Date: Tue, 10 Dec 1996 17:47:28 GMT Server: NCSA/1.4.2 Content-type: text/html Last-modified: Sat, 16 Nov 1996 00:28:37 GMT Content-length: 7883
Here are some of my favorite books, CD's, and other media-, multimedia-, and hypermedia-based diversions. Oh, and if you make it all the way to the end, there's a really tasty recipe...
For complete references to the works below, telnet to the Library of Congress Catalog.
Horror fiction by H.P. Lovecraft. Check out his mostly-complete works in four volumes, edited by S.T. Joshi:
Discussions of Lovecraft and his work may be found on the newsgroup alt.horror.cthulhu. And no, the Necronomicon is not real!
Umberto Eco's novel Foucault's Pendulum (ISBN 0-345-36875-4). Be prepared to do your homework on Western mysticism in order to enjoy this one fully. Is there a Kabbalist in the house?
Various works by Lewis Carroll. If all you've read is Alice in Wonderland, you're missing some great stuff. Look for Carroll's complete works, published by Nonesuch Press (ISBN 1-87106-114-8). For online, full-text versions of the more popular stories and poetry, head to Project Gutenberg's archives.
Some of my favorite works by Carroll:
Short Stories by Jorge Luis Borges. Given that I like Eco and Lovecraft, the astute reader should have guessed that Borges would show up eventually. Look for El Libro de Arena, e.g. the edition of Plaza & Janes, S.A. (ISBN 84-01-42139-X). H.P. Lovecraft fans will be interested in the story "There are More Things", which Borges dedicated to Lovecraft.
The Cyberiad by Stanislaw Lem (I have HBJ's English Edition, ISBN 0-15-623550-1). Follow master constructors Trurl and Klapacius as they build everything from a poetry-composing computer (see this poetic sample) to a machine that can create Nothing.
Applied Cryptography by Bruce Schneier (ISBN 0-471-59756-2). Bruce has collected a mountain of useful information about secure (and insecure) encryption methods to preserve secrecy of communications, including source code and an extensive bibliography. You don't have to be a mathematician or a hacker to appreciate the material.
See the author's web at Counterpane Systems for errata, and for information about the second edition of Applied Cryptography.
For more info on cryptography, check out the newsgroup sci.crypt, which has an excellent FAQ. Also, read about freely available strong encryption software for the masses in the newsgroup comp.security.pgp and its related subgroups.
On the Internet, nobody knows you're a cat. If you are a cat (or live with one), you may enjoy these books by Henry Beard:
Anonymous 4, a female vocal quartet specializing in early and medieval music, is a favorite of mine. Look for the following on the Harmonia Mundi label:
I am not a drooling Enya junkie, but my cat is. At his request, I'll mention some titles which other cat owners may consider as gift items for their own furry children. The following CD's are Spud-approved:
"The Truth is Out There"
Trace the exploits of intrepid (though occasionally clueless) FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully as they chase down the Monster of the Week (TM); or narrowly escape the Evil Government Conspiracy (TM). You can watch the Net mercilessly dissect each new episode on the newsgroup alt.tv.x-files, or FTP the X-Files FAQ for the inside scoop on the show.
Incidentally, I live in Western Washington and have visited the Olympic Peninsula on occasion, but I have yet to see any " green glowing goober mites" of the sort described in the first-season episode "Darkness Falls". Needless to say, I am extremely disappointed. On the other hand, I have some great shots of Snoqualmie Falls (Twin Peaks).
OK, I promised you a recipe, so here it is. Follow the link to learn how to cook kasha varnishkes, adapted from Jane Kinderlehrer's book Cooking Kosher the Natural Way (ISBN 0-8246-0286). This is a vegetarian dish that will wow your friends.