Books Mitch Enjoyed in 2025

“A book is man’s best friend outside of a dog, and inside of a dog it’s too dark to read.” – Jim Brewer (Boy’s Life , February 1954)

I read 141 books in 2025 , up from 115 last year .  For me, reading isn't just a habit—it's a profound source of joy, fulfillment, and sheer pleasure. There's nothing quite like diving into new ideas that challenge my thinking, gripping dramas that keep me up at night, or brilliant insights that reshape how I see the world. I love reading and listening to audio books. I'm extremely grateful to live in a time when so much great literature is so easily available. This year, I've expanded my highlights to four categories: German , Non-Fiction , General fiction, and Science fiction Looking back, it appears I read much more non-fiction in 2025 than I realized. Here's what stood out:

German

	Stefan Zweigs autobiografische Erinnerungen zeichnen ein nuanciertes Porträt der vor dem Ersten Weltkrieg blühenden europäischen Kultur im Habsburgerreich, einer Ära scheinbarer Sicherheit mit Fortschritten in Technologie, Humanismus und Aufklärungsphilosophie. Der Autor reflektiert über seine Bildung, literarische Karriere und Reisen, unterbrochen durch Begegnungen mit Figuren wie Sigmund Freud, Theodor Herzl, Rainer Maria Rilke und Richard Strauss. Das Werk lamentiert den Verfall von Humanismus, Internationalismus und kultureller Harmonie Europas, ersetzt durch Nationalismus, Kriege und Faschismus – ein Prozess, der in Zweigs Exil und dem Suizid mit seiner Frau kulminiert. Interpretativ verkörpert der Text eine Elegie von verlorenen Idealen, deren Zerbrechlichkeit durch Zweigs persönliche Desillusionierung unterstrichen wird und zeitgenössische Warnungen vor ideologischer Polarisierung impliziert. Der humanistische Schreibstil beeindruckt besonders.
	Stefan Heyms Auf Sand gebaut umfasst sieben Vignetten, die die gelebten Realitäten der Ostdeutschen in unmittelbarer Nähe des sowjetischen Zusammenbruchs und der nationalen Wiedervereinigung erfassen. Jede Erzählung fungiert als Mikrokosmos des breiteren gesellschaftlichen Umbruchs und beleuchtet die Unklarheiten, Widersprüche und Enttäuschungen, die diesen historischen Moment charakterisierten. Heyms Geschichten Vordergrund: Die Belastbarkeit und Anpassungsfähigkeit von Individuen, die durch die Erosion vertrauter Strukturen und die Entstehung neuer, oft desorientierter Paradigmen navigieren. Die Prosa von Heym ist ungewollt und präzise und meidet Nostalgie zugunsten kritischer Beobachtung. Die Stärke der Sammlung liegt in ihrer Weigerung, einfache Vorsätze zu bieten. Stattdessen stellt Heym die anhaltenden Unsicherheiten und moralischen Unklarheiten vor, die das Leben auf instabilem Boden definieren. Der dauerhafte Wert des Buches für akademische und professionelle Leser liegt in seiner differenzierten Darstellung der systemischen Transformation-ein Bericht als relevant für Historiker und Soziologen in Bezug auf diejenigen, die sich für die Psychologie der Anpassung und die Soziologie postsozialistischer Gesellschaften interessieren.
	Ich habe das Buch wirklich genossen. Die Art und Weise, wie die Welt aufgebaut ist, fand ich spannend und einzigartig. Die zentralen Themen – Macht, Autorität und die Grenzen persönlicher Einflussnahme – sind beeindruckend und regen zum Nachdenken an. Alle Charaktere sind sorgfältig ausgearbeitet und ziehen einen sofort in ihren Bann. Jede ihrer Geschichten trägt auf schlüssige Weise zum Gesamtbild bei. Das Science-Fiction-Setting sorgt für eine faszinierende Atmosphäre voller Staunen, die den Hintergrund lebendig macht, ohne jedoch für die eigentliche Handlung entscheidend zu sein.

