Phil Rambles
   


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Phil Rambles, Phil Price blog.

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pnprice@creekcats.com

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    Sat, 10 May 2003

    Diary: Molecular Foundry meeting
    On Thursday night, I went to a public meeting about Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's (LBNL) proposed "Molecular Foundry" nanotechnology research building. (I should note that I work at the Lab). This very six-story, 94000 square foot building would be wedged between two smaller existing buildings in a mostly undeveloped canyon. Neighbors have a variety of concerns and complaints. Some of the concerns (and some of the neighbors) are frankly wacko, but some of them (the concerns, and the neighbors) are perfectly legitimate and reasonable.

    Unfortunately the Lab representatives seemed determined to treat the citizens shabbily: seating was provided only for LBNL reps, the LBNL organizers attempted to limit people to questions and not allow comments, some Lab employees made comments that were way out of line, stonewalling on some legitimate questions, and so on. To be fair, some of the citizens were extremely childish and irritating, but the Lab's people made no distinction between the good and the bad, treating everyone with the same disdain. As a Lab employee, I'm embarrassed that the Lab would treat people this way. Some journalists were in the crowd, and I fear upcoming articles in the local newspaper will

    I'm hoping to work within the Lab hierarchy, to encourage the community relations people to handle things better in the future.

    For what it's worth, I think LBNL should definitely be a major player in nanotechnology, and should have a dedicated facility for the purpose. I do have some concerns about the specific building design and placement. But mostly, the Lab needs to be much more respectful of our neighbors.

    [/Diary] permanent link

    Assorted books
    I try to give away books after I finish reading them, but I still end up accumulating them over time. So every year, I go through my bookshelves, and the stack of books beside the bed, and get rid of every book that I think I'm unlikely to read again in the next several years. I try to be ruthless about it: there are so many good books that I haven't read even once, there's little point keeping a book--even a good book--that I've already read. This year's "spring cleaning" netted 21 nonfiction and 27 fiction books, some of which I read some time ago but have been hanging onto until now.

    Non-Fiction

    In the Wake of the Plague: The Black Death and the World it Made, by Norman Cantor
    Interesting but rather thin look at the effects of the Plague in the middle ages.
    Behind Deep Blue, by Feng-Hsiung Hsu
    Interesting non-technical discussion of the successful project to build a computer to beat the world chess champion. Not as good as "The Soul of a New Machine," by Kidder.
    The Little Ice Age: How Climate Made History, 1300--1850, by Brian Fagan
    Excellent book, interesting, readable, and full of remarkable facts and some insights.
    Performing Without a Stage: The Art of Literary Translation, by Robert Wechsler
    Pretty good book about the difficulties of translation. Somewhat repetitive.
    Good Fat, Bad Fat, by William Castelli and Glen Griffin
    HDL is good, LDL is bad, eat right and exercise.
    The Evolution of Useful Things, by Henry Petroski
    If you've ever designed and built anything yourself, you know that you can always do better the second time...and the third...and the fourth. Even simple things (paper clips, forks, etc.) "evolve" with time; this pretty good book explains why.
    Give War a Chance, by PJ O'Rourke
    The gonzo conservative journalist gives us another entertaining right-wing view of the world. It's a fun read.
    Nickel and Dimed, by Barbara Ehrenreich
    A journalist goes "undercover," trying to subsist on jobs near the bottom: waitress, hotel maid, etc. It ain't easy. Short book, worth reading.
    Blinded by the Right, by David Brock
    A former right-wing "journalist" says there really was a vast right-wing conspiracy.
    The Road to Ubar, by Nicholas Clapp
    Reminiscent of the search for Troy: an enthusiast searches for, and finds, the long-lost, ancient city of Ubar in the Arabian sands. Very interesting.
    The Making of a Conservative Environmentalist, by Gordon Durnil
    A die-hard Republican is appointed by Reagan to a do-nothing environmental commission, and becomes a committed environmentalist (of sorts). Slightly interesting.
    Savages, by Joe Kane
    Fascinating and depressing story about the destruction of an Amazonian tribe by the forces of development.
    The Size of Thoughts, by Nicholson Baker
    Hit-and-miss collection of essays about punctuation, library cards, and other esoterica. Some good, some not so good.
    The Professor and the Madman, by Simon Winchester
    Unusual true story of how an insane American doctor, while confined for insanity in England following the US Civil War, became the greatest contributor to the Oxford English Dictionary.
    Black Hawk Down, by Mark Bowden
    An instant classic: this riveting story is simply a minute-by-minute account of a single, minor battle between U.S. soldiers and a warlord's militia. Gripping.
    Out of my League, by George Plimpton
    An old book that tells about Plimpton's effort in pitching in a sort of pre-game exhibition at a baseball all-star game. Not very good.
    Paper Lion, by George Plimpton
    A well-known and pleasant report on Plimpton's training as quarterback for the Detroit Lions of yesteryear.
    Wry Martinis, by Christopher Buckley
    Short, generally somewhat amusing light pieces about taking a flight in a fighter jet, taking a trip with Malcolm Forbes, etc. Fair.
    The Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell
    Gladwell discusses "critical mass" phenomena in marketing, politics, etc. Somewhat interesting, but too data-poor to be really good.
    The Climb, by Anatoli Boukreev
    Boukreev's version of the climb featured in Krakauer's "Into Thin Air." Compelling in its own right, though not superb.

