tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119816335163312523.post4608074269744197031..comments2023-04-27T04:39:45.647-04:00Comments on JT Thinks About Stuff: Book Review: CryptonomiconJThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12170062950345779215noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119816335163312523.post-5953845768051167842015-08-11T12:18:46.564-04:002015-08-11T12:18:46.564-04:00Yes, I was thinking about you when I read that bit...Yes, I was thinking about you when I read that bit. Is it still that way? There are some dated bits in the book--it came out in 1999, for crissakes, when people hand-chipped their modems out of flint--but surprisingly few of them.<br /><br />Incidentlly, I highly recommend <a href="http://archive.wired.com/wired/archive/4.12/ffglass.html" rel="nofollow">this (long) essay</a> by Stephenson, which evidently formed part of the research for the book.JThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12170062950345779215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119816335163312523.post-59382185523831297382015-08-10T13:09:56.894-04:002015-08-10T13:09:56.894-04:00I enjoyed the Cryptonomicon. Its been a long time ...I enjoyed the Cryptonomicon. Its been a long time since I read it, so my memory is a bit blurry, but I remember how well researched it seemed. There was a part of the book when a main character was in modern Japan, in a section of Tokyo where the most advanced electronics in the world are available, Akihabara. Not only was the description perfect, but he even described the Mister Donuts shop I (and apparently all young expat geeks) frequented when in town. It was like he lived there.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119816335163312523.post-33923132966465163782015-08-09T11:30:34.210-04:002015-08-09T11:30:34.210-04:00Anathem is quite a different novel (although I als...<i>Anathem</i> is quite a different novel (although I also liked it). I've describe it as a hard science fiction novel in which the hard science is philosophy. It doesn't have the gonzo tone, the frenetic pacing, or the technological edge of <i>Cryptonomicon</i> or <i>Snow Crash</i>, but like all of Stephenson's works it's long on idea content.<br /><br />His more recent <i>Reamde</i> is almost entirely a straight thriller, and a fairly good one at that.<br /><br />Re: Turing: the movie <i>The Imitation Game</i> gets most of its facts wrong, but I liked it very much anyway. It gives a true <i>feeling</i> for the man and his time, even if the truth was somewhat less dramatic. I read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Alan-Turing-Enigma-Inspired-Imitation/dp/069116472X" rel="nofollow">the biography it was based on</a> a couple of years ago, and recommend that as well--detailed and not overly technical.JThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12170062950345779215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119816335163312523.post-50589445201815014472015-08-08T21:28:36.500-04:002015-08-08T21:28:36.500-04:00Interesting chap. Brilliant. Done in by his govern...Interesting chap. Brilliant. Done in by his government in such a sad way. No one stepped in to save him. His work was so needed. Now I understand everyone leaving you to fall though.<br /><br />I think that his presence in Stephenson's book would be integral. I enjoyed _Snow Crash_ you know. It felt like a ride through the back alleys of so many places with so much going on. Like college with people trying to kill you. <br /><br />Have you compared it to Anathem?Varianorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09576040365080504873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119816335163312523.post-33952150146128885752015-08-08T17:51:39.382-04:002015-08-08T17:51:39.382-04:00I'll be very interested to hear what you make ...I'll be very interested to hear what you make of it. Some of my reaction is undoubtedly shaped by the fact that I'm near the center of the target audience. I will say that anyone who didn't like <i>Snow Crash</i> probably won't like <i>Cryptonomicon</i>, and probably vice-versa.<br /><br />Also, I got more out of it on the most recent read-through, in part because I've read up on Alan Turing in the interim.JThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12170062950345779215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119816335163312523.post-81574522739154861562015-08-08T14:04:47.009-04:002015-08-08T14:04:47.009-04:00This is a book that I always meant to get around t...This is a book that I always meant to get around to reading. Given the recommendation (again) I shall have to get hold of it.Varianorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09576040365080504873noreply@blogger.com