OK, I can't let an entire month pass without an entry. What's been going on? My temporary job just became permanent this week; I'm still not quite sure how I feel about that. It's a fantastic place to work. There's plenty to be happy about: steady work, steady paycheck, the chance to grow with a pretty neat company that's doing good work. But there's also the downsides -- the little ways that a company seems to "own" your life and your time when you're salaried -- having to ask for vacation time, being limited to two weeks, no moonlighting or taking a month off, that sort of thing. Freelancing was fun, but I'm not sure I could handle constantly looking for new work, even if I think that's the more adult and self-sufficient way to live. On the whole, though, I'm very happy to be doing well there.
I've read five books this year so far -- here's a quick rundown:
The Best American Science Writing, 2002
Very interesting articles, although skewed WAY over to the biological side of science this year. A fascinating year, genetically speaking, with stem-cell research and the Raelian cloning religion covered in well-written articles.
Salt, by Mark Kurlansky
Exactly what the title would lead you to believe; a history of salt and civilization. Did you know that shoreline saltworks produce, not just table salt, but saltpeter, nitrates for meat-curing, and magnesium salts? There's a full-sized cathedral made out of salt in underground caverns below Salzburg. There are underground boating lakes, as well. Saltponds are red from brine shrimp, and flamingos are pink because they live on those shrimp. This book is full of great stuff like that.
Catch Me If You Can, by Frank Abegnale, Jr.
Great movie, good book. The book goes into a little more detail on his escapes than the Spielberg movie did. His BEST escape was actually from an American prison, where he played on guard paranoia about government inspectors to walk out by himself in broad daylight. Admittedly, this is a book written by a con man, so who knows what's true. But I hope that bit is.
The Silent Takeover, by Noreena Hertz
Not as fun or as positive in outlook as The Divine Right of Capital, Hertz is definitely on the side of those who no longer see the point of voting. At this point I don't totally agree with her on that point, but it's hard to argue with some of the history and evidence she provides to support her argument that democratic governments are inexorably losing their power and relevance to corporations. The first few chapters are the strongest, with a succinct and pithy explanation of the last 30 years of economics.
The Founding Fish, by John McPhee
Now I want to eat a shad. This book is a natural history of the shad, an anadromous fish (i.e., one that lives in the sea and seeks rivers to spawn in) native to the east coast. This book definitely made me get my map out, and it was worth it. There's a great section about the Bay of Fundy, the place with the World's Biggest Tides, where the entire Atlantic population of shad ends up for the Winter. Includes recipes and fishing advice, plus an interesting discussion on the ethics of catch-and-eat vs. catch-and-release.
Brian's Top 10 Computer Games of all time.
1) Battlezone - Five years old and unsurpassed, this was the first, the best and so far virtually the only first-person real-time strategy game. Driving a tank while commanding an army through a satellite uplink and map is suprisingly natural and fun after going through the brief tutorials. To me, this was the pinnacle of computer game design, the apex of intellectually demanding gameplay and immersive graphics. A year after it was released, the dumbing down of game design in pursuit of bigger markets and a more cinematic experience had begun to take hold.
2) Civilization II - The best version of a superior game.
3) Lemmings - The cutest game with the most twisted sense of humor. Lemmings are walking to their doom. It's up to you to cajole them into saving themselves. Tina and I finished well over 50 of the 70 or so puzzles included in this game, and each one was worth it. Little touches like the "paws" button add to the fun.
4) WarCraft II: Tides of Darkness - The best of the real-time strategy games. When Tina was testing this, I'd drop by her office and play with the testing and IT departments on the LAN -- this was the first networked game experience I'd had beyond the occasional MUD. To be honest, I'm terrible at real-time strategy, but this one is still a blast.
5) Half-Life - Not for kids, this atomic-horror style shooter is probably the most played computer game of the last 10 years. Five years after it's release, I still see thousands of people playing it online. An easy interface and TREMENDOUSLY HUGE map and mod library ensure you won't get bored anytime soon. Make sure you have some freinds to play with, however; the quality of online play with random opponents is sometimes pretty bad.
6) Motocross Madness 2 - So much fun I barely have time to write about it. Ditch the intellectualism, hop on a dirt bike and tear up the countryside. Jump off cliffs and do mid-air tricks. Most of all, race, race, RACE!
7) SimCity 2000
8) Worms: Armageddon
9) X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter
10) Master of Magic