    Fiction

    Year of Wonders, by Geraldine Brooks
    Fairly good story about life in a plague-ridden town in 1666.
    Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All, by Allan Gurganus
    A look back to roughly 1865--1910, from a southern woman's persective. Good but not great.
    The High Window, by Raymond Chandler
    Excellent crime fiction by a master.
    The Humorous Verse of Lewis Carroll, by Lewis Carroll
    "The Hunting of the Snark" is great, the rest are not so hot.
    Cowboys are my Weakness, by Pam Houston
    Short stories about self-reliant men and the women who love them. Not as bad as it sounds.
    The Cunning Man, by Robertson Davies
    A typical Davies effort: entertaining, readable, and rather preachy. Read "Fifth Business" instead.
    Fletch's Moxie, by Gregory McDonald.
    "Fletch," "Confess, Fletch," and "Flynn" are really good. The rest of the Fletch series are readable but forgettable.
    Dark Star, by Alan Furst
    An atmospheric espionage story, rich and well-written and yet somehow not gripping. I'll read more Furst, though.
    Total Recall, by Sara Paretsky
    I've grown Paretsky's recurring theme: nobody trusts the protagonist, not even her friends. More o' the same.
    Angle of Repose, by Wallace Stegner
    Pulitzer-winning book, a gripping and haunting story, definitely worth reading.
    The Eye in the Door, by Pat Barker
    Third in the "Regeneration" trilogy, it's early 1918 and domestic British Intelligence agent Billy Prior wrestles with personal demons. Good.
    The Judgment, by D.W. Buffa
    Read-and-forget psychological police thriller. About as good as any other.
    Amsterdam, by Ian McEwan
    This darkly humorous novel about two unprincipled acquaintances got good reviews, but I was disappointed.
    Alice in Wonderland, and Through the Looking Glass, by Lewis Carroll
    Great stories, of course, and I'll give them another read in ten years.
    The Moonstone, by Wilkie Collins
    Before Sherlock Holmes, there was Sergeant Cuff. This story, from 1868, is good in its own right, and also of historical interest as one of the foundations of the detective novel.
    Flashman, by George MacDonald Fraser
    Humorous (mis)-adventures of "Flashman", the anti-hero's anti-hero, in Her Majesty's army in the 19th century. I'll read more of the series.
    Oscar and Lucinda, by Peter Carey
    Very good in spite of its manipulative and "unfair" ending.
    The Case of the Black-Eyed Blonde, by Erle Stanley Gardner
    A forgettable Perry Mason mystery.
    The Tracks of Angels, by Kelly Dwyer
    A nice coming-of-age novel by a former Oberlin classmate. Good.
    Self-Portrait with Ghosts, by Kelly Dwyer
    Dysfunctional family seeks answers...not as good as "Tracks of Angels," but worth reading.
    About a Boy, by Nick Hornby
    Yet another entertaining effort by Hornby.
    Bridget Jones--The Edge of Reason, by Helen Fielding
    Yet another entertaining effort by Fielding.
    A Surfeit of Guns, by P.F. Chisolm
    Crime novel set in 1595 on the Scottish border; unusual setting makes it interesting.
    A Conspiracy of Paper, by David Liss
    Excellent detective story of sorts, notable for its setting in squalid 18th-century London.
    The Organ Grinders, by Bill Fitzhugh
    This is a fun (but maybe slightly over-zany) story reminiscent of Carl Hiassen.
    Shiloh, by Shelby Foote
    The story of the civil war battle, told from several different points of view. Good if you like this kind of thing.
    Motherless Brooklyn, by Jonathan Lethem
    Yet another innovative crime novel from the man who brought us the marvelous "Gun, With Occasional Music."

    [/Books] permanent link