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Free Talk Live => The Polling Pit => Topic started by: robbyweber82 on January 24, 2007, 01:42:08 PM

Title: reading
Post by: robbyweber82 on January 24, 2007, 01:42:08 PM
if you do read. What types of materials and how often?
Title: Re: reading
Post by: John Shaw on January 24, 2007, 01:50:01 PM
My wife and I both each read 3-4 books a week.

In the last couple weeks:
The Black Arrow - Vin Suprinowickz
The American Zone - El Niel Smith
Unintended Consequences - John Ross
Childhood's End - Arty Clarke (Commie book, sorta)
Slan - A.E. Van Vogt
Parliament of Whores - P.J. O'rourke

And a bunch of other crap you've probably never heard of.
Title: Re: reading
Post by: Evil Muppet on January 24, 2007, 02:02:48 PM
Other than stuff for school  I am right now reading a wonderful book about the Battle of Fallujah. 
Title: Re: reading
Post by: EternityAblaze on January 24, 2007, 02:07:33 PM
Where is the option for:

1.  I don't read, I listen to audio books. 
Title: Re: reading
Post by: robbyweber82 on January 24, 2007, 02:13:33 PM
consider it done.

Where is the option for:

1.  I don't read, I listen to audio books. 
Title: Re: reading
Post by: mikehz on January 24, 2007, 02:37:16 PM
I used to manage a book a week, but these days seldom get in more than one or two a month. Usually, I alternate between fiction and non-fiction. This week, I'm reading Secrets of the Podcasting Masters, by Rob Walch and Mur Lafferty. I have to do a seminar on podcasting for my writing group in a couple months and figure I ought to know a little about it.
Title: Re: reading
Post by: Timothy on January 24, 2007, 04:32:55 PM
As of late, I have been extremely busy, but I do enjoy reading a historical text every so often
Title: Re: reading
Post by: Taors on January 24, 2007, 04:35:30 PM
Currently reading: Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
Reading next: Cosmos by Carl Sagan


Title: Re: reading
Post by: Lindsey on January 24, 2007, 08:06:24 PM
I read.  I'd read more if I had more time to read.  At work I've been making slow progress on Somebody Told Me by Rick Bragg.  I haven't read much else lately, unfortunately.  Sometimes I take Macbeth to work with me, it's one of my favorites. 
Title: Re: reading
Post by: AlexLibman on January 24, 2007, 08:39:35 PM
I got my eyes clamped open, with two guys with eye droppers on each side, Clockwork Orange style.

And I learned Chinese because their writing system allows for fastest reading speed.  I tell ya, this forum is even more hilarious auto-translated to them Simplified Characters.  Especially 简体中文版!

And I listen to audio books, at least three at a time, while I shower, sleep, or move my eyes away from the text for more than ten seconds.

:lol:
Title: Re: reading
Post by: rabidfurby on January 25, 2007, 12:31:36 AM
I like audiobooks. But between FTL and Penn Jillette, it seems I barely have time for them anymore.
Title: Re: reading
Post by: Lindsey on January 25, 2007, 12:45:14 AM
I like audiobooks. But between FTL and Penn Jillette, it seems I barely have time for them anymore.

This is the fucker that got me hooked on Penn Jillette! 
Title: Re: reading
Post by: rabidfurby on January 25, 2007, 01:30:01 AM
I like audiobooks. But between FTL and Penn Jillette, it seems I barely have time for them anymore.

This is the fucker that got me hooked on Penn Jillette! 

For anyone who's never heard his show:

http://podcast.penn.freefm.com/penn/58533.mp3

The blow dryer story!

If anyone spoils the ending, I will personally ensure you die a slow death.
Title: Re: reading
Post by: Taors on January 25, 2007, 01:31:19 AM
Penn is my God.
Title: Re: reading
Post by: Lindsey on January 25, 2007, 01:33:11 AM
I like audiobooks. But between FTL and Penn Jillette, it seems I barely have time for them anymore.

This is the fucker that got me hooked on Penn Jillette! 

For anyone who's never heard his show:

http://podcast.penn.freefm.com/penn/58533.mp3

The blow dryer story!

If anyone spoils the ending, I will personally ensure you die a slow death.

The blow dryer story is God. 
Title: Re: reading
Post by: soliscjw on January 25, 2007, 01:33:42 AM
I read and I have ADD  :lol: I am reading Atlas Shrugged. I also like reading John Stossel's books as well as other light reading.
Title: Re: reading
Post by: Taors on January 25, 2007, 01:55:47 AM
I read and I have ADD  :lol: I am reading Atlas Shrugged. I also like reading John Stossel's books as well as other light reading.

