Clockwork Angel

Clockwork Angel: The Infernal Devices, Book 1 by Cassandra Clare

I stumbled on this as I was searching for Clockwork Angels based on the Rush album. This one doesn't have any music tie in. Instead it is your typical young adult fare. Here we have demon hunters. The world is a somewhat "normal" world on the surface. However, there are also vampires, werewolves and others. One girl thinks she comes from a normal family. However, she has the ability to "shape shift" to appear identical to others. She joins up with a group to find her brother (and help the world.) She also discovers that her family was not as normal as she thought.

Then things take a turn for the weird. There is some subterfuge on the part of the bad guys. Her brother ends up being on the bad side. There are some big battles and some narrow escapes. All is pretty typical for the genre.

Raised in Captivity: Fictional Nonfiction

Raised in Captivity: Fictional Nonfiction by Chuck Klosterman

These are random stories that almost appear true, but are not quite. There is a puma in a first class bathroom. There is a coach that has no experience in football, yet takes over a team. They have one play they run on offense. They get totally beat down in their first game. Things get a little better with each following game until they are totally beating other teams. The players go on to greatness. Somebody struggles when their significant other is diagnosed as "fake woke". Somebody tries to hire a hitman to take out their spouse. The hitman proposes a 4 year plan that would drive him to suicide. There are a number of other stories with a bit of a macabre twist or a "wait is this real?" plausibility? 

Cold Nights of Childhood

Cold Nights of Childhood by Tezer Özlü

Mental illness as told by somebody experiencing it. Some periods all is going well. Other times, she is in a hospital and suffering. She sees there are problems. Yet, she dreads the treatment. She feels she has finally been "cured" via the treatment - not because it worked, but because she so dreaded going back.

She grew up in post-World War II Turkey. Things were not stable. Things were fairly westernized, yet still Islamic. There seemed to be a mixture of challenges from both sides. An upbringing in an Austrian convent school helped encourage some of the interesting experiences. Sexuality was explored, with marriage and friendship. There is a longing for something, though it is difficult to see what it is. The voice is very open and non-judgmental. Stylistically, words are placed on the page as needed to tell the story. There may bullet points or long run on paragraphs. It all works very well in this short "read in one setting" novel. It is like the "good part" of Hemingway. The seemingly autobiographical work paints an interesting picture of the "western" life in Turkey.

Escape from Earth

Escape from Earth: A Secret History of the Space Rocket by Fraser MacDonald

Frank Malina was integral to research in rocketry. He also sympathized with the communists. This lead to all sorts of problems, including his contributions being overlooked. The book covers the work in the Jet Propulsion Lab, founding of Aerojet and the red scare McCarthyism. Many of the researchers were blacklisted due to perceived association with the communists. There was also a Chinese researcher who was caught in a weird state of limbo, being chased out, but not permitted to leave. The first part of the book focuses on the "boys club" of rocket research in Pasadena, while the second part is more tied to the communist hunt. It is also interesting to read about how the author stumbled on to this topic after finding an area that was forbidden from entry. 

A Dog Called Bear

A Dog Called Bear by Diane Fox and Christyan Fox

A kid wants a bet dog and does done extensive research. Then she walks out to find one. A few animals offer to be her pet, but don't quite meet the criteria. Then she meets a bear who claims to be a dog. She takes him in as a pet. Things are a little different, but they seem to get along. Eventually, the bear tires of her and runs away to greater pastures. He gets lonely and stumbles across a "missing dog" poster and they realize they were meant to be. The book is cute and witty with a nice message.

Culture in Nazi Germany

Culture in Nazi Germany by Michael H. Kater

Germany had been near the forefront of arts and cultures. Then the Nazis took over. They had chased away artists that were less desirable (such as Jews or sexual deviants.) They also encouraged art to adhere to traditions and to support Nazi ideology. The regime initially supported jazz, but then banned it due to what it stood for. Carmina Burana by Orff is one of the few musical works of significance composed during the era. Much art continued to be created, but has been judged as inferior today. Many of the elite artists were gone and those that remained were lacking in quality. (And in retrospective analysis have a high bar to clear due to the negative position of Nazis.)

Artists are stuck no matter what their position. Many left Germany due to being out of favor with the regime. They had trouble getting work in their new country. (Thomas Mann was a rare exception.) In the US they were treated as enemies until they had citizenship. After the war, many of those that had spent the war in Germany were often blacklisted. For actors, this could be seemingly arbitrary. Artists would try to declare their rejection of Nazism to gain work in the post war period. Some managed to thread the needle and work during and after the Nazi era, those these were rare. Totalitarianism and art do not go together well.