Non-Fiction

	I picked up Breakneck after reading a few excerpts online, drawn by Wang's reputation for cross-cultural analysis. The book delivers on that promise. Wang offers a deep, objective, and nuanced view of the United States and China. He explores their similarities and differences in sensibilities and cultures with clear insights. He unpacks the attitudes, values, and policies that shape each government's actions. He also explains why and how citizens in both nations behave as they do. Wang brings his own minor biases to the table—value judgments and occasional gaps in empathy for alternative viewpoints on citizen motivations. These are small flaws in an otherwise sharp work. On the positive side, his analysis of causal links between values, cultures, and resulting policies stands out. He connects the dots with precision. The core thesis—that an engineering mindset defines all Chinese leadership and drives their policies, while a lawyer mindset shapes all American leaders and their decisions—holds up well. It simplifies complex systems but supports the argument with strong evidence. Wang weaves in the enduring bureaucracies of both governments effectively, showing how they reinforce these mindsets over time. I recommend this book to anyone interested in global politics or cultural comparisons. It clarifies without oversimplifying.
	Why do groups keep up stories everyone knows are false—where each person sees the truth but pretends not to? Why do we tolerate polite hypocrisy, subtle bribes, half-hidden threats, or strategic flirtation? As someone wired for blunt honesty, I've long been baffled by these layers of social theater that seem to breed confusion and harm. Steven Pinker's new book takes this puzzle apart with his trademark clarity, drawing on research in evolution, linguistics, and game theory—from the prisoner's dilemma to "The Emperor's New Clothes." He argues that shared fictions and mutual pretense aren't just signs of human weakness; they are tools that keep social life running. Sometimes truth is too volatile, and a bit of collective make-believe prevents conflict or preserves dignity. What's most compelling is how Pinker turns apparent irrationality into evidence of strategic intelligence. The very evasions that frustrate literal-minded people serve an adaptive purpose, softening the blunt edges of honesty in complex societies. In an age flooded with misinformation, the book offers a sharp framework for seeing when concealment unites and when it corrupts. Nothing has changed how I think about communication this profoundly since Kahneman's Thinking, Fast and Slow. This is Pinker at his best—precise, surprising, and deeply relevant..
	The book tells the story of Elizebeth Smith Friedman, a pioneering American cryptanalyst whose work laid much of the groundwork for modern codebreaking and national intelligence. Fagone's writing is vivid and accessible. He brings the early 20th century to life through rich scenes and authentic dialogue that reflect the social norms, speech patterns, and intellectual energy of the time. What I particularly enjoyed was how the book captures that era's mindset—its optimism, its limits, and the quiet revolutions happening in scientific thought long before most people realized it. The book does not shy away from the entrenched sexism Elizebeth and her peers faced, yet it handles those issues with balance. Fagone's tone is indignant where necessary but never heavy-handed. The result is both a tribute and a well-researched historical narrative.
	P. J. O'Rourke's Parliament of Whores: A Lone Humorist Attempts to Explain the Entire U.S. Government remains one of the sharpest satirical dissections of American politics ever written. O'Rourke, a seasoned journalist and foreign correspondent, brings both firsthand reporting and a libertarian sensibility to his critique. The result is a book that is both uproariously funny and uncomfortably accurate. O'Rourke's style is dense with humor; many sentences deliver multiple laugh-out-loud lines. Yet the comedy serves as a scalpel rather than a distraction, laying bare the inefficiency, hypocrisy, and absurdity of government. He skewers politicians across the spectrum, exposing the ways in which taxing, spending, and regulation consistently fail to produce outcomes acceptable to the very citizens they are meant to serve. Despite his relentless criticism, O'Rourke avoids despair. His libertarian perspective emphasizes not only the limits of government but also the resilience of individuals and institutions outside of politics. He notes, with characteristic irony, that American society functions far better than one would expect given the incompetence of its leaders.
	Douglas Murray's On Democracies and Death Cults (2025) is a masterful blend of incisive analysis and deeply personal reflection, delivered in his characteristically eloquent prose. Fans of The War on the West will recognize Murray's intellectual clarity as he dissects the October 7, 2023, Hamas invasion of Israel. Through vivid interviews, prison encounters, and firsthand observations, he chronicles the horror, where well-trained Hamas militants perpetrated rape, torture, and massacres of 1,200 victims, followed by civilians who looted and aided in kidnapping 250 other innocents. A recurring theme is Murray's profound connection to Deuteronomy's charge: "I have set before you life and death… therefore choose life." This quote anchors his moral framework, contrasting sharply with the death-driven ideology of Hamas, that chillingly justifies atrocities like the murder of Jewish infants by labeling them "soldiers."

