Book review posting has been light because I'm having trouble finishing a few of the books I started. I think I will probably give up on them and move on. The first is The Myth of Solid Ground by David L. Ulin. This is a non-fiction book on Earthquakes, Prediction, and the Fault Line Between Reason and Faith, as the subtitle states. Since I live in the San Francisco Bay area and the long term forecast is for a major earthquake within the next 20 years, I thought this would give me an idea of how solid that forecast is and if I should seriously re-consider living here. Sadly, this book isn't up to the job. I was hoping for a popular science book on the research behind earthquake analysis and prediction but instead I got a book about David L. Ulin's quest to learn about earthquake research and prediction. Most of the book is focused on his thoughts and feelings about living with the earthquake threat in California and his reactions to the researchers and earthquake predictors that he meets. Not recommended at all.

The second book I was working on was re-reading The Illuminatus Trilogy by Robert Anton Wilson. Wilson passed away a few weeks ago so I thought I should re-read his most popular book. It was very influential on me when I was a teenager. For a short period, I was an anarcho-capitalist, and almost fell into being a modern hippie. If there had been anyone in my community who had similar ideas, I could have ended up following that path. Luckily, there wasn't!

Even though I hadn't read this trilogy for many years, I had read it so many times in the past that I still remembered it very well and it couldn't keep my attention this time.

Amazon links:
The Myth of Solid Ground
The Illuminatus! Trilogy

Yesterday I was a volunteer judge at the Northern California First LEGO League Championship Tournament. First LEGO League creates a challenge every year for kids, ages 9-14. They have to use the LEGO Mindstorms design kit to create a robot that will do certain tasks in a timed competition with other kids. In addition, they do research on a related topic. For example, this year's theme was nanotechnology. Other year's themes have included a mission to mars, Arctic exploration and oceanic research. Next year's theme will be alternative energy.

This is the second year I've been a volunteer at this event and it was very interesting both years. It's great to see the enthusiastic kids talking about science and their experiences designing and using the robots. Last year, I helped judge the research projects and this year I helped judge robot design. Next year, I'll try to be either a teamwork judge or a competition referee so I can see more aspects of the overall event.

Doing the judging means that we are not on the competition floor but I try to find a break in the day to watch some of the competition as well. It actually feels like a sporting event on the competition floor, with kids rushing back and forth around the competition table and MC's giving play by plays on the table action.

Highly recommended if you have kids of the right age or if you are interested in promoting science/technology to the next generation.

Amazon link to LEGO Mindstorms NXT

Just finished The House of Storms by Ian R. MacLeod. This is the second book by MacLeod set in an alternate Victorian England where instead of steam being used to power the industrial revolution, a magical substance called Aether was discovered. The use of Aether is controlled by the guilds, who therefore control everything else and make up the aristocracy of this world. Like his previous book, The Light Ages, The House of Storms is filled with interesting ideas and evocative writing but still left me somewhat cold. MacLeod has said that he is trying to write "realistic fantasy" but the result, like in a lot of "naturalistic" fantasy, is un-sympathetic, sometimes un-understandble, characters. For example, the first character we meet is a mother trying to find a way to protect her son from the effects of tuberculosis but we quickly discover that she is also a golddigger and serial killer who will do whatever is needed to increase her power and position in society. The other complaint I have about both books is that the evocative writing sometimes takes over to the point that it is hard to decipher what is actually happening.

Amazon Link for The House of Storms

Amazon link for The Light Ages