{"id":1195,"date":"2021-05-17T19:45:05","date_gmt":"2021-05-18T02:45:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.skierpage.com\/blog\/?p=1195"},"modified":"2023-09-18T02:55:48","modified_gmt":"2023-09-18T09:55:48","slug":"books-good-non-fiction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.skierpage.com\/blog\/2021\/05\/books-good-non-fiction\/","title":{"rendered":"books: good non-fiction"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some non-fiction books that I read on paper. I sometimes wish this stuff was more interactive, even beyond a Kindle. I want to read words (15-minute YouTube videos entertain more than instruct!) and have easier access to the particular things referenced. Maybe people will read physical books wearing Google Glass spectacles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<div id=\"review-Superintelligence\" class=\"review\">\n  <h3>Compelling argument to give Nick Bostrom\u2019s institute money to study the dangers of AGI<\/h3>\n\n<figure style=\"float: left; margin: 0 1em 0 0\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"photo\" src=\"\/\/covers.openlibrary.org\/b\/id\/8039542-L.jpg\" alt=\"book cover of 'Superintelligence'\" height=\"250\"><\/figure>\n<p>\n    <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Superintelligence:_Paths,_Dangers,_Strategies\">\n  \n  Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies\n    <\/a>\n  \n  by\n    <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Nick_Bostrom\">Nick Bostrom<\/a>\n  \n  <span style=\"font-size: smaller\"><br>ISBN <a title=\"Book sources for ISBN 978-0-19-967811-2\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Special:BookSources\/9780199678112\">978-0-19-967811-2<\/a><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"description\">\n  <abbr class=\"rating\" title=\"4\">\n    \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606\n  <\/abbr> Dry yet readable explanation how we can\u2019t understand or control an intelligence greater than ours, so we must figure out how to instill goals in it that are good for humankind (i.e. \u201cdonate to my Future of Humanity Institute\u201d). The problem is real if far-off, and it looks like the first Artificial General Intelligence will have the goals of a sociopathic billionaire like Jeff Bezos or Mark Zuckerberg.\n<\/p>\n<div style=\"clear:both; margin-bottom:24px\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\", \"@type\": \"Book\", \"author\": \"Nick Bostrom\", \"isbn\": \"978-0-19-967811-2\", \"name\": \"Superintelligence\", \"review\": {\"@type\": \"Review\", \"author\": {\"@type\": \"Person\", \"name\": \"skierpage\", \"sameAs\": \"https:\/\/www.skierpage.com\/people\/skierpage\/#me\"}, \"datePublished\": \"2021-05-17\", \"name\": \"Compelling argument to give Nick Bostrom\\u2019s institute money to study the dangers of AGI\", \"reviewBody\": \"Dry yet readable explanation how we can\\u2019t understand or control an intelligence greater than ours, so we must figure out how to instill goals in it that are good for humankind (i.e. \\u201cdonate to my Future of Humanity Institute\\u201d). The problem is real if far-off, and it looks like the first Artificial General Intelligence will have the goals of a sociopathic billionaire like Jeff Bezos or Mark Zuckerberg.\", \"reviewRating\": {\"@type\": \"Rating\", \"ratingValue\": 4}}}\n<\/script>\n\n\n<div id=\"review-CoolGrayCityofLove\" class=\"review\">\n  <h3>Engaging travelogue and history guide to San Francisco<\/h3>\n\n<figure style=\"float: left; margin: 0 1em 0 0\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"photo\" src=\"\/\/covers.openlibrary.org\/b\/id\/8455473-L.jpg\" alt=\"book cover of 'Cool Gray City of Love'\" height=\"250\"><\/figure>\n<p>\n  Cool Gray City of Love: 49 Views of San Francisco\n  by\n    Gary Kamiya\n  \n  <span style=\"font-size: smaller\"><br>ISBN <a title=\"Book sources for ISBN 978-1-60819-960-0\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Special:BookSources\/9781608199600\">978-1-60819-960-0<\/a><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"description\">\n  <abbr class=\"rating\" title=\"3.5\">\n    \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606\u2606\n  <\/abbr> A clever way to present interesting details about the history, natural history, and built form of the city. It\u2019s not a guidebook but it makes you want to visit the locations.