General Fiction

	During his promotional tour for his first-ever novel (after 50 movies), Woody Allen commented that this book is the best book he ever read.  Intrigued, I grabbed it and added it to my reading list.  The writing is, indeed, fantastic.  The book pulled me in right away. The main character, Bud Corliss, plans his path to a millionaire's wealth through charm and cold calculation. He courts women, spins lies, and kills without a flinch. The author builds the story through three sisters' viewpoints, one per section.  The story slowly reveals Bud's well-planned grift. All of the characters, especially the three sisters, feel real and complex; Bud's steady narcissism is extremely unsettling in quiet ways. I was deeply immersed in his calculated risks and plans. The book examines ambition without limits: how one person's polish erodes trust and safety, a reminder of everyday deceptions. This book is one of my top five reads this year. It's worth your time for Levin's clean tension.
	The “dragon tattoo” trilogy concludes with undiminished tension, its narrative charged by reversals, near-deaths, and brutal confrontations that sustain relentless momentum. The plotting is mechanical at times, yet its inexorability creates suspense that feels earned rather than contrived. Larsson turns his critique toward institutions, exposing systemic corruption, entrenched secrecy, and the costs of bureaucratic complicity. The recurring emphasis on institutional misogyny underscores the novels' political charge, though its repetition risks flattening nuance in an otherwise finely-woven narrative. Central characters achieve limited but meaningful development, gaining maturity without betrayal of their sharply defined identities. The finale delivers both continuity and resolution, securing closure while preserving the series' force.
	I rarely enjoy high fantasy, and I often find Gaiman's work uneven. Nevertheless, his mastery of prose and narrative drive is undeniable. Stardust succeeds because it embraces the fairy tale form without apology. The novel employs an arbitrary but internally consistent magic system and populates it with sharply drawn, memorable characters. The horrors remain true to the tradition of fairy tales—brutal yet restrained in presentation. The result is a work that feels both timeless and deliberate, balancing whimsy with menace. A flawless execution of modern mythmaking.
	Kazuo Ishiguro's When We Were Orphans (2000) probes the unreliability of memory and perception through Christopher Banks, an acclaimed detective whose myopic adherence to personal convictions blinds him to broader realities. Exquisite prose illuminates profound character depths, weaving a narrative that exposes the tragic rigidities of early twentieth-century cultural norms and colonial illusions. This masterful exploration of self-deception and loss merits Ishiguro's eventual Nobel Prize in Literature.
	I follow the Myron Bolitar series, albeit intermittently. Coben evolves the characters in the series across multiple decades. Live Wire  continues these adventures as the characters are older. The story explores family loyalty. A missing, pregnant rock star ignites the plot and intrigues the reader. This investigation forces Myron to confront his brother, Brad, with whom he has a complex relationship. The mystery reveals hidden and unexpected betrayals that add to the drama. I found this installment quite theatrical. The stakes swell because of friction between siblings. Myron’s conflicts surface as he is forced to face his past. This style heightens the drama but feels forced at times. However, as usual, Coben masters the pace. I value the interpretation of loyalty as a burden rather than a virtue and I really enjoyed this one.

