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reading doesn't poison the mind, asshole

  

TortillaFactory

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 12:30 AM

OR: what book are you currently reading/what's the best book you've read lately?

Right now I am reading House of Leaves, mostly because I liked Mark & Poe on Loveline. It's like if MajandraFan wrote a book, except MajandraFan's book would be better than this. It's very hard to follow and I feel like it's going to be massively anti-climactic. I'm trying hard to finish it, but I'm only about 35 pages in and it's been a week.

Conversely, I finished The Thief of Always by Clive Barker (another good Loveline guest) in about an hour, and it was an enjoyable little story. The Wiki summary is horrible, I'm going to have to redo that.

TortillaFactory

  

Margin Walker

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 12:45 AM

Cat's Cradle - Vonnegut

Y: The Last Man - Brian K. Vaughan

1984 - Orwell

Exodus - the little jew who wrote the Bible

Margin Walker

  

Jaffa Cakes

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 1:48 AM
Edited Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 1:49 AM

Reading "The Rich and the Profane", a Lovejoy mystery, by Jonathan Gash. Tried reading the Charles Schulz biography, then realized I don't give a fuck about Charles Schulz or Peanuts.

Jaffa Cakes

  

TortillaFactory

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 1:58 AM

I was supposed to read Cat's Cradle for a class, but I never did (story of my life). In fact, that whole list looks like school-reading.

TortillaFactory

  

whoisnumbaone

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 3:01 AM

im reading

The Power of Now
ehckart tolle

The fire from within
Carlos Castandea


also textbooks...... (yes, i actually READ my textbooks!)

strategic business management
positioning
applications of macroeconomic thoery
distribution of science management
Marketing research
business ethics

whoisnumbaone

  

chix0r

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 6:37 AM

I picked up book #7 or somesuch in the Sword of Truth series and realized Terry Goodkind is a terrible writer. I still didn't have anything better to do, so I read half of it.

The last book I actually completed was Stephen King's It.

chix0r

  

miyagi-sama

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 6:52 AM
Edited Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 6:52 AM

Reading
I'm almost done with The Second World War, Vol. 1 of 6 - Winston Churchill
jPod - Douglas Coupland

April
Transmission - Hari Kunzru
Running with Scissors - Augusten Burroughs

miyagi-sama

  

lexieho

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 8:23 AM

death in venice
-thomas mann

lexieho

  

000

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 9:06 AM

i like those blowhards who say "i dont even own a tv, i read" like it makes them intellectuals


reading takes too long

000

  

adams_babymomma

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 10:38 AM
Edited Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 10:39 AM

The last book I finished was "A Daughter of Isis" by Nawal El Saadawi.

I'll also need to find some good books about female gential mutiliation for my upcoming research paper.

adams_babymomma

  

acm323

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 10:45 AM

The last book I read that I really, really enjoyed was "The Memory Keeper's Daughter." Very sad. I cried at the end.

Right now I'm reading "In the Night Room" by Peter Straub. Anyone ever read his stuff? He writes horror. His writing is very strange.

That reminds me...the main character in this book is getting harrassed by someone he doesn't know over the internet. He keeps getting threatening emails. The last email he got was very long. The stalker called him "buttsecks" several times. It really made me laugh!

acm323

  

adams_babymomma

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 12:05 PM
Edited Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 12:06 PM

repost.


Has anyone read "The Anarchists Cookbook" by William Powell?

Dangerous books that have affected society, both positive and negative
By: Chris Dunne
Issue date: 4/9/08 Section: Opinion

We've all read books that inspire us, books which are influential in the way we grow up and how we see the world. Most of these are personal records, having only a limited impact on society as a whole. However, some texts inspire the masses.

Is this mass fascination with a particular work good or for evil? Which books can claim to be the most dangerous of our time?

The first book on my list is one that many college students may be familiar with due to a major motion picture starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton. The book is called "Fight Club" and is written by today's greatest satirist, Chuck Palahniuk.

"Fight Club" is a strange anomaly. It's something that's not really supposed to happen. Like a geeky high school quarterback, it's intelligent and popular.

The novel discusses themes ranging from addictive consumer fixations, the knowledge of one's own existence, the questioning of societal structure, and the implications of anarchy.

Wow, that's a lot of stuff for such a small book.

