Author Archives: smellincoffee

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About smellincoffee

Citizen, librarian, reader with a boundless wonder for the world and a curiosity about all the beings inside it.

How the Internet Happened

Posted on January 16, 2019 by smellincoffee

How the Internet Happened: From Netscape to the iPhone© 2018 Brian McCullough400 pages Who’s ready for a little nostalgia? Brian McCullough, host of the Internet History podcast,  here turns his research and many interviews in a compact history of how … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

Book-coveting

Posted on January 13, 2019 by smellincoffee

I do a lot of window shopping for books, taking photos of new ones that have my interest so I can check on reviews, prices, etc. later on when I don’t have a hot coffee in hand.   I noticed just … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | 8 Comments

Invisible Man and Everybody Lies

Posted on January 13, 2019 by smellincoffee

This week I’ve finished two books of interest, the first being a classics club entry (Invisible Man), and the other a book on big data and statistics.  Everybody Lies  played true to its title, opening with ways that analysis of … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

LikeWar

Posted on January 9, 2019 by smellincoffee

LikeWar: The Weaponization of Social Media© 2018 P.W. Singer & Emerson T. Brooking412 pages The digital world is not simply one in which people can tweet restaurant reviews from the very table at which they’re ignoring their dinner date.  It … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

She Has Her Mother’s Laugh

Posted on January 8, 2019 by smellincoffee

She Has Her Mother’s Laugh: The Powers, Perversions, and Potential of Heredity© 2018 Carl Zimmer672 pages Overhearing discussion of heredity a few hundred years ago would have meant only one thing:  being in the presence of noblemen, who stood to … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

In the Plex

Posted on January 6, 2019 by smellincoffee

In the Plex: How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives pub. 2011 Steven Levy 437 pages Full disclosure: I was a passionate Googler ten years ago, an early adopter of anything that the Mountain Brook, CA firm produced — … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Classics Club Schedule, 2019

Posted on January 2, 2019 by smellincoffee

I have 21 months left to finish my Classics Club list, with 22 books remaining. I’m not sure what happens if one fails to complete the list — perhaps it involves being attacked by moody English teachers, I’m not sure.  … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged | 8 Comments

What I Read Before

Posted on January 1, 2019 by smellincoffee

This “post” is an index page linking to previous “Books I Read in 20__” posts, with a favorite from each year. What I Read in 2007 What I Read in 2008 What I Read in 2009 What I Read in … Continue reading →

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2018 Roundup: Best-Of and Pie

Posted on December 31, 2018 by smellincoffee

Well, dear readers, another year has come and gone. It’s been a good year here, though not as active as usual. My goal is 150 books a year, and I barely made that this year, with 154 books read. I blame The Sims … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 14 Comments

What I Read in 2018

Posted on December 31, 2018 by smellincoffee

Books in bold were superior favorites.  — January — 1. The Rooster Bar, John Grisham 2. Star Trek the Fall: Ceremony of Losses, David Mack 3. Star Trek the Fall: The Poisoned Chalice, James Swallow 4. Poetry Night at the Ballpark, Bill Kauffman 5. Lessons from a Lemonade … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged | 2 Comments