What are you reading?

[Animus Seed]

Brief Lives is the one where they're looking for Destruction, right?

[bigsleepj]

Brief Lives is the one where they're looking for Destruction, right?

Yes, that's the one.

[Animus Seed]

"Here it is. I knew it'd be in the last place I looked, so I looked there first."

Heh. One of the best lines ever. Hooray for Delirium!

[uc pseudonym]

I like Destruction. [/beggingtobetakenoutofcontext] As far as the Endless go, anyway. Brief Lives wasn't a bad volume of Sandman, but I don't recall it being one of my favorites, either. Then again, I've never been able to keep the volumes and events organized properly, partially because I unfortunately read some of the series out of order.

[Animus Seed]

Kindly Ones was my favorite, actually. And Doll's House a close second. Preludes and Nocturnes... I've never been sure about, with the blatant DC Comics references in it. I can't decide if that's a good thing or not.

As for the Endless themselves:

I <3 Death. [/also begging to be taken out of context]

[Htom Sirveaux]

Ooh, you're talking about The Sandman! I still need to read The Wake, but I've read all the other major story-arc ones. One of my favorite quotes from that series is out of Season of Mists: "Shut up, Desire. The next time you feel like talking, just shut up."
To get back on topic, the book I'm currently reading is The Blackstone Chronicles by John Saul. Great psych. thriller so far. I'm debating what to read next - Hannibal or Jurassic Park (I haven't read Jurassic Park since I was about 12 or 13 so although I've seen the movie a number of times I don't remember much about the book except that it was pretty good).

[Sammy Boy]

Just finished:

[1] Concordat Between the Holy See and the German Reich
http://www.newadvent.org/library/docs_ss33co.htm

and:

[2] MIT BRENNENDER SORGE
ENCYCLICAL OF POPE PIUS XI

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/pius_xi/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xi_enc_14031937_mit-brennender-sorge_en.html

[Hinata]

To Kill a Mockingbird I think most everybody knows what its about and I don't wanna explain XD Haha

[Doubleshadow]

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

[bigsleepj]

Kindly Ones was my favorite, actually. And Doll's House a close second. Preludes and Nocturnes... I've never been sure about, with the blatant DC Comics references in it. I can't decide if that's a good thing or not.

Preludes and Nocturnes: Neil Gaiman himself admitted that he was still 'finding his feet' in that volume. Also some of the drawings (especially the first few chapters) don't really work. It's only the last three chapters where the art really fits works (apparently the story switched artists which might explain it).

And UC, I like Destruction too. He and Death are probably the most human of the seven,

[mitsuki lover]

Just finished The Bad Popes and am thinking of reading Howard Zinn's book next:
A People's History of the United States.

[uc pseudonym]

Preludes and Nocturnes: Neil Gaiman himself admitted that he was still 'finding his feet' in that volume. Also some of the drawings (especially the first few chapters) don't really work. It's only the last three chapters where the art really fits works (apparently the story switched artists which might explain it).

I definitely agree this volume isn't "pure" Sandman material. Personally, I didn't find the DC crossover jarring so much as amusing, and if I recall Morpheus actually appears in a JLA arc near the end.

And UC, I like Destruction too. He and Death are probably the most human of the seven

They are, though actually I don't like Death. My next favorite Endless is probably Destiny, and he's one of the least human (at least in the sense of having a defined and realistic personality). But it is the human qualities of Destruction that I like best.

[mitsuki lover]

A People's History Of The United States by Howard Zinn.
What is infuriating is that he is so good at finding and marshalling facts that it is hard to argue with a lot of what he writes,he is even able to cite mainstream historians to make his point.
Recommended for anyone who wants to read American history with warts and all.

[jon_jinn]

I'm reading "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" for school.
for entertainment i'm reading:
Warriors the New Prophecy: Starlight and Ender's Game.

[fairyprincess90]

the witch of blackbird pond is pretty good..... i read it a while ago.... but from what i remember it was cool.

im reading Maris by Grace Livingston Hill

[SnoringFrog]

I'm reading From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne.

[jon_jinn]

the witch of blackbird pond is pretty good..... i read it a while ago.... but from what i remember it was cool.

that's good to know. i'm only on the second chapter so i can't say much about it yet. however, when reading a book for school, it sorta ruins the book since you have to do all these projects, essays, and reports on the book and you sorta hate to book for that.

[Kokhiri Sojourn]

Just started The Wisdom of Each Other, by Eugene Peterson. It's a set of letters written to a friend, showing friendship as a means to grow to spiritual maturity.