Throw in Palahniuk's one-two-punch writing style (the tagline for the book is 'mischief, mayhem, soap'), the book's mainstream credibility, the fact that it has inspired musicians such as Panic! at the Disco, and we've got ourselves what I like to call an entry level novel that teaches young adults how to question their surroundings. Next up is "1984" by George Orwell.

Who here hasn't had to read this book in high school? Who doesn't know what "big brother" is? Point is that this novel has deeply ingrained itself into the psyche of our culture. It taught us that we need to be afraid of the future and question the government.

Without this book we wouldn't have many of current communications theories such as 'groupthink' and 'doublethink' (For those non comm. majors you should know that these theories are bad; very bad.). Another common controversial book is "The Catcher in the Rye".

"The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger explores things such as eternal loneliness in today's world, violence inherent in the youth, and our eventual acceptance of life. Most teens read this book and relate to the character of Holden, which is truly horrifying once they realize they shouldn't want to relate to the character, as he is morally corrupt.

The book can be credited as inspiration to some controversial pop figures. It is part of what inspired the assassination of John Lennon (Mark David Chapman, the assassin, actually thought he was Holden Caulfield) and the attempt to kill Ronald Reagan by John Hinckley Jr. More recently (and arguably more favorably) references to it can be in the work of artists such as Kevin Smith and Green Day.

Book four is Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin". It was one of the first novels to accurately portray the plight of slavery. It single handily inspired the Civil War and created help from important figures such as Harriet Tubman, Ralph Ellison and even Martin Luther King Jr.

Many people have died due to Uncle Tom and his little cabin.

The fifth book on my list is quite literally the most "dangerous" book because it actually shows how to create bombs, explosives and chaos. This is "The Anarchists Cookbook" by William Powell.

Don't get any ideas now, this book is so dangerous it is part of what inspired the Columbine shootings and is rumored to be red flagged by the government.

Anyone who purchases, downloads or checks out this book is immediately put under temporary surveillance. It is definitely an explosive stack of paper that should be approached and handled with caution.

Every novel mentioned so far is an American publication. It is only natural that the U.S. Constitution has found its way onto this list.

Here we have a tie. The U.S. Constitution and "The Communist Manifesto" are two of the most dangerous books in the world.

The U.S. Constitution is the root of everything this country has stood by whether it is for good or evil. It inspired change in the world, change in the people and change in the ideals thereof. Karl Marx's "The Communist Manifesto" also inspired much change. Both have given rise to tyrants.

When you mix democracy and communism, the world has a huge problem. See Cold War. See Mission Iraqi Freedom. Lets move on.


Number eight is "Mein Kampf" by Adolf Hitler. Although that should be enough said, I'll give you a refresher on it. This is the book Hitler wrote while in prison in the 1920's. This is the book that led the way for the rise of the Third Reich. This book and its creator are responsible for Nazi Germany, World War II and the Holocaust, even maybe the nuclear bomb. This book still today fills many lost souls with hate, anger and racism. This book is hands down evil.

Another most dangerous book is Darwin's "The Origin of Man". This journal is responsible for some of the most radical changes in the way the world works and thinks in recent history.

It is the first to really contradict modern religious views and introduce ideas of evolution and social Darwinism. It is what inspired people like Marx and Hitler. It is what will continue to be the basis of beneficial scientific research and madmen agendas alike.

Finally, the most dangerous book ever is the Bible.

Yes folks, the Bible.

Not one text has ever been responsible for more wars, crimes, wrong doings and controversy. It and other opposing religious texts are the very basis for the way the world thinks and works. Whether one believes it is truly the holy sacrament is a moor point. What really matters is that at the end of the day, the Bible is interpreted by man and therefore would itself tell you that it is corrupt and not to be trusted entirely.

I implore any and all people to think what they will about the Bible or any other text mentioned here, this is just the way I see it. Some dangerous texts are here to warn us, some try to change or control the way we think. It all comes down to points of view and now, you all have mine.

adams_babymomma

  

Yog-Laithoth

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 12:16 PM

I finished re-reading Drew's book, Cracked, about a week ago. I'm currently in the middle of re-reading Starcraft: Speed of Darkness by Tracy Hickman, mostly because it's short and I haven't read it in a long time, and I remember liking it. I'm probably going to poke through the library catalog for some more solid reading sometime soon.

