The Emperor's Virtual Clothes
by Dinty Moore. Dinty Moore is really a closet surfer. That becomes very evident
in his The Emperor's Virtual Clothes. He has to establish
himself as an Internet basher because it is the intellectually
correct thing to do like Stoll, Slouka, and a few others. His
book cover is why print publishing should not be in the hands of
marketeers. It is insulting to Moore, to us, and it is
offensive. A highlighted portion of the back cover shouts out:
"Will 'cybersex' replace the real thing?" It then proceeds to
present a passage from the second to last chapter of the book
which is tongue in cheek and used for sensationalism. It is this
very cheap, adolescent type of behavior from publishers which is
so offensive and cheapens good authors like Moore. Moore became
a whore to a publisher. This is the very reason the Internet
should appeal to a man like Moore. In the book he demonstrates
very clearly this type of behavior embarrasses him, offends him,
and he shies away from it while doing research. So why should he
allow this to be placed on the back of his book when there are so
many more superior passages that should have been highlighted.
The most powerful part of the book is the extended metaphor with
Thoreau's Walden. Thoreau holds a sacred place in my heart as he
obviously does for Moore. Moore's book is mistitled. The
allusion to the fairy tale does not hold up, particularly with
the Thoreau metaphor. Since Moore has obviously modelled this
book after Thoreau's experience of going into the woods and
emerged to publish a book, Moore should have abandoned the fairy
tale and stayed with the quintessential American tale. The
Emperor's Virtual Clothes has to have been a working title that
the publishers made him stick to, because it does not work for
this book.
After Moore gets through the obligatory Internet definitions
chapter all authors seem to stumble over and the ubiquitous
playground of the Internet: Usenet, he finally finds his
Thoreauvian voice and does some magnificent writing. He captures
a unique spirit of the Internet in the personalities he
highlights. His gets lost himself in a romance of two people who
become reunited on the net. We know this by his own romantic
plea to Katie to write him if she is reading this book. We want
to ask Moore if she ever does. He then turns his attention to
the MOOs and MUDS and becomes muddled as we all do. Here he
doesn't see that this world is so Shakespearean in its cross
dressing, disguises, and world of make believe. He gets close
but never says it, only floats around it with the right questions
and no answers. Problem is that for people who are looking for
answers in a MOO environment based on non-MOO criteria, confusion
can be the only result. Again he returns to love and digital
hugs in a no harm no foul scenario. Here two married people,
married to others, carry on a long distance love affair.
Unrequited love. Happens everyday in real life. Two people in
the office, at work, at church, or wherever. Problem is neither
ever says anything to the other and human emotion is squelched.
In this scenario, Moore relates the humanity of it all as it
unfolds in cyberspace. He says so at the close of the chapter,
"That's me too. Like it or not." An oxymoron which is pure
Thoreau. The story of the BBS, the Cellar, is one of my
favorites. This is the Internet at its best. Moore understands
that too. Our modern day Thoreau has finally found in this
community, this microcosm, the essence of the Internet. When he
asks the question at the close of the chapter, "So you like the
Net?" one senses there should be a "too" there. Moore then gets
bogged down in non-issues like grammar, spamming, and democracy.
These are areas which should not be looked at from his point of
view. They are prejudiced and closed minded. He falters
terribly. They are only important to the current power elite and
will be insignificant to the next generation of power brokers.
These chapters are the death rattles and convulsions of the past
and present holding out to the inevitable future. Another
powerful chapter rises like the Phoenix as Moore shows the power
of the Internet in its ability to arm the people in oppressed
regions of the world. It contradicts a previous chapter where he
ridicules the democratizing effect of the Internet, by showing
its power so plainly here. It is reminiscent of the scene in
Thoreau's life when he is asked by his good friend Emerson,
"Henry, why are you in jail?" To which Henry responds, "Ralph,
why are you not in jail?" Here Moore is on the inside looking
out, too. Moore's cute attempt to have cybersex is exactly why
the back cover is so wrong, contradictory, and offensive.