What page of AS are you on?
Title: Re: reading
Post by: Taors on January 25, 2007, 03:09:09 AM
I'm also reading The New Testament, just to see what all the fuss is about.
Title: Re: reading
Post by: Bill Brasky on January 25, 2007, 08:50:18 AM
Lotsa stuff, mostly fiction crap.

Chandler
Parker
DeMille
Lehane
Lee Child
Puzo
Chriton

<-----  Parker, BTW
Title: Re: reading
Post by: mikehz on January 25, 2007, 11:18:36 PM
I like audiobooks. But between FTL and Penn Jillette, it seems I barely have time for them anymore.

Exactly my problem.
Title: Re: reading
Post by: AlexLibman on January 26, 2007, 01:36:31 AM
I have a reading dilemma - I bought a lot of crummy books during my Green Party liberal phase, and now I don't know what to do with them.  I know I won't be keeping them long, so I decided to read / skim some of them to get it over with.  So at the moment I'm knee-deep in cultural, geopolitical, and scientific pessimism thanks to schmucks like Morris Berman (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morris_Berman), Chris Hedges (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Hedges), and David Goodstein (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Goodstein).

Something weird happens to the world every time I go back to one of them "liberal" books.  The universe shrinks, and so does man's place in it.  Individuals become helpless, civilization a mere accident that's on the brink of passing, weakness is romantisised, and if anyone is able to achieve success it's due to no merit except luck...
Title: Re: reading
Post by: Brent on January 26, 2007, 03:36:37 PM
I'm reading "The Wealth of Nations" by Adam Smith.  It's not as painful as you'd think.  (Just skip the pages and pages of tables about grain surplusses). 
Title: Re: reading
Post by: voodoo on January 26, 2007, 05:10:58 PM
Wealth of Nations is a very easy read.  The problem I have is every paragraph is an essay unto itself.  So, I read a paragraph and spend half an hour thinking of the ramifications of that paragraph, and, when the plane flight ends, I realize I only read a few pages.  It is absolutely amazing stuff.
Title: Re: reading
Post by: Rillion on January 26, 2007, 05:18:57 PM
I can't imagine not being a person who reads. 

Current reading: Simulating Minds, by Alvin Goldman
Title: Re: reading
Post by: lordmetroid on January 26, 2007, 05:27:30 PM
It was some time since I read any tangible book. Last one I read was Jared M. Diamond's "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies".

Lately I have been studying politics and American history by the means of what I can read on internet and some books that I found in digital form on the internet. The latest book I read although not tangible would be Harry Browne's "Why Government Doesn't Work."

I also read pretty much every early political document I have found written in association to the funding the United States.
Title: Re: reading
Post by: zebraflood on January 26, 2007, 08:07:39 PM
Yes.

My reading habits fluctuate. The quantity and quality of it rises and falls as my interests of the moment are born, peak and fade away. Sometimes I'll go weeks or a month at a time without hardly looking at a book unless it's part of an assignment- not because I don't want to read, it just doesn't occur to me because I haven't had the time to discover anything new that catches my attention.

Right now I'm mostly just reading textbooks. The works of Saki on the side, but it's a slow process, most of my time is already claimed. Funny guy though, if you like that sort of thing.

The last book that I remember finishing was Snow Crash. I've read books between now and then, but I can't remember what they were. That probably says something about those books, or about Snow Crash.
Title: Re: reading
Post by: soliscjw on January 27, 2007, 12:34:26 AM
I read and I have ADD  :lol: I am reading Atlas Shrugged. I also like reading John Stossel's books as well as other light reading.

What page of AS are you on?
I am on page 100 I just got it for Christmas/Birthday and read on my days off, my copy is in micro-type and is very hard to read it is slowing me down.
Title: Re: reading
Post by: Taors on January 27, 2007, 05:02:50 AM
I read and I have ADD  :lol: I am reading Atlas Shrugged. I also like reading John Stossel's books as well as other light reading.

What page of AS are you on?
I am on page 100 I just got it for Christmas/Birthday and read on my days off, my copy is in micro-type and is very hard to read it is slowing me down.

Yeah, but you get used to it. I fucking HATE small print with a passion, but it's fine for me now. You'll be tearing through pages. I'm on 400 now.