Click, Clack, Boo!: A Tricky Treat

Click, Clack, Boo!: A Tricky Treat by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin

Even though it is the "Click Clack Moo" series, the kids commonly refer to them as "Duck Books". This halloween entry is one of the weaker ones in the series. The animals have decided to have a halloween party. The farmer eventually discovers it.

Greta's Story

Greta's Story: The Schoolgirl Who Went on Strike to Save the Planet by Valentina Camerini, translated by Moreno Giovannoni, illustrated by Veronica Carratello

Greta Thunberg was not doing well. She was extremely impacted after learning about climate change in school. She fell into a deep depression after learning that the earth was doomed and we were doing little to stop it. However, she was quiet and her family didn't know what was wrong. Eventually she was diagnosed with Aspergers, which often is associated with people becoming dedicated to single goals. For her, the environment was the goal. She started a school strike at Swedish parliament. Many people later joined her strike. She spoke before many influential people. Her goal was to call attention to the issue, and ask leaders to do what they commited to do to save the environment.

She was in the right place to do what she did. Her parents were actors and musicians. They had some renown and the means and flexibility to support their daughter. She was diagnosed with Aspergers rather than lumped into an "autism" bucket. This contributed to her getting appropriate attention and an understanding of what she was doing. Her personal solutions to climate may be naive. (Driving an electric car may have lower emissions in Sweden, but in Poland where most energy comes from fossil fuels, it is a heavy polluter.) However, her goal is to look at the big picture.

Milk Street: Cookish

Milk Street: Cookish: Throw It Together: Big Flavors. Simple Techniques. 200 Ways to Reinvent Dinner by Christopher Kimball

This cookbook looks pretty good. It aims for 6-ingredient or less recipes that can be compared in less than 30 minutes. However, rather than being a "put a box of mix in the oven" of some books, it looks for cooking "good" food. It looks for areas outside of northern europe for ways of cooking that bring out flavor and make tasty food.

The Cigarette: A Political History

The Cigarette: A Political History by Sarah Milov

Politics have long been intertwined with tobacco. The tobacco program helped to provide sufficient income for the farmers. This was needed to help provide an adequate supply in the consolidated industry. The oligopoly of cigarette companies had been fighting government intervention and helped to use the regulation to their own benefit. They continued to exercise significant influence in policy. The government encouraged spreading American-style cigarettes throughout the world. They curried favor with the politicians to ensure that the tobacco program remained intact. When health concerns became associated with cigarettes, the companies welcomed government restriction on advertising filters. They later combatted negative research on cigarettes with their own research to sew confusion. The tobacco politicians helped reduce negative regulation. Tobacco companies also aligned with unions to prevent restrictions on workplace tobacco. Even as it became difficult to stop cigarette restrictions, tobacco companies fought the "worse" regulations to get things that would limit their impact. (Even the tobacco settlement was not as bad as it good have been.)

When the Emperor Was Divine

When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka

A child's father is away at a military camp. The family looks forward to hearing from him. Later, they are required to leave their home in California to attend family camp. From the point of view of a child, the World War II Japanese internment is difficult to understand. They see that people don't like them, but don't understand exactly why. (Sometimes they have to ask who they are because they can't tell the difference between Japanese and other Asians.) They learn they need to behave in certain ways, to limit harm. 

The family finally does get to return home. They find their home has been trashed and valuables have been stolen. At least they have a house. Their mother struggles to find a job, but does eventually. Money remains tight. The long-awaited return of father finally occurs. Alas, it does not live up to expectation. Father is emaciated and lacks the vigor he had before. They barely recognized this man as their Dad. The internment had significant impact on all involved.

Mona Lisa Vanishes

The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, a Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity by Nicholas Day

A century ago, a man walked out of the Louvre with the Mona Lisa. He had previously done contract work at the museum, and had simply hid in the museum after it closed and walked out with the painting. However, people didn't know that. They theorized all sorts of elaborate criminal operations (influenced by popular culture.) Many suspected an art thief (who was alas dead.) American collectors seemed to be likely purchaser. Alas it was much more mundane. The worker held onto it for a while. Then he tried to repatriate to Italy. It eventually made it back to Paris. The Mona Lisa ended up benefiting as the heist made the painting much more famous. The book concisely explores the history of the painting and the crime and the culture that lead to the societal response.

