So it goes

Kurt Vonnegut has died.

Vonnegut‘s works are antiwar and they question the very ideas that modern western society holds dear – which is why I adore this dead man. Quite frankly I think everyone should give Bokonism a try. It’s with great pleasure and some sadness that I put this post on this site. In his death, I think we should celebrate his work.
Ting-a-ling!

Mr. Vonnegut shed the label of science fiction writer with “Slaughterhouse-Five.” It tells the story of Billy Pilgrim, an infantry scout (as Mr. Vonnegut was), who discovers the horror of war. “You know — we’ve had to imagine the war here, and we have imagined that it was being fought by aging men like ourselves,” an English colonel says in the book. “We had forgotten that wars were fought by babies. When I saw those freshly shaved faces, it was a shock. My God, my God — I said to myself, ‘It’s the Children’s Crusade.’ ”

Great Lines to Start and End Books

Over at Crooked Timber there is a discussion going on about the best opening lines to (mainly) academic books.

Some examples from the comments:
“In this book I shall show that there are no books.”
“Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must remain silent.”
“Chaos theory is not nearly as exciting as it sounds. How could it be?”

Look at the Cosmos in 2007

What’s Up 2007 – 365 Days of Skywatching is a free e-book that can guide you to the stars this year. The e-book is desgined to help experienced and inexperienced people find the stars for fun viewing. If you like, you can also order a printed copy.

Each day is specifically geared to give you the best of what can be seen with the unaided eye, binoculars, and small telescopes and even has challenge objects for seasoned observers. It’s beautifully illustrated and contains many special features, such as anotated lunar maps.”

Via /.

Allow Me to Suggest the UnSuggester

UnSuggester is a great tool to find things that you hate! I love it!

Type in a book that you really enjoy and the unsuggester will let you know what book you will find torturous. For example, here are unSuggestions Brave new world : and, Brave new world revisited by Aldous Huxley, perfectly it unSuggests that I read the Devil Wears Prada.

I missed the Friday post

One of my favorite dirty little pleasures is taking a nice warm bath with a good book. Preferably a book about the environment that inspires me. The best book I recently read and highly recommend is Paths to a Green World: The Political Economy of the Global Environment. I only wish it was waterproof. Well now it is with Durabook! They’re not much more expensive than regular books and, even better, they’re completely tree-free and 100% perpetually recyclable. The book lasts as long as you need it to, doesn’t use trees, isn’t too expensive, and can be melted down and reused perpetually. Wondrous!

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