Science Fiction

The "Spiral Wars" story ranks among my favorite space opera series. I enjoy the author's descriptions of the setting, technology, and military action. Shepherd balances intense close combat with complex fleet maneuvers. I typically pre-order these books immediately: Precursor slipped only recently under my radar. The discovery became a special treat. The AI machine age history arc takes a fun turn with evolving plot lines and characters. Shepherd uses golden age science fiction tropes to evoke a sense of mystery. He introduces advanced technologies, such as wormholes, that remain beyond our understanding. This background creates a feeling of awe and wonder. The adversaries are embedded in well-meaning but destructive institutions. These "bad guys" are apparatchiks trapped within a massive bureaucracy. They cannot see perspectives beyond their own insular setting. They act without malice because of their limited worldview. These characters believe they are doing the right thing. This bureaucratic nature makes them worthy enemies for the crew of the Phoenix. The book features dramatic deaths and expands the roles of background characters. These individuals now pursue their own adventures. I disliked the ending because the story opens more threads than it resolves. However, I am thrilled the author intends to continue the series. I eagerly await the next installment. 5/5 Stars.

	I enjoyed this story mostly for its characters and dialogue, which immerse the reader in a genuine slice of 1951 America. The values and attitudes on display exemplify the rock-solid humanism of the Greatest Generation—men and women who had survived the Second World War, built immense wealth, and launched unprecedented advances in medicine, aeronautics, rocketry, nuclear science, weapons technology, birth control, and even the design of interstellar space probes. Their optimism was inseparable from their accomplishments, and Piper captures that atmosphere with remarkable clarity. The story itself works because it builds steadily from everyday realism into a problem of enormous consequence, handled with restraint and credibility. The dialogue and pacing create a slow tightening of tension, so when the ending arrives, it feels both inevitable and startling. The resolution strikes with force precisely because it remains true to the world and characters Piper so carefully established.
	In Ruins, the second installment of Orson Scott Card's Pathfinder trilogy, Rigg's odyssey propels him through the multifaceted "Folds" of the planet Garden, culminating in encounters with the shipboard AIs that seeded human life. This narrative, dense with speculative world-building, probes temporal and spatial manipulation, resonating with engineers and scientists intrigued by systems theory and artificial intelligence. Card's integration of Lit-RPG elements—character progression via experience and magical artifacts—infuses a gamified structure that, despite my skepticism toward fantasy, captivates through its rigorous internal logic, appealing to analytical readers. The character arcs, particularly Rigg's, evolve with psychological depth, navigating trust and agency within a deterministic universe, a theme historians and biologists in my audience may find compelling for its parallels to evolutionary and societal dynamics. The novel's brisk pacing and intricate plotting sustain momentum, setting an anticipatory stage for the trilogy's conclusion. Card's continued productivity enriches contemporary speculative fiction, delivering a work that merits top marks for its intellectual rigor and narrative drive.
	John Scalzi's The Android's Dream is a hilarious, fast-paced, and heartfelt novel that brims with vibrant characters. The relentless, madcap action, delightfully melodramatic villains, cunning antagonists, and clever plot twists create an irresistible page-turner that's difficult to set down. I thoroughly enjoyed this zany, fun-filled story.
	When I pulled A Fire Upon the Deep off my shelf, I was convinced I'd read it 25 years ago, back when it swept the 1993 Hugo, Campbell, and Prometheus Awards, narrowly missing the Nebula and Locus. To my surprise, I hadn't! This novel, penned by the late Vernor Vinge, who passed in 2024, represents the sci-fi master at his peak. The intricate world-building, vibrant characters, and tightly woven subplots showcase why Vinge was a titan of the genre, earning accolades with nearly every release. The story's inventive magic system—rooted in the unique physics of its galaxy-spanning setting—left me spellbound, while the complex character arcs kept me turning pages late into the night. From interstellar civilizations to alien minds, Vinge's creativity dazzles, blending hard science fiction with gripping human (and nonhuman) drama.
	After slogging through three lackluster books, I was thrilled to dive into The Man Who Saw Seconds by Alexander Boldizar, a standout among the 2025 Locus Awards Top 10 Finalists (announced this month by Locus Magazine). This novel is a gem. Boldizar's prose sparkles with clarity and wit, pulling me into a vividly crafted world. The characters leap off the page—vibrant, complex, and utterly compelling. The story weaves sharp social commentary, nuanced politics, and thought-provoking philosophy into a tapestry of ideas that linger long after the final page. Its magic system, centered on a five-second prescience ability, is both inventive and gripping, adding a fresh twist to the narrative. The plot surges with unexpected turns, driven by tightly paced editing. The antagonists are chillingly well-motivated, their actions grounded in believable conviction, while the protagonists charm with their humor and larger-than-life personalities.
	I appreciate Ken MacLeod’s narrative style. The Scottish influence adds flavor to his characters. I find these cultural details refreshing. Despite the time-travel paradox, I was willing to suspend disbelief.  And I liked the AI characters. The mystery of the "crystal intelligences" sparks awe. I admire the vastness of MacLeod's universe. The plot succeeds because of these enigmatic beings. The discovery of the alien world provides a sense of wonder. I enjoyed the golden age style of cosmic mystery.

