Mecandes' Humble Abode » Non-fiction

A Brief History of Time

Mecandes — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 13:24:03 +0000

I found the 1988 first edition of A Brief History of Time at a used book shop while on holiday, and spent some days on the beach absorbed in it. Although the concepts in the book have been around for years now, it was interesting to read Hawking’s take on the history of science and human thought. He lost me a bit when he started to get into quantum mechanics, but one can’t expect all the complex sciences to be easily summarized by one person in one book. His infectious curiosity and sense of humour make this book easy to recommend, though you’ll probably want to find one of the newer updated editions.

Helvetica

Mecandes — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 17:04:55 +0000

A fascinatingly watchable documentary, and a must-see for anyone interested in typography or graphic design.

4 and a half stars (out of 5)

Charlie Wilson’s War

Mecandes — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 17:28:16 +0000

The self-congratulatory American-as-apple-pie feel of this film felt irritatingly disingenuous. Hanks and Roberts play caricatures, while Hoffman seems to burst on stage into a completely different film; I’m not sure if that is a strike for or against him… but I think I might have rather seen the film Hoffman thought he was making.

1 and a half stars (out of 5)

King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters

Mecandes — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 17:13:38 +0000

A surprisingly entertaining documentary considering the subject matter. Later investigation reveals that maybe the producers fudged the truth a bit, but it’s hard to argue when their version of the story is so much more fun to watch. It’s less about video games and high scores than it is about being an outsider who is trying to break into a long-established social clique.

3 and a half stars (out of 5)

On the Edge: The Spectacular Rise and Fall of Commodore

Mecandes — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 00:06:18 +0000

This history of Commodore is so much more fascinating than you might think; the personalities, clashes, and little-known facts kept me turning the pages. As a Commodore fan, I always wondered, “what went wrong?” — and this book answers that, revealing the internal politics and decision making of one of the true pioneers of personal computing. The actual writing and organization of the book leaves a lot to be desired (hence 4 stars and not 5), but thankfully the amazing story mainly tells itself through the interviews with former Commodore employees.

gave 4 stars to:

On the Edge: The Spectacular Rise and Fall of Commodore (Hardcover)
Brian Bagnall