Black Dignity

Black Dignity: The Struggle against Domination by Vincent W. Lloyd

This book feels like an enumeration of events in search of an underlying philosophy. The closest I can get from it is the the theme that Blacks will always be oppressed. Everyone else can become "white", but Blacks cannot. Slavery was just one instance of the oppression. Additional different identities of Blacks (gender, sexuality, etc.) can lead to greater oppression. While there are legitimate causes for concerns, the work seems to be much more about justifying existing behavior than finding a way forward. There was a complaint that Black intellectuals were no longer able to maintain their positions based on emotion instead of academic rigour. Then towards the end, Black intellectuals are viewed as eventually becoming necessary after a revolution. There is a desire to fight the system that enslaves. Yet, identity is driven by the experience of slavery and the fight against master system. Multiculturalism, white allies and all western institutions are all part of the problem. Even many previous Black activism is criticized. It would be interesting to see how conflict would be handled in this post-revolutionary utopia.

Goodness Paradox

The Goodness Paradox: The Strange Relationship Between Peace and Violence in Human Evolution by Richard Wrangham

People are good, but not good. Humans have domesticated themselves, and in the process have come to dominate. Some cultures can appear to be so peace-loving, but also very violent. The death penalty may have curtailed many of the most violent tendencies in society. Homo sapiens have had more feminine influences and less violence.

This book is a hodgepodge of ideas and studies that explore peace and violence. The history of humanity is explored as well as comparisons of other animals. Chimpanzees can be very violent, but Bonobos are much more peaceful. A number of theories are tossed around, but we don't seem to be at a point where one can be declared the best.

Hungry

Hungry by H. A. Swain

In a post-apocalyptic world, people just need to drink a fluid to get all their nourishment. A giant company controls all production of it and has in the process banned regular food. They have limited the number of children that can be had and curtailed sexual drive. A daughter of high-ranking company employees falls for a boy. They meet up the resistance, and try to bring back food. This does not make the parents or society happy. This all seems quite familiar. There does seem to be bits of attack on corporate dominance and global warming together with government/corporate collusion.

Counting by 7s

Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan

A girl in Bakersfield is crazy smart. She aces a test and gets accused of cheating and sent to see the counselor. The counselor tests her and realizes she is smart. She also meets a Vietnamese brother and sister who also visit the counselor. She also needs to travel in a taxi to see him at times. She gets to know the driver and encourages him to go to school as get a mole looked at.

Then her adoptive parents die in a car crash, leaving her orphaned without any relatives around. On impulse, the the Vietnamese girl declares her to be a family friend and get her mom to adopt temporarily custody. They go through a number of challenges to try to become a family. They end up taking over the counselor's apartment and putting on a good show for protective services. They also work to mike things better by creating a garden. Things don't quite go according to plan, but others help out. The book pulls at the heart strings with many characters that appear stereotypical, but have growth of their own.

The Invisible Siege: The Rise of Coronaviruses and the Search for a Cure

The Invisible Siege: The Rise of Coronaviruses and the Search for a Cure by Dan Werb

Coronaviruses have been around for a long time. However, they have only been extensively studied in the past few decades. Previously they were most commonly seen as just causing a common code and only studied by an odd dedicated researcher. This all changed with SARS. It appeared in Asia in the early 2000s. It was deadly and started to attract a great deal of interest. There was work to sequence as well as to identify the source. Work was also started on vaccines. However, after it was contained, the enthusiasm died off. 

A decade later, Mers appeared. This was also extremely deadly. Interest in Coronaviruses popped up again. It also lead to tracing the source - and identifying camels instead of bats as an animal vector. This one was also contained, and interest again died off. 

In 2020, Covid-19 started to spread. The people had been doing work on coronaviruses and vaccines were ready to jump into action. Covid-19 ended up causing a widespread worldwide pandemic. People could carry and spread the virus without showing symptoms. It could be deadly for some people, but for others they suffered minimal (or no symptoms.) This allowed it to spread much more than the previous viruses. Luckily, the past research enabled vaccines and treatments to be quickly put into place. (Though in the field of medical research, a year is seen as amazingly fast.)

This book covers the history of coronavirus research. It does a great job of putting Covid-19 in context of the previous viruses. There are a number of factors involved. Politics and relationships can be as important as science. Countries and rulers are reluctant to admit they have a problem. This can make it difficult for scientists and public health official to identify and combat the virus. One scientist that had success built up relationships by way of non-judgemental science. Science also had internal conflicts, with those advocating open science versus those concerned about patents and financial return. Money is needed to bring drugs to market, but if vaccines are too expensive, the poorer parts will not receive it, limiting world immunity.