Yog-Laithoth

  

whoisnumbaone

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 12:21 PM
Edited Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 12:21 PM

current communications theories such as 'groupthink' and 'doublethink' (For those non comm. majors you should know that these theories are bad; very bad.).

I know what groupthink is but I dont know what doublethink is. enlighten me please

communist manifesto: I read this and Its pretty inspiring.

Also, a very "dangerous" book (according to ABMS criteria) is the Turner Diaries. They hae in spired many terrosists acts and Is a "textbook" for all new KKK, neo nazi, nad other white supremacist groups.

whoisnumbaone

  

ZT Spice

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 12:31 PM

Has anyone read "The Anarchists Cookbook" by William Powell? —adams_babymomma

I checked it out from the library when I was in high school.

ZT Spice

  

ZT Spice

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 12:33 PM
Edited Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 12:35 PM

CASCADING HOMOCOCKS?

ZT Spice

  

Yog-Laithoth

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 1:08 PM

I know what groupthink is but I dont know what doublethink is. enlighten me please

—whoisnumbaone

Doublethink is the phenomenon of accepting one thing as both true and false, or accepting something as true and accepting its opposite as true at the same time.

Yog-Laithoth

  

TortillaFactory

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 2:15 PM

Has anyone read "The Anarchists Cookbook" by William Powell?

No, but apparently one of my former coworker's friends had his computer seized by the FBI after looking it up on Amazon.

I suspect there might be a little bit missing from that story.

TortillaFactory

  

TortillaFactory

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 2:16 PM

Doublethink is the phenomenon of accepting one thing as both true and false, or accepting something as true and accepting its opposite as true at the same time.

Please give me an example of this because I feel like a retard thinking it's impossible.

TortillaFactory

  

whoisnumbaone

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 2:41 PM

^ yeah

whoisnumbaone

  

stefanie

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 4:28 PM

house of leaves is my favorite book. it gave me nightmares. i let someone borrow it and her puppy ate it.

i haven't read in a long time. the books i remember i want to read are never at the library.

stefanie

  

Yog-Laithoth

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 4:45 PM

Please give me an example of this because I feel like a retard thinking it's impossible.

—TortillaFactory

To be honest, I don't fully understand it myself. That's just how it was explained in 1984. Something about how 2 + 2 = 4, but can also = 5 if The Party says so. Or something like that.

Yog-Laithoth

  

Kevin U.

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 4:49 PM

It's like the difference between what is really true, and what you have been told to believe - you can believe the brainwashing, because it's brainwashing, but at the same time know that the opposite is true, somewhere in your mind. Or something. Been a while since I've read 1984.

Kevin U.

  

Dusty TheHick

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 4:54 PM

^Sounds kinda like religion vs science.

house of leaves is my favorite book. it gave me nightmares. i let someone borrow it and her puppy ate it.

Did the puppy then have nightmares too?

I look forward to your response.

Dusty TheHick

  

adams_babymomma

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 5:13 PM

1984 - Orwell

—Margin Walker

Hey somone read it! Maybe he can explain what doublethink means.

adams_babymomma

  

TortillaFactory

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 5:16 PM

It's like the difference between what is really true, and what you have been told to believe - you can believe the brainwashing, because it's brainwashing, but at the same time know that the opposite is true, somewhere in your mind. Or something. Been a while since I've read 1984.

That kind of makes sense? I guess? I'd have trouble explaining it, but I think I get the gist behind it. It could probably apply to an abusive relationship. One could discuss the difference between knowing and knowing for hours.

TortillaFactory

  

adams_babymomma

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 5:25 PM
Edited Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 5:27 PM

this sorta helps.

doublethink - Reality Control. The power to hold two completely contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accept both of them. An excellent example of doublethink in modern society is the war on drugs. If you ask people their opinion on alcohol prohibition in the 1920s, most people would agree that it was a complete failure. People agree that it only caused more crime, it made gangsters rich, it corrupted politicians, and most importantly ... it didn't keep people from drinking.

Yet, we have almost the exact same situation today with war on drugs, yet most people think that our modern prohibition is a good idea ... and more than that, they believe that anybody that thinks that the war on drugs isn't a good idea must be completely out of their minds. In order for a person to be effective at doublethink, they must master the art of crimestop.


