From: DJ Vollkasko (DJ_Vollkasko_at_gmx.net)
Date: Fri Oct 21 2005 - 15:02:16 PDT
Hello Newtonia--
Braindead Publishing gives to you: Food for Thought. Read, and make yer
brain grow. Good for you.
Houdini, Harry (1874-1926) - Miracle Mongers and their Methods (1920)
http://www.stillnewt.org/library/_Nonfiction/_Arts%20&%20Humanities/
It's THAT Harry Houdini, whom Arthur Conan Doyle suspected to be
actually supernaturally endowed (they had been friends, but the
friendship faltered, when Houdini just wouldn't admit to applying
supernatural means in his performances... and in turn outed
spiritist-miracle workers Doyle believed in as the real thing...), and
his topic are his colleagues in show biz who work all those tricks that
stunned audience and science equally for centuries, from firewalkers to
fire-eaters to swordswallowers to superhumanly strong people to...
Carnies, rip-off artists and snakeoil dealers, excellent artists and
brilliant illusionists.
All the heroes of forgotten ages, their stage presentation and -- in
many cases -- explanations of how the effect was achieved. I have added
the Wikipedia article on Houdini. Together quite the romantic and
wonderful book that astonishes again and again (its either "and then he
did WHAT?" or "and they actually believed that?"). Great book by the
undisputed grandmaster in the art himself.
McLeod, Kembrew - Freedom of ExpressionTM (2005)
http://www.stillnewt.org/library/_Nonfiction/_Copyright%20and%20Patents/
CC-licensed, 2005 published. Possibly the most impressive book I've
read about things and people that shape my (and your!) world since I've
read "The Great Hacker Crackdown - Law and Order on the Electronic
Frontier" by Bruce Sterling ten years ago. Where Sterling dealt with
things like digital trespassing/intrusion/unlawful appropriation of
services etc. (more on the hardware and bandwidth side), McLeod (who
actually owns the rights to the brand "Freedom of Expression") covers
the fallout that has been coming down hard all around us in the decade
and more since then: Copyright and patent regulation that chokes
creativity, anti-sampling and digital rights management, industry
infringing on consumer's rights and killing off the public domain, from
suing grannies because the industry can't get facts straight to suing
farmers because the industry can't control their own genetically b0rked
crop seeds, to DRM-strangle all consumers because the industry can't
control their goods IN THEIR OWN HOUSE! Reducing the quality of good
all around us, reducing the quality of life, all for ensuring the
expansion of the commercially exploitable domain. Encroyable! --Props
to WWNA-prez Ronnie Simon for extracting the txt out of McLeod's pdf!
Very brilliant read, very funny, very enlightening. Read, learn, make
fact-based consumer decisions, make well-founded political decisions (I
mean, com'on, those guys tried to charge THE GIRL SCOUTS for
campfire-songs...). It is your world, after all, and you shouldn't have
to buy it back from them.
Platt, Charles (*1945) - The Profits of Fear (2005)
http://www.stillnewt.org/library/_Nonfiction/_Politics%20/
Brandnew and brilliant 2005 essay by Charles Platt about the man who
invented the Neutron bomb out of ethical considerations and disgust
with contemporary military tactics, and incompetence, ignorance and
pork in US military and political circles. Quite some creative thinking
in there--and some creative reality-bending. Having lived on one of the
hottest prospective battlegrounds of the Cold War (and being aware of
Nato's planning for Day X), I found this one of the most incredible
reads of this year and quite an eyeopener--especially if transferring
the lessons shown on the current politico-militaristic scenario...
Incompetence and ignorance galore!
Appended with Wikipedia articles on Sam Cohen, the Neutron bomb and
nuclear weapons in general.
Sinclair, Upton (1878-1968) - The Profits of Religion (orig. publ.
1917, 5th ed. 1926)
http://www.stillnewt.org/library/_Nonfiction/_Religion/
More profitable reading (forgive the poor pun): Sinclair takes the
scammers and redemption-dealers of his time head-on and switches the
light off their halos. From established churches that rip off their
lambs in many economic ways, to groups that abuse and mistreat their
members to cheaters and liars, from the Christian fringe via the
esoteric to spiritist cults (which were veeery popular until the late
1930s and spawned several orgs still operating their franchises
to-day). I stumbled across this book when looking up Mazdaznan at
Wikipedia (a supposedly ancient Zoroastric cult founded by a German
emigrant's son in the US around 1900 and marketed to the world; curious
because it had a strong following in early Bauhaus, which influenced
modern design and architecture like no other school in the world... and
they held Mazdaznan meetings and performances, etc. ...), and they are
just one example of many professionals who proclaim to "do holy", when
all they do is milk their followers and hard-sell faith. Originally
published 1917 under the impression of World War I (which adds some
colour). Appened with the Wikipedia-article on Upton Sinclair.
"And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the
eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God."
-- 'nuff said.
New books! Brains! Batches of! Oh boy, don't dat rock ever so hard!
More Brains! ;=}
DJ Vollbrain
Head-Librainian, The Temporary Newton Librainy
http://www.stillnewt.org/library
----------------------------------------
"Don't ask what your Newton can do for you -- ask what you can do for
Newtonia." -- J. F. Newtennedy
-- This is the NewtonTalk list - http://www.newtontalk.net/ for all inquiries Official Newton FAQ: http://www.chuma.org/newton/faq/ WikiWikiNewt for all kinds of articles: http://tools.unna.org/wikiwikinewt/
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Fri Oct 21 2005 - 15:30:07 PDT