Movies

Jan 6, 2016

Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Problem Child
The Adventure of Sharkboy and Lavagirl
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Studio C

What middle class?

Dec 24, 2013

Duck Dynasty Dude
Minimum Wage
Obamacare
Common Core
Federalism
Private Schools
Regulation

Sunnyvale development

Sep 20, 2013

Sunnyvale schools

Alternatives Communites

Originally started August 19, 2007

My regular commute is from Sunnyvale to Stanford. Foothill Expressway is the logical bike option. It is fairly fast, few lights, and takes about 40 minutes. (My best time was 35 - but it was primarily due to hitting green lights - especially on Page Mill.)

For the Glory: Eric Liddell's Journey from Olympic Champion to Modern Martyr

For the Glory: Eric Liddell's Journey from Olympic Champion to Modern Martyr by Duncan Hamilton

Eric Liddell was a crazy fast Scottish runner immortalized in Chariots of Fire. He was also devoutly religious and served as a missionary in China rather than compete in further Olympics. He was undefeated in almost everything he ran. Perhaps his only second-place finished occurred shortly before he died. He died in a Japanese-run internment camp in China. He kept his spirits up, continued to help others, and wrote about faith. He died in the waning days of World War II from an undiagnosed brain tumor and malnutrition.

The book is fairly detailed. I found it interesting to read it shortly after reading other books about Mao and the Chinese revolution. Liddell's life was involved in the same events, but from a western perspective that differed significantly from the Chinese view.

The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea

The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea by Yukio Mishima

A middle-school boy's father has been dead for 5 years. His mother meets a sailor and they have a brief fling before he sets sail. When the sailor returns, he stays. They plan on getting married. The sailor tries to befriend the boy. However, the boy is not the innocent they think he is. He has a peephole where he has spied on his mother's sexual activities. He also hangs out with a group of friends that have an intellectual spin on depravity. They brutally murder and dissect cats and plan on doing the same to the sailor. (They will soon turn 14 and Japanese law does not allow those under 14 to be punished.)

The book seems to tap into some of the same youthful angst as Catcher in the Rye. The book is short and uses fairly flowery language. (Is this from the original, or just the translation?) Some of the content can be downright disgusting. These seemingly "good" kids have been lead down a horrible path by their "chief". 

Who Gets in and Why: A Year Inside College Admissions

Who Gets in and Why: A Year Inside College Admissions by Jeffrey J. Selingo

This is one of the better explorations of the college admissions process. The author has embedded himself with a few universities (Emory, Davidson and University of Washington). He explores exactly what goes on with the admissions committee. He also covers the history of admissions. The schools are responding to changes in rules as well as working to fill they needs. They are building an appropriate class as well as balancing their budgets. They also need to manage their reputation and rate of admits as well as yield rate.

There is a disconnect between what students think is important and what the colleges care about. Students will stress for hours over essays, but committees will often skim them. They are more interested in the voice and uniqueness rather than the typical "overcoming adversity in sports" essays. A laundry list of activities does not set apart a student. (It is better to show significant involvement.) Even grades and test scores may not guarantee admission if they are not paired with other interests.

Another key aspect is that students are rarely compared with each other. They are typically chosen based on their own merits and how they fit in with a class. Only if there are multiple students from a well-known school will there be some comparison of the students academic experience vs. what was available. Even then, the other factors come into play.

College admissions is a changing game. Lawsuits and regulations are changing how admission committees do their work. The financial age process turns the buyer/seller process upside down. It is an area ripe for innovation. However, regulation and fixed costs have made that difficult. 

Clockwork Angels: The Novel

Clockwork Angels: The Novel by Kevin J. Anderson and Neil Peart

In a steam punk work, everything is in order due to the work of the clockmaster. One boy has a nice life at home and a potential future marriage with a girl he likes. He rebels a bit and decides to go meet her outside at midnight. She doesn't show up. Since he is out, he decides to check out the nightly steemer. Somebody offers to pull him aboard and thus begins his adventures. He hangs out with carnies, and travels all around. He tries to see places that he has seen before, but they are different. He learns there are different versions of worlds. He later learns that he is an integral player in a battle between the Clockmaster and the Anarchast. He chooses not to decide between the two and goes on his own way.

The book feels very much like a Rush album. Various song titles and lyrics are "name dropped" in a way that flows well. Bits from dreamline and Freewill jumped out. I am sure there are many others that I missed. Beyond the use of bits from songs, the book exposes Neil's philosophy, which is in turn influenced by Ayn Rand. Now I need to listen to the album it was based on.