Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson.
I started this book back in January – it’s a good example of a novel that can’t be checked out of a library, not for me, anyway. There are a half-dozen dog-eared pages. Plus, there are as many, if not more, underlined passages. Near as I can tell, I’ve been reading the book, off and on, for most near six weeks now.
It took a couple of hundred pages to get into the story. The author is probably most famous for his novel, Snow Crash.
While Bubba Sean was soaking up a neighbors bandwidth, I had some personal matters to attend in the trailer’s small bathroom. I was almost done with Quicksilver[/I>, so I grabbed it, and made myself comfortable, amid his jests and snide comments, not entirely without merit.
Which got me to thinking about the novel, and how it was worthy of a title like “airport reading,” a name I give to just about anything that rips right along, plot, action, not much need to pay too close attention to what’s really happening in the story’s plot because it’s a ripping good yarn.
While Snow Crash[/I> was some kind of a turning point, a novel that forever changed me, and one that I go back to reread every few years, I’m not so sure about Quicksilver[/I>. I’m already prepared to buy the next installment, as soon as it’s available. But the material is dense, too. There’s a facility with words and language, plus the shifting narrative point of view, something that can only be done in a novel that’s 900 pages long.
The story itself isn’t done yet. There are still two installments to go. Between two-thirds and three-quarters of the way through, there’s map of Europe, and I wished I’d tagged that page because the map played an important role, at least for me, later in the book. But at that point, I was too caught up with the action to bother trying to find the page.
The drawback to the book is its sheer size. Depth, drawn-out characters, shifting scenes, at first, the time-line is a little murky.
The other book a I read during this same time? The Da Vinci Code[/I>. From what I’ve been able to gather, from both books, I found the scholarship, although rather exhaustive, I’m inclined to give Quicksilver[/I> a nod. But it’s polite, fanciful, at times tongue in cheek, historical fiction. There’s also a level, at least in some of its science, that suggests a computer person would enjoy some of the inside jokes. Like binary code jokes.
If The Diamond Age[/I> and Cryptinomicon[/I> were enjoyable, then this is going to be a good series.
Keyboard astrology & Starbucks
Not “keyword” astrological analysis, but keyboard astrology. Folks who “practice” astrology without the human interaction..
I priced astrology services on a related link. Nothing more than $9.95 in their online astrology shop. Plus, near as I could tell, nothing more than three pages in length, so that’s about $3 per page.
All computer-generated. Keyboard astrology. Never has a human touch.
I was – vainly – searching for wireless access in El Paso/Las Cruces. Fast, broadband, 802.11g WiFi. Couldn’t find it. Most Bucks offer 802.11b, significantly slower, but reliable. Which brings up the Starbucks & Astrology example again.
Every Bucks is just about the same, whether it’s in the Phoenix Sky Harbor airport, or at the corner of 5th & Lamar in Austin. (Or in the capital building, or at 10th & Congress, or at 6th & Congress, or just north of Amy’s on Congress – 5 in less than a square mile.) Or in London, England. All about the same. Same furniture, same design, basically, the same menu. Safe and sanitary. Usually with branded wireless, too. Like those 3-page, $9.95 astrology reports. Safe, sanitary, and basically the same.
I spent a good portion of Tuesday afternoon in local coffee shops, first Bouldin then Halcyon. I love Bouldin Creek Caffeine Dealer. Cheese omelet, with fresh basil and cilantro, a good cup of coffee, friendly service. With the right person, it’s an enjoyable experience. A little off-beat, a little funky, and the menu is tad bit different from Bucks. Try ordering chocolate-espresso-Guinness drink in a Bucks. None of the furniture really matches too well in Bouldin. But it matches that South First Street ambiance perfectly.
From what I know of the proprietor of Bouldin, the place is more a labor of love, and less about making money. Reminds me of this place. Alas, like any business, the bills keep coming in.
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