Monthly Archives: July 2019

Code Girls

Posted on July 31, 2019 by smellincoffee

Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Codebreakers of World War 2 © 2017 Liza Mundy 640 pages At the outset of World War 2, the United States’ military intelligence apparatus, much like its military, was minimal.  Following … Continue reading →

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Ten Treklit Favorites

Posted on July 29, 2019 by smellincoffee

Today’s a TT freebie, so I’m doing… Star Trek novels! I’ve been inspired by the world of Star Trek since I was a kid, both for the sci-fi appeal and its promise of a better world.   The novels and their … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged | 15 Comments

More short rounds: hackers and silly vicars

Posted on July 28, 2019 by smellincoffee

Needing a quick break from all the classics,  I read The Hacker Crackdown, a bit of cybersecurity history.  Sterling first delivers the background of the telecommunications system in the United States, specifically the expansive growth of AT&T and its recent … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Perspective from Seven Brief Lessons on Physics

Posted on July 25, 2019 by smellincoffee

I recently finished Seven Brief Lessons on Physics, a slim little volume introducing readers to relativity (special and general), quantum mechanics, particle physics, heat, time, and our place in the universe.   As it’s less than a hundred pages I don’t … Continue reading →

Posted in quotations, Reviews, science | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Short rounds: Star Trek and Musketeers

Posted on July 23, 2019 by smellincoffee

It’s been open season on the classics this month: not only did I finish up June ( and take care of July, but I’ve recently advanced into August’s reading, defeating The Three Musketeers, and am about to mount an attack … Continue reading →

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Tranquility Base here….the Eagle has landed.

Posted on July 20, 2019 by smellincoffee

  Prometheus, they say,  brought God’s fire down to man And we’ve caught it, tamed it, trained it, since our history began Now we’re going back to heaven, just to look Him in the eye There’s a thunder across the … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 4 Comments

Catch-22

Posted on July 19, 2019 by smellincoffee

Catch-22 © 1961 Joseph Heller 453 pages “That crazy bastard might be the only sane one left on this base!”     Captain John Yossarian, said C.B.,  is convinced that everyone is out to kill him.  The Germans certainly are, at least … Continue reading →

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The Cancer Chronicles

Posted on July 17, 2019 by smellincoffee

The Cancer Chronicles: Unlocking Medicine’s Deepest Mystery © 2013 George Johnson 304 pages As a kid,  Cancer was an ominous abstract monster, mentioned only in whispers,  that struck without warning and left no survivors.   You just hoped it didn’t happen to you.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Top Ten Authors on Auto-Buy

Posted on July 15, 2019 by smellincoffee

David Mack.   I recently drafted a list of ten of my favorite pieces of Trek lit, and David Mack’s name came up again and again.  He’s handled some of the biggest stories in the Trek Relaunch, including the origin and … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 6 Comments

The Ballad of Tom Joad

Posted on July 13, 2019 by smellincoffee

Tom Joad got out of the old McAlester Pen; There he got his parole. After four long years on a man killing charge, Tom Joad come a-walkin’ down the road, poor boy, Tom Joad come a-walkin’ down the road. Tom … Continue reading →

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