they were criminals, telling doctors they can’t help them, prosecuting them because they had some stuff without paying the tax, and sending them to jail.
Imagine if the government chased sick people with diabetes, put a tax on insulin and drove it into the black market, told doctors they couldn’t treat them, and then caught them, prosecuted them for not paying their taxes, and then sent them to jail. If we did that, everyone would know we were crazy. Yet we do practically the same thing every day in the week to sick people hooked on drugs. The jails are full and the problem is getting worse every day.
— Lady Sings the Blues by Billie Holiday, William Dufty, Billie Holiday (67%)
This was written in 1957.