So doublethink pertains to issues that deal with whether you think something should be outlawed or not?

adams_babymomma

  

miyagi-sama

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 5:32 PM
Edited Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 5:34 PM

I read 1984 a few months ago. You can't equate it to any type of logical thought process. It's purely accepting a diametrically contradicting statement.

Example: General Petraeus: We cannot leave Iraq, because it hasn't gotten better. We cannot leave Iraq, because it has gotten better.

miyagi-sama

  

TortillaFactory

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 5:33 PM

So doublethink pertains to issues that deal with whether you think something should be outlawed or not?

That's just an example. Never mistake an example for a definition.

Sounds like an issue of not being able to apply one situation to another, which is something I've often said is a cornerstone of intelligence. Makes sense now.

TortillaFactory

  

TortillaFactory

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 5:34 PM

We cannot leave Iraq, because it is still bad. We cannot leave Iraq, because it has gotten better

I don't think this is contradictory. Something can have "gotten better" and still be "bad," which is a perfectly sensible reason for maintaining the status quo.

It probably doesn't apply to Iraq, but there's nothing faulty about that reasoning.

TortillaFactory

  

miyagi-sama

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 5:35 PM

Yeah, I edited that.

miyagi-sama

  

TortillaFactory

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 5:35 PM

Okay, that makes sense, but it still doesn't sound like something anybody would say.

TortillaFactory

  

miyagi-sama

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 5:36 PM

Then you didn't watch the Senate hearings on Tuesday.

miyagi-sama

  

miyagi-sama

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 5:37 PM

The only difference is The Party would say two contradictory things immediately, whereas Petraeus said them half an hour apart.

miyagi-sama

  

TortillaFactory

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 5:49 PM

you got me, I don't watch senate hearings on TV.

TortillaFactory

  

Margin Walker

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 6:27 PM

Doublethink in the context of 1984 would be if Petraeus said we were at war with Iraq, and then the next minute told us that we were never at war with Iraq. And Petraeus would not only deliberately forget that he said and believed that we were at war with Iraq, he would forget that he forgot. So he would be completely honest in telling us that we were never at war with Iraq. Like if the past were changeable and not objective,the only thing real would be the mind, and the mind can be altered. It was a philosophy that government forced on people through fear, so they could maximize the amount of power it had over it's citizens.

Margin Walker

  

TortillaFactory

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 6:30 PM

now I'm completely fucking confused again.

in a way though, it is true that the past only exists in people's minds. you can basically make the past whatever you want it to be. Be Kind Rewind was all about that.

TortillaFactory

  

chix0r

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 6:34 PM

>>the books i remember i want to read are never at the library.

That's why you request them from other libraries.

chix0r

  

TortillaFactory

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 6:35 PM

some books are not available in one's local library system, believe it or not! (TM)

TortillaFactory

  

000

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 6:43 PM

last book i read was WHERES WALDO

000

  

chix0r

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 6:44 PM
Edited Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 6:44 PM

True, but "at the library" isn't really the same as "owned by the library." Plus, if your library doesn't own it, you should ask them to buy it. The library buys me movies all the time.

chix0r

  

TortillaFactory

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 6:49 PM

that's a productive use of tax dollars I guess.

TortillaFactory

  

bguirk

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 7:14 PM

there is also "inter-library-loan." Most libraries participate in it and can get books from just about any system. I use it all the time for research, but you can also use it for fiction or whatever. Most libraries have a policy against using ILL for CD's and movies.

I've been too busy to read novels since last summer. The best thing I read last summer was probably The Inner Circle by TC Boyle which was a novelization of Kinsey's sex research. On the short list for when I finish next week:

The Yiddish Policeman's Union, Michael Chabon
The Gum Thief, Douglas Coupland
The Brooklyn Follies, Paul Auster
Streets of Laredo, Larry McMurtry

can't fucking wait to have my reading time for myself again.

bguirk

  

Dusty TheHick

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 8:07 PM

Dusty TheHick

  

pookie

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 9:32 PM
Edited Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 9:32 PM

^ was that from the twilight zone?

lemme guess: all he wanted to do was read and his glasses broke. amirite?

pookie

  

Dusty TheHick

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 9:58 PM

SPOILER ALERT

Yeah...He was always trying to find time to read, and it was fucking up his marriage and job and stuff. During his lunch hour, he went into the vault (he worked at a bank) to read, and there was an atomic blast or something, that leveled everything but the vault. He was the only man left alive. He had enough food to last him the rest of his life, but nothing to do...until he found the wreckage of the library, and all its books. He was ecstatic...until he reached for a book, and dropped his glasses. Bummer.