Precursor by Joel Shepherd (2025)

The "Spiral Wars" story ranks among my favorite space opera series. I enjoy the author's descriptions of the setting, technology, and military action. Shepherd balances intense close combat with complex fleet maneuvers. I typically pre-order these books immediately: Precursor slipped only recently under my radar. The discovery became a special treat.

The AI machine age history arc takes a fun turn with evolving plot lines and characters. Shepherd uses golden age science fiction tropes to evoke a sense of mystery. He introduces advanced technologies, such as wormholes, that remain beyond our understanding. This background creates a feeling of awe and wonder.

The adversaries are embedded in well-meaning but destructive institutions. These "bad guys" are apparatchiks trapped within a massive bureaucracy. They cannot see perspectives beyond their own insular setting. They act without malice because of their limited worldview. These characters believe they are doing the right thing. This bureaucratic nature makes them worthy enemies for the crew of the Phoenix.

The book features dramatic deaths and expands the roles of background characters. These individuals now pursue their own adventures. I disliked the ending because the story opens more threads than it resolves. However, I am thrilled the author intends to continue the series. I eagerly await the next installment. 5/5 Stars

Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson (2003)

I enjoy reading Walter Isaacson's books because of his strong scholarship. He offers counterfactuals to his own interpretations. This approach provides a broad perspective on his subjects.

In my high school, a rigid curriculum required us all to study 18th-century literature (and also 19th and 20th). Like all my classmates, I preferred Franklin over Jonathan Edwards. I attended "standard" classes because I was not bright enough to be in Honors or AP. Consequently, I gained only a surface knowledge of Franklin's statesmanship, philosophy and inventions. I am young enough to be part of the leading wave of anti-Americanism that swept US education.  I was therefore taught only disparaging and critical views of our 18th century "founding fathers."

Isaacson's biography explores Franklin's entire social identity. He identifies Franklin as the architect of the American middle class. This "mediocre" class defined a new social order based on merit. Franklin's success was due to his own industry rather than birthright. I enjoyed learning about his weak French and Latin. These flaws humanize the legend. I had never questioned the rumors about Franklin's lechery. Isaacson interprets these scandals as myths. This clarification offered another perspective about the "facts" I learned in school.

My education focused on anti-Enlightenment views. Isaacson counters these views. He analyzes 19th-century Romanticism that is the root of the anti-Enlightenment sentiment. These critics attacked Franklin's pragmatism and scientific method. Isaacson again balances these pejoratives with the Humanist Enlightenment ideals of the 18th century natural philosophers (scientists) of that era. Isaacson highlights Franklin's true virtues. This balance makes his character shine.

