Books N shit

I finally finished The Power of One, took me a while coz I was reading it on my commute.
There were a couple instances of the Bryce Courtenay rattling on that Lazlo mentioned, not too much to ruin the book for me though.
So I hired the movie out last night, that must be the biggest Hollywood raping of a novel EVER. It ticked off each of the following:
unnecessary killing off of characters
invention of new characters
invention of a love interest that wasn't in the book
completely changed the ending.
That's all I can be bothered with, what a pile of shit movie.

The god delusion, Richard Dawkins, makes endless good points of argument.....

Prey By Michal Crichton is the shit.

I just finished reading White Teeth by Zadie Smith. Well worth the read for the laughs. Takes the piss out of fundamentalism, evangelism, genetic science, animal liberationists, multiculturalism, the youth and the elderly all in one foul swoop.

Thats a nice range of piss taking.

Currently reading Terry Pratchett's Making Money. For the second time.

Man I love this dude.

Going to buy Sniper One at lunch.

And some new pants. I need some new pants.

I'm re-reading You Wouldn't Be Dead for Quids by Robert G Barrett at the moment. Real low-brow, but strangely I want to go back for more...

Barrett's earlier stuff is great - short, punchy humourous stories. His middling ones (when he graduated to full novels) are padded out with extensive descriptions of food and other boring shite. He's since learned to cut a lot of that BS out thankfully. His non- Les Norton books are pretty bloody good too. (As an aside, my old man knows him, and the early books in particular were great to read and decipher which Bondi locals he was fitting into the stories).

Currently reading The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins. Guy comes off as a wanker but has some really strong arguments.

I don't necessarily think Dawkins is a wanker. I think he needs to have forceful arguments with an element of arrogance, considering he is up against millennia of ingrained religious indoctrination. If he was meek and humble he'd never have been heard in the first place.

Very true, I understand he is renowned as being one of the smartest people on the planet but that wouldn't necessarily mean he is goign to be modest about it. Just seems to belittle people alongside making his arguments and referring to himself as an 'intellectual'. Smart guy, obviously, and aggression is a very necessary tool in arguments, just seems to put himself on a pedestal. Mind you I haven't read very much of it yet so really these are just first impressions.

get a ps3

there's nothing wrong with 'the catcher in the rye' bondiboy66. probably one of the better books you'll ever read whilst at school, and it has been really influential on a few people in history.

something i found really interesting was mark david chapman, the guy who shot john lennon, only committed the murder because he was obsessed with the book which drove him to the point it re-model his life after holden caulfield, haha, but yeah the kid is a little fucked in the head..

Dawkins is in a position to change the way people think. Smart and belittling or not, he is marketing himself and his Science in the same way many famous people have in the past.

Controversy is a great tool, it inspires some, infuriates others but keeps the topic hot and in the public eye.


I think he's coming out here next year to give lectures

"Dawkins is in a position to change the way people think."


Definately. Any info on dates and locations for those lectures?

Just finished Rant by Chuck Palahniuk, the fellow behind fight club. fucking amazing shit there lol

Atheist Alliance International and Atheist Foundation of Australia Inc present...

"THE RISE OF ATHEISM"
Global Convention 12-14 March 2010
Melbourne, Australia

Speakers will include:
- Richard Dawkins
- PZ Myers
- Phillip Adams
- Peter Singer
- Taslima Nasrin
- Dan Barker
- Catherine Deveny
- Russell Blackford
and many more.

"The enlightenment is under threat. So is reason. So is truth. So is science … We have to devote a significant proportion of our time and resources to defending it from deliberate attack from organized ignorance …"
- Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion

"The number of churchgoers in Australia is about 9% and dwindling, the diversity of spiritual belief is flourishing and atheism is going off like a frog in a sock."
- Catherine Deveny, The Age, Melbourne


http://www.atheistconvention.org.au/
http://twitter.com/atheistcon
Contact Info
Email:

Location:
Melbourne, Australia

Cheers mate, already researched it and found that atheistconvention.org.au site and something about him talking on 3AW in early 2010 sometime.

currently trying to read

"options, futures and other derivatives" by Hull

finding it a a bit challenging to say the least

why do atheists need to meet? that convention sounds as exciting as attending church

I just started the magician by that raymond what-his-name

Nice one Geebz. I reckon it is easily one of the best fantasy books ever written and it's in my top 5 of best books to read.

Let me know where you are up to.

I like reading about the economic collapse

Ive only just read the first couple of chapters. Pug got his apprentiship with the magician but is struggling to learn magic.

Whats the name of the second book in the series ?

Silverthorn

Followed by A Darkness at Sethanon

There are about 20 more as well...

Raymond E. Feist for the WIN! I just reread 'Rides a Dread Legion', his most recent one. As Lazlo says there are about 20 books now. Very addictive, like Pringles chips - you can't stop at one.