A friend lent me Republic.com 2.0 yesterday. I've only read the first few chapters but so far I think Cass Sunstein is way off the mark. Here's part of the reason why. The UK government is making much of their public information available online. Rather than people consuming more and more heterogeonous information, I think that the very nature of surfing means that people are exposed to more things which they wouldn't have even had the opportunity of being exposed to by chance in the pre-digital age.
While there are aggregating sites, Sunstein seems to be missing the very way that people use the internet, many taking pleasure in the discovery of totally random information.
My final concern with his opening arguments is that by being recommended articles/books/music by 'people like you' the result is an increasingly homogenous experience. In my experience, however, the recommendations from sites like Amazon means that I can be exposed to new ideas. What often happens is that taste intersects on one point but the rest of their orders might be very different and so rather than exponentially decreasing the scope of my reading, suddenly I encounter brand new possibilities.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Waving
Monday, January 4, 2010
The Year That Was
In this quiet start to 2010, I've a little time to reflect on '09 favourites. Here's my top five of the year in no particular order.
2666
I first read Bolano after James Wood's recommendation of The Savage Detectives which follows the 'visceral realists' and their attempts at greatness. 2666 is a terrifying and exhilirating read. It's one of the few times I've read a new book which feels like it belongs alongside the greats.
A Gate at the Stairs
This was a selection from my book group, I wouldn't have picked it up otherwise, referencing 9/11 on the back as it does. But Lorrie Moore captures 20-something insouicance with such humour and authenticity, all the while indulging in some Nabokovian-style word games. It's engaging in such a way as to make you re-evaluate casually accepted contemporary morality on things like race, war and relationships in a thouroughy un-pretentious way. Two thumbs up.
Don Quixote
I've been working on this for a while now. Since it's so episodic, I've never felt guilty leaving it for more pressing reads but having finished, I feel like starting again. Cervantes is fresh and hilarious and managed to better postmodernism long before anyone had even dreamed modernism.
New Grub Street
A present from my Dad, this is revealing description of the publishing industry in the late 19th Century.. Perhaps unsurprisingly, very little seems to have changed. Gissing's book has never been out of print which bears testament to its ongoing relevance and timeless humour. From penniless authors with integrity to the hacks who get ahead, it's as depressing as it is funny for so accurately trapping true-to-life characters.
Daniel Deronda
This one sneaks in, despite the fact I haven't quite finished it yet. George Eliot is a champion satirist and managed to premept that scene in Annie Hall when Allen puts the subtext of the dialogue in subtitles on the screen. Hugely clever and tenderly humane.
What will 2010 bring? Well American Wife is first on my list, The Original of Laura is patiently waiting for me to begin, but beyond that, the field is wide open.
2666
I first read Bolano after James Wood's recommendation of The Savage Detectives which follows the 'visceral realists' and their attempts at greatness. 2666 is a terrifying and exhilirating read. It's one of the few times I've read a new book which feels like it belongs alongside the greats.
A Gate at the Stairs
This was a selection from my book group, I wouldn't have picked it up otherwise, referencing 9/11 on the back as it does. But Lorrie Moore captures 20-something insouicance with such humour and authenticity, all the while indulging in some Nabokovian-style word games. It's engaging in such a way as to make you re-evaluate casually accepted contemporary morality on things like race, war and relationships in a thouroughy un-pretentious way. Two thumbs up.
Don Quixote
I've been working on this for a while now. Since it's so episodic, I've never felt guilty leaving it for more pressing reads but having finished, I feel like starting again. Cervantes is fresh and hilarious and managed to better postmodernism long before anyone had even dreamed modernism.
New Grub Street
A present from my Dad, this is revealing description of the publishing industry in the late 19th Century.. Perhaps unsurprisingly, very little seems to have changed. Gissing's book has never been out of print which bears testament to its ongoing relevance and timeless humour. From penniless authors with integrity to the hacks who get ahead, it's as depressing as it is funny for so accurately trapping true-to-life characters.
Daniel Deronda
This one sneaks in, despite the fact I haven't quite finished it yet. George Eliot is a champion satirist and managed to premept that scene in Annie Hall when Allen puts the subtext of the dialogue in subtitles on the screen. Hugely clever and tenderly humane.
What will 2010 bring? Well American Wife is first on my list, The Original of Laura is patiently waiting for me to begin, but beyond that, the field is wide open.
The way of the CD?
I was talking to a colleague today about how often she kept thinking she needed a Kindle over her Christmas holiday. How much easier it would be. I have one but haven't purchased any books for it yet, so far it's still a manuscript reader for me. So why haven't I jumped in whole-heartedly to the e-book revolution? Because like many, and not just bibliophiles, I want to possess the hard copy as well. To be able to pull it from my shelf and hold it as I still do. Are there really good reasons for why when you purchase a book you shouldn't be allowed to use the eformat as well?
Why do we not treat books the way we treat CDs, buying the hard copy and using the soft where suitable?
Why do we not treat books the way we treat CDs, buying the hard copy and using the soft where suitable?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