The book feels a bit tedious because of its length. This density occasionally slows the pace. However, I recommend this work to history buffs. 5/5 Stars

Wie Das Wetter Geschichte Macht (2015)

Ronald D. Gerstes Wie Das Wetter Geschichte Macht (2015) bietet eine fesselnde Sammlung historischer Vignetten, die den entscheidenden Einfluss des Wetters auf historische Ereignisse beleuchten. Das Buch verknüpft faktenreiche Schilderungen mit spekulativen „Was-wäre-wenn"-Szenarien, die alternative Geschichtsverläufe überzeugend und anregend darstellen. Gerstes Erzählstil ist lebendig und unterhaltsam, auch wenn seine Quellenangaben und Erklärungen nicht immer umfassend sind und gelegentlich Fehler enthalten.

Die dramatischen Kommentare tragen zur Anziehungskraft des Buches bei, doch die ausschweifenden Passagen über anthropogenen Klimawandel und leidenschaftliche Klagen über die moderne Gesellschaft wirken ermüdend und fehlen am Platz. Trotz dieser Schwächen bleibt das Werk durch seine originelle Perspektive und den Fokus auf das Wetter als historische Kraft ansprechend.

Bewertung: 4/5 Sterne.

Breakneck by Dan Wang (2025)

I picked up Breakneck after reading a few excerpts online, drawn by Wang's reputation for cross-cultural analysis. The book delivers on that promise.

Wang offers a deep, objective, and nuanced view of the United States and China. He explores their similarities and differences in sensibilities and cultures with clear insights. He unpacks the attitudes, values, and policies that shape each government's actions. He also explains why and how citizens in both nations behave as they do.

Wang brings his own minor biases to the table—value judgments and occasional gaps in empathy for alternative viewpoints on citizen motivations. These are small flaws in an otherwise sharp work. On the positive side, his analysis of causal links between values, cultures, and resulting policies stands out. He connects the dots with precision.

The core thesis—that an engineering mindset defines all Chinese leadership and drives their policies, while a lawyer mindset shapes all American leaders and their decisions—holds up well. It simplifies complex systems but supports the argument with strong evidence. Wang weaves in the enduring bureaucracies of both governments effectively, showing how they reinforce these mindsets over time.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in global politics or cultural comparisons. It clarifies much without oversimplifying; 5/5 stars.

Du côté de chez Swann de Marcel Proust (1913)

It's not Proust—it's me.

I approached this classic with high expectations, drawn to its reputation for profound introspection and exquisite prose. And in that regard, it delivers: the philosophical musings on memory and perception can be genuinely fascinating, and Proust's writing is undeniably beautiful, with sentences that linger like poetry.

That said, for me, there was simply no "there" there. The book feels like a series of extended anecdotes about hypersensitive, neurotic characters in provincial French society, interspersed with the child's inner reflections—but without any compelling storyline, drama, or forward momentum to hold it together. The topics, while elegantly explored, never sparked my interest enough to pull me through.

I much prefer the sweeping narratives and vivid drama of someone like Victor Hugo. In the end, I put this down unfinished—not only because reading it in the original French stretched my language skills to their limit, but also because the lack of plot and emotional stakes made it feel more like form without substance. 0/5 Stars

Mindstar Rising by Peter F Hamilton (2011)

I have long admired Peter F. Hamilton's sprawling space operas. I usually steer clear of his work that includes psychic powers, fantasy, horror, or anything involving ESP, because the soft physics behind those elements bothers me. For that reason I had skipped the Greg Mandel series.

After a few disappointing recent reads in newer space opera, I decided to return to an author whose style I already trust. Mindstar Rising did not let me down.

The plot moves quickly and keeps delivering twists. The characters are engaging and easy to follow. The near-future setting—post-climate-collapse Britain—feels plausible and detailed. I especially liked the neural augmentations and the way Hamilton explores the boundary between human consciousness and machine intelligence. Those ideas are sharp and thought-provoking.
The psychic abilities remain the one part I could do without. They feel out of place in an otherwise grounded tech story. Still, they did not ruin the book for me.

Hamilton's writing pulled me through effortlessly. I have already started the next volume in the series. 5/5 stars.