[Technomancer]

The Cosmic Landscape: String Theory and the Illusion of Intelligent Design by Leonard Susskind. The title is somewhat misleading since it does not deal with "intelligent design" as it is espoused by Dembski et al. Rather than examining the more familiar evolution vs. creation debate, Susskind's book in the end is an examination of the anthropic principal from the point of view of string theory. Critics of the theory have in the past pointed out that it permits more than one kind of universe (10^500 to be exact). Susskind on the other hand argues that this is actually a strength of the theory and that laws of our universe are not inevitable. Rather, the fact that we live in just one of many possible universes provides a neat solution to the problem posed by the anthropic principal, which relates to the realization that our universe seems to be fine tuned for the existence of life.

http://www.amazon.com/Cosmic-Landscape-String-Illusion-Intelligent/dp/0316155799/sr=1-1/qid=1160491883/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-0845015-1076904?ie=UTF8&s=books

[JasonPratt]

It-could've-been-different-but-wasn't still equals it-could've-been-different-but-wasn't. {shrug} Whatever defense the theory legitimately makes against the anthropic principle can be just as legitimately made without it. Or vice versa. {g}

i.e. if the "a priori" improbability looks suspicious one way, it still looks suspicious the other way. If the suspiciousness can be considered illusory one way, it can be considered illusory the other way. The temptation will be to think that 10^100 possible universes (or even actual ones) somehow makes it seem less improbable that we happened to be in _this_ actual universe.

[Technomancer]

It-could've-been-different-but-wasn't still equals it-could've-been-different-but-wasn't. {shrug} Whatever defense the theory legitimately makes against the anthropic principle can be just as legitimately made without it. Or vice versa. {g}

String theory itself says nothing about the anthropic principle. What it does do is offer a deeper description of physical principles. However, it does not provide an "ultimate" answer in the sense that many physicists had been hoping for. That is, it does not offer a set of fundamental constants that can only be one value. Instead, one can describe many alternate universes with very different self-consistent laws of physics. Susskind does not see this as a problem if many different universes are constantly being spawned, all of which will have different basic constants.

i.e. if the "a priori" improbability looks suspicious one way, it still looks suspicious the other way. If the suspiciousness can be considered illusory one way, it can be considered illusory the other way.

This doesn't actually mean anything unless you specify the "ways" of looking at things.

The temptation will be to think that 10^100 possible universes (or even actual ones) somehow makes it seem less improbable that we happened to be in _this_ actual universe.

That is a temptation, but it would be fallacious to argue such a point. Following the anthropic principle, we can merely state that the laws of physics are what they are because otherwise we wouldn't be around to notice them. This is ultimately an unsatisfying answer, and it is why Susskind makes the points that he does.

[Tenshi no Ai]

Right now I'm reading "Cultural Anthropology"... just how can you tell it's for class? Still gotta get through my Narnia though :/ Almost halfway through with the series^^

[mitsuki lover]

I got as far as page 286 of Professor Zinn's book and couldn't get any further.
I need to read something light for awhile before my brains implode from too much
heavy reading.

[JasonPratt]

This doesn't actually mean anything unless you specify the "ways" of looking at things.

I meant, that string theory doesn't actually add or subtract any plausibility for our situation, in regard to the anthropic principle]That is a temptation, but it would be fallacious to argue such a point. Following the anthropic principle, we can merely state that the laws of physics are what they are because otherwise we wouldn't be around to notice them. This is ultimately an unsatisfying answer, and it is why Susskind makes the points that he does.[/QUOTE]

Ah. That's okay then--I had gotten the impression from your report, that Susskind was trying to state (or tacitly imply) that 10^500 possible-or-actual universes makes some kind of difference in evaluating the theistic argument of anthropic convenience. My bad.

[JasonPratt]

Meanwhile!--with _Warrior and Witch_ due to arrive today or tomorrow in the mail, I started Marie Brennan's _Doppelganger_ last night. (It's been a couple of years since I read it, and I want to catch back up before going into the sequel.)

Tenshi might be especially interested in this, since Marie is a folk anthropologist (and so is probably helping _teach_ cultural anthopology classes right now up at Indiana University in Bloomington, while she works on her doctorates.)


Realized I hadn't ever actually read the most recent journal of papers sent by the Mythopoeic Society; so that's what I have at the dinner table. The current article discusses the tensions and connections between Charles Williams' Christian and semi-pagan mysticism. (He was a member of the Order of the Golden Dawn.)

[yukinon]

I usually don't count magazines as actual reading, but I'm working on finishing up the Newtype my boyfriend got me for my anniversary. (I told him that getting something I want but would never buy for myself was a good gift idea and he took it quite seriously.) Of course there were other things as well...

[Technomancer]

Now that I've finished Susskind's book, I'm reading Extinction: How Life Nearly Ended 250 Million Years Ago. The book investigates current theories regarding the cause the late Permian mass extinction event, in which ~82% of all species were wiped out (including 90% of all marine species). Unlike the much smaller event that wiped out the dinosaurs, the cause of this catastrophe remains uncertain.

[bigsleepj]

Now that I've finished Susskind's book, I'm reading Extinction: How Life Nearly Ended 250 Million Years Ago. The book investigates current theories regarding the cause the late Permian mass extinction event, in which ~82% of all species were wiped out (including 90% of all marine species). Unlike the much smaller event that wiped out the dinosaurs, the cause of this catastrophe remains uncertain.

Amazing!! You're reading books I'd never be able to finish!! And I'm not being sarcastic or trying to put you down, I'm just amazed.

[Technomancer]

It's not really that amazing. Both books were written with a popular audience in mind.

[jon_jinn]

finished "To Kill a Mockingbird"
my class is now starting on, "The Crucible"