What book do your read now?
haha rhyming is better for the memorization, but meh, My way was just how I was taught it.
mcleano wrote:
I just wanted to say that Harry Potter is not just for kids. I personally have yet to sit down and read a whole book, but one day a while ago I happened to be browsing the books section of walmart and started to read the first 5 or 6 chapters of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. (Philosopher's stone if your not in the USA). Up until then I had always been skeptical of any writer's talent that can compel the masses to read anything in this day and age, but now I say that J. K. Rowling is probably the greatest writer of the 20th century.
I once read that Hans Christian Anderson (The Littlest Mermaid, Princess and the Pea, The Ugly Duckling, The Emperor's New Clothes) was unparralleled for his ability to entice readers to feel such emotion as to cry in only the first couple of pages of a short story, if J. K. Rowling can do that in the first couple of chapters of a novel, she is bound to be remembered for eternity.
As for the movies though, they stink.
| Harry Potter and the ... Just kidding :p |
I just wanted to say that Harry Potter is not just for kids. I personally have yet to sit down and read a whole book, but one day a while ago I happened to be browsing the books section of walmart and started to read the first 5 or 6 chapters of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. (Philosopher's stone if your not in the USA). Up until then I had always been skeptical of any writer's talent that can compel the masses to read anything in this day and age, but now I say that J. K. Rowling is probably the greatest writer of the 20th century.
I once read that Hans Christian Anderson (The Littlest Mermaid, Princess and the Pea, The Ugly Duckling, The Emperor's New Clothes) was unparralleled for his ability to entice readers to feel such emotion as to cry in only the first couple of pages of a short story, if J. K. Rowling can do that in the first couple of chapters of a novel, she is bound to be remembered for eternity.
As for the movies though, they stink.
I've read all the books, and I do not think JK Rowling is a very skilled writer. I think she's very imaginative, and I think her books are well-written, but I don't think she's that great.
I've also read all of the Harry Potter series, and i must agree with chrisname. I got through them all 2 or 3 years ago, so i was... 12? Reading back on it, the writing just isn't terribly appealing anymore. It seems like a children's story; rather, that's what the movies turned it in to.
But at the moment I'm reading
Accelerated C++: Practical Programming by Example
by Andrew Koenig and Barbara E. Moo.
It covers the STL really really (really) well.
But at the moment I'm reading
Accelerated C++: Practical Programming by Example
by Andrew Koenig and Barbara E. Moo.
It covers the STL really really (really) well.
It is a childrens' story. My problem with the films is the directors - since the second one they've been focussing less on the actual story and more on the "teenage love" aspects, which, frankly, is absolutely retarded.
Also,
@mnemonics,
I actually find it harder to learn things using mnemonics. I prefer to learn the actual thing. For learning things like equations, I
1. Read it
2. Write it
3. Read it again
4. Write it again
5. Read it a third time
For learning lists of words, I make a story. Typically stories are about zombies or dinosaurs or somesuch awesome subject.
Also,
@mnemonics,
I actually find it harder to learn things using mnemonics. I prefer to learn the actual thing. For learning things like equations, I
1. Read it
2. Write it
3. Read it again
4. Write it again
5. Read it a third time
For learning lists of words, I make a story. Typically stories are about zombies or dinosaurs or somesuch awesome subject.
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Perhaps you guys being teens still prohibits you from appreciating Harry Potter to its fullest. You want to feel grown up, so you deny liking Harry Potter, the same way as you don't want to be seen in public with your parents. It really is great literature. Simply being a book read by children, doesn't preclude it from being great liturature, similar to the works of the Brothers' Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson, etc etc etc. If you think Harry Potter is merely a "well-written" book, what are you comparing it to? If there is some other lesser known author out there who writes as well as JK Rowling, don't just keep it to yourself let the rest of us know.
What are you reading?
What are you reading?
Fair argument wtf.
It's not so much her literature, as it is the marketing of it.
As a matter of fact, i just finished Rulers of Darkness (i think that was the title.. When i get up i'll double check) By Stephen Spruill (i'll also double check the author :P) Personally i think that novel goes above and beyond Rowling's skill. It's exhilarating, there wasn't a second where my heart wasn't skipping a beat.
On a side note, though i may be 15, please do not regard me as a child, or with the regular stereotypes of teens. Most may want to grow up, i find its easier not to, and try to look at everything from a very neutral, unbiased viewpoint.
It's not so much her literature, as it is the marketing of it.
As a matter of fact, i just finished Rulers of Darkness (i think that was the title.. When i get up i'll double check) By Stephen Spruill (i'll also double check the author :P) Personally i think that novel goes above and beyond Rowling's skill. It's exhilarating, there wasn't a second where my heart wasn't skipping a beat.
On a side note, though i may be 15, please do not regard me as a child, or with the regular stereotypes of teens. Most may want to grow up, i find its easier not to, and try to look at everything from a very neutral, unbiased viewpoint.
Rowling is a decent writer and her books are entertaining, however they contain more plot holes and inconsistencies than you can shake a stick at. Whenever she introduces a new concept, spell, potion, creature etc. she didn't check thoroughly enough whether this creates inconsistencies with earlier books. If you constantly keep on pausing and think "this doesn't make any sense", it destroys the reading experience somewhat.
As for what I'm reading - that would be Impatient Perl (slow progress, though) and technically, one of Pratchett's books, however I have no idea where I put it.