Tools That Work to Stave Off Enshittificaton

Enshittification never slows down. Microsoft. Meta, Google, Amazon – the trillion-dollar giants – keep reinforcing the battlements of their evil walled-garden ecosystems. Interoperability is dying. Open standards are disappearing. Even editing a plain text file on a phone is now impossible. In 2019 Martin Kleppman, famous for Design of Data Intensive Applications,  wrote a white paper defining the concepts of "Local First Software" that is aligned to the privacy manifesto of Max Schrems and that portended Corey's book about how terrible the tech industry is becoming.

In the first half of 2025, U.S. GDP crawled at 0.1 % per year, if we ignore the AI hype bubble. Yet Microsoft found the energy to shove Copilot into every menu, activate Recall to screenshot and watch everything you do, and push Edge into every corner of Windows. The privacy invasion is deeper and more aggressive than anything Meta or Google have tried lately. My blood pressure rises and my life expectancy declines every time I open the Start menu.

Sooner or later I will flatten every Windows machine in the house and install Linux. Microsoft completely bricked a few devices with updates so they are now running Linux. Our 2011 “Kitchen” laptop still limps along on Windows 11 Server – the only edition Microsoft still allows on old hardware.

Until the final upgrade, three simple, well-maintained tools keep the worst of the poop away. They install in minutes and need almost no attention afterward.

• RemoveWindowsAI One click removes Copilot, Recall, and every built-in AI component. If I want AI, I open a browser tab. I do not want it welded into the operating system. Download → run as admin → reboot → silence. https://github.com/zoicware/RemoveWindowsAI

• Sophia Script for Windows: One PowerShell command turns off telemetry, ads, forced OneDrive sync, sponsored apps, and hundreds of other unwanted connections! Every change is well-documented and reversible. https://github.com/farag2/Sophia-Script-for-Windows

• PowerToys (yes, from Microsoft itself): PowerToys Run (Alt+Space) – launch files and programs without Edge https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9N0DX20HK701 
  

Five minutes of setup gives back hours of calm. Keep most of the Microsoft proctological surveillance and pain away (for a while).

Use them now, while they still work. Remember: Linux is waiting.

A Letter for the Ages by Avrohom Chaim Feuer (1989)

I have long admired Maimonides' clarity in his Talmudic summary and commentaries and his  Mishneh Torah. I also enjoyed learning about his life during a visit to the museum in Córdoba. When someone recommended this book—an edition of the famous ethical letter Maimonides wrote to his son—I ordered picked it up and added it to my stack.

The original letter itself is brief, wise, and moving. Unfortunately, everything else in the book gets in the way.

Rabbi Feuer repeats the same points dozens of times, pads every paragraph with unnecessary and bad anecdotes. He buries Rambam's words under layers of superficial and often sentimental commentary. What could have been a slim, powerful volume turns into a bloated, repetitive chore.

The primary text is good. This particular edition is not. 2/5 stars.

Starship Bandits by Jonathan Yanez and Ross Buzzel (2024)

The plot moves along well and the characters are tolerable.  The writing is somewhat flat and clumsy.  Science is disastrous.  I can accept orc-like aliens who look and act human and conveniently speak English. It's like Star Trek.  The authors' biology and physics are terrible.  Haploid insects? Body sizes and strengths that ignore basic scaling laws and biophysics? Every technical detail collapses under the slightest consideration. The bad science overwhelmed everything else and ruined the book for me. Not recommended. 1/5 Stars. 

Will we finally deploy the O'Neil mass driver?

In 1937, Edwin Northrup wrote about an "electric gun" in his (terrible) novel "Zero to Eighty." The book contained diagrams and the author actually built some prototypes at Princeton to prove out the idea, demonstrating it works well. Gerard O'Neill scaled up the concept and proposed a mass driver, aka "coil gun" in 1974.  That same year, O'Neill's "Colonization of Space" paper came out in Physics Today.  Reading that article changed my life. I joined the L5 Society (our song). It seems Jeff Bezos is also one of "Gerry's kids," embracing O'Neill's vision of human space colonization.

