A Web Log

Machinations of Wicked Men   Author: Jonathan Kirshner Source: The Boston Review Summary: a very entertaining, acerbic, and well-written review of Kissinger the Idealist  - a biography by Niall Ferguson.  Much of the focus is on whether or not Kissinger could be considered an Idealist (as claimed by Ferguson) or a Realist; Kirshner firmly favors the latter. Quotes: Roger Ebert once defined a blockbuster movie sequel as a “filmed deal.” The literary equivalent is the official biography. A towering ego, obsessed with the judgment of history, hand selects a scribe-for-hire, offering the promise of heady remuneration and consort with fame in exchange for a fawning hagiography. It would be refreshing to be able to report that Niall Ferguson’s Kissinger, 1923–1968: The Idealist, is more than that. Unfortunately, clocking in at nearly a thousand densely packed pages, it is simply more of that. Perhaps learning at the feet of his protagonist (whose own memoirs sprawl across thou...

Claude Shannon: Tinkerer, Prankster, and Father of Information Theory   Author: John Horgan Source: IEEE Spectrum Summary: A biography of Claude Shannon and a summary of some of the basic ideas of Information Theory.  An interesting jumping-off point and a decent (and consistent) companion to  this book.

How the Pentagon Started Taking U.F.O.s Seriously Author: Gideon Lewis-Kraus Source: The New Yorker Summary: A relatively non-judgemental article about UFOs and the government's official response to the phenomena.  Initial skepticism was strategic, but denial became reflexive.  Recently there appears to be a shift towards slightly more openness. Quotes: "The following January, the C.I.A. secretly convened an advisory group of experts, led by Howard P. Robertson, a mathematical physicist from Caltech. The “Robertson panel” determined not that we were being visited by U.F.O.s but that we were being inundated with too many U.F.O. reports. This was a real problem: if notices of genuine incursions over U.S. territory could be lost in a maelstrom of kooky hallucination, there could be grave consequences for national security—for instance, Soviet spy planes could operate with impunity. The Cold War made it crucial that the U.S. government be perceived to have full control over i...

The Asset Economy   Authors:  Lisa Adkins, Melinda Cooper, Martijn Konings Source: LA Review of Books Summary: A short excerpt from the book of the same name by the above authors.  Terribly written, with a main thesis that should be a surprise to nobody. How One Man Turned The Busiest International Border Crossing In North America Into The Centerpiece Of His Empire Author: Erin Marquis Source: Jalopnik Summary: An overview of the Ambassador Bridge, the busiest border crossing in North America for trucks, which links Detroit and Ontario. The article's focus is on the bridge's now-deceased owner and the difficulties he has caused for the region due to his unwillingness to maintain the bridge or build a new span, while preventing the construction of a publicly-owned alternative. Impressions: This was an interesting article, but could have been so much more.  I'd like to hear more about how a private bridge was built in the first place, and how the ultimate own...

I was frightened every single day’: the perils of guarding Stalin Author: Matthew Janney Source: The Spectator Summary: A brief book review of  "Young Heroes of the Soviet Union: A Memoir and a Reckoning" by Alex Halberstadt At the Type Archive Author: Alice Sprawls Source: London Review of Books Summary: A short but entertaining article about a specific sort of typesetting machine and the London museum that houses a large number of such machines, as well as related items.  Of note, however, were a number of factual corrections submitted as letters to the editor that were included with the article.

The Computer Game That Led to Enlightenment   Author:  Peter Bebergal Site: New Yorker Summary: Short article about the video game Ultima IV and it's moral framework In Mali Author: Rahmane Idrissa Site: London Review of Books Summary: a travelogue/history of Mali.  A bit meandering but an interesting jumping-off point. Lionel Barber’s diaries — encounters with Merkel, Fuld and a piano-playing Putin Author: Lionel Barber Site: Financial Times Summary: Excerpt's from the author's memoirs of his time as Editor of the FT: ‘The Powerful and the Damned: Private Diaries in Turbulent Times’ by Lionel Barber Quote:  "Merkel is impressed, if puzzled, by Barack Obama’s rock star status. 'Who is he? What does he stand for?'”  Impression: an interesting and entertaining series of short vignettes.  I'd be interested in reading the entire book.