\n<\/p>\n<div style=\"clear:both; margin-bottom:24px\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\", \"@type\": \"Book\", \"author\": \"Gary Kamiya\", \"isbn\": \"978-1-60819-960-0\", \"name\": \"Cool Gray City of Love\", \"review\": {\"@type\": \"Review\", \"author\": {\"@type\": \"Person\", \"name\": \"skierpage\", \"sameAs\": \"https:\/\/www.skierpage.com\/people\/skierpage\/#me\"}, \"datePublished\": \"2021-05-17\", \"name\": \"Engaging travelogue and history guide to San Francisco\", \"reviewBody\": \"A clever way to present interesting details about the history, natural history, and built form of the city. It\\u2019s not a guidebook but it makes you want to visit the locations.\", \"reviewRating\": {\"@type\": \"Rating\", \"ratingValue\": 3.5}}}\n<\/script>\n\n\n<div id=\"review-OtherMinds\" class=\"review\">\n  <h3>Unfocused rumination on alien-ness<\/h3>\n\n<figure style=\"float: left; margin: 0 1em 0 0\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"photo\" src=\"\/\/covers.openlibrary.org\/b\/id\/9244367-L.jpg\" alt=\"book cover of 'Other Minds'\" height=\"250\"><\/figure>\n<p>\n    <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Other_Minds:_The_Octopus,_the_Sea,_and_the_Deep_Origins_of_Consciousness\">\n  \n  Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness\n    <\/a>\n  \n  by\n    <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Peter_Godfrey-Smith\">Peter Godfrey-Smith<\/a>\n  \n  <span style=\"font-size: smaller\"><br>ISBN <a title=\"Book sources for ISBN 978-0-374-22776-0\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Special:BookSources\/9780374227760\">978-0-374-22776-0<\/a><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"description\">\n  <abbr class=\"rating\" title=\"3\">\n    \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606\u2606\n  <\/abbr> Interesting sensitive description of octopi and how different they are, but it doesn\u2019t attempt to answer the hard questions about the nature of mind.\n<\/p>\n<div style=\"clear:both; margin-bottom:24px\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\", \"@type\": \"Book\", \"author\": \"Peter Godfrey-Smith\", \"isbn\": \"978-0-374-22776-0\", \"name\": \"Other Minds\", \"review\": {\"@type\": \"Review\", \"author\": {\"@type\": \"Person\", \"name\": \"skierpage\", \"sameAs\": \"https:\/\/www.skierpage.com\/people\/skierpage\/#me\"}, \"datePublished\": \"2021-05-17\", \"name\": \"Unfocused rumination on alien-ness\", \"reviewBody\": \"Interesting sensitive description of octopi and how different they are, but it doesn\\u2019t attempt to answer the hard questions about the nature of mind.\", \"reviewRating\": {\"@type\": \"Rating\", \"ratingValue\": 3}}}\n<\/script>\n\n\n<div id=\"review-TheVinylFrontier\" class=\"review\">\n  <h3>Weak book about an excellent project<\/h3>\n\n<figure style=\"float: left; margin: 0 1em 0 0\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"photo\" src=\"\/\/covers.openlibrary.org\/b\/id\/8806726-L.jpg\" alt=\"book cover of 'The Vinyl Frontier'\" height=\"250\"><\/figure>\n<p>\n  The Vinyl Frontier: The story of the Voyager golden record\n  by\n    Jonathan Scott\n  \n  <span style=\"font-size: smaller\"><br>ISBN <a title=\"Book sources for ISBN 978-1-4729-5613-2\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Special:BookSources\/9781472956132\">978-1-4729-5613-2<\/a><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"description\">\n  <abbr class=\"rating\" title=\"2.5\">\n    \u2605\u2605\u2606\u2606\u2606\n  <\/abbr> The design, production, and curation of the audiovisual album stuck on the side of the Voyager probes is interesting, but this book quotes so heavily from the existing book written by Carl Sagan and other the participants (\u201cMurmurs of Earth: The Voyager Interstellar Record) that I wonder how much it adds. It feels like an extended magazine article, and it turns out the author writes for Record Collector Magazine. Also, it has five typos!\n<\/p>\n<div style=\"clear:both; margin-bottom:24px\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\", \"@type\": \"Book\", \"author\": \"Jonathan Scott\", \"isbn\": \"978-1-4729-5613-2\", \"name\": \"The Vinyl Frontier\", \"review\": {\"@type\": \"Review\", \"author\": {\"@type\": \"Person\", \"name\": \"skierpage\", \"sameAs\": \"https:\/\/www.skierpage.com\/people\/skierpage\/#me\"}, \"datePublished\": \"2021-05-17\", \"name\": \"Weak book about an excellent project\", \"reviewBody\": \"The design, production, and curation of the audiovisual album stuck on the side of the Voyager probes is interesting, but this book quotes so heavily from the existing book written by Carl Sagan and other the participants (\\u201cMurmurs of Earth: The Voyager Interstellar Record) that I wonder how much it adds. It feels like an extended magazine article, and it turns out the author writes for Record Collector Magazine. Also, it has five typos!