Tuesday 16 November 2021

What I've Been Reading, September and October 2021

Links

Above the Fold

Miscellaneous

  • Kim Stanley Robinson on the structure of feeling of this perilous moment, by Cory Doctorow, Medium
  • What Is Up With American Trucks? by Quinten Dol, Medium
    "We’re all suffering for your masculinity crisis."
    I'd say this is a case of vehicle manufacturers talking advantage of our innate, and often frustrated, drive to dominate. Culture takes advantage of those innate drives and uses them towards its own ends, in this case to make a tidy profit. And make no mistake, selling those trucks is a lot more profitable than selling smaller, more appropriate vehicles.
  • Review: A “Dune” Sanded to Dullness, by Richard Brody, The New Yorker
    "Whereas David Lynch’s 1984 adaptation turned Frank Herbert’s fantasy world into a visceral cinematic experience, Denis Villeneuve’s version remains in the realm of worthy principles."
    I read Dune in highschool,around 50 years ago, and have re-read it at least once since then, as well as most of the sequels and prequels, but not recently. Still, it seems this reviewer has got some of his details mixed up and is clearly a fan of Lynch's version.
  • Denis Villeneuve’s Dune Is A Future-Shock Masterpiece, by Chris Nashawaty, Esquire
    A more positive review. But I just have to say it, Dune is certainly not the best science fiction book I have ever read, and despite being praised for introducing a generation to ecological ideas, it makes at least one significant mistake, ecology wise. Only in an appendix does it address the question of where all the oxygen is coming from on Arrakis, and even then it doesn't answer the question of where the sandworms are getting the energy to release all that oxygen.
  • The Enduring Appeal of “Dune” as an Adolescent Power Fantasy, by Ed Park, The New Yorker
    "When you’re a teen-ager like Paul Atreides, it can seem like authority figures are always forcing you to do pointless, excruciating things."
  • Vikings lived in North America by at least the year 1021, by Bruce Bower, Science News
    "Scientists used tree ring data to more precisely date a UNESCO historic site in Newfoundland"

Coronavirus

Co-operation, Mutual Aid and Direct Democracy

Capitalism, Communism, Anarchy

  • David Graeber American Anarchist, Brian Rose interviews David Graeber on London Real
    "When I say the word anarchist you probably have an image of a bomb-throwing skinhead shouting slogans and facing down riot police. This week’s London Real guest David Graeber is going to change that image forever. A self-proclaimed anarchist, David is far more the picture of the soft-spoken, thoughtful academic than a combative activist. But David’s credentials as a campaigner and anti-capitalist thinker speak volumes."

Agriculture

  • The Myth of Regenerative Ranching, by Jan Dutkiewicz, Gabriel N. Rosenberg, The New Republic
    "The purveyors of “grass-fed” beef want you to believe that it solves meat’s environmental problem. But this is merely a branding exercise, not a climate solution."
  • Lab-grown meat is supposed to be inevitable. The science tells a different story, by Joe Fassler, The Counter
    "Splashy headlines have long overshadowed inconvenient truths about biology and economics. Now, extensive new research suggests the industry may be on a billion-dollar crash course with reality."

Recipes and Cooking

  • Lost In The Sauce, by Nicholas Hayward, Medium—One table, One World
    "Sauce Hacks, Simple-Delicious"

Genetic Engineering

Before jumping to the erroneous conclusion that this section was paid for by Monsanto, stop for a moment and understand that organic agriculture/food is a multi-billion dollar per year industry that relies on fear to get people to buy its product. Millions of dollars are spent to convince you that non-organic food is dangerous. In fact both conventionally grown and organic foods are equally safe. Sadly neither method of agriculture is even remotely substainable.

  • Panic-free GMOs, A Grist Special Series by Nathanael Johnson
    "It’s easy to get information about genetically modified food. There are the dubious anti-GM horror stories that recirculate through social networks. On the other side, there’s the dismissive sighing, eye-rolling, and hand patting of pro-GM partisans. But if you just want a level-headed assessment of the evidence in plain English, that’s in pretty short supply. Fortunately, you’ve found the trove."
    A series of articles that does a pretty good job of presenting the facts about GMOs. I plan to include one article from this series here each month.
  • GMO labeling: Trick or treat?, by Nathanael Johnson, Grist
    "Many of the arguments against Washington state's GMO labeling initiative make sense. Here's why, despite that, it should pass."

Practical Skills

Writing Skills

Debunking Resources

These are of such importance that I've decide to leave them here on an ongoing basis.

Science

Lacking an Owner's Manual

The human body/mind/spirit doesn't come with an owner's manual, and we continually struggle to figure out how best to operate them.

  • How do you handle a situation where someone shows up empty handed to a potluck and then wants to leave with a load of leftovers? by Karlea Morallo, Quora
    Chock this up to the concept of mutual aid—one of the most powerful ideas in human culture.
  • How to maintain a healthy brain, by Kailas Roberts, Aeon-Psyche
    "Adopt these lifestyle changes and you will not only sharpen your mind today but also reduce your risk of dementia later on"

    • Books

    Fiction

    Non-Fiction

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