Finally finished re-reading the 9/11 Commission Report. I stand by my previous post. Sobering read, puts a lot of stuff in perspective again. Not that I wouldn't make changes to things but it reminds you how we got to where we are.
Almost done with Alan Turing: The Enigma - interesting but not super exciting. The movie was far better at that, although it got a lot of stuff just plain wrong. Amazingly Cryptonomicon seems to have most of the details right, all though out of sequence or out of context. Still the portrait in Cryptonomicon and here are pretty similar. I guess in Cryptonomicon Turing is slightly better adjusted socially but not a great deal.
Picked up Network Warrior: Everything you need to know that wasn't on the CCNA exam
at Powell's ( @Powells ) this morning. It is replacing the 9/11 Commission Report in the reading list. Written by networking veteran with 20 years of experience, Network Warrior provides a thorough and practical introduction to the entire network infrastructure, from cabling to the routers. What you need to learn to pass a Cisco certification exam such as CCNA and what you need to know to survive in the real world are two very different things. The strategies that this book offers weren 't on the exam, but they 're exactly what you need to do your job well.
Network Warrior takes you step by step through the world of hubs, switches, firewalls, and more, including ways to troubleshoot a congested network, and when to upgrade and why. Along the way, you 'll gain an historical perspective of various networking features, such as the way Ethernet evolved. Based on the author 's own experience as well as those he worked for and with, Network Warrior is a Cisco-centric book, focused primarily on the TCP/IP protocol and Ethernet networks -- the realm that Cisco Systems now dominates.What can I say, I am a half-educated moron I need all the help I can get.
On Friday I was chatting online with some friends and we were discussing the Hugo Award nominees. I made the comment that I don't read much Sci-Fi anymore because it all seems to have devolved into urban fantasy - zombies and vampires, or some sort of screed about how horrible society is to (insert oppressed class here). Those books have their place and if you enjoy them (which I can in small doses) more power too you but I prefer stuff that is a little grittier / harder both scientifically and sociologically, but still with the core of optimism that is science fiction at it's best. I just don't tend to see those books anymore (the most notable recent exception is The Expanse series, at least what I have read of it so far). So immediately after writing that I of course find 5 books that are going to make it to the list:
River of Gods - I actually spotted this a couple years ago when it came out in hardback but I was broke at the time and then forgot about it. Basically sounds like Cyberpunk in India so I will give it a shot.
Cyberabad Days - Follow up to River of Gods
The Boost - Edward Snowden meets William Gibson
Seveneves - Neal Stephenson, what more needs to be said?
Armada - Second novel by Ernest Cline (Ready Player One). Sounds like high school kid gets sucked up into The Last Starfighter. Kind of a meta-novel I guess. Pre-ordered it.
and that concludes this episode of barely literate theater.
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