I just noticed the accidental visual / conceptual "rhyme" between the two books I'm reading at the moment, and I find it quite pleasing.
| Website | https://nickautomatic.xyz |
| Location | London, UK |
| Pronouns | he / him |
Nick F
@nickautomatic
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I make web things.
Some good news: went by the Amnesty Bookshop in Kentish Town yesterday and this sign was in the window. Sometimes online petitions do have an effect!
Very cool to see posters for my sister's (excellent) show all around Edinburgh. Obviously I'm biased, but it's been getting good reviews, including a 4 star one from The Times.
It's on until the 24th, so only 3 more days. 13:50 at ZOO Southside.
https://zoofestival.co.uk/programme/i-was-a-german/
Do go and see it if you have the chance!
Huh. Seems 123-reg have started treating security as an additional paid-for feature. Can't help reading this as "Nice domain you've got there. Would be a shame if anything... happened to it."
Their help page describes this as "essential." And yet it costs an additional £7.99 per year...
I was planning to transfer my domains away anyway, but this has accelerated those plans.
#Books read in June 2024
This was an *excellent* month.
Fifty Sounds warrants a special mention though: it's by someone who studied philosophy, got particularly immersed in late Wittgenstein, then, after university went to teach English for several years on an island in a remote corner of Japan, while wrangling intensively with the Japanese language. All of which also describes me, so this was uncannily like reading an autobiography written by a doppelganger. I loved it.
I keep forgetting to update this thread, but I'm going to update it now mainly because I enjoy scrolling back through it...
#Books read in May 2024
Study for Obedience has a Kafka-esque sense of "offness" all the way through. I find it hard not to like a book that describes a man like this:
> My brother was a tall man, strong and fit at that time, with good eyesight and a high level of reading comprehension.
long way to a small angry planet - fun sci-fi but a little too cosy for my tastes
Holy shit. I just saw Beth Gibbons play in a tiny theatre in central London. I was in the second row. It was jaw-dropping. I think it will be a while before I make sense of it, if I ever do.
#Books read in April 2024
The highlight was "Brothers" by the German writer Jackie Thomae. This won a few awards in Germany, and just came out in English translation.
Full disclosure: the translator is a friend of a friend, which is how I ended up reading it, but I thought it was genuinely excellent. A complex, interesting book that was a much quicker read than its size would lead you to expect. Highly recommended.
#Books read in February and March 2024
Bullshit Jobs was a highlight: some studies suggest ~30% of people are doing jobs they consider largely or entirely pointless. David Graeber asks how this has happened, and what the social and psychological implications are.
Writing Tools by Roy Peter Clark is an excellent set of tips and tools for improving your writing.
#Books read in January 2024
The Golden Mole by Katherine Rundell was the highlight: essays on animals, full of fascinating detail, but also just some of the best writing I've read in a while. Funny, evocative, strange. Highly recommended!
