Pattern Recognition

By William Gibson

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William Gibson actually created the now familiar word “Cyberspace”. His wrote a series of novels including Neuromancer and Count Zero that describe a dystopian future where hackers connect to that cyberspace with a cable to the brain, where corporations have overtaken states in terms of power and influence, and where artificial intelligences have sparked to life and start to influence human history. These books are not for children, containing significant levels of graphic violence and intimate sex scenes.

Gibson, in his last three books, seems to have abandoned this brooding universe and is now writing entrancing tales of the near future. Perhaps he has come to the view that the future is now jostling the present! I have read and re-read Pattern Recognition, and it is on my list of personal favourites. Gibson no longer feels the need to spice up his gripping and beautifully written tales with intense violence, sex and substance abuse. In this book we meet Cayce, whose very marketable ability is a deep sensitivity to brands and icons. She is asked to come to London to assess a proposed new logo. Her personal obsession, however, is “The Footage”... tiny fragments of perfectly realised and evocative video clips that are being slowly released via the internet. Like others she is fascinated by the mystery of who creates these, and what secrets are hidden within them.

This is almost not a Sci Fi read, though any William Gibson fan will not be disappointed. It is rich with ideas. Gibson constantly seems to trawl through the intellectual flotsam and jetsam of our world and to pick up fascinating concepts and predictions that others miss, then weaves them deep into his stories. He is a writer who can also produce heart catching metaphors and phrases.
This book would suit adults and older teens with some intellectual curiosity. It comes from a master story teller and in some will find it a less confronting read than his earlier novels.

Why Can’t Elephants Jump

and 101 other questions
compiled and edited by Mick O'Hare, New Scientist

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This book appeals on all sorts of levels. It is great for the curious, excellent for those interested in Science, valuable for the hoarders of trivia, and a good “dip in” book (i.e. one you can read in random chunks). I was only a few pages in when I recognised some familiar material. The reason is that I regularly read New Scientist, and the whole book is drawn from the back pages of that magazine... in particular the section where readers pose questions and other (well informed) readers answer them.


I was interested in the section on why Bond required martinis to be “shaken not stirred”... a number of complex theories were proposed and courageously tested. Other questions arise from natural curiosity (“Why are there no green mammals?”) or from keen and well informed observation (“why is the moon as bright as a cloud in the daytime sky when their albedos are quite different?”)


Some of the answer are whimsical and playful, but alongside these there is always an attempt at a good science based answer. In some cases readers propose a variety of explanations, and a sample of these is often given, leaving the reader of the book the job of deciding which is the most satisfactory account.


The material is fine for any age (unless you are worried by the martinis). The explanations range from the general (perhaps Middle School and up) and the reasonably technical.


review by Andrew Lack

How To Be Polite In Japanes

by Osamu Mizutani and Nobuko Mizutani
I apologise for reviewing a great book that is hard to get. Amazon offers limited and mostly second hand supplies. It was originally published by The Japan Times Ltd. Why tell you about it? Because it has left an indelible mark on my brain. OK, confession time, I have a passion for Japanese art and culture, so that would explain why I was in Kansai Airport (where I bought this).


The writers set out to do more than explain that you bow to be polite, and accept a business card with two hands, read it and hold it while you converse. Their aim is to explain the nuances of Japanese communication, verbal and non-verbal. I'm not sure that I have even seen a work so penetrating and thought provoking about Australian culture.


As an example, they have a section on "Finishing Up", and explain that it is common to have a listener finish a sentence or idea of the speaker. The listener is prompted to do this by various sentence structures and hesitations. The goal is to show that you are both engaged on the one idea, the listener respectfully showing their interest in your thoughts. There are detailed examples (in Roman script and translation).


This is probably not a book to read through from cover to cover unless you are a linguist or cultural anthropologist, but for those interested in Japan or even in broader issues of communication structures, it is wonderfully rewarding because of the insights and detail, and the fact that it reflects on language, delivery, manner, attitudes, non-verbal cues and verbal tone.

