Wonderfunk is an interactive blog focusing on dialogs related to gadgets, tech, web 2.0, music, design, art, my life and likes, how-to's, MAKE culture, instructables, and just general cool link aggregation and commentary.

26 November 2007

Recent Reads....or Listens

I have been on a deep Audiobook run, thought i'd share what I have listened to over the last few months....comment if you have anything to say on these.

Ok, needless to say it all started with an Audible membership....great service, wish they would improve their recommendation engine, but nevertheless when you want something they have it, and it is all quite economical.

So here goes:

Simple Genius by David Baldacci
rating: decent

The Long Tail by Chris Anderson
rating: liked it but it was overhyped by the time I got to it.

Enders Game by Orson Scott Card
rating: loved it....I must say though I unfortunately listened to the after book interview with the author and while I loved this book, and as you will see shortly I continued to read more in the series I thought this author may have been the most obnoxiously arrogant SOB i've ever heard.

Pattern Recognition by William Gibson
rating: fantastic, a topic I have always thought about....interesting especially now with the recent news of subliminally planted messages in kids toys etc.

The Futurist by James P. Othmer
rating: I really enjoyed this book

Enders Shadow by Orson Scott Card
rating: as good as Enders Game....same story different POV, great!

Microtrends by Mark J. Penn
rating: fun, got me thinking about all kids of capitalist ways to take advantage of the natural tendency of people to get caught up in trends and fads...

The Age of Turbulence by Alan Greenspan
rating: great....too long. guy has had an amazing life.

ScreamFree Parenting by Hal Edward Runkel
rating: sucked...don't get me wrong it had its share of common sense alternatives and got me thinking on a couple of topics in ways that I might not have approached them, but all in all it was tedious

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
rating: fun, wacky.....if you were born between 68 and 76, you'll probably find this interesting on a few accounts....same goes if you: liked comic books, role playing games, science fiction, tolkein, went to rutgers between 88-94

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
rating: not finished....figured I'd get out in front of this one before the movie hits

On Deck
Shadow of the Hegemon by Orson Scott Card
1776 by David McCullough
Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace

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07 November 2007

My first homebrew

Pleased to announce that I bottled my first homebrew yesterday! After a 2 week fermentation period, my first ale - a high canadian brew should be ready in about 2 weeks after a bottle aging and carbonation period. A total of 256 fluid ounces. I expect a pale in color and bold in character ale with
subtle notes of hop, think Moosehead.

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