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catsittingstillI just finished reading _Little Brother_ by Cory Doctorow. For those so inclined, it can be purchased at Amazon.com, or you can download a free copy if you do the e-book thing.
Wow.
I found parts of this book viscerally disturbing (though it's not gory--it's mostly psychological combined with just-so-unfair). I don't recommend reading it right before you try to go to sleep. The parts where the teenaged protagonist is in government custody are just... well, let's say I wish I didn't believe they could be true. And the parts where the government is using its citizens everyday tech against them--well, it puts the whole domestic evesdropping thing in a whole new light; it's not just your phone and your credit card the government can use to spy on you for no reason.
But _Little Brother_ is a fascinating book, with lots of interesting tech and techniques, and an intelligent, irreverent protagonist and a driving plot. There were several explanations of the tech for the lay reader in there that kind of caught my eye, but they don't bog down the story. There's a section in the back with references and short explanations of some of the stuff referred to in the text. And I did think it was a nice touch that the author started each chapter with a tribute to a different favorite bookstore.
I reccomend it.
Wow.
I found parts of this book viscerally disturbing (though it's not gory--it's mostly psychological combined with just-so-unfair). I don't recommend reading it right before you try to go to sleep. The parts where the teenaged protagonist is in government custody are just... well, let's say I wish I didn't believe they could be true. And the parts where the government is using its citizens everyday tech against them--well, it puts the whole domestic evesdropping thing in a whole new light; it's not just your phone and your credit card the government can use to spy on you for no reason.
But _Little Brother_ is a fascinating book, with lots of interesting tech and techniques, and an intelligent, irreverent protagonist and a driving plot. There were several explanations of the tech for the lay reader in there that kind of caught my eye, but they don't bog down the story. There's a section in the back with references and short explanations of some of the stuff referred to in the text. And I did think it was a nice touch that the author started each chapter with a tribute to a different favorite bookstore.
I reccomend it.
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no subject
Date: 2008-05-29 04:39 pm (UTC)Thanks, I think.
Following up on conversation at Marcon
Date: 2008-06-03 03:57 pm (UTC)I've just been tired and sleepy and not with-it enough to get back to you about it.
But here's the promised note I said I'd drop you, finally. Sorry for the delay.
Re: Following up on conversation at Marcon
Date: 2008-06-05 08:51 pm (UTC)http://johno.ohalloran.org/Cat_Faber/
There's a folder there called "I Promised Eli" that has the mp3s in it.
Re: Following up on conversation at Marcon
Date: 2008-06-06 01:22 pm (UTC)I'm downloading the first one as I write this. (Yay, mimmoths!) :)