Offensive to Moore. As stated earlier, he may have intended to
write a deriding book, but like Thoreau, Moore came to understand
when he, too, went into the woods. He should have followed his
mentor's advise and changed the title and cover to be more
appropriate to his real experience. Big Brother and the Bad Boys
actually becomes a necessary reminder as Moore prepares to emerge
from the woods. It is reflective of his own experience when he
says "Target marketing." This is exactly what happens to his
book cover and title. I think he may even be lamenting his own
conflict: to prostitute himself or not to prostitute himself.
Unfortunately for him and us, he chose the latter. The
marketeers and publishers, Big Brother, won. His connection with
Thoreau is not pure. He went into the woods to rake the words
and jargon, to plumb the depths of the Internet, found its soul
and lost it. He showed an affinity to Thoreau. However, he does
not allow himself to get lost in the woods as did Thoreau. So he
emerges as he went in, a little ruffled but not changed. It was
close to a Thoreauvian experience, a good effort. He gets lost
in his wrap up by trying to do too much with the newly emerging
WWW and then he presents a useless collection of jargon.
I, too, was drinking my stout in an Irish pub, watching my
Rangers win the Stanley Cup in seven the same year he was writing
this book. This is my other connection to this man.
Mr Moore, I leave you with a Zen koan: A Cup of Tea. Nan-In, a
Japanese master during the Meiji era (1868-1912), received a
university professor who came to inquire about Zen. Nan-In
served tea. he poured his visitor's cup full, and then kept on
pouring. The professor watched the overflow until he no longer
could restrain himself. "It is overfull. No more will go in!"
"Like this cup," Nan-In said, "you are full of your own opinions
and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty
your cup?"
I am now going to retire and read Thoreau's Walden.
The Media Lab
by Stewart Brand. A personal account of the Lab from the man who brought us the WELL and The Whole Earth catalog in 1968. Great first person account by an admirer.
The Electronic Library
by Kenneth Dowlin. A very scholarly account of the emergence of the need for librarians to prepare for the technological boom. Written in 1984, this book is prophetic. Some good useful insight and nonsense too.
The Gutenberg Elegies
by Sven Birkerts. Here is a sheep if I've seen one. He is critical of books he has not read, of life he has not lived, and of computers which he does not use. He calls them the devil. Here is a scary man. An intellectua
l who can lure you with his prose. But he is in the end an ignorant man. Ignorant because he thinks it is us against them. It is both fool. I am on line. I have three computers in my house and still I spend more time reading a book than I do on line.
I guess
the ilk of Birkerts, Stoll, Slouka et al don't get it. It is both guys, not one or the other. Print your books on line and with a publisher. I do not fear the computer because it gives me choices and it empowers me. What I sense is fear because I see
the writers afraid that they cannot tell good writing from bad writing without a publisher. They need the Wizard to make their decisions and choices for them. Ignorance is certainly the thing we should fear most as the Spirit of Christmas Present tells
Scrooge
before he disappears. This is a beautifully written book by a scary person.
The Shockwave Rider
by John Brunner. A man and a computer. A man becomes one with a computer. Crossing over to acceptance and understanding of the machine is key in this sci-fi thriller. The best line: "So don't dismiss the computer as a new
type of fetters. Think of it rationally, as the most liberating device ever invented, the only tool capable of serving the multifarious needs of modern man." The one becoming many is the theme here.
Necromancer
by Gordon R. Dickson. The Alternate Laws, the source of Dorsai are introduced on Old Earth and transcend time and body to create the new order. Paul, the one armed, warrior learns and survives to be the Necromancer. This book preced
es Star Trek, Star Wars, Future Shock, and Neuromancer. Now after reading this book, I can not think that the other others had to have read this book.