Dusty TheHick

  

TortillaFactory

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 11:03 PM

Family Guy already spoiled it.

TortillaFactory

  

Dusty TheHick

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 11:23 PM

Oh, yeah...Wasn't he a molecule or something?

Dusty TheHick

  

TortillaFactory

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 11:27 PM

Brain cell.

TortillaFactory

  

acm323

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 11:46 PM

Family Guy sucks.

acm323

  

Jaffa Cakes

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 11:55 PM

No it doesn't.

Nah-nah!

Jaffa Cakes

  

acm323

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Sunday, April 13, 2008 at 12:33 AM

Manatees...

acm323

  

Jaffa Cakes

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Sunday, April 13, 2008 at 3:34 AM

Albatrosses...

Jaffa Cakes

  

adams_babymomma

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Sunday, April 13, 2008 at 11:23 AM

What books by genre do you most like/dislike?


I usually enjoy reading non-fictional, and "self-help" books.

I never really understood the fascination of Harry Potter and other sci-fi types.

adams_babymomma

  

whoisnumbaone

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Sunday, April 13, 2008 at 11:50 AM

I only read "self-help," and business related books.

whoisnumbaone

  

miyagi-sama

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Sunday, April 13, 2008 at 11:55 AM

I usually enjoy reading non-fictional, and "self-help" books.

Oh boy, that's a bad sign.

miyagi-sama

  

miyagi-sama

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Sunday, April 13, 2008 at 11:55 AM

I only read "self-help," and business related books.

That's even worse

miyagi-sama

  

mandee

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Sunday, April 13, 2008 at 1:10 PM

it's also a bad sign because there's a good chance that he's read books where my dad has been a contributing author.

mandee

  

whoisnumbaone

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Sunday, April 13, 2008 at 2:43 PM

^ quien es tu papa?

whoisnumbaone

  

adams_babymomma

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Sunday, April 13, 2008 at 3:28 PM

I don't think mandee will reveal her last name, unless she has her mother's maiden name.

I never understood why children and women have to take their husband's/father's last name. I'm glad some women are saying "Fuck you, I'm keeping my last name". I would take my husband's last name if it's 'Rockefeller' or 'de lesseps', if not I don't want it.

adams_babymomma

  

doingdoingdoing

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Sunday, April 13, 2008 at 4:28 PM

^She already has. Even I know Mandee's last name. God.

doingdoingdoing

  

adams_babymomma

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Sunday, April 13, 2008 at 4:31 PM

Does it end with a "man" as in "Lieberman" or "Shoeman"

adams_babymomma

  

miyagi-sama

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Sunday, April 13, 2008 at 4:42 PM

Dammit, I was gonna say that^ except it could also be -stein.

miyagi-sama

  

TortillaFactory

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Sunday, April 13, 2008 at 4:51 PM

wrong and wrong

TortillaFactory

  

adams_babymomma

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Sunday, April 13, 2008 at 5:10 PM

^what! No 'man' or 'stein'? That's like being Armenian without the 'ian' at the end of the last name.

adams_babymomma

  

TortillaFactory

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Sunday, April 13, 2008 at 5:16 PM

you're forgetting one of the options

TortillaFactory

  

miyagi-sama

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Sunday, April 13, 2008 at 5:41 PM

Then 'gold' has to be somewhere in that goddamn name.

miyagi-sama

  

HocusPocus

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Sunday, April 13, 2008 at 5:54 PM

Levitt?


Cat's Cradle is a good book. It's an easy read, not like a class-required book at all.

