Grand unified books thread

[Savonarola]

I finished the book on Bell Labs.  It was surprising going through and seeing names that I recognized being given a quick gloss over.  Harald Friis (who developed the fundamental formula of radio communication, The Friis Formula) is mentioned only as a vice president of Bell Labs.  Harry Nyquist (who developed the Nyquist filter,  Nyquist stability criterion, and Nyquist rate) is only mentioned as a disciple of Claude Shannon.

The book focuses most heavily on Mervyn Kelly (worked on vacuum tubes, but is best known as the director of research and then President of Bell Labs during their most productive labs), John Pierce (inventor of satellite communication), Claude Shannon (father of information theory) and Bill Shockley (developer of the junction transistor.)  Shannon and Shockley were the two most eccentric; for very different reasons.  Shannon rode a unicycle around the labs and developed (among other things) a rocket powered frisbee and a formula for juggling.  Shockley developed the junction transistor almost entirely by himself because two of his underlings (John Bardeen and Walter Brattain) developed the spark gap transistor and he wanted to one up them (all three were awarded the Nobel Prize.)  After his career at Bell Labs, (and while he was a professor of physics at Stanford) Shockley developed a theory of dysgenics in which intelligence was strongly correlated to race.  Shockley was also only Nobel Laureate to admit to have donated sperm to the Repository for Germinal Choice.

In any event I think the problem with the Bell System and Bell Labs was best summed up by this:  Bell labs developed the germanium transistor in 1947 (both the spark gap and the junction) and a few years afterward would develop the silicon transistor.  Bell Labs wouldn't use transistors in their own equipment until 1965.  As Gilda Radner said: We're the phone company, we don't have to care.

[Syt]

Graviteam have released a companion book for their latest Mius Front DLC.

https://steamcommunity.com/games/312980/announcements/detail/3988567539071416258?snr=2

The 190-page book contains translated operational documents (war diaries, orders, combat reports, and other primary sources) from the Red Army's Izyum-Barvenkovo offensive operation, which had the goal to pin down and ultimately destroy the German Donbas grouping in the summer of 1943. These materials are complemented by translations of documents from the German formations and units opposing the Soviet offensive.

The book concentrates on the fighting that took place in the area southwest of Izyum at Semenovka village and westwards, in the 4th Guards Rifle Corps' zone of advance: The introduction sets the stage for the operation from the perspective of the Soviet forces, followed by two chapters of translated Red Army documents dedicated to the units of the 4th Guards Rifle Corps and the 23rd Tank Corps (which was committed in the same sector later).

The German documents, presented in the second part of the book, include the AAR from the defending 40th Panzer Corps and a compilation of extracts from a series of documents that specifically covers the action at Semenovka in the sector of the Corps' 257th Infantry Division. As the battle unfolded, the 17th Panzer Division and SS Panzer Grenadier Division "Wiking" were brought in as reinforcements, leading to the first combat deployment of the Estonian "Bataillon Narwa" in the vicinity of Semenovka village.

The translations are accompanied by several dozens of original maps and aerial photographs from the battle, adding a visual component to the experience.

We can confidently say that the book is the most comprehensive work on the subject to date. The Izyum-Barvenkovo operation is relatively unknown compared to its famous northern "neighbor" to begin with, and a deep dive into a sector barely 10 km wide makes the book even more special. As a reader, you have a front row seat as the events unfold from the perspective of each participating unit: preparation, action, reaction, and the aftermath. Reading through each side's assessments of the engagement provides a unique insight into what separates success from failure in a complex offensive operation aiming to break through a well-prepared defense.

DLC: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2349300/Graviteam_Tactics_Stalemate_on_Donets/
Book: https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/2349300/manuals/The_Semenovka_Bridgehead_July_1943_Digital-Book-V-14-01-2024.pdf?t=1705832950

[jimmy olsen]

https://twitter.com/SevaUT/status/1752546270151847937

wtf this is the best translation of beowulf i've ever read

[Sheilbh]

I've heard really good things about that translation and will get to it at some point. Her Beowulf novel The Mere Wife was interesting.

Though I doubt anything'll move Heaney as my favourite - but I think he's one of my favourite poets so...tough act to follow for me

[crazy canuck]

I am really kicking myself for not reading Foundation earlier.  It is brilliant. 

I wonder how much this work influenced the ethics of Dr. Who - and especially the chapters describing how Savlor Hardin outwitted his opponents in the first and second crisis.

And as a side note, I liked the character that went by the same name in the Apple adoptation.  But of course they have nothing to do with eachother.  Rather the character in the adaptation breaks all the ethical rules of the Hardin in the book.

The later episodes of the first book are all good.  But the writing of the Hardin section really stands out.

[grumbler]

Finally got around to getting The Boys: A Memoir of Hollywood and Family by Ron and Clint Howard.  It's partially a coming-of-age story and partly an ode to their parents, to whose guidance they attribute their success both as child actors and adult actors/film makers.

It's rare to see a joint autobiography like this, in which two family members tell their side of the various events that they and their families went through.  The two were five years apart in age, but were both closer and more distant than that.  They really seemed to be of different generations in their relationship with the outside world, but very close in age in their relationship with each other.

I knew that both of their parent's had been actors, but wasn't aware that their dad had kept acting up to a few months before his death.  I also wasn't aware of how involved Rance was in the careers of his two sons, and how he had been hired by other productions to manage other child actors' appearances on set.  Both parents were very down-to-earth and I was struck by the extent to which they ensured some semblance of family normalcy by avoiding the mixing of their children's money (all saved for their adult use) with household money.  The family could have lived in better than their middle-class lifestyles, but the parents didn't want that for themselves or their children.