Among the key elements in O'Neill's vision is the use of mass drivers to move materials in space and also as a form of propulsion.  Land solar-powered mass drivers on a small asteroid, and use some of the mass of the asteroid itself as reaction mass to push the rock through space and park it in an orbit you want.  Robots assemble a large mass driver on the moon, then send the lunar regolith to a Lagrange point between the Earth and Moon, where solar smelters turn the ore into aluminum to build space colonies (and oxygen to breathe).  As O'Neill said in his lecture tour (that I attended), "The calculations [proving viability] are simple freshman physics."

If you are a "space nerd" like me, you should really read the book or watch the 2023 documentary "The High Frontier." I attended the MIT independent activities period (IAP) where they built a mass driver. I was a founding member of the L5 Society.

The military developed a rail gun for ships and the system is operational, but it will be phased out in favor of other systems that are superior for the military's purposes.

 # 

A new Space company, "Moonshot Space" just came out of stealth and will develop a terrestrial mass driver to move fuel and cargo to low earth orbit. The payloads must be able to survive extremely high acceleration and the scale-up to send over 100 Kg per launch will be interesting to watch.

Perry Rhodan: Zwei Milliarden Hefte und immer noch optimistisch

Vor ein paar Wochen bin ich zufällig über Perry Rhodan gestolpert und war sofort interessiert: Seit September 1961 erscheint jede Woche ein neues Heft, ohne eine einzige Unterbrechung gab es nie. Über 3300 Hefte, mehr als zwei Milliarden verkaufte Exemplare weltweit, allein in Deutschland über eine Milliarde. Das ist größer als Harry Potter, Herr der Ringe und Star Wars zusammen.

Ich liebe die Science-Fiction der Goldenen Goldene Ära, die unerschütterliche Zuversicht, die knappen Dialoge, das pure Staunen über die Weite des Alls. Also habe ich mir die allerersten Hefte im Original besorgt und auf Deutsch gelesen.

Die Geschichte beginnt 1971 mit der Mondlandung von Major Perry Rhodan, der auf dem Mond ein havariertes Forschungsschiff der Arkoniden findet, ein uraltes, dekadentes Sternenreich, das technologisch Jahrtausende voraus ist. Rhodan nutzt die fremde Technik, zwingt die verfeindeten Erdblöcke zur Zusammenarbeit und gründet die Dritte Macht, um die Menschheit vor sich selbst zu schützen.

Die ersten drei Hefte hatte ich an zwei Abenden durch. Mein Eindruck: Das ist genau der optimistische, raketen treibende Raumfahrt-Sound, den ich wollte, schnoddrige Sprüche zwischen Piloten und Wissenschaftlern, harte Physik bei Triebwerken und Bahnmechanik, und auf jeder zweiten Seite ein neuer atemberaubender Einblick ins Universum. Die Arkoniden und ihr sterbendes Imperium faszinieren mich richtig.

Einzig die plötzliche Einführung von Mutanten mit Telepathie, Telekinese und Teleportation in Heft drei hat mich gestört, Parapsychologie liegt mir einfach nicht. Ich weiß aber, dass das ein Markenzeichen der Serie bleibt, also werde ich damit leben.
Fazit nach den ersten drei Heften: knappe 4 von 5 Sternen. Ich lese auf jeden Fall weiter, wahrscheinlich aber nicht linear, sondern springe zu den besonders gelobten Zyklen („Die Meister der Insel", „Aphilie", die Kosmonukleotide). Dreiundsechzig Jahre wöchentliche Zukunftsgeschichte linear zu lesen wäre selbst mir zu viel.

Wer jemals Heinlein-Jugendbücher, Doc Smith oder frühes Star Trek möchte und ein bisschen deutsche Heftroman-Ästhetik erträgt, sollte Perry Rhodan unbedingt einmal probieren. Es ist die längste und wohl optimistischste Zukunftsvision, die je geschrieben wurde, und sie läuft 2025 immer noch weiter. Ich berichte, wenn ich tiefer ins All vorgedrungen bin.