book reviews

[calimac]

People write books on really interesting subjects, and then libraries buy them, so I don't have to. Unfortunately, sometimes the subject is more interesting than anything the author has to say about it.

Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do by Tom Vanderbilt (Knopf)
Lots of endnotes (yay!) but not quite sure whether it's a serious exposition or an anecdotal survey, and winds up being not quite either. Has some good points on blowback: perceived safety makes drivers take more risks; congestion pricing intended to repel people attracts them on the grounds that, at that price, it must be worth it. But overall it's a watery text. Doubtful about the significance of some of the statistics. E.g.: Half of all accidents occur at intersections. Sure, and aren't half of all cars crossing your path at intersections, so why should this be surprising? And: More accidents come from sober drivers than from drunk drivers. Sure, but you didn't say (and apparently didn't mean) per capita, and aren't most drivers sober? I'm reminded of the apocryphal H.R. manager who was sure employees were misusing sick leave, as 40% of all sick days taken were Monday or Friday.

American Nerd: The Story of My People by Benjamin Nugent (Scribner)
At its best on nerds in classic literature, from Mary Bennett and Viktor Frankenstein on. Not enough on why the authors treat these characters as flat caricatures, though. Separates nerd social ineptness from that of the jerk, but without identifying the latter. Descriptions of the LASFS (which it calls a "sci-fi" club, ugh) do not make it sound like anything I'd enjoy. So am I a nerd or not? Most thought-provoking moment: the description of D&D, p. 48-49. Says that Gygax actually found Tolkien "very boring" and set up D&D to boost the "male competitiveness." So why is it that I find Tolkien fascinating but was bored to distraction when - at friends' behest - I tried playing D&D in college? I'm getting something different out of the whole fantasy complex than my friends who penned heartfelt obits for Gygax, and I'm trying to figure out what it is.

Comments

[kalimac.livejournal.com]

That was part of the problem. The D&D expedition seemed to consist of wandering around not knowing what you're doing and not going anywhere in particular. This seemed very tedious. Yet, other people seemed to like it. The same may well apply to Sims and Second Life, though I know much less about them.