Joe's Notes

It's not that I don't recommend this book or that it doesn't offer a philosophical perspective that warrants review. It is worth reading but it fails to persuade as it offers only a simplified and narrow perspective of human behavior. It requires a wholesale acceptance of its premises and provides little in the way of relevant counterarguments. Ishmael by Daniel Quinn is written well and is narrated masterfully by Anthony Heald in the Audible version I listened to. When engaging with this book I recommend being aware of its rhetorical tactics and remaining skeptical of its biased perspective.

I wanted to love this book. I had high expectations because of my love for Sarah J. Maas’s Throne of Glass series but A Court of Thorns and Roses is very different. It is a more insulated story with a much simpler plot and less action. I wasn’t as invested in the characters who seemed like premade pieces in a predictable puzzle. It seems tailored for a female audience and centers around a romance that is more superficial than the romances in Throne of Glass. 

The Way of Kings is an expansive fantasy tale written by Brandon Sanderson. It centers around a small of characters whose lives are inexorably connected by a fate unknown. Each character holds a key to unlocking the mysteries of the past and ushering in a new era for the world. A world that has been besot by war and unrest. A world that may not last much longer if the forces that led to its upheaval in the past are not discovered and resisted. 

I decided to start posting video book reviews on YouTube! The channel’s name is Fictional Fracas because I like alliteration and I’m clever. Use the links below to check it out and if you like it make sure to like and subscribe and share and love and comment and click stuff and tell people!

This beautifully grotesque accounting of an epic journey rivals those of The Odyssey and Lord of the Rings, with less fluff and more French words. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants a nightmare-inducing ride down an ecclesiastic rollercoaster. Super fun!

Max is a precocious 10 year old whose ADHD makes him too fast and way too curious. When his classmates end up like robots he decides to investigate. After enlisting the help of his family he uncovers the diabolical plot and restores the school back to normalcy.

If consent is something people think is valuable then they should look at the way they act and the way they treat others skeptically. They should evaluate their actions as well as the actions of others to determine where consent was disregarded. In this way, people might live up to the standard of ethics that holds consent as a virtue. 

I have been looking into AI and trying to understand how it will affect humans in the future. I think AI will profoundly affect the economy, how people communicate, and the world of entertainment. I do not think that anyone can predict the impact or future world that will result from the use of widespread artificial intelligence. I am unsure of whether I am pro or against AI but I am certain my views will have little impact on its development and implementation. I am sure that I will be affected by it and I am curious what the long-term outcomes of its use will be.

This is the most masculine book ever! It has data, math, engineering, potatoes, problem-solving, and almost zero explicit emotional content. It is about a man who is stuck alone on Mars who never cries or gets depressed or laments about missing his family or friends back on Earth. He just works and solves problems with his superior intellect and indomitable spirit. 

To get closure about his last days Tell and Orrin start their journey in New Orleans but when Orrin goes missing Tell starts to piece together the clues to finding out where their father went and what might have happened. It turns out that the men who went up with their father back then are involved in Orrin’s disappearance. It’s up to Tell to free his brother before they both end up missing. 

I have enjoyed the entire series immensely and consider it one of the best fantasy stories I have ever read. The entire thing is well-paced, superbly written, wonderfully exciting, and suspenseful and the organization of the chapters, books, and series was masterfully orchestrated. I am very glad that this series was introduced to me by my friends and I am compelled to read more from Sarah J. Maas although I am afraid nothing will quite live up to the Throne of Glass series. I cried, I laughed but mostly I couldn’t stop reading. I highly recommend these books and I thought the finale was perfect. 

Others can do what they want and the world can make up stories about it but it doesn’t mean that I have to take them seriously or agree with them. Stories are a part of life and they have as much power as we want to give them but stories are not the same as life.

To get a full-frame camera with the same sensor, processor, and autofocus features as the more expensive R6 MKII is not bad at all. I am excited to continue to learn about this camera and I will be posting the results. 

Tower of Dawn is the 7th book in the 8-book Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas. The fantasy series is centered around Caelena Sardothien aka Aelin Galanthynius who is an assassin turned rightful queen of Terasen. Yet, in this book, Aelin does not appear. So what could this book be about? 

Shot with Canon 80D

Sigma 150-300mm Contemporary Lens

Canon 100mm Macro Lens

Powell Butte Park, OR 5/16/2024

Follow me on Instagram @g_grins and @fractalfocus.nature

CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE

While thought experiments are meant to challenge readers to think about things in different ways they always seem to miss the mark for me. They are like really bad stories with continuity errors, plot holes, and preachy subtext. Maybe it is because they are usually created by academics but thought experiments wreak of pretentious attempts to dumb down a moral, social, or scientific concept into a clever puzzle for the masses.

Would you rather do something because you think it has value or live with the harsh truth that what your doing is nonsense? Sometimes giving it up means losing that value you thought was there. If so, you would have to find value in other things and other activities. It might even be possible to engage in those activities for different reasons and retain the value that derives from them. If one gives up religion they give up a set a way of life and the consequences of that should not to be taken lightly.

I went to the Portland Zoo with my mom and we got a chance to see almost all the amazing animals. I hadn’t been to the Zoo in a while and as much as I am torn about the circumstances around zoos I was grateful to get a chance to see and photograph the exotic wildlife. I hope to find some of these animals in their natural habitats in the future but for now, I can enjoy their beauty in person. I shot using the Canon 80D and mostly on my Sigma 150-600. I use Lightroom to edit and I think I got some great shots. Which one is your favorite?

Went on a hike to enjoy the sun and get some exercise. Saw some birds and took photos of them.

All of this happens and it is awesome and I enjoyed the ride. That is why I read these books. Because they are full of suspense, action, romance, and intrigue. They are all well-written and entertaining. They are popular books for a reason. That’s the review. It was great and you should read it. Review over. 

I took a hike. It was a lovely day for photography!