War of the Worlds
by Mark Slouka. The title, of course, comes from HG Wells' classic because he refers to the Orson Wells' 1939 classic movie. His point is humanist, he is not a Luddite, but has a bad taste for technology, especially the Intern
et. He is of the Exon school, ignorant. He seeks out the weirdos and bad sex hangouts. He goes to the alt.sex places; to college moos with men who log on as women... Were he to visit NYC he'd judge the place on a visit to 42nd Street. And he used to l
ive in NYC
and only remembers the crazy people. This guy is nuts. He book is ridiculous. In this genre of bad mouthing the net, this one is the worst. He is a lecturer in literature and culture so how could he be so shocked by the behavior of some of his male fr
iends who log on as women when western lit is loaded with similar examples: Tauruses, Zeus, many Shakespeare females who disguised as men, and Virginia Wolfe's Orlando. This author is obsessed with sex and seems to have enjoyed his research. What Slouk
a seems to
forget about new things is the abuse. The photograph soon had people taking nudes, painters depict sex, writers depict sex, television exploited sex, magazines, advertisers, exploit sex. It's an adolescent thing and natural Mr Humanist. Slouka is in th
e same ilk as Stoll. He suggests that we take a bike ride, go outside. We do and we go on line. What is the attraction butthead: My city does not support my school system. Our books are outdated and even racist. Our libraries are lacking. Now I have
a tool
that lets them get to a better library. My students can't get to a museum, but they can visit it on the net. True the version is not pure, but it is far better than not having any opportunity to see this stuff. Visiting scientists in Antarctica or in s
pace are not worth it? Media Lab is helping us tap our untapped resources via the computer. The machines make us more aware of ourselves. This guy was named teacher of the year in California: how scary. His tirades always end up in senseless, irratio
nal
avenues
of tainted sex and masturbation. As if all of us on line always end up seeking out some funky sex thing. This is a sick man. And he is a teacher, too. Again he misses the point of the Internet: the television, radio could bring democracy. The radio h
as been effective: Radio Free Europe. Television is controlled by the government so it is ineffective. The Internet has been useful. In Eastern Europe, China, and South America truths are going in. The people are not being confined to what their govern
ments say
but by fellow countrymen who left or were forced out. The Internet has truly been beneficial to man without showing them a naked woman, Mark. Again he sees it as either or not both. He says a kid can go here go there on the computer, but some can't
get to these places. My daughter has two cats and a computer. I bike over 100 miles a week and log on for more than 20 hours a week. He can't seem to do both. I can, my daughter can and many more people I know can. I feel sorry for those who can't.
Those who
only compute and those who only bike. Is last chapter is insulting. Believe none of what you hear and believe half of what you see is something this rube ought to consider before he destroys another tree.
The Virtual Community
by Howard Rheingold. This is a fantastic and necessary read for anyone on the Internet. It is an excellent history of the net in the first person. Rheingold has been involved in much of the net. He provides titles of man
y other books important in the library of the net. However one very important omission is that of Bruce Sterling. Rheingold retells much of Hacker Crackdown without giving Sterling credit or naming him. Why I mention this is that they are both m
embers of
the WELL. Is Rheingold jealous of Sterling because Sterling has more press than Rheingold? Sterling put his book up free on the net, Rheingold didn't, and he should. You'll understand why when you read The Virtual Community.
A Green History of the World
by Clive Ponting. Ponting recounts in methodical manner the environmental destruction of the earth. Nothing escapes him. It is must reading for anyone who loved Silent Spring. He is repetitious but the mess
age needs to be repeated because we obviously don't hear. Powerful and depressing, but necessary.
The Giver
by Lois Lowry. A society that has achieved sameness, a list of rules adhered to, and an eeriness that is disquieting. Is this a community some on the Internet or in government would like to achieve? It takes a brave old man, a courag
eous young boy and a baby to do something man hadn't done for a long time: choose. This Newberry award winner reminds me of Fahrenheit 451. It is a brave tale that reminds us of our duty to ourselves and to the future. Do not every give up choice and ne
ver be
afraid of being wrong or making mistakes.
Future Shock
by Alvin Toffler. Finally got to this book. It needs major editing. He beats a dead horse, I mean he says the same thing over and over and over again. That it was written in 1970 says a great deal for his insight. When he speaks o
f OLIVER in 1970, Negroponte speaks of agents in 1994, and we use search engines. I liked his comments about education because they have long been my own beliefs, have kids write in the future tense, reach into the past when necessary and study today. T
hat
Newt likes this book so much scares me about me. I'm off ironically to Shockwave Rider which credits this book for its existence.
