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Really Long Title for a Really Good Book December 30, 2011

Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation by Steven Johnson is a nifty dive into the waters of the history and theory of innovation.  That said, it’s my favorite kind of history: like James Burke’s Connections , it illuminates the way connections of various kinds foster, feed and foment innovation, invention and disruption. He digests several popular tropes regarding the sources of innovation and ends up comparing them all in a rational sort of way, with the idea of truly understanding what circumstances foster the greatest creativity (never mind what the tropes themselves say—what’s true and demonstrable?  Show me the numbers!).

This task cannot be properly conducted without a fair number of historical anecdotes, which are nearly as diverting as the premise of the book itself.  Indeed, this book is nothing if not a delightful history lesson, with dissection of the main influences on Darwin, DeForest, Gutenberg and Berners-Lee.  All are very, very relevant, as you will see upon reading this book, I swear.  Who would have thought that tracking Sputnik would lead to lunch decisions fifty years later (if that teaser doesn’t make you want to read this book, I may stop writing reviews.  Oh, who am I kidding.  I love the sound of my own voice)?

At the moment, Amazon shows the Audible version as five cents cheaper than the hardback, a good value by my lights.  The reader makes it seem like an actual conversation with someone in the room, which is sort of hard for history books, and worth it as far as I can see.

Cryoburn by Lois McMaster Bujold December 28, 2011

I can’t help but enjoy any book that starts out with a really good hallucination.  Cryoburn does, and it just gets better as it goes along.  The hallucination is a allergic drug reaction and the protagonist really isn’t any kind of addict (I know you think this will be dull, but trust me).  He’s an interstellar diplomat named Miles Vorkosigan making an exploratory foray into a world his Emperor (and uncle, if I remember right) is interested in. 

The whole world is nearly a giant frozen mausoleum.  Seriously.

It’s run by a cryonics corporation consortium who freeze the old or sick and keep them pretty much forever.  You can imagine the susceptibility to abuse a frozen person may have…Miles starts looking into the place and the companies that run it and the people owned by it and, well, let’s just say that Miles is lucky to have an armsman named Roic to help him with the rough spots.

There are quite a few rough spots.

This would be depressing if it wasn’t so adventurous and so many great characters pop up in unexpected places, like the well-oiled machine of the shantytown where Miles’ hallucination ends.

For once, the Audible version is cheaper than the CD, so get that and enjoy.  It is a stand-alone read, but part of the huge Vorkosigan Saga which is over a dozen books (or is it two dozen?).  This is the first one I have encountered, but it sure won’t be the last.