\", \"reviewRating\": {\"@type\": \"Rating\", \"ratingValue\": 2.5}}}\n<\/script>\n\n\n<div id=\"review-TheInventionsofDaedalus\" class=\"review\">\n  <h3>Intriguing mad scientist designs<\/h3>\n\n<figure style=\"float: left; margin: 0 1em 0 0\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"photo\" src=\"\/images\/book_covers\/inventions_of_daedalug.jpg\" alt=\"book cover of 'The Inventions of Daedalus'\" height=\"250\"><\/figure>\n<p>\n  The Inventions of Daedalus: A Compendium of Plausible Schemes\n  by\n    <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/David_E._H._Jones\">David E. H. Jones<\/a>\n  \n  <span style=\"font-size: smaller\"><br>ISBN <a title=\"Book sources for ISBN 0-7167-1413-2\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Special:BookSources\/0716714132\">0-7167-1413-2<\/a><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"description\">\n  <abbr class=\"rating\" title=\"3\">\n    \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606\u2606\n  <\/abbr> Collection of the quasi-scientific imaginary inventions presented in New Scientist in the 1970s. Some are dated, but they still make you think.\n<\/p>\n<div style=\"clear:both; margin-bottom:24px\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\", \"@type\": \"Book\", \"author\": \"David E. H. Jones\", \"isbn\": \"0-7167-1413-2\", \"name\": \"The Inventions of Daedalus\", \"review\": {\"@type\": \"Review\", \"author\": {\"@type\": \"Person\", \"name\": \"skierpage\", \"sameAs\": \"https:\/\/www.skierpage.com\/people\/skierpage\/#me\"}, \"datePublished\": \"2021-05-17\", \"name\": \"Intriguing mad scientist designs\", \"reviewBody\": \"Collection of the quasi-scientific imaginary inventions presented in New Scientist in the 1970s. Some are dated, but they still make you think.\", \"reviewRating\": {\"@type\": \"Rating\", \"ratingValue\": 3}}}\n<\/script>\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How did I do this?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This blog post has bits of JSON-LD describing my book review that in theory tell search engines what I&#8217;m explaining; a script generates them along with the visible templated HTML that I paste into WordPress. The post &#8220;<a href=\"\/blog\/2020\/05\/web-book-reviews-yet-again\/\">book reviews yet again<\/a>&#8221; has the gory details.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Some non-fiction books that I read on paper. I sometimes wish this stuff was more interactive, even beyond a Kindle. I want to read words (15-minute YouTube videos entertain more than instruct!) and have easier access to the particular things &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skierpage.com\/blog\/2021\/05\/books-good-non-fiction\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1195","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-books"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skierpage.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1195","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skierpage.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skierpage.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skierpage.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skierpage.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1195"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.skierpage.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1195\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1801,"href":"https:\/\/www.skierpage.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1195\/revisions\/1801"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skierpage.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1195"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skierpage.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1195"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skierpage.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1195"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}