Being Digital
by Nicholas Negroponte. A must read for all those who love and believe the Internet is the future of .... Every point he makes is a logical argument and example of the ideal world. The problem is that his vision is beyond the leade
rs, CEO's, and educators. His understanding and explanation requires a commitment beyond what a capitalistic society can realize. I particularly liked his educational section because I realize it and have tried to implement it in an environment of doubt
ers. The
main problem with this book however was it was delivered as atoms rather than as bits.
Living at Light Speed
by Danny Goodman. The inevitable coming of the Internet is the central theme in this book. A good history lesson about other media as well. An interesting metaphor emerges here and lingers throughout: comparing the Inter
net now to the wagon trails of yesterday. Understanding that the Internet was not planned and is in its infancy, is key to Goodman's text. He expels many of the myths one by one and offers a sound personal plan of action. A good read that examines both
the good,
bad and ugly of the Internet without a heavy hand either way.
The Spirit of Dorsai
by Gordon R Dickson. If the men of Dorsai are the force of Dorsai, the women are the Spirit of Dorsai. This is a two-fold tale which involves three Amandas. The first part is the story of the first Amanda as told by the th
ird Amanda before their was Dorsai. It was the first Amanda and her band of women and children who helped protect their home planet from invasion while the Dorsai men were off fighting elsewhere in the galaxy. The second Amanda was not named Amanda at f
irst, but
evolved into an Amanda 100 years after the first one. She has a love interest with the twins Ian and Kensie the subject of the second part of the book. The second part explains Ian and his bringing his twin brother's murders to justice in true Dorsai fa
shion. Shai!
Dorsai
by Gordon R Dickson. Shai Dorsai!! As explained by Donal it means something like true, pure, the actual. This battle sci-fi novel, a part of the incomplete Childe Cycle explains the ascension of Donal to Commander in Chief. It begins <
i>the boy was odd and ends the man was different. In between Donal comes to understand his own intuitional power and how to harness it. He is a natural leader of men called the Dorsai. Men without their own world who bring order in a univers
e
e of chaos
through voluntary missions. My favorite part when Donal, Ian, and El Man break in on an armed hooded man and say "Don't be a fool, we are all Dorsai." The man surrendered. This book has started me to understand the Dorsai Embassy. Next to be read is t
he Dorsai Spirit which explains about Amanda. Shai, Dorsai!
Silicon Snake Oil
by Cliff Stoll. What a disappointment. Cliff needs to meet a major editor. He rants and raves. What makes his ranting so unfortunate is that he either is misinformed especially about educational software or he is just
plain wrong. Everyone knows that you are not going to get exact color renditions of art or of Saturn. So why has he wasted so many trees in telling us something we already knew. He misses the point just as my grandmother did when she didn't like my mo
ther to
listen to the radio and my mother didn't like me to watch TV and like some parents don't like their kids on the Internet. The Internet is a great social area. There is interaction. A book is a selfish, isolated place. Yes, it great to read books, but i
t is not the best thing to some. I'm sorry Cliff is a frustrated astronomer who is known for cracking a spy ring because his university didn't have the funds to support his astronomy. But then I have to thank him because many people who read this book d
ecided not
to
go on the Internet, now there is at least less traffic thanks to Cliff. Cliff seems to have developed a great ego from earlier successes and then goes and whines. What a disappointment.
Get Shorty
by Elmore Leonard. Another collection of misfits and lowlifes brought to us by the master of the Brooklyn accent in print. A good read to clear the cyber webs from the brain.
MOO
by Jane Smiley. A well told, beautifully written story of education at its best. "The computer is the atom bomb of secular humanism. You ever see a computer that acknowledges the Lord? The computer is the greatest false prophet ther
e ever was. I wouldn't touch a computer with a fork." Now how can you turn away a book with a quote like that in it?
In The Tennessee Country
by Peter Taylor. A masterful writer. I just love his prose style and his ways with words. The English language is magnificently presented in a very intriguing story in which I often found myself reflecting on my
own life. Another tale of burying ones parent. Seems to be a theme for me of late.
MAUS
by art spigelman. It ain't just a comic. If Impossible Vacation was about my mom, this was about my pop. It seems so strange to have gotten two books at this time about parents. The tension from my dad was identical to Vladek.
