A Use for History

Sir Nigel Bagnall's book, The Pelopennesian War: Athens. Sparta, and the Struggle for Greece, presents an interesting look and an even more interesting analysis of the reasons for the decisions taken and the outcome they had in one of the most important events from antiquity. At the beginning of the book, there is a chapter devoted entirely to explaining the principle characters from history. Due to Greece's political structure at the time, another area explaining the locations, as well as the history and influence of the various city states was also included. In each chapter, there is a section devoted to three main ideas, the strategic, operational, and tactical doctrine and decisions made by the various commanders. These sections give insight into the reasons why various decisions were taken, why cities where left to burn and why entire arrmies were sent into near certain defeat for what seemed a paltry gain. Another interesting concept the author plays with but never really fully develops is the connection of the war to things in our time such as the function of NATO and other alliance systems from various time periods. While these sections are interesting, since they really do not advance the idea of the book in any discernable level, they should probably have just been left out.

A Venture into Alternate History

Harry Turtledove is proclaimed by some to be the master of alternate history. After reading The War that Came Early: East and West, I couldn't agree more. As with most of his many many books, the overarching story is told through a number of smaller stories from different viewpoint characters. From an American socialite trapped in Nazi Germany to a Czech sniper who learns to snipe with an antitank rifle, all of his characters are interesting, if not always believable. The whole premice of the book is that at the Munich Conference, Britain and France did not yield to Germany's demand of German takeover of the Sudentenland. From there, small changes here and there begin until this worlds version of the Second World War has very little in common with what happened in our history. Poland instead of being split between the Soviet Union and Germany, allies itself with Germany when the Soviet Union sends troops into Poland to attack Germany when Germany invades Czechoslovakia. The book ends in 1940 with German troops fighting in both France and Poland. I cannot wait to see just what other twists and turns come in the next volume of the series.

Somewhat Failed Night

Well what I had planned on doing tonight and what actually happened, they were two very different things. I had planned on having a bunch of people over to eat pizza, talk, mess around, and attempt to continue our “glorious” and “adventuresome Dungeons and Dragons campaign. Usually our so called campaigns degenerate into me fudging dice rolls so our embattled heroes and heroines won’t die on the end of an orc’s spear or under the foot of a golem, or in an especially entertaining case in the belly of a dragon. Instead of that however, I surfed the web, set up this very Tumblr account and looked over psychology notes. Which by the way for anyone who is actually going to READ this, is probably my chosen minor to accompany Mechanical Engineering. It’s kind of sad how the highlight of my week is playing a pen and paper roleplaying game but hey I’m a geek and I truly and freely admit that.

Newspapers Throughout Time

When I was at the Allen County branch library about a week ago, I decided to pick up another nonfiction book to help fill my quota for the semester. I decided to go with a book on the second world war and so I picked up one by the New York Times. Reading through it, it gave me a sense that newspapers were different back than. Instead of trying to come from an at least partially unbiased approach, the Times back then seems to have been more focused on giant headlines and bold print. Which I can sympathize with since that was probably what enabled them to sell large numbers of papers. It also felt like the world back than was much more cut and dry, black and white, instead of the gray all over with which news organizations must contend with today.

Currently

Page Numbers

The New York Times Living History World War II : The Axis Assault
Pages 1-50

WWW Watch
1-215

I found the New York Times one to be rather interesting as it was a collection of newspaper articles during the time period of 1939 to 1942. Seeing the tone of the authors and the sides they seem to take from the onset of war in 1939 to the middle in 1942, was often dramatic and sometimes quite unexpected.

WWW Watch continues the story of the growth of Webmind the sentient consciousness throughout the internet. This one however focuses more on humanities response to the first true artificial intelligence in human history.

Etymology words

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/10/28/iran_assassination_plot_plausible_culpability?page=0,1
derring do

From Russia With Love

Well while waiting for the next book in my series to arrive, I've decided to read something else. over the summer, I'd wanted to read all the original james bond books. Sadly I only got through three. So now I'm reading From Russia With Love by Ian Flemming, who as I just found out was a secret agent during the second world war. So far I like the book better than the other ones I read over the summer, her Majesties Secret Service, I found drab and boorish. Having seen the movie, I know how the book ends. getting there however has had many changes.