In Praise Of Daniel Suarez

An author I got turned onto by one of my students this year in Daniel Suarez. This summer, I have been listening to his books in the car and I am extremely impressed with them. Suarez writes "techno-thrillers" about modern technology and how it can be used to spy, harm, and kill us. Given the recent developments with the NSA scandal, these books are quite topical fodder. Freedom is a fantastic look at a future ruled by surveillance, online reputation, and a creepy, Google Glass looking interface to view the world. Kill Decision is about drones and what happens when they are given autonomy to kill based on algorithms.

Here are two interviews with Suarez. The first is from Adam Curry's Big Book Show and the longer one is from Leo Laporte's Triangulation netcast. Both are really good and go into great detail about Suarez's novels. I highly recommend them.

Cleaning Up Ubuntu

A good set of tips from Ubuntu Forums: if you’re looking to do some cleanup on your Ubuntu install, these terminal commands are useful.  Of course, I believe if you have this many orphaned files and partially installed packages a reinstall of your operating system might be more helpful.  I agree with Leo Laporte’s suggestion to Windows users on his radio show: the common user should reinstall their system and get a fresh start every six months to a year.   Luckily, the newest version of Ubuntu comes out on a twice yearly cycle, so this is very convenient for us. 

Bookmooch

Awhile back, Inside The Net had the creator of BookMooch on their podcast.  I really enjoy using BookMooch.  I have an account on there and also at PaperBackSwap.   For the most part, both sites are wonderful and a good way to get rid of books I do not want.  I have scored some weird and very interesting books via BookMooch.  There are a few authors I always search for when I have a credit and I have been able to acquire some great books.