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slye

The Parallax Scrolls

Combing the shelves for most excellent reads.

Currently reading

A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by Irvine, William B (2009) Hardcover
William B. Irvine
Catch-22
Joseph Heller
Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy

This is a fascinating read for anyone interested in the origins of that arcane practice of diving to the bottom of a computer in search of answers. I first read this one back in high school, and may have read it again circa 2005 (if memory serves). It only gets better every time I read it.

 

This book provides an invaluable history of computing's development into something the modern day user might recognize.  It is split into three sections that chronicle three distinct eras in the computer's development. The first details the high-brow antics of the original MIT hackers as they proceed to essentially write the book on exploratory computer programming in the sixties.  The second traces the development of the original hardware hackers, whose circuit-board alchemy ultimately brought computing beyond the confines of the university and into the home (note the synchronicity of the Apple II's release in 1977 - the year of punk!).  The third is a madhouse romp through the early years of video game development, particularly zeroing in on Sierra On-Line's fortunes.

 

This time, I enjoyed all three sections equally and noted some touching developments that have unfolded in each story since I last read the book.  First, that the hands-on, free-flow-of-information dream of the original MIT hackers lives on in today's open source development and the internet's free-for-all exchange of information.  Second, computers are more mainstream than ever, with more and more people gaining access to their power and said free flow of information.  Third, all of this talk in recent years about video games becoming a true art form is surely the culmination of the wildest dreams of those early hackers that defined the form in its infancy all those years ago.