I was surprised after finishing it that it had gone on for more than 400 pages.  I could have read another 400.  Lots of fun if the topic interests you.  Name-dropping by the bucket-load.

[Sophie Scholl]

That sounds really intriguing! I probably wouldn't have considered picking it up prior, but now it is a distinct possibility! I'm not normally one for audiobooks, but it looks like Clint, Ron, and Bryce Dallas all are part of the voiceover work. That definitely sounds fun!

[Gups]

I am really kicking myself for not reading Foundation earlier.  It is brilliant. 

I wonder how much this work influenced the ethics of Dr. Who - and especially the chapters describing how Savlor Hardin outwitted his opponents in the first and second crisis.

And as a side note, I liked the character that went by the same name in the Apple adoptation.  But of course they have nothing to do with eachother.  Rather the character in the adaptation breaks all the ethical rules of the Hardin in the book.

The later episodes of the first book are all good.  But the writing of the Hardin section really stands out.

Yeah I read the first one a few months ago. Really good and the second is downloaded.

[crazy canuck]

Finished the Foundation trilogy, very enjoyable read.  I now I know for sure I would have hated the Apple series if I had read the books first.

I loved the books.  Particularly the second book.  It was like a reverse murder mystery - the reader knows pretty early on who the Mule is, and you are waiting to see when the penny drops for the protagonists.  Also loved the character of the Mule once revealed.  I have to admit I didn't figure out the location of the Second Foundation until the big reveal in the third book, but I loved how all the hints were in the books, if I had just noticed them.

A couple of questions about the Apple show - does the cloning of Cleon story line come from other books by Asimov or is that pure invention of the show runners? 

And why oh why did the showrunners have to invent magic powers like seeing into the future.  I loved how the books played with the exact opposite theme of probabilities based on large populations, something given lip service in the show but overshadowed by the actions of the recurring characters.

[Sheilbh]

Finally finished the 2022 Booker list. In the end the winner, Shehan Karunatilaka's The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, was my favourite.

Shout outs also for Pervial Everett's The Trees, Claire Keegan's Small Things Like These and Audrey Magee's The Colony. But a few I really enjoyed (and some I struggled with).

Onto 2023 - want to catch-up

On recent-ish non-fiction read my second Svetlana Alexievich, Boys in Zinc. It grabbed me less than Second Hand Time and I felt less of an author structuring the stories, but still incredible voices some of which were just very challenging and others simply moving. The Russian mothers are the ones that have stick in my head. The final section on her court case over this is also striking - incredibly grim (but expected) watching the state use those individuals. Currently reading Jay Taylor's sympathetic biography of Chiang Kai-Shek - so far, recommended.

[Admiral Yi]

Picked up and started Beevor's D-Day.  In the forward he talks about how Britain's bloody minded trade unionism had infused the British military.  Insisting on taking tea and cigarette breaks regardless of the situation. He claims Michael Wittman's success at Villers-Bocage was due in part to the British tankers taking a tea break before sending out patrols.

[grumbler]

Picked up and started Beevor's D-Day.  In the forward he talks about how Britain's bloody minded trade unionism had infused the British military.  Insisting on taking tea and cigarette breaks regardless of the situation. He claims Michael Wittman's success at Villers-Bocage was due in part to the British tankers taking a tea break before sending out patrols.

Heedless British Army tea time is an ancient tradition.  I don't think that you can blame it on trade unionism because it's as prevalent among the officers and the men in WW2, and it goes back to before WW1.

Having said that, I think Beevor's account is excellent overall even if a bit dated on the German side.

[Gups]

Finally finished the 2022 Booker list. In the end the winner, Shehan Karunatilaka's The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, was my favourite.

Shout outs also for Pervial Everett's The Trees, Claire Keegan's Small Things Like These and Audrey Magee's The Colony. But a few I really enjoyed (and some I struggled with).

Onto 2023 - want to catch-up

On recent-ish non-fiction read my second Svetlana Alexievich, Boys in Zinc. It grabbed me less than Second Hand Time and I felt less of an author structuring the stories, but still incredible voices some of which were just very challenging and others simply moving. The Russian mothers are the ones that have stick in my head. The final section on her court case over this is also striking - incredibly grim (but expected) watching the state use those individuals. Currently reading Jay Taylor's sympathetic biography of Chiang Kai-Shek - so far, recommended.

I've only read Small Things, Trees and Seven Moons (Glory purchased but not yet read). Trees and Seven Moons have a lot of similarities in style and subject matter but I think the latter is superior. Very hard to compare Keegan with either of them. A much smaller canvas but so brilliantly written.

[Sheilbh]

Interested in what you make of Glory.

But you're totally right - it's the nonsense of awards. I've no idea how judges go about comparing them and trying to make a judgement on anything other than your favourites

I saw The Quiet Girl (An Cailin Ciuin) which came out around the same time and I didn't realise until after I'd read Small Things that it was also based on a Claire Keegan story. Both have kicked me off into getting her other books - I think all short stories - because after reading Small Things and Foster, I think she's an incredible writer.

[Gups]

Yes, I think they are all short stories or novellas. There's no doubt she is amongst the best writers alie, her prose is so simple and precise. Like Hemingway (at his best) but with emotional intelligence.

I've read Antartica which is an excellent collection of shorts. I'm slightly put off by the full pricing of her books which are generally 60-70 pages long.