Read, Reading, Will Read…

I just finished reading Taking the Red Pill: Science, Philosophy and Religion in The Matrix and boy that pretty much caped my reading material on The Matrix for a while (though I think I’ve said this before) and on philosophy. Reading philosophers justify freemarket libertarianism was enough to make me puke and then nit-picking every little scientific detail within The Matrix’s universe was giving me Trekkie flashbacks.

Don’t get me wrong, if you love The Matrix and Philosophy (heh not a lot of folks like that out there) this book is a decent one but aimed at the laidback arm-chair philosopher. I’ve read much deeper material on the philosophical aspects of The Matrix. But after 6 books and countless essays on the subject I need a break. Plus I need a break from Philosophy as well. There’s only so much one can read. I have so many books on philosophy I have classified them by theme; eastern, western, pop culture, Buddhism, Taoism, atheism, etc. I even tried looking at a Pinker book, but it looked so heavy and long…

So this time around I skipped the philosophy section and headed for the Current Affairs and Sociology section. Lighter and more entertaining reading material, you know the kind that makes you want to slit your wrists out of despair.

It’s Not News, It’s Fark: How Mass Media Tries to Pass Off Crap As News
by Drew Curtis

From the back of the book:

“I find it hilarious and sadly disturbing that I’ve spent 15 years in a goddamned newsroom, and you’ve never worked in one; yet you’ve learned enough about what we do (because our methods are that transparent and simplistic) that you can write a book about media trends and pretty much nail it.” – Chez Pazienza, Producer, CNN

“This is that absolute rarity: the right book at the right time. It puts the news in perspective — and Mass Media on the spot — by showing how little of it is news at all. I laughed, I cried, I wised up. In fact, at one point I laughed so hard I almost threw up. Readers who want to know where that happened need to buy this book and read the item about Homeland Security and goats.” – Stephen King

With props like that I was getting the book despite the fact that I visit Fark.com on a daily basis sometimes just to read the headlines for the giggles to relieve the stress from my shitty job. Already a few chapters in and it’s had me laughing out loud in public.

The Culture of Fear: Why Americans Are Afraid of the Wrong Things
by Barry Glassner

This book sounds foretelling when you consider it was published before the events of September the 11th. I was certain it was a post-9/11 product. This should be interesting if his ideas still hold up after “the day that changed everything”

Your Call Is Important to Us: The Truth About Bullshit
by Laura Penny

Having worked in the bullshIT industry this book was for me. Plus the cute yellow shovel is so cute. I’m in. Plus it treats on a subject matter near and dear to my heart; bullshit. I just can’t stand the constant bullshit I have to ingest on a daily basis from work, people, friends and even family, when does it ever fucking end? Why do I get pissed? Cuz I’m choking on bullshit most of the time. So I had to get this book. Also for those interested, On Bullshit by Harry G. Frankfurt, a very, very small book on the matter but very interesting.

Twinkie, Deconstructed: My Journey to Discover How the Ingredients Found in Processed Foods Are Grown, Mined (Yes, Mined), and Manipulated Into What America Eats
by Steve Ettlinger

The book has TWINKIE in the title and has a picture, that was good enough for me. Yes I buy books on such whims. But then the subject is my kind of subject. Just read the back of the jacket:

• Flour dust is explosive
• Homeland Security figures prominently in modern food production
• Glucose, the form of sugar that adds bulk and sweetness to Twinkies’ crumb and filling, also adds glossiness to shoe leather and prolongs concrete setting
• The iron compound in enriched flour is also used as a common weed killer
• Only a small percentage of the 750 pounds of cornstarch that’s manufactured annually goes into food like Twinkies. Two-thirds is used to make paper, cardboard and packaging “peanuts.”
• When cooked, cotton cellulose is transformed into a soft goo, perfect for lending a slippery sensation to the filling in snack cakes – and rocket fuel
• Phosphorous, one of the seven elements necessary for life, is also what puts the glow in tracer bullets and causes artillery shells to explode.

Plus I got hold of some fantastic Fine Photography Magazines that make me want to chuck everything and give my life to the Camera Gods at Canon.

Black and White Magazine is a high-quality journal for collectors of fine photography. With over 200 photographs in each issue, including some available for purchase, Black and White Magazine is an invaluable source of inspiration to photographers and other individuals interested in fine art photography. That’s not the current issue cover. They haven’t updated their website yet. But photography aficionados should pick this one up all the time.

Focus Magazine has the latest news, trends and information on collecting fine art photography. A new Magazine I just discovered. IT IS AWESOME. That’s about all I got to say about this one right now.

Oh and I picked up a little DVD about a little know boring historical drama about some forgotten Battle of Thermopylae , maybe you’ve heard about it…