HocusPocus

  

Dusty TheHick

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Sunday, April 13, 2008 at 6:08 PM
Edited Sunday, April 13, 2008 at 6:11 PM

I/we know the last names of the following posters (and I'm probably forgetting a few):


mandee
ABM
Colin
TrinsTwin (doesn't post anymore, but still)
catloaf
plurry
Yog-Laithoth
andrewwagner (duh)
ZT
Dusty TheHick (I wonder how I know that one)
jjgold (purportedly)
TortillaFactory
Theo
Chief Thunderbear
whoisnumbaone
anobody
Lefty
lexieho

Posters whose last names I knew for a minute, but have since forgotten:

anfernee
MajandraFan


(Like I said, I know I'm forgetting a few.)

Dusty TheHick

  

Dusty TheHick

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Sunday, April 13, 2008 at 6:10 PM

Hey, I thought of an error in that Twilight Zone episode. When he's in the vault, he has his pocket watch on the floor next to him, and, a split-second before the blast, its lens spontaneously shatters (presumably from the shockwave or something). Wouldn't his glasses have also shattered then?

Dusty TheHick

  

HocusPocus

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Sunday, April 13, 2008 at 6:31 PM

The only Twilight Zone I've seen was the movie, and only the creature on airplane segment. I like John Lithgow, but the story was very annoying to watch.

I did enjoy the inside joke they did on a 3rd Rock episode where The Big Giant Head mentioned how he had an awful experience on the plane, and Lighgow/Dick said, "So did I!"

HocusPocus

  

Yog-Laithoth

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Sunday, April 13, 2008 at 6:53 PM
Edited Sunday, April 13, 2008 at 6:54 PM

I don't believe I've ever known Mandee's last name.

Also, I think anfernee said his last name is Engel.

EDIT: Oh wait, duh, she's on facebook. I can just go check. Silly me.

Yog-Laithoth

  

lexieho

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Sunday, April 13, 2008 at 7:26 PM

DEATH IN VENICE..SO GOOD! i just finished it, nearly pooped my pants.

lexieho

  

Dusty TheHick

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Sunday, April 13, 2008 at 8:25 PM

I think anfernee said his last name is Engel.


Yeah, that's it.

Dusty TheHick

  

bguirk

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Sunday, April 13, 2008 at 8:28 PM

DEATH IN VENICE..SO GOOD!

The Wings of the Dove is my favorite Venice novel--or is it. I just liked the movie I think. You get to see young Helena Bonham Carter vadge.

bguirk

  

Beat It!

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Monday, April 14, 2008 at 7:30 AM

Just finished Born Standing Up by Steve Martin about his time doing magic, music and stand up in the 60's and 70's.

Just started The Human Touch by Michael Frayn

I only read "self-help,"...— whoisnumbaone

And when do expect those to kick in?

Beat It!

  

pookie

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Monday, April 14, 2008 at 9:27 AM

yeah, i read "born standing up" as well. it's very different from his other books. "pure drivel" got me kicked out of UPitt's engineering library.

pookie

  

Beat It!

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Monday, April 14, 2008 at 9:30 AM

Yeah, this one is much more sober but it was very interesting to see where he came from and how his act evolved. His act was so silly and bizarre, I never would have realized how much serious thought and agony went in to him putting it together.

I looooooved Pure Drivel. I need to pick up his other story collection (I forget the title).

Beat It!

  

pookie

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Monday, April 14, 2008 at 9:35 AM

One was "Shop Girl" which was made into a movie starring Claire Danes. This was loosely based on a similar event in his life.

The other was "The Pleasure of My Company" which was very sweet.

pookie

  

bguirk

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Monday, April 14, 2008 at 10:23 AM

Add Born Standing up to my list. I saw Steve Martin talk about that book on Charlie Rose and it was pretty fascinating.

bguirk

  

pookie

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Monday, April 14, 2008 at 10:25 AM
Edited Monday, April 14, 2008 at 10:27 AM

Yeah, I saw that Charlie Rose. Jerry Seinfeld was also on that one and he raved about SM's book saying it was probably the best depiction of how a comedian crafts his act that he had ever encountered.

edit: wasn't it surreal to see sm get all choked up over that fan who approached him and told him how the book affected her family?

pookie

  

Dusty TheHick

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Monday, April 14, 2008 at 9:21 PM

Yeah, I saw that Charlie Rose.


Ditto...the odd thing being that I've watched Charlie Rose MAYBE three times before...ever.

Dusty TheHick

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