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Diaries 1969-1979 (The Python Years)

by Michael Palin

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This is not great literature, and was never intended to be. The fascinating Michael Palin has kept a diary "more or less continuously since 1969". His diaries are written largely in full sentences, so reading is not hard, but compared to (say) autobiographical or literary writing, this material has an excess of detail and a lack of flow that make reading cover to cover something of a chore.


Tear up the idea of treating this as a major work, and instead use it as a primary source reference book for the conception, growth and troubled life of the Monty Python Show and the Python Movies. I enjoyed reading about the problems of shooting the films, and about the difficulties (and final triumph) of launching the show in America.


Rather more poignant are the records of the struggles within the team to find direction, finish scripts, and manage the various ups and downs of different members, many of whom battled personal demons of one sort or another.


The book has plenty of photos covering an incredible era. Would I re-read it cover to cover? Probably not, but I'll be tempted to look up some of the better stories again.


Published by Phoenix in 2007.

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Lessons in Chocolate (Lezioni di Cioccolato)

a film directed by Claudio Cuppelini

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This enthusiastic farce won Best Comedy and Best Actress (Violante Placido) at the Monte Carlo Comedy Film Festival in 2007. Mattia (Luca Argentero) is a heartless young building contractor who is willing to cut corners to make a quick buck. He insists his Egyptian worker Kamal (Hassani Shapi) works on a roof without scaffolding. When Kamal falls off suddenly Kamal finds he has power over Mattia, and insists Mattia attends an elite chocolate maker's course in his place.

There is great play with confused identities and other general good humoured antics, but I warmed to the way in which Kamal's character is unfolded. The tensions between his own culture and those of his adopted country provide some of the better moments.

The film may be hard to catch around Sydney (I saw it thanks to an Italian evening at Avoca Theatre) but see it if you can, or have a chat to your local Video store.

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Seven Pounds

a film starring Will Smith, directed by Gabriele Muccino

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Despite engaging performances from some of the co-stars, I ultimately found this film annoying. Will Smith plays the part of a man who has come to believe he owes the world something, and chooses to pay his debt by trying to help a small group of strangers. So far so good!


As you would expect the cinematography, music and performances are all acceptable, so what could be wrong? In the final analysis, his choices (hard to be more specific without spoiling this for everyone) are controversial and ultimately self serving. He is satiating his feeling of guilt. An Indian philosopher once said the greatest charity is when you give in anonymity and without seeking to know the response of the recipient. This won't do for Will Smith's character, who becomes closely entangled with at least some of those he impacts.


This film raises a number of issues, but the core problem is that the film is about a man who takes to himself the right to make god-like decisions about his own body and life.

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An Anthropologist on Mars

by Oliver Sacks

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Ever since I found myself being transported by a discussion of soul in The Man who Mistook His Wife for a Hat I have eagerly sought out Oliver Sacks' writing. Even though his books have all the trappings of academic writing (footnotes, bibliography, technical asides) they read as engaging and empathetic accounts of unusual humans.


The "anthropologist" of the title is Dr. Temple Grandin (http://www.grandin.com/), an expert on cattle behaviour who also has Asperger's Syndrome. While some of the individuals described in the book have little ability to reflect on their own condition, Dr. Grandin has contributed significantly in her own writing to an understanding of the world of those living with Aspergers. In the chapter, Oliver Sacks starts with a review of the way this particular syndrome came to be defined, then describes a day spent with Dr. Grandin. As with other accounts in the book Sachs writes about those with whom he has had direct contact, and embeds his reflection and discussion in the story of that contact.


His aim through all of these stories and reflections is to enquire about the nature of the human mind, and thus inevitably into the nature of "human".


There is no single conclusion to come from the book, but it serves as an introduction for the general reader to the investigations of neurophysiology. I am left with a sense of wonder, and greater appreciation of the complexity of the brain and mind. This book is suitable for any age that can handle the complexity of ideas and poignancy of some of the stories.