Masters of Deception
by Michelle Slatalla & Joshua Quittner. MOD. Kids do what the government and big business have always been doing and piss the big boys off. They do it better than the big boys. What is scary is how the big boys be
have. They never play fairly and claim they have right on their side. How the government behaved is deplorable in this account. Kids will be kids only when the government says so. Power to the MOD of our world.
When a hacker crosses over he becomes a good guy. Big business is allowed to screw us legally. We need hackers just as we need the fifth estate.
Impossible Vacation
by Spalding Gray. The dedication sold me on this one: "To my mother, the Creator and Destroyer". It was how I felt at the moment. My mother had just died of AIDS and had done me a great disservice in her last years,
which caused me to go to court to fight for her ashes my father's ashes and the right to bring my life with them to a conclusion. After reading this book, I viewed early pictures of me as a baby to the age of
six with my family and then her video taped will made three weeks before she died. The hate melted to sorrow and empathy for a woman who should never have had children, but had three. Just as Gray's character had to write about mom and plunge into mom i
n metaphorical ways, I, too, have to set down my thoughts when I have the time and all of this legal stuff is behind me. Brewster's mom and my mom are all too similar. All I had hoped for was a normal family.
The Cuckoo's Egg
by Cliff Stoll. "It's not my bailiwick." such an apt phrase for our government's compartmentalized bureaucracy. I felt as if I, too, had a beeper attached to me to finish reading this book. Couldn't put it down. Favori
te scene sneakers in the oven, deep yogurt indeed. Would have loved to see Cliff running from room to room monitoring intruder. I felt the outrage and was gratified to see him gain the respect he deserved.
Joe the Engineer
by Chuck Wachtel. His first novel. High school sweethearts from Brooklyn marry. He is a Vietnam vet and a blue collar worker. She is a waitress and is going back to college. Fireworks!!
Killshot
by Elmore Leonard. A bizarre cast of characters crossing paths by accident creating violent scenes a la "Pulp Fiction". Well written and fast paced.
The Alienist
by Caleb Carr. A great adventure/mystery book with fantastic NYC scenes.
The Waterworks
by EL Doctorow. A good adventure/mystery book with fine NYC scenes.
Summons to Memphis
by Peter Taylor. A superbly written novel by another great Southern writer.
Liberty Campaign
by Jonathan Dee. A former student who has created some neat characters with a bizarre twist in its plot. Obviously he was left unscathed by his experience in my class.
Lover of History
by Jonathan Dee. Another novel of interesting characters. This time multiple plots in NYC and an interesting portrayal of a teacher.
East is East
by TC Boyle. A bittersweet hilarious book about the misfortunes of a Japanese stowaway, illegal immigrant on a coastal Southern island.
The Road to Wellville
by TC Boyle. Another hilarious book, this time in the cereal capital, Battle Creek.
Neuromancer
by William Gibson. The cyberpunk adventure, written on a typewriter, that started it all.
Cyberpunk
by K Hafner & J Markoff. Kevin Mitnick, Pengo, and rtm (Robert T Morris), the notorious cyberpunks of real life.
I Will Fight No More Forever
by Merrill D Beal. The exploits of Chief Joseph and an unflattering look at us.
Join In, Multiethnic Short Stories
edited by Donald R Gallo. A magnificent collection of multiethnic stories for young and old.
The Best American Essays of 1994
edited by Tracy Kidder. Great essays from the best literary sources of our country.
urfing the Net has been very good for me. It is indeed a new frontier. I have discovered many things. One of these things has been a renewed interest in reading. Gibson, Sterling, Stephenson and non-fiction about the Cyberpunks have provided hou
rs of enjoyment similar to how our ancestors certainly enjoyed reading about Earp, Hickok, Masterson, Custer, et al. The Net is not a wasteland as some suggest but instead an oasis and a fountain of rejuvenation.
I've done a good deal of reading in the last six months. When I sit down with a good book, these are the books I've sat down with.
n aphorism from: Internet users are omnivorous readers of information printed on paper as well as of electronic material.
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