As for what I'm reading - that would be Impatient Perl (slow progress, though) and technically, one of Pratchett's books, however I have no idea where I put it.
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I stumbled upon this the other day -> The Biology Of Belief, by Bruce H. Lipton
Amazon says (about the book):
Amazon says (about the author):
Amazon says (about the book):
| With more than 100,000 copies sold of his self-published book, The Biology of Belief, Bruce Lipton teams up with Hay House to bring his message to an even wider audience. This book is a groundbreaking work in the field of new biology, and it will forever change how you think about thinking. Through the research of Dr. Lipton and other leading-edge scientists, stunning new discoveries have been made about the interaction between your mind and body and the processes by which cells receive information. It shows that genes and DNA do not control our biology, that instead DNA is controlled by signals from outside the cell, including the energetic messages emanating from our thoughts. Using simple language, illustrations, humor, and everyday examples, he demonstrates how the new science of Epigenetics is revolutionizing our understanding of the link between mind and matter and the profound effects it has on our personal lives and the collective life of our species. |
Amazon says (about the author):
| Bruce Lipton, Ph.D. is an internationally recognized authority in bridging science and spirit and a leading voice in new biology. A cell biologist by training, he taught Cell Biology at the University of Wisconsin’s School of Medicine, and later performed pioneering studies at Stanford University’s School of Medicine. He has been a guest speaker on dozens of TV and radio shows, as well as keynote presenter for national conferences. |
Recently finished reading The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli.
Five minutes ago finished Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neal Hurston
In the process of reading:
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Chem textbook (bane of my life)
Calc textbook although I know alot of calc and the current class is just a review. same next semester
Plan to read:
The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
Five minutes ago finished Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neal Hurston
In the process of reading:
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Chem textbook (bane of my life)
Calc textbook although I know alot of calc and the current class is just a review. same next semester
Plan to read:
The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
Anyone know a good introductory book to physics? I've been very interested in the subject but have had little exposure.
As a matter of fact, there's a college-level but easy-to-understand book by Douglas Giancoli. It assumes, however, that you know basic Calculus (derivatives and all their "rules", integration including integration by substitution, etc), but I found it remarkably easy to understand.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0131495089/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0130215171&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0W72YKG49SW5JXY8KWVV
-Albatross
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0131495089/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0130215171&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0W72YKG49SW5JXY8KWVV
-Albatross
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How much does the book cover? For the price tag I would assume a great deal (I'm a bit froogle these days with little cash).
Is there any good introductory to Calculus books? :D
| It assumes, however, that you know basic Calculus (derivatives and all their "rules", integration including integration by substitution, etc) |
Is there any good introductory to Calculus books? :D
The books (forgot to indicate that there are three books; there is 1 book for Mechanics, 1 for E&M and 1 for basic Quantum Mechanics and Relativity) cover everything you need to know and then some, I'd say. ;)
As for introductory calculus books... well... I can think of two but not their names or authors... check the wikibook?
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Calculus
-Albatross
As for introductory calculus books... well... I can think of two but not their names or authors... check the wikibook?
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Calculus
-Albatross
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// I'm reading between two books back and forth:
//// "C++ Primer For Non C Programmers" - Saba Zamir (Lots of vocabulary in here, quite a few spelling mistakes as well. Does a good job at certain things though. Lots of code to see.)
// and
//// "Using C++" - Bruce Eckel (This one explains things much better with an easier vocabulary, a lot more reading rather than code though it seems.)
// I continue to find the pros and cons of each one, but I'm definitely seeing a huge pro in simply reading more than one book on the same subject in order to understand it. They both teach me different things in different ways. I'll be sure to try that with other things I'd like to learn.
//// "C++ Primer For Non C Programmers" - Saba Zamir (Lots of vocabulary in here, quite a few spelling mistakes as well. Does a good job at certain things though. Lots of code to see.)
// and
//// "Using C++" - Bruce Eckel (This one explains things much better with an easier vocabulary, a lot more reading rather than code though it seems.)
// I continue to find the pros and cons of each one, but I'm definitely seeing a huge pro in simply reading more than one book on the same subject in order to understand it. They both teach me different things in different ways. I'll be sure to try that with other things I'd like to learn.
@Albatross
Thanks for all the info. I'll read through the intro to calculus section of wikibooks and try to get a flip through of Physics for Scientists & Engineers with Modern Physics.
Thanks for all the info. I'll read through the intro to calculus section of wikibooks and try to get a flip through of Physics for Scientists & Engineers with Modern Physics.
Brave New World - Aldous Huxley. I have a couple of programming-related books, namely Code Complete 2nd Edition as well as a book for programming using the MFC, however I'm attempting to main focused on school and am putting those books on the back-burner for now.
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Currently reading Game Engine Architecture. The book focuses on implementation of large scale C++ game engines by decomposing the engine into subsystems followed by a rigorous discussion on best practices, subsystem interfacing, etc... This is an advanced book so prior exposure to fairly large systems, a solid understanding of C/C++, basic rendering pipelines and 3d programming are needed to get the most out of it. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to develop large games.
Also finishing up the OpenGL SuperBible, another great read for 3d programming. Lastly in the next few months I'll be ready to crack the binding on Game Graphics Programming by Allen Sherrod, looking forward to this one!
Also finishing up the OpenGL SuperBible, another great read for 3d programming. Lastly in the next few months I'll be ready to crack the binding on Game Graphics Programming by Allen Sherrod, looking forward to this one!