Art's Big Page 'o Culture

(Last updated 2008.01.07.)

Often I hear about an interesting book or movie and jot down a note to look it up later on whatever paper is at hand. On good days, this later gets filed in my email. And then I lose it in my inbox for 1-5 years. This page will hopefully be a better way to keep track of the TODO list for my free time. If you have some great suggestion for a movie or book that I will enjoy, or that I should read even without enjoyment, feel free to pass it along to me at art @ attackrabbit.org

For my own records and the curiousity of others, I'll try to list interesting items I consume. If you see a date, that is when it was added to the list or consumed.

Currently reading:

The Todo Lists

Movies to See

[2007.09.14] The Namesake
Suggested by Igor.

Books to Read

[2007.09.14] The Prince by Machiavelli
I *think* this is part of a growing desire to better understand politics and human nature.
[2007.09.14] The Art of War by Sun Tzu
Don't ask me why. I'm not entirely sure why myself.
[2007.09.14] Dune by Frank Herbert
I almost feel like I should turn in my Geek card since I haven't read this science fiction classic.
[2007.09.14] The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Camp counselor Bob at summer camp first recommended this to me when I was 14 or 15. The main character is even named Arthur! I have no excuse for not reading this by now.
[2007.10.01] Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
On new book rack in Borders; looks interesting.
[2007.11.01] Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
Recommended by Benyah. Studies how people make snap judgements (in)effectively.
[2008.01.07] Sick by Jonathan Cohn
[also look into: "Redefining Health Care" by Porter and Teisberg, "Crisis of Abundance: Rethinking How We Pay for Health Care" by Arnold Kling and David Gratzer's "The Cure: How Capitalism Can Save American Health Care"

Items Consumed

There are several items omitted from this list, mainly technical papers read for research and mainstream fluff movies. I will try to add comments next to interesting items, but no promises.

Movies

[2007.09.14] The Bourne Ultimatum

Books

[2008.01.05] All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum
For some reason this did not meet my expectations. I read it slowly over the course of 4 months. In my opinion the best entry was the first, about the author's personal belief statement: "All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten." This strikes me as the deepest and most interesting part of the book. The rest of the book consists of short anecdotes from Fulghum's life or polished streams-of-consciousness from his daily life---none of which have much to do with childhood ethics or kindergarten. Some of them merit reflection, but many left me unsatisfied.
[2007.01.03] Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
Fun book. I find it interesting how the Potter books transitioned from children stories to books for adolescents over the course of the series.
[2007.11.01] Shadowrun 4ed, roleplaying system
Very cool setting. Basic mechanic is simple but the situational modifiers seem to be endless.
[2007.09.01] The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
I re-read this at the behest of a former high school English teacher. When I met her in May '07, she was aghast that my opinion of Gatsby was so low. Somehow she convinced me to re-read it this summer. I definitely enjoyed the second reading more. The language is really good, and the characters are interesting. And yet . . . it is not one of my favorite books. There were no characters I really liked or with whom I closely identified, and the plot exists only to demonstrate and develop the characters. Finally, there was no underlying message or truth about human nature presented. In short, I am not especially interested in the goals the book tries to achieve. Admittedly though, I think it succeeds very well as a complex character study, as a portrait of the early 1920's in the United States, and as a beautiful piece of literature (in terms of language and narrative structure).
[2007.09.01] Dynasties and Demagogues: The Sourcebook of Political Intrigue by Chris Aylott
Roleplaying source book, written by an alumnus from my undergrad school. Maybe I will post a brief review later.
[2007.07.??] The Bourne Ultimatum by Robert Ludlum
As good as they are, the Bourne movies are but a pale shadow of the books carrying the same titles. If you like the movies, you'll like the books because they have all the same action and plot twists, but they do it better. The Bourne Identity is the best of the books in my opinion, but the two sequels are both fun. I found some of the inner monologues a bit repetitive in Ultimatum, but overall enjoyed the book as a light read.
[2007.06.??] Washington's Secret War: The Hidden History of Valley Forge by Thomas Fleming
I picked this up on a whim before boarding a plane from Honolulu to Seattle and was surprised by how much I liked it. This non-fiction history of the winter at Valley Forge gives modern day readers a window into the politics that nearly undermined the American Revolution. The book led me to re-evaluate my views on leaders adhering to principle vs. compromising. Any book that gets me thinking earns my endorsement.